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for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel News Archives - March 2007 Select News by subject: Conflict • Diplomacy • Government • Human Rights • Economy • People • International |
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IDF strikes in Gaza for first time since truce YNetNews 3/28/2007 Army attacks target in northern Strip from air, hits Qassam launching cell. Palestinians report civilians hurt in strike, one of them sustaining critical wounds. Military sources say no change in policy, targeted killings will not be resumed -- For the first time since the ceasefire declared in November 2006, the Israel Defense Forces struck a target in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday afternoon. According to the army, the target was a Qassam launching cell comprised of three terrorists, who were apparently hit before launching the rockets toward Israel. Palestinians reported that at least four people were injured in the attack, one of them sustaining critical wounds, and that they were all civilians. Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Wednesday evening, "IDF forces hit the launching cell which was about to fire another missile..." more.. 22 year old armed resistance member shot and bled to death in Jenin Camp Palestine News Network 3/28/2007 Palestinian medical sources reported on Wednesday morning the killing of Iyad Mohammed Abu Ghraib Hashab. The 22 year old was a leader of the Fateh-linked armed resistance wing, Al Aqsa Brigades. Members of the armed resistance fought back this morning when at least 40 Israeli military vehicles stormed Jenin Refugee Camp, including two bulldozers. Al Aqsa and Islamic Jihad’s Saraya Al Quds joined together in defending the camp. Israeli forces are reported as having “opened fire randomly” throughout the northern West Bank refugee camp. They shot Hashab in the heart and left him to bleed for an hour. Israeli forces acted in direct contravention to the Fourth Geneva Convention by not allowing ambulances to reach the injured man or to transfer him to a hospital. [end] Israeli army arrests 37 West Bankers Wednesday at dawn Ma’an News Agency 3/28/2007 West Bank - Israeli sources announced that the Israeli forces arrested 37 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday at dawn. Israeli radio reported that the arrests took place in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem, Jenin and Qalqilya, and most of the arrested are members of the Hamas movement, according to the Israeli sources. Palestinian sources reported that an Israeli force broke into the city of Qalqilya, in the northwest of the occupied West Bank, at dawn and arrested six Palestinian men. After ransacking a number of homes across the city, the Israeli army arrested ’Abed Al-Nasser Al-Rabi, Samir Muhammad ’Athbeh, Sa’id Marwan Thiyab, ’Omar Marwan Thiyab, Sa’id Muhammad J’edi, and Ahmed Hassan Saman, claiming that they are ’wanted’. They were taken to an unknown destination. [end] Eight injured in Gaza clashes, Fateh and Hamas trade accusations International Middle East Media Center 3/28/2007 On Wednesday evening, Fateh and Hamas movements traded accusation of exchanges of fire in two separate incidents in Gaza that caused the injury of eight Palestinians, including a leader of the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, his wife and his two children. Also, three members of Fateh movement were injured after rounds of live ammunition were fired at them from a speeding vehicle. The three were moved to Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Moreover, five residents were injured when unknown gunmen fired at the vehicle of Eyad Al Shinbary, one of the leaders of the Al Qassam Brigades, in Beit Hanoun in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The shot were fired at him as he was driving near Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Al Shinbary, his wife and his two children were injured in the attack, two other bystanders were also injured. more.. Gunmen shoot at Hamas militant in Gaza City, wounding 5 people Ha’aretz 3/28/2007 Unidentified gunmen shot at a Hamas militant leader and his family during a car chase through Gaza City on Wednesday, injuring five people, including bystanders and a child, Hamas and hospital officials said. A sports utility vehicle filled with gunman chased the car carrying Abu Salah Shinbari, a Hamas leader from the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, and his wife and two young children, witnesses said. The gunmen jammed Shinbari’s sedan against a parked car and then riddled it with at least 10 bullets, they said. Shinbari’s wife was seriously injured, his children were moderately injured and he was lightly injured, hospital officials said. A bystander was also injured." We are investigating this serious incident," said Islam Shwhan, a spokesman for the Hamas militia. more.. VIDEO - Homesh evacuation concludes YNetNews 3/28/2007 Security forces succeed in concluding evacuation of destroyed West Bank settlement without injuries or violence -- The evacuation of the 300 right-wing activists from the destroyed settlement of Homesh in the West Bank has concluded Wednesday, roughly three hours after the operation began. Two young teenage girls were arrested in the course of the evacuation on suspicion of assaulting policemen. Large numbers of police and IDF officers started evacuating the activists, mostly teenagers, at about 7:30 a. m. Some of the youths at the place have tried resisting and cursed the policemen, who carried them by force into buses. After having spent two days at the site, the activists were ordered to leave Homesh on Wednesday. Some 700 policemen took part in the operation, alongside 300 soldiers... more.. Israeli police use force to clear occupied settlement ReliefWeb 3/28/2007 HOMESH, West Bank, March 28, 2007 (AFP) - Hundreds of Israeli police armed with batons moved into an abandoned settlement in the West Bank on Wednesday to clear about 300 settlers occupying the site, an AFP photographer said. Helmeted police had to drag out some of the right-wing Jewish settlers who had moved this week into the ruins of Homesh, which had been cleared as part of Israel’s so-called disengagement plan in 2005. The settlers, mostly youths, marched on the hilltop settlement under army protection on Monday vowing to reoccupy Homesh and rebuild homes razed by Israeli troops a year and a half ago. Then prime minister Ariel Sharon evacuated Homesh and three other West Bank settlements as part of the now-defunct plan for a partial withdrawal from the territory Israel has occupied since 1967. more.. Factional violence erupts in Gaza leaving 8 injured Ma’an News Agency 3/28/2007 Gaza - Eight Palestinian citizens were injured on Wednesday afternoon in two separate shooting incidents. The leader of the Hamas-affiliated Izzeddin Al-Qassam Brigades Iyad Shanbari’s car was targeted, injuring his wife, 2 children and a bystander. The latter’s injury was reportedly serious. The Qassam Brigades accused Fatah-affiliated gunmen of attacking Shanbari in an attempt to assassinate the Hamas leader. The Brigades said in a statement that "a group within the Fatah movement ambushed Shanbari and shot at his car." The Brigades depicted the perpetrators as ’collaborators’ and threatened that there will be reprisals to the attack. In a separate incident, 3 Fatah members were shot in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. more.. 7 Qassams fired at western Negev; no injuries YNetNews 3/28/2007 Al-Quds Brigades claim responsibility for attacks, say rockets fired in response to Arab League summit in Riyadh -- Seven Qassam rockets landed Wednesday across the western Negev. No injuries were reported in the attacks. The rockets landed in open fields near Ashkelon and Sderot. One of the Qassams fell near a strategic facility in the Ashkelon industrial area south of the city. The al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad’s military wing, claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. A senior official in the organizationtold Ynet that the Qassam fire was in response to the Arab summit in Riyadh; the organization did not accept the initiative, which does not acknowledge the right of return for Palestinians. Ashkelon’s Deputy Mayor Avi Vaknin told Ynet that several drills were carried out in the region... more.. Air force hits Qassam launchers for first time in five months Ha’aretz 3/29/2007 The air force carried out an attack against Palestinian militants launching Qassam rockets from the Gaza Strip yesterday, the first such offensive mission for a number of months. Military sources said IDF forces identified three Palestinians readying to launch Qassam rockets against Israel, near the northern coast of the Gaza Strip, in the ruins of the evacuated settlement of Dugit. Palestinian sources said there were four people in the area and that two suffered serious injuries, while the others were lightly injured. In the morning hours a group of Islamic Jihad militants fired a rocket from the same site. At least seven rockets were launched against targets in Israel, four striking agricultural areas. The landing sites of the other three rockets have not been determined. As part of the cease-fire with Hamas... more.. Al Aqsa Brigades: the retaliation is underway Ma’an News Agency 3/28/2007 The brigades also announced that ’the groups of the martyr Yasser Arafat’ had launched four homemade projectiles at Sderot on Wednesday at 11. 15am. The Brigades declared, in a statement for Ma’an, that the launching of projectiles at Israeli villages and the continuance of the ’Fedayeen’ operations in all regions of occupied Palestine is a response to the ongoing Israeli massacres in the West Bank including one of the brigades’ members in Jenin. Al-Aqsa brigades threatened to be tough in their retaliation for frequent Israeli assassinations of brigade’s leaders in the West Bank. The military spokesperson of the brigades, Abu Thaer, affirmed that "the assassination of the resistance fighter, 21 year old Iyad Hatoub, in the refugee camp of Jenin, in the northern West Bank this morning, as well as the assassination... more.. Near neighbours worlds apart in West Bank ReliefWeb 3/26/2007 GIVON HA’HADASHA, West Bank, March 26 (Reuters) - A deep trench gouged along the planned route of an Israeli barrier cuts Sabri al-Ghorayeb’s house off from the Palestinian village where his relatives live. His other neighbours are Jewish settlers. For now, he can cross the trench over a narrow plank bridge. But his modest bungalow is also fenced off on three sides from the neat, red-tiled Israeli homes and well-paved roads of the settlement of Givon Ha’hadasha that almost surrounds it. Even more formidable than the physical fences and barriers are the mental walls that divide the Palestinian farmer from the settlers sharing the same small hilltop near Jerusalem. Inevitably, both claim the land as their own. Each side distrusts the other. Neither believes peace is possible." more.. Israeli army kills two Al-Aqsa members in a new Nablus incursion Ma’an News Agency 3/27/2007 Nablus - Two members of the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Brigades were killed during clashes with Israeli soldiers in the old city of Nablus on Monday night, according to Palestinian medical sources. Clashes also broke out in Qabatia, south of Jenin, between Israeli Special Forces and Palestinian fighters. Sources in Nablus added that Ala’ Ziad, 26, and Muhannad Imraish, 24, who were members of an Al-Aqsa group called ’Knights of the Night’, were killed after bleeding for hours because the medical crew was not able to approach them after they were injured. The sources added that Ziad bled for an hour and a half and that Imraish was hit in the main artery of his leg, causing heavy bleeding. The director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Services, Dr. Ghassan Hamdan, told Ma’an that both men were injured in the clash and left to bleed for hours. more.. Israeli army invades several West Bank areas and abducts seven civilians International Middle East Media Center 3/27/2007 The Israeli army invaded several West Bank cities and towns, searched homes and abducted seven Palestinian civilians on Tuesday morning. Palestinian sources reported that most of these abductions were made in the West Bank cities of Jenin Ramallah and Nablus. In the meantime, in Hebron city in the southern part of the West Bank one man was abducted when troops attacked and searched homes in western side of the city. The man known as Mohamed Abu Najma, 30, a Palestinian Authority Security officer, was taken to unknown detention camp after troops surrounded and searched his house, his family reported, and added that during the house search Israeli troops totally destroyed the family’s belongings and food supplies stored in the house. In Tulkarem city, in the northern part of the West Bank, a Palestinian official was abducted... more.. Police planning to clear Homesh protesters by early Wednesday Ha’aretz 3/27/2007 Police are planning to evacuate by Wednesday morning the former West Bank settlement of Homesh, where several hundred right-wing protesters have set up camp in recent days in an attempt to reinhabit it. Security forces estimate that some 200-500 protesters, mainly youths, plan to stay on the ruins of the former settlement overnight Tuesday. Israel Police and Border Police have assembled their forces to prepare for the evacuation. Police expect protesters to attempt to prevent the evacuation, which is scheduled for early morning. The Israel Defense Forces will not deal directly with the evacuation, but will serve as a security circle from afar in order to block more protesters from arriving and to prevent any attempts to attack Palestinians. Clashes erupted on Tuesday evening between a group of Palestinian youth and right-wing activists... more.. Israeli army to allow hundreds of right-wing settlers to ’visit’ dismantled settlement International Middle East Media Center 3/27/2007 Israeli media reported on Tuesday that Israeli forces have agreed to allow a right-wing settler remain at the site of the late illegal Homesh settlement in the northern West Bank, in order to conduct her son’s Brit Milah (circumcision) ceremony. After she threatened to hold the ceremony at a checkpoint, Israeli forces caved in to Har Melech-Son’s demands, and permitted two bus-loads of friends and relatives to attend- illegal according to the Entrance into Israel Law. The right-wing Israeli organization behind the chaos, Homesh First, says some 1,500 ’activists’ are at the site. However, the Israeli forces say there are several hundred settlers there, mostly teenagers. Updated from: Thousands of right-wing settlers try to re-occupy dismantled illegal settlement in West Bank -- 3/26/07 - IMEMC & Agencies... more.. Hamas prepares ’rocket war’ in ex-settlement YNetNews 3/27/2007 Terrorists use evacuated lands to test weapons targeted at Israel -- Palestinian terrorist groups on Monday used the former Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim, which was evacuated by Israel in 2005, to test new explosives and rockets for use against the Jewish state, senior members of Hamas’ so-called military wing told WorldNetDaily. The Hamas members said they set up an explosives testing zone in Gush Katif, Gaza’s former slate of Jewish communities evacuated by Israel 17 months ago. They said among the explosives Hamas tested Monday in Neve Dekalim were what they called new "Yassin" rockets, which they said were improved versions of Russian-made rocket propelled grenades. The Hamas members said the rocket was named after late Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin, who was assassinated by Israel in 2004. more.. Undercover Israeli Army Unit Sweeps into Khan Younis International Middle East Media Center 3/27/2007 An undercover Israeli army unit swept early on Tuesday morning into the eastern part of Khan Younis, in the sothern region of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian media sources said that the Israeli army unit stormed the area of Faraheen under a barrage of heavy gunfire, causing fear and panic among the local residents. The Faraheen area has been frequently attacked by the Israeli army since last June. [end] Al-Quds Brigades claim to have detonated an explosive near Har Homa settlement Ma’an News Agency 3/27/2007 Bethlehem - The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, have claimed responsibility for detonating an explosive device next to an Israeli military patrol, west of Bethlehem in the south of the occupied West Bank, on Tuesday at noon. The brigades said in a statement for Ma’an that one of the brigades’ groups was able to detonate an explosive device next to an Israeli military patrol that was passing on a road between Rachel’s Tomb and Har Homa settlement (Abu Ghneim Hill) west of the city of Bethlehem in the West Bank. The brigades claim to have hit the Israeli occupation soldiers. [end] Israeli forces launch 2nd incursion on Nablus in a month amid investigation into army conduct Ma’an News Agency 3/17/2007 Nablus - ma’an - Dozens of Israeli military vehicles raided the occupied Palestinian West Bank city of Nablus on Friday evening, invading from the western entrance to the city. Israeli radio reported that the Israeli army launched an incursion in Ein Beit el Ma refugee camp, north of the city. The operation has been launched a day after the Israeli military authority announced that an investigation will be undertaken into reports of the Israeli army using Palestinians as human shields in the previous incursion of Nablus last month. The Israeli human rights organisation B’T Selem has issued a report accusing the Israeli forces of using Palestinians as human shields. Palestinian security sources informed Nablus TV that ten Israeli military vehicles, accompanied by a bulldozer, besieged the camp of Ein Beit el Ma and fierce clashes erupted between armed Palestinian men and the Israeli forces. more.. Threat to Al Aqsa Mosque greater than ever after media and critics swayed by Israeli campaign Palestine News Network 3/17/2007 A prominent Jerusalem cartographer reported Saturday, “The demolition and excavation that began at Moroccans Gate would allow Israelis and extremist Jews free access to the courtyard of Al Aqsa Mosque while it restricts freedom of movement and access to the Palestinians. ” The popular resistance against the ongoing Israeli aggressions at Al Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem’s Old City have slowed down for the time being, while Israeli forces have accelerated the excavations. A new tunnel beneath the walls of the Muslim holy site is near completion, threatening the mosque with collapse. Director of Al Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Farid Yahya, says that Israeli forces worked day and night at an unprecedented pace to dig a tunnel concealed from view. They managed to do so, the Sheikh said Saturday, by going in through a small shop that they bought... more.. 2 gunmen killed in clashes with IDF YNetNews 3/27/2007 IDF confirms gunfight in Nablus; Palestinians report fatalities from al-Aqsa Brigades -- Two operatives from al-Aqsa’s Martyrs Brigades – Fatah’s military wing - were killed Monday night during exchanges of fire with IDF forces in the West Bank town of Nablus, Palestinian sources reported. The IDF confirmed that their forces shot at gunmen in the city, resulting in at least one definite hit. The Palestinians identified the two fatalities as Mohaned Maraish and Alleh al-Raliz. The two were exchanging fire with IDF infantry forces operating in the old city, the sources said. The IDF reported that the two were responsible for shooting attacks and for hurling explosive devices at Israeli forces in the area. Army officials made it clear that the operational activity against wanted Palestinians in the West Bank was continuing as usual... more.. Protected by the army, Israeli settlers return to Homesh settlement in the northern West Bank Ma’an News Agency 3/26/2007 Jenin - Hundreds of Israeli settlers started on Monday to return to the demolished settlement of Homesh, located southwest of Jenin in the north of the occupied Palestinian West Bank. It is expected that at least 5,000 will arrive at the site from the settlements all over the West Bank, according to Israeli media sources. The head of the local council of Silat Adh-Dhahr, Salih Hantouli, told our reporter that the Israeli forces had stepped up their presence in the area and closed the road between Nablus and Jenin, thereby preventing Palestinians from travelling on that road. He added that the Israeli forces had banned Palestinians from using the road because the settlers would travel on it to reach the settlement. He also said that the settlers intend to arrange a festival in the demolished settlement... -- See also: Dr Barghouthi condemns the Israeli settlers'' return to Hormesh more.. Israeli settlers kill man in northern West Bank Palestine News Network 3/26/2007 Northern West Bank residents near Nablus feared the worst when 51 year old shepherd, Mohammed Hamdan Ibrahim Masjid, did not come home last night. He had taken his flock out early Sunday, but most of them had returned by the evening and Masjid had not. Settlers from Itimar, illegal as all Israeli settlements are, shot and killed the Araba Village man and left his body on the ground. The local search for Masjid had begun early Sunday evening. Israeli forces discovered his body in the fields and closed off the area, preventing farmers from coming to examine or claim the body of their friend and neighbor. Araba’s Mayor, Bani Jaber, said that due to the placement of the body near an electrified fence where the animals would not have gone, it looked as if Masjid had first been kidnapped, resisted and then been killed. more.. 12 Palestinian civilians abducted as Israeli army invades several parts of West Bank International Middle East Media Center 3/26/2007 The Israeli army invaded several parts of the West Bank and abducted at least 12 civilians, among them one child, on Monday morning. The abductions were focused on the cities of Ramallah in the central West Bank, where three civilians were taken, and Hebron city in the southern West Bank where seven were taken. In Hebron city soldiers attacked and searched residents’ houses located in downtown Hebron and in the old city area. Eyewitnesses stated that soldiers forces all families outside during the search. Seven civilians were taken to unknown detention camps. The Israeli army claimed that during the search, troops found one hunting rifle in one of the searched houses and that they abducted the owner. In the northern part of the West Bank, Israeli troops abducted two shepherd boys while they were herding their sheep... more.. Five residents injured in Hamas-Fateh clashes in Rafah International Middle East Media Center 3/27/2007 Palestinian medical sources at Abu Yousef Al Najjar Hospital in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, reported on Monday at night that five residents were shot and injured during clashes between Hamas and Fateh gunmen. The clashes took place in Tal Al Sultan area in Rafah. The five suffered mild-to-moderate wounds, the Maan news agency reported. Palestinian security sources reported that the clashes started with a family feud that led later on to a limited gunfight between Fateh and Hamas gunmen. Meanwhile, local sources reported that members of the Islamic Jihad and other factions interfered to stop the clashes and restored calm to the area. [end] Two Palestinian youths abducted as Israeli army attacks Jenin University International Middle East Media Center 3/26/2007 A massive Israeli army force invaded the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Monday midday then surrounded the American- Arab University, two Palestinian youths were abducted. Troops besieged the university and started to fire rubber coated metal bullets, tear gas and sound bombs at the students, eyewitnesses reported. Clashes erupted when students from the university responded to the invading troops with stones, no injures were reported. Soldiers left the university premises after some time and abducted two youths, among them Lou’e Bani Odah, who is said to be an activist in the Aqsa brigades, the armed wing of Fatah movement. During the dawn hours the Israeli army invaded several parts of Jenin city and nearby Qabatia, Kufer Ra’ie and Faham villages. Soldiers searched and ransacked scores of residents’ homes... more.. Israeli Army Shells a Palestinian Truck in Eastern Gaza International Middle East Media Center 3/26/2007 Israeli army opened fire at a Palestinian truck while driving in eastern Gaza city, Palestinian media sources and medics said. The sources added that the Israeli armored vehicles, stationed to the east of Gaza city, have fired a bomb shell at the truck, causing some damage. Medics confirmed that no causalities were reported in incident. Dr. Mo’awiya Abu Hasanain, director of the emergency department at the Gaza Shifa hospital said that medical crews combed the area right after the shootout. -- See also: Palestinian resistance fighter dies in southern Gaza Strip more.. Hamas fighter killed during training in the Gaza Strip International Middle East Media Center 3/27/2007 The Al Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, stated on Monday at night that one of its fighters was killed during training in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The brigades identified the fighter as Hasan Mohammad Ma’rouf, 36, knownas Abu Ali. In a separate incident, Israeli military sources reported that Palestinian fighters detonated an explosive charge that was placed near the security fence surrounding the Gaza Strip, no injuries were reported. [end] Israeli troops invade a village near Salfit and attack houses International Middle East Media Center 3/26/2007 Israeli forces invaded the village of Qarawit Bani Hassan, west of Salfit city in the northern part of the West Bank, and searched several houses on Monday morning. Troops ransacked families’ belongings and forced the families out of their homes during the search; eyewitnesses reported that soldiers fired sound bombs and live rounds into the searched houses. The army claimed that they were looking for what they call Wanted Palestinians. No abductions were made. [end] Israeli forces arrest 4 Palestinians, Israeli bus stoned, car bombed in the West Bank Ma’an News Agency 3/26/2007 Jenin - Israeli forces apprehended 4 Palestinians in the northern occupied Palestinian West Bank town of Jenin on Monday afternoon. They were charged with stoning an Israeli military patrol. Israeli radio quoted the army as saying that they have found a pistol with bullets on one of the arrestees. In a separate incident, an Israeli bus was stoned near the town of Huwwara, south of Nablus. A Molotov cocktail was hurled at an Israeli car traveling south of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank. No casualties were reported in both incidents. [end] IDF may re-evict Homesh Wednesday YNetNews 3/26/2007 Hundreds remain in former settlement overnight, vow to rebuild Tuesday morning; security forces instructed to intervene, if rebuilding begins -- After a day of calm between security forces and settlers on Monday, police and soldiers are preparing themselves for the possibility to remove people forcibly from the former West Bank settlement of Homesh, which was evacuated during disengagement 2005. Beginning Monday morning, thousands of right-wing activists arrived in Homesh, in a bid to rebuild the settlement. In an effort to prevent violent clashes, the IDF allowed people to arrive on foot, and even spend the night. Only a few hundreds rightists remained in the former settlement after nightfall Monday night, most of them teens. The army announced it will not allow marchers to rebuild the settlement. more.. MP says conflict with Israel crippled state’s ability to protect environment Daily Star 3/27/2007 BEIRUT: The head of Parliament’s Environment Committee, Democratic Gathering bloc MP Akram Chehayeb, said Monday that "the most dangerous result of last summer’s war with Israel was the hampering of the state’s capacity to set up environmental policies." Speaking during a news conference held at the headquarters of the Order of Engineers and Architects in Bir Hassan, Chehayeb said that most of the state’s administrations could bear difficult conditions "like the ones we are currently witnessing, except the environmental affairs administration." "Damage resulting from hampering the work of the environmental affairs administration will undoubtedly have long-term effects," Chehayeb said.... Abboud said that last summer’s war had inflicted severe damage on animals, exceeding $20 million. more.. Palestinian resistance fighter dies in southern Gaza Strip International Middle East Media Center 3/26/2007 One resistance fighter from the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, was announced dead on Monday morning in Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip. The Brigades issued a press release stating that Hassan Yousif, 38, a field leader of the Brigades was killed during a resistance operation on Monday. The press release did not include any information about the resistance operation. Later during the day, Israeli tanks stationed near the Karni commercial crossing east of Gaza City shelled a Palestinian civilian truck driving on the main road between the city and the crossing. The truck was completely destroyed, but no injuries were reported. -- See also: Israeli Army Shells a Palestinian Truck in Eastern Gaza more.. An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades fire projectiles at Israeli village creating ’huge explosion’ Ma’an News Agency 3/26/2007 Gaza - The An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), claimed responsibility on Monday for launching 2 homemade projectiles at the small Israeli village of Nerim, east of the Gaza Strip. The brigades said in a statement that the operation was filmed and a huge explosion was seen. [end] Salah Addin Brigades fire two projectiles at Israeli kibbutz east of southern Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 3/26/2007 Bethlehem - The An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), announced their responsibility on Monday morning for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli kibbutz of Nirim, located east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The brigades assured in a statement for Ma’an that this launching came in retaliation for the screaming of Yusra Rabai’a, who was attacked by an Israeli army dog last week, and in response to the Israeli aggressions towards the Palestinian people. The brigades assured that they will stick to their choice of resistance until the full liberation of the Palestinian lands. [end] Arrow anti-missile system passes test YNetNews 3/26/2007 Test launch meant to examine improvements to interception system ends successfully -- Israel’s Arrow 2 anti-ballistic missile system successfully passed a test-launch meant to examine the interceptor’s engineering data following new improvements. The system did not have a target to hit in this experiment. The defense establishment reported that the test, carried out at Palmahim base on Monday, went as predicted. A senior defense establishment source said that the interceptor in its new form was now 20 percent more cost-effective. "The interceptor is cheaper, but beyond that, improvements have been installed in it in several different areas related to sensors and electronics, which are meant to ensure that the system has all the needed features to deal with future threats," said the source. more.. Gaza Violence Continues Despite Unity Government MIFTAH 3/24/2007 Over the past 72 hours, five people have been killed in the Gaza Strip as a result of renewed infighting between the two rival movements, Hamas and Fateh despite the formation of the new national unity government announced last week. The clashes, which flared up on Wednesday in the Strip, have claimed several lives, including two-year-old Hasan Abul Nada, who was killed while inside his home. According to media sources, armed confrontations were taking place in the vicinity of Abul Nada’s home, particularly around the home of Samih Al Madhoun, an Aqsa Martyrs Brigade leader, the armed wing of Fateh. Along with the child, Al Madhoun’s bodyguard, Rami Srour, was also shot and killed and eight others injured. A third person, reportedly a Fateh loyalist, was also said to have been killed during the fighting. more.. Water supply still scarce in Lenbanon south Middle East Online 3/24/2007 Water shortage problem increased after Israeli bombardment of water tanks, springs, pipelines. -- KHIYAM, Lebanon - Water supply to hundreds of thousands of people across southern Lebanon remains the priority development issue, say officials, seven months after Israel’s bombardment of the area severely damaged an already inadequate water and sanitation system. The UN Children’s Agency, UNICEF, is implementing a series of projects across Lebanon to improve water supply, through its Water, Environment, Sanitation and Hygiene (WESH) unit. According to WESH figures, only 56 percent of Lebanese are connected to the mains water supply, which in poorer rural areas sometimes only works one day a week. Nearly one in three Lebanese buy drinking water while average leakages of 50 percent from pipes... more.. Hamas fighter killed, nine injured in internal clashes in Gaza International Middle East Media Center 3/14/2007 Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Tuesday at night that a Hamas fighter was killed and nine others were injured during internal clashes that took place in Gaza City. Dr. Jom’a Al Saqqa, head of the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza reported that Ala’ Al Haddad, 35, was killed after he was hit by several rounds of live ammunition. Al Saqqa added that four members of the Executive Force, formed by Hamas, were injured after shots were fired at them as they were patrolling Asqoula area, in Gaza City. Two of them are in serious conditions. Also, five Palestinian residents were injured during further clashes that took place in Gaza. Meanwhile, Abu Obeida, media spokesperson of the Al Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, accused “suspicious gunmen” of executing Al Haddad and injuring several members of the brigades. more.. Israeli settlers attack Palestinian workers in the old city of Hebron International Middle East Media Center 3/13/2007 A group of right wing Israeli setters attacked a number of Palestinian workers in the old city area of Hebron city, in the southern West Bank on Tuesday at midday. The Palestinian workers were renovating one of the historical old Palestinian houses located near the Israeli illegal settlement of Ibraheem Abino, in the old city, when the attack took place. The workers stated the setters attacked them with stones and batons but reported no serious injures, and added that Israeli troops were in the area but did not intervene. The house that is being renovated is a historical house that belongs to Yousif Al Sharabati. Settlers tried to take the house by force several years ago but couldn’t, so they demolished parts of it. The reconstructing committee in the city of Hebron was the sponsor of the rebuilding and renovation of the house. [end] Israeli army abducts three civilians from Hebron city International Middle East Media Center 3/13/2007 Israeli troops abducted three Palestinian civilians from the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday midday. Israeli troops abducted three Palestinian civilians from the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday midday. Soldiers attacked and searched residents’ homes located in Khilit Al Magharbi neighborhood in the western side of the city, then took three men to unknown locations, among those abducted was Mustafa Al Qawasmi, aged 38, eyewitnesses reported. [end] Israeli army abducts one civilian near Ramallah International Middle East Media Center 3/13/2007 The Israeli army abducted one Palestinian civilian at a military checkpoint near the central West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday afternoon. Sami Hussen, 41, from the village of Surda near Ramallah was stopped at a mobile Israeli army checkpoint as he was leaving the city of Ramallah to travel to his village. Eyewitnesses reported that soldiers took Hussen’s laptop and cell phone, then handcuffed him and took him away." The Israeli army abducted one Palestinian civilian at a military checkpoint near the central West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday afternoon. Sami Hussen, 41, from the village of Surda near Ramallah was stopped at a mobile Israeli army checkpoint as he was leaving the city of Ramallah to travel to his village. Eyewitnesses reported that soldiers took Hussen’s laptop and cell phone, then handcuffed him and took him away. [end] One dead and several injured as clashes erupt anew in Gaza City Ma’an News Agency 3/13/2007 Gaza - One Gazan citizen was killed and 9 injured in crossfire in Gaza City on Tuesday evening. Palestinian medical sources announced the death of Alaa’ Al-Haddad aged 35, who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen. Al-Haddad is one of the Izzeddin Al-Qassam Brigades leaders in the city. Izzeddin Al-Qassam Brigades are the militant wing of the Hamas movement. The director of Ash-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Dr Jum’ah As-Saqa, said that 4 members of the Hamas-affiliated Executive Force were injured at the Asqula crossroads. One was seriously injured and the others moderately injured. In a separate incident, the director of ambulance services in the Palestinian ministry of health, Dr Mu’awiya Hasanein, affirmed that at least 7 Gazans were injured. more.. Palestinians: IDF kills militant near West Bank city of Jenin Ha’aretz 3/12/2007 Israel Defense Forces troops killed a Palestinian militant in the West Bank on Monday during a clash with gunmen, a Palestinian security official said. The official said three Palestinian gunmen were involved in the exchange with an Israeli patrol near the village of Al-Zababteh, south of the West Bank city of Jenin. The Israeli military said in a statement Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a force operating in the area and it returned fire. The statement said none of the troops were wounded. Shin Bet: 3 Hamas men arrested in Feb. for bid to snatch IsraelisIt was not immediately clear to which militant group the gunmen belonged. The Shin Bet security service Monday announced the arrest of three Hamas militants in early February over repeated attempts to kidnap Israeli citizens. more.. Israeli army attacks a school and injures three children near Hebron International Middle East Media Center 3/12/2007 Israeli forces invaded a Palestinian elementary school in the village of Ithnah, west of Hebron in the southern West Bank on Monday midday. Soldiers shot sound and tear gas bombs at the children, clashes erupted when children tried to stop heavily armored soldiers with small stones. During the clashes three students were injured when soldiers chased a group of small school girls and attacked them with batons, among those there were Worod Al Timizi, 8 yeas old, medical sources reported. The medical sources added that the Palestinian medical teams treated scores of gas inhalation cases. Local sources reported that one small boy was abducted by the Israeli soldiers during the clashes but did not report his name. [end] Hebron man shot in the back, left on the ground for half hour Palestine News Network 3/12/2007 A young Palestinian man was seriously injured in the West Bank on Monday. Israeli forces shot Mohammad Wardeh in the back while he was visiting Abu Dis, a suburb of Jerusalem. Palestinian security sources in Hebron City’s Joint Chamber of Operations reported that after Israeli soldiers shot Wardeh, they left him on the ground for half an hour. He is currently in Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital. The resident of Hebron’s Dahariya Village had friends in Abu Dis, a town that hosts a branch of Al Quds University along the West Bank route between Bethlehem and Ramallah. As reported in an additional Hebron security brief, Israeli forces arrested two Palestinians from Dura Village on Monday. During the early morning hours soldiers broke into several houses in the southwestern town. more.. Senior Hamas militant killed in clashes with Fatah in Gaza Strip Ha’aretz 3/11/2007 A senior Hamas militant was killed Sunday in fighting with members of the rival Fatah movement in the northern Gaza Strip, marking the first fatality in such clashes since the two sides agreed a month ago to form a unity government. Explosions from mortar bombs and rocket-propelled grenades shook the town of Beit Hanun in the early hours after a shootout for which each side blamed the other. The fighting died down by morning at the urging of Hamas and Fatah leaders. Seven Palestinians were wounded, including at least one Hamas gunman and two from Fatah, local residents and doctors said. The violence broke out just hours after Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said a unity government would be announced in the next few days.... more.. Palestinian National Security Officer Abducted in Northern Gaza International Middle East Media Center 3/12/2007 Palestinian security sources reported Monday that members of the Qassam brigades, the military wing of Hamas, jointly with other members of the executive force, abducted Jamil Alzenati, an officer of the Palestinian national security forces and Ahmad Rezeq, a soldier of the same forces. The sources said that the abduction took place near the post of the first battalion of the national security forces in the northern Gaza Strip, and that the abducted were taken to an unknown destination. Meanwhile, unknown gunmen shelled early on Monday the house of a Fatah leader in the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Hanoun. Palestinian security sources confirmed that mortar shells have been fired at the house, while no causalities are reported. more.. Palestinians: IDF fire wounds two fishermen near Rafah shore Ha’aretz 3/11/2007 According to Palestinian reports, two fishermen from Gaza were wounded Sunday morning from Israel Defense Forces fire near the Rafah shore. According to IDF sources, Saturday night three small Palestinian motor boats were seen approaching the Egyptian shore and joining an Egyptian boat. Sunday morning, the army said, the boats tried to return to the Gaza Strip, and a navy boat fired warning shots to stop them from approaching. What the boats did not stop, the navy boat began firing at the boats directly and wounded two Palestinians. Despite the fire, the boats were able to make it to shore, and IDF sources said the boats probably smuggled something into Gaza. Gaza sources told the Ma’an news agency that the two wounded Palestinians are Gaza residents. more.. Israeli army injures a Palestinian civilian from Hebron International Middle East Media Center 3/12/2007 A Palestinian civilian from the village of Al Thahria near the southern West Bank city of Hebron was shot by the Israeli army in the city of Jerusalem late on Sunday night. Mohamed Al Waridat, 22, was shot with a live round in the back in Abu Dies village near Jerusalem city. Israeli soldiers who shot him did not allow medical teams to get to the man for more than half an hour, then eventually allowed an Israeli ambulance to take him to and Israeli hospital, eyewitnesses reported. Medical sources reported that the man sustained critical wounds. On Monday morning the Israeli army invaded several parts of Hebron city and nearby villages. Troops searched and ransacked residents’ houses then abducted Mohamed Amro, 23, and Mohamed Kamil, 45, from the village of Al Thahria. Halhol and Yatta villages near the city were also attacked... more.. Sewer of Ariel settlement destroys natural sceneries in Salfit International Middle East Media Center 3/12/2007 Ariel settlement, one of the biggest settlement blocs in the occupied West Bank, dumps its sewer in the valleys of of Salfit district, in the northern part of the West Bank, destroying its natural sceneries and parks used by the residents. These areas because totally abandoned as a result of the bad smell and pollution caused by the reckless dumping of sewer by Ariel Israeli settlement. Resident Othman Mohammad, one of hundreds of local farmers, stated that the residents used to visit Al Matwy area in holidays and feasts, but now the whole area, including an area where a natural spring is located became totally deserted. “These areas became filled with bad smell, and became polluted”, Mohammad stated, “The sewer of Ariel settlement is flooding the area and destroying it”. more.. Extremist Israeli settlers plan to reenter and rebuild evacuated Hermesh settlement Ma’an News Agency 3/12/2007 Bethlehem - The electronic website of the Israeli newspaper, Maariv, stated on Monday that five extremist Israeli settler organisations are finalising a new plan to rebuild the evacuated settlement of Hermesh in the northern occupied Palestinian West Bank. The settlement was evacuated as part of the Israeli unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank. The website reported that the settlers organisations have specified the Easter holiday period for reoccupying the settlement, following completion of ongoing preparations in the preceding weeks. The group comprises of settlers who were evacuated from Hermesh and Sa-Nur. The Israeli military have not withdrawn from these two settlements and have not handed them over to the Palestinian authorities. [end] Israeli army abducts at least 21 Palestinian civilians from Jenin district International Middle East Media Center 3/12/2007 Israeli forces invaded several areas in the Jenin district in the northern part of the West Bank and abducted at least 21 Palestinian civilians. 20 civilians were abducted from the village of Al Zababdah, south of Jenin city; local sources reported that an Israeli army force invaded the village at around 2 am on Monday morning and conducted a wide scale search campaign in the village. Soldiers fired live rounds and sound bombs during the invasion, no injuries were reported. The sources added that Israeli troops targeted mostly students of the Arab American University, which is located near the village. Since the university is near the village the majority of the students rent rooms in the village.... In the meantime, another Israeli force invaded the city of Jenin and searched a number of residents houses located in the city center... more.. Israeli forces arrest 3 Palestinian policemen in Hebron Ma’an News Agency 3/12/2007 Hebron - On Monday morning two Palestinian police vehicles and a motorcycle were stopped at an Israeli checkpoint on the Halhul Bridge, north of Hebron, in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. The soldiers at the checkpoint called for back-up because the Palestinian policemen were armed. The forces arrested 3 policemen and confiscated all their weapons. The Palestinian policemen were headed to disperse a family fight in Halhul as part of a Palestinian effort to enforce security following a rise in criminal activity in Hebron. In 1997, an agreement was signed between the Israelis and the Palestinians called the ’Hebron agreement’ according to which the city was divided into two areas, H1 and H 2 with one part under Israeli authority and the other under Palestinian authority. [end] Israeli forces abduct two students, allegedly Islamic Jihad activists near Jenin Ma’an News Agency 3/12/2007 Jenin - Israeli special units on Monday abducted two Islamic Jihad activists near Jenin, in the northern occupied Palestinian West Bank. The abductees were en route to Al Yamun, returning home from Al-Quds Open University in Jenin, where they are students. Local sources stated that the activists were 24 year old Shahir Zayid and Ayman Zayid, aged 23. The Israeli special units obstructed a taxi they were travelling in and arrested the two young men. [end] Al-Aqsa Brigades fire three projectiles at Sderot Ma’an News Agency 3/12/2007 Gaza - The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main armed wing of the Fatah movement, claimed responsibility on Monday for launching three homemade projectiles at the southern Israeli town of Sderot. They said in a statement that the shelling came as part of the "operation which started in retaliation for the Israeli excavations near Al-Aqsa mosque." They warned that, "blood leads to blood; murder leads to murder; and destruction leads to destruction. [end] PFLP’s armed wing fire two projectiles Ma’an News Agency 3/12/2007 Gaza - The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed group affiliated to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), claimed responsibility on Monday for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli community of Meir Akiva. The brigades affirmed in a statement that the operation came as part of the "natural right to retaliate for the Israeli occupation’s atrocities against the Palestinian people. [end] Top IDF officer: PM did not order advanced preparation for war Ha’aretz 3/12/2007 A senior Israel Defense Forces officer on Sunday challenged Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s assertion that he had ordered the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for a military operation along the northern border months before the second war in Lebanon broke out last summer. In an interview with Haaretz, the officer said he was unaware of such an order, adding that the Northern Command and Galilee Division did not get a response to their warnings of a shortage of personnel along the northern border and concern over possible abductions. Before the war, said the officer, Olmert spoke of a severe reaction if there was an abduction along the border, but did not comprehend what such a reaction entailed or how Hezbollah would act in such a situation. more.. Gunmen fire on Hamas minister’s car Middle East Online 3/10/2007 Security forces arrests two gunmen as two others escape after shooting at prison affairs minister. -- Gunmen opened fire on the convoy of a Hamas government minister on Saturday, threatening to complicate talks on a Palestinian national unity government a day after prime minister-designate Ismail Haniya was given another fortnight to form it. The incident sparked a roadside firefight in which three people were wounded, highlighting the tensions still simmering after months of deadly clashes between rival factions -- even as negotiations over a landmark unity cabinet appeared to be nearing a successful conclusion. One day ahead of his Sunday meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas extended by two weeks the deadline for Haniya to form the unity government. more.. IDF soldiers kill Palestinian near security fence along Gaza Strip Ha’aretz 3/10/2007 Israel Defense Forces troops on Friday shot and killed a Palestinian man who approached the security fence along the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said. The IDF confirmed that soldiers shot at two Palestinians behaving suspiciously near the fence in central Gaza, saying they were believed to be planting an explosive device. The army said one of the two were hit, but didn’t know if he was killed. Palestinian medical and security officials confirmed the 30-year-old man was killed. They said it was not clear what he was doing near the fence. Meanwhile Friday, a Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit the western Negev, causing no damage or injuries. [end] Israel planned for Lebanon war months in advance, PM says The Guardian 3/9/2007 Olmert’s leaked testimony contradicts earlier remarks · Criticism from inquiry may force resignation -- Preparations for Israel’s war in Lebanon last summer were drawn up at least four months before two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped by Hizbullah in July, Ehud Olmert, the prime minister, has admitted. His submission to a commission of inquiry, leaked yesterday, contradicted the impression at the time that Israel was provoked into a battle for which it was ill-prepared. Mr Olmert told the Winograd commission, a panel of judges charged with investigating Israel’s perceived defeat in the 34-day war, that he first discussed the possibility of war in January and asked to see military plans in March. According to the Ha’aretz daily, which obtained details of Mr Olmert’s testimony, the prime minister chose a plan featuring air attacks... -- See also: PM: Plan for Lebanon war made months in advance more.. IAF starts incorporating drones that can better identify rocket fire Ha’aretz 3/7/2007 The Israel Air Force began incorporating on Wednesday the new "Shoval" drone, which according to the Israel Defense Forces has an improved ability to identify the launch of projectile rockets such as Katyushas and Qassams. The army said the drones will also be able to provide better assistance to troops on the ground. Shoval is the IAF nickname for the "Mahatz" drone manufactured by the Israel Aircraft Industries. The drone, which is manufactured entirely by Israeli security industries, is considered the largest in the world, with a 16-meter wingspan. It will gradually replace the older Sarcher model. The new drone has the ability to carry a 250-kilogram payload and fly at altitudes of up to 30,000 feet. The drone also has advanced surveillance and communications systems. The IAF intends to purchase a series of drones of this model. more.. Israeli forces apprehend 13 school students in Al-Arroub refugee camp Ma’an News Agency 3/7/2007 Hebron - Israeli forces apprehended on Wednesday morning 15 Palestinians in Al-Arroub refugee camp, south of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank. 13 of those arrested were high school students. According to Palestinian security sources, the Israeli forces arrested the 13 students while they were heading to school in the nearby town of Beit Ummar after stopping the bus which was transporting them. The arrested youths were named as: Abdul Fattah Ayyoub, Anwar Ar-Ra’i, Khalil Al-Hileiqawi, Diya’ Abu Hashhash, Sa’id Ash-Sharif, Murad Ash-Sharif, Noor Ar-Ra’i, Mu’tasim Nofal, Ali Al-Badawi, Mu’taz Al-Khouri, Malik Nimir and Awad Ash-Sharif. Most of the students are aged 16 and 17. In addition to the students, the Israelis apprehended Amjad Jawabra from Arroub refugee camp and Hisham Zghayyar from the city of Hebron. [end] Israeli army ransacks kindergarten in southern Bethlehem, forcibly closes it Ma’an News Agency 3/7/2007 Bethlehem - The Israeli army forcibly closed down a kindergarten in a village, south of Bethlehem, on Wednesday. At dawn, Israeli military vehicles broke into the village of Beit Fajjar, located south of the city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. The soldiers stormed the village’s ’Zakat’ (Islamic alms-giving) committee offices and its kindergarten, media sources reported. The Israeli soldiers ransacked the office, damaging much equipment, and confiscated computers and files before closing down the office. [end] Students taken from road enroute to high school Palestine News Network 3/7/2007 Israeli forces arrested 13 students from northern Hebron’s Al ’Arroub Refugee Camp on Wednesday. The young people were on their way to the high school in nearby Beit Ummar Village this morning when Israeli soldiers stopped them. Sources from Al ’Arroub told PNN that a military jeep on the main Hebron – Jerusalem Street, the same road that runs through Bethlehem to the north, took the students. It is believed that the 13 are in the Etzion Detention Center in the nearby settlement bloc by the same name. The students are Abdel Fattah Ibrahim Ayoub, Anwar Ismail Kafeel, Khalil Haliqwowi, Dia’ Kamal Abu Heshesh, Sobhi Said Al Sharif, Murad Jasir Al Sharif, Majid Nur Kafeel, Muatasim Ghazi Nofal, Jamal Badawi, Motaz Jamal Al Khouri, Sa’eb Youssef Nimr and Awad Mohammad Sharif. The identity of one of the boys is unknown. [end] Four youth shot and injured near Wall in western Ramallah Palestine News Network 3/7/2007 Palestinian medical sources report that four youth were injured in the central West Bank on Tuesday. The young people threw stones at Israeli forces and the Wall in western Ramallah’s town of Beitunia, while soldiers opened fire early yesterday evening. Four young people were shot and injured. Those hospitalized are 12 year old Hatem Al Ashqar, 12 year old Issa Ahmed, 18 year old Mousa Ahmed, and 18 year old Mohammad Abdel Fattah. All have grown up in Beitunia, a town that is now shadowed by the Wall and controlled by the Israeli forces that surround it. Medical sources told PNN, “Three of the young people sustained injuries that were treatable. A fourth required surgery after being shot in the stomach, but he is now in stable condition." [end] VIDEO - Hebron settlers filmed throwing rocks at Palestinians YNetNews 3/8/2007 Just two months after shocking footage of settler cursing Palestinian in Hebron revealed, yet another video shows settler children throwing rocks at Palestinian homes. Muhammad Abu Aisha: ’I yelled to the soldiers and policemen standing 70 feet away but they pretended they couldn’t see’ -- VIDEO - "The settlers continue to curse us and throw rocks at us, including the cursing settler Ifat Elkobi. Only this time she’s being smarter about it. She brings friends who live outside this area so we can’t recognize them and then can’t complain about them," 70-year-old Muhammad Abu-Aisha said on Wednesday night of the harassment and humiliation he suffers at the hands of his settler neighbors. According to Abu-Aisha after the video of Elkobi was released the harassment lessened for several days, but since then it has returned to its original level. more.. Israeli authorities demolish unrecognized Bedouin village in the northern Negev Ma’an News Agency 3/7/2007 Negev - The Israeli authorities are demolishing the unrecognized Bedouin village of At-Twayyil Abu-Grul in the northern Negev desert, located in southern Israel, according to a statement from the Regional Council of Unrecognized Villages in the Negev. The council reported that Israeli bulldozers and police vehicles invaded the village near Laqiya, on the edge of Beer Sheva, on Wednesday morning. The demolition is reported to be continuing. [end] Israeli forces besiege Palestinian military intelligence headquarters, arrest all staff on duty and seize weapons Ma’an News Agency 3/7/2007 Ramallah - Israeli occupation forces arrested 18 Palestinian activists from the Palestinian military intelligence headquarters in Umm Ash Sharayet, south of the West Bank city of Ramallah, on Wednesday morning. Palestinian security sources said that 13 were activists from the Al Aqsa Brigades, the main military wing of Fatah; three from Tulkarem, one from Nablus, six from Ramallah and three from Jenin. One of the arrestees is believed to be an Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades member, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), from Ramallah and four are as yet unidentified. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that on Wednesday morning a huge contingent of Israeli military jeeps and vehicles, accompanied by bulldozers, besieged the headquarters and summoned the ’wanted’ Palestinians using loudspeakers. -- See also: IDF arrests 18 in Ramallah raid on PA security compound more.. PM: Plan for Lebanon war made months in advance Ha’aretz 3/8/2007 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Winograd Commission that his decision to respond to the abduction of soldiers with a broad military operation was made as early as March 2006, four months before last summer’s Lebanon war broke out. The commission, which is investigating the second Lebanon war, is expected to issue its interim report this month. It has sent testimony to attorneys representing individuals who could be harmed by its conclusions. Olmert testified before the Winograd Commission on February 1, and its questions focused on three basic issues: the circumstances surrounding Amir Peretz’s appointment as defense minister; how and why the decision was made to go to war on July 12, several hours after reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were abducted by Hezbollah guerrillas on the northern border.... more.. Al Quds Brigades bomb two Israeli targets in retaliation for assassination of ’martyrs’ Ma’an News Agency 3/7/2007 Tulkarem - A cell of the Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility on Wednesday morning for detonating an explosive device near a checkpoint close to the separation wall in the Shwekeh region north of Tulkarem, on Tuesday. The brigades informed Ma’an that the operation was in response to the Israeli army’s assassination of an activist from the brigades, Fadl Mitlak Balawneh, on 25th January and a general retaliation to Israeli crimes and assassinations of Palestinian resisters. The Al Quds Brigades also claimed responsibility for detonating an explosive device at an Israeli infantry force near Qaffin, north of Tulkarem. The brigades declared, in a statement: "The groups of the martyr leader Ashraf Al-Sa’di affiliated to Al Quds Brigades were able to detonate an explosive device in an Israeli infantry force..." more.. With bulldozers and soldiers at the door, Jerusalem home owner buys time Palestine News Network 3/7/2007 After three more demolitions in A-Tur on Monday, the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem Municipality postponed the destruction of Mohammad Silva’s two-story house yesterday. The resident of the Mount of Olives neighborhood paid thousands of shekels in order to keep his home just a bit longer. On Tuesday a large contingent of Israeli soldiers, police and border guards arrived at Silva’s house, accompanied by dogs and bulldozers. They surrounded the area, forced residents into the street and began throwing furniture under the pretext that the home had been built without first obtaining a permit from the Israelis. The owner of the house went quickly with lawyer Ra’ed Zayed to the Municipal Court to buy an order to postpone demolition of the 130 square meter house built 25 years ago. [end] Palestinian man arrested at Huwwara checkpoint Ma’an News Agency 3/7/2007 Nablus - The Israeli forces arrested on Wednesday at noon a young man at Huwwara military checkpoint, located south of the city of Nablus in the north of the occupied West Bank. Our correspondent in Nablus reported that the arrested man was named as Annas Muhammad Al-Haj, 21. He is a resident of Balata refugee camp east of Nablus city. [end] Israeli army invades several parts of the West Bank and abducts 12 civilians International Middle East Media Center 3/6/2007 Israeli forces invaded several parts of the West Bank and abducted 12 Palestinian civilians on Tuesday morning. In the southern part of the West Bank, the Israeli army invaded the village Zawita near Nablus city. Soldiers searched and ransacked a number of homes them abducted Islam Judah, 18, and Mihsin Albawi, 23, and took them to unknown detention camps. In the meantime, also in the northern part of the West Bank, an Israeli army force invaded the city of Jenin, Jenin refugee camp, the nearby Kufer Ra’ie and Qabatia village, three civilians were abducted. Dia’e Milhem, 22, Mahmod Milhem, 21, were taken from their houses in Kufer Ra’ie village while Ahmad Abu Al Rub, was taken from his home in Qabatia village. In Jenin city and Jenin refugee camp Israeli forces invaded the area and started to search some homes... more.. Israeli Army Sweeps into Northern Gaza International Middle East Media Center 3/7/2007 Palestinian security sources reported that the Israeli army has swept late on Tuesday night into the northern Gaza Strip city of Bet Hanoun. The sources said that an Israeli infantry force, backed by warplanes, has swept into the eastern part of Beit Hanoun and taken over two houses in the area. No further details were reported. [end] Israeli army shoots and injures two Palestinian civilians near Ramallah International Middle East Media Center 3/6/2007 On Tuesday riots broke out in the West Bank village of Beitunia, near Ramallah. Israeli media reported that angered civilians threw stones at Israeli occupation forces and tried to dismantle part of the illegal wall. Troops shot and injured two civilians, who were rushed to Ramallah Hospital by the Red Crescent. It is not clear why Israeli troops were in the area in the first place. [end] IDF arrests 18 in Ramallah raid on PA security compound Ha’aretz 3/7/2007 Israel Defense Forces troops raided the Palestinian military headquarters in Ramallah early Wednesday and arrested 18 fugitives who had sought shelter there, Palestinian security officials said. In the raid, some 30 military jeeps surrounded the building. Troops firing stun grenades and shooting in the air called on the fugitives to surrender, then entered the compound and seized 18 wanted men, the security officials said. Among those taken was Khalil Shilo, a member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a violent offshoot of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement. Shilo had been on the run for seven years, since the outbreak of the second Palestinian uprising in 2000. The operation came a week after an IDF arrest sweep through the West Bank city of Nablus. more.. Armed resistance launches projectiles from Gaza Strip, four Israelis injured Palestine News Network 3/6/2007 Saraya Al Quds claimed responsibility for launching two “Al Quds III” projectiles Tuesday which landed in Askelon. Four Israelis were injured and are being treated in an area hospital. The armed resistance wing of Islamic Jihad said the act came in response to the assassination of three leaders of Saraya Al Quds in Jenin. A statement issued today emphasized that it would continue firing from the Gaza Strip. [end] 2 Qassam rockets fired from Gaza Strip YNetNews 3/6/2007 One rocket lands in Ashkelon’s industrial zone, causes damage to building; four workers lightly injured -- Two Qassam rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip Tuesday morning toward the city of Ashkelon. One of the rockets landed in the city’s southern industrial zone, where a building was slightly damaged. Four workers were lightly injured and were rushed to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon. The second rocket landed in an open area near Kibbutz Zikim. People working in the area said that the blast sound was extremely loud. "This time it was different," one of the workers said. "The explosion was accompanied by a very loud whistle and the alert system was activated. "We were asked to stay in fortified rooms according to procedures, and returned to our work several minutes later..." more.. Palestinian resistance foils an invasion attempt near Jenin International Middle East Media Center 3/5/2007 Palestinian resistance foiled on Monday midday an Israeli army attempt to invade the village of Qabatiya, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Palestinian resistance foiled on Monday midday an Israeli army attempt to invade the village of Qabatiya, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin. A group of resistance fighters from Al Quds brigades, an offshoot of the Islamic Jihad and Al Nasser brigades, the armed wing of the popular resistance committees, clashed with the invading Israeli troops and forced them to leave the village, local sources reported. [end] Two Palestinian children injured in Jabalia International Middle East Media Center 3/6/2007 Two children were injured in Jabalia town in the northern part of the Gaza strip when an unknown object exploded near them on Tuesday morning. Dr. Moawiya Hasanain, the director of the emergency and ambulance department in the ministry of Health in Gaza reported that Hassan Abu Warda, aged 5, and his sister Diane, 4, were hit with shrapnel when an unknown object exploded near them. The two were moved to Kamal Adwan hospital, in Jabalia, for treatment. On Monday evening one fighter of the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, was killed while preparing explosives in Al Nusseirt refugee camp, in the Gaza Strip. The fighter, Mohammad Al Liddawi, 24, was preparing an explosive charge near his home when the explosives went off. He was seriously injured and died of his wounds three hours later, at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza. [end] Fighters detonate two explosives near the Wall, military patrol in Tulkarem International Middle East Media Center 3/7/2007 The Palestinian Maan News Agency, reported on Tuesday at night that fighters of the Al Quds Brigades, that armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, detonated explosive charges in two seperate incidents targeting the Annexation Wall gate, and a military patrol near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem. The brigades issued a press release claiming responsibility for detonating an explosive charge near soldiers patrolling at Halmish settlement road, near Qaffeen village, north of Tulkarem. Also, the brigades issued another press release claiming responsibility for detonating an explosive charge at the Gate of the Annexation Wall section close to Shweika area, north of Tulkarem. The groups said that the two attacks are a natural response to the Israeli attacks and violations, especially the assassinations carried against resistance fighters. more.. Suspected vice squad of Muslim militants targeting Gaza Internet cafes, music shops Ha’aretz 3/6/2007 KHAN YUNIS - A note stuck to the door of his tiny music shop warned Mohammed al-Shaer several months ago that selling tapes and CDs of popular Arabic music was haram, or forbidden by Islam. Al-Shaer paid no heed until a bomb went off outside his business this week - apparently the work of what Palestinian security officials now suspect may be a secret vice squad of Muslim militants. In recent months, about three dozen Internet cafes, music shops and even pharmacies have been attacked, with assailants detonating small bombs outside businesses at night, causing damage but no injuries. The bombings started in October, a new phenomenon even in violent Gaza, where more than 130 people have been killed in factional fighting between Hamas and Fatah in recent months. more.. Israeli forces invade two northern West Bank towns in ongoing campaign against the "wanted" Palestine News Network 3/6/2007 At dawn Tuesday Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank’s Jenin District. The first target was town of Kafr Dan to the northwest of the city. Israeli forces broke into sleeping houses in a search for the “wanted. ”Eyewitnesses report that Israeli soldiers began by creating ambushes near the houses before they were followed by a large contingent of military vehicles. The raid campaign and searches were widespread, with Israelis storming the entirety of the town. Israeli forces also invaded southern Jenin’s town of Qabatiya Tuesday morning, storming neighborhoods and breaking into houses. Nothing inside was safe, described residents, whose personal belongings were torn through in the search for the so-called “wanted. [end] Sderot bomb shelters not ready for possible Gaza escalation Ha’aretz 3/7/2007 Sderot residents are preparing their bomb shelters for long-term use in case the Palestinians intensify their Qassam attacks, as military officials have recently warned could happen shortly." Sderot realized it has no one to rely on, so it is doing the work alone," a social work student said yesterday as she went from house to house recording special needs residents may have during an extended stay in a bomb shelter. She was one of 150 students from Sapir Academic College Tuesday asking residents about their health - including any disabilities - and family status. The purpose of the survey is to refer people with special needs to the most suitable shelters and find out if people need help getting to the shelter, said Sderot’s security officer, Yehuda Ben Maman... more.. Air Force receives new UAVs YNetNews 3/6/2007 Israel Aerospace Industry to deliver new batch of hi-tech drones used in Lebanon over summer -- The Israeli Air Force is set to receive a new batch of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during an official ceremony at the Palmahim Air Force base on Wednesday afternoon. The drones, called Mahad 2, are manufactured by the Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI), and have already served the Air Force, providing it with new reconnaissance capabilities during the Lebanon war over the summer they can remain in the air for an extended period of time. Speaking to Ynetnews, Doron Suslik, Deputy Corporate Vice President for Communications at IAI, said that UAVs are playing an increasingly central role in Air Force operations. "In Lebanon, UAVs were used on the border with Israel in order to bring back intelligence..." more.. Israeli police enter Area A and target cars in southern Nablus Palestine News Network 3/6/2007 At Huwara Checkpoint in southern Nablus the Israeli police held hundreds of cars waiting to pass during Tuesday morning’s commute. Although there is an Israeli military checkpoint occupying what is known as “Area A” under Oslo, the Israeli police do not normally enter because of that status. Today, however, the Israeli police claimed that one car was stolen among the throngs waiting to move. It is a feature of every morning, and almost every passage through the checkpoint, that all vehicles are searched, including the identification of driver and passengers, their belongings, and papers. And as soon as news spread that the holdup would be even longer than usual, hundreds of people headed for other routes. But the Israeli police began chasing them, said eyewitnesses. more.. The Temple Mount is in his hands Ha’aretz 3/6/2007 A few years ago, Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, the chief rabbi of Ramat Gan and one of the leading candidates for chief rabbi of Israel, ruled in a halakhic article (dealing with religious law) that the laws regarding a moser (someone who informs against or hands over another Jew) and a rodef (someone who pursues a person with the intent of killing him) do not apply to the present-day Israeli government. According to religious law, these crimes are punishable by death.... a letter to the head of the Israel Defense Forces Central Command, Major General Yair Naveh.... accused Naveh of being a moser for signing eviction notices for 20 outpost residents. In the letter, the Sanhedrin beit din referred the general to the law of damages in Maimonides, which states, "if he is determined to be a moser, he must be killed for fear that he will hand over others"... more.. Fateh gunman injured in infighting with Hamas gunmen International Middle East Media Center 3/6/2007 Monday afternoon, one Fateh gunman was shot and injured during armed clashes between Palestinian security sources loyal to Fateh and Hamas gunmen. The clashes took place after an argument over the control of a nearby training compound, Israeli online daily Haaretz reported. The clashes were described as the worst since Fateh and Hamas signed a government unity deal in Mecca last month. Security forces loyal to Fateh movement demanded Hamas gunmen to leave the area but they refused and said that the area is under the control of security forces loyal to Hamas. In two separate attacks, unknown gunmen fired rounds of live ammunition at the house and car of a Palestinian security officer loyal to Fateh. Gunmen also fired rounds of live ammunition at a Palestinian police headquarter; no injuries were reported... more.. Sarid: "In 1967, army executed 250 unarmed Egyptian soldiers" International Middle East Media Center 3/4/2007 Former Meretz party leader in Israel, Yossi Sarid said in an interview with the Egyptian daily, Al Ahram, that the Israeli army executed 250 unarmed Egyptian soldiers at the end of the 1967 war. Saird described the incident as a war crime since it involved the killing of unarmed soldiers. Israeli TV Channel one, aired a documentary earlier this week and revealed that an elite unit of the Israeli army, commanded by Labor member of Knesset, Benjamin Ben Eliezer, executed 250 unarmed Egyptian soldiers after they surrendered to the Israeli army. “The killing of those captive soldiers in the Six Day War was a war crime”, Saird told Al Ahram, “But war crimes in the area are numerous”. The report received intensive media coverage in Egypt, Israeli Ynetnews reported. more.. Report: 13 Palestinians killed, 188 injured by Israeli army fire during February 2007 International Middle East Media Center 3/5/2007 The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza issued a report on Monday which stated that 13 Palestinians including one woman, were killed while 188 others were injured by Israeli army fire during the month of February 2007. The report mentioned that the number of the injured from the 3 to18 age category was 70. In effect, the ratio of injured children stands at 37. 2 % of the total figure of casualties. In the reported the ministry of Health stated that due to the clashes that erupted between Israeli troops and Palestinian civilians protesting the excavation near the Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, 23 civilians were hospitalized while hundreds others were treated on the spot. The military offensive ("Hot Winters") that the Israeli army conducted in Nablus city in the northern part of the West Bank, lasted nearly all of last week. more.. Fighter killed as he was preparing explosives in Gaza International Middle East Media Center 3/5/2007 Palestinian medical and security sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Monday evening that one fighter of the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, was killed while preparing explosives in Al Nusseirt refugee camp, in the Gaza Strip. The fighter, Mohammad Al Liddawi, 24, was preparing an explosive charge near his home when the explosives went off. He was seriously injured and died of his wounds three hours later, at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza. [end] Second Lebanon War? Cemeteries never heard of it Ha’aretz 3/6/2007 Parents of soldiers killed in last summer’s war in Lebanon are demanding that the Defense Ministry allow them to inscribe on the tombstone that they were killed in "the second Lebanon war." The parents argue that the current inscription, which states that the soldiers were ’fell in battle in southern Lebanon,’ serves the government’s policy of not declaring the conflict a war because of political and economic ramifications. The public council for the commemoration of fallen soldiers said it will shortly decide whether to recommend to Defense Minister Amir Peretz to change the inscriptions on the gravestones. The custom in military cemeteries is to have standard inscriptions on tombstones, determined by a special department at the Defense Ministry. more.. Mines thrown into Golan Heights YNetNews 3/4/2007 10 anti-personnel mines tossed over security fence into Israeli side of Golan Heights, the area from which the mines were thrown considered Israeli territory. Identity of perpetrators remains unclear. Military calls incident unusual, Israel says it will file complaint with UN -- Six anti-personnel mines were thrown by Syrians into Israel on Saturday afternoon. The mines were identified by a routine military patrol and sappers were alerted to the scene to neutralize the explosives. The army insists the Syrian government is responsible for its border, even if the incident was a local initiative. IDF sources said on Saturday night that the mines in question were ones Israel had planted east of the security fence, but inside Israeli territory. more.. Police: Most rockets in Gaza made from parts acquired in Israel Ha’aretz 3/4/2007 Most of the rockets fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip are made from pipes and metal parts acquired in Israel, police said Sunday. The report came after a gag order lifted Sunday revealed that the Shin Bet has arrested a Palestinian suspected of supplying Hamas militants with pipes used to produce Qassam rockets. A’amar Zak, 37, was nabbed by security forces at the Erez Border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip and charged with assisting a terrorist organization. According to Israel’s security service, since the GOC Southern Command issued an order prohibiting the purchase of metal pipes from Israel Palestinian militants have been cut off from an important supply of metal used to produce the Qassams. more.. Five Gunmen Abduct a Palestinian Resident in Khan Younis International Middle East Media Center 3/3/2007 Palestinian media sources reported that five unknown gunmen abducted Saturday a resident of the Khan Younis city | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
