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for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel News Archives - April 2007 Select News by subject: Conflict Diplomacy Government Human Rights Economy People International |
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Israeli army arrests 17 Palestinians across the West Bank Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - The Israeli forces arrested 17 Palestinians on Monday at dawn from various areas in the occupied West Bank, claiming that they are wanted by the Israeli authorities. Israeli sources said that the arrests took place in the regions of Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem and Tulkarem. They said that the arrested Palestinians are members of Hamas, Fatah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The Israeli sources also reported that the Israeli army found an explosive device in Nablus city while carrying out a "security activity." They said the explosive device was detonated and controlled with no casualties. The Israeli forces arrested 8 Palestinians in a comprehensive military operation in different regions of the West Bank city of Nablus. more.. Israeli troops invade city of Tulkarem Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2007 Tulkarem Ma’an - Israeli military forces have invaded the refugee camp and other areas in the city of Tulkarem in the northern West Bank on Monday at dawn. Troops stormed several homes of Al-Aqsa Brigades’ activists and arrested a young man. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that the Israeli forces arrested Samer Jihad Saleh, 22, from Tulkarem city, after entering and searching his home. Troops also forcibly entered the home of Mohamed Zaki Kozah, an activist of the Al-Aqsa Brigades in Tulkarem refugee camp. The Israeli troops found that the wanted man was not at home, and attacked his family, devastating the house and destroying their belongings. The Israeli soldiers told the wanted man’s father that "he [Mohamed Kozah] has to give up himself to them, or he will face death. more.. Settlers vandalize Islamic holy places in Hebron in preparation for Jewish festival Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2007 Hebron - Ma’an A group of Israelis settlers vandalized the Awqaf (religious sanctities) directorate and Al-Aqtab Mosque in Hebron city centre, in the presence of the Israeli army, on Monday. The doors were broken and the contents of the building were thrown outside. The head of the supreme counsel for legitimate court, Dr. Sheikh al-Tamimi, condemned the assault. He warned that it is a dangerous act, especially after Awqaf officials received threats that several important documents may be abused in the Jewish festival of Lag Ba’omer, in which items are burnt. This year the Lag Ba’omer festival is to take place on the 6th of May. Al-Tamimi said that the attack on the two closed buildings, which have been closed for five years by the Israeli forces, is one of a series of assaults by Israelis in the centre of Hebron. more.. Army invades Tulkarem city and surrounds a house of Palestinian activist Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 4/30/2007 An Israeli army force invaded the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem surrounded the house of a Palestinian activist in an attmpet to kidnap him on Monday morning. Mohamed Zaki, said to be Aqsa brigades of Fatah activist, was not at his home during the Israeli attack, after ransacking and damaging the house of Zaki the army left the city. [end] Settlers attack a mosque and Islamic Waqf offices in Hebron city Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 4/30/2007 A group of illegal Israeli settlers attacked and ransacked Al Aqtab mosque and the nearby Islamic Waqf offices in downtown Hebron city located in the southern part of the West Bank on Monday. [end] Brigades fire at Kerem Shalom, Ashkelon and Nahal Oz Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The An-Nasser Salah Addin brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), have claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles in the direction of the Kerem Abu Salem/ Kerem Shalom border post on Monday morning. The brigades said in a statement for Ma’an that the launching was photographed and will be distributed to the media. They explained that the operation was in response to "Israeli crimes." While on Sunday evening, the Al-Mujahidin brigades, an armed group affiliated to the Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for launching one homemade projectile at the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon in addition to three more projectiles at Nahal Oz, close to the border with the Gaza Strip. more.. Army of Al-Buraq attack Israeli workers near separation wall Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2007 Bethlehem Ma’an The Fatah-affiliated, Palestinian Army of Al-Buraq, claimed on Sunday evening that their fighters attacked a group of Israeli workers at the separation wall near the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adummim, in the southern West Bank. The group said in a statement that the attack hit the Israeli workers directly; causing injuries amongst them. more.. Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades frustrate an infiltration attempt into Gaza by Israeli Special Forces Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - One of the groups of the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was able to frustrate an infiltration operation of the Israeli Special Forces near Gaza City, on Monday at dawn. The Special Forces attempted to infiltrate the area, but the group discovered the force and managed to detonate an explosive device near the electricity station, east of Gaza City. The group assured in a statement for Ma’an, that it will continue on the path of Jihad and resistance, and retaliate to the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people. more.. Home of director of preventive security in Hebron attacked with a torrent of gunfire Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2007 Hebron - Ma’an Anonymous gunmen shot at the home of director of preventive security in Hebron, Major Jihad Abu-Omar, on Monday at dawn. No injuries were reported. Abu-Omar said that his house was shot at while he and his family were sleeping. He said that the assailants were a group of people who he described as "devious". The bullets penetrated the walls and created a state of panic among his children. The children’s bedroom was penetrated by 120 bullets, according to Abu Omar. Abu Omar said that he had received several threats for implementing the security plan. He says "there are huge and dangerous crimes happening in Hebron and the criminals want us to stop our work." He clarified that there are cases that the security services are following up in Hebron, including the murder of Usama Hassunah. more.. Fatah-affiliated group launch ’Summer Storm’ campaign against Israel Ma’an News Agency 4/30/2007 Gaza - Ma’an The Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa brigades group of Yasser Arafat, announced responsibility for launching five homemade projectiles at the Israeli towns of Sderot and Ashkelon on Monday at dawn. The group stated that the operation is "the start of a military campaign called ’Summer Storm’, and in response to the damage done to Al Aqsa Mosque and the pursuit of resisters." [end] UN launches development program for Dahiyeh Nour Samaha, Daily Star 5/1/2007 Local leaders welcome project but question features of job creation strategy -- BEIRUT: The United Nations Development Program launched the ART GOLD Lebanon project on Monday to boost economic development in the capital’s southern suburbs, but local leaders registered doubts about the long-term viability of the program in an area they described as transitional. Local leaders from Dahiyeh municipalities gathered with ART GOLD at Rotana Hotel in Hazmieh to discuss and implement action plans to generate employment and revenues for areas most affected by the summer 2006 war with Israel. Through the "ART GOLD Lebanon Program Strategy for Enhancing Local Economic Development," organizers hope that long-term investment and sustainability will remain in Lebanon, specifically in areas outside of the traditional income-generating centers. more.. Four Palestinians killed in Gaza Al Jazeera 4/28/2007 Israeli soldiers have shot dead three Palestinian fighters and critically wounded another near the border, east of Gaza city. In a separate incident in southern Gaza, a Palestinian civilian was killed on Friday night by what local medics and residents said was an Israeli tank shell. The Israeli army said it was not involved. Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, accused Israel of violating a ceasefire in Gaza and said it has the right to respond by "all means available". Khaled Meshaal, the political leader of Hamas, defended recent rocket attacks on Israel, saying the Palestinians had a right to defend themselves. "This is the right of Palestine; it has the right to defend itself, and there were nine martyrs in one day and violations that must be responded to," Meshaal told reporters after talks with Amr Moussa, the Arab League’s secretary-general, in Cairo. more.. Israeli forces arrest 10 ’wanted’ Palestinians on Sunday at dawn Ma’an News Agency 4/29/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - The Israeli forces arrested ten Palestinians in the West Bank on Sunday at dawn. Israeli media reported that the Israeli forces arrested two Palestinians in Al Fureidis village, east of Bethlehem, and 8 others in the Al ’Auja area, in northern Jericho. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that several Israeli military vehicles broke into Al’Auja and conducted house-to-house searches before arresting Hani Sa’ayda, Yousif Sa’ayda, Muhannad Sa’ayda, Ammar Sa’ayda, Yousif Muhammad Sa’ayda, Hilmi Ka’abna and Shlash Jarhoud from their homes. The Israeli forces then arrested Hussain Atiyyat from his work at a factory in the town. The Israeli forces claimed that the arrested men were ’wanted’ Palestinians. more.. IDF chief: Ground offensive only way to halt Qassam rocket fire Haaretz Service and Agencies, Ha’aretz 4/30/2007 Ashkenazi told the weekly cabinet meeting that a number of alternatives would also be presented to the government. Meanwhile, a Qassam rocket was fired at the Western Negev on Sunday, Israel Radio reported. There were no reports of injuries. Since the Gaza truce came into effect some five months ago, roughly 250 rockets and mortar shells have been fired at Israel, the IDF chief said. He added that the rocket barrage on Israel’s Independence Day last week was an exception to the norm. On the subject of Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, Ashkenazi said Hezbollah is trying to reestablish its presence south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon. United Nations Interim Forces In Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese army in the area seem incapable of preventing Shiite militants from accessing the area, he said. more.. Instead of ’calming down,’ Israeli forces escalate attacks Nablus - Amin Abu Wardeh, Palestine News Network 4/29/2007 The last week witnessed a marked escalation in Israeli attacks, including assassinations and arrests. Observers say it seems they are running a race against time, trying to take out the maximum number of armed resistance members before being required to adhere to a ’period of calm. ’Although one was declared last week, Israeli forces increased efforts to destroy the interior of the armed resistance. The attacks on the Gaza Strip and the armed resistance that launches projectiles from there was only part of it. Israeli forces are also seeking to weaken the capacity of the armed resistance in the West Bank, and here that was done last week through assassinations and arrests. Nablus and Jenin in the north have been hit hardest, not only throughout the week, but throughout the entirety of the Intifada. more.. Tensions hit peak over Gaza clashes Mitchell Prothero in Gaza, The Guardian 4/29/2007 TENSIONS IN the Gaza Strip reached ’an unprecedented high’ yesterday as Palestinians prepared for an expected Israeli military onslaughtIn an overnight operation three members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad were killed at the border fence while trying to plant bombs along a security road on the outskirts of Gaza city. At yesterday’s funeral of two of them, Abdel Khalim Al-Sayoumi and Said Helas, thousands of demonstrators took to the street, shooting guns in the air and throwing hand grenades into an open field vowing revenge against Israel. Israeli tanks were massing at the border, fresh from a huge exercise to practise reoccupying the strip, while the Palestinians were making preparations of their own. Militants were flooding into the border town of Beit Hanoun, building bunkers, stretching tarpaulins across streets... more.. Settlers occupying Hebron house to get eviction orders Sunday Ze''ev Schiff and Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 4/29/2007 Settlers occupying a house in Hebron will receive eviction orders on Sunday, Defense Minister Amir Peretz decided. Anticipating the move, which has been in the works for more than two weeks, the settlers have prepared a response. Attorney Nadav Haetzni, representing the Hebron settlers, argues in a document presented to the civil administration head that the decisions on the disputed home lack authority. He is referring to the Defense Ministry’s decision not to grant "approval to the deal" for the home acquisition, and the decision to serve the settlers, for the first time, an order accusing them of obstructive use. Haetzni begins the document by pointing to government decisions made in 1980 and 1998, which determined that Jews would be permitted to live in Hebron, and that the timing and location would be decided by the government, not the defense minister. more.. Israeli army breaks into the house of a Palestinian security officer in Ramallah Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 4/29/2007 Israeli army broke Sunday into the house of the commander of the Palestinian presidential guards in Ramallah. Palestinian security sources said that the Israeli soldiers stormed and ran a havoc in the house of Mohammad Abu Samra, the presidential guards commander. The sources added that an Israeli infantry force was deployed in the vicinity of the house before breaking into it. Abu Samra condemned the attack on his house, saying in a statement to press that five Israeli military jeeps, accompanying a person dressed in red and wearing a red hat on, surrounded the house and them broke into which. Israeli army actions across the West Bank are non-stopping since the outbreak of the Palestinian Intifada (uprising) in September2000. more.. An Nasser Brigades launch 2 projectiles at Israeli military post Ma’an News Agency 4/29/2007 Gaza - ma’an " The An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), announced responsibility for launching of two homemade projectiles at an Israeli military post east of Juhor ad Dik, in the Gaza Strip, on Sunday morning. In a statement the brigades said "we are ready to retaliate for Israeli aggression and the resistance will continue." The statement also called on the Palestinian factions to be united in order to "frustrate the Israeli plans, which intend to harm the principles and rights of the Palestinians." more.. Three more projectiles launched from Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 4/28/2007 Gaza - Ma’an " The Popular Resistance Committees-affiliated An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades and the Fatah-affiliated Al Mujahideen have announced their responsibility for the launching of three homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot early on Saturday morning. In a statement received issued Saturday the brigades announced that "the operation is a retaliation for the Israeli arrests and incursions in the West Bank." The statement also threatened that "any aggression in the West Bank will be met with immediate retaliation." [end] Al Aqsa Brigades shoot 2 Israeli soldiers in a military watchtower east of Gaza Ma’an News Agency 4/28/2007 Khan Younis - Ma’an " The Fatah-affiliated Al Aqsa Brigades have claimed responsibility for shooting two Israeli soldiers on Saturday. The soldiers were in a watchtower at Megean military post, east of Al-Maghazi refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip. The brigades said in a statement that the operation came in retaliation to Israeli atrocities, which culminated in the assassination of the leader of the Mujahideen brigades, Omar Abu Sharee’a, and the other attacks in the southern Gaza Strip. more.. Israeli authorities annex vast area of farmland in Jordan Valley Ma’an News Agency 4/28/2007 Jericho " Ma’an " The Israeli authorities announced on Saturday that they intend to confiscate large areas of agricultural land in the north of the Jordan Valley, in the eastern West Bank. According to the coordinator of the ’public relief campaign in the Jordan Valley’, Fathi Khudeirat, "the land, which is to be confiscated, will separate the Qa’oon Meadows, which are 5,000 dunams [5,000,000mΒ²]." Khudeirat added that the farmers contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in order to exert pressure on Israel to permit the farmers to plant in the meadows, but the ICRC said the land had already been annexed. more.. Israeli troops raid vicinity of Islamic college near Qalqilia Ma’an News Agency 4/28/2007 Qalqilia " Ma’an " Occupying Israeli military forces on Saturday raided the area surrounding the Islamic college, east of the city of Qalqilia in the northern West Bank. Palestinian security sources stated that Israeli troops were witnessed searching and extensively checking the area. The reasons for this search were not made apparent, adding that another force was noticed in the Khallat al Yasin neighbourhood in thenorth of the city. Israeli officials informed the Palestinian coordination office that they will be "carrying out further military activity in that area". [end] One civilian kidnapped from Hebron by the Israeli army Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 4/28/2007 The Israeli army attacked and searched a number of homes in Hebron city on Saturday and kidnapped one civilian. Mohamed Missik, 19, was taken from his home after Israeli troops searched and ransacked it, he was taken to unknown detention camp, his family reported. [end] Israeli settlers shoot at house in Hebron before soldiers arrest owner and son Hebron - Palestine News Network, Palestine News Network 4/28/2007 A group from what is largely considered to be the most violent of all Israeli settlements, Kiryat Arba, opened fire on a Palestinian home in Hebron last night. The Israeli military occupying the area also arrested three Palestinians from the city and a nearby town. Sources in the Palestinian security’s Chamber of Joint Operations in the southern West Bank reported that settlers from Kiryat Arba opened fire on the home of Abdel Karim Jabari on Friday night. None of his family members were seriously hurt during the shooting at the house that the settlement abuts. However, sources in the Jabari family report that Israeli forces physically assaulted Abdel Karim and his sons, 18 year old Ala’ and 16 year old Uday. The attack resulted in bruising, cuts and sprains through their bodies. more.. Qalqilia shopkeeper shot by unknown gunmen Ma’an News Agency 4/29/2007 Qalqilia " Ma’an " A Palestinian citizen was shot late on Saturday night in Qalqilia, in the West Bank. 27-year-old Mamdouh Abu Shihab was injured when unknown gunmen shot at him while he was in his shop in the Naqqar neighborhood, in the west of the city. Security sources reported that the man was injured in the stomach and was transported to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) hospital where he is in a stable condition. more.. Islamic leader attacked by right-wing Israelis in Jerusalem Ma’an News Agency 4/29/2007 Jerusalem - Ma’an - Israeli online news source, Ynet News, reported that head of the Islamic movement’s northern branch, Sheikh Raed Salah, was attacked by right-wing Israelis in Jerusalem. Salah was confronted outside a Jerusalem court on Sunday and fell victim to aggressive taunts, including being labelled as a "terrorist". Security guards stood between Salah and the assailants, who are members of Baruch Marzel’s National Jewish Front movement. [end] Two Palestinian citizens injured in shooting attack in Khan Younis Ma’an News Agency 4/29/2007 Khan Younis " Ma’an " Two Palestinian citizens were injured in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, when unidentified gunmen opened fire at them on Sunday. Palestinian medical sources from Nasser hospital said that Soheil Abu Aida, aged 41, and Amin Sofie, aged 43, were found injured in what was previously known as the Israeli settlement of Jana Tal. The medical sources described the injuries as ’moderate’ and ’slight’. The two citizens received gunshot wounds to their legs. The motives for the attack remain unknown. [end] Israeli settlers return to two evacuated settlements in northern West Bank Nablus - Amin Abu Wardeh, Palestine News Network 4/28/2007 Israeli settlers returned to settlements built on Burka Village lands, north of Nablus City, last night. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers arrived to protect them in the move to retake that portion of the northern West Bank. Town resident Atef Shursh said the in recent weeks the evacuated settlers had reemerged and pitched tents. He told PNN that settlers and soldiers stormed the village twice last night and damaged property. He said hardest hit were the rooftop water tanks. The Agricultural Relief Committee says that the settlers’ ambition is to control the land that was illegally settled and then evacuated as part of a political agreement. Iyad Abu Omar of the Burka Village Council said that it is imperative that all residents known the dates of Jewish holidays to ensure that no one cultivate their lands during that time or the period just before. more.. Exhibition in Jerusalem displays photos of assaults on Al Aqsa Mosque since 1967 Ma’an News Agency 4/28/2007 Jerusalem " Ma’an - The Al-Aqsa Association for the Reconstruction of Muslim Holy Places on Wednesday opened a photo exhibition in the Commodore Hotel in East Jerusalem. The exhibition displays photos showing the Israeli assaults in the Moroccan area of Jerusalem since 1967 up until the last excavations in 2007, which included the demolition of the Moroccan gate and two rooms of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. According to the association, the exhibition is being visited by several delegations from Palestinian cities and villages within the Israeli territories. [end] IDF kills 3 Palestinians attempting to place explosives in Gaza Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 4/28/2007 Israel Defense Forces troops on Saturday killed three Palestinians who were attempting to place an explosive device near the Gaza Strip security fence. Soldiers from the Givati Brigade noticed the three approaching the fence north of the Kisufim crossing. The soldiers then crossed the fence, attacked the men and killed them. A Kalashnikov rifle and explosive devices were found in the men’s possession. Palestinian officer killed in Rafah clash A Palestinian security officer was killed Friday in an exchange of fire between Palestinian Presidential Guard officers and Gaza residents at the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, security and medical officials said. Three other people, including a civilian, were wounded in the incident. more.. Unknown gunmen kill security officer and wound three policemen at Rafah terminal Rami Almeghari - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 4/27/2007 Palestinian sources confirmed Friday that one national security personnel was killed and three other policemen were wounded after unknown gunmen opened fire at the Rafah crossing terminal in Rafah, Gaza. Spokesman of the presidential guards at the crossing, Wael Dahab, told IMEMC that that a number of gunmen opened fire at the crowd at the crossing, killing one national security personnel and wounding three other police members. "Gunmen outside the vicinity of the crossing shot at the crowd of travelers, killing a national security officer and wounding three other police personnel", Dahab confirmed to IMEMC. Dahab maintained that the crossing has been over-crowded over the past 24 hours after it was opened yesterday. The spokesman added that the commander of the presidential guards had ordered a swift investigation... more.. One Palestinian security officer killed during a car chase in Ramallah Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 4/27/2007 Palestinian sources reported that a Palestinian security officer died during an armed car chase in Al Birah town, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday night. [end] Three civilians kidnapped from Bethlehem by inavding Israeli forces Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 4/27/2007 The Israeli army invaded the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem and kidnapped three civilians on Friday morning. [end] Daily invasion of Nablus targets high school students Nablus - Amin Abu Wardeh, Palestine News Network 4/26/2007 Before dawn this morning Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank’s Nablus. It is the nearly daily routine of the past five years for military vehicles to storm the city or its camps and surrounding villages, break into homes and arrest residents. In recent days the targets have been youth, particularly high school students. On Thursday six young people from throughout the city were taken away, bound and blindfolded, in the back of military jeeps. Palestinian security sources report that Israeli forces invaded Nablus and Balata Refugee Camp in the eastern part of the city. Among the arrested this morning were 17 Jihad Azzam Qmaheh, 18 year old Mohamed Awad Wawi, Mujahid Hassan and 22 year old Sameeh Ho’uah. Israeli forces also broke into houses in the southern area of the camp, the Northern Mountain neighborhood and another belonging to the Abu Zeid family. more.. IDF arrests 4 wanted Palestinians in West Bank Jerusalem Post 4/28/2007 IDF soldiers arrested four wanted Palestinians in the West Bank on Friday night. While the arrests were made, gunmen fired at the soldiers. No on was injured and no damage was caused in the incident. more.. Huwara: between settler attacks and military curfews Nablus - Amin Abu Wardeh, Palestine News Network 4/26/2007 Residents of the town of Huwara, stuck between a military checkpoint and a settlement, are subjected to daily harassment. Just south of Nablus, curfews are often imposed by the military, while settlers assault students. The fate of Huwara is up to the whim of Israeli forces, both soldiers and settlers, residents say. Commercial and economic interests are often closed, and getting to work or school becomes impossible, report townspeople. A local businessperson said today that the Israeli army imposed curfew on the town under the pretext of their latest holiday and stone-throwing. Young Muhmmad Shahrour says that the town’s schools suffer from attacks by soldiers and their overwhelming presence, particularly at midday throughout the area. more.. Study finds IDF combat soldiers temper views during service DPA, Ha’aretz 4/26/2007 Israel Defense Forces soldiers who serve in combat units become less hawkish and more open to compromise on security issues during the course of their service, a study released by Haifa University has found. At the same time, women also undergo a political change, becoming more hawkish, a university spokesman said Thursday, confirming the findings. The study, conducted by the university’s School for Political Science, surveyed 490 male and female soldiers of every rank and in every branch of service. Respondents were asked to answer the same series of questions before induction, six months into their service and immediately after mobilization. Initial interviews found that a large percentage of soldiers began their service with clear right-wing views. more.. Two civilians kidnapped by Israeli army near Ramallah Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 4/26/2007 Israeli forces invaded Al Jalazon refugee camp located in the northern part of the central West Bank city of Ramallah and kidnapped two residents on Thursday. Jamal Nakhlah, 40, and Othman Nakhlah, 26, were kidnapped from their homes when soldiers searched and ransacked both of their houses. They were taken to an unknown location, witnesses reported. [end] Zahrani bridge to reopen on May 25 - contractor Mohammed Zaatari, Daily Star 4/28/2007 SIDON: Contractors rebuilding the Zahrani bridge near Sidon expect to open the new span for traffic on May 25, the anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal from most of South Lebanon in 2000, the director of the company overseeing the work says. The bridge was destroyed by an Israeli air strike during the summer 2006 war. The bridge is a crucial link in traffic routes joining Sidon, Tyre and Nabatieh. Its destruction generated months of traffic delays and headaches for area residents and visitors. The first phase of renovation of the highway linking Sidon to other Southern coastal towns was completed in late October. Bashir Dimassi, head of GENECO, the contractor, told The Daily Star that preparations to reopen the bridge "have reached their final stages. more.. Protestors return to Homesh after forced IDF evacuation Amos Harel Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 4/28/2007 IDF, police use force to stop Homesh protest; group planned to spend Shabbat at settlement ruins. Dozens of right wing activists returned on Friday evening to the former settlement of Homesh, hours after their forced eviction by Israel Defense Forces troops and Police. The police and soldiers forcibly removed around 100 protestors who arrived at the ruins of the former West Bank settlement of Homesh on Friday with the goal of spending the Shabbat there. A spokesman for the protestors stated that security forces used violent means during the evacuation. Police spokesman Moshe Pinchi said between 70 to 100 people attempted to return to the former settlement. Pinchi said seven were arrested and held for questioning. Around 30 to 40 other protestors are believed to have fled to the nearby hills that surround the Homesh area. Most of the protestors returned to the ruins later in the evening. IDF sources said they completed the evacuation before the sundown, when the Sabbath begins, and as part of the evacuation, removed all the equipment the protestors brought with them in order to spend the night at the ruins. more.. Israel claims Israeli settler disappeared near Tulkarem Moeen Shaheed - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 4/28/2007 The Israeli Authorities informed the Tulkarem Palestinian District Coordination Office that the army intends to operate in the area after Israeli media sources reported that an Israeli settler went missing in Tulkarem area, in the northern part of the West Bank. The army installed dozens of additional roadblocks at the entrances of Tulkarem, and closed Ennab checkpoint, north of the city, Jabara checkpoint, south of the city, and conducted military searches after stopping hundreds of Palestinian vehicles. Soldiers also installed roadblocks at the entrance of Bal’a village, east of Tulkarem, and several other roadblocks along the main road between Tulkarem and several villages in the north of the city. Troops searched the vehicles and interrogated dozens of residents, while additional troops deployed in the mountains and fields. more.. Red Cross still battling effects of last war - and preparing for the next one Nour Samaha, Daily Star 4/27/2007 International group banks on reputation for neutrality -- Interview -- BEIRUT: Following the summer 2006 war with Israel, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has intensified efforts in Lebanon to promote the adoption of international humanitarian law and provide care for the conflict’s victims. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Star, the head of the ICRC delegation in Lebanon, Jordi Raich, and communication coordinator Virginia de la Guardia explained their work in the country, in the process praising the performance of Lebanon’s local Red Cross team. "At the moment we are working in several areas, most importantly water and sanitation, and on the promotion of international humanitarian law within society," Raich said. more.. Hezbollah erects large photograph of two kidnapped IDF soldiers DPA, Ha’aretz 4/27/2007 Hezbollah militants erected a large photograph on Thursday of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev in an area along Lebanon’s border with Israel. Lebanese security sources said the three-by-five meter photograph showing Goldwasser and Regev had been put up in Aita Al-Shaab, near where they were seized on July 12, 2006. Hezbollah supporters looked on, chanting anti-Israel slogans, while the poster bearing the slogan "for the sake of our detainees" and a yellow Hezbollah flag, was being erected. A United Nations peacekeeping patrol monitored the event in the area, which is heavily monitored by IDF patrols across the border. Hezbollah is demanding the release of Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails in exchange for the two men, whose kidnapping sparked the Second Lebanon war. more.. IDF officer: Missed intelligence could have foiled kidnapping Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 4/27/2007 One of the important issues likely to be decided by the Winograd Committee’s interim report on the Second Lebanon War is a dispute that emerged over the abduction of two reservists, Eldad Regev and Udi Goldwasser, on July 12, 2006. The committee is likely to have the final word in this dispute, between Brigadier General Gal Hirsch, who commanded Division 91 during the war, and the two senior reserve officers who carried out the in-house investigation of the incident: Major General Doron Almog and Brigadier General Pinhas Buchris. Almog and Buchris blamed the kidnapping on Hirsch, who vociferously rejected their findings. Hirsch, who resigned his command in protest, offered two alternative explanations: Israel’s "soft" policy of allowing Hezbollah to occupy positions along the border, which made the abduction... more.. As Gaza burns Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 4/27/2007 Members of the Abu-Sharah family, one of the most famous clans in the Gaza Strip, marched through the streets of Gaza City on Tuesday, carrying the body of Hassan Abu-Sharah. They took the body straight to the courtyard of the Palestinian parliament. Palestinian policemen tried to prevent the group from entering, but several dozen armed men from the clan easily pushed past them and started shooting in the air. They demanded that the Palestinian Authority arrest Hassan’s murderers, although they were aware that the chances of the security forces taking such action were virtually nil. Hassan, 54, had been shot dead two days earlier by members of one of the largest and strongest clans in the city: the Durmush clan. Supporters of clan head MumtazDurmush - who call themselves the Army of Islam - had apparently, due... more.. Israeli army detonates an explosive device near the wall surrounding Gaza Moeen Shadid - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 4/27/2007 Israeli army troops found a suspicious device near the wall that surrounds the Gaza Strip, a military spokesperson said on Friday. Sappers unit arrived at the scene and safely detonated. No injuries were reported. [end] This Week In Palestine -week 17 2007 IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 4/27/2007 Click here to play or download MP3 file || 19. 2MB || Time 21m 0s|| This Week In Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www. IMEMC. org, for April 14th through April 20th, 2007. Nonviolent Resistance in West Bank Let’s begin our weekly report with the nonviolent demonstrations in Bil’in and Bethlehem. Bil’in On Friday, villagers from the Bil’in, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, along with international and Israeli peace activists, marched in the weekly nonviolent protest against the illegal wall Israel is building on stolen village land. Although Israeli army troops were deployed around the village to keep the protesters away, this week, the organizers of the protest decided to change the route of the demonstration, taking the soldiers by surprise. more.. Olmert rules out Gaza offensive Al Jazeera 4/25/2007 Hamas’ armed wing signalled an end to truce with a series of rocket attacks on Tuesday [AFP]Israel’s prime minister has opted for limited military action in Gaza after Hamas’ armed wing declared the end of a ceasefire in the territory on Tuesday and fired rockets into Israel. Ruling out a ground offensive, Ehud Olmert decided in emergency talks with security chiefs to step up "targeted attacks" against Palestinian rocket launchers. Olmert’s office said in a statement after Wednesday’s meeting: "Israel will not hesitate to take harsh measures against those who try to harm its sovereignty by firing rockets into our territory, attempting attacks on soldiers, and [by] other means." Training programmePolitical sources said Olmert would refrain from going after senior Palestinian faction commanders or political leaders. more.. Top IDF officer: We knew war would not get abducted soldiers back Jack Khoury, Ha’aretz 4/26/2007 The GOC Northern Command Major General Gadi Eisenkott said Wednesday that the Israel Defense Forces embarked on the Second Lebanon War last year even though it was clear the conflict would not return the two IDF soldiers whose kidnap by Hezbollah sparked the hostilities." After a couple of hours it became clear that we would not get the kidnapped soldiers back through military means," Eisenkott told students at a Nahariya school. IDF reservists Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser were snatched by Hezbollah guerillas on July 12, 2006, during a patrol on the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon. Eisenkott, who was the IDF director of operations at the time of the war, said that it was more than half an hour after the abduction before the code for kidnapped soldiers - "Hannibal" - was employed. more.. Ambush in southern West Bank Hebron - Palestine News Network, Palestine News Network 4/25/2007 Israeli special forces invaded Hebron late last night and arrested four members of the Al Aqsa Brigades. The ambush of the Fateh-linked armed resistance wing was orchestrated along the road between the towns of Yatta and Samua. Palestinian security sources report that the Israeli special forces laid a trap at 10:30 pm in the southern West Bank after receiving information that people on its "wanted" list were in the area. The four men drove their car along the road and were attacked. They are 43 year old taxi driver, Mohamed Khalid Alchuahin, 28 year old policeman, Hassan Hosni Al Heles, 34 year old teacher, Saleh Ahmed Saleh Abouhsan, and 30 year old General Intelligence officer, Mohammed Salem Abu Musa Hassan. On a related note, Israeli forces occupying the West Bank arrested 30 year old Said Mohamed Mustafa Qafqaz... more.. Major invasion of Gaza Strip expected Gaza City - Palestine News Network, Palestine News Network 4/25/2007 Sources indicated late Wednesday morning that Israeli forces are preparing to invade parts of the Gaza Strip within hours. The Palestine Observer to United Nations, Dr. Riyad Mansour, said, "The Israeli military build-up, incursions and attacks around the Gaza Strip constitute a clear threat of widespread aggression." However, the head of negotiations in the Palestine Liberation Organization, Dr. Sa’eb Erekat, said Wednesday afternoon that contacts had been between the Palestinian, Israeli and American administrations in order to prevent a further deterioration in the situation. Government spokesperson Ghazi Hamad told the press yesterday that it is impossible to suggest that there is anything resembling a "cease-fire" in play. "The truce has collapsed in light of serious developments, including the intensification of Israeli military operations..." more.. Israel vows response to Gaza fire BBC Online 4/25/2007 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has ordered what officials called limited military action in Gaza after renewed rocket fire by Palestinian militants. Mr Olmert ruled out a larger ground offensive, but said the army could carry out "pinpoint" operations against rocket-launching crews, officials said. On Tuesday, the armed wing of the Hamas movement said a five-month truce with Israel was over. It fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza into Israel, but no-one was injured. The attack was in revenge for the killing of nine Palestinians by the Israeli army, Hamas said. ’All options open’The decision came at a meeting between Mr Olmert and his defence chiefs. In a statement, the government pledged "harsh steps" against those responsible for the rocket fire. "The army has been ordered to continue its preparations to prevent other attacks against Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip..." more.. Settlers trying to buy two more Palestinian houses in Hebron Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 4/25/2007 Settlers have recently been trying to purchase two more Palestinian houses in Hebron. The houses are located near "the brown house," a building inhabited by Jewish squatters whom Defense Minister Amir Peretz has ordered evicted in another two and a half weeks. From the settlers’ perspective, the brown house is strategically located, as it is near the road leading from Kiryat Arba to the Cave of the Patriarchs. The purchase of other houses nearby would create an area of Jewish control that would further the settlers’ goal of creating territorial continuity between the Jewish settlements of Kiryat Arba and Hebron. Peretz ordered the brown house vacated on April 10, but the procedure will take about a month: First, the squatters were given 15 days to evacuate voluntarily; then, this period was extended by another 15 days. more.. Armed resistance responding to spate of Israeli killings Gaza City) Wisam Afifeh, Palestine News Network 4/24/2007 At dawn on Tuesday Hamas’ Al Qassam Brigades began responding to the recent spate of Israeli escalations in killings. Thirty projectiles and 61 mortar rounds have been launched. Abu Obeidya in Al Qassam’s media office said this morning that "a campaign to pound Zionism" began at 6:00 am. He said, "The Zionist enemy will pay for the crimes of occupation, particularly the recent killings and assassinations in the Gaza Strip and West Bank." The Al Qassam Spokesperson also indicated that Israel has once again destroyed any hope of peace or justice for the Palestinians. "There is no calm between us and the occupation. They have not stopped since the truce began. From the outset we did not trust the intentions of the occupation, and then it proved to the world that the occupiers are committing crimes that violate any agreement for calm." more.. Israeli aircraft drop notices threatening increased attacks Gaza City) Wisam Afifeh, Palestine News Network 4/23/2007 With seemingly impossible abilities to stop it, a major Israeli invasion invasion of the Gaza Strip is inevitable. Eyewitnesses report that Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets at Monday warning residents of the north that Israeli forces will attack. The Israeli threat is that if the armed resistance does not stop launching projectiles against occupation forces, however legitimate under international law, they will increase the attacks. Fateh’s Al Aqsa Brigades and Saraya Al Quds announced today that in response to the continual Israeli killings in the West Bank and Gaza Strip they launched projectiles at Sderot and Asklon, in addition to the Israeli military installation in Nahal Oz, northeast of Gaza City. Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians between Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon. more.. Settlers trying to buy two more Hebron homes, create area of control Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 4/24/2007 Settlers have recently been trying to purchase two more Palestinian houses in Hebron. The houses are located near "the brown house," a building inhabited by Jewish squatters whom Defense Minister Amir Peretz has ordered evicted in another two and a half weeks. From the settlers’ perspective, the brown house is strategically located, as it is near the road leading from Kiryat Arba to the Cave of the Patriarchs. The purchase of other houses nearby would create an area of Jewish control that would further the settlers’ goal of creating territorial contiguity between the Jewish settlements of Kiryat Arba and Hebron. Peretz ordered the brown house vacated on April 10, but the procedure will take about a month: First, the squatters were given 15 days to evacuate voluntarily; then, this period was extended by another 15 days. more.. Israeli forces arrest five high school students and use another as human shield Nablus) Amin Abu Wardeh, Palestine News Network 4/23/2007 Israeli forces arrested five young men from Balata Refugee Camp during early Monday invasions in a campaign against 20 youth. Palestinian security services reported today that all five young men taken today were secondary school students. Israeli forces raided the house of Mahmoud Abu Jarim and took his son Mahmoud as a human shield, despite the long-standing contravention of the practice to international law and the recent illegality under Israeli law. Eyewitnesses report that 12 military mechanisms invaded Faisal Street in Nablus and besieged the gas station area before withdrawing in the early morning hours. Israeli forces also raided another home in Nablus, with armed resistance responding according to an Israeli military spokesperson. more.. Hamas fighters end Israel truce BBC Online 4/24/2007 The armed wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement has said it is ending its five-month truce with Israel. Earlier in the day the group launched a sustained barrage of rockets and mortars into Israel, the first such attack since November. The group, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said the attacks were in revenge for recent killings of Palestinians by Israeli forces. The ending of the truce has not been confirmed by Hamas political leaders. The Palestinian prime minister, Hamas’s Ismail Haniya, whilst not confirming that the ceasefire was over, said the Palestinians had tried hard to observe the truce, but this had been undermined by what he called Israeli aggression. No casualties -- An Israeli spokesman said only a small number of rockets landed in Israeli. There were no reports of casualties. more.. Two IDF soldiers wounded by protesters on march to Homesh Amos Harel and Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 4/24/2007 Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were lightly wounded on Tuesday as they attempted to prevent protestors from reaching the site of the evacuated West Bank settlement Homesh. The soldiers were treated on the scene for light injuries and were not hospitalized. According to organizers of the event, however, no soldier was attacked, saying a verbal argument broke out after a Border Police jeep struck a protester’s leg. She was taken to hospital for medical treatment. The organizers say some 25,000 people reached the site of the former settlement Tuesday. Zafrir Ronen of "Homesh First" said that organizers "had prepared for 2,000 to 3,000 participants, but there are between 20 and 30,000 - religious, secular, ultra-Orthodox, youth, and elderly. The police have given up..." more.. 100 activists stay at Homesh after banned march Amos Harel and Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 4/24/2007 Thousands of settlers and right-wing activists streamed to the ruins of the settlement of Homesh in the northern West Bank yesterday despite a ban by the defense minister and the IDF chief of staff. The IDF refused to allow buses to the site to take demonstrators back andsources estimated that about100 activists remained at the site last night. The Israel Defense Forces tried to set up road-blocks to stop the march, but there were limited troops in the area, and they could only prevent vehicles from reaching the site. Homesh was evacuated during the withdrawal from Gaza and three other West Bank settlements almost two years ago. The army estimated the number of marchers at between 2,000 and 3,000. The march, the second in the past several weeks,as organized by an organization calling itself "Homesh First," consisting of a number of right-wing extra-parliamentary groups. more.. Tempers Rise Over Reconstruction Dahr Jamail, Inter Press Service 4/25/2007 BINT JBAIL, Apr 23(IPS) - Eight months after Israeli attacks left devastation across many villages in southern Lebanon, reconstruction comes with mounting anger towards both Israel and the central Lebanese government. The war which raged between Israel and Hezbollah Jul. 12 to Aug. 14 last year destroyed many villages in the south, and left others badly damaged. Starting from within hours of the ceasefire, about a million people wh had fled southernLebanon began to return, many to wrecked homes. One of the towns almost completelydestroyed was Bint Jbail, less than 5km from the Lebanese-Israeli border. "Israeli warplanes would bomb us, then their tanks up above the hill outside our city would shell people when they fled their homes," mayor Ali Beydoun told IPS at his partially destroyed house. more.. In Sderot, protecting your home means violating city laws Haaretz Staff, Ha’aretz 4/24/2007 People in the southern town of Sderot have a choice: obey the law, or protect their homes against constant Qassam fire. One of them is Dr. Boris Singer, who is conducting a legal battle with the municipality so he could build a sheltered area for his family. Sixteen years ago, Singer immigrated to Israel from Russia. Now, the 68-year-old lives with his son’s family in Sderot, near the fence separating Israel from the Gaza Strip. "Some Qassam rockets actually fly over our house. 180 of them hit as near as 50 meters from here," he says, explaining the urgent need for a sheltered zone in the house. Singer and his family are by no means the only ones who are barred from protecting themselves from the daily firing of Qassams. For now, they are prevented from doing so by rigid building regulations. more.. Hamas’ motivation / Renewed force, renewed truce Ze''ev Schiff, Ha’aretz 4/24/2007 Hamas is under heavy pressure from the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security service in the West Bank, and therefore, it resumed rocket and mortar fire at Israel from the Gaza Strip. Its assumption is that it has an operational advantage against civilian communities in the Negev - an edge it would like to utilize to obtain a cease-fire in the West Bank. However, the chances of Israel agreeing to this are currently nil. From Israel’s perspective, the main danger is that Hamas will surprise the IDF by kidnapping a soldier or civilian, just as it did last June, when it kidnapped Gilad Shalit and killed two other soldiers. This danger should not be underestimated: The IDF’s operational deployment in Gaza is nonideal, entailing various risks. Abu Obeid, a spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, claimed yesterday that Israel long ago abandoned the Gaza cease-fire... more.. Escalation in Gaza /The inevitable war Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 4/24/2007 From Israel’s perspective, the timing of Hamas’ attack on southern Israel yesterday was problematic. With the government and army virtually paralyzed by fear of the upcoming publication of the Winograd Committee’s report, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert cannot easily order a harsh reprisal in Gaza. And this time, good intelligence and the army’s preparedness foiled what was apparently another kidnapping attempt, which ostensibly enables Olmert to make do with a limited response. Yet the premier must ask himself whether this would not be a mistake. Just as Hamas did in its kidnapping of Gilad Shalit last June, the organization, or parts of it, is signaling that all its promises of a cease-fire are nonbinding. Since Hamas agreed to the cease-fire in Gaza, more than 200 Qassam rockets have been fired at Israel from Gaza... more.. IDF: Kidnapping foiled in Gaza; no invasion planned Amos Harel Aluf Benn and Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 4/24/2007 Senior IDF officers say the Israel Defense Forces foiled a Hamas attempt to kidnap a soldier on the Gaza border yesterday. Apparently as part of this attempt, dozens of rockets and mortar shells - for which Hamas claimed responsibility - were fired at southern Israel. There were no casualties. Government and army sources predicted that Israel’s response would be localized and not involve a major ground operation in Gaza because no one was hurt and due to pleas for calm by members of the Palestinian government. The sources said Hamas’ claim of responsibility - the first since it formed a unity government with Fatah - should make it clear to all that this is a terrorist government. Hamas began launching rockets and mortars along the Gaza-Israel border at about 8:00 A. M. more.. Israeli forces kill eight, including child, in weekend attacks PCHR, Electronic Intifada 4/22/2007 In the past 24 hours, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have escalated attacks in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). They have killed eight Palestinians, including a child. Four of the victims were extra-judicially executed. PCHR strongly condemns this latest escalation and the reactivation of the policy of extra-judicial executions, which increases tension in the region and threatens the life of Palestinian civilians. According to investigations conducted by PCHR: At approximately 05:00 on Saturday, 21 April 2007, IOF moved into Kufor Dan village, west of Jenin. They besieged and opened fire at a house belonging to the family of Mahmoud Nasfat Naddaf, 20, in the west of the village. They also raided a number of neighboring houses and transformed them into military sites, from which they fired at whatever moved in the area. In the meantime, Mohammed Sa’id Talal ’Aabed, 23, stepped up to the roof of his house to check what was going on. Immediately, an IOF soldier positioned in a neighboring house belonging to Mohammed Saleh ’Aabed shot him dead with two gunshots to the jaw and the chest. The victim was a member of the Palestinian police, but he was not on duty and was wearing civilian clothes. more.. Chaos; Two brothers killed near Gaza shore, one resident killed in northern Gaza Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 4/22/2007 Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Sunday at night that two brothers were killed by unknown gunmen and a third resident was injured in an area close to the Gaza shore, a third resident was killed in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, the Maan News Agency reported. The sources stated that Haitham and his brother Mohammad Abu Amro, both in their twenties, were killed, while a third resident was serious injured during armed clashes. The causes of the clashes remained unknown. Eyewitnesses stated that heavy gunfire took place at the coastal road linking between Gaza and its southern part, and that the two brothers were killed in these clashes. The third resident was killed in separate clashes that took place in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. more.. Two teenagers among dead as Israelis raid Gaza, West Bank Daily Star 4/23/2007 Haniyya condemns talks as ’political deception’ -- Israeli troops killed two Palestinian militants and a teenager in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, bringing to nine the death toll from the bloodiest weekend of violence in monthsResponding to the deaths, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya of Hamas called on Arab countries to drop any notion of negotiating peace with Israel"I urge them to stop any political initiative that would lead to creating a state of normalization with the Israeli occupation," he told ReutersHaniyya added during the interview in Gaza City that Israel’s killings "reveal the political deception which is being practiced on the Palestinian people through the political meetings and the meetings of leaders" with IsraelisKarim Zahran, 17, was shot dead while throwing stones at Israeli troops near the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank... more.. Israeli forces have now killed 9 Palestinians in a day and a half Nablus - Amin Abu Wardeh, Palestine News Network 4/22/2007 In addition to killing six Palestinians in Jenin and Gaza yesterday, including a 17 year old girl, and two this morning in Nablus, Israeli forces have killed a 16 year old boy in western Ramallah on Sunday afternoon. Israeli forces shot and killed 16 year old Karim Zahran of 'Abud Village in western Ramallah under the pretext he intended to throw a bottle, earlier claimed to be incendiary. Earlier today Israeli forces invaded the outskirts of the Old City of Nablus and killed two people. Amin Labadeh and Fadel Nur were members of the Fateh-linked armed resistance wing, Al Aqsa Brigades. Palestinian security sources report that this morning in Nablus Israeli special forces, followed by the arrival of major reinforcements, surrounded a house and opened fire. Members of the armed resistance responded until Israeli forces shot missiles into the house, leading to full combustion. more.. Six homes to be destroyed for Wall under pretext of lack of Israeli-issued permits Bethlehem - Najib Farag, Palestine News Network 4/22/2007 Israeli forces will destroy six more Bethlehem homes. The Israeli Major General Yair Naveh issued notices to six citizens in Umm Salamuna Village in southern Bethlehem. Israeli forces occupying the West Bank are building the Wall straight through the village. This Israeli military leader claims he will destroy these homes due to a lack of permits required because they are in Area C since the days of Oslo. Chairperson of the Land Defense Committee, Khalid Al Azzeh, received copies of the notices from homeowners. He said that there is one month to appeal the decision, but it is back-dated to 10 April. Soby 10 May something must change or the homes will be destroyed. The weekly nonviolent resistance to the Wall and settlement expansion, although drawing some attention, is not stopping the Israeli policy of ethnic cleansing, which actions such as this illustrate. more.. Two fighters assassinated in Nablus Ameen Abowardeh - IMEMC - Translated by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 4/22/2007 Israeli soldiers invaded on Saturday night after midnight the northern West Bank city of Nablus and assassinated two fighters of the Al Aqsa brigades, the armed wing of Fateh movement. The two fighters were identified as Amin Lubbada, 21, and Fadel Nour, 22. They were shot and killed during armed clashes with the invading Israeli forces. Palestinian sources reported that soldiers surrounded the house of Tha’er Al Zorba, in Kroum Ashour area, and exchanged fire with resistance fighters hiding there. Soldiers fired several shells at the house completely burning and destroying it before kidnapping Ashour and taking him to an unknown destination. Also, soldiers broke into the houses of Fawzi Younis and Kamal Ashour and searched them; damage was reported. more.. Youth girl killed in Jenin refugee camp, eight Palestinians killed in 24 hours Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 4/22/2007 Palestinian medical sources in Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank, reported on Saturday evening that a 17-year old girl was shot and killed by Israeli military fire during an invasion to Jenin refugee camp. The invasion is the third in less than 24 hours. A total of eight Palestinians were killed by the army in 24 hours. The sources identified the girl as Boshra Naji al Wash; she was hit by a round of live ammunition in the head causing instant death. She was at home in the Jenin refugee camp when the army randomly fired at dozens of houses. The invasion was carried out by thirty armored vehicles and jeeps, and was concentrated in Jenin refugee camp, and the western section of Jenin city close to the camp. Eyewitnesses reported that dozens of fighters exchanged fire with the invading forces. more.. One child killed by Israeli army fire as army invaded village near Ramallah Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 4/22/2007 One Palestinian child was shot and killed by Israeli army fire during an invasion to the village of Dier Abu Mish’al located west of the central west Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday morning. A massive Israeli force invaded the village on Sunday at dawn, troops then searched and ransacked scores of residents homes, during the search campaign local youth hurled stones at the invading soldiers who opened fire randomly at the youth and nearby houses and killed the boy. Medical sources stated that Kareem Zahran, 14, susnaied critical wounds during the clashes, soldiers detained the boy until he died from sever bleeding, after two houres Israeli forces handed the boy’s body to a Palestinian ambulance that took him to a hospital in Ramallah city. On the way to the hospital the army also detained the ambulance car from one hour the medical team reported. more.. Israeli, Palestinian lightly hurt in East Jerusalem shooting Amos Harel and Jonathan Lis, Ha’aretz 4/21/2007 An Israeli and a Palestinian were lightly wounded in a shooting Sunday evening in East Jerusalem. According to Army Radio, an East Jerusalem resident opened fire on an Israeli car, injuring the driver in the arm. A Palestinian bystander was lightly wounded by shrapnel. At this point, it is unclear whether the shooting was a terror attack or was criminally motivated. Police sources told Army Radio, however, that the attack was in all likelihood a terror attack. Magen David Adom emergency medical services evacuated the wounded to the capital’s Hadassah University Hospital at Ein Karem. The assailant fled to nearby neighborhood of Beit Hanina, and a large police force entered the neighborhood to search for the suspect. more.. Settlers to ignore IDF declaration that Homesh is off limits Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 4/21/2007 The Israel Defense Forces and police are preparing to prevent settlers from marching Tuesday to the ruins of the settlement of Homesh in the northern West Bank. Defense Minister Amir Peretz and IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi on Sunday suspended discussions on granting the settlers a demonstration permit. IDF sources admitted it was unlikely that access could be completely blocked, saying that no additional troops had been allocated to the task beyond the two battalions assigned to the area. Despite Sunday’s announcement that Homesh, a settlement evacuated during the 2005 disengagement, is legally off limits, march organizers said there has been no change of plans. On Friday, the organizers said they would go ahead with their plans despite the fact that Peretz and Ashkenazi had reversed their decision to allow the march. more.. Security forces on high alert for Memorial, Independence Day Amos Harel and Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 4/21/2007 Security forces have been placed on high alert for Remembrance and Independence days for fear over terror attacks. A number of suicide bombing alerts have been placed within the Green Line and shooting alerts on West Bank roads for the two-day period. Israel Defense Forces troops killed three Palestinians in the West Bank on Sunday. Two of them, aged 20 and 21, were killed during a fire exchange in the city of Nablus. The third, a 17-year-old, was killed west of Ramallah after throwing a firebomb at an IDF vehicle. Hamas called Sunday for new attacks on Israel after nine Palestinians were killed by Israel Defense Forces troops in a 24-hour surge of violence over the weekend. On Saturday, six Palestinians, including a 17-year-old girl, were killed by IDF and Border Police troops in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources said. more.. Palestinian militants shot dead BBC Online 4/21/2007 Three Palestinian militants have been shot dead by Israeli troops in the West Bank, local officials have said. Two members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and one Islamic Jihad member were killed when their car was fired on in the city of Jenin, the sources said. Israel confirmed an undercover unit had fired on the car and hit three men. Hours later, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired three rockets at the southern Israeli town of Sderot, one of them hitting a house. Two people were taken to hospital with light wounds, medical sources told AFP news agency. Four other people were treated for shock at the site,In other violence, a Palestinian policeman was shot dead by Israeli troops near Jenin, Palestinian sources said. And in Gaza, masked gunmen detonated explosives at the American International School in Gaza but no-one was hurt. more.. Hours of attack on Beit Fourik leaves several injured and a home demolished By Nablus) Amin Abu Wardeh, Palestine News Network 4/21/2007 The town of Beit Fourik, east of Nablus City, saw a major Israeli invasion beginning Friday evening and lasting into Saturday morning. Several Palestinians are injured and a house is destroyed. When the Israeli military invaded, young people with stones responded. An active member of the Central Committee of the Popular Struggle Front, and a town resident, reported dozens of military vehicles entering on Friday night. Young people from Beit Fourik began throwing stones and Israeli soldiers opened fire. Several injuries were incurred among residents, including 15 year old Mohammad Iyad Hanni. Palestinian security sources report that Israeli forces surrounded the home of Fadi Rajeh Hanni. Bulldozers plowed through the house, destroying it completely. The Israeli claim is that the military was fired upon from the house. more.. Gunmen blow up part of American school in northern Gaza Strip By News Agencies, Ha’aretz 4/21/2007 Armed assailants set off explosives early Saturday at an international school in northern Gaza, damaging the building but causing no casualties, Palestinian security sources said. The security sources and school officials said the militants detonated three explosive devices in two of the buildings of the school in the northern Gaza Strip. The blast occurred before the start of the school day and no one was injured in the attack. The explosions, which took place at 4 a. m. , caused a fire that burnt most of the furniture at Gaza’s only international school." A large number of masked gunmen attacked the school at dawn. They poured petrol all around and blew up several explosive devices and destroyed some of the premises," said Rebhi Salem, the school’s director. The gunmen identified themselves as an Al-Qaida organization operating in Gaza, Salem said. more.. Palestinians: 6 die in territories; Qassam hits house in Sderot By Zvika Gottlieb, Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 4/21/2007 Six Palestinians, including a 17-year-old girl, were killed Saturday by Israel Defense Forces and Border Police troops in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources said. The troops were reportedly searching for the girl’s brother, a wanted Islamic Jihad militant. It is unclear why she remained in the house. Three militants were killed in the city Saturday afternoon, and a policeman was killed earlier in the day in a nearby village. On Saturday night, a 37-year-old Palestinian man was killed and another wounded when an Israel Air Force aircraft fired a missile at a vehicle in the Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. The Islamic Jihad militant group described the man as a civilian but said he was riding in a car with two other militants, who were seriously wounded. more.. Army invades Kufer Daan near Jenin kills one civilians and abducts several others By Ali Samodi - Translated by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 4/21/2007 The Israeli army invaded the village of Kufer Daan village west of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, killed one civilian and abducted ten residents, on Saturday morning. Palestinian sources identified the man as Mohamed 'Abed, 23. Resident s of the village reported that ‘Abed, who worked as a Palestinian policeman was hit by three rounds of live ammunition in his head as he was standing on his rooftop. His body was moved to the Jenin governmental hospital. A massive Israeli force invaded the village of Kufer Daan, soldiers took over some homes and turned them to militaryposts. Resistance fighter exchanged fire with the invading forces, eyewitnesses reportedSoldiers also searched and ransacked scores of residents' homes and abducted fifteen civilians and took them to unknown ddestinations. more.. Israeli army invades down town Bethlehem city and abducts three civilians By Najeep Faraj - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 4/21/2007 On Saturday midday a number of Israeli army vehicles along with one unmarked vehicles invaded the down town Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank and abducted two residents. The force stopped a bus then forced people out said, soldiers took ID cards of the passengers and checked them, two local youth were then forced in an army vehicle and were taken away, eyewitnesses reported. The two men were known as Ihsan Al Assa and Na’em Al Assa, both from Obadiya village, located to the east of Bethlehem city Several army jeeps droving around in the city and the two nearby towns of Beit Sahour and Beit Jala, residents stated that the military jeeps caused traffic and used loud speakers to harass people. After some time the Israeli force stormed the village of Obadiya of and surrounded the house of Mohamed Radaidah and abducted him. more.. Undercover Israeli troops assassinate three Palestinian militant operatives Ma’an News Agency 4/21/2007 Jenin - An Israeli undercover unit operating in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday afternoon has assassinated two Palestinian activists affiliated to the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main armed wing of the Fatah movement, and a third affiliated to the Al-Quds Brigades of the Islamic Jihad movement Palestinian security sources stated that an undercover Israeli military force infiltrated Jenin and shot dead the three activists near the Jenin girls’ secondary school. The victims were named as Ahmad Al-’Yasa and Abbas Ad-Damj from the Al-Aqsa Brigades, and Mahmoud Abu Jalil from the Al-Quds Brigades. [end] 1 killed, several injured in Gaza Strip shootings Ma’an News Agency 4/21/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - One Palestinian man was killed and five others injured in several shooting incidents throughout the Gaza Strip on Friday and late on Thursday. Palestinian medical sources said that 25-year-old Raed Saeed Abid died after being shot during a family dispute in Ash Shajaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City. In the same area 60-year-old As’ad Ar Ra’I was injured after being shot in the neck and his condition said to be critical. In the Toffah area in northern Gaza two boys were injured when armed men shot at a wedding party. Another two citizens were injured when they misused their weapons. Security sources claimed that one is a Hamas activist who was injured in the hand by the shrapnel of a hand-grenade at his home in Rafah. The other was shot in the leg with a bullet from his own weapon; he was transported to Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah. [end] Palestinian policeman shot dead by Israeli sniper near Jenin Ma’an News Agency 4/21/2007 Jenin - Ma’an - A Palestinian policeman was killed by Israeli soldiers on Saturday morning when they raided Kafr Dan, west of Jenin. Security sources stated that the Israeli forces launched a campaign of search and arrest in the town in which 10 Palestinians were arrested. Eyewitnesses said that Palestinian policeman, 23-year-old Mohammad Talal Abid, was killed by two bullets; one to the head and one to the heart, shot by an Israeli sniper whilst Abid was on the roof of his home with his brother. He was killed instantly. The witnesses added that the snipers were on a nearby roof when they killed Abid. Two hours after the raid, armed clashes erupted between the Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters, no casualties were reported. [end] Al-Mujahidin Brigade attacks Israeli soldier Ma’an News Agency 4/21/2007 Gaza " Ma’an - The Al-Mujahidin ["strugglers"] Brigade, one of Fatah movement’s smaller military wings claimed responsibility on Saturday for shooting an Israeli soldier, near the Sofa crossing in the southern Gaza Strip. In their statement, the brigade affirmed willingness to continue in their resistance "until the Israeli occupation is over". [end] Al Aqsa Brigades target settlers’ cars near Hebron Ma’an News Agency 4/21/2007 Hebron - Ma’an - The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main armed group affiliated to the Fatah movement on Saturday ambushed two cars belonging to Israeli settlers near Mount Hebron in the southern West Bank In a statement received by Ma’an, the brigades announced that their resistance fighters targeted the settlers’ cars, "and came back safely after injuring and killing settlers". The statement declared that the operation was in retaliation to Israeli assaults against Palestinian people, "specifically the attempts to transform the Al-Aqsa mosque into a purely Jewish site." more.. Israeli military enter Bethlehem, arrest two, ransack homes Ma’an News Agency 4/21/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Israeli forces invaded Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Al-’Ubaydiyya, all in the southern West Bank and apprehended Palestinian citizens on Saturday. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that Israeli military forces arrested Ghassan and Mahmoud Al-’Asa, after intercepting a bus in which they were travelling in the centre of Bethlehem. After that, the Israelis invaded the village of Al-’Ubaydiyya, east of Bethlehem city and ransacked the home of Ghassan Al-’Asa, who was arrested in Bethlehem. Troops performed a room-to-room inspection after evacuating the residents. Palestinian security sources affirmed that over 15 military vehicles took part in the invasion. [end] Palestinian youth threatens to conduct bombing against Palestinian police after illegal car seized Ma’an News Agency 4/21/2007 Ramallah - Ma’an - A Palestinian youth has threatened to detonate an explosive belt and blow himself up in a police station in Ramallah, if the police will not return his illegal car to him. The car was seized during a campaign launched by the Palestinian police in the city. The commander of the police in the territories told Maβan, "the police forces seized the manβs car as it was a stolen car, during the campaign which the police launched. The citizen then returned to the station with an explosive belt around his waist, threatening to detonate himself if the car was not returned to him." more.. 17 injured during Israeli invasion of Beit Furik in search of ’wanted’ Palestinian Ma’an News Agency 4/21/2007 Nablus - Ma’an - 17 Palestinian citizens were injured on Friday when Israeli forces broke into the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, in the northern West Bank. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that the Israeli forces besieged a house belonging to Fadi Hannani, claiming there was a ’wanted’ Palestinian hiding in it. Confrontations erupted between citizens of the town and the Israeli soldiers, the citizens used stones and empty bottles and the soldiers used live ammunition and tear gas. 17 citizens were reportedly injured by rubber bullets and tear gas fumes. more.. PFLP fires a grenade at an Israeli military jeep in northern Gaza By Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 4/20/2007 Abu Ali Mustafa brigades, an offshoot of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed Friday it fired a rocket-propelled grenade at an Israeli military jeep to the north of the Gaza Strip. [end] Fatah-affiliated armed group calls for further capturing of Israeli soldiers Ma’an News Agency 4/20/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - Israel is responsible for the consequences of not releasing the Palestinian prisoners, the spokesman of the Yasser Arafat group, Abu Marwan, warned in a press statement released Friday. This group is part of the Al-Aqsa brigades, which is a collection of armed groups making up Fatah’s armed wing. Abu Marwan called on the military factions to capture more Israeli soldiers in response to Israel’s inaction, adding that his group is already planning to capture further Israeli soldiers. He also denied the media reports that his group is intending to stop its attacks or resistance. more.. Israeli army raids village east of Qalqilya, arrests six men Ma’an News Agency 4/20/2007 Qalqilya - Ma’an - The Israeli forces arrested six Palestinians from ’Azzun, a village east of Qalqilya in the northwest of the occupied West Bank, on Thursday evening. Palestinian security sources said that several Israeli military vehicles broke into the village and stormed several houses before arresting ’Amro ’Ali Abu Haniyeh, Murad Saker Salim, Samir Salim, Iyad Abu Haniyeh, ’Abdullah Abu Haniyeh and Qusai Hamzeh ’Abed Al-Halim Hussein. Qalqilya city and its environs have been subjected to near-daily Israeli arrest raids for the last three weeks. more.. PFLP’s military wing fires grenade at Israeli jeep in northern Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 4/20/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The Abu Ali Mustafa brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), have claimed that they fired a rocket-propelled grenade at an Israeli military jeep north of Beit Hanoun, in the north of the Gaza Strip, on Friday at dawn. The brigades assured in a statement for Ma’an that they have the right to continue their resistance. Thy also called all the Palestinian factions to form a unified resistance front to confront the Israeli occupation and their assistants. more..  Diplomacy
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