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Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel News Archives - February 2007 Select News by subject: Conflict • Diplomacy • Government • Human Rights • Economy • People • International |
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Undercover Israeli forces assasinate three Palestinians in Jenin, including two Al Quds Brigades’ leaders Ma’an News Agency 2/28/2007 Jenin - Israeli Special Forces assassinated three Palestinians in Jenin refugee camp in the north of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday morning, all reportedly members of the Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad. Our correspondent in Jenin reported that the Special Forces infiltrated the camp in a civilian car bearing Palestinian number plates. The disguised Israeli soldiers then managed to assassinate Ashraf Sadi and Muhammad Abu Nasah, both leaders in the Al Quds Brigades, and the taxi driver Ala’ Breiki whom they were traveling with. The taxi driver is also considered to be a member of the Al Quds Brigades. Local sources said that the Special Forces pursued the men through the streets of the city. When the car reached the refugee camp, the Al-Quds men attempted to escape... more.. 17 Palestinians taken prisoner in the West Bank, including a law maker International Middle East Media Center 2/28/2007 Hatem Qafisha, a Palestinian parliament member was abducted from his home in Hebron city when troops attacked and ransacked it. Qafisha was released from Israeli detention center two months ago after spending two years in administrative detention. Local sources in Hebron city reported that among those abducted... [a]ll were taken to unknown detention camps. Also in the southern West Bank, seven Palestinian civilians were abducted by Israeli forces that invaded and attacked residents’ homes in the village of Beit Fajar, south of Bethlehem city. Sources in the village stated that among those abducted were Yihia Takatka, Yousif Takatka, and Nabil Takatka. Tulkarem city in the northern part of the West Bank was also attacked by Israeli troops on Wednesday morning. more.. Gov’t promoting plan for new ultra-Orthodox East Jerusalem neighborhood Ha’aretz 2/28/2007 Government bodies have been promoting a preliminary plan over the past few weeks to build a neighborhood of 11,000 units for the ultra-Orthodox near the East Jerusalem airport. The plan also calls for the construction of a tunnel under a Palestinian neighborhood to connect the new quarter to one of the settlements in the Beit El area east of Ramallah. MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima) said Tuesday that the Housing Ministry is the body that developed a plan to erect a massive new ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in East Jerusalem. The ministry denied any knowledge of the project.... The new neighborhood is to be built close to the separation fence near the Qalandiyah road block, which separates the Palestinian neighborhoods of north Jerusalem from Ramallah. If approved, it would be the largest building project over the Green Line in Jerusalem since the 1967 Six-Day War. more.. Israeli forces destroy Beit Jala property for Wall snaking through Bethlehem Palestine News Network 2/28/2007 Israeli bulldozers demolished a stone fence in Beit Jala yesterday. The fence surrounded threatened land belonging to George Farah A’raj. The area is near the school atop the highest point in the western Bethlehem District city. It is considered Area C, meaning under Israeli security and civil control per the Oslo Agreement of the early nineties. The destruction began during the early morning hours while residents slept. When questioned, Israeli forces claimed they were leveling the man’s fence because he had not obtained a license from the occupation authorities. However, residents and officials working specifically on the issue of land confiscation for Wall construction said this is not true. By all other accounts, Israeli forces destroyed A’raj’s property in order to conjoin two portions of the Wall. more.. Senior Israeli military officials call for a large offensive in Gaza International Middle East Media Center 2/28/2007 Senior Israeli officials of the Gaza Israeli military Brigade claimed that Palestinian factions, especially Hamas, are preparing at least ten tunnels that lead to Israeli area, and that Hamas is gaining more military power, especially missiles and explosives. The officials stated that “the occurrence of a military attack by Hamas through one of these tunnels is a matter of time”. Also, the officials added that Israel must carry a military offensive in the Gaza Strip, in areas that are close to the “electronic fence” that surrounds the Gaza Strip. The military officials warned that the power of Hamas is increasing, and that it obtained anti-tank missiles, and tons of explosive materials. The statements of the military officials came during a meeting with the Israeli Defense Minister, Amir Peretz, and Gabi Ashkenazi, Israeli Army Chief of Staff... more.. Israeli army returns to Nablus with renewed force Ma’an News Agency 2/28/2007 Nablus - The Israeli forces renewed their ’Operation Hot Winter’ in the city of Nablus, in the north of the occupied West Bank, on Wednesday morning. Palestinian security sources informed Ma’an News Agency that the renewed Israeli military incursion into the city began at 2. 30 am on Wednesday morning. At least 120 military vehicles were observed entering the city, accompanied with bulldozers and armoured jeeps. The director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Services in the city, Dr. Ghassan Hamdan, told Ma’an via telephone that the Israeli forces besieged three hospitals in the city, Ittihad Hospital, Al-Watani Hospital and Rafidia Hospital. He added that the Israeli forces deployed many military jeeps in the areas surrounding the hospitals including outside the gates of the hospitals.... Israeli forces were banning the Palestinian ambulances... more.. IDF soldier moderately wounded as Nablus raid enters fourth day Ha’aretz 2/28/2007 An Israel Defense Forces soldier was moderately wounded in Nablus on Wednesday, the fourth day of a large-scale IDF arrest operation in the West Bank city. Israel Radio reported that the soldier was airlifted to Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer. According to the army, the soldier was wounded when Palestinian militants detonated an explosive device during IDF "operations against terrorist infrastructure." A local hospital said an 18-year-old Palestinian was critically wounded by IDF gunfire while throwing stones at soldiers. Operation "Hot Winter" is focusing primarily on carrying out arrests and uncovering weapons stocks in Nablus casbah (old city). On Wednesday, IDF troops reimposed a curfew on thousands of people in the city, a day after residents said the army had ended the raid. more.. Israeli army continues military offensive in Nablus International Middle East Media Center 2/28/2007 The Israeli army has continued on Wednesday morning its military offensive nicknamed as "Hot Winters", targeting the northern West Bank city of Nablus. On Wednesday morning Israeli tanks and heavy armored vehicles stormed the city, after having left it only one day before. Hundreds of homes were attacked and families were forced outside while soldiers vandalized their belongings. Also this time, the Israeli soldiers started to abduct relatives of whom the army calls "Wanted Palestinians". Invading forces have turned Thafir Al Massrim, a school in the city, into a detention center where soldiers are detaining the abducted family members. Local sources in the city stated that among those abducted so far is Manal Al Fakih, who is five months pregnant, and an elderly man named Abu Amin Lubadah who suffers from a heart condition. more.. Hundreds march in funeral procession of longstanding Bethlehem figure Palestine News Network 3/1/2007 The former Mayor of Beit Sahour was buried near the Greek Orthodox Church in the southern Bethlehem District city yesterday after dying of natural causes. Crowds of religious and political figures walked in the funeral procession for Hanna Atrash. The founder of the Arab Orthodox Club and Palestinian National Council member was a known face in the nationalist struggle for dignity and freedom. The 84 year old first won the Beit Sahour mayoral seat in the 1960s and returned to the position in 1976. Atrash also served on the Palestinian Steering Committee. The Boy Scout Troupe played a slow dirge Wednesday afternoon as the funeral procession moved from Atrash’s home to the cemetery. Bethlehem District Governor Salah Tamari, the city’s Mayor Dr. Victor Batarsa, Beit Sahour’s current Mayor Hani Al Hayek and Beit Jala Mayor... more.. Lebanon acquits Israel of using radioactive materials YNetNews 2/28/2007 Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission rules that contrary to accusations made after war, Israel did not use toxic substances in areas bombed by IDF -- The Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission has ruled that no toxic radioactive materials were found in the areas bombed by Israel during the recent war , following a series of accusations and suspicions regarding the shells and weapons used by the Israel Defense Forces. The ruling, based on laboratory tests, was presented during a scientific symposium on nuclear energy held in Lebanon on Monday. The symposium was aimed at informing the Lebanese public of lab tests carried out on more than 100 sites bombed during the war. The weapons used by Israel, in particular cluster bombs which caused the injury and death of Lebanese civilians, have come under heavy criticism since the war. more.. Nablus begins cleaning up after Israelis, damage to Old City severe with repeated invasions Palestine News Network 2/27/2007 The Old City is left with destruction and devastation during a reprieve from the Israeli operation coined, “Winter Heat,” reports the Nablus Municipality. During the early morning hours the Mayor of Nablus brought out the heavy equipment belonging to the city in an attempt to clear the Old City streets. Piles of stones and debris blocked traffic after two days of attacks. Faisal Street, from where Israeli forces cut the city in two with cement blocks, was still encumbered. After a series of attacks ends in any town, the damage to the infrastructure remains. Rasha Kherzoula lives there, where the eastern city was blockaded from the west. She recollects, “Cries from the families in the neighborhood and the shouts of soldiers demanding everyone into the streets woke me up. The soldiers proceeded to break into homes and convert them into military installations." more.. Israeli army invades Jenin, besieges many houses; Al-Aqsa member escapes arrest Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Jenin - A member of the Jenin branch of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main armed wing of Fatah, escaped an Israeli attempt to arrest him on Tuesday, sources reported. A source informed Ma’an News Agency that Mahmoud Abu Sorour, whose codename is Meibara, escaped arrest during a large Israeli military incursion into Jenin on Tuesday. A large contingent of Israeli forces raided the city of Jenin on Tuesday morning and launched an extensive search of houses in the city. The forces besieged many houses in the centre of the city, including that of Abu Sorour, but he escaped, breaking his hand in his haste to flee. The Israeli soldiers also shot at him but missed, the source added. Many other residents of Jenin were forced to evacuate their houses in the cold as the Israeli troops besieged their homes. more.. Housing Ministry says did not know of E. J’lem building project Ha’aretz 2/28/2007 MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima) said Tuesday that the Housing Ministry is the body that developed a plan to erect a massive new ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in East Jerusalem. The ministry denied any knowledge of the project. Government bodies have been promoting a preliminary plan over the past few weeks to build a neighborhood of 11,000 units for the ultra-Orthodox near the East Jerusalem airport. The plan also calls for the construction of a tunnel under a Palestinian neighborhood to connect the new quarter to one of the settlements in the Beit El area east of Ramallah. Schneller also said Tuesday that the Jerusalem municipality was "happy with the idea." In response to Schneller’s claims that the housing ministry hatched the plan, they said, "the ministry has no knowledge of this plan. At most, only the Jerusalem district of the ministry knew about it." more.. Palestinian killed as Israelis seize city in hunt for militants The Independent 2/27/2007 A Palestinian was killed in the heart of Nablus yesterday as Israeli troops continued to hunt for militants in one of the biggest military operations in a West Bank city since the peak of the conflict four years ago. Around 80 jeeps, armoured vehicles and bulldozers patrolled Nablus’s old city after sealing off its centre with cement blocks and rubbish skips and enforcing a curfew which confined tens of thousands of residents to their homes. Troops conducted a house-to-house search for wanted Palestinians including seven whose names, unusually, were broadcast by radio and TV stations briefly commandeered by the Israel Defence Forces. The military say they have uncovered four rooms containing explosives, belts and electronic devices. more.. Israeli army withdraws from streets of Nablus, leaving destruction in its wake Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Nablus - Three days after the launch of ’Operation Warm Winter’, the Israeli troops appear to have withdrawn from the centre of the West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday morning. The inhabitants are cautiously venturing back into the streets and shopkeepers are returning to their stores, where they are finding their doors broken and the contents of their shops ruined, our correspondent in Nablus has reported. The people of Nablus are still afraid that the Israeli forces might return to the city suddenly, especially after an Israeli officer announced that the Israeli military operation is still ongoing. Palestinians in the city have also participated in burying the body of Anan Tibi, 42, who was killed by the Israeli forces on Monday. They took his body from Rafidia hospital to his house and then to the cemetery on Tuesday morning. more.. Gang rapes Jewish women as ’revenge’ Jerusalem Post 2/27/2007 A gang of serial rapists has been prowling the North, raping Jewish women as revenge for IDF actions in the West Bank, police revealed Tuesday after arresting six suspects." We are raping Jews because of what the IDF is doing to the Palestinians in the territories," one of the six suspects told investigators from the Northern District Central Investigative Unit (CIU) during questioning. During their questioning and their brief appearance at the Nazareth Magistrate’s Court Tuesday, none of the four main suspects indicated that they felt remorse for their actions. Police said they were aware of four attacks carried out by the gang, but they believed there were probably other incidents that had gone unreported by the victims. In all four cases, police said, the rapists’ modus operandi were strikingly similar... more.. Murder of Hebron Settler: Two Palestinian teens confess under interrogation International Middle East Media Center 2/27/2007 Israeli media sources on Tuesday announced that the illegal Israeli settler whose corpse was found late on Sunday night was 42 year-old father of three, Erez Levanon from Bat Ayin settlement near the West Bank city of Hebron. Levanon, who had been reported missing on Sunday afternoon, was found stabbed to death in his car on Palestinian farmland in Beit Omar village near Hebron. His body was discovered by Palestinian civilians who immediately informed the Palestinian police, who in turn informed the Israeli police. Israeli forces and police immediately invaded the village of Beit Omar and searched and ransacked houses. Israeli media sources are today announcing that two teenagers, named as Mudar Abu Dia and Musa Ahalil, both 17, are from the nearby village of Khirbat Safa and are suspected of killing Levanon. more.. Israeli troops carried 40 invasions in Jenin in February International Middle East Media Center 2/27/2007 A report prepared and published by the National Institutions Office in Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank, revealed that Israeli troops carried in February 40 invasions in Jenin district and continued their strict siege over the district. 30 residents were taken prisoner, and one fighter was assassinated. The Office stated that soldiers carried daily invasions and attacks under the pretext of receiving warnings that resistance fighters are planning attacks against Israeli targets. The invasions mainly targeted Jenin city, Jenin refugee camp, Qabatia town, Tubas town, and the villages of Methaloon, Al Yamoun, Ya’bod, Al Zababda and Rommana. The Jenin office of the Palestinian Prisoner Society reported that thirty residents, all civilians, were taken prisoner and one fighter, identified as Mahmoud Abu Obeid, 25, leader of the Al Quds Brigades... more.. 24 hours in Gaza: 2 murdered women, 1 abduction, 1 explosion, 1 stolen car Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Gaza - The Gaza Strip witnessed a number of violent and suspicious incidents over the last 24 hours, Palestinian security sources told Ma’an News Agency. The police are currently investigating these incidents. In one incident, the bullet-ridden body of a woman in her twenties was found in the Atatra area, west of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday. She had been shot at least ten times, the sources said. She is suspected to have been killed due to reasons of a family dispute. Another female in her forties was found dead in Tunnel Street in the east of Gaza City, the sources said. In a third case, the police were informed that a Palestinian man, Raed Qishtah, 25, was abducted in the Rafah area. The sources believe that the pro-Hamas Executive Force, the armed group under the command of the interior ministry, is responsible for the abduction. more.. Israeli army pulls out of Nablus without ending operation International Middle East Media Center 2/27/2007 The Israeli forces that invaded northern West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday morning left the city on Tuesday morning. No official statements regarding the status of the military offensive have been released by the Israeli army. Residents of Nablus woke up on Tuesday morning to see the tanks rolling out of their city after two days of a violent military operation, nicknamed by the Israeli army as "Hot Winter" or "Winter Heat". The military offensive targeted the city center, the old city the nearby refugee camps. Hundreds of homes were attacked and families were forced outside while soldiers damaged belongings, eyewitnesses reported. During the invasion the Israeli military besieged hospitals and attacked health clinics in the old city, the Palestinian medical relief services’ clinic was one of those attacked. more.. Al Quds Brigades retaliate for Israeli crimes against Palestinians in Nablus by launching projectiles at Israeli towns Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Gaza - Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, announce responsibility for the launching of two homemade projectiles at strategic posts in Ashkelon, in Israel, on Tuesday morning. In a statement, the brigades said "the launching of projectiles at Israeli towns is retaliation for the Israeli aggression and crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus. [end] Palestinian military brigades hurl bombs at Israeli jeeps in Nablus, one set ablaze with soldiers inside Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Nablus - Al Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah movement, Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad and Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), announced joint responsibility for hurling a number of explosive devices at Israeli military vehicles in Nablus. The military wings said in a statement for Ma’an, "At exactly 21:02 on Monday evening a joint group was able to detonate two explosive devices at military vehicles in Al Yasmina area, one of the military vehicles was seen ablaze and the soldiers inside it were screaming. [end] Israeli army seizes nine West Bankers Tuesday at dawn Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Bethlehem - The Israeli forces arrested nine Palestinians from various regions in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday at dawn, Israeli sources announced. Israeli radio reported that the arrests took place in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem, Ramallah and Hebron. The arrested men were reported to be activists from both Islamic Jihad and Hamas. [end] Israeli forces open fire on Gaza fishermen and farmers Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Gaza - Israeli forces opened fire on fishermen and farmers in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday at dawn, Israeli security sources reported. The sources said that the forces opened fire from an Israeli military ship towards a Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of Tal Al-Sultan, in the west of Rafah governorate, in the south of the Gaza Strip. The boat fled further out to sea and no injuries were reported. The Israeli forces also opened fire on farmers east of the destroyed Gaza international airport in the south of Rafah governorate. No casualties or injuries were reported. [end] Israeli war-ship opens fire at Palestinian fishermen in Rafah International Middle East Media Center 2/27/2007 Palestinian sources reported that an Israeli war-ship opened heavy gunfire at Palestinian fishing boats and civilians at Tal Al Sultan beach, on the Rafah city coast in the southern Gaza strip on Tuesday morning. The sources reported no injuries, the boats sustained damage. In a separate incident, Israel army tanks stationed east of Rafah city opened fire at Palestinian farmers working on their lands; no in injuries were reported. The Palestinian resistance fired two home made shells at Israel military targets in the northern part of Israel near the Gaza strip. Al Quds brigades and an offshoot of Islamic Jihad movement announced responsibility for the attack, and said that it comes in response to the continuous Israeli army attacks on the Palestinian people. [end] "Hot Winter" Offensive Continues On Nablus, Injuries, Arrests, House Demolition And School Turned Into Interrogation Center International Press Center 2/26/2007 NABLUS, Palestine, February 26,2007 (IPC+ Agencies ) -- Israeli occupation’s wide-scale offensive "hot winter" on Nablus city marked today the second day with Israeli military assertions that it would not be limited with time as the large invading troops destroyed two houses, 13 wounded and carried out a wide arrest raids. Palestinian security sources reported that Israeli troops cordoned off toady morning Al Mussri residential building apartments at Al Makhfyia neighborhood of Nablus’ old town, more than 20 armored vehicles surrounded the building and opened sporadic fire under the pretext that one of anti occupation fighter fortified inside. The Israeli troops warned that if the fighter have not surrender, they will knock down the building over households’ head. more.. One Palestinian Killed, 16 others Wounded, 122 Arrested by Israeli Army in one Week International Press Center 2/26/2007 GAZA, Palestine, February 26. 2007 (IPC)- - Israeli Occupation army has killed one Palestinian, wounded 16 and arrested 122 others over a period of one week, a report by the National Information Center of the Palestinian State Information Service (PSIS) says. The report points out the Israeli violations against the Palestinian people from February13 to February19, in which Israel ’has employed all possible means at its disposal’. The Israeli occupation army has used excessive lethal force against Palestinian civilian populations across the occupied Palestinian territories. The force included heavy shooting at residential buildings, frequent raids on cities, towns, villages and refugee camps, installing roadblocks and checkpoints and expropriating farm lands, the report confirms. more.. Corpse of Gazan found under debris in a tunnel Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Rafah - Palestinian national security forces have found the dead body of Abdul-Majeed Abu Suheiban, aged 22, in a tunnel which collapsed three days ago in the As Salam neighbourhood, near the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian security, the inspection was ongoing for the three days until the corpse was found on Tuesday. [end] Three homemade projectiles launched at Israeli town of Sderot Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Gaza - The Al Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah movement, on Tuesday claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli city Sderot. They said in a statement that the shelling was a part of their natural right to resist the Israeli enemy and to retaliate for the arrests of Palestinian citizens in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. In a separate incident, the Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, launched one projectile at Sderot. [end] Palestinians hurl a Molotov coctail at an Israeli car near Qalqilia Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Bethlehem - Israeli sources reported on Tuesday that Palestinians hurled a Molotov cocktail at an Israeli car near the northern West Bank village of Beit Estia, southeast of Qalqilia. No casualties were reported. The sources added that a huge force arrived at the scene of the incident, closed the roads and began investigations. [end] Israeli police worried about settlers’ revenge for the death of a settler near Hebron Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Bethlehem - Israeli security sources on Tuesday expressed concerns that the Israeli settlers of Beit ’Einun might undertake punitive measures against the Palestinian residents of the southern West bank town of Beit Ummar in the wake of the stabbing of a settler from Beit ’Einun. Israeli police sources affirmed to Maariv, Israeli daily newspaper, that the threat is serious and as a result, they will take preventative measures. The Beit ’Einun settlement is known for extremism and violence, especially after three of its residents planned to blow up a school in an Arab neighbourhood of Jerusalem during the first Palestinian Intifada. [end] Al-Quds Brigades fire projectiles at Israeli military base in Gaza in retaliation for incursion of Nablus Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Gaza - The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, announced its responsibility on Tuesday morning for launching six homemade projectiles towards Kisufim Israeli military base, located east of Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip. The brigades said in a statement for Ma’an that it launched the six projectiles in retaliation for the Israeli occupation’s crimes and as a preliminary response to the incursion of the city of Nablus. The brigades also said that the projectile-launching was one of a series of responses to the assassination of the leader of the brigades in Jenin, Mahmoud Obeidah, last week and as a continuation of their ’Operation Red Rose’. [end] Sheikh Salah Discloses Ongoing Excavations At Late Night At Al Mughrbi Gate International Press Center 2/27/2007 JERUSALEM, Palestine, February 26,2007 (IPC) - -Al Sheikh Ra’d Salah, Islamic Movement head inside the Green Line, stated Sunday that the Israeli occupation caterpillars have been destroying Al Mughrabi Gate adjacent to Al Aqsa mosque at late hours of night and then pulled back from the scene before dawn by stealth. In a statement, a copy of which made available to IPC, Al Sheikh Salah said the Israeli authorities have increasingly added new workers who dig and drill at Al Mughrbi gate with light and small drillers and extracted hundreds of sand and ancient stones. For 19 days the Israeli occupation has not stopped destruction of Al Mughrbi walkway and two rooms of Al Aqsa mosque. "We could screened the Israeli bulldozers entered at night and started destruction at Al Mughrba gate." more.. Two Palestinians arrested for murder of Israeli man Ha’aretz 2/27/2007 The Israel Defense Forces yesterday arrested two Palestinian youths in the murder of an Israeli whose body was found north of Hebron late Sunday. In Nablus, military operations continued for a second day, with tens of thousands of residents confined to their homes. Police say Erez Levanon, 42, from the Bat Ayin settlement in Gush Etzion, had been stabbed by Palestinians. Levanon, married and a father of three, regularly went alone to a wooded wadi about 300 meters from Bat Ayin. He was well-known in the Bratslav Hasidic community as a guitar player, songwriter and performer. The suspects, Mudar Abu Dia and Musa Ahalil, both 17, from the nearby village of Khirbat Safa, were arrested overnight in a village near the murder site. They confessed under interrogation, saying they had planned the murder in advance... more.. Israeli forces abduct four Palestinian civilians near Hebron International Middle East Media Center 2/27/2007 Israeli forces have abducted four Palestinian civilians from villages located near Hebron city in the southern part of the West Bank on Tuesday morning, Palestinian sources reported. Monif Hamdan and Salem Ihribat were abducted when Israeli troops attacked and searched houses in the village of Al Tabakah south of Hebron. Residents stated that soldiers took the two to an unknown detention camp. In the meantime, another army force invaded the village of Kharsa also south of Hebron. Eyewitnesses stated that soldiers searched the homes of Montaser Shadid and Khalil Mohamed, then abducted the two and took them to unknown locations. Israeli media sources reported that the Israeli army has abducted nine Palestinian civilians from several parts of the West Bank on Tuesday. [end] Charitable association in Jericho vandalized by unidentified assailants Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Jericho - Unidentified assailants attacked the premises of a charitable association called Al Isra’a kindergarten, in Jericho, in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, on Tuesday at dawn. The head of the association, Sheikh Zayed Abu Rumi, said that attack resulted in vast destruction to the premises, but that nothing was stolen. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that the Palestinian police forces arrived at the scene of the incident and said: "from the preliminary inspection of the accident, it seems the assailants sought to cause devastation, rather than steal anything. [end] IDF troops uncover third explosives factory in Nablus raid Ha’aretz 2/27/2007 Israel Defense Forces troops on Monday uncovered an explosives laboratory in the West Bank city of Nablus, on the second day of an arrest operation in the city. The laboratory, which contained two gas balloons, pipe bombs, explosives, computers and electrical equipment, was the third uncovered by the IDF since Saturday. Earlier Monday, Palestinian Anan al-Tibi, 50, was killed and his son was injured day during the raid in Nablus. Al-Tibi was killed by a bullet to the neck while walking down a street with his son in the old city, breaking the army’s curfew. His son was wounded in his leg from the gunfire. The two were apparently unarmed. IDF troops sealed off the center of Nablus’ old city with cement blocks and trash containers Monday, and moved from apartment to apartment in search of seven Palestinian fugitives... more.. Police question top J’lem rabbi over threats against Maj. Gen. Ha’aretz 2/27/2007 Police on Tuesday detained for questioning Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, the head of the Jerusalem Temple Institute, on suspicion of threatening GOC Central Command Yair Naveh’s life and inciting violence.. Ariel was allegedly involved in the issuance of a halakhic ruling against Major General Naveh because of authorization of restraining orders against West Bank settlers. According to the ruling, in signing such orders, Naveh was guilty of crimes punishable by death according to Jewish law. Ariel has been transferred to the investigation offices of the Jerusalem Police’s central unit, where he is relating his version of events. In mid-January Ariel, along with a group of rabbis linked to the revived Sanhedrin movement - or high court of Jewish law - allegedly issued a letter ruling that Naveh was guilty of three crimes... more.. Al-Aqsa Brigades fire projectiles at Sderot and into western Negev Ma’an News Agency 2/26/2007 Gaza - The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main armed wing of the Fatah movement, claimed responsibility on Monday evening for launching five homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot and into the western Negev desert, in the south of Israel. They said in a statement that the shelling came in retaliation for the Israeli occupation’s practices in Nablus and for the excavations near the holy Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. [end] Israeli settlers demonstrate for new bypass road through Bethlehem Palestine News Network 2/23/2007 Israeli settlers demonstrated today for an additional bypass road through the Bethlehem District. Seventy settlers blocked traffic at the gate in the Wall in Bethlehem’s Numan Village. The settlements to the southeast demand easier access to Har Homa Settlement and settlements in Jerusalem. The new road they want will cut through Numan Village. Although the existence of settlements directly contravenes international law, they continue to expand. In the past two years Bethlehem and Jerusalem have been hardest hit with new settlement activity. Numan and Taqua’ villages are among those being encircled by the Wall, the route of which wraps around in such a way that Bethlehem becomes a canton and the settlements are expanded and conjoined. Seventy Israeli settlers participated in Friday’s demonstration at the iron gates that the lock in Numan residents. more.. Palestinian member of Knesset: Israeli government displacing 35,000 Palestinians from East Jerusalem Palestine News Network 2/23/2007 The latest reports indicate that after expelling tens of thousands of Palestinians, the Israeli government intends to displace another 35,000 from East Jerusalem for expansion of the Ma’ale Adumim Settlement. Palestinian Deputy in the Israeli Knesset, Dr. Hanin, revealed the new numbers while touring the neighborhoods that are being razed for Wall construction in the area. He said that in East Jerusalem the targeted population is Jahalin Bedouin and that these are the ongoing issues that need most urgently to be addressed. “While Israel has the world’s attention for its criminal excavation at Al Aqsa Mosque, some of the most heinous crimes continue to go unnoticed. ”He said that the Palestinian fight against the Wall and settlements is being lost, with the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim an example as it expands. more.. Two Palestinian men killed in suspicious circumstances in Gaza Friday morning Ma’an News Agency 2/23/2007 Khan Younis - Suspicious deaths continue to be reported in Gaza. Palestinian medical sources reported on Friday morning that two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had been killed under suspicious circumstance. Ma’an’s correspondent in Gaza reported, quoting medical sources, that a Palestinian man, Salamah ’Abed Al-Razeq Abu Shabab, 55, had been killed in the Moraj area of south east Khan Younis on Friday morning. His death was believed to be related to a family problem. His bullet-ridden body was brought to Gaza’s European Hospital. The sources added that another Palestinian man, Ahmad ’Ubeid Abu Shluf, 45, was found dead on Friday morning in Al-Madakha street near Gaza’s European Hospital in Khan Younis. He had been stabbed with a knife. [end] Report: Israel seeking US consent to fly over Iraq Jerusalem Post 2/24/2007 Israel is negotiating with the United States for permission to fly over Iraq as part of a plan to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, the UK’s Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday morning. The report claimed that Israel plans to conduct surgical air strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, although did not specify which installments. In order to conduct such an operation, the defense establishment would need to seek permission from the Pentagon, said the Telegraph. The newspaper quoted a senior Israeli defense official who told reporters that negotiations were now underway between the two countries for the US-led coalition in Iraq to provide an "air corridor" in the event of the Knesset deciding on unilateral military action to prevent Teheran developing nuclear weapons." more.. Military factions fire projectiles at Israeli target north of Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 2/23/2007 Gaza - The An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), and the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main military wing of Fatah, have announced their joint responsibility for firing two homemade projectiles at the Israeli community of Netiv Ha’asara, located north of the Gaza Strip, on Friday morning. The brigades said in a joint statement for Ma’an that "the launching came in the context of defending the Islamic sanctities and the Al-Aqsa mosque, which is exposed to judaization and threats amid international silence. [end] Israeli army detains two Palestinians in Bethlehem, a municipal council member near Jenin Ma’an News Agency 2/23/2007 Bethlehem - The Israeli forces arrested two Palestinians from the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Friday at dawn, claiming that they are ’wanted’ by the Israeli authorities. The Israeli sources said that the Israeli forces arrested one Hamas activist and one Fatah member in Bethlehem. They were taken away for interrogation. On Thursday evening, the Israeli forces also arrested a municipal council member in the north of the occupied West Bank at a flying checkpoint set up southwest of Jenin. Hassan Rashid Al-Ashqar, 34, a former head of the municipal council of the village of Seida, located northeast of the city of Tulkarem, was travelling in his private car with his wife from the city of Jenin, in the north of the West Bank, when he was stopped at a flying Israeli military checkpoint near the village of Arraba. more.. Exiting naval commando chief slams Navy’s conduct during war Ha’aretz 2/23/2007 The exiting commander of the naval commando sent a harsh letter to Israel Navy commander Major General David Ben-Bassat several months ago, in which he expressed his dissatisfaction with the conduct of the Navy’s top echelon during last summer’s war in Lebanon. Colonel N. , who completed his term as commander of the naval commando last week, accused Ben-Bassat of limiting the naval commando’s freedom in carrying out offensive operations. He also criticized Ben-Bassat’s failure to investigate in depth the incident in which the Hezbollah fired an Iranian-made missile at Navy vessel "Hanit" off the coast of Lebanon, killing four and wounding dozens. Highlights from N. ’s letter were publicized Thursday on Israel’s Channel Two news. more.. VIDEO - The Iron Wall Information Clearing House 6/26/2006 In 1923 Vladimir Jabotinsky, leading intellectual of the Zionist movement and father of the right wing of that movement, wrote: "Zionist colonization must either stop, or else proceed regardless of the native population. Which means that it can proceed and develop only under the protection of a power that is independent of the native population - behind an The Iron Wall , which the native population cannot breach." First published in Russian under the title O Zheleznoi Stene in Rassvyet, 4 November 1923. -- From that day these words became the official and unspoken policy of the Zionist movement and later the state of Israel. Settlements were used from the beginning to create a Zionist foothold in Palestine. The Iron Wall documentary exposes this phenomenon and follows the timeline, size, population of the settlements, and its impact on the peace process. more.. Palestinian police kills a Palestinian man by mistake in Ramallah International Middle East Media Center 2/22/2007 Palestinian civilian was killed when a Palestinian Ploice officer shot him by mistake in Ramallah on Thursday afternoon, sources from the Palestinian police reported. Palestinian civilian was killed when a Palestinian Ploice officer shot him by mistake in Ramallah on Thursday afternoon, sources from the Palestinian police reported. A Palestinian police officer opened fire at the wheels of a car that attempted to avoid a police roadblock setup for a regular car registration and insurance check down town Ramallah, however, a bystander, whose name remains unknow as of writing this report, was killed in the shooting. Scores of the deceased man relatives from the nearby Amari and Qadora refugee camps took to the streets and started throwing rocks at the police cars in the city center. more.. Egypt pursues two Palestinian militants in northern Sinai Ha’aretz 2/22/2007 Hundreds of state-security forces and military intelligence personnel launched a search in Egypt’s northern Sinai peninsula Thursday looking for two Palestinians believed to be plotting suicide attacks on tourist sites, officials said. The search began a day after 23 Palestinians and Egyptians were arrested and confessed to plotting a series of attacks against tourists, mainly Israelis in southern Sinai resorts. Among those arrested was a young Palestinian, wearing an explosives belt, who had entered Egypt illegally at Rafah through an underground tunnel from the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of state security forces and intelligence were deployed to Rafah, El-Arish and several other northern Sinai towns in search of two additional Palestinians, believed to be suicide bombers, according to a state security official speaking on condition of anonymity... more.. Israeli aircraft violate Lebanese airspace again Daily Star 2/23/2007 Israeli helicopters flew deep into the occupied Shebaa Farms Thursday at dawn, reaching demarcation lines with villages in the Arqoub district of southeast Lebanon, according to the National News Agency (NNA). Israeli Humvees also patrolled the road linking the border region of Ghajar to the occupied Golan Heights in Syria, the NNA report said. Israeli fighter-bombers had flown at low altitude over various Southern areas Wednesday. The Lebanese Army’s anti-aircraft fire targeted an Israeli drone flying east of Tyre. The NNA said an Israeli drone entered the South’s central and western sectors at 9 a. m. , flying over the qada of Bint Jbeil. Another drone flew at a medium altitude over Zahrani. The NNA said an Israeli drone entered the South’s central and western sectors at 9 a. m. , flying over the qada of Bint Jbeil. Another drone flew at a medium altitude over Zahrani. more.. IDF denies troops entered Gaza in search of smuggling tunnels Ha’aretz 2/22/2007 The Israel Defense Forces denied a Palestinian report early Thursday that IDF troops entered the southern Gaza Strip searching for smuggling tunnels. Palestinian security officials said the IDF forces were operating close to the border, and there were no clashes with Palestinians. Such cross-border operations have been rare since a December cease-fire, but Israel has been warning that Palestinian militants are continuing to dig tunnels from Gaza under the borders. They are used to smuggle weapons from Egypt and to launch attacks on Israel. Last June, militants who tunneled from Gaza into Israel attacked an army post, killing two IDF soldiers and capturing corporal Gilad Shalit. Recently, Hamas and other Palestinian paramilitary groups have stepped up their efforts to acquire more advanced anti-tank weaponry. more.. New brigade to stop terror activity along Egypt border YNetNews 2/22/2007 Following Eilat terror attack last month, IDF implements decision to establish brigade to defend long and breached southern border -- A new Israel Defense Forces brigade is planned to be officially established in the coming days. The Sagi Brigade will operate along Israel’s southern border with Egypt. The necessity for this brigade received emphasis last month after the Eilat bombing , which killed three people. A high ranking officer from the Southern Command told Ynet that due to the ever-increasing terrorist related efforts along the border, Israel needs a much larger force to cope with the challenges. "However, the government has not yet decided to allocate funding to deal with the obstacles in the area, so we cannot guarantee that another attack will not occur," he added. more.. Armed resistance member violently arrested and taken in a jeep Palestine News Network 2/22/2007 Israeli forces stormed the Bethlehem area on Thursday with the intention of arresting a member of the armed resistance. Dozens of homes were raided this morning as Israeli soldiers broke in and forced residents outside. The soldiers rifled through personal belongings and papers, and destroyed furniture. Eyewitnesses report that 20 Israeli soldiers participated in violently arresting 54 year old Mousa Mohammad Salah Nawawra. He was bound and blindfolded before being thrown into the back of a jeep. His whereabouts are currently unknown. An Israeli military spokesperson said that Nawawra had been “wanted” since 2003, accused of firing at a settler car in Bethlehem near the town of Al Khader which led to the settler’s death. more.. Israel must invest in missile system, says Arrow inventor YNetNews 2/22/2007 Dov Raviv criticizes Israel’s defense approach, warns that without anti-missile system country will be in danger -- "If the defense establishment does not reconsider its approach, we will become an endangered country," said the developer of the Arrow Anti Tactical Ballistic Missile system said Thursday. Dov Raviv criticized Israel’s defense policy and said that the Arrow was Israel’s assurance and should, therefore, be taken more seriously. "We can not develop a frugal defense system. We must invest all the available resources in it," he asserted. Earlier this week, the Pentagon allocated funding for the next generation of the Arrow. The new missile will have increased capabilities to intercept ballistic missiles at a much earlier stage, making it much more effective. more.. Undercover Border Policemen kill Jenin-area Islamic Jihad chief Ha’aretz 2/21/2007 Undercover Border Police troops killed an Islamic Jihad commander in the West Bank town of Jenin on Wednesday, one day after a suicide bombing attempt he allegedly ordered was thwarted in Tel Aviv. The slain man was identified as Mahmoud Abu Ubayed, 24, commander of Islamic Jihad in areas near Jenin. Witnesses said Abu Ubayed was driving his car near the Yihya Ayyash Square in Jenin when undercover troops in civilian clothing surprised him and sprayed the vehicle with bullets. The square was named for a Hamas bombing mastermind killed in an Israeli-ordered attack in 1996. The Israel Defense Forces commander of the Jenin area, Lieutenant General Hertsi Halevi, said Abu Ubayed was the Islamic Jihad’s leading explosives expert, and that recently the IDF had been making a concerted effort to arrest him... more.. Hamas’ military wing: Truce is over YNetNews 2/21/2007 Following killing of Islamic Jihad commander, Qassam Brigades spokesman calls off ’ceasefire’, calls factions to unite and ’retaliate’ -- Hamas’s Qassam Brigades have declared an end to a ceasefire with Israel, according to a statement released on Wednesday evening. The call to end the truce appeared on Hamas’s official website , in both English and Arabic, and is the first time in months that Palestinian armed forces directly under the control of the Hamas government openly threatened to attack Israel. Abu Obaida, spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, said in the statement that "the truce with the Israeli occupation is no longer valid," citing the "assassination of Islamic Jihad commander" Mahmoud Qassem as the reason. Qassem was shot dead in the West Bank by Israeli Border Police on Tuesday, after security forces traced a foiled suicide bomb attack... -- See also: Al-Qassam Brigades: ceasefire terminated due to Israeli violations more.. Palestinians: IDF operating close to border inside the Gaza Strip Ha’aretz 2/22/2007 Israel Defense Forces troops entered the southern Gaza Strip early Thursday, Palestinians said, in a limited operation apparently aimed at searching for tunnels. The IDF had no immediate comment. Palestinian security officials said the IDF forces were operating close to the border, and there were no clashes with Palestinians. Such cross-border operations have been rare since a December cease-fire, but Israel has been warning that Palestinian militants are continuing to dig tunnels from Gaza under the borders. They are used to smuggle weapons from Egypt and to launch attacks on Israel. Last June, militants who tunneled from Gaza into Israel attacked an army post, killing two IDF soldiers and capturing corporal Gilad Shalit. Recently, Hamas and other Palestinian paramilitary groups have stepped up their efforts to acquire more advanced anti-tank weaponry. more.. 3,000 new Jewish settler homes being built: watchdog ReliefWeb 2/21/2007 JERUSALEM, Feb 21, 2007 (AFP) - More than 3,000 Jewish settlement housing units are being built in the occupied West Bank where the Jewish population is growing steadily, Israel’s anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now said Wednesday. In its annual report on settlements -- considered illegal under international law -- the organisation said the largest sites of construction were in Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, Modiin Illit and Beitar Illit. In addition, another 90 caravans were added to wildcat outposts -- which unlike full settlements are not authorised by Israel -- and of which permanent construction is taking place in 30, Peace Now said. The existing 102 outposts are home to 2,000 settlers. Last year, one unpopulated outpost was dismantled. Over the past year, the number of settlements remained the same at 121... more.. B’Tselem: "number of settlers living in illegal outposts rises to 2000" International Middle East Media Center 2/22/2007 The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories (B’Tselem) stated in its annual report on settlements, that the number of settlers living in 102 illegal outposts in the occupied West Bank arrived to 2000. B’Tselem reported that no new outposts were installed in 2006, but the settlers carried modifications in 251 outposts. The modifications included adding Caravans to the outposts, widening existing homes, installing roads and similar activities. Settlers installed 127 Caravans in several illegal outposts, and the Israeli army removed 37 of these outposts. Settlers also constructed permanent buildings in 30 illegal outposts, and paved roads leading to seven outposts. According to the report, 22 incidents of new constructions and 10 incidents of widening existing constructions were reported. more.. Peace Now: Israeli Settlers in the Occupied West Bank Increased by 5% in 2006 International Middle East Media Center 2/21/2007 Peace Now, an Israeli peace bloc, revealed Wednesday that the number of Israel settlers based in various Israeli settlements in the West Bank has increased by 5% in 2006 compared to 2005, totaling 268,000. The report maintained that population growth of 121 Israeli settlements has been steadily increasing, given the movement of ultra orthodox families to like minded areas in the occupied territories and the large birth rate, which turn places like Modi’in Illit into the largest settlements in the West Bank. Tenders: In 2006 a total of 952 tenders were published for construction contracts in the occupied territories, all of these were published post general elections (March 2006). In comparison, in 2005 a total of 1184 tenders were published. more.. Report: over 5,000 Palestinians killed by the Israeli army since 2000 Ma’an News Agency 2/21/2007 Bethlehem - Since the outbreak of the second Palestinian Intifada in September 2000, until late January 2007, the Israeli army has killed 5,050 Palestinian men, women and children, wounded 49,760 others and detained 10,4000 others, a report by the Palestinian Authority-run ’Palestinian State Information Service’ has revealed. The report, which was prepared by the Palestinian National Information Center, part of the PSIS, showed that 351 Palestinian women have been killed, 150 patients have died at checkpoints and 66 others have been killed due to beating by Israeli settlers. 36 medical staff have been killed, 9 members of the press, and 220 sportsmen. According to the report, the number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army authorities has risen to 10,400 including 553 detained prior to the outbreak of the Intifada. more.. PSIS Report Highlights Palestinian Losses since the Outbreak of Uprising International Middle East Media Center 2/21/2007 Since the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising in September 2000, until late January 2007, the Israeli army has killed 5050 Palestinian men, women and children, wounded 49760 others and detained 10. 4000, a report by the Palestinian State Information Service (PSIS) revealed. The report, prepared by the Palestinian National Information Center, an organ of the PSIS, showed that 351 Palestinian women have been killed, 150 patients have died at checkpoints, 66 others have been killed due to beating by Israeli settlers, 36 others have been medical crews, 9 others belonged to press, while 220 others have been athletics. According to the report, the number of Palestinians being detained by the Israeli army authorities has mounted to 10,400 including 553 detained prior to the outbreak of the Intifada. more.. Israeli drone draws fire from Lebanese Army Daily Star 2/22/2007 SOUTH LEBANON: An Israeli aircraft violated Lebanon’s airspace Wednesday, drawing anti-aircraft fire from the Lebanese military, the Lebanese Army Command said. The target of the anti-aircraft fire at 10:40 a. m. was an Israeli drone east of the Southern port city of Tyre. Israeli fighter-bombers had earlier flown for two hours at low altitude over various areas of Southern Lebanon, including the Tyre region, according to the army statement. Israel has drawn intense international criticism by continuing overflights after the August 14 cease-fire that ended its 34-day war with Lebanon. A spokesman for the UN peacekeepers in Lebanon confirmed to Reuters Wednesday that the army had opened fire. Israeli warplanes regularly fly over South Lebanon but witnesses said Wednesday’s flights... were unusually frequent and at a lower altitude than normal. more.. Armed clash between Palestinian police and Al-Aqsa Brigades in Tulkarem Ma’an News Agency 2/21/2007 Tulkarem - A member of the al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of the Fatah movement was "lightly injured" on Wednesday in an armed clash between the brigades and the police in Tulkarem. According to Ma’an’s correspondent, that was the only injury. Security sources stated that "the police arrested a car thief from the Shuweikah suburb, north of Tulkarem, and confiscated several car parts he had concealed." The same source added that a group of al-Aqsa Brigades operatives headed to the place where the thief, allegedly an al-Aqsa Brigades activist, was detained, and tried to force his release at gun point. Following the incident, there was an armed clash, leading the police to declare a state of alert in the city. [end] Al Aqsa Brigades launch homemade projectiles in retaliation for murder of Al Quds Brigades’ leader in Jenin Ma’an News Agency 2/21/2007 Gaza - Al Aqsa Brigades, the main armed group affiliated to Fatah, on Wednesday launched nine homemade projectiles at the Israeli cities of Sderot, Western Negev, Ashkelon and Nahal ’Uz. The shelling was part of the operation named ’Sacrifice for Al Aqsa’ and in retaliation to the assassination in Jenin of the Al Quds Brigades’, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, leader. [end] Al-Qassam Brigades: ceasefire terminated due to Israeli violations Ma’an News Agency 2/21/2007 Gaza - Izzeddin Al-Qassam Brigades, an armed group affiliated to Hamas, said on Wednesday that the ceasefire with the Israelis is over. The brigades’ spokesperson, Abu Obeida, told Ma’an that "this is Al-Qassam’s stand, but we are awaiting national and factional consensus." He attributed the position to the Israeli violations of the ceasefire , which he said had occurred since it was agreed upon. Responding to a question about whether Al-Qassam will resume resistance operations, he said, "everything is possible in the near future and we consider the ceasefire expired." He also did not exclude the possibility of the resumption of the launching of homemade projectiles. He said, "This is being considered and we’ll begin retaliation at the appropriate time, it is unrealistic to talk about a ceasefire while the excavations near Al-Aqsa mosque are ongoing." [end] -- See also: Hamas' military wing: Truce is over Israeli forces apprehend 5 Palestinians in Qabatiya, near Jenin Ma’an News Agency 2/21/2007 Jenin - The Israeli forces apprehended on Wednesday morning five West Bankers from the town of Qabatiya, located south of Jenin in the north of the occupied West Bank. 22 military vehicles invaded the town and the troops broke into several houses. During the invasion, armed Palestinian resistance fighters exchanged fire with the Israeli soldiers. No casualties were reported. The arrested men were named as: Mu’tasim Hafiz Nazzal, 18; Muhammad Samir Nazzal 18; Muhammad Najib Nazzal, 23; Ahmad Najib Nazzal, 22; and Muhammad Amin Nazzal, 24. They were taken to unknown direction. [end] Resident of Gaza Killed in Mysterious Explosion International Middle East Media Center 2/21/2007 A mysterious explosion ripped through the Wad Alselqa village, south of Gaza Wednesday, killing a 33 year-old Palestinian resident, medical sources reported. Mahmoud Alsemairy, 33, of the southern Gaza Strip village of Wad Alselqa, was killed after a mysterious explosion ripped through the vicinity of his house, Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in central Gaza announced. The hospital sources confirmed that the body of Alsemairy arrived at the hospital completely torn apart and that it would be transferred to the Alshifa hospital in Gaza city for autopsy. Witnesses said that a very loud explosion has been audible in the area, which is about 700 meters away from the Gaza-Israel border, to the east of Wad Alselqa village. Israeli army has stormed the village several times during the code-named ’Summer Rains’ military offensive from June 2006 until Novemeber 2006. [end] Military wing of Fatah fires projectiles at Israeli military post in Gaza Ma’an News Agency 2/21/2007 Gaza - The Ahmad Abu Ar Rish Brigades, a military wing of Fatah, have announced responsibility for launching three homemade projectiles on Wednesday at the Israeli military post of Kisufim, east of the central Gaza Strip. A statement was issued on Wednesday said that the operation came as a retaliation for "the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people" and a confirmation of the brigades’ commitment to "the path of jihad and resistance. [end] Army invade Nablus, detains scores of Palestinians at Huwwara checkpoint International Middle East Media Center 2/21/2007 On Wednesday, Israeli forces stationed at the Howwara military checkpoint south of Nablus city in the northern part of the West Bank detained scores of Palestinian civilians. In the meantime, another force has invaded the city. Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli soldiers stationed at Huwwara checkpoint have kept it closed since the morning, and are not allowing anyone to leave or enter the city of Nablus. Eyewitnesses stated that scores of civilians in need of medical care, students and workers have been stranded at the checkpoint since the morning. Soldiers claimed that they will not allow anyone under the age of 35 to cross the checkpoint. Nevertheless, soldiers are not allowing anyone to cross, even civilians who are over the age of 35, eyewitnesses reported. more.. IDF begins mobilizing on ’training camp’ town in Negev Ha’aretz 2/20/2007 One of the stated objectives of the project, set to be completed within four years, is to ensure the hold of state lands by preventing the establishment of unlicensed Bedouin communities. -- The Israel Defense Forces has begun planning a town in the Negev that will accommodate several army training camps currently located in the center of Israel, Haaretz has learned. The town will be erected in the northern Negev, some ten kilometers south of the Ramat Hovav industrial zone. IDF planners received the go-ahead after the Ministry of the Environment and Ramat Hovav factories reached a settlement agreement on the treatment of environmental hazards, which delayed the army’s final decision on whether to build the town. The IDF has decided to begin operational planning before receiving the final approval from the government... more.. Egypt: Palestinian nabbed, planning suicide attack on Israelis Ha’aretz 2/21/2007 Egyptian police sources said Wednesday that authorities caught a Palestinian man wearing a suicide belt after he entered Egypt through a tunnel on the Gaza border, and planned to attack Israelis in the Sinai peninsula. The arrest on the Egyptian side of the border town of Rafah on Tuesday led them to two Palestinian accomplices who had rented an apartment in the town, they added." Under questioning he said that he intended to travel to south Sinai to carry out a suicide bombing at one of the villages or resorts frequented by large numbers of Israelis," added one of the sources, who asked not to be named. Another 20 Palestinians and Egyptians, including Sinai Bedouin, were detained after further investigations. Bombers have attacked south Sinai resorts three times in the past two and half years... more.. Temple Mount open to Jews for first time in over 3 weeks Ha’aretz 2/22/2007 The Temple Mount has been opened to Jewish visitors for the first time in more than three weeks, and a number of groups visited the site. Hundreds of Jews had demonstrated near the southern part of the Western Wall on Tuesday, demanding that access to the Temple Mount be resumed. The police had closed the area to Jews following Arab demonstrations against excavations and construction work at the Mugrabi Gate. The police made that decision out of concern for the safety of Jewish visitors. During previous occasions when the site was closed to Jews, the decision was made at the request of the Waqf, an Islamic trust. A visitor to the Temple Mount yesterday, Assaf Lerner, told Haaretz there was nothing special to report. more.. Sri Lankan victim of Israeli attack found in Tyre Daily Star 2/22/2007 TYRE: The body of a Sri Lankan housemaid missing since an Israeli attack on the building where she worked last summer was found Wednesday, police said. The body of the 35-year-old, whose name was not given, was found on the seventh floor of the damaged building in Tyre. The building was badly damaged during an Israeli raid on July 16, early on in a broad, 34-day offensive that eventually killed about 1,200 people in Lebanon. At the time, 34 people were reported killed in the raid on the building, which housed the headquarters of the Lebanese Civil Defense. - AFP. [end] Palestinians open fire at Israeli technician working on the separation wall near Qalandia Ma’an News Agency 2/20/2007 Bethlehem - An Israeli technician, who was working on constructing the separation wall to the north of Qalandia checkpoint in the central West Bank, was moderately injured on Tuesday. According to the electronic website of the Israeli daily newspaper of ’Maariv’, the technician was reportedly fired at by Palestinians while he was working. He was evacuated to Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem for treatment. [end] Israeli army abducts thirteen Palestinian civilians from several parts of the West Bank International Middle East Media Center 2/20/2007 The Israeli army invaded several parts of the West Bank on Tuesday morning, attacked Palestinian houses and abducted thirteen Palestinian civilians. Seven civilians were abducted by Israeli forces during a morning invasion of the village of Dier Samit, located south-west of Hebron city in the southern part of the West Bank. Local villagers reported that at least eight Israeli army vehicles stormed the village in the early morning hours, searched scores of houses, then took the seven people and left.... Another Palestinian civilian was abducted on Tuesday morning from the southern part of the West Bank. Mohamed Al Siffi, 17, was abducted from Al Walaja village west of Bethlehem city, local sources said the boy was abducted during a pre-dawn invasion by Israeli troops into the village. more.. A new Palestinian military group attacks Israeli patrol on Gaza border Ma’an News Agency 2/19/2007 Gaza - A new military wing has announced responsibility for an attack against an Israeli military patrol east of Maghazi refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip. The new group, which has called itself the ’Al Aqsa Liberation Brigades’, said that they targeted the patrol while they were on the Gaza border near the Kissufum military crossing. It is not known if the new group is affiliated to Fatah, Hamas or any of the other Palestinian political factions. The statement which was issued on Monday, added that the operation will not be the last but it will one of a series of operations to be carried out by the group against the Israeli occupation and in retaliation for the Israeli aggressions against the holy Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. [end] Al-Aqsa Brigades fire two projectiles at Sderot Ma’an News Agency 2/20/2007 Gaza - The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main armed wing of Fatah, launched two homemade projectiles at the southern Israeli town of Sderot on Tuesday. They said in a statement for Ma’an that the shelling came in retaliation for the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people and as a form of natural resistance to the Israeli occupation. [end] Israeli forces arrest three Palestinians in Qalqilia Ma’an News Agency 2/20/2007 Qalqilia - The Israeli forces arrested three Palestinians on Tuesday morning in the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia and the nearby village of Jayyous, located close to the separation wall. According to Palestinian security sources, the arrested men were, Sufyan Hasayin, 40, from Qalqilia; and Muhammad Beida, 38, and Muhammad Abdul-Hafiz Khalid, 18, both from Jayyous. [end] Al-Aqsa Brigades launch a barrage of projectiles at southern Israeli cities Ma’an News Agency 2/20/2007 Gaza - The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main armed wing of Fatah, claimed responsibility on Tuesday for launching eight homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot, into the western Negev desert and at the Israeli city of Ashkelon. In a statement sent to Ma’an, the brigades affirmed that the operation came as a natural retaliation to the Israeli assaults against the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. They vowed to undertake more operations. [end] Fatah accuses Executive Force of being behind several civilian attacks in Gaza in attempt to gain "extra time" Ma’an News Agency 2/20/2007 Ramallah - The Fatah movement warned on Tuesday that several "atrocities" had taken place in the Gaza Strip in order to gain "extra time". Since Sunday, there have been four violent assaults on various civilian targets in the Gaza Strip, the Fatah spokesperson, Jamal Nazzal, said, adding that the perpetrators have all been either the pro-Hamas Executive Force or still-unidentified armed men. Fatah has condemned all the attacks. In one incident, 200 armed men, allegedly from the Executive Force, took control of a farm belonging to Ishaq Hassan. 20 of his family members were forced out of their homes and his 15-dunum farm, located in the Al-Mughraqa neighbourhood close to the evacuated Israeli settlement of Netsarim in the central Gaza Strip, was set ablaze. more.. An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades confront an Israeli force, armed with machine guns Ma’an News Agency 2/20/2007 Gaza - An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), announced that they clashed with an Israeli military force in Qabatiya, south of Jenin, in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. The brigades said in a statement for Ma’an that they confronted an Israeli force armed with machine guns. [end] Palestinian attempts to stab a settler near Gush ’Etzion Ma’an News Agency 2/20/2007 Bethlehem - Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian citizen accused of trying to stab an Israeli settler in a bus stop near Gush ’Etzion, south of Bethlehem, on Tuesday morning. Israeli radio reported an Israeli policeman as claiming that a Palestinian man had made a failed attempt to stab a settler. The policeman noticed the Palestinian holding a knife and shot in the air, then restrained the assailant with the help of a military force that was passing the area. The arrestee was taken away for questioning. [end] An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades tube-bomb an Israeli military jeep near Beit Jala Ma’an News Agency 2/20/2007 Bethlehem - An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), announced that they detonated an Israeli military jeep with a homemade tube explosive, on a street near Beit Jala, in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. The brigades said in a statement for Ma’an, "An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, was able to explode a tube explosive in an Israeli military jeep in the tunnel near Beit-Jala at exactly 17:00 on Monday evening." The brigades declared that Israeli-American conspiracies will not weaken the will of the Palestinians but will "fan the flames of the resistance. [end] Two inspectors of Be’er Sheva municipality arrested for assaulting a Palestinian International Middle East Media Center 2/20/2007 Israeli sources reported on Tuesday morning that two inspectors of Be’er Sheva Municipality were arrested on Monday for assaulting a Palestinian street vendor in the city. The Palestinian man filed a complaint against the two. An Israeli online daily reported that the street vendor was illegally residing in Israel; he filed a complaint that the two inspectors beat him near the Zoological Park, and left him there. He was found injured later on by an Israeli police patrol. The Israeli media source added that the police managed to identify the attackers and arrest them. The inspectors denied the charges and said that they only attempted to confiscate the seller’s supply of shoes since he is illegally selling in the Be’er Sheva Central Market. The police requested an extension of the remand of the inspectors and arrested the Palestinian street vendor... more.. Police thwart large-scale terror attack planned for Tel Aviv Ha’aretz 2/21/2007 Security forces on Tuesday thwarted a large-scale terrorist attack planned for Tel Aviv. Forces arrested a Palestinian resident of the West Bank and three other people at a Bat Yam house after receiving intelligence information from the Shin Bet security service. A senior member of the Islamic Jihad said the group had planned the attack and had sent one of their militants execute it. Two of the other Palestinians arrested at the Bat Yam house were identified as collaborators and all three were illegally residing in Israel. Following his arrest in Bat Yam, the suspect led investigators to the nearby city of Rishon Letzion, where he had hidden a bag filled with explosives. Police said the suspect confessed to planning to carry out an attack. He had apparently set out Tuesday morning from the Jenin area with the bag of explosives. more.. IDF worried Hamas may have advanced missiles Ha’aretz 2/21/2007 There are grave concerns among the defense establishment about the possibility that Hamas’ military wing in the Gaza Strip is now in possession of Sagger anti-tank missiles. Recently, Hamas and other Palestinian paramilitary groups have stepped up their efforts to acquire more advanced anti-tank weaponry. This stems, in part, from the relative success of Hezbollah guerrillas armed with anti-tank missiles against infantry and armored units of the Israel Defense Forces during last summer’s second Lebanon war. The IDF fears Hamas has succeeded in its efforts to smuggle Sagger-type missiles from Sinai to the Gaza Strip. It appears that the number of missiles is especially large. However, the mere fact that such a weapon may be in Hamas’ hands will affect the way IDF vehicles operate in the Gaza Strip... more.. Eco-tourism sector struggles to recover from wounds of war Daily Star 2/20/2007 RAMLIEH, Aley: Eco-tourism suffered greatly during the summer 2006 war with Israel, and one of the main victims was the Aley village of Ramlieh, where local investors and other stakeholders had been planning an extensive program before hostilities broke out on July 12. Ramlieh was at the vanguard of Lebanese villages seeking to cash in on eco-tourism, both because of its picturesque surroundings in Mount Lebanon and because of its prime geographic location - just 40 kilometers from Beirut. It is also the headquarters of the Association for Forest Development and Conservation (AFDC), a key partner for eco-tourism ventures. Because of the war last summer, though, most of the season was lost; Bou Ghanem said most of the 5,000 people who had made reservations over the Internet had cancelled. Only a few dozen showed up. more.. VIDEO - Part 1 of the "34-Day War" in Perspective, The 2006 Israeli offensive in Lebanon and its aftermath The Arabic Hour 2/10/2007 Video -- With presentations by Elaine Hagopian, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Simmons College, and Ara Sanjian, Associate Professor of Middle Eastern History and Director, The Armenian Research Center, University of Michigan in Dearborn. Organized by Armenians and the Left Public Forum and co-sponsored by the Harvard Armenian Student Society and the Harvard Alliance for Justice in the Middle East, December 2006. Footage courtesy of DDTV. -- See also: The Arabic Hour more.. Palestinian shot near Rafah Crossing Jerusalem Post 2/16/2007 A Palestinian official at the Rafah border crossing with Gaza was wounded in shooting Friday that Egyptian security and border officials described as an assassination attempt. Mustafa Saad Jbour, a 25-year-old Palestinian officer on the Rafah checkpoint sustained several bullet wounds to the leg, Capt. Mohammed Badr of the Egyptian Sinai security service said. Badr said that Jbour, who was in hospital in the nearby El-Arish town, came under machine gun fire Friday evening in the Egyptian district, just a few hundreds meters (yards) from the Egypt-Gaza crossing, when masked militants in a speeding car sprayed him with bullets and fled the scene. The shooting came after Jbour had informed Egyptian authorities earlier in the week about uncovering a tunnel in the border city of Rafah... more.. Army invades Nablus, attacks houses and abducts five Palestinian men International Middle East Media Center 2/16/2007 On Thursday morning Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus and the nearby Beit Ein Al Maie refugee camp, attacked residents’ houses and abducted five civilians. Soldiers and army vehicles stormed the city and the refugee camp and conducted wide scale house to house searches. Families stated that the troops forced them outside while they searched their houses. All five men were taken to an unknown detention camp. From Ein Al Maie refugee camp soldiers abducted Mujahid Abu Al Rish, 19, Tamier Abu Al Rish, 20, Marwan Abu Al Rish, 25, and Mohamed al Banna, 17. From Nablus, soldiers abducted Abu Sanier Al Kussa, 54, after searching his house. [end] Israeli army increases pressure on Salfit governorate, violent clashes in Marda Ma’an News Agency 2/16/2007 Nablus - The Israeli forces stepped up their presence in Salfit in the north of the occupied West Bank on Thursday. The Israeli forces stormed the village of Marda, located north of Salfit and the Ariel settlement bloc, amid intense gunfire and the shooting of stun grenades on Thursday. They ordered the village’s shopkeepers to close their shops without mentioning the reason. Confrontations erupted between youths in the village and the Israeli forces, during which Muhammad Sharif Ma’tuk, 19, was hit with a rubber bullet in his leg. The Israeli forces have recently tightened the siege on Marda, like many other villages and towns in the Salfit governorate. All side roads to Marda have been closed off with cement blocks, leaving the village with only one entrance/exit point. more.. Bethlehem suffering because of Israel’s land Confiscation Policy International Middle East Media Center 2/15/2007 Bethlehem and Jerusalem are the hardest hit this year by settlement expansion and land confiscation. Today in the south central West Bank Israeli forces said they will confiscate 17 dunams of land. Bethlehem and Jerusalem are the hardest hit this year by settlement expansion and land confiscation. Today in the south central West Bank Israeli forces said they will confiscate 17 dunams of land. Commander of the Central Region made the announcement. Western Bethlehem’s Batir Village land will be used for “military purposes,” and the Wall, according to the notices. The illegal Wall will run near the railroad that was built on land confiscated in 1948. Batir’s 3,000 residents will live in a virtual Canton. Their movement will be extremely hindered, and nearly cut off from both Jerusalem and Bethlehem. more.. East Jerusalem residents sustaining serious injuries as Israeli attacks continue Palestine News Network 2/16/2007 The gas bombs and concussion grenades that Israeli forces fired in East Jerusalem’s Tur neighborhood on Monday did not distinguish between children and adults or men and women. ince Israeli forces began the more noticeable phase of destruction at Al Aqsa Mosque’s Moroccans Gate, repression is up throughout the city. Throughout the week Israeli forces have imposed additional checkpoints, males under 45 years old cannot approach the Mosque, while sometimes that applies to females as well, arrests have skyrocketed and demonstrations are met with violence. And today is no better as Muslims are facing major restrictions on freedom of movement and worship as they try to reach Al Aqsa Mosque for noon prayers and demonstrations. more.. Israeli police arrest two West Bankers for robbing and torturing an elderly Israeli woman Ma’an News Agency 2/16/2007 Bethlehem - Israeli police have said that a special unit arrested two Palestinians from the West Bank for robbing and torturing an elderly Israeli woman. The Israeli police reported that the two arrested Palestinians were both aged 26 but did not disclose their identities, or where they are from in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli police accuse the men of robbing the house of a 78-year-old woman in Rehovot, an Israeli town south of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, torturing her and seriously injuring her. The woman was transported to hospital after the ordeal, according to the Israeli police. The police also claim that the two men were arrested in possession of a gold necklace and a ring, which they say belongs to the attacked woman. [end] Israeli army seizes seven Palestinians in West Bank arrest raids on Friday, undercover soldiers seize man from his shop Ma’an News Agency 2/16/2007 West Bank - The Israeli forces arrested 7 Palestinian in several cities in the West Bank on Friday at dawn. The Israeli ’Yedioth Ahranoth’ newspaper reported that the Israeli forces arrested four Hamas members in Ramallah, and another two, one Hamas and one Fatah, in Bethlehem. In addition, another Palestinian was arrested in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. An eyewitness also reported that undercover Israeli Special Forces abducted a Palestinian man in the village of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqilya, on Friday. ’Abed Kadumi, 31, was in his private carpentry shop in Kafr Qaddum when Israeli soldiers, disguised as local Palestinians, broke in and seized him. Eyewitnesses said that he was taken away to an unknown destination. [end] Israeli forces arrest two members of Palestinian security forces in Bethlehem Ma’an News Agency 2/16/2007 Bethlehem - The Israeli forces arrested two members of the Palestinian national security forces in the Bethlehem area in the south of the occupied West Bank on Friday. Palestinian security sources said that a number of Israeli military vehicles entered Aida refugee camp in north Bethlehem on Friday. Israeli soldiers broke into many houses before arresting Munther Fuad, 20. An Israeli force also raided the Za’tara area, south east of Bethlehem, and arrested Khalil Zawahrah. The Palestinian security sources confirmed that both men are members of the Palestinian security forces in Bethlehem city. [end] Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades fire projectiles at Sderot and western Negev in retaliation for Al-Aqsa aggression Ma’an News Agency 2/16/2007 Gaza - The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main military wing of Fatah, have claimed responsibility for launching four homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot and into the western Negev on Friday around noon. In a statement, the brigades said that the projectile launching was in reaction to Israel’s violations of the truce and the "the aggressions against the Palestinians, in addition to the mosque of Al-Aqsa. [end] Israeli forces arrest five in northern West Bank, included father of the "wanted" Palestine News Network 2/15/2007 Israeli forces raided the northern West Bank’s Nablus District during Thursday’s pre-dawn hours. After breaking into sleeping houses in the city and in Al Ein Refugee Camp, soldiers arrested five Palestinians. Among the arrested are 17 year old Mohammad Suleiman Al Banna from Nablus City’s Rafidiya neighborhood and the 19, 20 and 25 year old sons of the Abu Rish family. All were bound, blindfolded and taken in the back of military jeeps to unknown locations. Israeli forces also arrested the 54 year old father of one of the so-called “wanted. ”It should be noted that Israeli forces arrest wives and parents in order to pressure those they “want” to turn themselves in. Many among the relatives are released within several hours of detention after undergoing a relatively brief period of interrogation. [end] Security forces demolish seven houses in Mt. Hebron villages Ha’aretz 2/14/2007 Security forces destroyed seven illegally constructed Palestinian houses and 13 other structures Wednesday on the southern slope of Mount Hebron in the West Bank. The demolitions took place in the villages of Manzal, Umm al-Khir and Gawawis. Abdullah Harizat, a resident of Manzal, said that police forces, Border Police and Israel Defense Forces troops arrived in the village Wednesday morning, accompanied by the Engineering Corps. Harizat said the forces demolished a house belonging to a family with eight children. "During the demolition, the wall of a house of another family was also destroyed," he said. The area is located in Area C, subject to Civil Administration control. Harizat said the structures were built illegally because the residents of the village are not allowed to receive construction permits. "We ask, but they never give them to us. They say, ’this is state land." more.. Video Israel Doesn’t Want You to See YouTube 6/18/2006 Soldiers kill a woman to enter a house, laugh afterwards. more.. The Katyushas fell between the cracks Ha’aretz 2/17/2007 One of the greatest failures during the second Lebanon war, a subject that has also occupied a great deal of time in the Winograd Committee’s probe of the war, is the fact that the Israel Defense Forces did not put an end to the short range-rocket attacks against Israel. An analysis of testimonies and investigation reports, some of which were also available to the committee, suggest that while the Air Force and the intelligence branches focused on Hezbollah’s arsenal of medium- and long-range rockets, dealing with Katyushas was neglected. The matter seems to have "fallen between the cracks" during the period preceding the war. To a certain extent, the question of who is responsible for providing an Israeli antidote to this threat is still debated in the IDF. more.. Suspect named in Elie Wiesel attack Jerusalem Post 2/17/2007 Police issued an arrest warrant for a man accused of roughing up Nobel laureate and Holocaust scholar Elie Wiesel at a hotel this month. The warrant issued Friday for Eric Hunt, 22, is for charges including attempted kidnapping, false imprisonment, elder abuse, stalking, battery and committing a hate crime. Wiesel was a featured speaker at a Feb. 1 peace forum. He was approached in the lobby by a man in his 20s who asked for an interview, police said. Wiesel agreed to talk in the lobby, but the man insisted the interview be conducted in a hotel room, and got into the elevator with Wiesel. Once on the sixth floor, the suspect dragged the 78-year-old off the elevator. Wiesel began yelling, and the suspect ran away, police said. more.. Israeli military incursions into Nablus and Tulkarem: fifteen Palestinians seized, one shot Ma’an News Agency 2/12/2007 West Bank - The Israeli forces stormed the West Bank city of Nablus soon after midnight on Sunday in a violent arrest raid. The Israeli troops injured one Palestinian man and seized nine men in Nablus including six men from Balata refugee camp in the city. Other arrests took place in Ramallah and Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian security sources said that the Israeli force entered the city of Nablus, located in the north of the occupied West Bank, soon after midnight and shot at Samir Tawfiq Asaad, 40, while he was near his house. He was injured in the right foot. Asaad was shot at during an arrest campaign launched by the Israeli forces in the city. The Israeli forces apprehended nine Palestinians after breaking into many houses and destroying the furniture in those houses, according to the sources. more.. Fatah-affiliated military group fire projectiles at Kisufim, east of Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 2/12/2007 Gaza - The Ahmad Abu Ar-Rrish Brigades, a military wing affiliated to Fatah, have claimed responsibility for launching three homemade projectiles towards the Kisufim crossing, between the middle of the Gaza Strip and Israel, on Monday. In a statement for Ma’an, the brigades claimed responsibility for launching the projectiles, assuring that the operation comes within a series of responses by the brigades to the Israeli aggressions on Al-Aqsa Mosque. They also threatened further retaliation. [end] Military faction fires at Har Homa settlement and an Israeli base near Jenin Ma’an News Agency 2/12/2007 Bethlehem - The An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), have claimed responsibility for shooting towards Har Homa (Abu Ghneim) settlement, located northeast of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, on Sunday evening. The brigades also claimed responsibility for firing at an Israeli military base near Qabatiya, close to Jenin in the north of the occupied West Bank, on Sunday. The brigades said in a statement for Ma’an that one of its groups fired at Har Homa at 9:20 p. m. on Sunday. They said that another group opened fire at 10:15 p. m. on Sunday at an Israeli military base near Abu George factory near the village of Qabatiya, south of Jenin. The brigades assured that these operations came in response to the Israeli excavations taking place in the environs of the Al-Aqsa mosque in the old city of Jerusalem. [end] PFLP’s military wing fires projectile into western Negev Ma’an News Agency 2/12/2007 Gaza - The Abu ’Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), announced on Sunday their responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at Nir Akiva in the western Negev in the south of Israel. The brigades said in a statement, "the launching comes in response to the continuous Israeli aggressions on Al-Aqsa Mosque." [end] Five Qassam rockets fired at Israel from Gaza Strip Ha’aretz 2/12/2007 Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Monday fired five Qassam rockets at Israel, just four days after the rival Hamas and Fatah factions agreed to form a national unity government. The rockets landed in open areas in the western Negev, causing neither casualties nor damage. Violent protests over Israel’s construction work at the Mugrabi gate continued throughout the West Bank Sunday. According to Israel Defense Forces information, 61 rock-throwing incidents - 28 targeting Israeli civilian vehicles, 27 involving IDF vehicles, and six involving work on the West Bank security fence - were registered between Thursday afternoon and Sunday morning. In addition, the IDF registered 28 incidents of Molotov cocktail attacks: Two on civilian targets and 22 targeting IDF troops. more.. Bomb explodes in cafeteria in Rafah Ma’an News Agency 2/12/2007 Gaza - Unknown armed men detonated an explosive device in a cafeteria in the Rafah governorate in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday morningEyewitnesses told Ma’an that the cafeteria in Al-Janabneh neighborhood of Rafah, which belongs to Ahmad Al-Jazar, was targeted with a locally-manufactured explosive device. The witnesses said that the device was detonated remotely. Palestinian security services have started investigating the incident. [end] Egyptian police find 18,000 bullets in tunnel near Gaza border Ha’aretz 2/12/2007 RAFAH - Egyptian police on Monday found crates containing around 18,000 bullets hidden in a tunnel near the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip, security officials said. The tunnel linked Egypt to the Gaza Strip, where the ammunition appeared to be destined." It seemed the smugglers felt the police were close so they abandoned the ammunition and fled," said one official, who asked not to be named. He said the tunnel would be destroyed. Egypt has frequently seized large quantities of weapons and explosives in Sinai over the last three years, some of which police suspect were bound for Palestinians. Earlier this month, police found rocket-propelled grenades and hand grenades hidden in the sand on the border with Gaza. more.. "Arrow" intercepts advanced missile in trial Globes Online 2/12/2007 The successful trial represents a response to future ballistic missile threats. -- Yesterday, the "Arrow" anti-ballistic missile successfully intercepted a trial missile that simulated a future ballistic missile attack. The trial was carried out at an air force base in central Israel, and it was the first time that such an interception was tested at night. The trial was carried out under the auspices of the Arrow Systems Improvement Program (ASIP) agreement between Israel the US. It was the fifteenth trial of the Arrow interception system, and the tenth trial of its weapons system. The trial was designed to assess the improvements that have been made to the system, which include the expansion of the range of hostile targets that the system can intercept. The Arrow was jointly developed by Israel and the US. more.. Steinitz: Arrow test gives Israel advantage over Syria, Iran Ha’aretz 2/13/2007 Israel’s latest test of its Arrow missile defense system proves Israel has a jump on its fiercest enemies, Iran and Syria, a senior lawmaker on the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee said Monday. Israel successfully tested the Arrow anti-missile system Sunday night, in its first nighttime trial, intercepting a test target that simulated the warhead of a long-range Iranian surface-to-surface Shihab-3 missile." The test yesterday was exceptional," said MK Yuval Steinitz, a former head of the committee. "It proved it can bring down any kind of ballistic missile, a capability no power in the world possesses." He said that, "Even if Iran or Syria were to develop more sophisticated missiles than they now have, Israel is one step ahead." ... Lt. Col. Moshe Fattal: "The test proves that Israel is prepared to deal with a missile attack from Iran, including a nuclear one." more.. Fatah gunmen kill alleged collaborator Jerusalem Post 2/13/2007 A Palestinian man who allegedly foiled a suicide attack inside Israel was killed in Ramallah on Monday by gunmen belonging to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party." The collaborator was executed after he confessed that he had been recruited by the Israeli authorities on December 17, 2002," said a statement issued by the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah’s armed wing. The group claimed that the victim, from the village of Burkeen near Jenin, was responsible for the assassination by the IDF of two Hamas members in the Jenin area in 2002. The two were identified as Shaman Subuh and Mustapha Qash. The group did not say when the ’collaborator" was captured or how he was "executed." But it claimed that the man had been instructed by his Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) handlers to establish a cell... more.. Head of northern Islamic Movement charged with attacking police Ha’aretz 2/12/2007 The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Monday charged the leader of the Islamic Movement’s northern branch and four of his supporters with assaulting police officers during an illegal protest at the site of Israeli excavations on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Sheikh Ra’ad Salah and his associates are suspected of behaving wildly during the protest and Salah was caught on tape spitting in the face of an officer. According to the indictment, Salah "instructed the disturbers to sit on the road and refuse to leave." Salah also allegedly attacked an officer and spit in his face while saying "You are racist and murderers, you have no respect." Police have asked to extend by two months the restrictions put on Salah to keep him 150 meters from the walls of the Old City. more.. General director of the Israeli police was injured in Al-Aqsa clashes Friday Ma’an News Agency 2/12/2007 Bethlehem - The general director of the Israeli police, General Moshe Karadi, was injured on Friday during confrontations in the Al-Aqsa mosque. According to the Israeli daily newspaper of ’Maariv’, Karadi was hit by stones thrown by worshippers and by shrapnel from a stun grenade which the Israeli police hurled at the stone-throwers. Maariv also added that the general director was not satisfied to lead his forces from the operation room; instead, he was the first to break into the mosque’s yard, without even wearing the necessary protective equipment of the police. It is reported that he ignored the attempts of his guards to prevent him from entering the area of the clashes, and so he was injured. The spokesperson of the police was also obliged to follow his commander and so met the same fate, the newspaper reported. [end] Jewish ’Inroads’ in Muslim Quarter Washington Post 2/11/2007 Settlers’ Project to Alter Skyline of Jerusalem’s Old City -- JERUSALEM, Feb. 10 -- From the roof of his home just inside the Old City walls, Palestinian landlord Nasser Karain has a view of the valleys and plateaus where scriptures say Solomon built the first Temple, Jesus was betrayed and Muhammad rose to heaven. A new landmark may soon rise next to his family compound. The Israeli government is funding the first construction of a Jewish settlement in the Old City’s Muslim Quarter since taking control of it nearly four decades ago. The Flowers Gate development plan calls for more than 20 apartments and a domed synagogue that would alter the skyline of the Old City. Karain’s property is at the center of an accelerating campaign by Jewish settler organizations to change the ethnic and physical character of this city’s oldest Arab neighborhoods. more.. IDF to investigate cuffing procedures at military jails, courts Ha’aretz 2/11/2007 The Military Advocate General and the Military Police chief have instructed to open an investigation against military prison escorts suspected of unnecessarily cuffing soldiers in their care. The investigation was triggered by a complaint filed by Military advocate, lawyer Shlomo Tsipori. According to Tsipori, prisoner escorts cuff the hands and legs of all soldiers transported to court, regardless of military law which stipulates only prisoners who might try to escape may be cuffed. Soldiers stay cuffed throughout court proceedings, including during visits by their family members and lawyers. "It is most acute when people come to Israel to settle their status with the army. They turn themselves in from their own will; it is clearly obvious they do not intend to escape, and still their hands and feet and cuffed," Tsipori said. more.. Israeli army and police attack Palestinian worshipers in Jerusalem International Middle East Media Center 2/9/2007 The Israeli army and police attacked the Palestinian worshipers inside the Aqsa mosque in the old city of Jerusalem on Friday. Eyewitnesses stated that massive Israeli forces invaded the main yard of the mosque and started to fire live rounds, tear gas and sound bombs at the civilians shortly after the Friday prayers finished. Medical sources reported a number of injuries due to gas inhalation, and fractures due to the usage of excusive force against civilians. Security sources in Jerusalem also said that a number of Palestinian youths were abducted by the Israeli forces. Clashes erupted when soldiers invaded the mosque and are still ongoing. So far scores of Palestinian civilians have been injured and Israeli sources are reporting that one Israeli police officer was injured during the clashes. more.. Palestinian civilians protest in Hebron against Al-Aqsa demolition, three injured International Middle East Media Center 2/9/2007 In Hebron on Friday Palestinians took to the streets to protest against the demolition work Israel is carrying out near Al Azsa mosque in Jerusalem. Three people are suffering of gas inhalation after clashing with Israeli occupation forces. In Jenin, Tulkarem and Nablus in the northern West Bank similar protests are being reported. Demolition of the Mugrahbi Gate, one of the main entrances to the Al Aqsa mosque started on Tuesday. Despite various Israeli and Palestinian calls for demolition to be suspended or abandoned, it is ongoing today. On Friday clashes erupted in the mosque compound between Muslim worshipers and Israeli forces due to the massive military presence in the holy site, and the use of violent ’crowd control’ devices by Israeli troops and police. [end] PM decides J’lem dig at Mugrabi Gate to continue Ha’aretz 2/9/2007 An archaeological dig near the Temple Mount’s Mugrabi Gate will continue despite the demonstrations of the past few days and the fear of violent confrontations, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided yesterday. The dig was approved two weeks ago as a necessary precursor to replacing a ramp that provides access to the gate. The ramp collapsed three years ago, and was replaced by a temporary structure, but plans have since been approved for a permanent replacement, and by law, any construction work in the Old City must be preceded by a salvage dig. The dig is taking place in the Jewish Quarter, outside the Temple Mount, but the Islamic Movement in Israel has accused it of being meant to undermine the Temple Mount. According to a government source, defense officials told Olmert they do not foresee escalation beyond the current protests being waged by Israeli Arabs. more.. Violent clashes at Temple Mount over renovations The Independent 2/10/2007 Clashes in and around the grounds of Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque left about 40 Israeli police and Palestinians injured yesterday as worshippers protested against nearby renovation work condemned by Muslim leaders. Riot police moved into the grounds using teargas and stun grenades in an operation which sent smoke rising from the compound and which they said was to disperse protesters throwing stones, metal bars and rubbish at the end of Friday noon prayers in the mosque, Islam’s third holiest shrine. There were also running exchanges of stones and stun grenades between police and protesters in the nearby alleys below the historically much-fought-over hilltop compound, where the mosque is situated and which is known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif. more.. Police chief: Storming Temple Mount justified YNetNews 2/9/2007 Police chief Franco says decision to break into Mount to quell Muslim riots was difficult but necessary. Police respond with stun grenades after rioters hurl stones, Molotov cocktails in protest of excavations near al-Aqsa Mosque -- After police managed to contain Muslim riots near the Temple Mount in protest of Israeli excavations there, Police Commissioner Moshe Karadi explained the disturbances were sparked by a group of masked youths who managed to infiltrate the site despite the over-45 age restriction. A week of tensions reached its peak Friday afternoon, when police forced their way into the Temple Mount compound, firing stun grenades at rioters who hurled stones, Molotov cocktails and metal shards at policemen shortly after Friday prayers ended. more.. Clashes erupt at Qalandia checkpoint, one Palestinian injured International Middle East Media Center 2/9/2007 Media sources reported that clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian civilians erupted at Qalandia checkpoint located between the West Bank city of Ramallah and the nearby city of Jerusalem. Medical sources reported that at least one Palestinian was injured. Media sources reported that clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian civilians erupted at Qalandia checkpoint located between the West Bank city of Ramallah and the nearby city of Jerusalem. Medical sources reported that at least one Palestinian was injured. The clashes started as part of the protests against the controversial digging around al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. [end] Israeli army abducts two Palestinians from Hebron International Middle East Media Center 2/8/2007 The Israeli forces abducted two Palestinian men from the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Thursday midday. Iyad Abu Sininah, 22, and Marwan Iskafi, 19 were in downtown Hebron city when Israeli troops stopped, searched then abducted them, eyewitnesses reported. [end] Israeli troops invade Tubass city International Middle East Media Center 2/8/2007 Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank city of Tubass on Thursday at dawn and attacked residents’ houses. Troops, jeeps, and an army bulldozer stormed the city and soldiers opened fire and launched sound bombs at residents’ homes before searching some of them, no injuries or abductions were reported. Local sources stated that this is the third attack on the city in less than 24 hours. more.. Israeli police clash with Palestinians protesting excavation at Al-Aqsa Daily Star 2/10/2007 Israeli police entered the area around Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem and fired stun grenades at protesting Palestinian worshippers during clashes at the end of Friday prayers. Muslim leaders had called for protests over Israeli excavations near Islam’s third holiest shrine. Arab states had asked Israel to halt the work, charging it could undermine the foundations of Al-Aqsa. Israel says the work will do no damage. A police spokesman said 15 policemen and nine protesters were lightly injured in the clashes. Seventeen people were arrested, some of them outside Jerusalem’s Old City walls. Police estimated that 9,000 worshippers prayed at the site on Friday. Dozens were stuck inside the mosque as stone-throwers clashed with police outside on the compound. Only women and men aged over 45 had been allowed to participate in prayers... more.. Violence at al-Aqsa compound Al Jazeera 2/9/2007 Israeli police arrested 17 Palestinians after Friday’s clashes in Jerusalem’s Old City -- Clashes broke out between Israeli police and Muslim worshippers at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem after Friday prayers. Israeli policemen using tear gas and stun grenades entered the area around the mosque. Seventeen Palestinians were arrested and 17 Israeli police officers were reported to be wounded. Israeli riot police with the visors of their helmets pulled down scuffled with worshippers, some of them middle-aged or elderly. Medics tended several injured people lying on the stone pavement. Jewish worshippers were evacuated from the Western Wall plaza at the foot of the compound. Tense calm prevailed in the Old City by the end of the day. more.. Violence erupts at Jerusalem holy site The Independent 2/9/2007 Hundreds of angry worshippers threw stones and bottles at police today in an eruption of outrage over contentious Israeli renovation work at a disputed holy site in Jerusalem’s Old City. About 200 police were at the scene on the hilltop compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, to try to quell the violence, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Witnesses said police hurled stun grenades and canisters of tear gas. Several dozen protesters barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa mosque at the compound, which is Islam’s third-holiest site. Police said several protesters and several officers were injured, but gave no further details. The clashes erupted at the end of today’s prayers at the site. Police had braced for possible riots during the prayers, which often have been a flashpoint for clashes. more.. Israeli Forces Storm Al-Aqsa Compound, Many Wounded Palestine Chronicle 2/9/2007 In 1996, more than 80 Palestinians were killed in three days of protests after then Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened a new entrance to a controversial archaeological tunnel near Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. -- OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - Israeli forces stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Friday, February 9, firing stun grenades and rubber bullets at stone-throwing Palestinian worshippers at Islam’s third holiest place. Explosions from stun grenades, bursts of smoke and shouting rocked the esplanade of the mosque compound after Israeli soldiers stormed the holy site to dispel a Palestinian protest at the ongoing Israeli excavations near the mosque, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP). Twenty Palestinians were treated for injuries, a Palestinian medical source said. more.. Police on high alert for Friday prayers YNetNews 2/9/2007 Over 2,000 policemen deployed in Jerusalem’s Old City for fear of riots over digs beneath the Temple Mount -- Police increased security levels throughout the country, and particularly in Jerusalem, in light of growing tensions over excavation works beneath the Temple Mount. In a meeting held by Police Commissioner Moshe Karadi Thursday, it was decided to increase the alert level in the capital ahead of the Friday noon prayers. Over 2,000 police officers have been stationed throughout the old city of Jerusalem Friday. The city’s police force has also called in reinforcements in order to keep the peace in the area surrounding the old city with the help of roadblocks. Police forces will also use a zeppelin and a helicopter to locate trouble areas. more.. Twelve residents injured in clashes in Hebron International Middle East Media Center 2/9/2007 Palestinian medical sources in Hebron, in the southern part of the west Bank, reported that twelve residents were shot and injured by Israeli military fire during an invasion to the city. The sources stated that the residents were protesting against the digging Israel is conducting under the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The Maan News Agency reported that five of the injured were hit by rubber-coated bullets, and a woman had her leg broken while running away from the military fire. Several other residents suffocated after inhaling gas fire by the army. Moreover, soldiers broke into several houses and topped buildings in Bab Al Zawiyza area. Troops fired at several residents who were walking in the area, local sources reported. [end] Three days of destruction at Moroccan Gate, call for major demonstration Friday Palestine News Network 2/8/2007 For the third consecutive day Israeli forces are digging up the road that leads from the Moroccan (Magharba) Gate to the Al Aqsa Mosque. The proceedings are shrouded in crepe with no male able to get near to pray unless they are over 45 years of age, no children or teachers able to attend area schools, or employees to go to work at the Ministry of Religious Endowments, or Waqf. Israeli intelligence indicated that excavations will continue, regardless of the ire raised, and said that internal fighting has left the Palestinian people weary while threats of action against the destruction are not matched with action. The daily Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reported Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rejected the position of his Security Minister Amir Peretz who called to halt the ongoing excavations near Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque for fear of reprisal. more.. During West Bank raids Israeli forces arrest 16 Palestinians accused of affiliation with resistance Palestine News Network 2/8/2007 On Thursday morning Israeli forces arrested 16 Palestinians. Each is “wanted” for affiliation with the armed resistance linked to the Fateh, Hamas or Islamic Jihad movements. Israeli sources say that during the invasion of Nablus, Hamas armed resistance members fired back. Along the road to Qalqilia Israeli forces detained crowds of people at the Jit Checkpoint today. In the northern West Bank’s Nablus, Israeli forces conducted the daily raid, today concentrating on Balata and Al Ein refugee camps. Soldiers broke into houses, conducted searches and tampered with contents. A large contingent of Israeli military vehicles, including a bulldozer, invaded the city while opening heavy fire from the first moements. In the central West Bank Israeli forces arrested Mohammad Farouk Al Halabiya. more.. Israeli army arrests 16 West Bankers Thursday, invades cattle and sheep farms, confiscates beehives Ma’an News Agency 2/8/2007 West Bank - The Israeli forces arrested some 16 Palestinians from various regions in the occupied West Bank on Thursday early morning, claiming they are ’wanted’. According to the Israeli media, the Israeli forces arrested 16 suspects in the West Bank cities of Nablus, Jenin, Ramallah and Bethlehem. Palestinian security sources reported that the Israeli forces arrested four Palestinians from the village of Dura Al-Qar’, north of Ramallah, at dawn on Thursday. The four men were named as Nasser, Salim and ’Abed Al-Qader Hamdan, aged 26, 25 and 22 respectively, and ’Abed Allah Fawaka, 20, all from Dura Al-Qar’. Our correspondent in Ramallah also reported that the Israeli army invaded the twin city of Al-Bireh-Ramallah at dawn on Thursday and arrested one man. more.. Latest fighting in Gaza leaves blood supplies dangerously low, British aid agency reports Ma’an News Agency 2/8/2007 Hospitals in Gaza City are facing severe shortages of blood as they struggle to cope with the sudden influx of trauma injuries as a result of the recent inter-Palestinian fighting, the British medical aid agency, Merlin, reported on 7 February. The three days of intense clashes between Hamas and Fatah supporters at the beginning of February left blood stocks dangerously depleted. Merlin says that emergency supplies had to be transported from hospitals in the south. Merlin’s workers were also forced to remain indoors between February 1 and February 4. Christian Bunyan, Merlin’s Project Co-ordinator in Gaza, said in a press release that the situation highlighted the urgent need to increase regular voluntary blood donations in Gaza. "The Ministry of Health last week made an appeal for blood donors..." more.. Settlers to US Jews: Help us to stay Jerusalem Post 2/9/2007 Settlers have appealed to American Jews to save their communities by buying homes in the West Bank and renting them out to young families at affordable rates to help solidify Israel’s hold on the area. In a dramatic appeal that showed how the absence of government-assisted construction in the West Bank has stunted growth, settlers have warned American Jews that otherwise Judean and Samarian residents, particularly young couples, could leave. They have asked United States Jews to financially fill in the gap left by the Israeli government, which at one time massively subsidized West Bank housing. Such help trickled to a slow stop this decade and finally dried out this year, settlers said. On February 25 settlers will be in Teaneck, New Jersey hoping to entice ideological Americans to buy homes in places like Karnei Shomron... more.. IDF believes northern border flare-up was isolated incident Jerusalem Post 2/9/2007 A day after clashes erupted between IDF troops and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), a top officer in the Northern Command told The Jerusalem Post Thursday that Hizbullah - as a result of the border flare-up - had readied itself in preparation for additional violence. The officer stressed, however, that Hizbullah did not appear like it was ready to attack Israel and that the border incident seemed to pass as an isolated incident. Late Wednesday night, IDF troops searching for Hizbullah bombs inside Israel, although past the northern border security fence, came under fire from nearby Lebanese army troops. In response, an IDF tank fired two shells at an LAF position. "There is a tense quiet," Deputy Northern Command chief Brig. -Gen. Alon Friedman said Thursday. more.. UNIFIL confirms Israel’s version: IDF troops didn’t enter Lebanon Ha’aretz 2/8/2007 The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) accepted on Thursday Israel’s version of the events that concluded in an exchange of fire between the Israel Defense Forces and the Lebanese Army at the border late Wednesday. UNIFIL patrolled the area around Israel’s and Lebanon’s shared border, photographed the site, and concluded that IDF troops operated entirely within Israeli territory. The Lebanese Army on Wednesday fired warning shots at IDF troops, claiming that the troops had entered Lebanese territory. The incident occurred north of the border fence that Israel erected several dozen meters within Israeli territory, but south of the actual international border between the two countries. UNIFIL has not yet completed the official report on the incident... more.. Palestinians say Israel fueling anarchy in Gaza, West Bank YNetNews 2/8/2007 PA security officer says Israeli ‘gangs’ sell weapons to counterparts in territories, who in return sell them to armed groups, private customers; infighting allows Israel’s settlement and separation barrier work to progress more easily,’ Palestinians say. Accusation baseless,’ IDF spokesman says -- RAMALLAH - A loud siren wails in the main street of Ramallah as the ambulance races to the nearby hospital. The casualty inside the vehicle is a teenage Palestinian who received two bullets to his chest during clashes among rival armed militia. In a separate incident, a number of disgruntled armed young men showered the Daraghmeh store with scores of bullets in Ramallah’s commercial district. The fire engulfed the store’s interior, resulting in losses totaling USD 450,000. more.. Israeli army arrests senior Hamas activist in Ramallah Ma’an News Agency 2/8/2007 Bethlehem - The Israeli army and the domestic intelligence service, ’Shabak’ (or Shin Bet), have arrested one of their most wanted Palestinians since the explosion of Park Hotel in Netanya in northern Israel in 2002. This explosion sparked a wave of fierce invasions into West Bank cities at the end of March 2002. The Israeli army said in a brief statement that, in cooperation with the Shin Bet, it managed to arrest Anwar Ahmad Daoud I’mir, 44, in Ramallah. The army said that I’mir is a Hamas activist in the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Also, it announced that he was one of the Palestinian activists exiled to the Marj Al-Zuhur detention camp in Lebanon in the early nineties. I’mir has been wanted by Israel since 2002. He is accused of setting up the infrastructure of Hamas in Tulkarem, and being one of the leaders of Hamas in the West Bank. [end] Israeli special forces capture two Al-Aqsa Brigade operatives near Tulkarem Ma’an News Agency 2/8/2007 Tulkarem - Israeli Special Forces have, on Thursday, apprehended two activists with the al-Aqsa brigades, the main armed group affiliated to the Fatah movement in an operation conducted north of Tulkarem city, in the northern occupied West Bank. Ma’an’s correspondent stated that the abductees are Anas Osama Tu’ma, aged 22, and Rabee’ Yousif Ammar, 24. Both were traveling in a Subaru near the junction leading to the town of Baqa ash Sharqiya, north of Tulkarem, when an Israeli force obstructed their car and shot in their direction, forcing them to surrender. [end] Israeli police release Raed Salah while controversial demolition is underway International Middle East Media Center 2/8/2007 The Israeli police in the city of Jerusalem have released Shikh Raed Salah, the leader of the Islamic movement inside the green line, on Thursday morning while controversial demolition near the Aqsa mosque is underway. According to media sources the police released Salah after issuing an order which states that he is not allowed in the old city of Jerusalem. Salah was arrested on Wednesday midday for protesting near the site of the controversial demolition at the bridge to the Mugrabi (Moroccan) Gate, in the old city of Jerusalem. According to Palestinian media, the Israeli police installed more checkpoints around and in the Old City and assaulted and arrested tens of Palestinian civillians on Thursday. Israeli police restricted access to the Al Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem for the third consecutive day... more.. Military factions fire projectiles at Israeli targets in response to Israeli aggressions on Al-Aqsa Mosque Ma’an News Agency 2/8/2007 Gaza - The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, and the Ahmad Abu Ar-Rrish Brigades, a military wing affiliated to Fatah, launched seven missiles at Israeli targets on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning "in a preliminary response to the aggressions on Al-Aqsa Mosque". The Al-Quds Brigades said they fired six homemade projectiles at an Israeli military post east of Sufa crossing, which connects the southern Gaza Strip with Israel, on Thursday early morning. The Abu Ar-Rrish Brigades launched one homemade projectile at the southern Israeli town of Sderot on Wednesday evening. Both brigades assured in separate statements for Ma’an that they will continue their resistance and jihad until the end of the Israeli occupation of Palestinians lands. [end] Photos - 7 February: Return to the Gaza City Mortuary Rafah Today 2/7/2007 “For what crime are we being cold-bloodedly killed? we are only passing by, with no connection to Hamas or Fatah,” said the mother of one of the children killed during Hamas-Fatah clashes in Gaza City few days ago. Inside Al Shifa hospital, the mother had come to see the body of her child, Anas, killed in the fighting. Young men carry Anas’ body, taking it from the refrigerator to the funeral. The mother screams, before collapsing, "For God’s sake, please, please let me have a last look at his body, for just one minute!" She continues screaming and crying, her cries heard throughout the hospital. It starts me thinking. Why should all those kids and innocents be killed? It seems to be Madam Secretary Rice’s new Middle East plan: ship weapons from the US to support Abbas so he can fight Hamas. more.. Ten injured in the continuous clashes between Israeli army and Palestinian civilians in Hebron International Middle East Media Center 2/8/2007 Ten Palestinian civilians have been injured during continuous clashes with Israeli forces in the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Thursday afternoon. Clashes started after a massive number of Palestinian civilians took to the streets in Hebron city to protest the controversial demolition at the bridge to the Mugrabi (Moroccan) Gate, near Al Aqsa mosque in the old city of Jerusalem. Soldiers fired tear gas sound bombs and rubber coated bullets at the protesters, eyewitnesses stated, then local youth retaliated by throwing stones at the soldiers. Medical sources stated that three were injured by rubber bullets while an elderly woman sustained a fracture in the arm after being hit by a soldier’s baton. Another six people were treated for gas inhalation, all were moved to Hebron public hospital. more.. Gunmen cut off electricity supply to West Bank village Ma’an News Agency 2/8/2007 Nablus - Unknown gunmen opened fire at an electricity transformer in the village of Jammai’n, north of Salfit in the northwest of the occupied West Bank, on Thursday morning. As a result, the electricity supply was cut off from the majority of houses in the village. The municipality and residents of Jammai’n condemned the attack on public property, demanding that the assailants be exposed and brought to justice. [end] Lebanon threatens fire over border patrol YNetNews 2/7/2007 Israeli bulldozers plough border area near Avivim in search for explosives devices, drawing threats from Lebanese Army to open fire; Hizbullah’s al-Manar TV falsely reports IDF troops trespassed international border -- Israeli troops on Wednesday combed sections of the border with Israel for bombs, days after soldiers found roadside bombs planted by Hizbullah a few meters away from Israel’s northern border. Although army units passed through the gates of a fence along the border, they did not cross the international border, the army said, adding that the Lebanese Army threatened to open fire at Israeli forces should they continue operating near the border. IDF sources responded to the Lebanese that such operations are necessary and that fire towards Israeli soldiers would be met with a harsh response. more.. IDF shells Lebanese Army positions across northern border Ha’aretz 2/8/2007 Israel Defense Forces troops fired warning shells late Wednesday at Lebanese Army positions across their shared frontier, after Lebanese troops fired light weapons at IDF tanks north of the border fence, although still inside sovereign Israeli territory. IDF troops issued a warning to the Lebanese forces in the wake of the initial incident, and a short time later fired shells at the Lebanese position, opposite Moshav Avivim. There are no reports of IDF casualties, but the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, an international peace-keeping force bolstered following the second Lebanon war last summer, reported that five soldiers in the Lebanese Army were wounded during the exchange of fire. Lebanese Army officials disputed UNIFIL claims that any soldiers were wounded, and said their forces suffered no casualties. more.. Another Gazan child falls victim to the latest bloody events Ma’an News Agency 2/7/2007 Gaza - A Palestinian child, Ahmad Abu Eidah, aged 8, from Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip has, on Wednesday, succumbed to his wounds. Ahmad was injured last Thursday, during the bloody events in the Gaza Strip when clashes broke out as trucks belonging to the Palestinian presidency were obstructed and detained. [end] Israeli forces arrest 17 Palestinians from the West Bank on Wednesday morning Ma’an News Agency 2/7/2007 Jerusalem - Israeli sources announced that the Israeli occupation forces arrested 17 Palestinians in different regions of the occupied Palestinian West Bank on Wednesday at dawn. Israeli radio reported that Palestinian armed men shot at an Israeli force near Jenin, there were no casualties mentioned. Israeli forces arrested 3 brothers from the village of Beit Amin, south of Qalqilya. Security sources reported that Israeli forces stormed into the village and broke into a number of houses and arrested 35 year old Abed Al-Salam Omar, ’Ali ’Omar, aged 26, and ’Izzidin ’Omar, aged 30, and took them to an unknown destination. The sources stated that the three brothers are members of the Fatah movement and that the occupational authorities demolished their homes two years ago, claiming they had no license for the property. more.. Six settler families live in Hebron IDF camp for a decade Ha’aretz 2/8/2007 Six settler families have been living in caravans inside a military camp in Hebron for more than a decade, and the Israel Defense Forces has no plans to put an end to this situation even though it is extraordinary and of questionable legality. The settlers have been residing in a company-sized camp situated in Shuhada Street in Hebron, close to the compound of settlers in Beit Hadassah and Beit Romano. The caravans are in the middle of the camp, and the settlers use both gates: the main gate, which leads out to Shuhada Street, which is also used by the soldiers, and the rear gate, which leads onto Beit Romano. The barracks of the soldiers are separated from the settler caravans by a fence of corrugated metal. Currently, the camp is occupied by a company from the Nahal Brigade. more.. Aksa Martyrs’ vow synagogue attacks Jerusalem Post 2/7/2007 The Fatah-affiliated Aksa Martyrs Brigades threatened on Wednesday to attack synagogues if Israel continued its excavation near the Temple Mount ahead of the planned construction of a new bridge to the Mughrabi Gate. In a press release sent to newspapers, the group announced that all synagogues would become legitimate targets and that "the sanctity of the Al Aksa Mosque should not be less than that of the synagogues." The terror organization joined scores of other Islamic organizations in calling on the Palestinian people to hold processions and angry protests until the construction is stopped. A Jerusalem court on Wednesday ordered the fiery leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel to stay out of the Old City of Jerusalem for the next 10 days after he tried to force his way to the site of a contested archeological excavation... more.. Al-Aqsa Brigades launch 6 homemade projectiles at southern Israeli cities; Al Quds Brigades launch one Ma’an News Agency 2/7/2007 Gaza - The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main armed group affiliated to the Fatah movement, on Wednesday claimed responsibility for launching six homemade projectiles at southern Israel. They said the operation was in "retaliation for the Israeli assaults on Islamic sacred places, namely, the Al-Aqsa Mosque". The statement, distributed today in the Gaza Strip, reported that the projectiles targeted the cities of Sderot, the Western Negev and Ashkelon, in southern Israel. In a separate incident, the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed group affiliated to the Islamic Jihad movement, claimed responsibility for launching one homemade projectile at the Israeli city of Ashkelon. They stated that the operation came "as natural retaliation for frequent Israeli violations against the Palestinian people in the West Bank. [end] Palestinian gunmen open fire at checkpoint south of Hebron Ma’an News Agency 2/7/2007 Hebron - Palestinian gunmen opened fire at an Israeli military barrier near Fawwar refugee camp, southwest of Hebron, on Wednesday. Local sources said that the Israeli forces closed the area after the shooting and prohibited the local Palestinian citizens from moving. The Israeli forces also began a military search for the gunmen. The sources informed our Hebron reporter that dozens of cars and vehicles transporting Palestinians were blocked at the barrier and hundreds of Palestinians were also held up at Fawwar crossroads. [end] Al-Aqsa Brigades close Hebron shops in protest against Al-Aqsa dig Ma’an News Agency 2/7/2007 Hebron - Members of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main military wing of Fatah, have closed the commercial shops in the West Bank city of Hebron on Wednesday in protest against the excavations being carried out by the Israeli authorities around Bab Al-Magharbeh (Dung Gate) in the old city of Jerusalem. This protest comes after the Islamic and nationalist bodies in Hebron called on Tuesday night for a strike a Wednesday in protest against the Aqsa mosque excavations. The Al-Aqsa Brigades also demanded that the leaders meeting in Mecca reach a comprehensive national accord which serves all Palestinian citizens and is not just an agenda. [end] Al-Quds Brigades and An-Nasir Salah Addin Brigades launch five projectiles at Israeli towns, damaging a clinic in Nir Am Ma’an News Agency 2/7/2007 Gaza - The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, announced responsibility for launching two missiles at the towns Sderot and Nir Am, in Israel, on Tuesday evening. The brigades said that the operation was as a natural response to Israeli violations of agreements and a preliminary response to the aggression on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as the continuation of the ’Red Rose’ operation. Israeli sources stated that two projectiles landed in Israeli towns and that one had caused damage to a clinic in Nir Am. In a separate incident, the An-Nasir Salah Addin Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed responsibility on Wednesday for launching 3 homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot. They also said in a statement that the operation was a retaliation for Israeli assaults on the Al-Aqsa mosque. [end] Unknown gunmen abduct health ministry official in Ramallah International Middle East Media Center 2/7/2007 Unknown gunmen abduct a Palestinian health ministry official in the northern West Bank city of Ramallah. Initial reports are saying that he is the director of public hospitals in the ministry of health. [end] Lebanese soldiers throw stones at border fence YNetNews 2/7/2007 Israel to file complaint with UN following incident on border. Defense Minister Peretz says Israel reserves right to respond -- Several Lebanese soldiers hurled stones towards the fence along Israel’s northern border on Wednesday, causing no injuries or damage. The IDF plans to file a complaint with the UN following the incident. An army force uncovered Monday four explosive devices in the Avivim area in northern Israel , about 60 meters (196. 85 feet) north of the border with Lebanon. Military sources in the north estimated that the devices were planted recently in order to target IDF troops. The explosive devices were disguised as rocks and were found on the international border between Israel and Lebanon. more.. Israeli military detain several Palestinians from villages east of Qalqilia Ma’an News Agency 2/7/2007 Qalqilia - Israeli military forces have, on Wednesday, apprehended two Palestinians from the northern West Bank town of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqilia. Palestinian security sources report that an Israeli force invaded the town and arrested Shadi ’Ubeid, while forces stationed at the Atara checkpoint, near Ramallah in the central West Bank, arrested Mousa Ahmad Aqil, also from Kafr Qaddum. In a separate incident on Wednesday evening, Israeli forces have arrested Ahmad Majdi Swiedan, aged 16, and Islam Salih Sweidan, 17, both from ’Azzun, also east of Qalqilia. Israeli troops stationed at the Jit checkpoint, east of Qalqilia, detained hundreds of Palestinian passengers travelling on the main road between Nablus and Qalqilia, lining them up for several hours before letting them pass through the checkpoint. [end] Palestinian man injured by Israeli soldiers Ma’an News Agency 2/7/2007 Gaza - Palestinian medical sources on Wednesday announced the injury of a Palestinian citizen who was hit by Israeli bullets, near Sufa crossing, in the southern Gaza Strip. The sources said that the citizen was hit with a bullet in his back and was transferred to the European hospital in Rafah. The Israeli forces opened fire at an armed group near the Sofa crossing, which led to the injury of the citizen. [end] Thirteen Palestinians abducted from West Bank on Wednesday International Middle East Media Center 2/7/2007 Thirteen Palestinians were abducted by Israeli forces from various parts of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday. Israeli forces arrested three brothers from the village of Beit Amin, south of Qalqilya after storming houses and carrying out search operations, according to witnesses. 35 year old Abed Al-Salam Omar, ’Ali ’Omar, aged 26, and ’Izzidin ’Omar, aged 30 were all taken to an unknown destinations according to security sources. Witnesses added that two other citizens were arrested in the same operation. Mansour Obed, from the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia was abducted at an Israeli army checkpoint near the West bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday middayIsraeli forces abducted two Palestinians from the city and refugee camp of Tulkarem. more.. Livni: Extremists using J’lem dig for their own political benefit Ha’aretz 2/7/2007 Foreing Minister Tzipi Livni said Thursday that Israel would never do anything to harm freedom of worship for all religions in Jerusalem, and that certain groups are using excavations near the Temple Mount for their own political gain." The Temple Mount is the site most holy to the Jewish people," said Livni in a statement posted on the Foreign Minsitry Web site. "The State of Israel will never to anything to harm the freedom of worship of members of all religions - in Jerusalem or anywhere in Israel." "There are irresponsible elements, who know full well that no harm is being caused here to any holy site, who are exploiting Israeli democracy to fan religious feelings for political gain," Livni continued. "This is true of both political groups within Israel and extremist elements outside Israel." more.. Army abducts three brothers from a village near Qalqilia International Middle East Media Center 2/7/2007 The Israeli army abducted three brothers from the village of Beit Amen south of Qalqilia in the northern West Bank on Wednesday morning. Troops and jeeps attacked and ransacked residents’ houses before taking Abd Al Salam Omer, and two of his brothers Ize Al Deen and Ali to an unknown detention camp, local sources reported. [end] Archeologists: Waqf damaging Temple Mount remains YNetNews 2/7/2007 Senior archeologist says Waqf wants to turn whole of Temple Mount into exclusive mosque for Muslims -- As the structural work near the Temple Mount drew protests from around the Arab world, Israeli archeologists complained Wednesday that the government was not doing enough to protect Jewish artifacts from building work by the Muslim Waqf, which controls the Temple Mount. "The Waqf has acted terribly, taking thousands of tons of artifacts from the First Temple, the Second Temple, as well as Muslim artifacts, and throwing them away," Dr Eilat Mazor, from the Hebrew University, told Ynetnews. "They want to turn the whole of the Temple Mount into a mosque for Muslims only. They don’t care about the artifacts or heritage on the site." more.. Israeli army abducts one Palestinian man from Al Khader village near Bethlehem International Middle East Media Center 2/7/2007 Israeli forces invaded the village of Al Khader south of Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank and abducted one Palestinian man on Wednesday morning. Army vehicles stormed the village, surrounded several houses and forced families outside in the rain and questioned them for several hours. They then abducted Hitham Adnan, 20, and took him to an unknown military detention camp. [end] Wounded Hamas and Fatah brothers recovering in same house Jerusalem Post 2/7/2007 The two al-Ottol brothers are recovering in separate rooms of their house, wounded in the latest round of fighting between rival Hamas and Fatah - one on each side. Hamada al-Ottol, 19, was wounded while fighting for Fatah, the movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He wants revenge. His brother, Tahseen, 22, of Hamas, hopes a summit underway in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, can stop the internal conflict before the rift between them becomes irreconcilable. More than 100 Palestinians have been killed in months of clashes that followed a Hamas election victory a year ago, with most of the security forces remaining in the hands of Fatah, which lost the vote. Flareups have led to fears of an all-out civil war between the two most powerful Palestinian movements. more.. Israelis retaliate after attack by Lebanese Army The Independent 2/7/2007 Israeli tanks shelled Lebanese Army positions late last night after coming under fire as they joined an operation to comb the border area for explosive devices placed by Hizbollah guerrillas. The Israel Defence Forces said early today that an engineering force had been searching for further devices after finding four along the border on Monday, when it came under fire from Lebanese Army units. It said that the Lebanese units had fired warning shots towards IDF forces operating within Israeli sovereign territory, though north of the perimeter fence, despite an official warning to the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon [Unifil] that it would be conducting a sweep of the area. The IDF said that despite warnings to stop, the Lebanese troops then fired at the Israeli forces who then returned fire. more.. Seven months on, IDF implementing lessons of Lebanon war Ha’aretz 2/7/2007 Seven months after the second Lebanon war ended, the Israel Defense Forces has begun to implement the lessons learned in the conflict, in particular with regards to training its senior commanders. Those undergoing retraining include Brigadier General Erez Zuckerman, who led a division of reservists from the Armored Corps. Zuckerman is currently participating in a basic training course for Armored Corps soldiers. In the past, it was acceptable for officers who rose up through the ranks of the ground forces or special units and who had been given a command in the Armored Corps to undergo such training. In some cases, these courses last several weeks, and in others a number of months. This custom has, however, been neglected, and recently almost no senior officers have taken courses of this kind. more.. Israeli troops start demolition near Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem International Middle East Media Center 2/6/2007 On Tuesday Israeli bulldozers moved towards the al-Maghareba (Moroccan) gate of the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s old city and started demolishing parts of a mound covering a walkway. Security guards were stationed at entrances to the compound and Israeli military and 2,000 members of the Israeli police force patrolled the old city’s streets during what Israeli authorites are calling ’excavations’. Taysir al-Tamimi, a senior Muslim cleric stated that the bulldozers intended to demolish a mound next to al-Maghareba Gate, one of the entrances into Jerusalem’s Old City leading to the mosque compound. The Waqf religious trust claim that levelling the mound will threaten the foundation of the entire al-Aqsa compound, which dates back to the 7th century. more.. Hamas gunman killed in Gaza, three injured International Middle East Media Center 2/6/2007 The Al Qassam brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, said that one of its fighters was killed, and three others were injured, after being attacked by gunmen in the center of Gaza City. Hamas blamed Fateh for the attack and said that Fateh gunmen fired at Mohammad Dieb Abu Karsh, 23, and killed him, three other members were injured, one seriously. Eyewitnesses reported that Abu Karsh was driving his car near Al Saraya compound in Gaza city when gunmen opened fire at him. The three injured members were identified as Hilmy Abid, Mohammad Abu Namous, and kamal Banat. Hamas sources said that Abu Karsh survived a previous attempt on his life on May 16 last year. He was injured in the attack while another Hamas member, identified as Mohammad Al Tatar, was killed. more.. Israeli forces invade Nablus, arresting 12 Palestinians, total arrested in the West Bank on Tuesday morning is 19 Ma’an News Agency 2/6/2007 Nablus - Israeli occupation troops launched a widespread campaign in the city of Nablus on Tuesday at dawn, and arrested 12 Palestinian citizens. The Israeli forces entered the western part of the city in more than a dozen military vehicles and accompanied by two military bulldozers. Palestinian security sources said that the Israeli forces arrested two young men after besieging the Shaqqou building for many hours; the sources believe that the men were members of the Al Aqsa Brigades, the main military wing of Fatah. The sources added that two other Palestinians were arrested from the refugee camp of Askar, east of the city, and the others were arrested from different areas of the city of Nablus. The Israeli forces invaded the village of Beituniya, west of Ramallah and arrested an officer in the Palestinian intelligence force. more.. Palestinian villager abducted by Israeli force from a village near Nablus International Middle East Media Center 2/6/2007 On Tuesday morning the Israeli army invaded the village of Kufer Kalil south of Nablus city in the northern part of the West Bank and abducted one man. Troops and army jeeps attacked, searched and ransacked residents’ houses before taking Jaudat Manssur from his house to an unknown military detention camp, eyewitnesses reported. [end] Israeli army abducts two Palestinian men from Surif town near Hebron International Middle East Media Center 2/6/2007 On Tuesday morning the Israeli army abducted two Palestinian men from the town of Surif near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Iyad Barad’a, 31, was abducted from the pharmacy he works, located in the village center. Eyewitnesses reported that troops attacked and searched the pharmacy then took Barad’a to unknown military detention camp. troops also attacked the house of Omer Al Qadi, 20, then abducted him and him away. [end] Israeli forces arrest 19 Palestinians in Ramallah, Bethlehem and Hebron, and 10 from Nablus Palestine News Network 2/6/2007 Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank’s Nablus early Tuesday and arrested 10 Palestinians. Eyewitnesses report that Israeli forces entered from the east and from Huwara Checkpoint, while heading north on Asira Street. In addition to storming city neighborhoods, the Israelis attacked Balata Refugee Camp and Askar Camp, both Old and New. Taken to unknown locations were brothers Mohammad and Rami Yassin from Nablus’ Old City neighborhood of Habla, brothers Samer and Sharif Al Khraz, and brothers Afif and Ahmed Hassouna, and Majdi Al Eska from the Northern Mountain neighborhood. Israeli forces also took Mohammad Yasin from New Askar Refugee Camp and two young men from towns east of the city to unknown locations. All are said to be in their twenties. more.. Israeli army abducts one Palestinian man from a village near Tulkarem International Middle East Media Center 2/6/2007 On Tuesday morning Israeli forces invaded the village of Al Jarushia near Tulkarem city in the northern part of the West Bank, and abducted one man. Ihab Qadan, 23, was abducted when Israeli troops attacked and searched his father’s home and some nearby houses in the village. He was taken to an unknown detention camp, his family reported. [end] Israeli army invades Nablus and injures one Palestinian man, abducts at least 10 International Middle East Media Center 2/6/2007 Palestinian sources in Nablus, in the northern West Bank, reported that a massive Israeli army force invaded the city, injured one man and abducted at least another ten on Tuesday morning. Israeli troops, armored vehicles and one bulldozer stormed downtown Nablus and the old city, surrounded a number of homes and searched and ransacked them before abducting the ten men. Local sources reported that among those abducted were Samir Al Kharaz 23, his brother Sharif, 24, Mohamed Yamen, and his brother Rami, Afif Hassunah, 24, and his brother Mohamed, 26. Medical sources in the city reported that one man was injured when Israeli soldiers attacked a shopping mall in downtown Nablus, eyewitnesses stated that the injured man along with another three men were abducted by the forces. more.. Four Qassam rockets fired at Israel, causing damage but no injuries Ha’aretz 2/6/2007 Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday fired four Qassam rockets at Israel. One of the rockets landed near on land belonging to a western Negev kibbutz, causing damage to the local health clinic and adjoining houses. Nobody was wounded in the incident. A second rocket landed in an open field near the kibbutz. Earlier Tuesday, militants launched two other rockets toward the southern city of Ashkelon. One of the rockets was fired from the northern Gaza Strip and landed in an open field outside of the city. It was unclear where the fourth rocket landed. Both of the rockets fired at Ashkelon caused damages but no injuries. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rockets and said they had been fired in response to the excavations Israel is carrying out near the Mughrabi Gate, on Temple Mount. [end] Al-Aqsa Brigades threaten to retaliate for Israel’s aggression on the Al-Aqsa mosque Ma’an News Agency 2/6/2007 Gaza - The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main military wing of Fatah, have threatened Israel that they will retaliate if the Israeli authorities harm the holy Al-Aqsa mosque in the old city of Jerusalem. The brigades’ spokesman, Abu Qusay, said in a statement for Ma’an that the Al-Aqsa mosque is a red line, and crossing it represents a major crime. This comes after reports that the Israeli authorities in the city of Jerusalem are conducting works next to the Al-Aqsa mosque, considered the third holiest site by Muslims worldwide. This construction work, reported by Israel as necessary to repair a walkway, is believed to threaten the holy Islamic site. Abu Qusay warned of serious consequences for the Israeli occupation state. more.. Work starts near Jerusalem shrine BBC Online 2/6/2007 Work has begun to repair an ancient mound near Jerusalem’s holiest site, raising tensions between Palestinians and Israelis. The Israeli authorities say the work is needed to restore a walkway leading to the al-Aqsa Mosque or Temple Mount compound in East Jerusalem. Palestinian leaders say it threatens Islamic archaeological remains. In 1996, work to open a tunnel alongside the compound sparked clashes in which 80 people died. Plan of the holy sitesAnd in 2000, the Palestinian uprising began at the mosque following a controversial tour of the site by Israel’s then opposition leader Ariel Sharon. Israeli police are deployed throughout East Jerusalem’s mainly-Arab Old City area and are blocking access to the compound to non-Muslims and Palestinians under 45. more.. Israeli government destroys Moroccan Gate and parts of Al Aqsa Mosque area amid outcry Palestine News Network 2/6/2007 Israeli forces demolished the entrance to the Al Aqsa Mosque after destroying the Moroccan Gate bridge leading to the Muslim holy site. Chief Palestinian Justice Sheikh Taysir Tamimi said that the timing of the destruction in the Old City of East Jerusalem was purposeful as all eyes are on the meeting in Mecca and political leaders are enroute. The Sheikh told a press conference in Ramallah this afternoon that the Israeli government is continuing with its plan to demolish the historic road at the Moroccan Gate with a major threat to the western side of the Mosque. Israeli forces expelled all Arab workers and journalists Monday, increased the military presence in the face of nonviolent protests over the past two days, and closed all roads on Tuesday. more.. Settler escapes kidnapping attempt Ha’aretz 2/7/2007 Three Palestinians confessed to the attempted kidnap Sunday evening of a settler from the West Bank outpost of Kida. They were arrested shortly after their intended victim told the Israel Defense Forces that the men had tried to force him into their vehicle as he was looking for a ride near the Eli Junction, north of Ramallah. A similar incident was reported at Tapuah Junction, farther north. Palestinians dressed like Jewish settlers stopped for a group of young hitchhikers but said they had room for only one person. Shortly after the Eli Junction incident was reported, three Palestinians in a Fiat with Israeli license plates that fit the description given by the settler were stopped at the Border Police checkpoint at Bir Zeit, south of Eli. Guns and ammunition were found in their possession. more.. Photos from Rafah: 3 February 07 - Violence in Gaza is increasing in the last 48 hours Rafah Today 2/3/2007 Not yet 24 hours had passed on the cease-fire agreement between political factions Hamas and Fateh before clashes again erupted throughout the Gaza Strip. This time, however, the infighting has resulted in 290 dead and injured Palestinians within a span of 24 hours, according to medical sources in Gaza. Most of the victims were civilians. The deadly clashes re-began when Hamas gunmen ambushed a convoy carrying US-funded and manufactured weapons to US-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ guard unit in the Gaza Strip. Hamas gunmen managed to confiscate two trucks, loaded with weapons, tents, and generators, heading to Abbas. Even so, presidential guards managed to get the other trucks into Gaza City, via Kerem Shalom crossing, three kilometers away from Rafah. more.. Israel to launch spy satellite from foreign country Globes Online 2/4/2007 The decision on the foreign launch was made after the three failures of the “Shavit” launcher. -- Sources inform ’’Globes’’ that Israel is to launch an advanced surveillance satellite from the territory of a foreign country. This will be the first time that Israel has not used the local “Shavit” launcher to launch an operational espionage satellite. The satellite in question is manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. subsidiary MBT (MABAT) - Weapon Systems and Space Technology, and it can take images in both daytime and nighttime, in all visibility and weather conditions. Speaking last week at a symposium on Israel’s space policy at the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies in Herzilya Ministry of Defense space program head Brig. Gen. (res) Prof. Haim Eshed said the satellite would be a global breakthrough... more.. Fatah nabs top Hamas official for exchange Jerusalem Post 2/6/2007 RAMALLAH - On the eve of a summit in Mecca between Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, Fatah gunmen here kidnapped Arafat Nasser, the director of PA Interior Minister Said Siam’s office. Witnesses said Nasser was abducted as he was about to leave his office in the Irsal neighborhood north of the city. His bodyguard, Tarek Ghaithan, was shot in the legs by the gunmen. The former director of Siam’s office, Ihab Ghaithan, was shot in the legs by Fatah gunmen last month as part of the power struggle between Fatah and Hamas. He is the brother of the bodyguard who was shot during Monday’s kidnapping. The latest incident is apparently linked to Sunday’s abduction in the Gaza Strip of Ashraf Dahlan, a nephew of senior Fatah leader Muhammad Dahlan. more.. PM denies request to remove outposts Jerusalem Post 2/5/2007 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has turned down a request by his Defense Minister Amir Peretez to dismantle a number of unauthorized West Bank settlement outposts, saying the issue should be addressed by a comprehensive plan, defense officials said Monday. According to the officials, the proposal was made in talks between the two men on Sunday and was not a formal Cabinet motion. Olmert’s office declined comment. Peretz had asked for the removal of three or four small outposts, comprising a few trailers. Under the internationally backed "road map" peace plan, Israel has promised to dismantle unauthorized outposts built since 2001. The Cabinet has debated the matter several times, but has done little to remove the West Bank outposts. Nearly 244,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank [counting settlemenets in and around Jerusalem: more than 410,00]... more.. Al Aqsa Mosque Foundation: Israeli forces pulling Muslim heritage out of Jerusalem at its roots Palestine News Network 2/5/2007 Throughout the Al Aqsa Mosque area Israeli forces have expelled Arab workers and media. No information is being allowed out concerning the destruction of Islamic holy sites ongoing in East Jerusalem’s Old City. Al Aqsa Mosque and its environs continue to face major threats as Israeli forces expand use the pretext of expanding the Western Wall to destroy the route connecting the outer and inner entrances to the Mosque. Israeli authorities are also disturbing rooms under the tomb that date back to the Umayyad Dynasty, which ruled between 661 and 750. Drilling is under way Monday after yesterday’s destruction. Israeli forces are demolishing the bridge that connects Haram Al Sharif and the Moroccan (Bab Al Magharba) Gate, which is the entrance into the Old City used by Muslim worshipers to reach the Mosque. more.. Calls for Al-Aqsa protest raise alert level at Temple Mount Ha’aretz 2/4/2007 The Jerusalem police will raise the alert level at the Temple Mount Sunday morning in response to calls made by Muslim leaders on Israel’s Muslim population to stage a demonstration at the site in protest of planned construction work on one of the main entrances to the Temple Mount. The leader of the Islamic Movement’s northern branch, Ra’ad Salah, and the head of Jerusalem Supreme Muslim Council, Sheikh Ikrama Sabri called on the Muslim residents of Jerusalem, and Israel, to arrive at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and protest Israel’s plan, according to them, to destroy the Mugrabi Gate, one of the gates in the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, in order to build a bridge. The Police issued an announcement Saturday that the entrance to the Temple Mount will be limited to Muslim men over 45 years of age. more.. Israeli forces arrest fifteen in West Bank raids Palestine News Network 2/5/2007 In the daily arrest campaign throughout the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces took six Palestinians from Bethlehem and nine from the Jenin District to unknown locations Monday morning. All were accused of affiliation with Hamas or Islamic Jihad. A large contingent of military vehicles raided Jenin Refugee Camp and for an hour the Al Aqsa Brigades fought back. This morning’s northern West Bank raid targeted armed resistance members affiliated with Islamic Jihad and Hamas. Israeli forces threatened to demolish family homes in order to pressure the “wanted” to surrender. In Jenin Refugee Camp Israeli forces arrested Issam Mousa Abu Al Hija, Rami Ahmed Hallouh and his brother Ra’ed, Raja Issam Abu and Fathi Abu Aita. more.. Internal Clashes Renewed in Northern Gaza International Middle East Media Center 2/5/2007 Palestinian security sources and witnesses said Monday that factional infighting renewed on Monday in northern Gaza, mainly near the so-called Abraj Al-Awda residential buildings and in the vicinity of the civil defense premises. Initial reports said some injuries have taken place in the area as infighting broke out there. No medical sources confirmed causalities. Early on Monday morning, witnesses said that gunmen, believed to be members of the Hamas-formed executive force of the interior ministry and Ezzeldin Alqassam brigades of Hamas, attempted to place roadblocks around the house of local Al-Aqsa Brigades, an off-shot of Fatah, Samih Almadhoun. Witnesses added that fellows of Almadhoun opened fire in the air to prevent Hama’s members from placing the roadblocks. No details were reported. more.. Army invades refugee camp in Tulkarem International Middle East Media Center 2/5/2007 Israeli forces invaded the Tulkarem refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem on Monday morning and searched several houses. Soldiers attacked homes in the refugee camp and vandalised residents’ belongings. Among those houses were the houses of Nasser Othman and Mujahid Al Hareth. According to local sources the army are still in the refugee camp, no abductions were reported at the time of this report. [end] Palestinian stabbed to death in Tel Aviv International Middle East Media Center 2/5/2007 On Sunday night a Palestinian man was fatally stabbed in the northern Israeli city of Tel Aviv, Israeli police handed the case over to Palestinian authorites. On Sunday night a Palestinian man was fatally stabbed in the northern Israeli city of Tel Aviv, Israeli police handed the case over to Palestinian authorites. Palestinian sources said that Thahir Jamal Allam, aged 30, was killed in in his workplace. Allam was from the northern West Bank town of ’Einabus, south of Nablus. [end] Three Palestinian men die of wounds they received last Friday International Middle East Media Center 2/5/2007 Three Palestinian men died on Monday afternoon of wounds they sustained during Hamas-Fatah infighting last Friday, Palestinian sources in the Gaza strip reported. Dr. Mu’awiah Hassanein, director of the emergency and ambulance department in the Ministry of Health in the Gaza strip told IMEMC that Mohammed Hassanein, 21, and Na’el Abu Hamidah, 23, were wounded last Friday when members from the Executive Force of the Ministry of Interior, and operatives of Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas attacked a training site of the Fattah affiliated Presidential Guards in Beit Lahiya town northern Gaza Strip. Both Hassanein and Abu Hamidah were moved to the Aqsa hospital where they pronounced died today. Dr. Hassanein stated that at least 10 members of the Presidential Guards died... more.. Exclusive: Fence could still run through Judean Desert Jerusalem Post 2/6/2007 Defense officials told settlers on Monday that it was still likely that the security fence would be constructed in the Judean Desert, even though work there had been halted last month due to environmental concerns. Environmentalists and settlers have joined forces to persuade the Defense Ministry to find an alternative to the security fence in the region. They had argued that the security fence would scar the landscape, harm wildlife and disrupt the ecosystem of the area. Initially, the Defense Ministry agreed to halt work there and explore other options to secure the area. But on Monday, security officials told South Hebron Regional Council Chief Tzvika Bar-Hai that Defense Minister Amir Peretz had not been swayed by the alternative options presented and that he was still of the opinion that the security fence was the best idea. more.. Shin Bet chief: IDF should not intervene in Gaza fighting Ha’aretz 2/6/2007 The director of the Shin Bet security service, Yuval Diskin, warned Monday against a broad Israel Defense Forces operation in the Gaza Strip, saying it would be detrimental for Israel to get involved in the ongoing Palestinian factional fighting. "I definitely think we need to draw up a plan," Diskin told reporters in Tel Aviv. "It is possible that at a certain point we will need to act, whether we want to or not, but we must take in account the power struggle currently going on between Hamas and Fatah in the Strip." "If we don’t want to ruin everything, it is not worth it for us to get involved right now," Diskin said. Diskin said that Israel must think about the day after an expanded raid, such as the 2002 operation in the West Bank at the height of the intifada. more.. IDF gearing up for large military operation in Gaza Ha’aretz 2/4/2007 The Israel Defense Forces has accelerated its planning of a possible extended military operation in Gaza. Top military sources said the escalation of internecine violence was liable to extend to anti-Israel violence. They said no operation was slated to take place immediately, but that IDF activity in Gaza - similar to the 2002 Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank - may become necessary. The IDF and Shin Bet security service are particularly concerned by the possibility that Hamas will resume suicide bombings or other attacks on Israel, possibly due to accusations that Israel is supporting Fatah, which it is not overtly doing. Hamas is also accumulating large quantities of Qassam rockets, whose range, accuracy and strength have improved since Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in the summer of 2005. more.. U.S. Backing for Fatah Stirs New Conflict Inter Press Service 2/2/2007 GAZA CITY, Feb 2 (IPS) - Explosions, fierce gunfights and ambulance sirens ripped through the Gaza strip again Thursday, only two days after a ceasefire ended a bloody week of factional fighting that left more than 30 Palestinians dead. As night fell on Gaza, the death toll was at six, with more than 60 wounded. Fighters loyal to the elected Hamas government -- the Interior Ministry’s Executive Force and the Islamist Movement’s militia, the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades -- battled the Fatah security forces loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The fighting began in the afternoon when four truckloads of supplies entering from Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing were intercepted by Hamas fighters, who claimed that they had commandeered an arms shipment to the Presidential Guard, a U.S. -backed security force loyal to Abbas. more.. Israeli forces invade Jenin district, abduct nine Palestinians International Middle East Media Center 2/5/2007 On Monday morning a large Israeli army force invaded Jenin refugee camp and a nearby village in the northern West Bank, targetting armed resistance members affiliated with Islamic Jihad and Hamas. A Palestinian media source reported that when the large-scale offensive was carried out in Jenin refugee camp, Al Aqsa Brigades fought back in resistance for an hour or so. Israeli troops used the collective-punishment tactic of threatening to demolish houses if people on their ’wanted’ list did not surrender.... The location that these people were taken to by Israeli forces remains unknown. more.. Gaza Municipality Appeals for Support After Suffering Damages During Infighting International Middle East Media Center 2/5/2007 Gaza Municipality appealed Monday to several local and international bodies including the Palestinian presidency and government, as well as other counterpart municipalities worldwide for support after the infighting has inflicted damages on the municipality. A municipality statement read today that mayor Majed Abu Ramadan appealed to the said bodies for emergency assistance, voicing concern that the city would face humanitarian and health difficulties as more than 40 vehicles have been damaged partially or completely. The statement pointed out that such vehicles have been used in sewage and waste water disposal, an issue that would expose the 600,000-population city to a severe health crisis. Mayor Abu Ramada hoped that the said bodies would offer the needed assistance... more.. Israeli army abducts one Palestinian man at a checkpoint near Tubass International Middle East Media Center 2/5/2007 Israeli soldiers stationed at Tayasser checkpoint east of the northern West bank city of Tubass abducted one Palestinian man on Monday morning. Israeli soldiers stationed at Tayasser checkpoint east of the northern West bank city of Tubass abducted one Palestinian man on Monday morning. Eyewitnesses stated the the young man was stopped and searched by the soldiers who handcuffed him and took him to a nearby military post, the name of the young man remains unknown. [end] Israeli forces abduct one Palestinian man from Obaiyat village near Bethlehem International Middle East Media Center 2/5/2007 On Monday morning Israeli forces invaded the village of Obaiyat east of the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, and abducted one man. On Monday morning Israeli forces invaded the village of Obaiyat east of the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, and abducted one man. Troops and army jeeps closed the main entrance of the village then searched scores of villagers’ houses. They aducted Nasser Jubran, 30, and took him to an unknown military detention camp, eyewitnesses reported. [end] Israeli troops abduct a Palestinian woman from a village near Jenin International Middle East Media Center 2/5/2007 Palestinian sources reported that Israeli forces have abducted a Palestinian woman during a morning invasion to the village of Araba, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Monday. Palestinian sources reported that Israeli forces have abducted a Palestinian woman during a morning invasion to the village of Araba, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Monday. Maha Al Ardah, 26, was taken from her house in village after troops attacked and searched her house along with some other nearby houses. She was taken to an unknown detention camp, local sources reported. [end] Bethlehem: Arsonists attack Hamas-linked buildings International Middle East Media Center 2/5/2007 On Sunday night anonymous arsonist set fire to a shop and library in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem. A spokesman of Hamas in the Bethlehem area stated that the library belongs to Bethlehem municipality council leader, Khalid Sabri, and the shop belongs to his father. According to the spokesman, "about 30 unidentified armed men attacked the library, Ya Hala, and set it ablaze, before they headed to a shop, Saada, near the Open University and also set it on fire." Head of Hamas Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) office in Bethlehem, Malik Salhab, condemned the incident and suggested that the ’Fatah revolutionary council’ is responsible. He added that his office has received calls from Fatah officials in Bethlehem condemning the attacks and stressing the necessity to preserve the national unity. more.. New truce attempt amid Gaza clashes Al Jazeera 2/3/2007 Senior officials from rival Fatah and Hamas factions agreed on Saturday to pull their fighters off the streets of Gaza, but there was no immediate end to the fighting. Hours after the agreement was announced, gunfire continued to ring out across Gaza City and a member of the national security forces loyal to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, was shot dead and another was abducted, security officials said. There was no claim of responsibility for Saturday’s incident which took place at a checkpoint, but Fatah officials blamed Hamas for the killing. Eight people were wounded in gun battles on Saturday. At least 24 Palestinians have been killed and more than 200 wounded since Hamas fighters ambushed a convoy they said was carrying military equipment to Abbas’s forces on Thursday. more.. Four children among the 17 dead as Gaza fire fights rage The Independent 2/3/2007 Buildings in Gaza’s two main universities were set on fire yesterday in a major escalation of infighting which health officials said killed at least 17 Palestinians - including four children - and left more than 200 wounded. Armed men mounted flying checkpoints in otherwise deserted streets amid heavy gunfire which continued across Gaza City and the northern Strip despite an "agreement in principle" to try and implement yet another ceasefire. Civilian residents remained at home instead of attending Friday prayers to avoid being caught in the crossfire of a series of running battles fought by Hamas and Fatah militiamen in streets and on rooftops with rocket propelled grenades, mortars and semi-automatic rifles. Hospital officials appealed for blood donors as the fighting brought the death toll to 24 since Thursday. more..  Diplomacy
Olmert, Abbas to meet in two weeks to ’further the dialogue’ Ha’aretz 3/1/2007 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will meet in two weeks, their third meeting since the resumption of top-level diplomatic contacts. They will concentrate on ways of "furthering the dialogue" in view of the difficulties in forging a Palestinian unity government, a senior political source in Jerusalem said on Wednesday. Earlier this week, aides for the two leaders met for a frank discussion to prepare for the Olmert-Abbas meeting. In Cairo on Tuesday, Abbas said he would meet Olmert in "a week or two." Olmert reiterated on Wednesday during his meeting with the visiting European Union commissioner for foreign affairs, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the preconditions for proceeding further with diplomatic talks with the Palestinians. more.. UN envoy talks to Hezbollah about abducted IDF soldiers Ha’aretz 3/1/2007 A senior UN envoy met Hezbollah officials in Lebanon on Wednesday to discuss the fate of two Israel Defense Forces soldiers, whose capture by the militant group sparked the second Lebanon war. The visit by the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser to the Middle East, Michael Williams, comes ahead of a key report on Lebanon that the UN chief, Ban Ki-moon, will deliver to the Security Council on March 16. Williams, accompanied by Geir Pederson, the UN representative in Lebanon, drove to the militant group’s stronghold in Beirut’s war-devastated southern suburb where they held talks with former energy minister from Hezbollah ranks, Mohammed Fneish, and Wafik Safa, a senior Hezbollah security official. Besides discussing efforts to free the two IDF soldiers, the talks also touched on the Aug. 14 ceasefire,... more.. UN envoy relays Israeli concerns to Fneish Daily Star 3/1/2007 BEIRUT: The head UN envoy to the Middle East said he was "pleased" with Hizbullah’s commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 after meeting with officials from the party on Wednesday. Michael Williams, the special adviser to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for the Middle East, met Wednesday with resigned Energy and Water Minister Mohammad Fneish, a member of Hizbullah Williams said that the two had discussed the issues of prisoners in Lebanon and Israel, the Shebaa Farms, Israeli overflights in South Lebanon and alleged weapons smuggling from Syria to Hizbullah. "We are pleased with the commitment of Hizbullah to the resolution," Williams told reporters, referring to Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the summer 2006 war with Israel. "We are pleased by the commitment of all parties..." more.. Mashaal promises end to Kassams Jerusalem Post 2/28/2007 While Russia told visiting Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal on Tuesday that it will try to convince the Quartet to lift the boycott of the Palestinian Authority government, Moscow will have its hands full as both the European Union and United Nations reaffirmed Tuesday that they were not interested in "playing ball" with the PA until it accepts the three international requirements. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made the US position on this abundantly clear during her meeting in Jerusalem last week. The Quartet is made up of the US, the EU, Russia and the UN. Mashaal was greeted in Moscow on Tuesday, the second time since Hamas won the Palestinian Legislative elections last January, by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in what appeared to be a crack in the Quartet’s solidarity to keep Hamas at arm’s length until it accepts the three "principles". more.. Russia: Hamas ’progress’ warrants easing of sanctions Middle East Online 2/27/2007 Lavrov says Hamas to halt rocket attacks as Meshaal evokes ’prospect’ for Israeli-Palestinian peace. -- MOSCOW - The Palestinian democratically government of Hamas has made sufficient progress towards meeting international demands to warrant an easing of sanctions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday. "The progress is evident. This gives us grounds to begin moving towards lifting the blockade," Lavrov said after meeting Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Moscow. Lavrov made clear he was referring to progress made in meeting conditions set out by the Middle East diplomatic Quartet of mediators -- the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States.... Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Meshaal earlier Tuesday and told the Hamas leader that Moscow would work to secure the lifting of the embargo... more.. UN official urges world community to match ’courage’ of Palestinian unity government Electronic Intifada/UN News 2/27/2007 The agreement to form a new Palestinian Unity Government challenges the international community to "match the courage and compromises" shown by the rival parties with "bold steps of its own," a senior United Nations official said today. "The inter-factional fighting that raged across parts of Gaza posed a genuine threat to the existence of the Palestinian polity," UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Karen Koning AbuZayd told a meeting of the agency’s Advisory Commission in Amman, Jordan. "Palestinians had to confront the shocking -- and embarrassing, I might add -- realization that their vulnerability to destruction could come not only from the modern armaments of their old foes across the green line but also from within," she added...." The stark reality is that Palestinian space, both physical and political, is shrinking..." more.. US representatives approve cooperation with Israel YNetNews 3/1/2007 House of Representatives approves bill on anti-terror cooperation between US and five countries, including Israel. Bill to award $25 million in grants to companies whose technology helps combat terror -- WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives approved legislation that would enhance homeland-security cooperation between the United States and Israel. The bill is expected to pass in the Senate within the upcoming weeks. The Promoting Anti-Terrorism Cooperation through Technology and Science Act, introduced by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Ranking Member Peter King (R-NY), would set up an office of international cooperation within the Homeland Security Department to foster joint public and private projects between the United States and five allies. more.. Lieberman: Israel can deal with Iran on its own Ha’aretz 2/28/2007 Israel is capable of dealing with the Iranian threat on its own, said Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman yesterday to the Knesset Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee. "Israel has the capability to deal with the Iranian threat, even in the worst case scenario in which our friends throughout the world stop dealing with the threat and we are left on our own," he said. Lieberman warned that "unless Iran is contained and it is blocked from achieving its goal, the minute it acquires non-conventional weapons the entire Middle East will enter a mad arms race and it is therefore the obligation of the Western world to block Iran." The minister said the sanctions against Iran were effective and have shocked the Iranian economy that is being managed by 50 to 60 families holding monopolies. more.. Obama meets kidnapped soldiers’ families YNetNews 3/1/2007 Kidnapped soldiers’ family members meet with Democratic presidential candidate, congress members, UN secretary-general in effort to bring soldiers home -- WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama met with family members of kidnapped soldier Ehud Goldwasser at the Senate on Wednesday night. Obama sympathized with the public struggle to release the Israeli soldiers held captive by Hizbullah, namely, Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, as well as Gilad Shalit who was abducted by Islamic forces in the Gaza Strip. The meeting took place after the kidnapped soldiers’ family members met with congress members on Capitol Hill earlier in the day, and with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York on Tuesday. more.. Russian FM: Hamas vows to end attacks on Israel Ha’aretz 2/27/2007 Hamas’ political bureau chief Khaled Meshal has promised that the militant Palestinian group will end missile attacks and other violence against Israel, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday." Hamas should use its authority to stop violence including missile attacks against Israel," Lavrov said at a news conference after his meeting with Meshal. "We received confirmation that such steps will be taken," he added. However, Meshal said at a separate news conference that the group is not ready to recognize Israel. Renouncing violence and recognizing Israel are both key demands of international peace negotiators." First of all, Israel has to end its occupation of Palestinian territory and put an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people," Meshal said when asked about the recognition issue. "When Israel does that, the Palestinian people will make their position clear." more.. Peretz: Hamas is using the cease-fire to stockpile weapons Ha’aretz 2/28/2007 Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Tuesday that Israel is concerned about the continued strengthening and arming of Hamas and is following developments closely. During a visit to the Israel Defense Forces Gaza Division, Peretz said Hamas is taking advantage of the cease-fire agreement between Israel and the Palestinians to continue stockpiling arms. "We are definitely doing everything in order to preserve the cease-fire," said Peretz, but added that Israel has "no reason to turn the strengthening into a real threat to Israel." Peretz refused to rule out a military operation in the Gaza Strip. "Every solution that protects the citizens of Israel is possible," he said. "We prefer a diplomatic solution, but where that doesn’t work out, we will also conduct military operations." more.. Palestinian factions warn that Israeli reports of tunnels, weapons and arrests of Palestinians in Egypt are exaggerated Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Khan Younis - The Palestinian armed factions have warned that the Israeli mass media is attempting to exaggerate claims of tunnels, weapons and arrests of Palestinians in Egypt in order to create tensions between Palestinians and Egyptians. Many of the factions’ spokesmen told Ma’an News Agency that the reports in the Israeli media about seizing quantities of weapons, the discovery of tunnels used for smuggling weapons, and the arrest of many Palestinians in Egypt, are just Israeli attempts to increase the tension in Palestinian-Egyptian relations. A spokesman of the Islamic Jihad-affiliated Al-Quds Brigades, Abu Ahmad, said that the Israelis are trying to create tensions with Egypt by such reports. He called on all Palestinians to be careful regarding what is published in the Israeli media. more.. EU commissioner meets Abbas in Cairo Monday; they will continue their separate tours, meet again in Ramallah Wednesday Ma’an News Agency 2/27/2007 Cairo - The European Commissioner for External Relations and EU Neighborhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, met with Palestinian President Abbas before leaving the Egyptian capital, Cairo on Monday. The European commissioner stated for Al-Sharq Al-Awsat news agency that this meeting was an opportunity to exchange opinions about the new Palestinian government, which is intended to be established in the framework of the Mecca agreement. She stressed the importance of this agreement for ending the internal Palestinian conflict, "because all concerned parties do not want to see a civil war in the Palestinian territories"The European commissioner met on Monday morning with Egyptian President Husni Mubarak, Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Nazif and Foreign Minister Ahmad Aboul Gheit plus a number of other Egyptian ministers. more.. Hezbollah says group preparing in case of IDF attack on Lebanon Ha’aretz 2/27/2007 The deputy chief of Hezbollah warned Tuesday that any military adventure by the United States and Israel against Iran would have dangerous consequences across the Mideast, and said the group was preparing in case of an Israeli attack on Lebanon. Sheik Naim Kassem suggested his pro-Iranian group would not get involved if the U.S. attacks Iran, but he raised the possibility that Israel might attack Lebanon as part of any assault on Iran - in which case, he said, Hezbollah would definitely respond. He said Hezbollah guerrillas were making contingency plans in case Israel attacks Lebanon." The resistance is taking all the necessary measures to be ready and prepared," Kassem said in an interview with The Associated Press. He would not elaborate but said Hezbollah is constantly changing its fighting tactics so the Israelis would not know its capabilities. more.. EU dangles prospects of new aid to Palestinians ReliefWeb 2/25/2007 BRUSSELS, Feb 25 (Reuters) - The European Union’s external relations commissioner will seek in a four-day trip to the Middle East to encourage the formation of an internationally acceptable Palestinian government with the prospect of new aid. The bloc plans to expand aid to a current temporary mechanism to needy Palestinians, and is considering new channels to help some Palestinian institutions and the economy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner said on Sunday. These programmes could get underway before the EU decides whether or not to provide direct aid to the unity government being formed by President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction and ruling Hamas Islamists, she said in a phone interview." We have to address the challenges in two time frames," Ferrero-Waldner said before flying on Sunday to the region... more.. EU commissioner sees Israel as indecisive toward the Union Ha’aretz 2/28/2007 Israel’s indecisiveness toward the European Union is clouding the future of bilateral relations, the EU commissioner for external relations said in Jerusalem on Tuesday." EU-Israel relations cannot yet fulfill their potential because the path ahead is not clear," Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in a speech at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem." We strongly sense that Israel has not yet made up its mind how to work with us not surprising given the EU’s complexity and its multifaceted identity." Ferrero-Waldner spent a day in Israel, finishing her visit here Tuesday and is continuing on Wednesday to Ramallah and Jordan. She will meet with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. The commissioner said the EU is interested in deepening its economic ties with Israel, developing stronger cooperation on energy and transportation issues... more.. Meshal in Russia: Putin will try to lift PA embargo Ha’aretz 2/28/2007 The head of the Hamas political bureau, Khaled Meshal, reiterated on Tuesday that his organization was not willing to recognize Israel. Speaking at a joint press conference following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Meshal said that Israel must end the occupation and the suffering of the Palestinian people and "only then will the Palestinians make their position [on recognition] clear." Other Hamas spokesmen told Haaretz on Tuesday that the Mecca agreement, in which Fatah and Hamas agreed to form a government of national unity, has not altered in any way the Islamist organization’s stance on Israel. The Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Radwan, said that the organization will never negotiate with Israel. Radwan clarified that Hamas’ willingness to agree to a state within the 1967 borders is only one part of the multi-stage solution it envisions. more.. Governor of Hebron updates new British consul general on the plight of his constituents Ma’an News Agency 2/26/2007 Hebron - The governor of Hebron, Arif Al-Ja’bari, received in his office in the south of the occupied West Bank on Monday the new British consul general, Richard Makepeace, and the commercial attaché of the consulate, Michel Jilleh. The governor updated the consul on the situation in Hebron, which is the largest Palestinian governorate and has great economic influence. However, he said Hebron is suffering from high rates of unemployment and poverty as a result of the Israeli blockade. The governor of Hebron also explained to the British consul about the Israeli practices in the city and how they violate the Hebron protocol, which defined in 1997 how the Israeli forces should be redeployed in Hebron city. In particular, Al-Ja’bari referred to the frequent closure of Shuhada Street, which is the main street through the old city of Hebron... more.. European states will send money to new gov’t - Hamas Reuters AlertNet 2/23/2007 CAIRO, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said on Friday several European states have pledged to send money to the new Palestinian government, adding that key peace mediators could also challenge the U.S. decision to shun the Palestinians. Meshaal said the United States was no longer able to convince other members of the Quartet of the Middle East mediators to maintain financial sanctions imposed on the Palestinian government after Hamas’s surprise victory in a 2006 general election. "There are European countries that have already decided on their annual financial support to the Palestinian government and have contacted Palestinian officials," Meshaal told a news conference in Cairo. "The international community has started to take steps to break the embargo," he said. more.. Germany supports Mecca agreement, new government, and moves to end to the blockade Palestine News Network 2/23/2007 President Abbas met with German Foreign Minister Steinmeier in Berlin today to discuss the outcome of the Mecca agreement and what the future holds as the unity government is near formation. The German Foreign Minister expressed his wishes that the recent internal conflict in Gaza will not be repeated. But the meeting was focused on the reconciliation that has taken place since, particularly in Mecca. He said, “We must talk about these things openly and discuss the successes of these efforts and the possibilities for partnerships." The President received direct praise and encouragement which is a welcome step after a year of political and economic blockade. Steimeir said, “It is a time of great challenges, but great possibilities exist in the region. We want to provide assistance in the face of these challenges." more.. Abbas to push PA gov’t to fulfill Quartet demands Ha’aretz 2/23/2007 Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Friday he was determined to push the planned Palestinian unity government into complying with Western demands to recognize Israel, renounce violence and abide by previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements. Abbas was referring to the three principles drafted by the Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators - the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations." We did not change our position, we did not change our principles," Abbas told reporters after a meeting with the European Union’s chief diplomat Javier Solana in Brussels. Abbas met Solana as part of a tour of European nations in efforts to build support for an eventual lifting of a crippling international aid embargo. more.. Splits between U.S. and Europe over aid for Palestinians International Herald Tribune 2/22/2007 BERLIN: Fractures between the United States and Europe have begun to appear over whether the new Palestinian unity government is likely to receive international economic support, even as the Middle East peace negotiators officially continue their wait-and-see approach. After the meeting here of representatives of the so-called quartet of Middle East peace negotiators — the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union — the group released a statement on Wednesday that "reaffirmed" its support for a Palestinian government that would recognize Israel and renounce violence. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said repeatedly that unless the new unity government meets those conditions, the United States will continue its economic boycott of the Palestinian government. more.. Iran accuses US and Israel of "baseless allegations" Jerusalem Post 2/24/2007 Iran accused the United States, Britain and Israel of "baseless allegations" about its nuclear ambitions, insisting that it has always considered developing and using weapons of mass destruction "inhumane, immoral and illegal." Iran’s deputy UN ambassador Mehdi Danesh Yazdi told the Security Council on Friday that his country has an "inalienable right" to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and would not "give in to the pressures emanating from groundless and unsubstantiated allegations and ulterior political motives." Iran was a last-minute addition to the list of countries speaking at a day-long council meeting on implementation of a resolution adopted in 2004 requiring all 192 U. N. member states to pass laws to keep nuclear, chemical and biological weapons out of the hands of terrorists and black marketeers. more.. Occupied Gaza like apartheid South Africa, says UN report The Guardian 2/24/2007 A UN human rights investigator has likened Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories to apartheid South Africa and says there should be "serious consideration" over bringing the occupation to the international court of justice. The report by John Dugard, a South African law professor who is the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, represents some of the most forceful criticism yet of Israel’s 40-year occupation. Prof Dugard said although Israel and apartheid South Africa were different regimes, "Israel’s laws and practices in the OPT [occupied Palestinian territories] certainly resemble aspects of apartheid." His comments are in an advance version of a report on the UN Human Rights Council’s website ahead of its session next month. -- See also: Read the UN report (pdf) more.. Stand-off along Lebanon-Israel border prompts state of alert Daily Star 2/24/2007 SOUTH LEBANON: The Lebanese and Israeli armies were in a state of alert Friday from both sides of the barbed-wire fence separating the Lebanese-Israeli border, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. Lebanese infantry soldiers were patrolling the road near the Fatima Gate in the border region of Kfar Kila, as part of their routine mission, when they were surprised by an Israeli patrol on the other side of the barbed-wire fence. Some of the Israeli troops were pointing their weapons at the Lebanese, the NNA said. In response, the Lebanese Army mobilized its troops, ready for any military action. After 25 minutes of alertness, the Israelis withdrew to the Israeli settlement of Metulla and Spanish troops of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrolled the Fatima Gate... more.. Olmert orders operating hours extended at Karni crossing Ha’aretz 2/23/2007 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has ordered the operating hours at the Karni crossing into the Gaza Strip extended to accommodate commercial transports. The crossing will now be open an extra shift, until 11 P. M. , according to instructions given by Olmert on Wednesday at a special session on the Gaza Strip crossings. The state will grant the Airports’ Authority, which operates the crossing, the funding for the extended hours of activity. Following talks with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas about a month and a half ago, Olmert ordered the crossing’s hour of closure to be extended from 4:30 P. M. until 6 P. M. But according to a political source in Jerusalem, reports indicate problems in the lines at the crossing. The extra shift is set to begin in 45 days. more.. UNESCO team to inspect Mughrabi dig Jerusalem Post 2/23/2007 UNESCO said Friday it will send a team of four experts to Jerusalem to assess the impact of construction work which has inflamed Israeli-Palestinian tensions. The experts are to visit the hilltop compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, which is on UNESCO’s World Heritage and its World Heritage in Danger Lists. Nearly three weeks ago, Israeli archaeologists began a salvage dig ahead of the construction of a new pedestrian walkway up to the site, one of Islam’s holiest. The Israeli dig sparked riots by Muslim worshippers and protests throughout the Arab world." I believe that such a mission constitutes the most appropriate response to the present situation," UNESCO director-general Koichiro Matsuura is quoted as saying in a statement. more.. In Berlin, Abbas expresses support for Roadmap and end of violence Ma’an News Agency 2/23/2007 Bethlehem - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he supports the two-state solution laid out in the Roadmap and the renouncing of violence. In a press conference in Berlin on Friday, Abbas also confirmed that the Mecca deal is vitally important for preserving Palestinian blood and enhancing Palestinian national unity. He also said that he supports her call for the need to stop the projectiles being launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel and for the release of the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. Abbas added, however: "Also, there are 10,000 Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails. It can’t be possible to call for the release of Shalit and ignore them." He also mentioned that there will be a meeting between the Quartet, which comprises of the EU, UN, US and Russia, and the Arab countries... more.. President Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin and Brussels on Friday, Paris on Saturday Ma’an News Agency 2/23/2007 Bethlehem - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Friday morning. This meeting is part of the president’s European tour which is aimed at gathering support for the Mecca agreement between the Fatah and Hamas movements and the ensuing establishment of a Palestinian national unity government. Abbas is also hoping to persuade the Europeans to support lifting the international siege of the Palestinian people. Talks are also taking place about the possibility of reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Following talks in German, which currently holds the EU presidency, the president will head to Brussels in Belgium on Friday afternoon in order to meet the European Union head of foreign policy, Javier Solana. more.. EU commissioner Ferrero-Waldner to tour Middle East next week to maintain the "momentum" for peace Ma’an News Agency 2/23/2007 Ferrero-Waldner in Gaza in July (Maans)Bethlehem - The European Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, will carry out a high-level, four-day tour of the Middle East next week. According to a press release from the European Commission, Ferrero-Waldner will first visit Egypt, followed by Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, and ending her visit in Jordan. On the eve of her visit, Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner said: “We all have an interest in maintaining the political momentum of recent weeks. I look forward to discussing with all parties how we can each play our part in keeping the hope of progress towards peace in the Middle East alive." Ferrero-Waldner is hoping to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday 28 February. more.. Mash’al to visit Moscow on Monday for talks regarding Palestinian unity and Quartet’s demands Ma’an News Agency 2/23/2007 Bethlehem - The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Hamas’ politburo chief, Khalid Mash’al, is due to arrive in Moscow on Monday, 26 February. According to a statement from the ministry’s press department, Russia intends to conducts talks with the Hamas delegation, headed by Mash’al, in an attempt to pave the way for greater stability in the occupied Palestinian territories and to overcome the differences between the rival Palestinian organizations. This comes in light of the agreement reached in Mecca between the rival political movements, Fatah and Hamas, to establish a national unity government. Moscow will also discuss with Mash’al the Quartet’s three criteria: that any new Palestinian government renounces violence, accepts Israel’s right to exist, and adopts the previously signed peace agreements. [end] A Palestinian coalition government should end international blockade, Egyptian foreign minister states Ma’an News Agency 2/23/2007 Bethlehem - The Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmad Abu Al-Gheith, expressed on Friday his hope that the impasse between the Palestinian government, once established, and the international community, will be overcome and also that the economic siege of the Palestinians will be lifted. He said he hoped that such a move would engender hope for achieving the desired peace. Following a meeting with Dr. Tatsuo Arima, Japan’s Special Envoy for Peace in the Middle East, sources in the Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs reported that Abu Al-Gheith had assured his country’s support for the Palestinian cause and is urging positive action to end the difficulties in the Palestinian territories in the hope that this will pave the way for a resumption of the peace process and an end to the conflict. more.. Hamas delegates to attend talks in Indonesia intended to overcome Hamas-West rift Ma’an News Agency 2/23/2007 Bethlehem - Indonesia has invited representatives from the Hamas movement and Western diplomats to a meeting in Jakarta next month, Israeli sources have reported. The meeting is billed as an attempt to convince Hamas to soften their positions in return for the abolition of the current international sanctions imposed on the Palestinian people. Israeli radio quoted a spokesman of the Indonesian foreign ministry as saying, "the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Khalid Mash’al, has promised to send representatives to these talks. [end] Abbas and Olmert’s advisors to meet next week Ma’an News Agency 2/23/2007 Bethlehem - Israeli sources have announced that a meeting will be held between the advisors of Palestinian President Mahmoud ’Abbas and the advisors of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert next week in an attempt to arrange a date for a further meeting between the two leaders. Israeli political sources said, "the discussions during the expected meeting will deal with ways of facilitating [the lives of] Palestinian citizens". In addition, they will discuss the "violence" and the latest developments in the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli sources say. [end] There will be another war in the summer’ The Guardian 2/22/2007 Six months after a UN-brokered ceasefire ended Israel’s war with Hizbullah, scepticism about the role of 10,000 UN troops is growing among the population of south Lebanon. The scepticism comes amid signs that the militant Shia group is retraining and re-equipping its forces. The UN troops, deployed to keep the peace and support the expansion of the Lebanese army’s authority over the previously Hizbullah-controlled south, are perceived by villagers to be favouring Israel." They are not our guests any more," says Hajj Ali, a revered Hizbullah fighter from the large southern town of Bint Jbeil, said. "If they continue to help the Israelis, we will have to take action against them." Many in the south suspect Israel is trying to create a buffer zone along the border on Lebanese land allegedly captured during the summer war and the UN is assisting them. more.. Mashaal addresses Noam Schalit Jerusalem Post 2/24/2007 Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said in a press conference on Friday that his faction will not budge from its position and blamed the United States for the failure of the international community to lift the crippling financial embargo on the Palestinians. Mashaal also turned his comments to Noam Schalit, the father of kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit, and urged him to pressure the government, saying his son’s release was being delayed by Israel. Asked whether the soldier would be released, Mashaal said that "efforts are still under way with our Egyptian brother [Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak] and I cannot say more than that at this stage. The ball is in the court of the Israeli leaders." Mashaal... expressed disappointment that the meeting of the Middle East peace negotiators... in Berlin on Wednesday failed to lift the embargo. more.. When democracy is not enough: EU offers President words of conditional support Palestine News Network 2/24/2007 President Abbas took in a meeting with the High Representative of Foreign Policy and Security in the European Union during his brief stop in Belgium on Friday. The EU is offering its conditional support to the new Palestinian government which is being formed by appointments to replace the democratically elected Hamas government. The head of EU Foreign Policy, Javier Solana, joined the President for an amicable press conference after the meeting. “The visit of the Palestinian President here in Brussels comes at a very critical time, immediately following the meeting of the Quartet Committee in Berlin, as well as the agreement to form a national unity government. ”Solana pledged support for the Palestinian people as the new government comes together, but not without limits, he said. more.. Carter Says Book’s Critics Should See Territories Washington Post 2/23/2007 ATLANTA, Feb. 22 -- Former president Jimmy Carter suggested Thursday that critics of his book on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should visit the occupied territories to see for themselves whether his account is on target. Carter, 82, spoke at Emory University, where he is a professor. More than 600 Emory students and staff members attended his lecture on the book, "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid." The book has been attacked as biased against Israel. He said he realized that the book’s title, alluding to South Africa’s former system of racial division, would cause criticism. He said that Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, icons of the freedom struggle in South Africa, have seen the conditions of the occupied land and have "used the same language" to describe the situation as he did in the book. more.. Hamas: U.S. blocking European efforts to end economic boycott Ha’aretz 2/22/2007 Hamas accused the United States on Thursday of trying to thwart European efforts to ease an economic blockade of a new Palestinian unity government. The Quartet, comprising the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, repeated a demand on Wednesday that any Palestinian government renounce violence, recognize Israel and respect interim peace deals. The United States wants to continue to shun the government if it does not meet the three conditions, whereas Russia and other European governments favor a softer line. Hamas said Thursday it was encouraged by what it called a "wait and see" approach by the Quartet of Middle East mediators towards the unity government." They [the Quartet] have decided to wait and see until the new government is formed..." : Hamas cabinet spokesman... more.. Israel occupation resembles apartheid, expert says YNetNews 2/22/2007 Independent report commissioned by UN compares Israel’s actions in West Bank, Gaza to apartheid South Africa. Charges draw angry rebukes from Israel -- An independent report commissioned by the United Nations compares Israel’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza to apartheid South Africa - charges that drew angry rebukes from Israel and were sure to revive charges that the UN Human Rights Council is biased against the Jewish state. The report by John Dugard, independent investigator on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the council, is to be presented next month, but it has been posted on the body’s Web site. In it, Dugard, a South African lawyer who campaigned against apartheid in the 1980s, says "Israel’s laws and practices in the ( Palestinian territories) certainly resemble aspects of apartheid." -- See also: The United Nations and the question of Palestine - 2006 (PDF) more.. US poll: Israel alone named ’vital friend’ YNetNews 2/22/2007 Gallup poll places Israel as only country majority of Americans both view favorably and see as important. Iraq most unfavorable but most important while only 9 percent view Iran as favorable -- WASHINGTON - A Gallup poll surveying US opinion on geopolitics singles out Israel as only foreign nation Americans feel favorably toward and also say that what happens there is vitally important to the US. Americans remain most favorable towards English-speaking countries – Canada (92 percent view it as mostly favorable), Australia (89 percent) and Great Britain (also 89 percent). Additional countries the majority of Americans view favorably are Japan (82), India (69), Israel (63), Mexico (60), Egypt (60), Russia (53) percent and Jordan (51). The country viewed as least-favorable by Americans is Iran (9 percent), followed by North Korea (12), Iraq (15), Palestinian Authority (16).... more.. U.S. hardens line on talks between Israel, Syria Ha’aretz 2/23/2007 The United States demanded that Israel desist from even exploratory contacts with Syria, of the sort that would test whether Damascus is serious in its declared intentions to hold peace talks with Israel. In meetings with Israeli officials recently, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was forceful in expressing Washington’s view on the matter. The American argument is that even "exploratory talks" would be considered a prize in Damascus, whose policy and actions continue to undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty and the functioning of its government, while it also continues to stir unrest in Iraq, to the detriment of the U.S. presence there. It is also known that Syria, like Iran, continues to provide Hezbollah with arms and equipment. According to senior Israeli officials, the American position.... reflects a hardening of attitudes. more.. Palestinian government accuses US of political blackmail following Quartet’s statements, yet remains optimistic Ma’an News Agency 2/22/2007 Gaza - The Palestinian government has expressed its concern at the outcome of the Quartet’s meeting on Wednesday in Berlin in which the Quartet – comprising of the EU, UN, US, and Russia – issued a statement expressing support for a Palestinian government as long as it was "committed to non-violence and the recognition of Israel". However, government spokesman Ghazi Hamad, also expressed his hope that the Quartet was demonstrating signs of a slight change in position and that it is possible that doors may be opened towards positive cooperation. The Palestinian minister of information, Dr. Yousef Rizqa, criticized the US’ position in the Quartet meeting, describing it as "negative" and "extortion.... On behalf of the government, Hamad praised some parts of the Quartet that clearly supported dealing with the unity government. more.. Abbas-Blair Meeting Affirms Two-state Solution as Quartet Reiterates Demands International Middle East Media Center 2/22/2007 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asserted Wednesday that a two-state solution is the foundation for Palestinian-Israeli conflict settlement. President Abbas was speaking in a joint press conference with British Prime Minister, Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street in London, where both leaders held talks. “We strongly believe in just and lasting peace in the Middle East, a peace that is based on a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel, living side by side in peace and security, in accordance with the United Nations resolutions 242 and 338 as well as the Oslo accords of 1993”, President Abbas told reporters. The president affirmed the Palestinian factions’ agreement to proceed with unity government talks on the basis of the letter of authorization he has handed over to his Prime Minister designate Ismail Haniya. more.. Britain supports Israel joining OECD YNetNews 2/22/2007 Israel receives backing from British chancellor in joining prestigious Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development -- Britain will support Israel’s addition to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Chancellor Gordon Brown assured Israeli Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson Wednesday. The two ministers met in London to discuss the possibility of a summit between finance ministers of Middle Eastern countries as part of an effort to increase financial cooperation in the region. Hirchson invited Brown to increase financial cooperation between Israel and Britain, and to help Israel learn from Britain’s success in regulating the economy and optimizing public systems. Israel’s finance minister welcomed Brown’s support, as Israel has made repeated efforts to join the prestigious organization in recent years. more.. Jihad al-Binaa is ’too busy’ to comment on US sanctions Daily Star 2/23/2007 TYRE: The office of Jihad al-Binaa, a Hizbullah-affiliated development and construction company on Tyre’s Hiram Street, is more often than not packed with Southerners whose homes were destroyed during the summer 2006 war and who are dropping by to follow up on the reconstruction process. The officer responsible for reconstruction in the Tyre region, Hajj Hassan Bailoun, told The Daily Star Jihad al-Binaa was first conceived to "to lend a helping hand to the Lebanese." "We have been constantly on the run since 1993," he said. "Israel destroys and we rebuild." Jihad al-Binaa has been involved in debris clearance and reconstruction mainly in the southern suburbs of Beirut and the South. Since 1993, it has restored at least 11,000 homes damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks. more.. Arab ministers interested in relations with Israel YNetNews 2/22/2007 Foreign ministers of seven Arab countries issue joint statement following Madrid conference, expressing desire to ’advance together toward recognition and normalization of relations with Israel’ -- Senior Arab officials on Thursday evening expressed their desire "to advance together toward recognition and normalizing relations with Israel. The remark was made in a joint statement issued at the end of a Spanish-Arab conference in Madrid hosted by Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. The conference was attended by 19 members of the Arab League, including the foreign ministers of Syria, Yemen, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia. more.. Diplomatic clashes as US and Russia take opposing stances over Mecca agreement and Unity Government Ma’an News Agency 2/21/2007 Bethlehem - The Quartet’s meeting in Berlin on Wednesday, attended by the UN Secretary General, witnessed the first Russian-American encounter over differing stances towards the Mecca agreement and the resulting emergent Palestinian coalition government. Russia demanded that the Quartet recognize the agreement, and its consequences, in addition to halting the Israeli-imposed sanctions on the Palestinian people. Before the meeting, the Russian foreign minister told the press that "[we] hope the Quartet will endorse lifting the sanctions against Palestinian people. This is the Russian government’s stand, which contradicts with the American administration, who insist on the Palestinian government abiding by the Quartet’s conditions before sanctions are ended. -- See also: Quartet skirts decision on Palestinians amid split more.. Syria bolstering forces, troops moving closer to border Ha’aretz 2/22/2007 The Syrian armed forces are being strengthened in an unprecedented way in recent memory with the help of generous funding from Iran and its troops appear to be moving closer to the border with Israel. The Syrians are bolstering their forces in all areas except the air force, which has been believed to be weak for some time. The main emphasis of the efforts has been missiles and long-range rockets to compensate for the weak air force. The Syrian navy, after years of neglect, is also being reinforced with an Iranian version of a Chinese anti-ship missile, similar to the one used by Hezbollah during the second Lebanon war to strike the Israeli destroyer INS Hanit. In addition to the overall strengthening of the armed forces in Syria, there has been a redeployment of forces along the front lines. more.. Resistance dismisses Israeli allegations that group has lost its edge Daily Star 2/22/2007 A Hizbullah spokesman denied allegations made by Israel’s prime minister and the army chief of staff that Hizbullah is weaker than before the 2006 summer war and said that the resistance was ready to fight Israel again if provoked. "If they commit a mistake then we will face them," Hizbullah spokesperson Hussein Rahal told The Daily Star, but he added that he did not believe Israel was ready for another war." The Israeli Army won’t be able to conduct any actual attacks for two years," he argued, "though they do have the desire for revenge." Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday said Hizbullah was weaker than before the war, rebutting mounting criticism of the war’s effectiveness and rejecting calls for peace talks with Syria. Olmert criticized Syria for supporting Hizbullah, and defended Israel’s performance in last summer’s war... more.. Olmert: Lebanese army, UNIFIL are keeping Hezbollah in check Ha’aretz 2/21/2007 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rebuffed on Wednesday assessments Hezbollah had recovered from last year’s war with Israel, saying UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese army were keeping the guerrilla group in check. Olmert said that though the Shi’ite militia was rearming, it was finding it hard to regroup in its former border strongholds." When they try to surface now they are disarmed and arrested by the international force and the Lebanese force," Olmert told foreign reporters. He said it was now "almost impossible" for Hezbollah to function in its heartland, southern Lebanon." I am not certain that they have any appetite to fight with Israel again," Olmert said. Meanwhile, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said Wednesday that Israel may have to confront Hezbollah to halt the militant group’s attempts to rearm after last summer’s war in Lebanon. more.. Hezbollah construction company scoffs at U.S. decision to freeze assets Ha’aretz 2/21/2007 BEIRUT - A Lebanese construction company that the U.S. government said is owned and operated by the militant Hezbollah group scoffed Wednesday at Washington’s decision to freeze its assets under U.S. jurisdiction, saying its projects would not be affected by the American measure. Stuart Levey, the U.S. Treasury Department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Tuesday that Hezbollah uses the company, named Jihad al-Bina, for its construction needs and to attract popular support though civilian construction services. Hezbollah condemned the U.S. decision as a new aggression on Lebanon and Lebanese civilians following last summer’s Israel-Hezbollah war. "The U.S. Administration continues to classify a number of political organizations and resistance movements according to its hostile political program..." more.. PM calls for tougher sanctions against Iran over nuclear program Ha’aretz 2/21/2007 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert urged the international community to increase its pressure on Iran Wednesday as a deadline for Tehran to halt its uranium enrichment activities ran out. The UN Security Council had given Iran until Wednesday to freeze enrichment, a process that can be used to produce nuclear weapons. Officials at the UN nuclear watchdog agency were putting the finishing touches on a report expected to say that Iran has expanded its enrichment efforts instead of freezing them. The council imposed limited sanctions on Iran in December. Today is the last day that was designated by the international community and by UN Security Council Resolution 1737, Olmert told a gathering of foreign journalists. Therefore the international community will have to think of additional measures. more.. Quartet skirts decision on Palestinians amid split ReliefWeb 2/21/2007 BERLIN, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The quartet of Middle East mediators put off a decision on Wednesday on how to handle a new Palestinian unity government amid divisions between the United States and Russia on an aid embargo. The quartet, comprising Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, met in Berlin to discuss how to proceed in the face of a new power-sharing pact between Islamist Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. Speaking to reporters after a 2-1/2 hour meeting, they repeated a demand that any Palestinian government renounce violence, recognise Israel and respect peace deals. But the tone of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s comments was sharper... Russia wants the quartet to back the coalition deal and has been reticent about maintaining an aid embargo... Lavrov: "One certainly should not speak of a boycott" -- See also: Diplomatic clashes as US and Russia take opposing stances over Mecca agreement and Unity Government more.. Middle East Quartet statement following 21 February Berlin meeting ReliefWeb 2/21/2007 The following statement by the Middle East Quartet ( United Nations, Russian Federation, United States, European Union) was issued 21 February, following its meeting in Berlin: The Quartet principals -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, High Representative for European Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner -- met today in Berlin to discuss the situation in the Middle East. Secretary Rice reported on her recent 18 February meetings with Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas, the 19 February trilateral and United States efforts to facilitate discussions between the parties. more.. India Supports Palestinian Efforts to Form a Unity Government International Middle East Media Center 2/21/2007 India voiced Tuesday optimism concerning currentPalestinian efforts to form a national unity government, expecting resumption of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, an Indian Foreign Ministry’s press release read. The Indian government is closely watching current Palestinian unity government efforts”, the statement said. The statement reiterated India’s backing of the rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to a viable Palestinian sovereign state, within agreed borders, living side by side in peace with Israel. India also expressed concern over the Israeli digging around the Al-Aqsa mosque in east Jerusalem, calling on the Israeli authorities to preserve peace and calm in the holy city. more.. Quartet: Palestinian gov’t must abide by our terms Ha’aretz 2/22/2007 BERLIN - The Quartet of Middle East peace negotiatiors on Wednesday reiterated its demand that the new Palestinian unity government abide by its conditions to recognize Israel, renounce violence and adhere to past international agreements. The Quartet gathered on Wednesday for the second time this month in search of a way to advance stalled peace efforts amid strong misgivings about the Palestinians’ planned unity government. The meeting’s host, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said in a press conference after the meeting, "We know that this process of drawing closer together is difficult, and for that reason we want to support it." The group’s statement said it reaffirmed its commitment to meet regularly, and said it would hold a future meeting in an unspecified Arab country... more.. French may have found body of Israeli defense official Ha’aretz 2/22/2007 PARIS - A body which appears to be that of a missing Defense Ministry official has been found in a river in northern France, police said yesterday. A police official said an autopsy and tests would be carried out to verify whether the body belonged to David Dahan, head of the Defense Ministry Mission to Europe, who disappeared from his Paris home last month. An Israeli ZAKA rescue unit had been involved in the search. Dahan’s car was found last month by the river Seine in the northern city of Rouen with no signs of violence to the vehicle. Police sources said notes left by Dahan indicated that he may have been contemplating suicide. more.. Egyptian police officer refuses Israeli embassy guard duty Ha’aretz 2/21/2007 An Egyptian police officer has refused orders to go on guard duty at the Israeli embassy in Cairo, and faces a disciplinary committee over his action, security sources said on Wednesday. The sources said the officer had gone on hunger strike over the matter, and had been admitted to a Cairo hospital three days ago where he remained in serious condition. Police sources said the man was expected to be referred to a military tribunal for refusing to follow orders, but the disciplinary committee had delayed a decision on that over his health. They said the officer had refused his orders earlier this year, but did not say when he began the hunger strike. Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab state to sign a peace deal with Israel, but many Egyptians still regard the Jewish state as an enemy because the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict has not been resolved. [end] Shabaneh heads Palestinian delegation to the UN Statistics Commission annual meeting Ma’an News Agency 2/21/2007 Bethlehem - An official delegation headed by Luay Shabaneh, President of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, has departed Palestinian territory on Wednesday to travel to the United States to represent Palestine in the 38th session of the United Nations Statistics Commission and its 60th anniversary. The meeting will be during the period February 23rd - March 3rd. Mr. Shabaneh stated that the commission, in its annual meeting, will discuss all issues related to the development of international official statistics systems across the world. A remarkable discussion is expected to take place in the organization. Mr. Shabaneh added that the meeting aims to discuss the reports prepared by the committees, task forces and city groups that constitute the UN Statistics Commission. [end] Egypt builds new canal to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza Ma’an News Agency 2/21/2007 Bethlehem - Israel was pleased with the Egyptian agreement to build a water canal, which might prevent arms smugglers operating between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said that it was Egypt, not Israel, who presented the offer despite the Israeli army requesting such a canal two years ago. According to the paper, the canal will be supplied with water from the Mediterranean. The suggestion was presented to the Israelis during a meeting to discuss the issue of the arms smuggling. The meeting was attended by Egyptian military officers, United States General Dayton, as well as Israeli military officers. Yedioth Ahronoth added that the idea has been on the table for two months, Israeli sources said that the idea was an Egyptian one and will prevent all arms smuggling to the Gaza Strip. more.. Egypt reject reports of a deep water canal along Gaza-Egypt border Ma’an News Agency 2/21/2007 Gaza - High ranking Egyptian security sources have rejected reports, published on Tuesday in Israeli newspapers, that Egypt had suggested digging a deep water canal along the Philadelphia corridor, which borders Egypt and the Gaza Strip, aimed at preventing the smuggling of arms into the Gaza Strip. The same sources told Ma’an that the canal was "an old idea which the Israelis suggested to the Egyptians and the Palestinians, but both parties absolutely rejected it". Scientists at that time stated that the canal would harm the environment, ruining a large area of agricultural lands on both sides of the border. The scientists also said that the water from the Mediterranean would raise the level of salt in the soil, further damaging chances of agriculture. [end] German Technical Cooperation visits the "big prison" of Qalqilya, discuss technical assistance projects Ma’an News Agency 2/21/2007 Qalqilya - The mayor of Qalqilya, Sheikh Wajih Kawas, met on Tuesday with a delegation from the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ). A number of representatives from a local charity for the rehabilitation of the disabled, called ’Al-Murabatat al-Khairiya w-al-Ta’hil’, and the Zakat (Islamic donations) committee in the city, were also present. The mayor explained that the city of Qalqilya suffers from extremely difficult economic and social conditions due to the separation wall which has isolated it from the outside world and turned it into a big prison, which has led to poverty and unemployment. Besides that, the number of commercial shops that have been forced to close has risen and many Qalqilya residents have emigrated, either to other Palestinian areas or abroad. more.. Hamas vows to save PA unity government from ’U.S. pressure’ Ha’aretz 2/20/2007 Hamas vowed to save the Palestinian Authority unity government "accord from foreign pressures" on Monday, following the trilateral summit between United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal’s deputy, Moussa Abu Marzouk, said following the summit that the U.S. was "pressuring" Abbas to renounce the deal, and accused the United States on Monday of "sowing sedition" throughout the Middle East. The senior Damascus-based Hamas official hailed the unity agreement as "a change in the Palestinian national course" and said it was "based on partnership not on domination of one party." Olmert said following Monday’s summit that Israel will maintain contact with Abbas, but not with the new Palestinian unity government. more.. PM insists PA unity gov’t meet Quartet’s 3 conditions Ha’aretz 2/20/2007 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert demanded Monday in talks with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the Palestinian unity government recognize Israel, renounce terror and accept previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements. Olmert said Israel would reject alternatives to the three conditions that are meant to make the unity government appear acceptable in the eyes of the world. The conditions were first set by the Quartet, comprised of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia. Israel will not have any contact with Palestinian figures who are considered moderates, such as finance minister-designate Salam Fayad, if they serve in a government that does not accept the Quartet’s conditions, Olmert said. more.. Abbas: Three-way meeting not a failure Jerusalem Post 2/20/2007 Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has said his talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert were "tense and difficult," but not a failure. Speaking in Amman on Tuesday after talks with King Abdullah II, Abbas said Israel may have "misunderstood" the agreement reached in Mecca between his Fatah faction and Hamas on February 8. "We told Israel that this agreement was made to protect the unity of the Palestinian people and its national interests," he told Jordan’s official Petra news agency. "The agreement is an expression of support for Palestinian interests, but Israel may have misunderstood it," he added. Abbas held two hours of talks in Jerusalem on Monday with Rice and Olmert. The summit ended with no new agreements, but Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to meet again. more.. Jordan calls on U.S. to step up role in Mideast peace process Ha’aretz 2/21/2007 Jordan’s King Abdullah pressed the United States on Tuesday to step up its mediation role to broker a Palestinian-Israeli peace accord, complicated by a power-sharing pact including the Islamist Hamas movement. The monarch, who made his statement after separate meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, said Washington’s role was crucial to jump-start negotiations and overcome obstacles towards a settlement based on a two-state solution." The people of the region are looking towards Washington continuing to play a major role in the peace process by creating the necessary environment for a resumption of negotiations on the basis of the two-state solution outlined in the Arab peace initiative and the Middle East roadmap," the statement said. more.. Mideast mediators tackle new Palestinian coalition ReliefWeb 2/21/2007 BERLIN, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Under pressure to soften their stand against a new Palestinian unity government, Middle East mediators meet in Berlin on Wednesday to hammer out differences over how to deal with it. Europeans see the coalition deal made between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the militant group Hamas in Mecca as the best chance to avoid a civil war but Washington is more cautious and wants to continue an isolation campaign of Hamas. Russia is pushing for contact with Hamas and for an aid embargo to be lifted and European Union foreign ministers who met last week are inclined to see the Mecca agreement as "a glass half full, rather than half empty", an EU official said. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who arrived in Berlin late on Tuesday, is expected to report back to the quartet... more.. Peres attempts to calm fears over Hizbullah’s arms Daily Star 2/21/2007 (AFP) JERUSALEM: Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said Tuesday that he saw no cause for Israeli concern about Hizbullah building up its military might, following last year’s war. "I expect they do have more weapons but I don’t see that as a reason to get hysterical," he told reporters during a tour of Israel’s border with Lebanon. He was speaking one day after Israeli General Yossi Beidatz reportedly told lawmakers that Hizbullah was now militarily stronger than before the war Israel fought in Lebanon from July 12 to August 14. "The issue isn’t weapons, but their use. And in my opinion, the blow we dealt them in the last war is still fresh in their memory whatever they say," said Peres, Israel’s elder statesman. more.. Israeli general: Hezbollah growing more powerful Middle East Online 2/20/2007 Israeli army says Iran, Syria supplying Hezbollah with various weapons regularly, including new armaments. -- JERUSALEM - Hezbollah is militarily stronger today than before the 34-day war Israel waged against its Shiite militia in Lebanon last summer, a senior Israeli officer was quoted as saying by army radio Monday." Hezbollah has reinforced and it is stronger today than it was before the war in Lebanon," General Yossi Beidatz, a senior military intelligence officer, reportedly told parliament’s defence and foreign affairs committee. Syria, accused along with Iran of supplying arms to Hezbollah, is similarly reinforcing its military to prepare for the possibility of a new armed conflict in the region, Beidatz added. However, Defence Minister Amir Peretz, who attended the same committee meeting, sought to "clarify" Beidatz’s comments, the radio said. more.. Eisenkot: Hezbollah far from restored Ha’aretz 2/21/2007 Vice Premier Shimon Peres toured the northern border yesterday with GOC Northern Command Maj. -Gen. Gadi Eisenkot. "Hezbollah took a major blow in the war and is far from returning to its previous condition," Eisenkot said. Peres was briefed by Eisenkot before joining him on a patrol of the eastern sector of the border, near Misgav, Metula, the ascent to Har Dov and the Tulip outpost. They stopped to look at the deployment of United Nations and Lebanese soldiers on the other side of the border. Peres asked for information about Hezbollah’s deployment and rearmament efforts since last summer’s war. Peres said he was aware that weapons were being smuggled to Hezbollah, "but having arms isn’t the same as having power," the vice premier said. "The problem isn’t the weapons, it’s how Hezbollah is being directed." more.. OIC’s Foreign Ministers to Confront Israeli Digging around the Al-Aqsa Mosque International Middle East Media Center 2/20/2007 A meeting of the foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) is due to be convened by Thursday in the Saudi Arabian city of Jedda to work out possible means to confront the Israeli authorities digging around the Al-Aqsa mosque of the occupied east Jerusalem. The due meeting is to focus on the Israeli excavations around the third holiest site for Muslims worldwide, in a way to halt such ‘blatant’ violation of the international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention. A number of OIC’s member states will be represented in the meeting including Malaysia, Qatar, Senegal, Yemen, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Palestine, followed by a press conference to highlight findings. Israeli authorities in the occupied east Jerusalem have been carrying out excavations around the Al-Aqsa mosque, mainly close to the Bab-Almagharba gate... more.. King Abdullah of Jordan’s peace initiative: scuppered by Abbas signing the Mecca deal Ma’an News Agency 2/20/2007 Bethlehem - King Abdullah II of Jordan is apparently angry with Palestinian President Abbas for having signed the Mecca agreement, and therefore endangering a Middle East peace initiative he had planned, the Israeli paper ’Maariv’ claimed on Tuesday. According to the paper, King Abdullah has been working on this initiative for several months and he was planning to soon initiate secret negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Abbas without any involvement of Hamas. His initiative included demanding that Abbas call early elections, in which Hamas would fail. The Jordanian monarch would coordinate his initiative with other so-called moderate Arab states, such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, in order to reach a regional peace agreement that would include the Arab countries’ official recognition of Israel. more.. Israel holds a Knesset session on captured soldiers International Middle East Media Center 2/21/2007 Six months after the United Nations issued it resolution number 1701 calling for the release of the captured Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah and Palestinian fighters, Israel officially adopted the resolution after realizing that there is no other way to release the captives. Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, told the families of the captured soldiers, who attended the session that Israel vows that it will release them, and that it made several “difficult decisions” since then. Livni added that the files of the abducted soldiers are continuously on its political agenda during any talks with governments, officials, and ministries. She added that resolution number 1701 must be fully implemented. The families of captured soldiers did not only attend the Knesset session to listen to Israeli vows, but also to urge lawmakers to vote against a bill... more.. Livnat freezes ‘Barghouti Law’ YNetNews 2/20/2007 Following charged meeting with parents of kidnapped soldiers, Likud MK Limor Livnat decides to put on hold bill calling for any prisoner exchange deal reached by the government to be approved by Knesset -- MK Limor Livnat decided Tuesday night to withdraw her law proposal calling for any prisoner exchange deal reached by the government to be approved by a two-thirds majority in the Knesset. Although earlier in the day Livnat insisted she would not withdraw the bill, despite opposition from the parents of the IDF soldiers being held hostage by Hizbullah and Hamas, Livnat apparently caved after meeting with the families. Livnat’s office released a statement Tuesday night saying, “Following Limor Livnat’s meetings with the kidnapped soldiers’ families, and according to their request..." more.. Palestinians urge Arab states to cut Israel ties over J’lem dig Ha’aretz 2/20/2007 The Palestinian parliament urged Arab states on Tuesday to cut ties with Israel in protest at excavation work near Islam’s third holiest site which has triggered Muslim protests. The Palestinian Legislative Council, controlled by Hamas, also called on the United Nations Security Council to pressure Israel to safeguard Islamic and Christian sites in Jerusalem. The council said Arab states should "sever diplomatic and economic ties [with Israel] and not establish new ones" in response to the excavation near Al-Aqsa Mosque. Few Arab countries have formal ties with Israel. Egypt and Jordan signed peace treaties with Israel and have diplomatic relations, while some Gulf Arab states have lower level contacts. Israel says the work near Al-Aqsa aims to salvage artefacts before construction of a pedestrian bridge... more.. PM Haniyeh criticizes US stance towards coalition government Ma’an News Agency 2/19/2007 Gaza - Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh criticized the United States’ negative attitude towards the Palestinian coalition government on Monday. In the 44th session of the Palestinian cabinet, held in Gaza City on Monday, Haniyeh expressed his regret over the continuous American shunning of the Palestinian government. He said: "That attitude has proved to be a failure. The American administration should realize that the Palestinian people are now united under one political agenda and coalition government." He added that the American rejection is not justified because the political program of the Palestinian coalition adopts diversity, thereby giving space for flexibility. The international community must support that coalition, Haniyeh said. more.. Rice’s visit seen as a failure in Fatah eyes too Ma’an News Agency 2/19/2007 Bethlehem - Fatah, like Hamas, has portrayed the tripartite meeting on Monday as failure due to the Israeli pressure to reject the Mecca agreement. A Fatah leader, Muhammad Hourani, told Ma’an: "Nothing serious came out of Rice’s visit with regards to a shift in the American position, and this doesn’t lay any new foundations for resuming the political dialogue and lifting the siege imposed on the Palestinian people." He blamed the confusing American position regarding the Mecca agreement on the absence of political will. He added, "If the United States doesn’t make a political decision, the future doesn’t look good for the Palestinians, especially after Rice has failed to abide by the previous promises she had pledged to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, [particularly] related to the Palestinian opposition to an interim [Palestinian] state... more.. Rice’s exclusive interview with Al-Ayyam: coalition government must adhere to Quartet principles Ma’an News Agency 2/19/2007 Bethlehem - On the eve of the three-way Palestinian-Israeli-American summit held in Jerusalem on Monday 19 February, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave an exclusive interview to the Palestinian daily ’Al-Ayyam’. In the interview, Rice remained ambiguous regarding the USA’s response to the proposed Palestinian coalition government, suspending judgement until the new government is formed. On the other hand, Rice was strict about the new government’s obligation to adhere to the demands of the Quartet – comprising of the UN, EU, US and Russia – that any new Palestinian government must renounce violence, accept the state of Israel’s right to exist and adopt all previously signed peace agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. more.. Quartet’s demands are met in the Mecca deal, Fatah leader states Ma’an News Agency 2/19/2007 Ramallah - The head of the Fatah bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) has assured that all the demands of the Quartet are found in the Mecca deal. The Quartet – comprising of the UN, EU, US and Russia – has stipulated that any new Palestinian government must renounce violence, accept the state of Israel’s right to exist and adopt the previously signed peace agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The head of the Fatah bloc, Azzam Al-Ahmad, was speaking with PLC member Qais Abdul-Karim of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), in the West Bank city of Ramallah during a meeting with the press in the ministry of information. He added that great efforts had been taken to reach the Mecca deal and called on all parties to show more commitment to the agreement. more.. Abbas in an Arab and European tour to explain the Palestinian stance International Middle East Media Center 2/20/2007 Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, left Ramallah on Tuesday morning for an Arab and European tour that aims at explaining the Palestinian stance and achieving international support for relaunching the peace process in the Middle East. Jordan will be Abbas’ first tour; he intends to inform King Abdullah of Jordan on his Monday meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, and on the latest developments regarding the formation of a unity government. Abbas will be heading to Britain on Wednesday for a meeting with its Prime Minister, Tony Blair. Wednesday is also the date of the Quartet’s meeting in the German capital – Berlin, Abbas will travel to Germany for a meeting with the German chancellor Angela Merkel and a number of German officials. more.. Israel threatens to boycott Abbas over deal with Hamas Daily Star 2/21/2007 Israel said Tuesday it would stop dealing with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas if he goes ahead with plans to join Hamas in a new government, as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Arab allies sought a way to push the stalled peace process forward. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya, of Hamas, said the formation of his government was not up for debate." Neither the American administration nor Israel should have any right to determine our agenda. We have reached an agreement among ourselves and we will act in accordance with Palestinian interests," he said. Addressing the Parliament, Haniyya said he hoped to announce a new government within three weeks and to resolve within that period the issue of an Israeli soldier abducted in June by Gaza militants. more.. UN SG Ban Ki-moon seeks to reenergize Middle East peace process at Quartet meeting ReliefWeb/United Nations News 2/20/2007 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets in Berlin tomorrow with key international partners seeking to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians in what his spokesperson said today “is illustrative of the Secretary-General’s desire to reenergize the process. ” The meeting of the diplomatic Quartet, comprising the UN, the United States, Russia and the European Union (EU), the second such session this month at principals’ level, will discuss the Palestinian unity government accord reached in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and yesterday’s talks between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.... In a weekend interview with UN Radio, Mr. Ban said he hoped that with the establishment of National Unity Government by the Palestinians... more.. Rice to Haaretz: The year is not 1938, Iran is not Nazi Germany Ha’aretz 2/20/2007 Interview -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday rejected any comparison between the international community’s handling of Iran’s nuclear program and its policy of appeasement toward Nazi Germany in 1938." I am fond of historical analogies, but not that fond," Rice told Haaretz in an interview, responding to a question about the analogy frequently cited by opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu. However, she did lambaste Iran’s behavior. "We clearly face a country that is pursuing policies in an assertive way that are contrary to the interests of the United States and are contrary to the interests of all people who want a peaceful Middle East," she said. In the interview, Rice said Israel’s relationship with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas should remain intact... more.. US extends "Arrow" funding Globes Online 2/19/2007 US MDA spokesman: The Arrow’s technology has helped our missile defense system. -- “Defense News” reports that the US Missile Defense Agency at the Department of Defense has extended financing for the Arrow System Improvement Program (ASIP) by five years. Israeli sources told “Globes” that this was an important achievement for the Arrow anti-ballistic missile program, and that it meant that the US recognized the system’s technology and capabilities, which were demonstrated in the latest test last week. The sources warned, however, that Congress still had to approve the financing extension, along with all US administration budget proposals. Experience shows that Congress will not only approve the financing extension, but will add to the amount asked for. more.. Abu Ar Rish Brigades intensify resistance in response to "American stubbornness" Ma’an News Agency 2/20/2007 Gaza - Abu Ar Rish Brigades, a military wing affiliated to Fatah, has threatened to expand the targets of its resistance attacks in light of the ignorance of the international community regarding Palestinian issues and for the international community’s irresponsible conduct with regard to the Palestinian cause. In a statement issued by the brigades they said "the international community’s stance proves that there is no choice other than resistance and that the quartet should bear the consequences of its irresponsibility." The statement called on the parties involved in the Mecca agreement to continue their efforts despite "American stubbornness" and external pressures, it also called on the Palestinian parties in general to form the unity government in order to preserve Palestinian blood. [end] Rice: Unity gov’t ’complicates’ talks Jerusalem Post 2/16/2007 US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reaffirmed US support for Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas even as she said his plan to govern alongside Hamas complicates US peacemaking efforts. Rice suggested Thursdasy that the Bush administration has strong reservations about Abbas’s planned union with a group the West labels terrorists, but she would not confirm that US diplomats have warned Abbas that Washington would shun the new government. Rice said she will reserve judgment until the coalition government is formed and its policies clear. She said she has seen no evidence yet that the government intends to meet international demands to recognize Israel, renounce violence and abide by agreements made by the previous secular Palestinian government. more.. Nasrallah says entitled to move arms to fight Israel Ha’aretz 2/16/2007 Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that his organization is entitled to secretly transfer arms in order to fight Israel, and that he will not forgive the Lebanese Army for seizing last week an arms-laden truck that belonged to Hezbollah. Nasrallah said "we have plenty of weapons... and we have the right to transport our arms to combat Israel." Nasrallah said the arms transfers are carried out in secret in order "to hide them from the Israeli enemy." The Hezbollah chief added that his group has no intention of disarming, and intends to maintain its forces in southern Lebanon. "The resistance will always stand by the Lebanese Army in southern Lebanon, with our weapons, men and blood... to defend Lebanon," he said. more.. Report: Russia expects Israel-PA summit to yield fresh peace talks Ha’aretz 2/16/2007 Israel and the Palestinians are likely to agree to restart peace talks during the trilateral summit scheduled for Monday, Russias’ RIA news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying Friday." We expect this meeting will yield agreements about restarting talks on a definite framework for a conclusive resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," RIA quoted Lavrov as telling Russian journalists. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reaffirmed U.S. support for Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, even as she said his plan to govern alongside Hamas militants complicates U.S. peacemaking efforts. Rice.... would not confirm that U.S. diplomats have warned Abbas that Washington would shun the new government. more.. Sen. Obama: U.S. must support Israel’s right to self defense Ha’aretz 2/16/2007 WASHINGTON - United States Senator Barack Obama, a Democrat from Illinois who is competing for his party’s presidential nomination, told Haaretz on Thursday that the United States should help protect Israel from its "dangerous" enemies." My view is that the United States’ special relationship with Israel obligates us to be helpful to them in the search for credible partners with whom they can make peace, while also supporting Israel in defending itself against enemies sworn to its destruction," he said." Israelis want more than anything to live in peace with their neighbors, but Israel also has real - and very dangerous - enemies," Obama said. Obama, the first black candidate with a real chance at the Democratic nomination, intends to present his policy regarding Israel soon, and his staff has been drafting a speech on the subject. -- See also: Obama will soon make the case that he'll be as strong on Israel as anyone more.. US lawmaker blocks PA aid request Jerusalem Post 2/16/2007 A leading lawmaker said Friday she is blocking $86 million (€65. 6 million) in US aid for Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas at a time when the Bush administration wants to strengthen him in hopes of enhancing his ability to negotiate for peace. Democrat Rep. Nita Lowey, chairwoman of the House of Representatives panel that oversees foreign aid spending, said she wants a better understanding of the new political landscape in the Middle East and details on how the money would be used. The Bush administration had requested the money to help security forces loyal to Abbas, who leads the secular Fatah party. For more than a year, he has been locked in conflict with terrorists from Hamas, elected last January to form a Palestinian government. Hamas is listed by the United States as a foreign terror organization. -- See also: Congresswoman Lowey's Foreign Affairs page more.. Rice denies decision not to deal with unity government YNetNews 2/16/2007 US Secretary of State denies US refusal to deal with future PA unity government, says decision will be made after government is formed -- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has denied that the United States told Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas it would refuse to deal with the future unity government. The top US diplomat rejected a report that a US official gave Abbas a letter indicating Washington would not recognize the new Palestinian government that includes the Islamist militant group Hamas as it did not meet key conditions. “Oh, we have given no such letter to president Abbas,” she told Al-Arabiya Saudi television. “In fact, we have said that we will wait until the government is formed and then we’ll make a decision about how to deal with that government. ” more.. Olmert backs transfer of four prisoners to Jordanian custody Ha’aretz 2/16/2007 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed his support Thursday for the idea of releasing Jordanian prisoners to Jordanian custody in order to serve out the remainder of their sentences. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Public Security Minister Avi Dichter also expressed support on the matter, although Defense Minister Amir Peretz has not yet determined his position. Four Jordanians are serving life sentences for the murder of an IDF officer, Yehuda Lifshitz, on November 1990, four years after Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty. The issue has affected ties between the two nations, due to pressure from families of the prisoners, one of whom is the brother of a Jordanian member of parliament. During a recent meeting between Olmert and King Abdullah, a Jordanian request was made for the release of the prisoners. more.. Violent protests in Kashmir over al-Aqsa dig YNetNews 2/16/2007 Police fire teargas to disperse hundreds of people protesting against Israeli excavations near Islam’s third holiest shrine in Jerusalem; three policemen hurt in clashes -- Police fired teargas in Indian Kashmir’s main city on Friday to disperse hundreds of people protesting against Israeli excavations near Islam’s third holiest shrine in Jerusalem, police and witnesses said. Three policemen were hurt in clashes with stone-throwing men near Jamia Masjid, the grand mosque in Srinagar, summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state, they said. The dig near Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque complex, known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount, began last week and sparked fears across the Muslim world that it could harm the mosque. more.. U.S. to shun all members of Palestinian unity govt Yahoo! News 2/15/2007 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The United States will boycott all Palestinian unity government ministers, including non-Hamas members, unless international demands on policy towardIsrael are met, a Palestinian official and diplomats said on Thursday. Some U.S. officials had been advocating a shift in Washington’s position that would allow limited diplomatic contacts with cabinet ministers from moderate President Mahmoud Abbas’sFatah faction and other parties. But a senior Palestinian official said: "The Americans have informed us that they will be boycotting the new government headed by Hamas. The Fatah and independent ministers will be treated the same way that Hamas ministers are treated." Diplomats familiar with discussions on the issue confirmed Washington’s intention to shun members of a unity government... more.. Olmert objects to severing ties with Abbas YNetNews 2/15/2007 Olmert tells reporters in Turkey he hopes to hear ‘unequivocal recognition’ of Quartet’s principles during meeting with PA president next week; adds: We weren’t surprised by Turkish premier’s support for Israel’s stance on Iran -- ANKARA - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday that he has no intention of severing ties with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The premier said he is scheduled to meet Abbas and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice next Monday. "I hope that the meeting will lay the foundations for discussions," he told reporters. “I expect to hear from the Palestinians unequivocal recognition of the Quartet’s principles. The meeting was scheduled a month ago – prior to the Mecca talks. Even then we did not plan to discuss a permanent agreement but negotiations that would determine the political horizon... ” more.. Israel Runs Live Holy Site Internet Feed Associated Press - Middle East 2/15/2007 JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel on Thursday began broadcasting live images of a contentious construction project on the Internet in an effort to allay Muslim fears that the work would damage nearby Islamic shrines. Israel began excavations last week to lay the ground to repair an earthen ramp leading to the hilltop compound known as the Temple Mount to Jews and as the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims. The work sparked immediate protests at the site and condemnation from across the Muslim and Arab world. Three cameras at the site began broadcasting live images on Thursday and will work around the clock, Israel Antiquities Authority spokeswoman Osnat Goaz said." They film all angles of the works so people can view what’s going there all hours of the day," she said. more.. Chirac backs easing pressure on Iran to protect UNIFIL troops Ha’aretz 2/15/2007 French President Jacque Chirac has announced his support for lessening pressure on Iran to stop its nuclear program, for fear Hezbollah will strike at French troops serving in Lebanon, according to information recently received in Jerusalem. According to reports, Chirac proposed sending a special envoy to Tehran to reach understandings that would protect the French soldiers serving in in the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL). A government source said Chirac’s position is controversial in Paris, with the French Foreign Ministry continuing to support a hard line with regard to the Iranian nuclear program, a position also expressed Wednesday by the French ambassador to Israel... Chirac told reporters at the end of January that it would not be terrible if Iran had a nuclear bomb or two, but quickly reversed himself.... more.. Hamas denounce Israeli measures against Sheikh Salah Ma’an News Agency 2/15/2007 Gaza - The Hamas movement has on Thursday declared that the trial of Sheikh Raed Salah is just one of the Israeli authorities’ methods of exerting pressure on the national figures and Islamic clerics, to scare them into not defending the al-Aqsa mosque. In a statement received by Ma’an, Hamas called on all humanitarian institutions to take a role in defending Sheikh Salah, "who they appreciate for the noble positions he always takes". A leader within Hamas, Ahmad Al-Hashash, said that "Israel aims, by prosecuting Sheikh Salah, to scare and threaten all those who would defend Al-Aqsa mosque." [end] Hamas official accuses the U.S and Israel of planning to collapse unity government International Middle East Media Center 2/14/2007 Hamas official, members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Yahia Mousa, said that the United States and Israel are planning to collapse the Palestinian Unity Government, and are “justifying the Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people”. In a press conference, Yahia stated that Hamas does not expect much of the planned Monday trilateral summit between President Mahmoud Abbas, the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, and the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice. “This summit might in fact plant basis of incitement against the government”, Mousa said, “The United States and Israel are not interested in a Palestinian National Unity Government”. Mousa also stated that Olmert rejects to hold any talks on the final status solution, the refugees, Jerusalem and the settlements. more.. Mecca deal to dominate Monday’s summit Ha’aretz 2/14/2007 The Mecca Agreement between Fatah and Hamas, including its implications for the diplomatic process and Israeli-Palestinian relations, will be at the center of Monday’s tripartite summit in Jerusalem, senior government sources said no Tuesday. The summit, to take place at Jerusalem’s David Citadel Hotel, will include Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Olmert departs on Wednesday for a visit to Turkey, and Rice is due to arrive in the region on Saturday. At a preparatory meeting on the summit Tuesday, Olmert said that the strategic and geopolitical implications of the Mecca agreement are no less important than those of Hamas’s victory in the elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council a year ago. more.. Report: Syrian group claims it has missing IDF soldier Jerusalem Post 2/14/2007 A Syrian organization has claimed that they are holding Guy Hever, the IDF soldier who disappeared some 10 years ago in the Golan Heights, it was reported on Tuesday evening. The organization, which calls itself "The Resistance Committees for the Release of the Golan Heights," published an announcement that read, "Don’t think millions of your dollars will return the soldier who went missing in the Golan. You know very well how to get him back," according to the report on the Ynet Web site. The group reportedly demanded the release of nine Syrian prisoners who are currently in Israeli jails in exchange for the missing soldier. Army officials told Army Radio that this was not the first time that an organization has claimed to have Hever in its custody, but nonetheless, the military was investigating the latest claim. more.. Calls raised for tougher Abbas stance Jerusalem Post 2/14/2007 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met Tuesday night with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Amir Peretz to plan for Monday’s trilateral meeting among Olmert, Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as voices inside the Israeli and American administrations called for taking a tougher approach toward Abbas. Rather than coddling Abbas with promises of a "diplomatic horizon," there are some in Jerusalem advocating making the meeting "uncomfortable for him" because he "signed a deal with the devil" in Mecca. According to this way of thinking, Abbas snubbed his nose at Olmert - who had spelled out how far he was willing to go in his Sde Boker speech - and at the US, who has been working to strengthen him, by agreeing to a national unity government that does not recognize Israel... more.. Olmert: We neither accept nor reject Mecca deal Ha’aretz 2/13/2007 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday softened Israel’s stance on the "Mecca agreement" for a Palestinian unity government. Last week, the government had said the agreement was unacceptable. Yesterday, however, Olmert told the cabinet that "at this stage, Israel neither rejects nor accepts the agreement. Like the international community, we are studying what was achieved in the agreement, what it says and the basis of the consensus." Olmert’s decision to stop criticizing the accord stemmed from the Quartet’s announcement that it continues to demand that any Palestinian government abide by the conditions it laid down last year.... In light of this statement by the Quartet, whose members include the U.S. , European Union, United Nations and Russia, Olmert opted to lower the profile of his response, so as not to appear rejectionist. more.. Fatah spokesman calls for an end to the "Israeli provocation" around Al-Aqsa Mosque Ma’an News Agency 2/12/2007 Bethlehem - Following the violent clashes that took place in the environs of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque in the old city of Jerusalem on Friday, 9 February, in response to Israel’s ongoing excavation work in the area, Walid Awad of Fatah’s Central Media Commission issued a strongly worded appeal for an end to the "Israeli provocation" at the Magharbeh (’Moroccan’ or ’Dung’) Gate in Jerusalem. The full appeal follows: While the Palestinian leadership, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, is trying to contain the situation in our area, calming it down and bringing together a collective Palestinian effort in support of an expected resumption of genuine peace talks between the Palestinian people and Israel, it seems Israel is more interested in undermining these efforts, and is thwarting any movement towards peace before they even start. more.. Haniyeh asks West to restore aid Al Jazeera 2/12/2007 Ismail Haniyeh, the Palestinian prime minister, has asked the United States and other mediators in the peace process to restore economic aid to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas and Fatah agreed to form a unity government. "Today there is a cautious and pessimistic US position towards this agreement," Haniyeh, said in a speech on Monday "I say to the quartet and to the European Union that this is the will of the Palestinian people, and they should respect it and they should work to end the status of siege." The quartet of Middle East mediators - the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations - cut off direct funding of the Palestinian Authority after Hamas came to power last year.... In Jerusalem, Israeli officials said earlier that Israel was considering suspending contacts with Abbas if the unity government did not meet the international demands. more.. Hamas lawmaker: Egypt offers swap of 1,400 prisoners for Shalit Ha’aretz 2/13/2007 Hamas parliamentarian Muhammad Sheehab, who is also a member of the prisoner’s committee, said Monday that the groups holding abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit have received an Egyptian offer for his release. According to Sheehab, in return for Shalit, a total of 1,429 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons would be released. Sheehab claimed that the Egyptian offer followed discussions with Israel. "The Mecca agreement has had a positive effect on Israel’s stance in the matter of the abducted soldier," he said. A Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhum, told Haaretz on Monday that a new Egyptian proposal has reached Hamas, and that to a great extent it had met the demands of the kidnappers. However, he refused to offer any details on the proposal. more.. Olmert, Abbas clash over agenda of trilateral summit Ha’aretz 2/13/2007 Israeli and Palestinian leaders are embroiled in a bitter dispute over what topics should be on the agenda of next week’s trilateral summit. The summit, involving Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, is scheduled to take place in Jerusalem on Monday. Despite the dispute, Rice is insisting on holding the meeting to demonstrate progress in Israeli-Palestinian relations. According to government sources, however, Olmert is refusing to discuss three major elements of any final-status agreement - Palestinian refugees, the status of Jerusalem and an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 armistice lines - because he believes that raising any of these issues would doom the talks to failure. more.. EU silent on resuming direct aid to PA Jerusalem Post 2/13/2007 Senior Israeli diplomatic officials breathed easier Monday evening after the 27 EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels did not change the EU’s relationship with the Palestinian Authority as a result of the Mecca agreement. The EU foreign ministers issued a statement at the end of their monthly meeting welcoming the agreement, saluting Saudi Arabia for its efforts in bringing it about, and stating that the "EU stands ready to work with a legitimate Palestinian government that adopts a platform reflecting the Quartet principles and welcomed the Quartet statement of February 9." The Quartet statement of February 9 stated clearly that it expected the PA to accept three benchmarks - recognizing Israel, forswearing terrorism and accepting previous agreements, including the road map. more.. EU dangles aid prospect for Palestinian government ReliefWeb 2/12/2007 BRUSSELS, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The European Union sought on Monday to encourage the formation of an internationally acceptable Palestinian government with the prospect of expanded emergency assistance and an eventual resumption of direct aid. EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner praised Saudi Arabia for encouraging Palestinian rivals Fatah and Hamas to sign an agreement last Thursday to form a united government." It seems that steps are now really being taken towards a national unity government," she told reporters." A national unity government with which the international community can engage is indeed the best way forward." Ferrero-Waldner said the European Union had to study details of the proposed administration before determining future assistance..." more.. PM’s lines in sand for summit: J’lem, refugees, ’67 lines Ha’aretz 2/13/2007 Israeli and Palestinian leaders are embroiled in a bitter dispute over what topics should be on the agenda of next week’s trilateral summit. The summit, involving Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, is scheduled to take place in Jerusalem on Monday. Despite the dispute, Rice is insisting on holding the meeting to demonstrate progress in Israeli-Palestinian relations. According to government sources, however, Olmert is refusing to discuss three major elements of any final-status agreement - Palestinian refugees, the status of Jerusalem and an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 armistice lines - because he believes that raising any of these issues would doom the talks to failure. more.. Ban backs PA unity deal, urges recognition of Israel Ha’aretz 2/13/2007 UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon telephoned Israeli, Palestinian and Saudi leaders to urge support of a unity deal among Palestinian factions and appeal for recognition of Israel, his spokeswoman said on Monday. In his conversation with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Ban also expressed concern over Israel’s excavations in East Jerusalem, which has been widely condemned by Arab and Muslim governments, spokeswoman Michele Montas said. Ban, a member of the quartet of Middle East advisers, spoke to Olmert, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Saudi King Abdullah over the weekend. Also Monday, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh appealed to the international community to honor the unity deal... and to lift economic sanctions on the Palestinian Authority. more.. Lebanon, UN to work on marking Israel border after border clash Ha’aretz 2/13/2007 Senior officers from the Lebanese Army and the United Nations peacekeeping force agreed Monday to work on marking a UN-drawn line that defines the border between Lebanon and Israel, Lebanese military officials said. The meeting came a few days after Lebanese and Israel Defense Forces troops exchanged fire at the border. In a separate meeting Monday in the border town of Naqoura, the commander of UN forces - Major General Claudio Graziano - discussed ways to prevent new border incidents with senior officers from the Lebanese Army and the Israel Defense Forces. Graziano said he considered the meeting to hold utmost significance, adding that it was the correct way to solve problems between the two sides and prevent future problem from occurring. more.. Olmert: Formation of new PA cabinet is a test for Abbas Ha’aretz 2/13/2007 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday said the formation of the new Palestinian unity government is a test for Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Speaking at a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting, Olmert said, "Up to now, Abbas has been an opponent of Hamas. If the new government makes the same inflated demands of Israel, it will show that [Abbas] has moved from his previous position, toward Hamas." Olmert also said that if the Palestinian unity government were to free captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, Israel’s position would change with respect to the prospective Hamas-Fatah coalition. Speaking to the committee, Olmert added that he would go through with plans to attend a three-way summit with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, despite expected domestic criticism. more.. ’Israel slander corrupts human rights’ Jerusalem Post 2/13/2007 Human rights are corrupted when anti-Israel activists use the language of human rights to make Israel the object of international opprobrium, former Canadian justice minister Irwin Cotler, an internationally renowned expert on human rights, told the closing session of the Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem on Monday. "When anti-Semitism marches under the banner of anti-racism, as in the Durban conference, human rights are corrupted," he told The Jerusalem Post on Monday evening after his speech to the Forum. "Calling Israel an apartheid state not only defames Israel," it uses the "struggle against racism as a pretext to dismantle Israel. You dismantle an apartheid state. As a person who struggled against apartheid, this is a pernicious use of [that idea]," he said. more.. Washington sources: Israel in race for more aid Globes Online 2/12/2007 Israel seeks to secure a further $500 million military aid before President Bush leaves office. -- Israel is hurrying to reach a new agreement with the US for a substantial increase in military aid, sources in Israel and the US have told “Globes”. At the strong urging of incoming IDF Chief of Staff Lt. -Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, Israel is trying to reach an agreement in 2007, a year before US President George W. Bush leaves office. Former Israeli Ambassador to Washington Daniel Ayalon told “Globes”, “I believe that a new agreement will be reached replacing the current aid agreement, which expires in 2008. When I completed my term, I advised the government to anchor the request for a new aid package, increasing military aid to up to $3 billion; $2. 9 billion to be precise. In other words, an increase of $500 million a year... ” more.. Middle East Quartet statement on agreement to form Palestinian national unity government ReliefWeb 2/12/2007 09 Feb 2007 - The following statement was issued today by the Quartet ( United Nations, Russian Federation, United States and European Union): The Quartet Principals – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, High Representative for European Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner -- discussed by telephone today the situation in the Middle East. The Quartet welcomed the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in reaching the agreement to form a Palestinian national unity government. The Quartet expressed hope that the desired calm would prevail. more.. Ban Ki-moon phones Saudi, Israeli, Palestinian leaders on latest peace moves ReliefWeb/United Nations News 2/12/2007 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon telephoned King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over the weekend, reiterating international terms for solving the Middle East conflict that include recognition of Israel, and urging support for the Palestinian unity accord. In his talks, Mr. Ban reiterated “the terms of the Quartet statement released at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday,” his spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters today. In that statement, the diplomatic grouping comprised of the UN, Russia, European Union (EU) and United States reaffirmed its “support for a Palestinian government committed to non-violence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Road Map." more.. Meshal: Hamas is not under control of any foreign power Ha’aretz 2/12/2007 RIYADH - Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshal on Monday denied the Palestinian Islamist group was being controlled by a foreign power, in an apparent reference to Iran. "It is Hamas’ leadership that makes Hamas decisions and no one has control over us," Meshaal said in an interview broadcast on Saudi state-run television channel al-Ikhbariya on Monday. Shi’ite Muslim Iran has given the Hamas-led government financial support after Western countries blocked aid because of the group’s refusal to recognize Israel or renounce violence after it was elected last year. The move raised concern in the Arab world that Tehran was seeking to expand its clout. "We are open to the Arab and Islamic countries... but there is a difference between that and our policy being dependent on anyone," Meshaal said. more.. German defense chief Jung says skeptical of Mecca agreement Ha’aretz 2/12/2007 Germany’s minister of defense, Franz Josef Jung, says he "judges very very skeptically" the Mecca agreement between Hamas and Fatah in regards to its attitude toward Israel. "We cannot accept the non-recognition of the state of Israel," the minister told a German-Jewish study conference sponsored by the Bertelsmann Foundation in Berlin Monday night. Minister Jung, a leader of the CDU, said that in general he felt the Mecca agreement was a favorable development. His aides said later that Germany’s position was that the agreement would be tested in the implementation. On Iran, Jung pledged that Germany "must do everything possible to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons... our efforts are directed toward a diplomatic solution... we can see developments already [in response to the sanctions imposed on Iran..." more.. As long as it’s just talk Ha’aretz 2/11/2007 An Israeli official, whom we’ll call "a senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office," was sitting with a foreign diplomat a few days ago and musing out loud. He sounded optimistic - at least, that was the diplomat’s impression. Ever since the war in Lebanon, the official said, the world understands that Israel is not the bad guy in the region. Relations with the Palestinians are good, and the dialogue channel with Rafik Husseini and Saeb Erekat, Abu Mazen’s aides, is progressing fairly well, despite the PA chairman’s limited capability. more.. Palestinians call on Israel to accept national unity deal ReliefWeb 2/11/2007 AMMAN, Feb 11, 2007 (AFP) - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called on Israel Sunday to accept a national unity agreement he signed with Islamic militant group Hamas and prepare for negotiations on a lasting peace. In a whistle-stop tour of Arab capitals, Abbas said that the power-sharing agreement that he had reached with Hamas meant there was no longer any reason for Israel to hold back from resuming peace talks in earnest. But Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert retorted that the deal should not allow Hamas to wriggle out of international demands to renounce violence and recognize Israel and past deals, calling on Western governments to stand firm. Speaking in Jordan as he prepared to brief King Abdullah on Thursday’s agreement, Abbas called on Israel to stop meddling in Palestinian politics. more.. Palestinian sources: Deal for Shalit release closer than ever Ha’aretz 2/10/2007 Palestinian parliament member and Hamas official Fathi Hamad said Friday that a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas is nearing finalization, the Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam reported on Saturday. Hamad was quoted as saying that "in the negotiations through indirect channels between Hamas and Israel, the greatest progress yet has been made." The forming of a Palestinian unity government in line with the Mecca Accord signed on Thursday by Fatah and Hamas, may bring for the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, senior security sources said Friday. The defense establishment believes that Shalit’s release would allow Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshal give Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas a substantial return for the concessions Hamas coerced out of Fatah... more.. No one can prevent nuclear Iran, top defense official says YNetNews 2/12/2007 Iranians see themselves as being at forefront of battle against the ‘heretics,’ Peretz aid and former ambassador to Tehran says -- “Unfortunately I do not see anyone preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb,” a senior advisor to Defense Minister Amir Peretz said on Monday. “The Iranians see themselves as being at the forefront of the battle against the ‘heretics,’” Uri Lubrani, a former ambassador to Tehran, told the Jewish Agency’s Board of Governors. “They believe in their connection to Allah and that salvation will come only when the war of Gog and Magog begins – and now is the time for it. ” Lubrani said the US “does not understand the threat and has not done enough,” adding that the Americans and Europeans “must be shaken awake. ” more.. Islamic Mov’t: Muslims have accepted 2-state solution Jerusalem Post 2/12/2007 "The Arab, Muslim, Palestinian side has accepted" the idea of negotiating a two-state solution with Israel, but was awaiting an affirmative response from Israelis and world Jewry, Sheikh Abdullah Nemer Darweesh, the founder of the Islamic Movement in Israel, told participants of the Global Forum for Combatting Anti-Semitism on Sunday evening. "I am a soldier, and hopefully the lead soldier, in the war against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in the region," he declared, adding that "you have nothing to fear from the one-and-a-half billion Muslims [who think as I do]." As proof, Darweesh gave the example of the Saudi initiative at the 2002 Beirut Arab Summit, noting that it not only included a call for recognition of Israel, but "full normalization of relations, something that amazed me." However, he said, the Muslim world "didn’t hear a ’yes’ from Israel, and not even a ’y." more.. Erekat calls on EU to exert pressure on Israel to open the Rafah crossing daily Ma’an News Agency 2/12/2007 Jericho - Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) chief negotiator, Dr Saeb Erekat, on Monday called on the European Union to exert pressure on the Israeli government to open the Rafah crossing, between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, every day in accordance with the 2005 agreement. Erekat met with Major General Pietro Pistolese, delegation head of EU border assistance mission at Rafah crossing. Erekat affirmed that the crossing had been closed for more than 80% of the period from June 2006 until now and has struck a severe blow to the Palestinian economy, as well as hindering the movement of people. [end] Rafah border crossing open Monday in both directions Ma’an News Agency 2/12/2007 Gaza - Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt will be open on Monday in both directions, Palestinian sources at the crossing have reported. The official spokesman of the crossings and the presidential guards, Mr. Wael Dahab, announced that the crossing will be open on Monday from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. for travelers in both directions. In a media statement, Dahab clarified that the crossing will be open for all arrivals, and serious medical cases will be allowed to depart in order to receive medication abroad, and students who study abroad. He appealed to all travelers to follow instructions and exit criteria so that the people in charge of the crossing may facilitate the entrance and exit of travelers and serve them in an appropriate way, and not give justifications to the Israeli side to close the crossing. [end] Saudi Arabia denies reports of offering large financial incentive to Palestinian unity government Ma’an News Agency 2/12/2007 Bethlehem - Saudi Arabia has denied the news that Riyadh promised to offer the Palestinian national unity government 1,000,000,000 dollars in financial assistance after its formation is announced. The political editor of the Saudi press agency said, "The Mecca agreement was reached in the meeting of the Palestinian leaders in the holy House of God, Holy Mecca, and with their understanding and unbiased will, without prior conditions or any external intervention from any part, and without any promises from any side. It was reached because the Palestinian leaders had no other motive but loyalty to their people and their cause"He added that Saudi sources confirmed that there was no truth at all to the reports published by some news agencies which stated that a Palestinian official had received promises that Saudi Arabia would pay aid to the unity government. more.. Groups Head to Emirates, as Worries Grow Over Iran Forward 2/10/2007 . The main umbrella group of American Jewish organizations is set to visit Dubai and Abu Dhabi next month in a sign of the growing concern among Sunni regimes over Iran’s nuclear and regional ambitions. The trip, by a delegation from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to the main power centers of the United Arab Emirates, is notable because the Sunni-majority UAE does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel. The trip also comes amid a flurry of consultations between Washington, its regional allies and Israel about steps to counter Iran’s influence in the region, first and foremost in Iraq but also in Lebanon and in the Palestinian territories. “The UAE is a critically important place on the issue of terrorism, the fight against extremism and Iran,” said Malcolm Hoenlein... more.. Trilateral summit on final status negotiations Feb. 19 International Middle East Media Center 2/9/2007 U. S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stated on Friday that a trilateral summit between Abbas, Olmert and herself will be kicked-off on February 19. The summit will declare the launch of final status peace talks. Rice said that the talks will be on the establishment of a Palestinian independent state that complies with international standards and the principles of the Quartet. Rice also stated that she will meet with Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, to discuss with them the means needed to achieve a political horizon, and conduct the needed measures to establish an independent Palestinian state. Moreover, Rice said that “Hamas movement must comply with the aspirations of the Palestinian people”, but expressed doubts that Hamas will change its strategy. more.. Egyptian MP: Nothing will work with Israel except nuclear bomb Ha’aretz 2/13/2007 Israeli excavations near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem sparked angry reactions on Monday from Egyptian parliament members, including one who said only a nuclear bomb could stop Israel. The excavations, which aim to salvage artefacts before construction of a pedestrian bridge leading to the complex also sacred to Jews, have angered many Muslims who fear the work will harm the foundations of al-Aqsa mosque. Israel says the holy places will not be harmed." That cursed Israel is trying to destroy al-Aqsa mosque," Mohammed el-Katatny of President Hosni Mubarak’s National Democratic Party (NDP) told a heated parliament session held to discuss the Israeli digging. "Nothing will work with Israel except for a nuclear bomb that wipes it out of existence," he said. more.. Council conclusions on the Middle East peace process - 2780th External Relations Council meeting ReliefWeb/EU - Council of Europe 2/12/2007 Brussels, 12 February 2007 - The Council adopted the following conclusions: "The Council welcomed the fact that an agreement has been reached in Mecca on 8 February on the formation of a Palestinian national unity government. It paid tribute to the sustained efforts of President Abbas to form a government of national unity and expressed its appreciation for the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Arab leaders in bringing about Palestinian reconciliation. The EU stands ready to work with a legitimate Palestinian government that adopts a platform reflecting the Quartet principles and welcomed the Quartet statement of 9 February. The Council also welcomed the statement by the Quartet at its meeting in Washington on 2 February, in particular its intention to give active follow-up to meetings between Israeli and Palestinian leaders..." more.. Russia welcomes Mecca deal, urges lifting freeze Ha’aretz 2/10/2007 Russia on Friday welcomed an agreement by rival Palestinian factions to form a unity government and appealed for the lifting of a freeze on direct aid to the Palestinian government. Hamas and its rival movement Fatah signed a deal earlier this week to end factional violence and form a coalition." We think the future Palestinian national government... will be an important factor in the process of reviving Israeli-Palestinian talks," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement." We also believe the implementation of Mecca agreements should be combined with lifting a blockade of the Palestinian territories which has inflicted suffering and hardship on the people." Meanwhile, the Quartet of Middle East mediators on Friday repeated its demand that any Palestinian government renounce violence, recognize Israel and respect peace deals in order to receive Western aid. more.. Israel snubs Mecca deal YNetNews 2/9/2007 In first official statement, officials in Jerusalem say Hamas-Fatah deal fails to meet Quartet preconditions and ‘is not what Israel expected’. Israel does not outright reject the agreement and will continue to monitor developments, officials add -- Israeli officials in Jerusalem on Friday snubbed the unity government deal reached between Hamas and Fatah in Mecca, saying it failed to meet the preconditions set by the Quartet. The officials stressed, however, that they also did not reject the Palestinian agreement outright. Following days of negotiations hosted in Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Hamas and Fatah representatives signed a deal dividing cabinet portfolios and diplomatic positions between the two parties. The deal noted that both sides must uphold previous deals signed by the PLO, but omitted any direct mention of Israel. more.. Hamas insists accord with Fatah doesn’t mean recognizing Israel Daily Star 2/10/2007 Hamas said Friday that it would never recognize Israel and will not, as a movement, abide by previously reached Palestinian peace accords with Israel as urged by President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah. "We will never recognize Israel. There is nothing called Israel, neither in reality nor in the imagination," Nizar Rayyan, a senior Hamas leader in Gaza, told the Reuters news agency. Rayyan welcomed the unity government agreement reached in Mecca on Thursday but said Hamas shunned Abbas’ call for Premier Ismail Haniyya, who will form the new cabinet, to abide by previous peace accords. "We, in the Hamas movement, will not abide by anything," he said. The comments were endorsed by Hamas spokesman Ismail Rudwan, who said: "The recognition is not an option at all, is not discussable." more.. Livni: Peace with Palestinians feasible, violence must end first Ha’aretz 2/10/2007 Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Friday peace between her country and Palestinians was realistic but she stressed militant violence had to end first. Speaking a day after fighting Palestinian factions agreed in Mecca to form a government of national unity, Livni said Israel wanted a peaceful solution to the decades-old conflict." Peace is, I believe, feasible and achievable," she told the opening dinner at a major international security conference in Munich with top politicians from around the world. "But our desire to make peace cannot come at the cost of risking our very lives." She said Islamist group Hamas, which won elections last year, did not represent the "national Palestinian interest or aspiration" but sought to destroy Israel. more.. International caution over Palestinian deal ReliefWeb 2/9/2007 PARIS, Feb 9, 2007 (AFP) - There was international relief Friday at the agreement between rival Palestinian factions to form a national unity government, though the United States insisted the Palestinians must commit to peace with Israel. Israel and the European Union also only gave cautious approval of the accord between Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal reached in the Saudi holy city of Mecca. Under the deal, Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya will lead the new government, Abbas’s Fatah movement will name a deputy prime minister and the key post of interior minister will go to an independent. The US administration, which led an international boycott after Hamas won the Palestinian elections one year ago, said it wanted more details of the agreement... more.. Middle East Quartet to meet in Berlin on Feb 21 ReliefWeb 2/9/2007 BRUSSELS, Feb 9, 2007 (AFP) - The international Quartet involved in Middle East peace process (EU, Russia, UN, US) will meet in Berlin on February 21, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Friday. The Quartet partners agreed on the date following a conference call between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Solana, his spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said. During the conversation the five key figures agreed to meet in a spirit of "optimism and caution," following the agreement late Thursday between the rival Palestinian Fatah and Hamas groups on forming a government of national unity, she added. They also hailed the efforts of the Saudis in facilitating the agreement, reached in Mecca. more.. Rice Briefs Jewish Groups as Palestinians Make Deal Forward 2/9/2007 Says U.S. Wants To Create ‘Political Horizon,’ But Won’t Pressure Israel -- Washington – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Thursday with leaders from major Jewish organizations to discuss the latest developments on the Israeli-Palestinian front. The meeting took place minutes after a formal announcement was made in Mecca regarding the agreement reached on a Palestinian national unity government. Rice, who had yet to read the new Palestinian platform, said that the United States was still insisting that Hamas accept all three conditions set forth by the Quartet: recognizing Israel, renouncing terror and accepting existing agreements with Jerusalem. She told the Jewish leaders that even if Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sits in a unity government with Hamas, America would continue viewing him as a partner for negotiations. more.. Experts Question Wisdom of Boycotting Hamas Forward 2/9/2007 Jerusalem - As Palestinian leaders set off for Mecca this week in the latest effort at Hamas-Fatah peace talks, well-placed sources in Jerusalem were speaking of growing doubts within Israeli officialdom over the current policy of boycotting Hamas. “People in different government agencies are well aware of the problematic nature of the present policy and are concerned by the growing risk of the collapse of the Palestinian Authority,” said Gidi Grinstein, director of the Reut Institute, an Israeli think tank that regularly advises government officials. The Mecca talks are aimed at bringing the secular Fatah and the militant Islamist Hamas together in a Palestinian unity government, which Arab leaders hope will be acceptable to Israel and the West as a negotiating partner. more.. Palestinian breakthrough is given cautious welcome by EU and US The Independent 2/9/2007 The release of Gilad Shalit, the 19-year-old Israeli corporal seized by militants in Gaza in June, is foreshadowed in an unpublicised agreement reached in Mecca this week, according to a European diplomatic source. If implemented, such an agreement could markedly improve the highly uncertain prospects of a positive international response to Thursday night’s Hamas-Fatah deal on a coalition government. Cpl Shalit’s release has several times been reported to be imminent during the mainly Egyptian-brokered negotiations on a prisoner exchange with Israel, only for the hopes for such an exchange to evaporate. But the reports of still-confidential discussions on his release during the Saudi-convened talks in Mecca are being taken seriously by European diplomats. more.. Criticism of Israeli Actions in Jerusalem Continues as Israeli Army Attacks Worshippers International Middle East Media Center 2/9/2007 While Israeli army attacked Friday Muslim worshippers at the Al-Aqsa mosque in occupied east Jerusalem, more criticism has been reported against Israeli digging around the mosque, the third holiest site for Muslims worldwide. The Arab States League will hold Saturday an emergency meeting at the level of permanent representatives to discuss latest developments. The United Nation’s Arab states group demanded the UN Security Council for an intervention to stop the Israeli digging, as well as debating on the issue in next month’s security council session on the Middle East. A statement by the Arab representatives read “the UN Security Council should take immediate measures in a bid to put an end to the Israeli violations and guarantee Israel’s respect of the International Humanitarian Law and the security council’s resolutions”. more.. UNESCO voices ’deep concern’ at Israeli construction work in Jerusalem Electronic Intifada/UN News 2/8/2007 The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voiced his "deep concern" today over construction work initiated by Israel in the Old City of Jerusalem and called for the suspension of any action that could exacerbate tensions. UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura noted in a statement that the Old City is protected by the UN Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972), and is inscribed on the UN World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. "The distinctive character of the Old City of Jerusalem derives, in particular, from the close relationship between the historical and religious buildings and the peoples living with them," the statement said... more.. PRC threaten to avenge ‘Temple Mount desecration’ YNetNews 2/9/2007 Palestinian factions condemn Israeli construction near al-Aqsa Mosque; Popular Resistance Committees promise retaliation: Zionists must prepare to gather bodies of their dead after we avenge this transgression -- Palestinian Authority officials and faction representatives criticized Israeli construction near the al-Aqsa Mosque, some threatening retaliatory violence if Israel failed to call off the project. The renovation work, which Israel claims is aimed at mending a rickety bridge at the site, sparked violent riots on Friday by Muslims charging that Israel was sabotaging sites holy to Islam. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas slammed “the aggressive steps of the occupation government in Jerusalem." Others hastened to condemn the conduct of Israeli police. more.. Ban Ki-moon consults with key Mideast peace brokers on Palestinian unity accord ReliefWeb 2/9/2007 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today conferred by telephone with his three international partners in the Middle East peace process on latest moves following Palestinian agreement on a national unity government. Mr. Ban held preliminary consultations with the others members of the diplomatic Quartet – UN, Russia, European Union and United States – which has been promoting the so-called Road Map plan for a two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace, originally slated for completion by the end of 2005. “They all agreed that the initiative by King Abdullah was commendable and welcome,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson Michele Montas said, referring to the Saudi Arabian monarch who brought Palestinian Fatah and Hamas representatives together for unity talks in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city. more.. In AIPAC Talk, Clinton Offers Up Red Meat Before Calling for Engagement With Iran Forward 2/9/2007 When Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton addressed a packed crowd of Israel supporters in New York last week, she opened with a joke that signaled she was among respected old friends. Earlier in the afternoon, Clinton said, she had been frantic, as a critical Senate vote on the minimum wage delayed her trip north for the dinner, a yearly fundraiser held by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Her staff was at wit’s end trying to ensure that the lawmaker would make her scheduled 7 p. m. flight — until, that is, an Aipac “mitzvah” came to the rescue. “At 5:00 we got a call — not from my Senate leadership or my colleagues — but from Aipac, saying that the vote would be at 5:30,” Clinton recounted, chuckling. “Your intelligence sources are certainly beyond anything we have in Washington. ” more.. Israel: Army May Act "Forcefully" against Hizbullah An Nahar 2/9/2007 Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz has accused Syria of allowing the rearmament of Hizbullah and said Israel has the right to act "forcefully" against the group to counter the threat. Peretz’s comments came days after Israel said it discovered four bombs in northern Israel recently planted by Hizbullah. The Israeli claim, denied by Hizbullah, immediately raised tensions along the volatile border. Israel and Hizbullah fought a bruising 34-day last summer before a U. N. -brokered cease-fire took hold Aug. 14. Under the truce, about 15,000 Lebanese army troops and 12,000 U. N. peacekeepers patrol the border to maintain calm. The cease-fire also bars armed Hizbullah fighters from the border area and calls for a halt in unauthorized weapons transfers to the group. more.. Saudi monarch steps in to resolve final obstacle to comprehensive Mecca agreement Ma’an News Agency 2/8/2007 Holy Mecca - Ma’an exclusive - Our sources have reported that the contentious word "commitment", and its alternative, "respect", in relation to abiding by previous agreements, as an issue to be included in the letter of entrustment for the emerging Prime Minister, was the last obstacle to an agreement between the rival Fatah and Hamas movements. To this end, the Saudi monarch has had to intervene, convening with both delegations to try to work out a way to reach the desired end of signing a final agreement tonight. Ma’an has been informed that Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has now been successful in resolving this issue. A major announcement is expected very soon. The spokesperson of Hamas told Ma’an that Isma’il Haniyeh will remain as Prime Minister, while Fatah has to name a deputy for him. more.. World Bodies Voice Concern over Israeli Actions in Jerusalem International Middle East Media Center 2/8/2007 Amidst continued digging by Israeli authorities around the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, several world bodies including states and organizations voiced concern over the actions, calling for their immediate halt. The Qatari government warned of incurring any damage to the holy site, calling the Israeli construction works a ‘violation of the international legitimacy’s resolutions’. Iran’s president, Ahmad Nejad, condemned the Israeli digging around the mosque, believing it is provocative and will only further fuel hostility in the region. The French Foreign Ministry called Israel to refrain from any actions that would ignite tension in Jerusalem, considering such actions as a ‘sensitive issue’. Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference, Akmaleldin Ihasan Oglo, regarded the actions as ‘ an Israeli crime’... more.. Egypt summons Israeli envoy over Temple Mount excavation Ha’aretz 2/8/2007 Egypt summoned the Israeli ambassador to the Foreign Ministry in Cairo on Thursday to protest against the construction of a new bridge to the Temple Mount, a site holy to Jews and Muslims. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement it told the Israeli ambassador, Shalom Cohen, that the excavations could hurt efforts to revive the long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process." The Foreign Ministry also stressed that the sacredness of the site makes any movement inside or around it a very sensitive issue for Arab and Muslim peoples, in a way that could cause the situation to explode," the statement said. Earlier Thursday, hundreds of people gathered outside the Dung Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem to protest against the construction. more.. UNIFIL steps up presence after border clash Daily Star 2/9/2007 BEIRUT: A day after an exchange of fire between the Lebanese and Israeli armies along the border, Lebanon’s defense minister slammed Israel’s claims that the clashes were a Hizbullah "provocation." In a response to Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni’s claims that the military clash on the border was a "provocation" by the resistance group, Defense Minister Elias Murr said, "there is no Hizbullah down there, they weren’t involved." Speaking on a political talk show late Thursday, Murr added that "there are only the UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army down there. There was no provocation of any kind by Hizbullah. Israel crossed the Blue Line." Speaking during a news conference in Madrid, Livni had declared the clashes "over. "It’s been dealt with," Livni said... more.. PM to U.K.: Enact law prohibiting IDF officers’ arrest in Britain Ha’aretz 2/8/2007 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert asked British Foreign Minister Margaret Becket on Wednesday to enact a law preventing the arrest of Israel Defense Forces officers in British territory, during their meeting in Jerusalem. According to a political source in Jerusalem, British authorities promised Israel roughly a year and a half ago that the country would enact a law similar to a Belgian law, passed in the wake of the Belgian warrant issued for the arrest of then-prime minister Ariel Sharon. The Belgian law transferred the authority to issue arrest warrants for foreign citizens on accusations of war crimes from the courts to the government. Beckett promised the prime minister that she would take care of the issue. The spokeswoman for the British Embassy in Tel Aviv confirmed Thursday that the matter had been raised, but would not comment further... more.. PA government must recognize Israel, J’lem official says YNetNews 2/9/2007 First reactions to Palestinian unity agreement include Israeli government spokeswoman demanding Palestinians accept international conditions, Lieberman calling for Israeli unity gov’t, gunshots of joy in Gaza -- The new Palestinian government must accept all three international conditions -renouncing violence, recognizing Israel and accepting past peace accords, said Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin late Thursday. She was speaking after a unity government agreement between Fatah and Hamas was announced in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. "Israel expects a new Palestinian government to respect and accept all three of the international community principles - recognition of Israel, acceptance of all former agreements and renunciation of all terror and violence," Eisin told The Associated Press. more.. Hamas urges all factions to focus their energy on fighting occupation and protecting Al-Aqsa Ma’an News Agency 2/8/2007 Gaza - The Hamas movement has warned the Israeli government against continuing to demolish part of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, asserting that this policy will only ’’open the doors of hell" and that such acts cross the "red lines". The movement called upon all Palestinians, Muslims and Arabs to confront Israel’s first step, which they described as an attempt to demolish the Al-Aqsa Mosque and install in its place its alleged temple. They called on all the political factions to put aside their internal fighting and focus their energies on fighting the occupation and protecting Al-Aqsa Mosque. Hamas also condemned the arrest of Raed Salah, the head of Israel’s Islamic movement. [end] Iran says CIA, Mossad spy ring detected Jerusalem Post 2/8/2007 Iran’s intelligence minister said Thursday the government had detected a network of US and Israeli spies, and detained a second group of people who planned to go abroad for espionage training, state television reported. But the minister, Gjholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi, did not say any members of the US-Israeli network had been arrested, nor did he say who the would-be spies were working for. The TV newscaster quoted the minister as telling a group of clerics in the holy city of Qom, 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Teheran, that the first group of spies were "agents of the CIA and Mossad espionage services." "This group was detected and they are in our intelligence net," he said of the spies, implying that they were under surveillance. The minister said the network had been active along the Iranian border... more.. Iran says found 100 US, Israel spies YNetNews 2/8/2007 Islamic Republic’s intelligence minister says ‘spies were intending to collect political and military information’; number of Iranians who wanted to take part in spying courses abroad arrested, he adds -- Iran said Thursday it has identified 100 spies working for the United States and Israel in border areas of the Islamic state. "One hundred people who were directly working for the US and Israeli intelligence... who were intending to collect political and military information were identified and are now in our intelligence net," Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency. The minister added that a number of Iranians who wanted to take part in spying courses abroad had also been arrested. more.. Syrian President vows to keep supporting Hezbollah, Hamas Ha’aretz 2/8/2007 Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed to keep supporting Hezbollah and Hamas on Wednesday, despite United States pressure on Syria to stop backing the groups, Baath Party members said. According to the party officials, Assad made the comments during a speech at the start of a two-day conference of the ruling Baath Party central command, which is expected to set a date before July for a referendum on the renewal of the president’s seven-year term." The president was clear that Syria’s support for the two movements will continue and that their resistance to regain occupied land was a legitimate right," Baath Party member Mostafa al-Meqdad told Reuters. Washington imposed sanctions on Syria in 2004, mainly for backing the two groups and threatened in September to widen the embargo. more.. Israel, US sign homeland security pact Jerusalem Post 2/8/2007 Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter and his US counterpart, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, signed a joint memorandum in Washington DC on Wednesday evening, setting a series of goals and terms for security collaboration between the two nations. The joint understanding included partnership on flight security, including passenger and cargo inspection and information sharing on the topic of emergency planning, response, recovery and damage control. The understanding also encompassed sharing of research and development progress in the field of explosives detection. In addition, Israel and the US will share information about steps taken to neutralize, respond to and reduce terror and criminal activities in specific fields and will also hold joint training and staff exchanges. more.. Clinton slams PA ’indoctrination’ YNetNews 2/8/2007 US presidential candidate: PA textbooks incite hatred, fail to educate -- US Presidential candidate Senator Hilary Clinton has condemned Palestinian textbooks for school children, saying the texts indoctrinate children towards incitement, and fail to provide them with an education. "I believe that education is one of the keys to lasting peace in the Middle East and for this reason I am very concerned with these findings," Clinton was quoted as saying in a report released by the Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), which monitors the Palestinian Authority for incitement to hatred and violence. "Ever since we first raised this issue some years ago there still has not been an adequate repudiation of incitement by the Palestinian Authority. It is even more disturbing that the problem appears to have gotten worse..." -- See also: Unwarranted Controversy: American Politicians, Israeli Critics, and Palestinian Textbooks, The myth of incitement in Palestinian textbooks, and Democracy, History, and the Contest over the Palestinian Curriculum more.. Fatah leader Qaddora Faris lectures new Israeli diplomats Ma’an News Agency 2/8/2007 Bethlehem - Qaddora Faris, a prominent leader within the Fatah movement, has revealed on Thursday that he has delivered a lecture to a group of recruits to the Israeli diplomatic service in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem. He told Ma’an that these trainee diplomats are to be distributed as attachés in Israeli consulates across the world. Faris added that the Geneva Initiative had invited him to lecture about the Palestinian cause, which he believed to be a precious opportunity to show the Palestinian point of view to emerging Israeli diplomats. He confirmed no Israeli dignitaries attended the lecture. [end] Sheikh Tamimi calls for a global ’day of outrage’ in protest against the Al-Aqsa digs Ma’an News Agency 2/8/2007 Jerusalem - Tayseer Al-Tamimi, the Supreme Judge in Palestine, has called for a ’day of outrage’ across the Muslim world on Friday in protest against the excavations carried out by the Israeli authorities close to the Islamic holy mosque of Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. Tamimi stressed in a press release sent to Ma’an that all Arab and Muslim leaders must demonstrate in condemnation against the Israeli violations of the area of Bab Al-Magharbeh (’Moroccan’ or ’Dung Gate’) and other Islamic buildings in the old city of Jerusalem that date back to the Mamluk era. He condemned all aggressions committed by the Israeli authorities in the area of the ’Al-Buraq Wall’ (known also as the Wailing or Western Wall) including the digging of tunnels and the attempts to build synagogues. more.. Bush vs. Olmert By Aluf Benn, Ha’aretz 2/9/2007 The support of the U.S. administration is a central pillar of Ehud Olmert’s government... The only thing that can increase support for Olmert is a renewal of the negotiations with Syria. Most of the public is in favor of a positive response to Bashar Assad. Talks with Syria will demonstrate diplomatic progress, even without Israel’s evacuation of the Golan; that was the practice of Olmert’s predecessors, from Yitzhak Shamir to Barak. More importantly, talks would improve stability in the North and distance the danger of another war this summer, a possibility that is becoming lodged in Israeli awareness as a type of unavoidable disaster. But Olmert has a problem: Bush is not allowing him to talk to Assad.... But there may be another explanation, which is more worrisome for Olmert: that the Americans assume he cannot survive.. more.. Israel still top recipient of US foreign aid YNetNews 2/8/2007 President Bush’s administration to submit proposed budget for US foreign aid in 2008 to Congress; requests over 12 percent increase in foreign aid from 2007; Lebanon to receive some USD 52 million, Israel to get USD 2. 4 billion -- WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush’s administration will submit its proposed budget for US foreign aid in 2008 to Congress on Wednesday, requesting USD 20. 27 billion - a more than 12 percent increase in foreign aid from 2007. However America’s foreign aid budget composes only a small portion of its overall budget of USD 2. 9 trillion. Israel, long since the US’ top recipient of foreign aid, will receive USD 2. 4 billion. Since 1979 and the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, Israel has annually received up to USD 3 billion in aid. more.. Palestinian minister of health on fundraising tour Ma’an News Agency 2/8/2007 Gaza - The Palestinian minister of health, Dr Basim Na’im has completed a tour of Arab and Latin American countries including Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Cuba. The visits have been aimed to fundraise for the ministry of health, in order to develop medical research and improve professional performance. The minister had the opportunity to meet in Cairo with the director of the Palestine hospital, Dr Muhammad Zaghloul, who explained to the minister about the suffocating crisis of debts that the hospital is encountering. He asked the minister of health to help them work their way out of that crisis. Dr Na’im also met with the Egyptian health ministry’s fellowship delegation who told him about the problems they are encountering... more.. UK annouces $4.3m extra funds towards Palestinian public sector Ma’an News Agency 2/8/2007 The United Kingdom announced on 7 February 2007 that they will contribute £2. 2 (~ US $4. 3m) million to the unpaid Palestinian public sector. In a press release from the UK’s Department for International Development, the International Development Secretary, Hilary Benn said:“The economic situation for Palestinians in the West Bank and, particularly, Gaza remains desperately hard. Teachers, nurses, and others essential to delivering services to the Palestinian people have received little or none of their salaries for the past eleven months. They are struggling to make ends meet and this affects not only them and their families, but also the Palestinian population who rely on the services they provide." This cash injection will be channelled towards 70,000 unpaid Palestinian public sector workers, including teachers and healthcare workers. more.. UK foreign secretary re-opens renovated ward in St John’s Eye Hospital in Jerusalem Ma’an News Agency 2/8/2007 Jerusalem - UK foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, re-opened a recently renovated ward in the St John’s Eye Hospital in Jerusalem on Wednesday 7 February. On the second day of her two-day visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, Mrs Beckett visited the hospital in east Jerusalem and re-opened the male-only ward. This renovation, which is the first rehabilitation work carried out by the hospital since 1946, was made possible through funds from the UK consul general and the Pontifical Mission in Jerusalem. Before cutting the ribbon, Mrs Beckett expressed both her pleasure at being there and her embarrassment at representing not just the UK government but also the pontifical mission. She also praised the hospital’s long record of service in Jerusalem and its historical ties with the UK. more.. French consul general visits An-Najah university Ma’an News Agency 2/8/2007 Nablus - The French consul general in Jerusalem, Alain Rémy, has on Thursday visited the An-Najah National University in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. He was accompanied by several consular attachés and was received by Professor Rami Al-Hamdallah, president of An-Najah University and Dr Nabil Alawi, director of public relations. The meeting was dedicated to continuing cooperation between the university and the French consulate, which includes the teaching of French in the university, joint scientific research and opportunities for researchers from An-Najah to study in France. Furthermore, Dr Al-Hamdallah reviewed the university’s development, future plans and the prizes they had been awarded. He also applauded the special relations of An-Najah with the French consulate. [end] Abdullah: Temple Mount work endangers regional stability Ha’aretz 2/8/2007 Some 2,000 police officers were deployed to the Old City of Jerusalem to guard the first day of controversial excavation work in the Temple Mount area yesterday, but only a few dozen Muslims, primarily members of Israel’s Islamic Movement, held a protest at the site. A campaign in the Arab-language media to get Palestinians and Israeli Arabs to amass at the Temple Mount and "defend" the Al-Aqsa Mosque had spurred fears of possible riots, but no violence ensued. The Israel Antiquities Authority is carrying out the excavation work near an unused ramp leading up to the Mugrabi Gate, an entrance to the Temple Mount, which engineers have said is in danger of collapse. The dig precedes the planned construction of a new Mugrabi bridge, which is slated to replace a makeshift wooden bridge built above the ramp three years ago... more.. Saudi King Meets With Abbas, Mashal Separately Seeking End Infighting International Middle East Media Center 2/7/2007 Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has met separately with the President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas politburo Kahled Mashaal in Mecca ahead a meeting with both leaders together in an endeavor to cease internecine fighting and form a national unity government. Saudi official News Agency Quoted King Abdullah saying in attendance of President Abbas " what is happening in Palestine serves only enemies of Islamic nation," adding " the continuation of infighting will sack the Palestinian the fruits of their long strife." In a meeting with Mashal and Prime minister Haneyeh , the king Abdullah said" the continuation of internecine fighting will eat away all their energies and waste all the accomplishments they done." "We urged our brothers in Saudi Arabia to intervene to bridge the gaps to conclude an agreement," said Nabil Amr, an Abbas’ advisor... more.. Olmert calls on Abbas not to form Government with Hamas International Middle East Media Center 2/7/2007 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert demanded that the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas doesn’t agree to form a unity government with Hamas. Olmert urged Abbas not to adhere to what he called pressure to form a unity government with Hamas that stops short of recognizing Israel. Abbas is heading Fatah delegation for talks with Hamas in Makkah in the Kingdom of the Saudi Arabia in a bid to end the infighting between Fatah and Hamas and to form a National Unity Government. Talks will start Wednesday during which the two parties will discuss the conflict that is hindering the formation of the unity government. Spokesman of the Fatah bloc in the Palestinian Parliament Azzam Al-Ahmad, who is part of the delegation to Makkah, said recently that the talks aim to persuade Hamas to accept the political program of the PLO... more.. Peretz urges Olmert to stop Temple Mount construction Ha’aretz 2/8/2007 The work on the new bridge to the Temple Mount should be stopped immediately for fear of escalation and deterioration in the defense situation, Defense Minister Amir Peretz wrote Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday. Peretz attached an opinion written by General (res. ) Amos Gilad, head of the political-military bureau at the Defense Ministry. Gilad said in his letter the construction was causing considerable damage and would create foment in the Arab world, particularly at the present time, with Israel trying to initiate steps to calm things down with the Palestinians and the Arab world. Gilad noted that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh were close to an agreement in Mecca on a unity government, and that an Olmert-Abbas summit is to take place in about two weeks. more.. PLO: Al Aqsa Mosque in severe danger Ma’an News Agency 2/7/2007 Jerusalem – The Department of Arab and International Relations (DAIR) of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) have released the following statement: Al-Aqsa Mosque is in severe danger -- The Israeli Occupation forces started demolishing two rooms in Al-Aqsa Mosque and the path leading to the Moroccan gate, which is one of the Mosque’s historical gates, in line with the Israeli plans to demolish the entire holy shrine and build the alleged Suleiman temple in its place and a synagogue neighboring Al-Aqsa mosque; diggings under the foundations of Al Aqsa have been ongoing for many years. Israel holds the responsibility of such a crime. Al-Aqsa mosque is one of the Islam’s third holiest sites, so any action done against it is considered to be provocative for the feelings of 1. 5 billion Moslems all over the world. more.. Saudi Arabia informed US Unity Government will not recognize Israel if siege not lifted International Middle East Media Center 2/7/2007 Israeli media sources reported on Wednesday that Saudi officials informed Israel one week before the Palestinian national dialogue started in Mecca, that Saudi Arabia managed to achieve an agreement on the formation of a new Palestinian government under Saudi supervision, but the government will not recognize Israel or the signed agreements, but instead it will respect the signed agreements. The sources added that that Saudi Arabia expects the United States and the European Union to lift the siege imposed on the Palestinian Authority directly after the new government is formed. In a message addressed to the U. S President George Bush, and Vice President Dick Cheney, the Saudi king, Abdullah Ben Abdul-Aziz, said that Saudi Arabia will initiate transfer of fund[s] to the Palestinian Authority and its institutions if the United States refrains from lifting the siege. more.. Beckett: Boycott will remain if PA gov’t includes unreformed Hamas Ha’aretz 2/7/2007 British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett said Wednesday that even if Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah patch up their differences and form a coalition, London will shun the resulting government as long as Hamas defies international demands to recognize Israel and foreswear violence. Hamas leaders began talks in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and leaders of his Fatah movement. The aim is to forge a power-sharing government and end bloody street battles between the two sides’ supporters in Gaza. Beckett, on a two-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, told Army Radio that even with Fatah as a partner, a new Palestinian government would have to subscribe to the demands of the so-called Quartet of international peacemakers... more.. Peretz accuses Syria of "allowing rearmament of Hezbollah" International Middle East Media Center 2/7/2007 Israeli Defense Minister, Amir Peretz, accused on Wednesday Syria of allowing the rearmament of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah party, and said that Israel “has the right to use force against the party to counter its threat”. Israeli online daily Haaretz reported that Peretz, speaking to visiting U. S Jewish leaders stated that Syrian continues to allow the flow of weapons to Hezbollah across the Syrian-Lebanese borders. “We can’t ignore the transfer of weapons and ammunition to Hezbollah”, Peretz said, “We will have to act and use force without any compromises to protect our citizens”. Hezbollah officials denied the Israeli report. On Monday, Israel claimed that the army discovered five explosive devices along the Israel-Lebanon border; the army believes that the explosives were placed recently by Hezbollah fighters. more.. Rafah crossing to reopen on Wednesday for ’humanitarian cases’ Ma’an News Agency 2/7/2007 Palestinians wait at Rafah crossing (Maans)Gaza - Rafah Crossing will be reopened for humanitarian cases in both directions after it was closed on Tuesday, due to chaos in the area as a result of the arrival of thousands of Palestinians, which forced the European monitors to close the crossing fearing security problems. Spokesman of the presidential guards, and crossings and borders, Wael Thahab, announced that the "crossing will be open in both directions from 8am until 5pm for humanitarian cases such as sick people and students in universities outside of the Gaza Strip." Security sources at the crossing said that all facilities and preparations are ready to allow people to pass with no problems. [end] Palestinian unity gov’t worries Israel Jerusalem Post 2/6/2007 Israel is concerned a Hamas-Fatah unity government will create international pressure to negotiate with it even if it doesn’t fully recognize Israel’s right to exist, forswear terrorism and accept previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements - the Quartet’s three principles. Still, there is a large dose of skepticism in Jerusalem that the Palestinians - after the recent factional violence that has killed dozens of people - will be able to agree on a national unity government. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal were scheduled to meet Tuesday in Mecca to discuss the matter. Even if an agreement were reached, there was no guarantee, government officials said, that those in the field would accept it." Each side wants to prove that they have won," one official said. more.. Israel’s current assistance agreement with the U.S. ends Ha’aretz 2/8/2007 Israeli officials have been discussing over the past few months how much financial aid Israel should request from the United States in the coming years. The issue has come up for initial discussions with the Bush administration, and will be raised again at a meeting in Washington next month. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is due to make the final decision on the matter. The Bush administration this week asked Congress for $2. 4 billion in financial aid for Israeli security needs, the highest amount possible under America’s current agreement with Israel. The financial aid issue is on the table once again because the previous agreement expires this budgetary year, after being in effect for a decade. As prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said in 1997 that Israel was interested in reducing, to the point of eliminating, the American funds allocated for civilian purposes in Israel. more.. Syrian President: Syria firm in its support for Hezbollah, Hamas Ha’aretz 2/8/2007 DAMASCUS - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed to keep supporting Hezbollah, an Islamic militia in Lebanon, and Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist party, despite United States pressure on Syria to stop backing the groups, Baath Party members familiar with a speech the Syrian leader gave on Wednesday said. Assad was speaking at the start of a two-day conference of the ruling Baath Party central command, which is expected to set a date before July for a referendum on the renewal of the president’s seven-year term." The president was clear that Syria’s support for the two movements will continue and that their resistance to regain occupied land was a legitimate right," Baath Party member Mostafa al-Meqdad told Reuters. Washington imposed sanctions on Syria in 2004, mainly for backing the two groups... more.. Siniora skips Munich summit to avoid Livni Daily Star 2/8/2007 BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora will not attend a major security conference in Germany this weekend because Israel’s foreign minister was also expected to attend the meeting, a source close to Siniora said Wednesday. "Premier Siniora has apologized for declining an invitation from German Chancellor Angela Merkel to attend the Conference on Security Policy," the source said. "The reason is that Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Livni will participate in the conference," the source added. Often dubbed "the Davos of the security world," the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy will be held in Munich from Friday to Sunday. Separately, Siniora discussed recent domestic developments with former MP Nassib Lahoud, who visited the prime minister on Wednesday at the Grand Serail. more.. Envoy of Palestinian President meets President of Iraq Ma’an News Agency 2/7/2007 Bethlehem - The Palestinian national security advisor, Jibreel Rajoub, has on Wednesday said that President Mahmoud Abbas has delegated him to visit the Iraqi capital, in order to meet the leadership of Iraq and ask them to provide security for the Palestinian refugees there. Rajoub told Ma’an that he has met the Iraqi president, Jalal Talibani in Baghdad and delivered a message to him from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The message included a request to protect the Palestinian immigrants in Iraq, and provide them with health care and education services. "They have had enough suffering and torture"." The Iraqi president has expressed true intentions to contribute to the welfare of the Palestinian immigrants", explained Jibreel Rajoub. more.. Syria waging war against us, says Netanyahu YNetNews 2/7/2007 Opposition leader: Golan must remain part of Israel in any peace agreement -- Syria is waging an indirect war against Israel , Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday "Syria is connected to the axis of evil and Iran. Planes in Syria supply Hizbullah , as do Syrian-made weapons. They are waging war against us actively, and giving refuge to twelve terror groups," he told a Tel Aviv conference organised by the Institute for National Security Studies. The opposition leader said that if Damascus were serious about peace with Israel, it would "first stop attacking us, throw out (Khaled) Mashaal, and disconnect from Iran." "In any peace agreement with Syria, we must remain on the Golan," Netanyahu declared, adding that the "Syrians too would have to compromise if they want peace." more.. Israel to request upgrade in EU standing YNetNews 2/7/2007 Israel scheduled to request status equal to that of Switzerland and Norway -- Israel is trying to upgrade its standing in the European Union to be equal to that of Switzerland and Norway. Although the two countries are not members of the EU, they have free passage for people, capital and merchandise between them and the rest of the EU countries. The Israel-EU Association Council – a council of European foreign ministers who monitor European-Israeli relations – is scheduled to convene in Brussels in March, with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. The Foreign Ministry is examining options of promoting Israel’s standing in the EU at the meeting. The Israeli National Security Council, representatives from ministries, the academia and NGOs are collaborating with the foreign ministry in preparation for the appeal. more.. Ahmadinejad warns of ’deterioration’ YNetNews 2/7/2007 Iranian president says provocative act will lead to the deterioration of hostilities in the region. Iranian supreme leader urges Muslims to revenge Jerusalem dig. Livni: Leaders merely ’inciting religious flames for political gain’ -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Israel’s excavation work at the Mugrabi gate near the Temple Mount was a "provocative action which would lead to the deterioration of hostilities in the region," the Fars news agency reported Wednesday evening. The Iranian president added that "destruction, conflict and tension constitute the nature of the Zionist regime." He also called on the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the world Muslim states to "foil the devilish plot of the Israeli regime," and slammed the United Nations over what he described as "their silence in the face of the incident." more.. UNIFIL deflects border bomb criticism Jerusalem Post 2/6/2007 Deflecting criticism from Israel, sources in UNIFIL cast doubt Tuesday on claims made by the IDF that it had failed to properly perform its duties after five explosive devices were planted along the Israeli-Lebanese border in recent days by Hizbullah. On Monday, defense officials slammed UNIFIL and claimed that the peacekeeping force had failed in its job by not preventing Hizbullah guerrillas from returning to the border and planting the explosive devices, discovered Monday, that were disguised as boulders. The bombs were discovered by troops from Battalion 630 on the Lebanese side of the Blue Line international border and were destroyed by the IDF." What evidence do they have that the bombs were laid recently," asked one senior official in UNIFIL... -- See also: Bombs found 'are old' - Hezbollah more.. Merkel’s Mid-East mission BBC Online 2/7/2007 Even before Germany took over the six-month rotating Presidency of the European Union this year, Chancellor Angela Merkel made it clear that the quest for peace between Israel and the Palestinians would be a priority. In early January she gained President George Bush’s support for a new meeting of the diplomatic steering group - the Quartet - made up of representatives of the European Union, the United Nations, Russia and the United States. That meeting took place in Washington last week. A follow-up meeting is likely to be held in Berlin. But in the wake of the Quartet’s wordy and inconclusive outcome it might be easy to write off Germany’s diplomatic push in the Middle East as just another European effort that is stronger on rhetoric than on any real chance of success. more.. Jordan slams Israeli digging near Al Aqsa Mosque International Middle East Media Center 2/6/2007 King Abdullah of Jordan stated on Tuesday that the Israeli digging near the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem is considered an Israeli attacks against one of the sacred Muslim holy sites, and could disrupt the Arab-Israeli peace talks. King Abdullah stated that the digging is a serious attack against sacred Muslim sites in the Holy City. “This is a blatant violation”, King Abdullah said, “It cannot be accepted under any pretext”. King Abdullah also said that these excavations pose a threat to the foundations of the Al Aqsa Mosque. He added that these excavations are a threat to the whole peace process in the Middle East. In 1996, sever clashes took place between the Palestinians and the Israeli army when Israel dug “an archaeological tunnel” near the Al Aqsa Mosque. 61 Palestinians and 15 Israelis, mainly soldiers, were killed. more.. Saudi king urges Fatah, Hamas not to squander ’long struggle’ Daily Star 2/7/2007 Saudi King Abdullah expressed hope Tuesday that unity talks in the holy city of Mecca would "achieve the aspirations of the Palestinian people" as he met separately with the three top Palestinian leaders. In a parallel development, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Tuesday that he, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would meet on February 19 in Jerusalem. Olmert did not say where the meeting would take place. King Abdullah met with Abbas and later with Khaled Meshaal, the political chief of the Hamas movement, and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah in preparation for official conciliation talks to be held in Mecca on Wednesday. "What’s going on in the land of Palestine serves only the enemies of the Islamic nation," King Abdullah told Abbas... more.. Shaath holds the U.S and Israel responsible for internal unrest International Middle East Media Center 2/7/2007 Palestinian legislator and Fateh leader, Dr. Nabil Shaath, said on Tuesday at night that the United States and Israel are responsible for the internal Palestinian clashes and the political unrest in the occupied Palestinian territories. Shaath told Al-Jazeera Net, that the American and Israeli strategies and the siege both countries led against the Palestinian people caused political clashes between the Palestinian factions, especially Fateh and Hamas, which led to armed clashes. Shaath also said that the Palestinians were always united, and always led their struggle against the Israeli occupation without any internal conflict or clashes. Regarding recognizing Israel, Shaath said that Fateh movement is not demanding Hamas to recognize Israel, but Hamas members who participate in the government must recognize Israel... more.. Abbas: Dig near Al-Aqsa Mosque likely to endanger peace efforts Ha’aretz 2/7/2007 Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday said that Israeli excavation works near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem were likely to endanger regional peace efforts, Israel Radio reported. Abbas added that the excavations demonstrated Israel’s intentions to destroy holy Islamic sites, according to the radio. Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Tuesday said the excavation has led to a dangerous rise in Middle East tensions and could derail the revival of Arab-Israeli peace talks." What Israel is doing in its practices and attacks against our sacred Muslim sites in Jerusalem and al-Aqsa is a blatant violation that is not acceptable under any pretext," the monarch was quoted by the state news agency Petra as saying. "These measures will only create an atmosphere that will not at all help in the success of efforts being undertaken to restore the peace process..." more.. Israel’s Olmert sets Feb.19 for Abbas, Rice talks ReliefWeb 2/6/2007 JERUSALEM, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday he would meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Feb. 19, for a "significant" bid to restart long stalled peace talks. The trilateral talks that could signal a new momentum in diplomatic efforts despite raging factional Palestinian violence in Gaza, will be held in the Middle East, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington. McCormack said Rice "firmly believes that there are the underpinnings in the region that exist to make some progress, to exploit an opening and try to bring the sides closer together". Olmert said in a speech he looked forward to the talks as a "significant" development. He urged the moderate Abbas to resist pressure in his talks in Mecca... more.. Bombs found ’are old’ - Hezbollah BBC Online 2/6/2007 Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas say four explosive devices found by Israeli troops on the border this week were placed there last year. The troops located and safely detonated the devices between the Israeli community of Avivim and the Lebanese village of Maroun al-Ras. The Israelis said they were the first such devices found since the 34-day conflict with Hezbollah last summer. UN observers said they could not confirm when the bombs were placed. ’Defensive measures’"The Islamic Resistance denies that the devices which were found at the Lebanese border with Occupied Palestine in front of the village of Maroun al-Ras were new devices as the Zionist enemy alleges," a Hezbollah statement said. "And it affirms that these devices were planted before the last July war in the context of... defensive measures to prevent ground attacks..." more.. US civilian aid to end in 2008 Globes Online 2/6/2007 Military aid to Israel will be capped at $2. 4 billion. -- The Bush administration yesterday submitted its 2008 fiscal year budget proposal to Congress. The proposal does not include civilian aid to Israel, and caps military aid at $2. 4 billion. The 2008 US budget completes the process begun in the mid-1990s at the initiative of then-Minister of Finance Yaakov Neeman and then-Economic Minister to Washington Ohad Marani. Their plan was designed to wean Israel off US civilian aid, which began with the 1978 Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt. At Camp David, President Jimmy Carter promised civilian and military aid as part of the peace treaty. However, over the years, the civilian aid to Israel began to cause diplomatic and PR problems: why did an advanced country like Israel need aid, rather than poor countries in Africa and Asia? more.. Israeli and Palestinian dignitaries have been conducting ’secret’ peace talks, Maariv claims Ma’an News Agency 2/6/2007 Bethlehem - The Israeli daily newspaper of Maariv has on Tuesday revealed that there have been secret communications between Palestinian and Israeli dignitaries. These talks have so far resulted only in approving the holding of further regional negotiations under American patronage, according to the Israeli paper. However, Maariv reports that the two sides have agreed that dialogue should continue over the final settlement and regarding improvement of the Israeli relations with some Arab and Islamic countries. These improvements are hoped to reach the level of formal diplomatic relations between Israel and countries which have had no formal relations with Israel so far. The newspaper reported that regional countries within the so-called "moderate axis" will take part in dialogue sessions soon. more.. Rafah crossing closed Tuesday noon as European observers withdraw Ma’an News Agency 2/6/2007 Gaza - The Rafah land crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt has been forced to close on Tuesday at noon after the European observer mission working there was obliged to withdraw from their posts due to the chaos at the crossing, according to Palestinian security sources. Our correspondent in Rafah reported that the European monitors had arrived at the crossing on Tuesday morning as normal. The crossing was open for several hours during which the delegates heading to Mecca for the Fatah-Hamas meetings passed through, in addition to hundreds of other Palestinian citizens. However, due to the crowds of people trying to cross, and the ensuing chaos at the crossing, the Europeans withdrew from their posts on Tuesday at noon and the crossing was closed until further notice. more.. Israel closes Rafah Crossing Terminal in Gaza International Middle East Media Center 2/6/2007 Palestinian media sources reported that on Tuesday at noon the crossing that links Gaza to Egypt was closed. After chaos forced the European observer mission who monitors the checkpoint to leave the Israeli army decided to close the crossing. An excessive amount of people crossing is possibly due to the presence of delegates heading to Mecca for the Fatah-Hamas meetings. [end] Rafah Border Crossing Re-Opened International Middle East Media Center 2/6/2007 The European third party which monitors the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt has re-opened the crossing after it was closed by Isreali troops at noon on Tuesday. No information regarding the crossing being open on Wednesday. [end] U.K. Board of Deputies rejects criticism from new Jewish group Ha’aretz 2/7/2007 In response to an article in Haaretz on Tuesday about a new organization in Britain, Independent Jewish Voices, the Board of Deputies of British Jews rejected IJV’s criticism of the board. The left-leaning IJV accused the board of failing to reflect opinions that are critical of Israel and said the organization should not have held a solidarity rally in support of Israel during last summer’s war in Lebanon." As an umbrella body that includes people with a wide range of views, the board tries to reflect this broad feeling of support for the people of Israel without passing comment on every Israeli government policy," the Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies, Jon Benjamin, said. more.. Doha seminar on assistance to Palestinian people concludes ReliefWeb/United Nations General Assembly 2/6/2007 DOHA, 6 February -- The United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People explored during its third plenary session the theme “Looking ahead: Creating conditions for Palestinian economic recovery”. The Former Minister of Public Works and Housing, Palestinian Authority and President, Palestinian Economic Centre for Development and Reconstruction, Mohammed Shtayyeh, said there was no lack of initiatives but a lack of implementation of existing agreements. Another interim agreement would be a failing enterprise. Israelis and Palestinians must go to final negotiations for a permanent solution. Palestinians had more history than geography and the land was shrinking every day, he added. They were 42 years behind the countries of the region and could not afford to walk. Rather, they must jump. more.. Irish foreign minister pledges $14.8 million to UNRWA Ma’an News Agency 2/6/2007 Aida camp (Maans)Bethlehem - On 31 January 2007, the Irish government announced an €11. 4 million ($14. 8 million) aid package to support Palestine refugees, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has reported. Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern made the announcement in the West Bank city of Bethlehem during a four-day visit to the Middle East, UNRWA says in a press release. Mr Ahern visited UNRWA-registered refugee camp, Aida, located adjacent to the illegal separation wall in Bethlehem. The cash will support the agency UNRWA, which delivers services, including education, health and social services, and emergency humanitarian assistance, to over 4. 3 million registered Palestine refugees, in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. more.. Solution to Palestinian humanitarian problems, lasting security for Israel will come only through political settlement, says Secretary-General to Doha meeting ReliefWeb/United Nations Secretary-General 2/5/2007 Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People, delivered by Angela Kane, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, in Doha, 5 February: It is a pleasure to send greetings to the participants in this United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People, held under the auspices of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. I am keenly aware that I have taken up my duties as Secretary-General during a very troubled period for the Middle East, and in particular for efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In recent days alone, we have seen an appalling terrorist attack in Eilat and fratricidal fighting among Palestinians. more.. Public Security Min. dismisses Egypt spy case as ’fabrication’ Ha’aretz 2/6/2007 Israel’s public security minister said on Tuesday there was no basis for Egypt’s decision to charge a dual Egyptian-Canadian citizen with spying for Israel." I talked with people in Israel who probably may know about this issue. I would summarize it in one word - nonsense," Avi Dichter told reporters during a visit to Ottawa." It’s a fabrication," he added. Egypt has also charged three Israelis in absentia with spying. Cairo says the Israelis recruited the Egyptian-Canadian in 2001 and says intelligence agents assisted him in obtaining a residency permit in Canada under a fake name and found him work in a bank. Ottawa protested to Israel in 1997 after Mossad agents using false Canadian passports tried to kill a member of the Islamic militant Hamas movement in Jordan. Israel subsequently promised there would be no repeat of the incident. more.. IDF: UNIFIL enabled planting of bombs Jerusalem Post 2/5/2007 Defense officials slammed UNIFIL and the Lebanese government Monday night, claiming that their "slackness" was what enabled Hizbullah to plant five deadly explosive devices along the border between Israel and Lebanon. IDF officials said it was possible that the bombs were planted as part of a planned kidnapping attack similar to the July 12 abduction of reservists Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser that sparked the war this past summer. Defense Minister Amir Peretz transmitted a harsh-worded message to UNIFIL command in Lebanon and urged the peacekeeping force to crack down on Hizbullah and prevent the guerrilla group from returning to the border and carrying out attacks against Israel. The Northern Command assessed that the bombs found on Monday, just north of Avivim and right along the Blue Line... more.. PM to hold meet after IDF discovers Hezbollah bombs Ha’aretz 2/6/2007 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will hold special consultations Wednesday about the security situation along the northern border after the Israel Defense Forces on Monday discovered five large explosive devices near the Lebanese border, in the vicinity of Moshav Avivim. The meetings will be dedicated to estimating the level of threat from Syria and Hezbollah, six months after the end of the fighting in Lebanon. According to officials in Jerusalem, the talks will not address the possibility of renewing peace talks with Syria. Officers in Northern Command believe the explosives were placed recently by Hezbollah. Wednesday’s meeting will be attended by Defense Minister Amir Peretz, who will hold preparatory consultations on Tuesday, as well as senior IDF and intelligence officials. more.. Minister Ezra calls to release Barghouti Jerusalem Post 2/5/2007 A senior political ally of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s said Monday that Israel should release its most prominent Palestinian prisoner - a man convicted in fatal attacks on Israelis - in a bid to prop up Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Environment Minister Gideon Ezra, former deputy head of the Shin Bet, is the second senior Israeli official to recently advocate the release of Marwan Barghouti of Abbas’s Fatah movement. Barghouti is the most popular leader in the Palestinian territories, and is widely regarded as the only figure able to unify clashing Palestinian factions, rein in militants and get peacemaking with Israel moving again. In 2004 Marwan Barghouti was convicted for five murders and one attempted murder as leader of the Aksa Martyrs Brigades. He was sentenced to five life-terms behind bars. more.. U.S. offers to fund an additional 10,000 of Abbas’ soldiers Ha’aretz 2/3/2007 The United States will expand assistance to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to include about 8,500 members of his national security forces and possibly 1,000 Fatah fighters based in Jordan, U.S. documents show. Providing non-lethal equipment and training to units of Abbas’s National Security Forces, and possibly the Jordan-based Badr Brigade could increase Washington’s role in the power struggle between Abbas’s Fatah faction and the governing Hamas movement. U.S. assistance has largely been limited until now to around 4,000 members of Abbas’s presidential guard. But documents obtained by Reuters on Saturday showed that the U.S. government’s $86. 4 million security assistance program could cover at least 13,500 troops loyal to Abbas. more.. Abbas aides to meet with Rice in U.S. to discuss Mideast summit Ha’aretz 2/5/2007 Envoys of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will meet with United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington this week to prepare the agenda of a Middle East summit, an Abbas aide said Monday. The Israeli-Palestinian-U.S. summit is meant as a step toward resuming talks on a final peace deal. The envoys will tell Rice that the Palestinians oppose further interim arrangements, said Abbas aide Yasser Abed Rabbo, who is heading to Washington with chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. Abed Rabbo said any future peace deal would have to be approved in a referendum, to be held in the Palestinian territories and among exiled Palestinians. He said the Palestinians would also insist on a detailed timeline for implementation and on international backing for the deal. [end] Nasrallah admits ’intelligence failure’ Jerusalem Post 2/3/2007 In an admission which underscores previous statements made by Hizbullah, leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said that his organization suffered from an "intelligence failure" regarding the size and timing of an Israeli response in last summer’s war." Frankly, we were surprised by the size and strength of the response," Nasrallah told Professor Sa’ad A-Din Avrahim, the director of an Egyptian think tank, in an interview which was published Saturday in the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai Al-aam. "I don’t hide the fact that we expected Israel at some point to attack…but the information we had did not suggest they would choose to attack when they did." On the topic of kidnapped IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, Nasrallah told Avrahim that the organization chose to conduct the action as part of an ongoing struggle.... more.. U.S. website: Mossad killed Iranian nuclear physicist Ha’aretz 2/4/2007 A senior nuclear physicist involved in Iran’s nuclear program who died under mysterious circumstances two weeks ago was killed by the Mossad, according to a report released in a U.S. website this weekend. The website - Stratfor. com - features intelligence and security analysis by former U.S. intelligence agents. Professor Ardashir Hosseinpour, a world authority on electromagnetism, was until recently working on uranium enrichment at the facility in Isfahan, one of the central processing sites in Iran’s nuclear program. The physicist died January 18, but news of his death only emerged six days later in two Iranian media outlets. A report released this weekend in Stratfor. com stated that the Mossad was behind Hosseinpour’s death. more.. ’Mossad incapable of operating in Iran’ Jerusalem Post 2/6/2007 According to a report by Iran’s Farsi news agency, the Mossad could not have been behind the death of one of its nuclear scientists three weeks ago, because Israeli operatives cannot penetrate the Iranian security apparatus. An unnamed Iranian official was quoted as saying "None of the Iranian nuclear scientists have been assassinated by the Mossad because the Israeli intelligence agency is basically incapable of running operations inside of Iran." The Iranian dismissal of the Mossad’s capabilities came in response to a report in the Sunday Times of London that attributed the death of nuclear scientist Ardshir Hosseinpour to a Mossad assassination. The official Iranian position on the death of Hosseinpour, a professor at Shiraz University, is that he was killed by fumes from a faulty gas burner while he slept... more.. Egypt asks Interpol to arrest 3 Israelis YNetNews 2/6/2007 Egptian gov’t appeals to international police force to arrest 3 Israelis allegedly part of a spy ring -- Egypt asked the international police organization to arrest three Israelis it accuses of being part of a spy ring, a judicial official said Monday. Egypt’s state security prosecutor on Saturday charged a 26-year-old Egyptian and three Israelis with spying for Israel and harming national interests. Authorities arrested the Egyptian, Mohammed al-Attar, on Jan. 1 after he returned to Cairo from abroad. The three Israelis remain at large, and Egypt’s prosecutor general has instructed the Interior Ministry to request Interpol to arrest them, said the judicial official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to talk to the media.... Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said authorities learned about the case from the media. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
