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Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel News Archives - August 2007 Select News by subject: Conflict • Diplomacy • Government • Human Rights • Economy • People • International |
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Four residents, including three children killed in the Gaza Strip Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/29/2007 Palestinian medical sources in Gaza city reported on Wednesday at night that the number of residents who were killed in the Gaza Strip arrived to four, including one who died of earlier wounds. Earlier in the day, two children were killed when the army fired a surface-to-surface missile at a group of residents in Abu Safiyya area, in Jabalia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The two children were identified as Yahia Ramadan Abu Ghazala, and Mahmoud Mousa Abu Ghazala. A third child, identified as Sara Abu Ghazal suffered serious wounds and was moved to Kamal Adwan hospital. Moreover, a third child died of wounds sustained Thursday when the army fired a tank shell at a house in Beit Lahia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Dr. more.. The Israeli army continues its military invasion of Qalqilia injuring 34 so far Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/29/2007 The Israeli army continued its military offensive targeting the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia. Medical sources reported that 34 civilians have been injured due to army fire since the beginning of the invasion this morning, one of them critically. The medical sources identified Ibrahim Daoud, aged 17, who was shot in the head by the invading Israeli troops. Earlier today the Israeli army demolished two homes there. Palestinian media sources reported that a massive army force along with two military bulldozers invaded the city then surrounded the house of Adel Hassan, forcing the family out. They then destroyed the house and kidnapped Hassan, taking him to an unknown destination. Shortly thereafter troops attacked and demolished another nearby house. more.. Army demolishes two homes in Qalqilia city Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/29/2007 The Israeli army invaded the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia and demolished two homes there on Wednesday morning. Palestinian media sources reported that a massive army force along with two military bulldozers invaded the city then surrounded the house of Adel Hassan, troops destroyed the house after forcing the family out then took Hassan to unknown destination. Shortly there after troops attacked another nearby house and demolished it, local sources said that the house belongs to a local resident known as Qassem Al Hurop. As the time of this report the Israeli army is still in the city occupying homes and searching them, witnesses said. [end] Army invades Nablus city kidnaps two civilians, resistance destroy one military vehicle Ameen Abu Wardeh, International Middle East Media Center 8/29/2007 At least ten Israeli military jeeps invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday morning; during the invasion Palestinian resistance destroyed one army vehicle. Witnesses said that during the invasion Israeli troops and jeeps attacked and searched homes in the city of Nablus and nearby Balata refugee camp, local resistance men attacked the invading force and managed to destroy one military jeep, witnesses said. After several hours the Israeli army left the city and the refugee camp and kidnapped two Palestinian civilians, local sources idntifed the two as Majdi Ishtawi, 39, and Islam Abu Amer, 24. The Israeli has yet to confirm the attack. [end] Two Palestinian civilians kidnapped as army invades Ithna village near Hebron Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/29/2007 Two Palestinian civilians were kidnapped by Israeli troops that invaded and searched homes in the village of Ithna located south east of Hebron city in the southern part of the West Bank. The two kidnapped were identified as Mohamed Awad, 18, Isma’el Ighbarah, 32. [end] Israeli army wounds a resident and takes prisoners two others in Bethlehem Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/29/2007 In a new fresh Israeli attack on the West Bank city of Bethlehem, a Palestinian resident was reportedly wounded and two others taken prisoners, after an Israeli special undercover unit stormed the Wad aL-Ma’ali quarter on Wednesday evening. Eyewitnesses said that 15 about armored vehicles cordoned off a commercial zone and that soldiers began shooting heavily, wounding in the head, a 17-year-old guy. Hospital sources confirmed that Mohammad Al-Ko’ali, 17 year-old, sustained a rubber-coated steel bullet in the head. The Israeli attack resulted in the arrest of two other residents; Nader aL-Mo’ty, 23 and Ibrahim Hassan, 23, who were taken by the Israeli soldiers to unknown destination, local sources confirmed. Israeli army takes prisoners several Palestinian residents from the various West Bank areas, almost on daily basis. more.. Haifa man dies of critical wounds sustained during Lebanon war Jack Khoury, Ha’aretz 8/30/2007 41-year-old Mohammed Salum died on Wednesday from critical wounds he sustained in a Katyusha rocket strike on Haifa during last summer’s war with Hezbollah. Salum is the 153rd person to have been killed in the Second Lebanon War. Salum was critically wounded when a Katyusha rocket hit his family’s home on Caesarea Street in the mostly Arab neighborhood of Wadi Nisnas. Salum suffered serious burns all over his body. The doctors fought for his life from the moment he arrived at the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, and he has been kept in the hospital’s intensive care unit since. Salum was not married. His sister Munira has been by his bedside since the incident. "There were weeks when we felt that his condition may be improving and he was beginning to recover. more.. Brigades launch projectiles at Sderot Ma’an News Agency 8/29/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - An Nasser Salah Ad Din brigades claimed responsibility for launching homemade projectiles at Sderot early on Wednesday morning. In a statement they said the "operation is part of the retaliation for the Israeli aggressions and attacks against Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip." Also, the Al-Quds Brigades announced they had launched two homemade projectiles at Sderot on Tuesday evening. In a statement they said the "operation was retaliation for the Israeli crimes against Palestinian people." Meanwhile, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades and An Nasser Salah Ad Din brigades claimed joint responsibility for an armed attack on Special Israeli forces north west of Beit Lahia on Tuesday evening. In a joint statement the Brigades said that one An Nasser members was injured in the clash and was taken to hospital. more.. Israeli forces storm Qalqilia Ma’an News Agency 8/29/2007 Qalqilia - Ma’an -Thirty Palestinians were injured when Israeli forces stormed the city of Qalqilia in the northern West Bank on Wednesday morning. Medical sources have confirmed that 18-year-old Ibrahim Hassan Mohammad was shot in the head and is in a critical condition. He is being transferred from the UNRWA Hospital in the city to Rafidia hospital in Nablus. After storming into the city Israeli forces imposed a curfew on many neighbourhoods in the west and south of the city. Ma’an’s correspondent reported thatthe Israeli forces were re- enforced with military vehicles and bulldozers. Journalists were banned from approaching the area. He added frequent gunfire could be heard in the area and that the Israeli forces are besieging many houses. more.. IDF operation in Qalqilya ends without injuries Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/29/2007 Israeli troops enter West Bank city in search of terror suspects, detain one rioter; 24 Palestinians lightly wounded from crowd dispersal means - Israel Defense Forces, in cooperation with the Special Police Unit encountered great resistance from Palestinians in an operation in the West Bank city of Qalqilya on Wednesday. During the operation, 24 Palestinians were lightly injured by crowd dispersal weapons used by the Israeli troops. IDF soldiers and police officers entered Qalqilya early Wednesday morning in order to arrested terror suspects. Shortly after entering the city, three Palestinian gunmen opened fire at the forces. The troops were not injured and they fired back at the gunmen, who fled from the scene. IDF sources said the troops approached three buildings demanding the residents evacuate them. more.. Palestinian police unit attacked near Tulkarem Ma’an News Agency 8/29/2007 Tulkarem – Ma’an – A Palestinian police unit was attacked and shot at in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem on Wednesday as they tried to make arrests. The police vehicles were attacked as they tried to execute a court order to arrest the men. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that Palestinian security forces besieged the Iktaba neighbourhood, north east Tulkarem, and demanded the men surrender. However, several tried to resist, and they were joined by a group of women, who threw stones at the police vehicles and which enabled some of the men to run away. The director of Tulkarem police, Mohammad Ayyash explained that the neighbourhood was now under police control and three assailants had been arrested along with some of the women. Ayyash told our reporter that the men are alleged to have been involved in attacks on homes in the area in an old clan dispute. more.. Three Al-Aqsa Brigades members allegedly shot by Hamas Executive Force Ma’an News Agency 8/29/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of the Fatah movement said on Wednesday that three of their members have been injured by the Hamas-affiliated Executive Force in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. The brigades named those injured as Wael Majayda, Rafiq Majayda and Hani Majayda, who were allegedly shot in their legs at point-blank range. A statement by Al-Aqsa Brigades read, "The EF sent warrants summoning four other members of the Majayda family, claiming that they raised Fatah flags and the late Yasser Arafat’s pictures in a wedding party for a member of Al-Aqsa Brigades." [end] aL-Aqsa Brigades: three members wounded by Hamas’s executive force Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/29/2007 The aL-Aqsa brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, announced on Wednesday that three members of which have been shot and wounded by the executive force, a Hamas-affiliated police force, run by the Hamas-led government in Gaza. The aL-Aqsa brigades said that Wa’el aL-Majayda, Said aL-Majayda and Hani aL-Majayda, were shot and wounded in their legs from a very close destination in the aL-Majayda quarter in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis. Following the Hamas takeover of Gaza in mid June, the executive force has been operating largely in the costal region, maintaining order and law; after all Fatah-linked Palestinian Authority’s forces abandoned their security posts. Prior to June’s takeover, both Hamas and Fatah engaged in an internecine power struggle in the backdrop of an international community... more.. Undercover Israeli forces invade Bethlehem Ma’an News Agency 8/29/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – A Palestinian citizen was injured and two others were abducted after Israeli military forces invaded the Wadi Ma’ali neighbourhood in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem on Wednesday evening. Ma’an’s reporter stated that over 15 Israeli military vehicles entered the area, besieging shops and an internet café. They also fired gunshots towards Palestinian citizens, injuring Muhammad Ku’ali 17 with a rubber-coated steel bullet to the head. He was transferred to Beit Jala hospital for treatment. An undercover Israeli force besieged the area and abducted two alleged operatives of the Islamic Jihad movement; Nadir Mu’ti, 23, and Ibrahim Hassan, 23. The two were released from Israeli jails just two months ago. [end] SOS Israel to award citations to refuseniks Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/29/2007 Right-wing movement to hold event honoring soldiers who disobeyed orders to evacuate Jewish squatters from Hebron market. Event timed to coincide with IDF ceremony honoring soldiers for bravery during last summer’s war with Hizbullah - The SOS Israel movement will distribute on Sunday citations to the IDF soldiers who refused to take part in the evacuation of Jewish squatters from the Hebron wholesale market three weeks ago. The movement timed the event to coincide with an IDF ceremony to honor soldiers who carried out brave acts during last summer’s war with Hizbullah. "It is time that politicians stop destroying the army and prepare it for what it is really meant to do," said the mother of a soldier who was sentenced to solitary confinement by a military court over his refusal to carry out the Hebron evacuation. more.. IDF officer rescued from Jenin sentenced to jail Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/29/2007 Court-martial finds Major Razi Raveh violated military procedure when driving to Mevo Dotan, sentences him to 28 days in brig Major Razi Raveh, the IDF officer who was rescued by Palestinian security forces after entering the West Bank city of Jenin by mistake on Monday, was sentenced Wednesday to 28 days in a military prison. Raveh was on his way to the Mevo Dotan settlement in the northern West Bank when he accidentally drove into Jenin. Local Palestinian residents, who spotted the officer, stoned his car, forced him out and began beating him. At this point, a Palestinian policeman saw the mob and called for backup. The security officers managed to extract Raveh from the crowd moments before his vehicle was set on fire. The IDF Central Command’s investigation of the incident found that Raveh failed... more.. Three Palestinian children killed in IDF strike in northern Gaza Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harels and Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 8/30/2007 Three Palestinian children were killed on Wednesday afternoon in a blast in the northern Gaza Strip, when an Israel Defense Forces tank fired on a Qassam rocket launcher. Dr. Moaiya Hassanain of the Palestinian Health Ministry said 10-year-old Mahmoud Ghazal and his 12-year-old cousin Yehiya Ghazal were killed immediately. Their 10-year-old cousin Sara Ghazal was critically injured, and died later from her wounds. The IDF said it fired on the Qassam launcher after it detected unidentified figures next to it. A relative of the children, Wasfi Ghazal, said he heard the sound of an explosion and then children screaming. He held both Israel and the militant rocket squads responsible." We are victims of the occupation and victims of the misbehavior of some of the fighters who are randomly choosing our area to target Israel," he told The Associated Press. more.. Two children dead and two seriously injured in Israeli artillery attack in Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 8/29/2007 Gaza - Ma’an – Two children were killed and two others were seriously injured in an Israeli artillery attack as they walked close to a rocket launcher in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Palestinian medical sources named the two dead children as Yahya Abu Ghazala and Mahmoud Abu Ghazala. Mahmoud’s sister, Sara, was seriously injured in the attack. The fourth child has not yet been identified. The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, has announced that one of their leaders, Samih Sawafeiri from the Zaytoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, succumbed to wounds sustained in an earlier Israeli strike. [end] Launch sites are war zones, IDF source says Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 8/29/2007 Hours after three Palestinian children killed in IDF attack in Gaza, military source explains terror organization use civilians, says ’army makes every effort not to harm civilians; Palestinians must make sure to keep children out of battle zone’ - "The fact that Palestinian civilians, especially children, are killed, is unfortunate, does not serve our interests and does not promote a solution to the terror problem," a military source told Ynet Wednesday night, following the IDF attack on rocket launchers which left three children dead in Gaza. Nonetheless, the source stressed that "the army makes every effort - sometimes beyond proportion - so as not to hurt civilians, but the terror organizations are using all means at their disposal. more.. High court allows Modi’in Ilit residents to remain in Heftsiba apartments Yuval Yoaz, Ha’aretz 8/29/2007 The Modi’in Ilit residents who broke into Heftsiba-built apartments in the settlement’s Matitiyahu East neighborhood will not be forced out at this stage despite an existing High Court of Justice order forbidding them to move into the neighborhood. Tuesday’s High Court ruling, however, stated that even though the temporary injunction against moving into the new buildings built on Palestinian-owned land remained in force, residents would not be evacuated for now. The decision came in response to a petition filed by Peace Now and the council of the West Bank village of Bil’in. The State Prosecutor’s Office had also asked for clarification on the matter." At this stage, and for as long as all the matters concerning the situation of Heftsiba remain unclear, as well as the chances of residents to receive the apartments... more.. Palestine Today 082907 Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/29/2007 Click on Link below to download or play MP3 file - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Wednesday August 29th, 2007 The Israeli Army attacks the West Bank city of Qalqilia and injures 34 civilians, meanwhile in the Gaza strip the deposed Palestinian cabinet claims it’s working hard to end the sanctions, these stories and more coming up – stay tuned. The News Cast - The Israeli army continued its military offensive targeting the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia. Medical sources reported that 34 civilians have been injured due to army fire since the beginning of the invasion this morning, one of them critically. The medical sources identified Ibrahim Daoud, aged 17, who was shot in the head by the invading Israeli troops. -- See also: || File 2.74MB || Time 3m 0s || more.. 8 Palestinians injured in armed confrontation between Hamas’ EF and the Zo’rob family in Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/28/2007 Khan Younis – Ma’an – At least eight Palestinian citizens were injured, including a Fatah leader, in violent clashes between Hamas’ Executive Force and members of the Zo’rob family in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Monday. Armed confrontations erupted when members of the EF attempted to arrest a member of the Zo’rob family. One eyewitness told Ma’an "more than eight of the family were injured, including Kamal Zo’rob, who is a Fatah leader." Eyewitnesses said that Kamal was injured in the hand and that all of the wounded were evacuated to the European Hospital in Khan Younis. Spokesperson of the EF, Islam Shahwan, told Ma’an, "The Executive Force opened fire after one of its patrols was shot at by the family members." He added that "while one of our patrols was on its way to return someone who... more.. One injured as Qassam hits home in Sderot Mijal Grinberg, Ha’aretz 8/28/2007 A Qassam rocket scored a direct hit on a home in Sderot yesterday, lightly injuring one person who was walking by at the time. The rocket was fired at Sderot in the morning hours, and hit a home in the Neot Rabin neighborhood. This neighborhood has suffered numerous rocket attacks in recent months. At the time of the attack, the family was in the house. They heard the alarm and entered their secure room before the rocket struck. A passerby was injured by shrapnel that hit his eye. He was evacuated to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon for treatment. A few minutes after the attack, Minister of Social Affairs Isaac Herzog arrived at the scene. Herzog had been touring communities surrounding the Gaza Strip to deal with pending issues related to the welfare of the citizens suffering from the rocket attacks. more.. Gaza officials: Palestinians bomb two Hamas buildings in Gaza City Reuters, Ha’aretz 8/29/2007 Palestinian gunmen set off two bombs in Gaza City on Tuesday at separate locations belonging to forces of the Islamist group Hamas, causing damage but no casualties, local security officials said. No group claimed responsibility for the simultaneous explosions, and an Israel Defense Forces spokesman ruled out any Israeli involvement. Attacks on Hamas have been relatively rare since it seized control of the coastal Gaza Strip after a bloody battle with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ secular Fatah faction in June. Earlier on Tuesday, a Hamas security officer and eight armed members of a Gaza clan were wounded in a clash in the town of Khan Yunis. When members of the Hamas Executive Force tried to arrest a clan member, other clansmen opened fire and threw pipe bombs at the Hamas force, who fought back. more.. Hamas says Fateh gunmen fired rounds at one of Ramallah city council member International Middle East Media Center 8/28/2007 Hamas sources stated on Tuesday at night that Fateh gunmen fired at Rabee’ Rabee’, member of Ramallah Municipality Council as he was leaving the City Hall after a meeting held on Tuesday evening. [end] Executive Force issues a statement on Khan Younis Tuesday clashes International Middle East Media Center 8/29/2007 The Hamas-formed Executive Force, under the authority of the Ministry of Interior in Gaza, issued a press release regarding the internal clashes that took place on Tuesday evening between members of the force and members of Zo’rob family, in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The Force stated that its members were carrying "routine activities" in Khan Younis and received information about certain family disputes in the city. The Force added that after its members arrived at the house of Zo’rob family, they had a verbal dispute with family members and that one of the family members punched a member of the Force, while other members insulted force members, according to the statement. Later on, members of the Force decided to call for backup after one member was shot and injured by gunfire shot by a member of Zo’rob family. more.. Hamas says Fateh gunmen shot and injured one of its supporters in Nablus International Middle East Media Center 8/28/2007 Hamas movement stated on Tuesday that gunmen of Fateh movement in the northern West Bank city of Nablus shot and injured one supporter of Hamas after kidnapping him on Monday evening. In a press release, Hamas stated that Fateh gunmen abducted Firas Al Qotob, 30, from a horse ranch he own, east of Nablus city, and shot him in his legs. Media sources reported that an anonymous caller phoned Firas and asked to meet him in the horse ranch after claiming that he wants to buy some horses from him. But when Firas arrived to his ranch, gunmen abducted him to another area and tortured him before firing four rounds of live ammunition at his legs. After shooting him, the gunmen phoned his father informing him come over and transfer his injured son to a hospital. more.. PRC combatants prevent infiltration of Israeli forces into northern Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/28/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, on Tuesday claimed responsibility for frustrating the infiltration of Israeli undercover forces into the northern Gaza Strip. The brigades issued a statement reporting that intensive crossfire erupted between invading Israeli forces and their fighters. [end] Several near-lynchings in past week, officials say Ronny Sofer, YNetNews 8/28/2007 Despite lack of media coverage at the time, Palestinian police prevented several incidents of mob violence against Israelis who accidentally entered Palestinian towns - The near-lynching of an IDF officer in Jenin that made headlines Monday night is the latest of a string of similar, but unreported, occurrences, according to the defense establishment and Palestinian officials. In recent weeks, there were four incidents in which Israelis accidentally drove into Palestinian towns, encountered mobs of civilians and were evacuated by Palestinian police. The Monday night beating and the recent incident of a family who ended up in Jericho on their way to Tiberias received widespread media coverage. But there were many other instances of Israelis who lost their way and ended up in hostile Palestinian territory, including a number in the past two weeks, Palestinian sources said. more.. 2 Qassams land near Sderot; no injuries Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 8/28/2007 Rockets fired by Palestinans from north Gaza land outside western Negev town just hours after Olmert-Abbas meeting in Jerusalem Palestinians in north Gaza fired two Qassams towards Sderot Tuesday evening. The rockets landed in open areas outside the western Negev city, and no injuries or damage were reported. The al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad’s armed wing, claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack came just a few hours after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem, during which the two leaders agreed to draft a joint declaration of principles to resolve the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Earlier on Tuesday, a Sderot resident was lightly to moderately wounded by shrapnel and several other people suffered shock after a Qassam rocket hit a house in the town. more.. Frazzled in Sderot Haaretz Editorial, Ha’aretz 8/28/2007 The parents of Sderot feel that they are sending their children to schools that are not completely reinforced, and this feeling is justified. Although the Home Front approved the means of reinforcement for each individual institution - and announced that the existing means do provide the children with reasonable security, the parents asked the defense minister to authorize the reinforcement and state that it was in keeping with his policy. The deputy defense minister, Matan Vilnai, saw this demand as placing too much responsibility on his ministry. The debate between the education and defense ministries certainly does not contribute to a sense of security for the people in Sderot. Sderot’s houses, streets and educational institutions cannot be completely protected from Qassams. more.. Palestine Today 082807 Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/28/2007 Click on Link below to download or play MP3 file - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Tuesday August 28th, 2007. In the West Bank, the Israeli army launches a number of invasions in various towns and cities. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, one resident of Sderot is lightly injured by a home-made missile fired from the coastal region. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The West Bank - The Israeli army implemented a series of military operations in different areas of the West Bank in the early hours of Tuesday morning. In Nablus, security sources reported that troops invaded the city and the Balata refugee camp, kidnapping four Palestinians. In a separate operation, the army invaded the Ein Beit Al Ma refugee camp near Nablus, and Al Bathan, located north of Nablus. -- See also: || File 2.74MB || Time 3m 0s || more.. Israel launches air raid in northern Gaza Middle East Online 8/27/2007 The Israeli soldiers did not find any explosive device - Israeli troops kill Palestinian farmer as Israeli minister accuses Egypt of letting arms into Gaza. - GAZA CITY - Israeli warplanes carried out an air raid near the northern town of Beit Hanun without causing casualties, the army and witnesses said. Meanwhile, Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian on Monday in the central Gaza Strip near the border with the Jewish state, medics and witnesses said. The 40-something man, whose identity was not immediately known, was a farmer working his lands located near the barrier between Gaza and Israel when he was shot, they said. The army said it had shot at a man intending to place a bomb in the border area. "An army patrol identified a Palestinian suspected of deposing an explosive device. more.. Army invades Al Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza strip Ghassan Bannoura news, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007 An Israeli army force backed with tanks and bulldozers invaded the Al Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza strip on Monday. Eyewitnesses said that tanks opened heavy fire at residents’ homes, so far no injures has been reported. [end] Two Palestinians kidnapped near Bethlehem Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007 The Israeli army invaded the village of Artas, south of Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank, and kidnapped one civilian and his father on Monday afternoon. Khaled Al Azza, the head of the popular land defense committee, said that soldiers invaded the village then surrounded the house of Awad Abu Soway, the coordinator of the committee in the village, and kidnapped him and his father. Soway’s land was confiscated by the army several months ago to make way for a sewage system for a nearby Israeli settlement, after which he began to organize nonviolent protests against this practice. [end] Israeli troops reinforce presence in northern Gaza Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007 Israeli army troops reinforced Sunday their presence in northern and eastern Gaza Strip by moving numerous tanks and armored vehicles into army posts in the areas, Palestinian media sources reported. Eyewitness said that the army reinforcement has been coincided with Israeli warplanes gunfire towards nearby Palestinian houses, causing a state of panic to residents. Israeli army has stepped up recently its attacks on targets in the costal region, killing several Palestinians including children, in what Israel called a crackdown on Palestinian homemade rockets attacks on nearby Israeli towns. Concurrently, some Israeli officials were reportedly calling for a massive Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, in a bid to undermine Palestinian resistance groups involving the deposed governing Hamas in Gaza. more.. Israeli missiles demolish Palestinian projectile launch-pad in Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/27/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli fighter jets on Monday morning launched at least one missile at a Palestinian projectile launch-pad in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli missiles demolished a Palestinian launch-pad to the northeast of Gaza City. Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli air strike began just after Palestinian resistance fighters launched homemade projectiles towards Israel from the launch-pad. No casualties were reported in the Gaza Strip or Israel. [end] Palestinian fighters launch projectiles into Israel Ma’an News Agency 8/27/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, claimed responsibility on Sunday evening for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli Western Negev town of Sderot. The brigades also conducted a joint operation with the Al Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad and launched a second projectile at Sderot on Sunday evening. Two further projectiles were claimed to have been launched into Israel on Sunday evening in a united operation of the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades of the PFLP, the Al Aqsa Brigades of Fatah and the independent Army of Muhammad. The An Nasser Brigades also claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli military post of Nahal Oz, near the border of the Gaza Strip, on Monday morning. more.. Palestinian fighters force invading Israeli military in Gaza to retreat Ma’an News Agency 8/27/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The An Nasser Addin Brigades of the PRC and the Al Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad claimed joint responsibility for an armed confrontation with Special Israeli Forces, east of Al Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on Monday morning. The brigades issued a statement: "The Special Forces were driven back after 20 minutes of fierce clashes." The statement also affirmed that the brigades reject all Israeli plans and will continue resistance. [end] Israeli soldiers create huge traffic jam at Huwwara checkpoint Ma’an News Agency 8/27/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – Several Palestinian citizens collapsed on Monday as a result of an extensive traffic jam at Huwwara checkpoint, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Eyewitnesses at the checkpoint said that the Israeli soldiers deliberately inspected the Palestinian passengers slowly, resulting in a huge tail-backs in the extreme heat. As a result many citizens fainted. [end] Brigades claim responsibility for attacks Ma’an News Agency 8/27/2007 Gaza - Ma’an – The Abu Ali Mustafa brigades said that they launched two mortars at an Israeli military post in Nahal Oz on Monday afternoon. They issued a statement saying they had also launched two homemade projectiles at Sderot. The statement confirmed that both operations were in "retaliation for Israeli aggression and attacks against Palestinian people". [end] Brigades say they clashed with Israeli unit near Nahal Oz Ma’an News Agency 8/27/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - National Resistance Brigades (NRB) who are affiliated to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), and An Nasser Salah Al-Din brigades on Monday said they took part inn armed clashes with an Israeli engineering unit near the electronic fence opposite the Nahal Oz near the Gaza Strip. A statement issued by the brigades aid that the "fighters used machine guns and Rocket Propelled Grenades against the unit and managed to withdraw safely to their base." The statement added that the operation was in "retaliation for Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people." [end] Palestine Today 082707 Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007 Click on Link below to download or play MP3 file - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre for Monday August 27th, 2007. In the West Bank, the Israeli army invades the city of Nablus and the nearby refugee camp of Askar. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, a Palestinian man is killed after Israeli forces open fire on him near the Gaza-Israel border. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The West Bank - The Israeli army invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus and the nearby refugee camp of Askar in the early hours of Monday morning. Security sources reported that more than 20 Israeli military vehicles, backed by bulldozers, invaded the city from several directions and opened fire on residents. -- See also: || File 3.66MB || Time 4m 0s || more.. IOF troops storm Nablus, Palestinian youth wounded Palestinian Information Center 8/26/2007 NABLUS, (PIC)-- IOF soldiers stormed the West Bank city of Nablus at dawn Sunday from all axes in line with their daily incursions into the city where a Palestinian young man had his hand amputated when an explosive device blasted near him. Local sources said that the IOF troops infiltrated the Asker refugee camp east of Nablus and areas west of Nablus firing sonic bombs and gas canisters on citizens. They said that a young man was carried to hospital after an explosive device blasted near him and had his hand cut off. The IOF command on Sunday acknowledged that two of its soldiers were wounded Saturday in the Palestinian resistance joint attack north of the Gaza Strip. Two Palestinian fighters were killed in the attempt after successfully crossing the separation fence erected by the IOF troops between the Strip and the 1948 occupied lands. more.. Settlers, state discuss legalizing some outposts, removing others Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 8/26/2007 The Yesha Council of Settlements is negotiating illegal outposts with Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s bureau. The main points of the agreement being hammered out are to evacuate outposts to which no legal solution can be found, while legalizing some and moving others. According to unconfirmed reports in the Hebrew daily Makor Rishon, the Yesha Council has agreed to move the largest of the outposts, Migron near Beit El, after no way of legalizing the community could be found, including attempts to show that at least some of the land was purchased over the past year by Jews. In a flyer distributed to synagogues on Shabbat, the Yesha Council reported on the meetings underway with the Defense Ministry, and attempted to explain its stand, saying, "Dialogue with the Defense Ministry will be conducted with complete transparency vis-a-vis the residents of the outposts. more.. Peace Now: W. Bank roads being paved to tune of NIS 315 million Jonathan Lis, Ha’aretz 8/26/2007 At least six roads or parts of roads are currently being paved in the West Bank for the benefit of settlers, at a cost of at least NIS 315 million, according to a new report by Peace Now. All of these roads, covering 33 kilometers in total, lie east of the separation fence - i. e. , in land Israel does not seek to keep under a peace agreement. Since they serve only a small number of inhabitants, and do not serve the Palestinians at all, the state is spending what amounts to about NIS 50,000 per car on these roads, the report claims. One new highway will connect four settlements east of Jerusalem - 2,500 residents and less than 500 cars - with the capital. One of these settlements is Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s hometown, Nokdim, the 10-kilometer road was approved when he was transit minister. more.. Peace Now report: Settlers enjoy luxury roads Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/26/2007 Organization says State invests large sums in constructing highways for settlers in West Bank, while shortage in funds leaves infrastructure within Green Line lacking - While the State of Israel invests millions in constructing roads in the West Bank, it neglects infrastructure development within the Green Line, thus contributing to the increase in road accidents in the country, the Peace Now organization claimed Sunday. According to a report compiled by the group, 33 kilometers of roads are currently under construction in the area east of the separation fence, with an investment of some NIS 315 million. "The State spends at least NIS 50,000 for each settler’s vehicle, on infrastructure and new roads. While people in Israel get killed on a daily basis due to a shortage in funds for infrastructure, the... more.. Islamic Jihad in violent exchange of fire with Israeli forces near Jenin Ma’an News Agency 8/26/2007 Jenin – Ma’an – The military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility on Sunday morning for armed clashes with invading Israeli forces in Qabatiya, near the northern occupied Palestinian West Bank refugee camp of Jenin. The brigades issued a statement announcing that "one of our groups of fighters confronted the Israeli forces when they stormed the town of Qabatiya, southern Jenin, and detonated many bombing devices, in addition to exchanging fire with the Israeli soldiers; hitting many of them." The statement added, "The operation was part of the retaliation for Israeli assaults and crimes against Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip." [end] Israeli forces abduct brother of fighter killed on Saturday in Jenin Ma’an News Agency 8/26/2007 Jenin – Ma’an – The Israeli occupying forces on Sunday abducted the brother of the ’Martyr’ Alaa Abu Surour, who was assassinated by Israeli soldiers on Saturday in Jenin. The Israeli troops launched a search campaign in Jenin refugee camp and Qabatiya, both in the northern occupied Palestinian West Bank. The military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al Quds Brigades, clashed with Israeli soldiers and exchanged fire during an incursion into Qabatiya early on Sunday morning. The brigades said that they used machine guns and hand-grenades during the clashes. Local sources informed Ma’an’s correspondent that the Israeli forces arrested 19-year-old Mustafa Abu Surour, the brother of an Al Quds Brigades fighter killed in Jenin on Saturday. The soldiers were deployed outside the Abu Surour home and ordered the... more.. Palestinian brigades launch projectiles at Israeli targets Ma’an News Agency 8/26/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of Fatah, the Al Aqsa Brigades, claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli Western Negev town of Sderot on Sunday afternoon. The brigades issued a statement announcing that "the operation was part of the retaliation for Israeli aggression against Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip." The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli-controlled Erez Crossing, between Israel and Gaza, on Sunday afternoon. The brigades issued a statement: "the launching of the projectiles was part of the retaliation for Israeli aggression against Palestinians." more.. Kfar Sava Court rules entering ruins of Homesh is not illegal Yuval Azoulay, Ha’aretz 8/26/2007 The Kfar Sava Juvenile Court ruled that entering the ruins of the evacuated settlement of Homesh is not a criminal offense. The ruling can no longer be appealed as more than 30 days have passed since the ruling was made. Justice David Gadol rejected the state’s position and ruled that a girl who had been arrested for attempting to enter the ruins of Homesh did not violate any law and, therefore, could not be remanded. The judge ruled that the Disengagement Law, on which the state bases its prohibition on entering the ruins of Homesh, was legislated in order to enable the evacuation of the settlement as part of the disengagement two years ago, and must not be utilized for a different purpose. The prosecution presented the court with an additional legal basis for banning entry to the Homesh ruins - an... more.. Judge rules: Visiting Homesh no longer a crime Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/26/2007 Juvenile court judge states Disengagement Law no longer valid, and therefore prohibition on visiting former settlement is null - "The penal chapter of the Disengagement Law has completed its role, and therefore suspects cannot be brought before a court based on it," Judge David Gadol of the Juvenile Court in Kfar Saba ruled recently. Gadol, who presided in a hearing on the remand extension of a teenage girl who was arrested after visiting the evacuated settlement of Homesh, said that the girl did not commit a criminal offense because the law in question - which bars Israelis from visiting the former settlement - was no longer valid. Ever since the evacuation of the West Bank settlement during the disengagement in summer of 2005, thousands of right-wing activists and settlers have tried marching to Homesh and visiting there. more.. State requests 5 life sentences for driver of suicide bomber Yuval Azoulay, Ha’aretz 8/26/2007 The state requested on Sunday that the Tel Aviv District Court hand down five consecutive life sentences to an Israeli Arab who drove a suicide bomber to the location of an attack in 2005. 28-year-old Ashraf Keisi, from Baka al-Garbiyeh transported a Palestinian suicide bomber to a Tel Aviv nightclub, where he blew himself up, killing five people and wounding 50. The police representative at Tel Aviv District Court said of Keisi on Sunday morning, "To our disgust he is Israeli, was born and grew up here, and has Jewish friends. He worked for Jews and for a spent a large part of his life in Israeli society. Maybe this why he refused for the terror attack to be perpetrated in Hadera, where he has friends and relatives." "He decided who would live and who would die, he decided when and where the attack would take... more.. 6 Palestinians arrested near border fence Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 8/26/2007 IDF continues to investigate Saturday’s infiltration, considers enhancing fence. Meanwhile, six Gazans believed to be seeking information for terror groups caught trying to cross the fence yet againIDF forces arrested six Palestinian youths trying to cross the border fence from the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday. The youths were taken in for questioning and IDF sources believe the six were sent to gather information for terror organizations. The incident occurred just one day after two gunmen carrying an explosive device managed to infiltrate into Israel. A military source said on Sunday, "Yesterday’s infiltration would not have been possible if information had not been collected in advance. The Palestinians know that the border fence is military territory and that anyone hanging around there is taking a huge risk. more.. Leftist Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades members survive an assassination attempt in Beit Hanoun International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007 The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), reported on Sunday afternoon that one of its groups survived an assassination attempt by the Israeli army in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The Brigades issued a press release stating that one of its groups fired homemade shells at Eretz Crossing, and the Israeli towns of Ashkelon and Sderot, and that shortly after that an Israeli military helicopter targeted them with several missiles and opened fire at a number of houses. The fighters escaped the shelling unharmed, the brigades stated. The Brigades added that on the anniversary of the assassination of its secretary-general, Abu Ali Mustafa, it reaffirms its commitment to resistance and steadfastness. more.. IOF acknowledges injury of 4 soldiers in resistance attack Palestinian Information Center 8/26/2007 GAZA, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation forces on Saturday evening acknowledged that four soldiers were injured in the blast near a Hummer military jeep at the gate of Karm Abu Salem crossing east of Rafah district. The Hebrew radio said that the four were wounded when an explosive device was blasted in their jeep near the security fence separating the Gaza Strip from the 1948 occupied Palestinian lands. The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas Movement, had taken the credit for that operation that was coupled with firing a number of mortar shells at the IOF military positions near the crossing. The armed wing said that the operation was videotaped and would be soon distributed to reporters, stressing that the raid was in reprisal to the continued IOF aggression on the Palestinian people. more.. IDF: Hamas targets troops, civilians near Gaza Avi Issacharoff Amos Harel Yuval Azoulay and Yoav Stern, Ha’aretz 8/26/2007 Hamas is stepping up efforts to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers near the Gaza perimeter security fence, army sources said yesterday, after Israeli forces killed eight Palestinians and an Arab-Israeli boy in the West Bank and Gaza over the weekend. Palestinian sources told Haaretz that the organization was using other Gaza militant groups to escalate hostilities with Israel and close down the Erez Crossing. Israel Defense Forces troops pursued and shot dead two armed militants yesterday after the men got past the security fence around the Gaza Strip and opened fire on an IDF post. One soldier was lightly wounded in the ensuing shootout, the IDF Spokesman said. Both militants, who were carrying weapons and explosives, apparently belonged to the Popular Resistance Committees, an independent militant group inspired by Lebanon’s Hezbollah. more.. Students fleeing Sderot schools Matan Tzuri, YNetNews 8/26/2007 Number of children attending coming school year in rocket-battered town continues to drop as parents send children to other towns in protest of gov’t’s failure to fortify schools - Some 700 out of 4,100 Sderot students have decided not to attend school in the town this year in protest of the continued rocket attacks and the government’s failure to fortify the schools. Over the past few months, many parents have been doing everything in their power to transfer their children to other schools, and while some parents filed applications to the municipality, others simply changed their addresses on their IDs in order to have their children placed in other schools. According to the town’s data, only 3,400 students will be attending local schools this year compared to 4,100 in 2006, and only 750 children have been registered for kindergarten compared to 900 last year. more.. Rahat mayor: IDF killing of Israeli Arab boy may spark violence Yoav Stern, Ha’aretz 8/26/2007 "If the rumors about Mahmoud’s death turn out to be true, it might inflame the public," Rahat’s mayor Talal al-Karnawi warned Saturday, referring to the killing of an 11-year-old Arab-Israeli boy by security forces in the West Bank town of Tul Karm on Friday. Mahmoud al-Karnawi was visiting his mother’s family near Tul Karm when Border Police officers stormed the building in pursuit of a wanted militant. Mahmoud, who lives in the southern Bedouin town of Rahat with his parents, was killed in the crossfire. Rahat’s mayor, Talal al-Karnawi, demanded the Israel Defense Forces explain the incident and provide information on how the boy was killed. The IDF’s statement on the case expressed sorrow at the boy’s death. "It is unclear whether the boy was shot by the troops or by terrorists," the army added. more.. Israel ignores plight of former teen ’agent’ Yoav Stern, Ha’aretz 8/26/2007 In perfect Hebrew, Jackie (not his real name) recounts the story of how he lost his identity in a perilous game of international intelligence. As a Lebanese Druze boy of 14, Jackie would cross the border to meet his Israeli contacts. Eventually Jackie fled Lebanon and settled in Tel Aviv. However, he says the state he once served now refuses to acknowledge his existence. Jackie, 31, has lived in Israel since 1992 - half of his life. Some of that time he spent as a homeless person, sleeping on the beach. He would use the beach faucets for water. "I can get by wherever you put me," he says. He is now trying to do just that, by preparing a law suit against the state for refusing his request for Israeli citizenship. In 2000, he became active in the community of Lebanese exiles living in Israel - predominantly Christian... more.. Israelis kill seven Palestinians BBC Online 8/25/2007 Seven Palestinians - at least five of them militants - have been killed by Israeli troops. Two of the dead breached the tightly guarded northern Gaza Strip border and were in Israel when they were shot. In the West Bank city of Jenin, three militants were killed. One of the dead is thought to be a leader of the militant group Islamic Jihad. Palestinian officials said two teenage boys were also killed by Israeli troops in an unrelated incident in Gaza. Medical officials said the two were civilians aged 15 and 16, who were shot close to an Israeli observation post near the town of Beit Lahiya. ’Martyrdom operation’ - Troops were sent to the Erez border crossing after two gunmen scaled an eight metre (25ft) wall using a ladder, the Israeli military said. more.. Brigades launch ambush against Israeli troops invading refugee camp in Nablus Ma’an News Agency 8/25/2007 Nablus - Ma’an – The Hamas-affiliated Al Qasam Brigades and the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) have declared that they have killed and injured many Israeli soldiers in an ambush in Ein Beit el Ma refugee camp, west of Nablus city centre. In a phone call to Ma’an, the groups stated that threw a hand grenade at an Israeli force, patrolling the streets of the camp on Saturday morning. The Brigades then shot intensively at the force, "resulted in the deaths of two, and injuring many others". Eyewitnesses said that they heard a series of explosions and exchanges of fire between Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces in the camp. During the same incursion, the Fatah-affiliated Al Aqsa Brigades and the Islamic Jihad-affiliated Al Quds Brigades have revealed... more.. Israeli boy killed in Border Police raid in West Bank Yuval Azoulay and News Agencies, Ha’aretz 8/25/2007 An 11-year-old Israeli boy from Rahat who was visiting his mother’s family near Tul Karm was killed on Friday during a Border Police arrest raid. A wanted Islamic Jihad militant was also killed in the arrest raid in Kafr Saida, northeast of Tul Karm, and a second was seriously wounded. The boy, Mahmoud Ibrahim Karnawi, lived in Rahat with his parents - a divorced Palestinian woman who remarried an Israeli Arab, according to relatives. Palestinian witnesses said the boy was killed in a gunfight that broke out as the troops approached the family’s home in order to arrest his older half-brother, a wanted Islamic Jihad militant. Neighbors said the boy was inside the home at the time of the shooting and hit in the crossfire. Hospital officials in the nearby town of Tul Karm confirmed the death. more.. Rivals battle at Gaza protest Al Jazeera 8/24/2007 Hamas security forces have broken up a demonstration by hundreds of Gaza residents loyal to the Fatah faction of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. Members of the Executive Force fired shots into the air and briefly detained a number of journalists on Friday in Gaza City. The protesters chanted pro-Fatah slogans as they marched along the streets, applauding as others smashed an unmanned Hamas post at the side on the road. Rocks were thrown at a security compound commandeered by Hamas when they took full control of the territory after street battles in June. Fatah had called for its supporters to assemble at the Unknown Soldier square as a peaceful protest against Hamas’s control of the Gaza Strip, but the gathering turned into a rally. more.. Fighter, child killed by Israeli troops near Tulkarem International Middle East Media Center 8/24/2007 On Friday evening, Israeli soldiers shot and killed one leader of the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, after the army invaded Saida village, north of Tulkarem in the northern part of the West Bank. During the military offensive, soldiers also shot and killed a 13-year old child. Local sources in the village reported that the killed fighter is identified as Ziad Milhim, 22, one of the leaders of the Al Quds Brigades. Milhim was shot dead during an exchange of fire with the invading forces after troops surrounded the house of another fighter identified as Sadeeq Odah. During the same offensive, soldiers shot and killed Mahmoud Ibrahim Al Qareenai, 13, from Rahat village in the Negev. Al Qareenawi is the half-brother of Odah, and his mother if from Rahat in the Negev; the mother and the child were visiting the village when the invasion took place. more.. Fighters killed at Gaza crossing Al Jazeera 8/25/2007 Two Palestinian fighters have been shot dead while attempting to cross into Israel from the Gaza Strip. An Israeli soldier was also wounded when fighting broke out on Saturday after the two fighters opened fire on an Israeli office at the Erez border crossing in the north of the territory. A Israeli spokesman confirmed that soldiers from the Golani regiment shot the two Palestinians. The Popular Resistance Committees and a group linked to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) claimed responsibility for what they call a "joint attack on Israeli territory". The dead men were identified as Khader Aokal, 22, a fighter from the Popular Resistance Committees, and Mohammed Saker, 22, from the DFLP. A spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees in Gaza said that the fighters had intended... more.. IDF: Gaza gunmen highly skilled Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 8/25/2007 Palestinian infiltrators used sophisticated device to cross Gaza border wall, army says - The device used by Palestinian infiltrators Saturday morning to cross the wall separating Gaza from Israel is professional and sophisticated, IDF Northern Gaza Brigade Commander Moni Katz said Saturday afternoon. "This device may have been built with the help of information that came from outside the Gaza Strip," he said. Saturday morning, IDF soldiers killed two heavily armed Palestinian gunmen who crossed into Israel near Gaza’s Erez crossing. Colonel Katz estimated that the two terrorists were assisted by two other people as they crossed the nine meter (roughly 30 feet) fence. Later, the collaborators went back into the Strip as the two gunmen headed north in the direction of the Coordination and Liaison Administration at the Erez crossing. more.. Islamic Jihad combatants launch projectiles at Israeli town of Sderot Ma’an News Agency 8/25/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al Quds Brigades, on Saturday evening claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli Western Negev town of Sderot. The brigades issued a statement revealing that the operation is retaliation for the assassination of leader in Jenin, Mustafa Barbari. Israeli announced that a vehicle was damaged in the attack, but there were no injuries reported. [end] Qassam hits Sderot vehicle Tova Dadon, YNetNews 8/25/2007 Color Red alert sends residents to take cover as rocket hits parked car. ’We are aware of the importance of taking cover,’ says municipality’s security chief - A Qassam rocket fired from northern Gaza towards Israel hit a Sderot vehicle Saturday, destroying it completely. No injuries were reported. The car was quickly towed away, leaving the residents grateful that no lives were lost, as was the case in previous incidents of rockets hitting cars. "We are very lucky only a car was hit"¦ the city’s residents are aware of the importance of taking cover when the Color Red alert is sounded," Yehuda Ben-Mamman, Sderot Municipality’s security chief told Ynet. The city was lucky on Thursday as well, when a Qassam rocket hit a house, causing only property damage and anxiety injuries. [end] Eight Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in last 12 hours, across oPt Ma’an News Agency 8/25/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Eight Palestinians have been killed in the occupied territories in the last 12 hours. Ma’an’s correspondent in Jenin reported that Alaa Surour, 25, from the Al Quds Brigades, was killed, and four others injured, in Jenin. One of those injured in the Jenin attack has subsequently died from his injuries. Mustafa ’Ateeq, 23, also from the Al Quds Brigades, received a gunshot to his neck. In the Gaza Strip, the National Resistance Brigades of the DFLP announced that two of their members were killed during a guerilla operation near the Erez Crossing on the northern borders of the Strip early on Saturday morning. The deceased were named as Khadir ’Ukal and Muhammad Sakir. The PRC-affiliated An Nasser Salah Ad Din Brigades announced that armed clashes erupted between a group of their fighters,... more.. Al Quds Brigades leader and one other operative assassinated by Israeli forces in Jenin; four others injured Ma’an News Agency 8/25/2007 Jenin- Ma’an- A leader of the Islamic Jihad-affiliated Al Quds Brigades, Alaa Salah Mohammad Surour, has been killed in Jenin, while four others were injured, when Israeli Special Forces launched a military operation in the city, early on Saturday morning. One of those injured, Mustafa ’Ateeq, 23, also an Al Quds operative, has now died from his injuries sustained this morning. He received a gunshot to his neck. Eyewitnesses reported that "the man and his comrades were in a car in the city center, when they stopped to drink coffee in one of the cafes. They did not leave their car, but stopped for a little while. In the meantime, a Volkswagen car suddenly arrived. Several Israeli soldiers jumped out and started shooting at the car and its immediate vicinity. more.. Palestinian resistance claim killing two Israeli soldiers, army denies Amin Abu Wardah, International Middle East Media Center 8/25/2007 Palestinian resistance groups in the northern West Bank city of Nablus reported on Saturday morning that they attacked an invading Israeli army force, in Ein Beit Al Ma’ refugee camp, in Nablus, and killed two soldiers. In a joint press release, the Abau Ali Mustafa brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the Al Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said that resistance fighters of two resistance groups hurled homemade bombs at the Israeli forces invading teh area, killing two soldiers. Meanhwile, the Israeli military stated that its invading forces were attacked, but did not report any casualties. Eyewitnesses in the city said that army ambulances and additional troops were brought to the location of the attack. [end] Undercover Israeli troops kill one Palestinian and injure another four in Jenin Ali Samudi, International Middle East Media Center 8/25/2007 An undercover Israeli army force has killed one Palestinian resistance fighter and injured three of his comrades after ambushing them in the city of Jenin located in the northern part of the West Bank. At around 6:30 of Saturday morning a group of undercover Israeli soldiers infiltrated the city of Jenin, in the city center the undercover troops spotted a car that belongs to resistance men from Al Qudes brigades the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad. The Israeli soldiers showered the car with live rounds, killing the leader of the Al Qudes brigades in Jenin city Ala Abu Suror, 30, and injuring three of his comrades, one critically , a bystander was injured during the attack. The undercover force left the city shortly after the attack; Palestinian ambulances moved the injured and the killed to the local city hospital sources told IMEMC. more.. Islamic Jihad fighter dies of earlier wounds sustained during Israeli army invasion to Jenin International Middle East Media Center 8/26/2007 The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, reported on Saturday evening that one of its fighters died of wounds sustained on Saturday morning during an Israeli military invasion to Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank. The fighter was identified as Mustafa Mahmoud Ateeq, 22. A senior source at the Brigades stated that Ateeq was shot and injured by the under-cover forces of the Israeli army after these forces opened fire at a vehicle transporting several fighters in Jenin. Leader of the Brigades, Ala’ Abu Sa’id was killed during the attack, and Ateeq was injured by two rounds of live ammunition, one in his face and one is his shoulder. He was moved to Jenin governmental hospital then to another Arab hospital within Israel where he died of his wounds. more.. Brigades launch projectiles at Sderot, Kafa ’Aza Ma’an News Agency 8/25/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The Fatah-affiliated Al Aqsa Brigades have announced that they launched a homemade projectile at the Israeli town of Sderot on Saturday morning. The An Nasser Salah Ad Din Brigades of the Popular Resistance Committees, and the National Resistance Brigades of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, also announced the launching of three mortars at Kfar ’Aza on Saturday morning. Statements issued by the Brigades all agreed that the operations came as "part of the retaliation against the Israeli crimes and aggressions against Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip." [end] Female Fatah members protest desecration of man’s grave, killed by Hamas members in June Ma’an News Agency 8/25/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Female Fatah members have organized a march in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahia, to the tomb of Samih Al Madhoun, killed by Hamas activists during the confrontations last June between Fatah-loyal PA security services and gunmen of the Hamas movement. The marchers raised Fatah flags and posters, shouted slogans supporting Fatah, and condemned recent attacks on cemeteries. One of Al Madhoun’s relatives told Ma’an, "Hamas killed Samih and mutilated the body. They have also shot at his grave many times, and are continuing their attacks on his grave." more.. Hamas fighters launch mortars at Israeli crossings in Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/25/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for launching eight mortars at the Israeli-controlled Erez and Kerem Shalom Crossings on Saturday. The brigades issued a statement announcing that "a group of fighters detonated a roadside bomb when an Israeli jeep passed Kerem Shalom Crossing and launched four other mortars at the Israeli forces at the same post." The statement added "we will continue launching projectiles at Israeli towns and troops, and that is part of the retaliation for Israeli crimes against Palestinian people." [end] Arab group: We’re behind Galilee murder Roee Nahmias, YNetNews 8/25/2007 Free People of the Galilee claims man shot in Jerusalem after snatching security guard’s weapon also killed Upper Nazareth resident six weeks ago - Ahmad Khatib, who was shot to death by a security guard in Jerusalem two weeks ago after seizing another guard’s weapon, was behind another attack - the killing of an Upper Nazareth resident some six weeks ago - the Arab-Israeli Free People of the Galilee organization said Saturday. Palestinian news agency Ma’an published the organization’s statement, saying that Khatib murdered 68-years old Michael Ronkin outside his home. Ronkin was found by Magen David Adom emergency services paramedics, suffering from multiple stab wounds. The investigation into Ronkin’s murder was placed under a gag order leaving many questions unanswered, but his son said he believed his father’s killing was a nationalist one. more.. War damaged 90 percent of South’s vegetation - report Hesham Shawish Special to The Daily Star, Daily Star 8/25/2007 BEIRUT: More than 90 percent of the vegetation covering Southern villages was damaged by last year’s war with Israel, according to a report published on Friday by the Association for Forests, Development and Conservation (AFDC). "Damage from last year’s war has touched most of the Southern villages, as well as 94. 6 percent of vegetation covering there, as a result of direct bombing, especially during the last days of the war," the report said. It said that a total area of 1,021. 3 hectares (712. 5 hectares of forests and 308. 8 of olives groves) were damaged. AFDC found that 37 percent of total damaged vegetation consisted of oak trees, 3 percent were pine trees and 60 percent were mixed forests. According to the report, the largest affected area was in Tyre, followed by Nabatiyeh, then Bint Jbeil. more.. Officer’s lawyers say probe into W. Bank op was flawed Yuval Azoulay, Ha’aretz 8/24/2007 Attorneys defending the platoon commander being investigated by the Military Police for violations during an operation in a Palestinian village claim that the investigation’s integrity has been violated and field security has been breached. The defense team for Lieutenant G. are also demanding a criminal investigation against officers in Central Command suspected of violating the integrity of a separate operational investigation carried out after the incident. In a letter to the military advocate general, Brigadier General Avihai Mandelblit, the defense attorneys say evidence in the investigation carried out by the Israel Defense Forces was made available to the Military Police, and this constitutes a breach of regulations and undermines the integrity of the process. more.. This Week In Palestine – Week 34 2007 Ghassan Bannoura - Audio dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/24/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 11. 9MB || Time 13m 0s || This Week In Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www. IMEMC. org, for August 18th through August 24th, 2007. Tony Blair announced his intention to visit the region next week to revive the peace process while the Israeli army attack the Gaza strip and the west Bank, killing 14 Palestinians this week, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. Nonviolent Resistance in Palestine Let’s begin our weekly report with news of nonviolent action in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem against the wall and settlements. IMEMC’s George Rishmawi has more: Bethlehem On Friday midday, some 100 unarmed protestors congregated in the village of Al Walaja, near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem. more.. Israeli army starts demolishing Palestinian homes in Tubas Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center 8/23/2007 Israeli military bulldozers started to demolish homes and residencies in Krebet Homsa in the Jordan valley to the east of Tubas in the West Bank on Thursday morning. Mohammad Bisharat, the Mayor of Tamoon village reported that Israeli military vehicles besieged Tubas area, and then demolishing the village. The Mayor added that this was to forcibly evacuate Kherbet Homsa, the way they did months ago with the residents of nearby Kherbet Al Hadidia It’s noticed that the Jordan valley has witnessed more and more forced evacuations of various areas by Israelis in the last six years. Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli army demolished an unfinished house belonging to Palestinian civilian from Qarrawa Bani Hassan village to the west of Salfit in the West Bank, claiming that the man was not in possession of a valid construction license. more.. Israeli soldiers kidnap 10 Palestinian civilians, while settlers attack homes in Hebron district. Ghassan Bannoura & agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/23/2007 Palestinian media sources reported that Israeli troops have invaded the Al Fowar refugee camp, located south of Hebron city in the southern West Bank. Soldiers searched and ransacked homes, kidnapping 10 civilians. Eyewitnesses reported that soldiers forced families out of their homes during the search, adding that the 10 kidnapped men were rounded up and taken to an unknown detention camp. Among those kidnapped are Tha’er al-Tite, 20, Rasmi al-Khateeb, 18, paralyzed in his right hand, and his brother, Rosstom al-Khateeb, 19, who was released just a few months ago after serving in an Israeli detention camp. On Thursday at dawn, a group of Jewish settlers, living illegally in an old-city settlement within Hebron city, attacked Palestinian homes using empty glass bottles, stones and batons, causing damage and terrorizing the unarmed families inside. more.. Al-Qassam Brigades members injured in Khan Younis Ma’an News Agency 8/23/2007 Khan Younis - Ma’an – Three members of the Al-Qassam Brigades were injured when an Israeli reconnaissance plane attacked them in Khuza’ah, an area east of Khan Younis, on Thursday at dawn. Medical sources said that the men were moderately injured and that they were admitted to Nasser hospital in the city. [end] Cluster bombs kill de-mining specialist, wound three others Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 8/24/2007 TYRE: Cluster bombs killed one de-mining specialist and wounded three others on Thursday as the experts were continuing efforts to clear the unexploded munitions dropped by Israel during last summer’s war. The casualties occurred in two separate incidents, one in the village of Kfar Rumman, in the Nabatiyah region where the British Mine Advisory Group is working. MAG official Andy Gleeson told AFP that one man was killed and two seriously wounded in the blast. All three were Lebanese. A Swedish man, working to clear munitions in Qaaqaiyat al-Jisr village, in the same region, was wounded in similar circumstances, Lebanese police said. Nabatiyah is one of the most heavily munitions-polluted districts in Lebanon. An estimated one million cluster bomblets dropped by Israel failed to explode during its 34-day war. more.. Three Israeli soldiers injured in Nablus Ameen Abu Warda, International Middle East Media Center 8/23/2007 Three Israeli soldiers injured during a joint attack carried out by Palestinian resistance fighters who targeted Israeli forces when they invaded the Ein Beit Ma’ refugee camp in Nablus in the early hours of Thursday morning. Local sources confirmed that resistance fighters of Abu Ali Mustafa brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Al Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, Al Aqsa brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, Al Quds brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad claims the responsibility of targeting an Israeli force while trying attack homes in the refugee camp and opened heavy fire on them, causing the injury of three Israeli soldiers, including one with moderate wounds. The Palestinian resistance fighters also targeted the Israeli force with an explosive device. more.. Seven arrested in Hebron and Ramallah Ma’an News Agency 8/23/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Seven Palestinians were arrested by Israeli forces on Thursday in dawn raids in Ramallah and Hebron in the West Bank. Israeli sources said that the seven were" wanted" by Israel. The sources confirmed that the men were taken to interrogation centres. [end] Ten arrested in Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 8/23/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - Israeli forces arrested ten Palestinians during an incursions east of Khan Younis on Thursday. A spokesman for former prisoners, Mahmoud Abu Hasira, said that this area is frequently being stormed by Israeli forces. [end] Qassam hits Sderot house; 2 women suffer from anxiety Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 8/23/2007 Palestinians fire two Qassam rockets at Sderot, one hits house, other rocket still not found. Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades claim responsibility - Two Qassam rockets fired from northern Gaza Thursday landed in Sderot, bringing the total number of rockets fired on the city and the Negev area since the morning hours to eight. One of the rockets hit a house; two women suffered from anxiety. The injured were treated on site by Magen David Adom emergency services. IDF forces are trying to locate the second rocket’s landing site. Al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad’s military wing claimed responsibility. The house hit belongs to Meir Timsit. Family members, who heard the Color Red, were in the secure room when the rocket smashed through the living room’s ceiling, and were not harmed. more.. UNDP’s early recovery program continues to repair damage caused by Israel Hesham Shawish, Daily Star 8/24/2007 Interview - BEIRUT: The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) undertook an extensive work agenda in the past year, as it tried to restore some of the damages caused by the 2006 summer war with Israel. Fishermen grants, rubble-clearing projects, oil-spill treatment, repairing of public buildings, electricity and water services restoration, were just some of the projects accomplished by the agency in the last 12 months. Following the war and the massive destruction resulting from it, the UNDP prepared a package of early recovery projects to respond to urgent recovery and rehabilitation needs in South Lebanon, the Bekaa region and Beirut’s southern suburbs. The two-phase recovery project was mainly funded through UNDP’s own resources as well as generous contributions from Japan, SIDA (Sweden), CIDA, ECHO,... more.. Brigades claim responsibility for attacks Ma’an News Agency 8/23/2007 Gaza- Ma’an – The National Resistance Brigades (NRB) claimed responsibility on Thursday for launching two mortars at an Israeli military post at the Nahal Oz Crossing into the Gaza Strip. In a statement the Brigades said that the operation was "retaliation for Israeli aggression, assassinations and incursions." Also the Al-Quds Brigades said that they launched a homemade projectile at the Israeli town of Sderot late on Wednesday evening. They issued a statement saying that "the operation was in retaliation for Israeli aggression against Palestinians." [end] Al-Quds Brigades say will continue to launch projectiles against Israel Ma’an News Agency 8/23/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an – A spokesman for the Al-Quds Brigades said on Thursday resistance against Israel would continue despite the Israeli siege on the Palestinian Territories. Abu Ahmad said in a statement, "Resistance will continue and Israel will not be able to stop it or to stop the projectiles regardless of all the threats to strengthen the siege or to cut off the electricity." He added that the "projectiles will continue against Israel. The problem is not the Palestinian people. It is the siege imposed on us. Let them lift the siege first and stop their aggression, assassinations and arrests against us." [end] Israel to buy advanced anti-aircraft missiles Arieh Egozy, YNetNews 8/23/2007 IAF to upgrade current Patriot missile system, acquire PAC-3 missiles capable of intercepting Syria’s long-range missiles, aircraft - The Israeli Air Force will buy advanced US-made Patriot PAC-3 missiles from Lockheed Martin, capable of intercepting aircraft and long-range ballistic missiles, including the type used by Syria. The IAF is currently using the PAC-2 system, manufactured by Lockheed Martin. In the new system, each launcher is equipped with 16 missiles instead of four; each missile weighs 320 kilograms and is 5 meters in length. The advanced PAC-3 system is capable of intercepting aircraft, rockets and cruise missiles. The decision to acquire the new system was based on the progress made by Syria and Iran in the field of fighter jets, and on the fact the Syrian army has recently obtained longer-range missiles. more.. Palestine Today 082307 Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/23/2007 || File 3. 66MB || Time 4m 0s || - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Thursday August 23ed, 2007. The Israelis open fire at Palestinian farmers in Gaza and in the West Bank Israeli settlers attack Palestinian homes in Hebron city, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. The Gaza strip - Israeli troops, positioned on the borders of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, have opened heavy gunfire on Palestinian farmers while they were tilling the ground on Thursday at midday. Medical sources in the area stated that no injuries were reported. In the wake of this attack, Israeli aircraft intensified their operations in the northern areas of the Strip. Residents also witnessed unusual movements of Israeli military vehicles during this time in the eastern areas of Beit Hanoun. -- See also: Click on Link to download or play MP3 file more.. Israeli air strike kills one and injures two in Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/22/2007 Gaza - Ma’an- Palestinian medical sources have announced that one Palestinian was killed and two others injured in an Israeli air strike at dawn on Wednesday morning, east of Gaza City. Dr Muawiya Hasanein, Director of Emergency and First Aid at Ash Shifaa Hospital said that Yahya Habib of the Qassam brigades was dead on arrival at hospital. Two other men were seriously injured after a rocket attack by Israeli planes. Eyewitnesses said that Israeli war planes launched the dawn raid near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip. This Palestinian death toll over the past 24 hours has now risen to 13, including two children. [end] 36 Palestinians arrested near Jerusalem Ma’an News Agency 8/22/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Israeli sources said on Wednesday that 36 Palestinians were arrested between Jerusalem and Mode’en. Israeli military sources claimed they were throw stones and rockets at Israeli cars. The sources added that the arrests occurred on Tuesday night and early on Wednesday morning. Those arrested were taken to interrogation centres. Israeli sources also said that Israeli forces arrested six Palestinians from various West Bank cities early on Wednesday. The sources added that three "wanted" Palestinians were arrested in Jenin, two in Hebron and another in Ramallah. [end] Israel starts to construct a near military post near Bethlehem city Najeeb Faraj, International Middle East Media Center 8/22/2007 The Israeli army bulldozers started on Wednesday to bulldoze Palestinian owned land that is located east of Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank in order to build a new military post. According to the local governor of Bethlehem, Salah Al Ta’mari, the land destroyed is 10 dunoms ( 1000 meter per dunom). The Israeli military said that the military post is only for security reasons and will not be used as a checkpoint. Al Ta’mari, reported that with this military post the Israeli army will control all three entrances of the city, he also expressed fears that this post will be another checkpoint to harass the local residents. Governor added that this new military post contradicts with Israeli’s statements that they want to easy restrictions of movement in the West Bank. more.. Al-Aqsa Brigades announce start of new operation Ma’an News Agency 8/22/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The Al-Aqsa Brigades announced on Wednesday the start of a new operation to "shower Israeli settlements with hundreds of projectiles and mortars"In a statement the Brigades added that the operation will be called "Punched Wall 2." The statement added that four projectiles were launched at Sderot on Wednesday morning as part of the operation. The statement claimed that the Israeli authorities had admitted that the projectiles landed in Sderot. The statement also said that today’s operation as well as ongoing operations were in retaliation for the Israeli forces’ "attacks, aggression and massacres against the Palestinian people." [end] Israeli forces arrest 4 members of Islamic Jihad and a member of the PFLP Ma’an News Agency 8/22/2007 Tulkarem - Ma’an – Four members of Islamic Jihad and a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) were arrested by Israeli forces on Wednesday in Qaffin, a town north of Tulkarem. Local sources told Ma’an that a huge contingent of Israeli forces stormed the town at dawn and arrested sixteen-year-old Mohammad Sabah, Mo’ath Sadah, 17, Ahmad Qasim, 23, Rashid Amarna, 21, all members of Islamic Jihad and seventeen-year-old Suheil Amir from the PFLP. The sources confirmed that Israeli soldiers stormed many houses in the town, before arresting the five men. [end] Brigades claim responsibility for attacks Ma’an News Agency 8/22/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at Sderot on Wednesday at dawn. In a statement they said the action was "retaliation for Israeli attacks, aggressions and crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank." The Al-Buraq Brigades (one of the armed wings of Fatah), the National Resistance Brigades and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine also said they launched two home made projectiles at Sderot on Wednesday at dawn. The Abu Ali Mustafa brigades and Al-Aqsa brigades also claimed responsibility for launching four mortars at an Israeli military post in Kissufim on Tuesday evening. [end] Al-Aqsa Brigades say they shot at an Israeli patrol east of Ramallah Ma’an News Agency 8/22/2007 Ramallah - Ma’an - The Al-Aqsa Brigades have claimed responsibility for shooting at an Israeli military patrol near Singil, east of Ramallah on Wednesday morning. The brigades issued a statement saying, "the resistance fighters clashed with the Israeli soldiers and exchanged fire with them." The statement also claimed that the resistance fighters scored a direct hit on an Israeli military jeep but said that no one was hurt. The statement also said that the brigades will "continue military operations and resistance against Israeli occupation in retaliation for the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people in the occupied lands." Israeli forces have not released any information about the clashes. [end] IOF soldiers demolish Palestinian home, round up dozens including children Palestinian Information Center 8/22/2007 SALFIT, (PIC)-- IOF troops at an early hour on Wednesday demolished the home of Mahmoud Asi in Qarawat Bani Hassan village, north of Salfit district in the West Bank, for lack of building permit in spite being built 15 years ago!Witnesses reported that the soldiers cordoned off the entire suburb before forcing the evacuation of the house then leveling it to the ground. They said that the demolition fell in line with the IOA attempts to force the migration of Palestinians from their lands to facilitate their annexation by Jewish settlers. Meanwhile, IOF troops rounded up more than 50 Palestinian youth from Or Al-Tahta village, west of Ramallah city, including a big number of children less than 18 years old. The occupation forces accuse the villagers of throwing stones at settlers’ vehicles. IOF soldiers kidnapped 36 Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem for the same allegation. more.. IDF: Palestinians use kids to collect Qassam launchers Yuval Azoulay Yoav Stern and Mijal Grinbergs and News Agencies, Ha’aretz 8/22/2007 The Israel Defense Forces killed six Palestinians in three separate incidents yesterday, including two children who were targeted as they tried to collect Qassam rocket launchers in the Gaza Strip. The children, aged nine and 12, were killed in the afternoon by an IDF tank in the northern Gaza Strip. The two were seen moving in a field near Beit Hanun toward rocket launchers immediately after Qassam rockets had been fired on towns in Israel. The rockets struck the area near Kibbutz Zikim, south of Ashkelon. There were no injuries or damage. Soon after the launch, an IDF force identified the source of the rocket fire, surveyed the area, and identified a number of suspicious images near the launchers. A tank in the area fired a round, which killed the two children. more.. Palestine Today 082207 Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/22/2007 || File 3. 66MB || Time 4m 0s || - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Wednesday August 22nd, 2007. In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army kills one Palestinian and injures one other. In the West Bank meanwhile, 8 members of Hamas are arrested by security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The Gaza Strip - The Israeli air force continued its barrage of the Gaza strip on Wednesday, with the fourth attack in 24 hours being launched. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Israeli jets targeted the Al Sahja’eya neighborhood, north of Gaza city, killing one Palestinian and injuring two. With this latest killing, the death toll in the Gaza strip since Monday has reached 12, two of whom were children. -- See also: Click on Link to download or play MP3 file more.. 2 Palestinian children killed by IDF fire Associated Press, YNetNews 8/21/2007 IDF: Anyone who is next to a launching cell is in danger - Israeli forces killed two Palestinian children along the Gaza-Israel border on Tuesday, Palestinian medical officials said. The two dead were 10 and 12 years old, according to Dr. Muawiya Hassanin of the Palestinian Health Ministry. A third child, 10, was seriously wounded and six other people were lightly hurt, he said. The army said troops targeted two figures spotted near a rocket launcher in an area where a rocket had been fired into Israel earlier. A third child, 10, was seriously wounded and six other people were lightly hurt, all of them civilians, Hassanin said. The army said Palestinian rocket teams have been known to send young children to retrieve rocket launchers after the projectiles are fired. more.. Israeli fire kills three Palestinian in Gaza Middle East Online 8/21/2007 GAZA CITY - An Israeli strike killed three militants from the Islamic Jihad group in the Gaza Strip near the border with Israel on Tuesday, officials said. In a text message to journalists in Gaza, the militant group said the gunmen were killed east of the town of Khan Yunis as a result of a direct hit. An army spokesman said that the military "attacked and identified hitting three armed gunmen that were identified close to the security fence in the central Gaza Strip." Israel has carried out a number of strikes and incursions inside Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in mid-June. On Monday, six Hamas militants were killed in an Israeli strike on a jeep in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. The latest deaths took to 5,830 the number of people killed in Israeli-Palestinian violence since... more.. Senior PFLP leader killed in El Ein refugee camp in Nablus Ameen Abu Warda, International Middle East Media Center 8/21/2007 In the wake of a widespread Israeli raid of the El Ein refugee camp, a large Israeli force clashed with Palestinian resistance fighters, killing a senior leader of Abu Ali Mustafa brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Local sources reported that Special Forces of Israeli army stormed the camp and surrounding areas and invaded several buildings while trying to break into the camp. During the incursion, armed clashes took place between the invading soldiers and Palestinian resistance fighters, clashes that led to the death of the senior PFLP leader Nasser Mabrouk, 37. The army also invaded Tal Town, located to the west of Nablus, kidnapping 3 Palestinians thought to be members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. more.. Israeli army invades several areas in the northern part of the West Bank, kidnaping 10 Palestinians Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/21/2007 The Israeli army invaded several areas in the northern part of the West Bank on Tuesday morning, searching homes and kidnapping 10 Palestinians. Seven were kidnapped when Israeli troops invaded the village of Anbta, east of Tulkarem city. Witnesses said that soldiers stormed the village from several directions, searched homes and then took the seven to an unknown location. Among those kidnapped were Ahmad Milhem, 22, Hassan Jadallah, 22, and Ali Hijaz, 26. Mohamed Zine, 23, was also kidnapped by Israeli troops from his home in Kufer Dan village, near Tulkarem. Elsewhere, a massive Israeli force invaded the town of Qabatiya, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Troops surrounded the house of Sa’eed Saba’nah, 30, said to be a leader of the Al Quds brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, in the area. more.. Palestinian military wings retaliate for Israeli massacre of six Hamas activists Ma’an News Agency 8/21/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), the National Resistance Brigades, and Fatah’s Al Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles towards the Israeli-controlled Sufa Crossing, between southern Gaza and Israel, on Tuesday morning. The military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles towards the Israeli Western Negev town of Sderot on Monday evening. The brigades issued statements announcing that the operations were retaliation for the Israeli massacre of six of Hamas’ Qassam Brigades members in Gaza on Monday. In Jenin, in the northern West Bank, the Al Quds Brigades announced that they detonated an explosive device near an invading Israeli jeep on Tuesday morning. more.. Qassam lands in vacant Sderot daycare center Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 8/21/2007 Palestinians fire two rockets toward western Negev; one Qassam hits vacant kindergarten, woman living nearby suffers from shock. ’Eventually these rockets will kill someone. This is why the Palestinians fire them - to kill,’ Sderot’s mayor says - Palestinians in north Gaza fired two Qassams toward Israel on Tuesday. One rocket struck a vacant Na’amat daycare center in the western Negev city of Sderot, causing slight damage to the building. A woman living nearby suffered from shock as a result of the attack. The second Qassam landed near a gas station outside the city; no injuries or damage were reported. "We heard the ’Color Red’ alert system and then a very loud blast," said a resident who lives near the daycare center. "The rocket landed inside the daycare center grounds and hit a tree, which probably... more.. Israeli undercover forces abduct Al Quds Brigades operative and three citizens near Jenin Ma’an News Agency 8/21/2007 Jenin – Ma’an – An Israeli undercover unit abducted prominent leader of Islamic Jihad’s Al Quds Brigades, Yasin Saba’na, in Qabatiya, south of Jenin, on Tuesday morning. Three other Palestinian citizens, found in the same home, in the northern West Bank, were also seized. Ma’an’s reporter quoted sources from Islamic Jihad as stating that an Israeli unit in a Palestinian-plated vehicle invaded an eastern neighbourhood of Qabatiya. The undercover forces stormed a home belonging to the Smadi family and took Saba’na and Muhammad, Abed and Nidal Smadi to an unknown destination. The source added that a huge Israeli military contingent reinforced the undercover unit. [end] Israeli forces seize eleven Palestinian activists Ma’an News Agency 8/21/2007 Tulkarem – Ma’an – The Israeli forces on Tuesday morning raided the towns of Anabta and Kafr Rumman, east of the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, and abducted eleven Palestinian activists. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that the invading Israeli forces seized eight Fatah activists in Anabta, a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) operative in Kafr Rumman and a Hamas member, who is a university student. [end] 300 Fatah members abducted by Israeli forces in Hebron this year Ma’an News Agency 8/21/2007 Hebron – Ma’an – Sources from the Fatah movement said on Tuesday that the Israeli forces have been targeting Fatah members in the Hebron area and many have been abducted since the start of the year. The source said that more than 300 members were seized since the start of 2007 and most are detained in the Israeli prisons at Ashkelon, Maskoubiya and Jalama. Many are held in administrative detention, without charge or trial. The sources added that the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society records reveal that the majority of Palestinians detained from the Hebron area are Fatah members. [end] Cluster bomb explodes, kills Hezbollah militant in Lebanon The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 8/21/2007 BEIRUT - A member of Hezbollah has been killed by a cluster bomb left over from last summer’s war between the militant group and Israel, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported Monday. The agency did not say where or when Mahmoud Ali Mallah, 27, was killed but reported that he died while performing his Jihad duty. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar news Web site said Mallah, who joined the group in 1998, was killed Monday but did not say where. Mallah’s death brings to at least 30 the number of people who have been killed by cluster bomb and land mine explosions in Lebanon since the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah ended in a UN-brokered cease-fire on August 14, 2006. The United Nations and human rights groups have accused Israel of dropping about 4 million cluster bomblets during the summer fighting. more.. Child seriously injured by explosive device Ma’an News Agency 8/21/2007 Rafah - Ma’an – An 11-year-old boy was seriously injured when an explosive device went off in Yabna refugee camp, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. A medical source from Abu Yousef An Najjar hospital said that Mahmoud Mohammad was admitted to hospital, suffering from serious injuries. [end] Palestinians dead in Israeli raids Al Jazeera 8/21/2007 Two Palestinian boys have been killed and three wounded in an Israeli missile strike on Gaza. A Palestinian ministry of health official said the two boys - aged 11 and 12 - were in an area close to where fighters had fired rockets into Israel. The Israeli army said its forces fired on two Palestinians who were standing next to a rocket launcher soon after militants had fired into Israel. Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli air strike has killed three fighters from Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip near the border with Israel. In a text message to journalists, the group said that the men were killed east of the town of Khan Yunis on Tuesday, as the result of a direct hit. An Israeli army spokesman said that the military "attacked and identified hitting three armed gunmen that were identified close to the security fence in the central Gaza Strip. more.. Home Front Command head: No total protection from Qassams Motti Bassok and Eli Ashkenazis, Ha’aretz 8/21/2007 Home Front Command head Major General Yitzhak Gershon told the Knesset on Monday that it is impossible to fully protect structures from a direct Qassam rocket hit. He was responding to criticism of Home Front Command during the Second Lebanon War in a report published by the State Comptroller. Gershon said that attention had been paid to all problems highlighted by the report, but warned that there was still a great deal of work to do. He accused local authorities of various inadequacies, saying the responsibility for incidents such as the chemical spillage in Ramat Hovav last week lay with local authorities and not the Home Front Command." An accident like the one in Ramat Hovav can occur every day," he said, "but the local authorities have not taken any action to provide security for the public against dangerous chemicals and other materials. more.. Brigades launch mortars at Nahal Oz Ma’an News Agency 8/21/2007 Gaza- Ma’an- The Abu Ali Mustafa, Al-Quds, Al-Aqsa and Al-Nasser brigades on Tuesday launched seven mortars at the Israeli town of Nahal Oz, on the border of the Gaza Strip. In a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, the brigades said that the "joint operation came in retaliation for Israeli crimes and aggression against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank." [end] Palestine Today 082107 Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/21/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 3. 66MB || Time 4m 0s || - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Tuesday August 21st, 2007. In the West Bank, a senior leader of Abu Ali Mustafa brigades is killed near Nablus. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, two separate Israeli air strikes have left at least nine Palestinians dead and several others injured. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The West Bank - A senior leader of the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was killed when Israeli forces invaded the El Ein refugee camp, located near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, in the early hours of Tuesday morning. more.. Six Palestinians killed in Israeli air raid over central Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/20/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – Six Palestinians were killed in an Israeli shelling of a car in central Gaza on Monday. Director of ambulances and emergencies in the Palestinian ministry of health, Dr Muawiya Hassanein, said that six corpses arrived at hospital. The bodies were charred and in pieces, said Dr Hassanein. Several other Palestinians were evacuated to Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital to be treated for moderate injuries. Spokesperson of the Israeli military said that the shelling targeted Palestinians who had fired missiles at Israeli locations from a nearby area of Gaza. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli fighter jets launched four rockets at a car driven my members of Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, two of whom work with the Executive Force, also of Hamas. more.. Three residents injured, one kidnapped in an invasion to Nablus International Middle East Media Center 8/21/2007 The Palestinian News Agency WAFA reported on Monday at night that Israeli troops invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus, shot and injured three residents and kidnapped one. Sources in Nablus reported that soldiers opened fire in several directions and surrounded a building in Aseer Street. Two residents identified as Fadi Khreem and Aseed Taha were injured by military fire, and one resident, identified as Abdullah Al Ekir was taken prisoner. Also, soldiers surrounded several buildings and demanded the residents to evacuate them prior to conducting military searches of homes and constructions. Army claims that the invasion was carried out in order to arrests members of the resistance. [end] Israeli army attack Palestinian police officers in Hebron and kidnap one civilian Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/20/2007 An Israeli army force stopped a Palestinian police car as it patrolled the Palestinian Authority controlled area of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, on Monday. Israeli troops stopped the car and attacked the Palestinian officers. Witnesses stated that Israeli soldiers tried to confiscate the weapons of the police officers. In the nearby Yatta village, an Israeli force attacked and searched residents homes. During the three-hour-long search, Israeli soldiers kidnapped Wasfi Abu Taha, 28, form his home in Yatta, and took him to unknown detention camp. [end] Israeli forces arrest 15 in West Bank Ma’an News Agency 8/20/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Fifteen Palestinians were arrested by Israeli forces in the West Bank on Monday morning. Israeli radio reported that the army made arrests in Tulkarem and Qalqilia in the northern West Bank, Ramallah in the central West Bank and Hebron in the south. Ma’an’s reporter in Tulkarem quoted Palestinian security sources as saying that an Israeli infantry unit went into the eastern neighbourhood of the city besieging a house where two Fatah activists were stationed. They then stormed the house and arrested Fadi Matar, 25, and Muhammad Nassar, 19; both are classified as ’wanted. ’ They also arrested a third Fatah operative, Firas Al Haroun, 26, at his home. The radio station also reported that Israeli forces arrested a Hamas activist in the city, Fadi Al Ammori 30. more.. Peace Now to IDF: Disclose costs of outpost evacuation Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/20/2007 Group claims army spending huge amounts of taxpayers’ money on evacuation of illegal outposts in West BankPeace Now has recently demanded that the IDF disclose information regarding the costs of the recent evacuation of illegal West Bank settlements set up by right-wing activists, Ynet has learnt. In a letter sent to Central Command chief Maj-Gen Gadi Shamni, the group’s director-general Yariv Oppenheimer said, "Peace Now has received dozens of eyewitness reports regarding the establishment of illegal outposts by settlers. I am asking that you work toward eradicating this phenomenon and provide the public with information on how much this activity is costing the State. Oppenheimer told Shamni that during the summer vacation many settler teens not only erect illegal outposts but also harass local Palestinians. more.. Hamas: Israel should be ready for strike’s effects Associated Press, YNetNews 8/20/2007 Spokesman for group’s military wing says ’Zionist enemy will shoulder consequences of crime’, says they have ’more dangerous weapons than rockets’ - After six Hamas operatives were killed in an IDF airstrike Monday afternoon, the organization identified them as members of its military wing and implied that they would seek revenge. A spokesman for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades described Israel’s action as an "ugly Zionist massacre" and said "all options were open" for a response. "The Zionist enemy (Israel) is playing with fire and they will have to shoulder the responsibility for the consequences of this crime," Izz al-Din al-Qassam spokesman Abu Ubaida said. The vehicle, which Hamas said was hit as it arrived at a Hamas security post near the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, contained local Hamas commander Mohammed abu Arab. more.. Al Aqsa Brigades leader escapes Israeli assassination attempt Ma’an News Agency 8/20/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – One of the most prominent leaders of the military wing of Fatah, the Al Aqsa Brigades, escaped death on Monday afternoon when an Israeli Special Force attempted to kill him in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that a huge military contingent, comprising more than 30 army vehicles, supported the Special Force which stormed Nablus. The Special Force besieged one of the buildings holding spokesperson of the Al Aqsa Brigades, Nassir Kharraz. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that the Israeli forces blocked off Asira and Sikka streets and raided the Salhab building, west of the city. Kharraz said earlier to Ma’an that the Al Aqsa Brigades refuse to be influenced by the so-called ’wanted’ list; he also accused the Palestinian Authority of using the list for manipulation. more.. Allied Palestinian brigades launch mortar shells at Israeli military post Ma’an News Agency 8/20/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – The military wings of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, Fatah; the Al Aqsa Brigades, and the Popular Resistance Committees; the An Nasser Brigades, claimed responsibility on Monday for launching five mortar shells at the Israeli military post near Kisufim, bordering the Gaza Strip, in a combined operation. The military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility for launching three homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot, bordering Gaza, on Monday afternoon. The brigades issued a statement declaring that the operation was "retaliation for Israeli crimes against Palestinians in the territories." [end] The armed wings of the PFLP and the Islamic Jihad clash with Israeli undercover unit near Erez Ma’an News Agency 8/20/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Abu Ali Mustafa brigades, and the Al-Quds brigades of Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for detonating an explosive device and clashing with an Israeli undercover force near the Erez crossing in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday. They said in a joint statement that the operation marks the continuation of joint resistance against Israeli occupation. [end] Gunfire from Palestinian village towards Israeli settlement causes superficial damage Ma’an News Agency 8/20/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli media sources reported that armed Palestinians shot from ’Azzun village, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, into the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Shomron on Monday evening. The sources added that there were no casualties, but slight damages to some of the buildings in the settlement. Israeli forces have begun an investigation in the area. [end] Most Sderot schools unfortified Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 8/20/2007 Hundreds of local children not enrolled in schools due to fear of Qassam rockets - Only four out of nine schools in Sderot have been completely fortified, despite an order by the High Court of Justice to complete the fortification of all schools in the town by the beginning of the school year. As a result, many of Sderot’s children have not enrolled in the town’s schools due to the threat of Qassam rockets. According to Miriam Sasi, head of the education department at the Sderot Municipality, hundreds of names have "disappeared" from the municipality’s student records since last year. "It’s two weeks before the beginning of the school year, and there are still many students that finished kindergarten but have not yet enrolled in first grade," Sasi said. more.. Hamas men killed in Gaza airstrike Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 8/20/2007 IAF missile hits car in central Gaza containing Qassam-launching cell; six operatives killed, Palestinian medical sources say - A missile fired from an Israeli aircraft killed six Hamas operatives travelling in a car in central Gaza on Monday, Palestinian officials said. The military said they had been targeted as participants in terror activities. The vehicle was leaving a Hamas military installation when it was targeted by Israeli aircraft, said Dr. Muawiya Hassanin of the Palestinian Health Ministry. Hamas members reported earlier that the car was hit as it approached a Hamas security post. According to the IDF spokesperson’s office, the occupants of the car were members of a rocket-launching cell that had fired a Qassam and a number of mortar shells towards Gaza vicinity communities earlier the same day. more.. Palestine Today 082007 Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/20/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 3. 66MB || Time 4m 0s || - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Monday August 20th, 2007. In the West Bank, Israeli forces invade a number of areas, kidnapping at least 15 Palestinians. In the Gaza Strip, meanwhile, The European Union has indicated that it will resume the funding of fuel for the region’s only Power Plant, but only if it receives assurances that Hamas will not impose taxes on electricity bills. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The West Bank - The Israeli army stormed several areas of the West Bank on Monday morning, kidnapping 15 Palestinians. Israeli forces invaded the Tulkarem, Bethlehem and Qalqiliya areas, ransacking homes and forcing residents to leave while searching for so-called “wanted Palestinians”. more.. IDF kills Gazan thought to be laying bomb Amos Harel and Yoav Stern, Ha’aretz 8/19/2007 Israeli troops shot dead one Palestinian and detained two others for questioning after the men allegedly tried to lay a bomb next to the Gaza border fence yesterday, an Israel Defense Forces spokesman said. The man, Mahmoud Abid, 17, was the third Palestinian to be killed in IDF activity over the weekend. The incident took place in the central Gaza Strip, south of the Karni border crossing. Abid was a resident of the Bureij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported. No militant groups claimed Abid, and Gaza hospital staff said he was wearing civilian clothes. Earlier, soldiers detained five Palestinian men who had gotten across the heavily fortified Gaza border fence in order to seek work in Israel, the army said. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, a Palestinian woman was wounded in clashes... more.. Settlers cut Palestinian water supply to fill swimming pool Ronny Shaked, YNetNews 8/19/2007 Elon Moreh reroutes pipe carrying drinking water to neighboring Palestinian village to small pool; water drains back to village’s pipe system - Residents of the settlement of Elon Moreh in the West Bank have cut a pipe carrying drinking water to a nearby Palestinian village, and are using it to fill a small swimming pool located at a picnic site, which was itself built on land owned by the village. The pipe, which carries water to the village of Dir al-Khatab, was rerouted in order to fill the pool. The pipe channels fresh drinking water into the pool and drains dirty water back into the village’s water system. "They not only use water that doesn’t belong to them, but they also pollute the drinking water of some of the village residents," said Yoel Marshak, head of the Kibbutz Movement’s Special Assignments Branch. more.. Over thirty Israeli military vehicles storm small Palestinian village and abduct three citizens Ma’an News Agency 8/19/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – A leader of the Fatah-affiliated Black Forearm Brigades in Nablus, in the northern West Bank, was injured and seized, along with three of his co-fighters, during an Israeli incursion into the small village of Kafr Qallil, south of Nablus. Eyewitnesses informed Ma’an’s reporter that the Israeli soldiers besieged the home of Shahir Al Quinny, aged 34, after fighting with him and injuring him in his foot. He was arrested along with 28-year-old Muhannad Al Ashaq, and Mazin Al-Quinny, aged 27, and his brother Buraq, aged 23. The eyewitnesses also revealed that the Israeli troops stormed several other homes in the village, including those belonging to so-called ’wanted’ Palestinians affiliated to the Nablus Rural Brigades and Black Forearms Brigades, both of which are military wings of Fatah. more.. Israeli army wounds three Palestinians in southern Gaza Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/19/2007 Israeli army shot and wounded on Sunday morning three Palestinians, said to be resistance fighters, in southern Gaza Strip. Medical sources in Khan Younis city confirmed that three wounded have been evacuated to the European hospital, south of the city. Eyewitnesses reported that a group of resistance fighters clashed earlier in the day with an Israeli army force that thrust into the area. The invading force was made up of scores of tanks and armored vehicles, said locals. Last Tuesday, the Israeli tanks invaded the Abbassan town in southern Gaza, killing seven Palestinians including an elderly woman and arresting about 100 others. ‘ Israel disengaged from Gaza in September 2005, leaving border crossings, Gaza’s sea and airspace under its army’s control. [end] Troops invade Nablus, two of its refugee camps Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/19/2007 Palestinian sources in Nablus city, in the northern part of the West Bank reported on Sunday at dawn that Israeli troops, supported by armored vehicles, invaded the city, its Balata and Al Ein refugee camps, and exchanged fire with resistance fighters. The sources stated that fighters of Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Al Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, exchanged fire with the invading forces in Al Ein refugee camp, and hurled explosives at them. The Al Qassam brigades stated that its fighters managed to wound two Israeli soldiers, but Israeli army sources denied any injuries among the invading troops. Moreover, eyewitnesses reported that soldiers broke into several houses and searched them, and that troops also detonated... more.. Palestinian combatants claim responsibility for resistance operations in the West Bank and Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/19/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades and the Al Aqsa Brigades of Fatah announced joint responsibility for launching four mortar shells at Nahal Oz and Karni military posts, bordering the Gaza Strip, on Sunday morning. In a combined statement the brigades said the operation was "part of the retaliation for Israeli aggression against Palestinian people in the occupied territories." The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Qassam Brigades of Hamas claimed joint responsibility for injuring two invading Israeli soldiers in Ein Beit el Ma refugee camp, north of Nablus, in the West Bank, also on Sunday morning. The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades told Ma’an’s reporter "fierce clashes erupted between... more.. Corpse of missing Palestinian man discovered in old Israeli settlement Ma’an News Agency 8/19/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinian medical sources reported on Sunday that they discovered the corpse of Palestinian man Kareem Abu Mhady, aged 44, in empty land in what used to be Netzarim settlement in central Gaza. The sources said that the body was riddled with bullets. Abu Mhady’s family received an anonymous telephone call telling them that he was dead and his body was in Netzarim. Abu Mhady went missing seven days ago from An Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. His family launched an appeal to find their missing relation. The family said that Abu Mhady received a call from an Israeli mobile a week ago on Saturday night. He left his home in An Nuseirat refugee camp on Sunday at noon and called his family to say he was in Al Zahra’ area, west of Gaza City. more.. Unknown assailants bomb home of Fatah leader in Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/19/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The Fatah movement reported on Sunday that unknown assailants detonated an explosive device at the home of one of its leaders in Gaza, Majdi At Talla’. Talla’ lives in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City, in the northern Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses said that the bomb was timed to detonate and was hung in a nylon sack on the door handle. The bomb exploded minutes after it was planted and caused damage to the door. [end] 2 Qassam rockets land in western Negev Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 8/19/2007 No injuries reported; Islamic Jihad’s military wing claims responsibility for firing rockets. Three mortar shells later land in Kissufim area Two Qassam rockets landed near a western Negev kibbutz on Sunday evening. There were no reports of injuries. The Islamic Jihad’s military wing, the al-Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility for firing the rockets. Western Negev residents told Ynet that the Color Red alert system was activated, followed by two strong blasts. One of the rockets landed inside Sycamore Ranch, which belongs to the family of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Sappers who were dispatched to the area are expected to determine whether the rockets were improved Qassams. Three mortar shells were later also fired from the northern Strip, landing in an open area near Kibbutz Kissufim. more.. IDF to beef up security measures for hitchhikers who ignore terror warnings Yuval Azoulay, Ha’aretz 8/19/2007 In an effort to bolster Israeli hitchhikers’ security in the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces has decided to install electronic surveillance and other equipment in at least 10 major stops frequented by settlers along Road 60. The issue of securing Israelis in the territories is one that has consistently troubled the security forces, which recognize that civilians, lured by the relative calm in the West Bank into taking risks, are "soft targets" for militants. The hitchhiker stops that the IDF plans to secure at a cost of NIS 2 million are mostly along Road 60 and are situated close to many of the larger West Bank settlements. In addition to the installation of surveillance cameras that will film vehicles passing on both sides of the route, an electronic communications system will allow hitchhikers in danger to call for help. more.. Two Palestinians killed during Israeli invasion of northern West Bank Ma’an News Agency 8/18/2007 Jenin – Ma’an – A Palestinian child and an operative of the Abu Ammar Brigades were killed late on Friday evening, during clashes as the Fatah-affiliated Abu Ammar Brigades joined the Islamic Jihad-affiliated Al Quds Brigades fighting occupying Israeli troops who had invaded the village of Kfar Dan, west of Jenin. Mahmoud Darwish, 30, was hit with a bullet to the head; ambulances attempted to take him to Rafidia hospital in Nablus, but were prevented from travelling by an Israeli military checkpoint. The corpse of Nour Ibrahim Mar’y, 16, arrived at hospital, riddled with eight bullets. [end] IDF: Palestinian civilians have no business near border Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 8/18/2007 IDF notes increase in infiltration attempts from Gaza. Saturday’s attempts end in 7 arrests, 1 casualty. ’We have no intention of harming Palestinian civilians, but must treat every attempt as a terror threat’ - A Palestinian man was killed Saturday afternoon by IDF troops in northern Gaza, just south of the Karni goods crossing. The army said troops identified three Palestinians advancing towards the security fence and behaving in a suspicious manner. After the men ignored calls to stop and turn around, the soldiers fired toward their legs. One of the men was killed and the army contacted the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza to send an ambulance to evacuate him. The two other Palestinians were lightly wounded and taken for questioning by Israeli forces. more.. One Palestinian Killed and another wounded as Israeli army opens fire in eastern Gaza Rami Almeghari, International Middle East Media Center 8/18/2007 A Palestinian resident was shot dead and another was wounded, when the Israeli army opened fire Saturday afternoon on Palestinian residents in southeastern Gaza city. Palestinian medical sources said that three Palestinians, seen collecting antiquities near a garbage collection plant in the Johr Eldik village, were fired by the Israeli army forces, just close to the Gaza-border line. The sources identified the dead as Nezar Raji, 20, of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip. Local sources confirmed the Saturday’s causalities, maintaining that the Israeli army arrested a second, as a third fled the scene. The Israeli army is manning the Gaza-Israel border line that separates Gaza from Israel Over the weekend, the Israeli army took prisoners a number of Palestinians who attempted to infiltrate through the border line. more.. Palestinian woman and Israeli soldier injured during clashes in Nablus refugee camps Ma’an News Agency 8/18/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – A Palestinian woman and an Israeli soldier have been shot during clashes in Nablus, early on Saturday morning, during an invasion of Israeli troops to Balata and ’Ein Beit el Ma refugee camps, east and west of Nablus. According to Palestinian medical sources, Amnah Naser Mabrook, 30, was hit by shrapnel from the soldiers’ bullets, in ’Ein Beit el Ma camp, west of Nablus city centre. The Al Aqsa, Abu Ali Mustafa and Al Qassam Brigades have all claimed responsibility for destroying Israeli vehicles. Israeli radio on Saturday morning said that an Israeli soldier was wounded in Nablus during the clashes. [end] The construction and expansion of illegal Israeli outposts in the West Bank continues, reports Peace Now Ma’an News Agency 8/18/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli human rights group, Peace Now, have issued a report on the expansion and construction of illegal Israeli outposts in the West Bank between January and April 2007. The report finds that outposts throughout the territory of the West Bank have continued to be built and expanded during the first four months of 2007. The area that contains the majority of outposts, around Ramallah, was also the site of the majority of construction and expansion activity. The report reads "these findings are not startling, and they are an indication of an ongoing familiar reality, wherein most of the outposts’ activities are carried out in regions located deep in the West Bank, areas that are also the most problematic from a political viewpoint. more.. Israeli army invades Nablus and injures one civilian Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/18/2007 A massive Israeli force invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus and the nearby El Ein refugee camp on Saturday morning attacked and searched homes and injured one Palestinian woman. Witnesses said that soldiers searched homes and forced families out during the search soldiers shot randomly at residents homes and injured one civilian. Medical sources in the city identified the injured woman as Ni’mah Nasser, from El Ein refugee camp. Sources in the city said that the Israeli forces left the city shortly after searching homes, no kidnappings were reported. In related news Israeli soldiers stationed at the Howara military checkpoint on the main entrance to Nablus city on Saturday midday closed the checkpoint and did not allow residents to enter of leave the city for several hours, soldiers said that... more.. Brigades launch barrage of projectiles from Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 8/18/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, have claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli cities of Sderot and Ashkelon, located close to the northern Gaza Strip, late on Friday night. The PFLP’s Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, and Fatah’s Al Aqsa brigades, claimed joint responsibility on Friday night for launching four mortars at Kfar Gaza, and Nahal Oz. The Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, on Saturday morning, claimed responsibility for shooting an Israeli soldier in the central-Gazan Al Bureij refugee camp, and launching some 19 mortars at Israeli military positions. In separate statements received by Ma’an, the brigades declared that "this operation was in response to the Israeli crimes against the Palestinians", and "to demonstrate their continued resistance". more.. Israeli troops kill 2 Palestinians in West Bank raid Daily Star 8/18/2007 Israeli troops killed two Palestinians and wounded six others during a raid near the Occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Friday, Palestinian sources said, as Israeli aircraft fired two missiles on Friday at Palestinian rocket launchers in the northern Gaza Strip, Hamas said. Palestinian security officials said that a gun battle broke out between Israeli troops and local gunmen in the West Bank village of Kafr Dan. One gunman, Nur Marai, 19, and a 16-year-old boy were killed. At least eight other Palestinians were wounded during the clashes, the sources said. Witnesses said at least 30 Israeli Army jeeps took part in the operation, encircling several buildings before exchanges of gunfire broke out. An Israeli military spokes-man was unable to immediately confirm or deny that an operation was under way in Jenin. more.. Israeli forces storm Jenin and neighboring village of Al-Yamoun Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center 8/17/2007 Israeli forces stormed the city of Jenin and neighboring village of Al-Yamoun situated in the north of the West Bank, before dawn on Friday morning. Security sources announced that the Israeli Army stormed the city of Jenin and conducted patrols of the surrounding neighborhoods amidst continued gun fire and explosions. Other sources added that military forces also stormed a nearby village of Al-Yamoun, to the west of Jenin, later withdrawing with no reported arrests. [end] Israeli soldier wounded nead Balatah Ma’an News Agency 8/17/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli military sources have confirmed that an Israeli soldier was wounded near Balatah, east of Nablus in the northern West Bank, on Friday morning. The Israeli sources said that a group of Palestinians attacked Israeli military vehicles as they performed their daily security activities. [end] Al Quds brigades and Al Buraq army clash with Israeli soldiers in Qabatya Ma’an News Agency 8/17/2007 Jenin – Ma’an – The Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, and the Al Buraq army, have both reported taking part in violent clashes that took place in Qabatya early on Friday morning. The brigades said in a statement that their group clashed with Israeli military vehicles that came into the town. [end] Six arrested on Friday morning Ma’an News Agency 8/17/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Israeli forces arrested six Palestinians on Friday morning, claiming they are wanted. According to Israeli military sources, of those arrested three are from Ramallah, and three others are from Hebron. They were taken to interrogation centres. [end] Brigades launch homemade projectile at Erez crossing Ma’an News Agency 8/17/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the Al Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli side of the Erez crossing, on Friday. The brigades said in a joint statement that the operation was in response to Israeli attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. [end] Rocket, mortar barrages hit Negev Ali Waked, YNetNews 8/17/2007 Palestinian gunmen fire three Qassam rockets, 13 mortar shells from northern Gaza Strip toward Israel; no injuries or damage reported. One rocket lands near paratroopers company’s reunion event attended by Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna’i. Alert system activated as head of local council tells participants about residents’ distress Palestinians gunmen on Friday evening fired three Qassam rockets and 12 mortar shells from the northern Gaza Strip toward southern Israel. The al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad’s military wing, claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. Two Qassam rockets were fired at the western Negev at around 6 pm. One rocket landed near Sderot. Another rocket hit a kibbutz south of Asheklon. A third rocket launched several minutes later landed near a community in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council. more.. Qassam Brigades warn of an imminent Israeli invasion of the Gaza strip Palestinian Information Center 8/16/2007 GAZA, (PIC)-- Abu Obaida, spokesman of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, stated that the Israeli propaganda about huge amounts of explosives and arms being smuggled into the strip indicate that there is a Zionist plan to invade the Gaza Strip. In a press statement to the Qassam website, the spokesman said: "The exaggerated information published by the Zionist enemy, especially that which refers to smuggling tons of explosives into the strip is a pack of lies," adding that to portray the Qassam Brigades as an army equipped with modern arms and night vision binoculars is an exaggeration which aims to mislead public opinion. He also said that the Israelis try to portray what happens in Gaza as if it was a war between two equal armies while the fact is we have simple means with which we try to resist the occupation... more.. The Al Quds brigades vows retaliation to the Jenin invasion International Middle East Media Center 8/18/2007 The Al Quds brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, vowed fierce retaliation to the Friday Israeli military invasion to Kafer Dan village, near Jenin, where two Palestinians were killed and several others were injured. The brigades called on all resistance factions to unite against the occupation and to increase their attacks against it. The brigades also stated that this invasion proves that Israel is not interested in clam and that resistance must continue against the Israeli occupation and its crimes against the Palestinian people. The two residents who were killed are identified as Mahmoud Darweeh, a resistance fighter, and Nour Mer’ey, 18, a resident who attempted to rescue Darweesh but was shot dead by the army. The invasion was carried out on Friday evening when Israeli forces, supported by. more.. Negev Border Police detain five Palestinians carrying two guns Mijal Grinberg, Ha’aretz 8/17/2007 Border Police on Thursday detained five Palestinians traveling by car in the south of the country, one of whom had two pistols in his possession. The pistols were hidden in empty paint cans in the back of the car. Police had pursued the men since their departure from their homes south of Mount Hebron. The detainees were taken to Be’er Sheva for questioning where they will be brought before the Magistrate’s Court on Friday. [end] Two Palestinians killed in an Israeli military invasion to Jenin IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 8/17/2007 Palestinian sources reported that two Palestinian youth were shot and killed in an Israeli military invasion to Kufur Dan village, west of the northern West Bank city of Jenin; one of the killed is the leader of Abu Ammar Brigades, one of the armed wings of Fateh movement. Eyewitnesses reported that troops invaded the eastern neighborhood of Kufur Dan village on Friday approximately at 6 p. m, and exchanged fire with resistance fighters of Abu Ammar Brigades, and Al Quds Brigades -- the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad. Resident Mahmoud Saleh Ashour Darweesh, 25, leader of Abu Ammar Brigades, was hit by several rounds of live ammunition and when one youth identified as Nour Mer’ey, 18, rushed to save him and move him to a different location soldiers shot him dead by several rounds of live ammunition. more.. Two Palestinians, including a 16-year-old, killed by IOF troops in Jenin Palestinian Information Center 8/17/2007 JENIN, (SAMANEWS)-- Two Palestinians were killed, Friday afternoon, by IOF troops in the village of Kafr Dan to the west of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, according to Palestinian medical sources. Eyewitnesses said that IOF troops raided the eastern part of the village and clashed with a group of Palestinian fighters affiliated with the Abu Ammar Brigades (Fatah) and the Quds Brigades (Islamic Jihad). Mahmoud Ashour, 30 years old and a member of the Abu Ammar Brigades was hit with a bullet in the head and taken to Jenin’s state hospital were he was announced dead. The witnesses also said that unarmed Palestinian youth confronted the invading troops and the confrontations resulted in the death of Noor Mari’I, 16 years, as a result of being hit with eight bullets all over his body. IOF troops also raided a number of homes in the village and turned them into military posts. [end] Eight arrested by Israeli forces in West Bank Ma’an News Agency 8/16/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Israeli forces arrested eight Palestinians in different parts of the West Bank at dawn on Thursday, claiming that they were wanted. Sources said that the Israeli forces arrested three of the "wanted" in the city of Nablus. The detainees were taken to interrogation centres near the town for questioning. [end] Brigades detonate roadside bomb as Israeli military jeep passes by Ma’an News Agency 8/16/2007 Nablus - Ma’an- The Al Qassam Brigades and Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades admitted responsibility for attacking an Israeli military jeep in Al Ain refugee camp west of Nablus in the northern West Bank early on Thursday morning. In a telephone call with Ma’an the brigades said that a joint group from both brigades had detonated a roadside bomb as an Israeli military jeep passed by. The jeep was directly hit and casualties occurred, they claimed. Israeli sources confirmed there had been an attack but said there were no casualties. [end] Qassam and Abu Ali Brigades detonate device in Israeli vehicle in refugee camp Palestinian Information Center 8/16/2007 NABLUS, (PIC)-- The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, along with Abu Ali Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front, managed in a joint operation at dawn Thursday to detonate a highly explosive device in an Israeli armored vehicle progressing into Ein refugee camp in Nablus city. In a joint communiqué the two Brigades stated that this operation comes in response to the Israeli crimes committed against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. During the incursion of a large number of IOF troops into Nablus city at an early hour Thursday, they kidnapped three Palestinian citizens during home raids included many areas in the city and the neighboring refugee camps to the north of West Bank. On Wednesday, the Qassam Brigades shot down an Israeli soldier in the north of Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip. [end] Israeli forces blow up tunnel in northern Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 8/16/2007 Gaza - Ma’an- Israeli forces announced on Wednesday evening that they have blown up a tunnel discovered two days ago in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip. Israeli radio reported that the tunnel which was discovered in one of the farms was about 700 meters from the electronic fence which surrounds the Gaza Strip. A spokesman for the Israeli army said that it was thought that the tunnel was to be used by Palestinian fighters to cross into Israel and launch an operation against Israel. [end] Brigades claim responsibility for attacks Ma’an News Agency 8/16/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The Al-Quds Brigade, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility for the launching of a projectile at the Israeli town of Kfar ’Azza, near the Gaza Strip. Also, the Abu Ali Mustafa and Al Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility for launching two mortar projectiles at the Israeli side of the Erez crossing on Wednesday evening. The Al Aqsa brigades also claimed responsibility for launching three mortars at the Israeli military post of Nahal Oz, south of the Gaza Strip on Thursday at dawn. [end] Al Quds Brigades launch homemade projectile at Ashkelon Ma’an News Agency 8/16/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, have claimed responsibility on Thursday for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli city of Ashkelon. In a statement received by Ma’an, the Brigades stated that "the operation came in response to the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people." [end] Chief of Staff postpones deputy handover Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 8/15/2007 The IDF spokesperson said yesterday that Major General Moshe Kaplinsky, deputy chief of staff, will not be replaced next month as scheduled but will remain in office for several additional weeks. The reason for the delay was described as "personal," but it may also pertain to the rising tensions between Syria and Israel. Army sources explained that Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi is seeking to avoid unnecessary changes for the IDF at this sensitive point in time. Kaplinsky’s replacement is Major-General Dan Harel, military attache to the Israeli embassy in Washington. [end] Most settlements lie east of fence, most settlers west Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 8/16/2007 While only 48 of the 122 settlements in the West Bank are situated to the west of the separation fence route, these settlements house the vast majority of settlers, according to an analysis conducted by Haaretz. The analysis, which is based on Interior Ministry data, shows that 76. 2 percent of all settlers - 209,716 in number - reside in the 48 settlements that will be to the west of the fence, once it is completed. Only 65,440 settlers reside, as of 2007, in the 74 settlements that lie to the east of the fence route, comprising 23. 8 percent of the overall settler population in the West Bank. The government is expected to evacuate the settlements east of the fence in the framework of a deal with the Palestinians. However, some of those settlements have seen an above average growth rate in 2006. more.. Report: Bodies of 3 PFLP men killed in 1982 found in Lebanon Yoav Stern, Ha’aretz 8/16/2007 The Lebanese television station LBC reported Thursday that German troops in Lebanon have recently discovered the bodies of three Palestinian militants killed in 1982 during the Lebanon war. The militants, who belonged to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command, were found in uniform. The PFLP-GC was founded by Ahmed Jibril, who has close ties with Syria. The organization was involved in the fighting during the Lebanon war, and even captured Israel Defense Forces soldiers, who were later exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in the Jibril deal. Three IDF soldiers who fought in the war also remain missing to this day. The soldiers - Zecharia Baumel, Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman - went missing in action during the battle of Sultan Yacoub with Syrian troops. [end] Enthralled by alchemy Israel Harel, Ha’aretz 8/16/2007 When Ehud Barak reached a decision-making level in the army and eventually in the government, he was enthralled - as were others who came out of the ground forces - by the charms of technological solutions. These, and not traditional offensive and deterrent warfare, are supposed to solve Israel’s security problems. Barak took part in the decision to develop the Nautilus, based on laser technology, as a weapon against Katyushas fired by Palestinians, and after a while by Hezbollah from Lebanon. The Americans, who for a number of years collaborated with Israel in developing this response, concluded that it is expensive even for the American treasury and (perhaps) mainly, that it cannot provide an appropriate response to a number of rockets fired simultaneously. more.. Palestine Today 081607 Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/16/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 2. 74 MB || Time 3m 0s || - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Thursday August 16th, 2007. The Israeli army attacks and kidnaps Palestinian fishermen in Gaza while in the West Bank Israeli troops attack cities and kidnap seven civilians, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. The Gaza strip - Israeli naval forces took a number of fishermen prisoner on Rafah shores in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, media sources and locals confirmed. The sources revealed that an Israeli military vessel intercepted a Palestinian fishing boat belonging to the Abu Shalouf family and arrested the two inside, taking them to unknown destination and seizing the boat. more.. Army bulldoze trees in a village near Bethlehem Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/15/2007 Israeli army bulldozers started to bulldoze trees in a forest located near Al Walaja west of Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank on Wednesday morning. Witnesses said that the attacked forest consists of 2200 trees and belongs to Crimasan catholic convent and winery. the Israeli army plans to bullied a section of the illegal wall there. If this section of the wall will be completed the Bethlehem district will lose all its lands in addition Al Walaja and nearby villages will be cut off from the village and will be totally isolated because of the wall. [end] Army invades Nablus and kidnaps civilians Ameen Abu Warda, International Middle East Media Center 8/15/2007 Israeli army conducted wide scale military operation that targeted the northern West Bank city of Nablus Wednesday morning. Soldiers searched and ransacked homes in several neighborhoods in the city and kidnapped two Palestinian civilians. The Israeli army reported that the invading troops were targeting what the army calls "Wanted Palestinians". Eyewitnesses reported that a massive Israeli army force stormed the city at 5:00 AM of Wednesday, besieged several building in down town Nablus, forced the residents to leave their homes, and abducted two Palestinians identified as:- Maher Awawdah and Omer M’ala and transferred them to unknown destination. Dr. Ghassan Hamdan, director of the Medical Relief Committees in Nablus witnessed that Israeli army brought residents into interrogation after gathering them on one apartment that was transferred to a military base. more.. Israeli forces withdraw from Nablus after abducting activists during early morning incursion Ma’an News Agency 8/15/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Israeli forces withdrew from Nablus on Wednesday morning after seizing two Palestinians, one of whom is allegedly a member of Fatah’s Al Aqsa Brigades. Dozens of Israeli military vehicles invaded the northern West Bank city on Wednesday at dawn, entering Ta’awon Street and besieging several homes in the area. Ma’an’s correspondent quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the Israeli soldiers raided the home of the ’Udat family and demolished its main entrance. The troops ordered the eviction of the residents of the home, claiming that there were ’wanted Palestinian activists’ concealed within it. The eyewitnesses also reported that the Israeli forces imposed a curfew in the area and interrogated the residents of the evacuated home. more.. Israeli forces abduct three Palestinian residents of the West Bank Ma’an News Agency 8/15/2007 Bethelehm – Ma’an – The Israeli forces on Wednesday morning seized four Palestinian citizens from the occupied Palestinian West Bank. Israeli sources alleged that the military apprehended a man in Jenin who was in possession of a rifle. In addition, the Israeli forces abducted three Palestinians from Nablus, in the north, and Ramallah, in the central West Bank. [end] PFLP fighters launch projectiles into Israel Ma’an News Agency 8/15/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), claimed that they launched two homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Nahal Oz, bordering the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday night. The brigades announced that the operation is a continuation of resistance and in retaliation for Israeli atrocities committed against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. [end] Two Israelis injured after Palestinian fighters shell Erez Crossing Ma’an News Agency 8/15/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – Two Israelis were injured on Wednesday when twelve mortar shells landed on Erez Crossing, at the northern border of the Gaza Strip. Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for launching ten shells at Erez. Fatah’s Al Aqsa Brigades and the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP), the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, said they launched two mortar shells at Erez Crossing. Israeli sources reported that two Israeli citizens, a man and a woman, were injured by the shrapnel from the shells. [end] Hamas: Palestinian resistance forced the IOF troops to retreat from Abasan Palestinian Information Center 8/15/2007 KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)-- Hamas confirmed that the Palestinian resistance, spearheaded by the Qassam Brigades, forced the IOF troops to retreat, after they invaded the Abasan area at dawn Tuesday and committed a massacre, where seven Palestinians were killed during the clashes. In a statement received by the PIC, the Brigades stated that the resistance "inflicted injuries and casualties in the ranks of the Israeli invaders and their military mechanisms, reconfirming its adherence to the option of resistance as an inalienable strategy for the attainment of freedom and independence. In the same context, the death toll of Palestinian citizens who were killed during the Israeli incursion into the Abasan town to the east of Khan Younis on Tuesday rose to become seven victims, including five of Al-Qassam Brigades’ fighters, and a 70-year-old woman... more.. IDF uncovers tunnel in Gaza Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 8/16/2007 Army says underground tunnel leading to Israel uncovered near hothouse used to grow tomatoes in northern Strip. According to estimates, tunnel slated to explode under Israeli target. Southern Command: There may be additional tunnels - The IDF on Tuesday uncovered an underground tunnel leading from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, the army said Wednesday. The tunnel shaft was connected to a Gaza hothouse used to grow tomatoes and situated 700 meters from the border fence. The tunnel was detonated in a controlled manner by the IDF on Wednesday evening. Army officials believe that a terror attack had been foiled by uncovering the tunnel. According to estimates, Palestinians planned to use the tunnel in order to smuggle explosives and bomb them under an Israeli military or civilian target. more.. One Palestinian civilian kidnapped as Israeli army invades a village near Jenin Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/15/2007 One Palestinian civilian identified as Jalal Milhem, was kidnapped from his home when Israeli troops invaded the village of Kufer Ra’e near the northern West Bank city of Jenin and searched homes there, on Wednesday at dawn. [end] Army to carry on the destruction of Palestinians’ agricultural lands Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center 8/15/2007 Dr. Mohammad Al Agha, the Minister of Agriculture in the dissolved government (dissolved by President Mahmoud Abbas when he declared emergency law, and formed a new emergency government), condemned the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza and West Bank cities. The occupation is still carrying on the destructive policy of the Palestinians’ agricultural lands as the army continues to bulldoze a widespread distance of farmlands. In a press statement, the Minister criticized the Israeli procedures of razing huge distances of agricultural lands amounted of more than 50 dunums. Dr Al Agha said that the Palestinians insisted on resisting the occupation despite the violent attacks that Israelis are conducting. He added that Israeli army is still conducting the procedures of razing the Palestinians’ lands to continue the construction of the illegal Wall and Settlements. more.. Abu Ahmad denies that the Palestinian resistance lacks raw materials Ma’an News Agency 8/15/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The spokesperson of Islamic Jihad’s Al Quds Brigades, Abu Ahmad, on Wednesday contended reports in the Israeli press that the Palestinian resistance has reduced projectile attacks against Israel due to a lack of raw materials." This news is baseless and the homemade projectiles are not being launched randomly," said Abu Ahmad. The Al Quds Brigades leader appealed to Palestinian military wings to work together as a united front in order to battle the Israeli war of attrition against the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip. In commemoration of the first anniversary of Hezbollah’s victory against the Israeli army in Lebanon, in the summer of 2006, Abu Ahmad said "this victory gave hope to the Palestinians that they can defeat their Israeli enemy like the Lebanese resistance did. more.. Thousands mourn four Khan Younis residents, including a woman, her son and grandson, killed during Israeli invasion Ma’an News Agency 8/15/2007 Gaza – Ma’an -Thousands gathered on Wednesday afternoon as the citizens of Khan Younis mourned for four of its residents, killed in the recent Israeli military invasion of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Among the deceased were Subha Al Karra, 53, her son, Mohamad Al Karra, 25, and her grandson, Ahmad Al Karra, 18. Mus’ab Abo Jame’, was the fourth, whose lives were commemorated today. Mourners denounced the Israeli crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, demanding, "revenge for the blood of the martyrs". Local sources estimated the number of mourners at around 6,000, led by Hamas members and officers from the Executive Force. [end] Fatah legislator indicted of sending bomber Ali Waked, YNetNews 8/15/2007 Member of Palestinian Legislative Council accused of sending suicide bomber to Tel Aviv cafe in 2002 - A Fatah member of the Palestinian Legislative Council was convicted on Wednesday of having been an accomplice in suicide bombing in Tel Aviv five years ago in which an Israeli woman was killed. According to the indictment, the suicide bomber that blew himself up in a coffee shop in the city in March 2002 made his way to Israel from the Nablus home of PLC member Jamal Tirawi. Tirawi is convicted of the deliberate murder of Rachel Tcherkhi, an Israeli woman who died in the attack. The Fatah member is also accused of recruiting potential suicide bombers. Tirawi was arrested three months ago in Nablus’ Balate refugee camp along with three members of Fatah’s military wing, the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade. more.. IOF troops kidnap 100 Palestinians in southern Gaza Palestinian Information Center 8/14/2007 KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)-- IOF troops on Tuesday rounded up 100 Palestinians in Khan Younis district during its bloody incursion that killed four Palestinians so far including a 70-year-old woman, who was killed in cold blood, and is still ongoing. Eyewitnesses told PIC correspondent that the IOF asked all male citizens in new Abasan town east of Khan Younis in the age category of 15 to 50 years old to get out of their homes then gathered them in a big hole specially dug for this purpose by the IOF bulldozers. Inhabitants noted that the invasion soldiers also launched a large-scale storming operation of civilian homes during which scores of young men were kidnapped. Hebrew press sources claimed that the soldiers found a booby-trapped strap belt in one of the houses. more.. Palestine Today 081507 Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/15/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 3. 66 MB || Time 4m 0s || - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Wednesday August 15th, 2007. Army invades Nablus city in the southern part of the West Bank and kidnaps two residents, and also and bulldozes trees near Bethlehem, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. The News Cast - The Israeli army conducted wide scale military operations that targeted the northern West Bank city of Nablus Wednesday morning. Soldiers searched and ransacked homes in several neighborhoods in the city and kidnapped two Palestinian civilians. The Israeli army reported that the invading troops were targeting what the army calls "Wanted Palestinians". more.. Professor Weiss: I didn’t curse in Hebron, it was scripture YNetNews 8/15/2007 After apologizing for words spoken against Hebron brigade commander, Professor Hillel Weiss claims he did not curse him but was merely quoting a verse from Psalms - "My words which were interpreted as curses were merely a quotation from Psalms 109," wrote Professor Hillel Weiss of the Bar Ilan University to Professor Yacov Ne’eman, who heads the university committee appointed to determine whether Weiss’ actions merit a disciplinary hearing, even before the police investigation into the matter is concluded. A week after being caught on camera cursing IDF Hebron brigade commander Colonel Yehuda Fox during the forcible eviction of settlers from the city’s marketplace last week, Weiss claims his true meaning was misunderstood and "twisted by the media. more.. Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza as death toll rises to 6 Ma’an News Agency 8/14/2007 Khan Younis – Ma’an – Israeli forces have withdrawn from the Gaza Strip as the number of Palestinians killed in Tuesday’s attack rose to six. Israeli helicopters fired missiles on the Abasan area, east of Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip. The bodies of eighteen-year-old Ahmad Kamal Al Karra and twenty-year-old Abu Musab Al Jama were found on Tuesday evening. They had been shot by Israeli soldiers. The victims of the earlier Israeli helicopter bombardment were named as Qassam Brigades activist Omar Al Qarra, his mother Sabha Al Qarra, 40-year-old Ibrahim Al Sami, and Muhammad Abu Sameh, aged 24, also a member of Hamas’ Qassam Brigades. According to medical sources from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, "the bodies arrived at hospital torn to pieces due to a direct hit from a missile. more.. Hamas clashes with Shalit abductors, 2 gunmen dead YNetNews 8/15/2007 More than 20 Palestinians wounded as Hamas forces raid compound of powerful Doghmush clan - who are responsible for kidnapping of BBC reporter Alan Johnston, involved in the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit -- Two Hamas security men were killed on Tuesday evening in heavy clashes with members of the Dogmush clan in Gaza. Palestinian sources reported 20 more men had been wounded in the exchanges of fire as Hamas lay siege to a house west of Gaza City which several clansmen have barricaded themselves in. Hamas said in a cryptic statement that its forces came under fire while on a mission in the area. The Doghmushes said the fighting began after Hamas came to arrest a clansman and confiscate his car. The clan, one of the largest and most powerful in the Strip, is responsible for the March kidnapping of BBC reporter Alan Johnston... more.. IDF questions more than 50 Palestinians YNetNews 8/14/2007 Army reports five gunmen hit during southern Strip raid; forces also uncover explosive belt, explosive device. Palestinians report four killed, 14 injured in operation -- IDF soldiers on Tuesday afternoon uncovered an explosive belt and explosive device ready for activation during an operation east of the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis. More than 50 Palestinian men were questioned by the army, which is later expected to decide whether to arrest some of them and take them into Israel for questioning by the Shin Bet. During the raid, which began early Tuesday, the forces hit five gunmen. According to the army, the operatives showed some resistance and tried to hurt the forces. Forces from Golani’s 51st Battalion are taking part in the operation, and have managed to hit about 25 gunmen since arriving in the Gaza Strip about a month ago. more.. Israeli army invades Sa’er village near Hebron and clashes with local youths Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007 A massive Israeli army force invaded the village of Sa’er, located east of the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday morning. Soldiers searched and ransacked homes then clashed with local stone-throwing youths. Israeli soldiers responded with rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas. Sources in the village indicated that clashes remain ongoing. No injuries or kidnappings have been reported. [end] Homes attacked as Israeli army invades Jenin Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007 An Israeli force invaded the northern West Bank city of Jenin and Jenin refugee camp in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Witnesses said that soldiers searched and ransacked scores of homes, forcing families to leave. No kidnappings were reported. [end] Scores of homes searched as Israeli army invades Tulkarem city Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007 Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem on Tuesday at dawn, storming homes and forcing residents to leave. Local sources stated that the army left the city after three hours, with no kidnappings reported. [end] One Palestinian civilian kidnapped by invading Israeli forces in Nablus Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007 One Palestinian civilian was kidnapped on Tuesday morning by Israeli forces that invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Witnesses said that soldiers opened fire randomly at residents’ homes, causing some damage but no injuries. The kidnapped man was later identified as Ashraf Aslan. [end] Masked gunmen attack Palestinian man at wedding party in Nablus Ma’an News Agency 8/14/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – Anonymous gunmen on Monday night shot Palestinian citizen Jamal Houseny Hazeim Dwekat, aged 23, during a wedding party in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, in the northern West Bank. Eyewitnesses informed Ma’an’s reporter that two armed assailants on motorbikes shot Dwekat at close range and he was hit in the leg. He has been transferred to hospital. [end] Palestinian fighters launch 10 projectiles at Israeli targets Ma’an News Agency 8/14/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Al Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad on Monday night claimed joint responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli town of Sderot, near the border of the Gaza Strip. The military wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, announced that they launched nine homemade projectiles at Israeli military vehicles near Kisufim Crossing between Israel and Gaza. The brigades issued statements declaring the operations retaliatory acts for Israeli crimes against Palestinians. A group of the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades also claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli-controlled Erez Crossing in the northern Gaza Strip. more.. Israeli forces arrest Hamas member near Nablus Ma’an News Agency 8/14/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli forces on Tuesday morning seized a Hamas member from Ein Beit el Ma refugee camp, north of Nablus, in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. The detainee is 33-year-old Ayman Saeed Moussa. [end] Israeli incursion in southern Gaza Strip leaves six dead, 28 wounded Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 8/15/2007 Six Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday as the Israeli military carried out its latest incursion into the territory controlled by Hamas, sources said. The Israeli Army claimed four of those killed were Hamas fighters. Overall 28 people were wounded as a result of the fighting in the area, medics said. In an operation that began early on Tuesday and was continuing more than 12 hours later, Israeli tanks backed by helicopters rolled into Gaza near the southern town of Khan Yunis, witnesses and the army said. The troops were operating "against terror threats in the area, including tunnels and rockets," and engaged in gunfights with militants on the ground, said an army spokesman. A Hamas gunman, 24-year-old Mohammad Abu Musameh, was killed in an early morning air strike. more.. IDF leaves south Gaza, says Hamas operated like Hizbullah YNetNews 8/14/2007 Israeli forces begin withdrawal from Khan Younis, at least 11 terrorists killed during raid. Hamas cells were equipped with advanced weapons and transmitters, IDF officials say -- IDF forces have begun withdrawing from the Khan Younis area in south Gaza after operating there since Monday night. At least 11 terrorists were killed during the activity, according to reports. Sources in Khan Younis said the bodies of two more Palestinians were found after the Israeli army began to pull out of the area. One of those killed was identified as the grandson of a woman who was killed Tuesday morning, while the other was apparently a member of Hamas. According to the Palestinians, 25 people were injured during the IDF’s raid, several homes were demolished and 120 people were taken to Israel for questioning. more.. Six killed in Israeli raid on Gaza Fred Attewill and agencies, The Guardian 8/14/2007 Israel launched military strikes against Hamas in Gaza today as the country’s foreign minister warned that it would be a "huge" mistake to talk to the Islamist group. Tzipi Livni was speaking after six Palestinians - including two civilians - were killed when Israeli troops and aircraft struck suspected militants. Responding to calls from the Italian prime minister, Romano Prodi, for efforts to bridge the divide between Hamas and Fatah - which was defeated in the battle for Gaza in June - Ms Livni ruled out a change in Israel’s stance." I know that it looks tempting and I know that the international community is eager to see a kind of an understanding between Hamas and Fatah," she told a press conference. "This is wrong. This is a mistake. more.. Israeli military operation in Gaza leaves at least six killed and 33 wounded Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007 The Israeli army has ended the military operation that started on Tuesday at dawn targeting the city of Khan Younis and nearby Abassan village, Palestinian sources reported that at least six residents were killed and another 33 were wounded. 100 other Palestinian civilians were kidnapped by the Israeli soldiers during the operation. Four Palestinian residents of Gaza, including a mother and two resistance fighters, were killed early on Tuesday morning after Israeli forces invaded Abbassan town, east of Khan Younis city. Medical sources confirmed that Omar Alfarra, a member of the ‘Ezzieldin Elqassam brigades’, Hamas’ armed wing, and his mother Sobha Alfarra, were killed after they were both shot by Israeli army gunfire. Ibrahim Alshami, 40, was also shot dead by the Israeli army in the nearby Faraheen neighborhood of Khan Younis. more.. Troops withdraw from Khan Younis, seven residents killed and dozens injured Wisam Afifa, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007 The Israeli army withdrew from Abasan area, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip and invading it earlier on Tuesday. Seven residents, including four fighters, were killed and at least 15 were officially reported injured; the army also uprooted and bulldozed agricultural lands, and some homes. Medical sources in Khan Younis reported that after the army withdrew from Abasan on Tuesday evening, medics found three bodies of residents who were shot and killed during the invasion. Two of the killed are members of the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, they were identified as Ahmad Kamal Al Qarra and Mos’ab Abu Jame’. The invasion in Abasan was carried out after the Israeli air force fired a missile at fighters of the Al Quds brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad. more.. Palestine Today 081407 Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/14/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 3. 66 MB || Time 4m 0s || - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Tuesday August 14th, 2007. The Israeli army kills four in Gaza and injures at least 12 others In the meantime, Palestinian security forces arrest 20 Hamas supporters in the northern part of the West Bank, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. - The Gaza strip - Four Palestinian residents of Gaza, including a mother and two resistance fighters, were killed early on Tuesday morning after Israeli forces invaded Abbassan town, east of Khan Younis city, in the Gaza Strip. One of those killed was shot dead by the Israeli army in the nearby Faraheen neighborhood of Khan Younis. more.. Israeli forces seize 20 Palestinians in the West Bank at dawn Ma’an News Agency 8/13/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Israeli forces launched a widespread apprehension campaign in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, seizing twenty Palestinians. Israeli soldiers seized an Islamic Jihad activist, 22-year-old, Feisal Mahmoud Abdullah Khalifeh, from Nur Shams refugee camp, in Tulkarem. Twelve members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades of the Popular Resistance Committees were abducted by Israeli troops in the Jenin area, in the northern West Bank. In the southern West Bank city of Hebron, seven Palestinians were seized and taken to an undisclosed destination. One of the abductees is a council member of a local municipality, 65-year-old As’ad Sha’ban. Other citizens apprehended in Hebron were named as: Khaled Abu Hashash, aged 15, Jihad Abu Daieh, 45, Medhat Abed El Majied Al Qesieh, 35, and Yaser Mahmoud Al Wreidat, 32. more.. IDF backtracks on criminalization of illegal W. Bank construction Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 8/14/2007 The Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces have moderated an order issued roughly six months ago, which declared that unauthorized construction in the West Bank would be considered a criminal offense. The order would not have required a warning be issued against the construction, as is common practice inside Israel proper. The defense establishment revoked the decision after a request made by the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel, a group of right-wing attorneys advocating for West Bank settlers. The organization threatened to petition the High Court of Justice against the decision. The order that has been moderated is one of four orders issued in January by former GOC Central Command Yair Naveh, after a report written by Talia Sasson on illegal outposts built by settlers in the West Bank. more.. Eight Palestinians kidnapped in Hebron Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/13/2007 Palestinian sources have indicated that the Israeli army attacked homes and kidnapped eight civilians in the southern West Bank city of Hebron and nearby towns on Monday. The sources said that the attack was focused on the old part of Hebron, Dora, Al Arop, and Al Thahria towns near the city. Witnesses stated that soldiers attacked and ransacked homes, forcing families to leave and taking eight civilians to unknown detention camps. [end] The Israeli army kidnaps four Palestinians near the Gaza strip borders Ghassan Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/13/2007 Israeli army sources reported on Monday afternoon that the Israeli army has kidnapped fur Palestinians as they were trying to cross the borders from the Gaza strip into Israel near the Kitsufeem crossing between the costal region and Israel. According to the Israeli army radio the four men said that they are members of Fatah movement and that they escaped the Gaza strip after being targeted by Hamas which took total control of the costal region two months ago after one week of violent clashes with the Fatah movement. The army sources added that soldiers found knifes and one hand-grenade with the men. The Israeli army made a search in the area of other people who may crossed the borders. Palestinian sources did not yet confirm the report [end] IDF captures 4 armed Gazan infiltrators Ha’aretz 8/13/2007 Israel Defense Forces troops captured four Palestinians who infiltrated Israel yesterday from the Gaza Strip, close to the Kissufim border crossing. The four men, who claimed to be Fatah members fleeing persecution by Hamas, are being held for further questioning. An IDF spokesperson said their motives are still unclear. Soldiers from the Golani Brigade detained the men shortly after noon. A search of their belongings yielded a hand grenade and a number of knives. Army Radio reported that the IDF expressed concern that other armed men had successfully infiltrated the country, and subsequently conducted routine searches in the area. A Fatah official said that Hamas is holding 120 Fatah members in Gaza Strip jails. This is the first time the faction has given a figure on detainees in its custody since the takeover in June. more.. Israeli forces detain three Palestinians suspected of planting incendiary bottles Ma’an News Agency 8/13/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli forces arrested three Palestinians at Qalandia checkpoint in the occupied Palestinian West Bank on Sunday, claiming that they had incendiary bottles. Israeli forces claimed they found three planted explosive devices and, after a short investigation, arrested three Palestinians. [end] Palestinian combatants launch reprisal attacks for Israeli crimes Ma’an News Agency 8/13/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, and Fatah’s Al Aqsa Brigades, claimed joint responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at an Israeli army base north of Beit Hanoun on Sunday night. Israel has not acknowledged the incident or announced any injuries from the operation, north of the Gaza Strip. A smaller armed group affiliated to Fatah, the Al Mujahideen Brigades, announced that they "hunted" an Israeli soldier near Kisufim Crossing, in the central Gaza Strip, on Sunday. Israeli sources reported that a female Israeli settler was wounded after her vehicle was attacked by stone-throwers, near the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia. In statements, the various brigades said that their assaults are a response... more.. Israeli forces arrest weapons dealers in E. Jerusalem, suspected of connection to Al Sheikh Sa’id operation Ma’an News Agency 8/13/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Israeli security services published information on Monday revealing that the Israeli forces have launched an arrest campaign of Hamas members and weapons dealers in East Jerusalem. Israeli media said that the Israeli police, in coordination with the interior intelligence service Shabak, seized several members of Hamas and weapons dealers in the Jabal al Mukabbir area. The information alleged that those apprehended had had relations with two Hamas activists, responsible for an operation in Al Sheikh Sa’id, southern East Jerusalem, in May 2007. In the operation, two Palestinians opened fire at Israeli border police guarding the separation wall. As a result, three Palestinians were killed; the two assailants and a bystander, and five Israeli soldiers were injured. [end] Israeli Arab group claims responsibility for J’lem shooting Roee Nahmias, YNetNews 8/13/2007 ’The Free People of Galilee’, organization responsible for kidnapping and murdering of IDF soldier Oleg Shaichat, says in statement its members were behind Friday’s shooting incident in capital; Israeli sources reject report, say it is likely terrorist acted on his own - An Israeli Arab organization, The Free People of the Galilee, has claimed responsibility for the shooting incident which took place in the Old City of Jerusalem on Friday afternoon. In a statement published on the Palestinian news agency Maan, a spokesman for the group said that its members were behind the incident, in which an Israeli Arab from the Galileee snatched a security guard’s weapon and was killed in an exchange of fire with another guard. Defense establishment officials rejected the report, noting that a number of organizations had already claimed responsibility for the incident. more.. Kfar Manda residents: Don’t defame all of us Ahiya Raved, YNetNews 8/13/2007 Most residents of Galilee village which was home to Jerusalem shooter boycott his funeral; three years after another resident was involved in murder of IDF soldier, they once again try to return to routine - "I don’t believe that this organization really exists or that the guy belonged to it," Muhammad Zidan of Kfar Manda said Monday morning, after an Israeli Arab group, ’The Free People of the Galilee’ claimed that one of its members was responsible for the shooting incident in Jerusalem’s Old City on Friday. Zidan, who served for many years as head of the Kfar Manda local council and as chairman of the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, expressed the feelings of many residents who had voiced their doubts regarding the reliability of the organization’s statement. more.. Professor says leftist ’terrorists’ made him apologize for comments Ha’aretz 8/14/2007 Professor Hillel Weiss, soon after submitting a written apology for disparaging remarks he made on an Israel Defense Forces commander last week, said on Monday that leftist "terrorist" pressure forced him to do so. Weiss, a professor at Bar Ilan University, sent a letter apologizing for wishing death on IDF Hebron Brigade Commander Yehuda Fuchs during the forced evacuation of the Hebron wholesale market last week. The apology was addressed to IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Police Commissioner David Cohen. Soon thereafter, he told Israel Radio that he had been forced to apologize by the president of the university, who in turn was being pressured by "Mapai terrorists." Mapai was Israel’s dominant left-wing party until the 1960s. more.. Cursing professor apologizes to army chief Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/13/2007 Prof Hillel Weiss apologizes for cursing Hebron Brigade commander in letter to IDF chief of staff, police commissioner, but later says apology was due to ’terrorist Mapainic pressure’. IDF reject apology citing lack of sincerity - A week after sparking a row after he was caught on video by a Ynet cameraman cursing Hebron Brigade commander and IDF soldiers during the evacuation of Jewish settlers from the Hebron wholesale market, Professor Hillel Weiss of Bar-Ilan University took back his harsh remarks Monday morning. However, IDF sources told Ynet the military rejected Weiss’ apology, saying it lacked sincerity. The IDF, added the sources, in considering recommending to its officers not to peruse their education at Bar Ilan, until Weiss recants his words in full. more.. Man apologizes to Wiesel over alleged attack Associated Press, YNetNews 8/14/2007 During court hearing, Eric Hunt turns to Holocaust survivor and apologizes for scaring him - A man charged with dragging Holocaust scholar Elie Wiesel from a hotel elevator apologized in court Monday to the Nobel laureate over the alleged anti-Semitic attack. Eric Hunt, 22, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted kidnapping, false imprisonment, battery, stalking, elder abuse and hate crimes following the February incident at Argent Hotel in San Francisco. The apology came in the midst of a hearing to determine whether Hunt, who originally pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but later changed his plea, should stand trial. Hunt raised a shaking hand and spoke up suddenly from his seat next to his lawyer just as Wiesel had finished describing his ordeal in Nazi death camps, where his parents and sister died. more.. Haredim deliver population boom to West Bank Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 8/13/2007 The settler population is growing twice as fast as the rest of the country every year, and the ultra-Orthodox community is responsible for approximately half its annual growth, according to Haaretz’s analysis of Interior Ministry figures for 2006. In the last year, the settler population has grown by 5. 45 percent, from 260,932 to 275,156. Without the ultra-Orthodox community the West Bank settlements’s growth is 3. 7 percent, only a little more than the natural growth the settlements would see, which stands at 3. 5 percent. The growth rate in the ultra-Orthodox Beitar Ilit and Modi’in Ilit is higher than most places in Israel. Modi’in Ilit’s population, some 40,000, grows annually by about 11 percent (this year it has grown by 12. 5 percent). more.. Weiss’ colleagues denounce his statements Moran Zelikovich, YNetNews 8/13/2007 Bar Ilan professors publish petition strongly condemning Prof Weiss’ statements against IDF officer and calling on police to investigate incident. ’Weiss’ statements stand in contradiction to university’s values,’ petitioners say - Some 60 senior professors from Bar Ilan University signed a petition Monday calling for disciplinary measures to be taken against Professor Hillel Weiss who cursed an IDF officer during the evacuation of two families in Hebron last week. "The undersigned, faculty and research members at Bar Ilan, strongly reject the slanderous statements made by Prof Weiss against a senior IDF officer in particular, and against the State of Israel and its institutions, elected officials and representatives in general," the petition said. more.. Bodies of 5 soldiers missing in 1948 identified Roi Mandel, YNetNews 8/13/2007 Fifty-nine years after being killed in Tel Arish battle, advanced DNA test identifies remains of 5 out of 7 Israeli soldiers who fell in War of Independence - The bodies of five of the seven Israeli soldiers who were declared missing after the 1948 battle of Tel Arish have been identified, the IDF’s Unit for Soldiers Missing in Action announced on Monday. The men have been identified as First Lieutenant Yehiel Rosenfeld, Private David Kochavi, Private Itzhak Hamami, Private Yehoshua Lustig and a fifth soldier, whose family has not yet been notified. The identification of the soldiers was made possible due to advanced DNA tests that took place in a special lab in the United States. The battle of Tel Arish was part of Israel ’s War of Independence and was fought to gain free access to the Jerusalem-Jaffa road. more.. Palestine Today 081307 Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dep, International Middle East Media Center 8/13/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 3. 66 MB || Time 4m 0s || - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Monday August 13th, 2007. In the West Bank, Israeli forces carry out a series of attacks, kidnapping at least 19 Palestinian civilians. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, the Hamas-affiliated Executive Force attack a PLO demonstration in Gaza City. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The West Bank - Israeli forces carried out a widespread invasion of the Jenin and Qabtyia areas on Monday morning, kidnapping 11 Palestinians. Eyewitness and local sources in the area reported that Ahmad Sa’eed, 50, Tareq Z’eeter, 29, and Ahmad Ya’akpa, 45 were kidnapped in the invasion. more.. IDF: Syria’s antiaircraft system most advanced in world Alex Fishman, YNetNews 8/13/2007 Israeli military source says that after studying IAF’s performance during Second Lebanon War, Damacus has purchased most advanced ground-to-air missiles from Russia. IDF fears Assad’s arms race may be sign of possible conflict with Israel - Syria possesses the most crowded antiaircraft system in the world following its continued purchase of Russian weapon systems, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday, quoting a senior Israeli military source. According to one estimate, the Syrians hold more than 200 antiaircraft batteries of different types. In a bid to respond to the Israel Air Force’s supremacy, Damascus has been exerting great efforts in the past few years to improve its ability in terms of ground-to-ground and ground-to-air missiles. more.. IOF troops round up West Bankers, storm Nablus Palestinian Information Center 8/12/2007 NABLUS, (PIC)-- IOF troops kidnapped seven Palestinians in various West Bank areas on Sunday including five allegedly Islamic Jihad activists, Palestinian sources reported. They said that a citizen was kidnapped near Ramallah city at an IOF military roadblock after claiming he was holding a knife while another was kidnapped from his home in Dhaheria village, south of Al-Khalil. In Tamon village, south of Jenin city, five Palestinians were rounded up after claiming they were Islamic Jihad activists including two who were wanted for the past three years. Hebrew press reported that during an IOF incursion in Nablus an explosive device was blasted in the IOF patrol coupled with machinegun shooting. Locals in Nablus said that IOF soldiers wreaked havoc in many civilian homes in the city and in Ein Beit Al-Ma refugee camp but no arrests were reported. more.. Palestinian fighters bomb invading Israeli vehicles in Nablus Ma’an News Agency 8/12/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – Three military wings of the Palestinian factions on Sunday bombed Israeli army vehicles during an incursion into the occupied Palestinian West Bank city of Nablus. The Al Aqsa Brigades – Night Lions Group - of Fatah, the Al Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad and the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed joint responsibility for the operation in the northern West Bank city. The brigades alleged that they used a 20 kilogram bomb to attack the Israeli forces. During the same invasion, an allied group from the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades and the Qassam Brigades of Hamas, claimed responsibility for bombing another Israeli military vehicle. [end] Sderot residents: Restraint policy on Qassams promoting war of attrition Ha’aretz 8/13/2007 The residents of Sderot accused the government on Sunday of employing a restraint policy in the face of the ongoing Qassam rocket attacks on the western Negev, thus allowing a "war of attrition" to develop. Meanwhile, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired three Qassam rockets toward Sderot Sunday morning. The rockets landed in open fields and caused no injuries or damage. The residents of Sderot have endured Qassam and mortar attacks for over six years. The residents told Army Radio Sunday morning that the restraint policy employed by the Israel Defense Forces in response to these attacks encourages terrorist organizations to continue the attacks and essentially create wage a war of attrition. Avi Farhan, a resident of the town, called on the government to prompt the IDF into action and bring an end to the Qassam attacks, Army Radio reported. more.. Fertilizer shortages hamper rocket fire Ali Waked, YNetNews 8/12/2007 Shortages in raw materials slowing production of makeshift rockets, lead to decline in rocket fire from Gaza - Shortages in fertilizers used by Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip to produce makeshift rockets have led to a decrease in the number of rockets fired towards Israel. Ynet found that Palestinian terror groups prefer to save their rockets for rainy days. But rockets continued to be fired towards Israel on Sunday, with three rockets landing in the western Negev. The shortages have been blamed on Egypt’s clampdown on smugglers operating along the border with the Gaza Strip and Israel’s closure of border crossings used to transfer goods into the coastal territory. The price of a kilo of fertilizer rose from $20 to $50. [end] Settlers slam IDF general Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/12/2007 Major-General Stern called ’traitor’ by Gush Etzion settlers during family event in settlement - Coward, chicken, traitor - those were some of the words hurled at Major-General Elazar Stern during a ceremony in honor of his daughter’s wedding in the Elazar settlement in Gush Etzion Saturday. Residents gathered around the settlement’s synagogue and blamed Stern for turning Gush Katif’s residents homeless. One of the settlers, Menachem, told Ynet, "All day Saturday it seemed as if Major-General Stern was stressed, and acting like he was being persecuted. He felt uncomfortable, and after what he did in the disengagement, I think that is warranted." According to him, Stern’s wife pushed people away from the synagogue and yelled, "Go away, crazies. more.. Surveillance video of J’lem shooting Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/12/2007 (Video) Tapes of Friday gunfire in Old City clearly show Arab-Israeli man grabbing guard’s gun and firing it repeatedly, "disproving" claims that he had been innocent and was ’murdered for nothing’ - VIDEO - Surveillance videos clearly show Ahmad Mahmoud Khatib - perpetrator of the Friday shooting in the Old City of Jerusalem - stealing a gun from a security guard and shooting him, despite claims to the contrary by his family. Jerusalem police authorized the publication of the surveillance tapes on Sunday. Khatib grabbed a weapon from a guard of the Ateret Kohanim yeshiva and then set off through the Old City’s street shooting back wildly at another yeshiva guard who pursued him. Ten bystanders and one of the guards were injured in the crossfire before the shooter was killed. more.. Shooter’s father says video fabricated Ahiya Raved, YNetNews 8/12/2007 Mahmoud Khatib asks for neutral investigation during memorial service; Sheikh Raad Salah calls shooter shahid - Surveillance tapes showing Ahmad Khatib grabbing a weapon from a security guard and firing it repeatedly during a pursuit in Jerusalem’s Old City last Friday were doctored by the police, said father Mahmoud Khatib during a Sunday memorial service for his son. Ahmad Khatib, according to videotapes, seized a gun from a guard of the Ateret Kohanim yeshiva and fired it repeatedly before being shot down by the security guard chasing him. But many of the shooter’s friends and family have asserted his innocence, some saying that the incident was a complete fabrication. According to Mahmoud Khatib, it is significant that the incident took place next to the Ateret Kohanim yeshiva which he said... more.. Resistance fighters hit Israeli, blast IOF Hummer Palestinian Information Center 8/12/2007 NABLUS, (PIC)-- Palestinian resistance fighters on Sunday blasted an explosive device in a Hummer jeep in Nablus city while Qassam snipers shot and hit an Israeli army technician while fixing the fence surrounding and isolating the Gaza Strip. A joint communiqué for the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas Movement, and the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the PFLP armed wing, affirmed that the Hummer jeep was directly hit and knocked out of action in the pre-dawn attack. They affirmed that their resistance of occupation would continue as long as it continued to occupy national lands. In the Gaza Strip the Qassam snipers claimed responsibility for firing at the Israeli military technician east of Khan Younis, south of the Strip. more.. Lax punishment for officer who left soldier in Gaza Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 8/12/2007 Company commander of battalion whose soldier was left in hostile territory behind after an operation to receive negative citation on record; no other officers or soldiers to be punished - The company commander of the 51st battalion of the Golani Brigade will receive a negative citation on his permanent record, as punishment for accidentally leaving a soldier under his command behind in Gaza after an operation, the IDF decided Sunday. Following the military investigation of the incident, it was further decided not to take action against other commanders or soldiers in the battalion. Additionally, the IDF leadership found no need to develop new operational orders for the battalion, ruling that a clarification of existing orders would be sufficient. more.. Palestinian police fight with a Palestinian civilian in Nablus Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/11/2007 A short hand fight took place between Palestinian police officers and a local driver in the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Saturday afternoon. The fight took place during a police campaign to enforce law and order in the city, Palestinian sources reported. During the short fight witnesses said that police officers fired rounds in the air in order to force bystanders to leave the area. No injuries or arrests were reported. Palestinian police source in the city of Nablus said that the city suffers from the stat of lawlessness and lake of security therefore the police did this campaign to restore law and order in the city. [end] Al Quds Brigades launch homemade projectile at Sderot Ma’an News Agency 8/11/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, movement, have claimed responsibility for Friday’s launching of a homemade projectile at the Israeli town of Sderot. Israeli sources stated that a Palestinian homemade shell landed in Sderot, causing material damage only. [end] Palestinian militant wings claim responsibility for Friday’s "operation" in Jerusalem Ma’an News Agency 8/11/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – Three Palestinian military wings on Saturday claimed responsibility for the operation conducted in Jerusalem on Friday. It has been reported that, during the operation, a young Palestinian man grabbed the gun of a security guard and shot him in the shoulder. Other guards returned fire, killing the man and injuring 11 others. In a joint statement, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the PFLP, the Al-Quds Brigades of the Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Brigades of Fatah all claimed responsibility for the operation. The name of the deceased man has now been revealed; he was identified by the Arab48 website as Ahmad Mahmoud Al-Khateeb, 27, from the village of Kfar Manda in the Galilee region. He is survived by a wife and young daughter. [end] J’lem shooter: Israeli Arab from Galilee Ahiya Raved, YNetNews 8/11/2007 Ahmad Mahmoud Khatib, 29, of Kfar Manda killed by security guard Friday after attempting to snatch another guard’s weapon. His relatives, acquaintances claim he did not attempt to carry out terror attack: ’The guards are the only ones who say that he tried to snatch the weapon’ - Cleared for publication: The terrorist shot to death Friday after an exchange of fire with a security guard in Jerusalem’s Old City has been identified as Ahmad Mahmoud Khatib, 29, of Kfar Manda in the western Galilee. Khatib was survived by his pregnant wife and baby daughter. Shin Bet investigators raided Khatib’s village on Friday and arrested a number of residents in order to check whether he had operated on his own or had been sent by an organization. Over the weekend, three Palestinian organizations - the military wings of Fatah,. more.. Idreis Ja’bary, director of Halhoul police, shot by unidentified gunmen Ma’an News Agency 8/11/2007 Hebron – Ma’an – A Palestinian security source has revealed that shots have been fired at the director of Halhoul police, north of Hebron. Idreis Ja’bary was shot by unidentified gunmen, injuring him in his feet. Security sources stated that Ja’bary was transferred to the Israeli Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem, after receiving emergency treatment at the Al-Ahli hospital in Hebron. The director of the Hebron governorate police service, Brigadier Majid Hawari, told Ma’an that the Palestinian police have begun investigations in order to catch the shooters, and confirmed that no suspects have yet been arrested. [end] Abu Ar Rish Brigades launch projectiles at Kissofim Ma’an News Agency 8/11/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Abu Ar Rish Brigades, an armed group affiliated to the Fatah movement claimed responsibility on Saturday for launching a homemade projectile and two mortar shells at an Israeli military position near Kissofim. [end] Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades launch a projectile from Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/11/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), have claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at Natiev Ha’etsareh and the Erez industrial zone, north of Beit Hanoun. In statement received by Ma’an, the Brigades delcared, "This operation comes in response to Israeli attacks on Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza Strip". [end] Man killed in Jerusalem attack Al Jazeera 8/10/2007 A Palestinian man has been killed and at least 10 people injured near Al-Khalil gate in the Old City of occupied east Jerusalem, Israeli police and medics said. They said the man seized a pistol from an Israeli security guard and shot him in the shoulder on Friday morning, but was shot dead by another guard as he tried to flee. Israeli emergency services treating the wounded at the scene said most of the injuries were minor but at least four people were seriously hurt. Ilan Franco, Jerusalem police chief, said that after the man tried to take the guard’s weapon, another guard shot him. Bystanders hit - The incident took place near a crowded market close to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City’s Christian Quarter. The guard’s gunfire also apparently hit bystanders, Franco told Israel Radio. more.. IOF troops raid Qalqilya, kidnap Sheikh Walweel and six others Palestinian Information Center 8/10/2007 QALQILYA, (PIC)-- IOF troops in large numbers raided the northern West Bank city of Qalqilya on Thursday night, carried out a number of house raids and kidnapped Sheikh Reyadh al-Walweel along with six other Palestinians. Eyewitnesses told PIC correspondent that more than twenty Israeli military vehicles raided the neighbourhoods of Ghayatha, Zeid and Kafr Saba, the troops which were accompanied by intelligence officers kidnapped Sheik Walweel, a prominent Hamas leader in the West Bank along with Muhammad Musleh, Bilal Swailem, member of Qalqilya’s local council, Sheikh Sharif Hanini, Sheikh Jamal Daud of the rehabilitation society in Qalqilya, Aseed Nassar and Muhammad Walweel. All were taken to the northern crossing which is under Israeli control.... The officer reportedly said: "We will clean Qalqilya for Abbas, anyone that the PA cannot arrest we will arrest." more.. Fatah forces infiltrating Gaza Ali Waked, YNetNews 8/10/2007 Small units of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades members operating clandestinely in Strip against Hamas forces, in bid to topple new regime - Two months after Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip and the consequent escape of Fatah security forces from the area, Fatah units have begun infiltrating the Strip and operating there undercover in a bid to topple the current regime. Ynet has learned that several groups numbering five to 10 members each, have started operating in Gaza City and the southern Strip, under the name al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades - Samih al-Madhoun Cells. The groups are named after the Brigades’ former commander, who was executed by Hamas on the last day of the coup in Gaza. The unit members have so far planted explosive devices near Hamas’ headquarters in Gaza, and blew up a bomb near Hamas loyalists. more.. Qassam rocket hits Sderot, sparks brushfire; no casualties Ha’aretz 8/11/2007 Palestinian militants fired a Qassam rocket at the western Negev town of Sderot late Friday afternoon, which sparked a brushfire but caused no casualties or damage to property. On Thursday afternoon gunmen in the Gaza Strip also fired three Qassam rockets into the western Negev. Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon reported that one person was treated for shock. No property damage was reported. One of the rockets fired Thursday landed in an animal pen belonging to former prime minister Ariel Sharon’s Sycamore Ranch. The pen is not actually within the ranch’s bounds, and the rocket caused no damage to it. Palestinians launched two more Qassams late Thursday, one of which hit an antenna in Kibbutz Nir Am. Also Thursday, an Israel Air Force helicopter strike destroyed the disused control tower at Gaza’s defunct airport. more.. Brigades claim responsibility for attacks on Israeli targets Ma’an News Agency 8/10/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), the An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades claimed responsibility for setting a trap for an Israeli Press vehicle on a road, east of Gaza City, on Friday. The brigades claimed that one of the Israelis in the vehicle was injured. Meanwhile, the Al Quds Brigade, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, and the PFLP-affiliated Abu Ali Mustafa Brigade, have claimed responsibility for launching several homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot, close to the northern Gaza Strip. In a statement received by Ma’an, both brigades declared that "this operation was in response to Israeli crimes against the Palestinians", and "to demonstrate their continued resistance." more.. Israel air raid near defunct Gaza airport Middle East Online 8/10/2007 GAZA CITY - Israeli aircraft fired four missiles at a building in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip’s defunct international airport on Thursday night, witnesses said. No casualties were reported but the building was destroyed, they said. Israeli tank movements were also reported in the same sector. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed there had been an air strike, and said it had targeted "three armed men." The army also said two rockets had been fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on Thursday, causing some damage but no casualties. The airport, near the border with Egypt, has been closed for years after having been put out of action following the outbreak of the second Palestinian uprising in September 2000. Palestinian killed in Jerusalem shooting - A Palestinian man was shot dead in a... more.. Israeli guard kills a Palestinian man and wounds eight others in Jerusalem Palestinian Information Center 8/10/2007 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- A Palestinian man was killed and eight others were wounded while an Israeli guard was seriously wounded in occupied Jerusalem on Friday morning. Israeli occupation police sources claimed that a Palestinian man attacked an Israeli guard, took his gun and shot him at the Christian quarter in occupied Jerusalem wounding the guard seriously. Another Israeli guard opened fire killing the Palestinian man, who has not yet been identified, and wounding eight others, according to Israeli police. Immediately after the incident, IOF troops were rushed to the old city of Jerusalem fearing protests and disturbances. The troops closed the old city and stopped people from going into or out of it. There are tens of armed Israeli guards in occupied Jerusalem whose job is to protect Jewish settlers in the old city and who often assault Palestinians... more.. VIDEO - LEBANON: Fields of Fire: Cluster bombs in Lebanon IRIN - UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 11/7/2006 NAIROBI, 7 November 2006 (IRIN Film & TV) - Blackboard - Play Film by clicking BelowTowards the end of the Second World War German technicians developed a new type of bomb which, when fired, would open up and release hundreds of smaller bombs that would then rain down on targets spread over a wide area. These weapons were further advanced during the Cold War and have since become standard weaponry for most conventional armies. There are many types but collectively, they are known as cluster bombs. Federic Gras: “So you have one sub-munition here with a local marking – it’s a pile of stones to warn people. You have one impact here – you can see the crater. You have another sub munition here, and another one over there. So it’s quite heavily contaminated here. It’s not only in the olive groves; it’s in all the village... more.. This Week In Palestine – Week 32 2007 Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/10/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 16. 4 MB || Time 18m 0s | - This Week In Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www. IMEMC. org, for August 4th through August 10th, 2007. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert in the West Bank city of Jericho this week and the Israeli army continued to attack Palestinians killing eight in the West Bank and Gaza strip, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. Nonviolent Resistance in Palestine - Let’s begin our weekly report with nonviolent action in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem against the wall and settlements. Bethlehem - About 100 Palestinian villagers, joined by international and Israeli peace activists, on Friday morning marched to the site of land scheduled... more.. Palestinian crawling near Gaza fence killed by IDF Reuters, YNetNews 8/9/2007 Man suspected of attempting to plant bomb shot near Suffa crossing, meanwhile Hamas Executive Force arrests Fatah doctor from Gaza hospital who spoke against takeover - IDF soldiers killed a Palestinian near the Suffa crossing in southern Gaza on Thursday afternoon. The army said soldiers had spotted the man crawling near the border fence. Suspecting he was planting a bomb, they called on him to stop and shot in the air. When he continued moving, they fired at him. Palestinian medics brought his body to a hospital in Gaza and said they did not find weapons near his body. Meanwhile on Thursday Hamas security men arrested a Fatah-affiliated physician a day after doctors and nurses at Gaza’s main hospital held a protest against his dismissal from a managerial post at the facility. more.. Israeli air force shells the tower of the Gaza International Airport Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/10/2007 Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Thursday at night that the Israeli air force fired missiles at the monitoring tower of the Gaza International Airport in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The sources stated that damage was reported to the tower after it was hit my three missiles, no injuries, the Maan News agency reported. The agency added that according to eyewitnesses, several tanks and armored vehicles advanced to areas east of Rafah while military helicopters flew over the area. Meanwhile, the Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, reported that the invading forcesused military bulldozers to uproot farmlands and demolish property in Rafah. The invading forces were stationed at a military post near Karem Abu Salem "Kerem Shalom" crossing, southeast of Rafah. more.. Fifteen Palestinians arrested in Israeli raids Ma’an News Agency 8/9/2007 Qalqilia - Ma’an - Israeli forces arrest four Palestinians in a village south of Qalqilia on Wednesday at dawn. The men, from Ras Tira were taken to an unknown destination. Eyewitnesses said that at least 25 Israeli military vehicle stormed the town and carried out a house to house search before arresting the men. Meanwhile Israeli sources said that the Israeli forces arrested 11 Palestinians in Qalqilia, Hebron and Ramallah. The sources confirmed that they were taken to interrogation centres. [end] Israeli military forces conduct operations around Hebron, arresting Palestinians and checking IDs Ma’an News Agency 8/9/2007 Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli forces on Thursday arrested several Palestinians in the village of Yatta, south of Hebron. They then went into the Fawwar refugee camp and detonated an explosive device they found. Sources within the Palestinian security services said that at least ten Israeli military vehicles entered Yatta at dawn and besieged that house of Bassam Abu Obeid, aged 45, before storming in and arresting the man. The Israeli soldiers closed off the entrance to the Fawwar camp for at least an hour, claiming that they were looking for an explosive device they suspected was in the camp. After finding the unspecified device, they detonated it. In related news, Israeli forces raided the town of Dahiriyah, south-west of Hebron, stopping vehicles and checking citizens’ identity cards. more.. Evacuation orders issued to settlers in four more Hebron stores Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 8/9/2007 The Civil Administration has issued evacuation orders for four more Hebron stores where settlers squatted two years ago. The stores are located in the "triangle market," not far from the wholesale market from where two Jewish families were evacuated by Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday. But the settlers argue that aside from being on Jewish-owned land, the stores are an integral part of the Jewish Avraham Avinu neighborhood: They share common walls with the houses on the edge of the neighborhood, and the neighborhood’s access road passes between them. Between 1948 and 1967, when Jordan controlled Hebron, the stores were managed by the kingdom’s custodian of enemy property. After Israel captured the territories in 1967, it upheld the leases that Palestinian shopkeepers had signed with the Jordanian body and gave them the status of protected tenants. more.. Police chief faces angry protestors in Hebron Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/9/2007 Shouting rightists drive away police chief during Hebron visit. Police: Trip cut short due to time constraints - Police chief Dudi Cohen was forced to leave the Hebron market Thursday after right-wing protestors who gathered at the place shouted at him and cursed him. Cohen, who arrived at the place by car, did not leave his vehicle, and left shortly after arriving. Meanwhile, police officials explained that the chief had not planned to tour the area by foot, and that the visit was short due to time constraints. Cohen toured the West Bank accompanied by District commander Shlomi Katabi, and visited the Tomb of the Patriarchs before getting to the Hebron marketplace. Some 10 extreme-right activists, led by Baruch Marzel, awaited the chief at the place. more.. Seven civilians kidnapped during Israeli army morning invasions in the West Bank Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/9/2007 The Israeli army invaded several West Bank cities and towns on Thursday morning searched homes and kidnapped seven Palestinian civilians. Four civilians were kidnapped when Israeli forces invaded the village of Rass Atiah to the south of Qalqilia city in the northern part of the West Bank. Local sources said that soldiers searched and ransacked homes and took Mohamed Hashem, 38, Louai Maraba, 34, Yassen Younis, the mayer of the village, and Samier Ali, 32, all were taken to unknown locations. In the meantime two civilians were kidnapped as army attacked two villages near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem. Ass’ad Dakhalallah, 34, was taken from his home in Taqua village, located south of Bethlehem city, after Israeli soldiers searched it, witnesses said. more.. Troops invade Jenin refugee camp, exchange fire with resistance fighters IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 8/9/2007 Palestinian sources in Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank, reported on Thursday evening that Israeli soldiers invaded the Jenin refugee camp after closing all of its entrances and exchanged fire with resistance fighters. The invasion was carried out by more than thirty armored vehicles and jeeps, in addition to several military bulldozers. Soldiers also occupied several houses and their rooftops, and ambushed several resistance fighters. Meanwhile, fighters of the Al Quds Brigades, the army wing of the Islamic Jihad, and Mahmoud Abu Khalifa brigades, one of the armed wing of Fateh, exchanged fire with the invading forces at the entrance of the camp while dozens of youth placed rocks in the street and burnt tires. The youth also hurled stones and empty bottles at the invading forces while the... more.. Hamas establishes naval defense force in Gaza Ali Waked, YNetNews 8/9/2007 Group officials tell Ynet newly built force will secure Strip’s coast, fight off IDF vessels and drug dealers and prevent fishermen’s collaboration with Israeli ships. Force does not own ships, but has heavy machine guns, mortars - Hamas has established a new naval defense force, headed by one of the group’s senior commanders Jamil al-Dahashan, that will be entrusted with guarding the Gaza Strip coast, Ynet has recently learned. The force, which does not as yet own any marine vessels, is aimed at securing the shores from IDF marine operations as well as criminal activity of drug dealers. The force will also try to prevent collaboration of Palestinians with the IDF. According to Hamas, several local fishermen admitted in recent weeks to relaying information to IDF ships. more.. IDF says ready to battle Hamas at sea Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 8/9/2007 Israeli navy given new instructions in light of Hamas’ establishment of naval forces in Gaza, military officials say - "The new situation in the Gaza Strip obligates us to act differently at sea. There are threats that did not exist in the past. We recognize this, and are ready in accordance," a military source said Thursday night, responding to the report that Hamas had established a naval force in Gaza. Hamas’ navy is headed by senior Hamas commander Jamil al-Dahashan, who previously served as a Hamas special forces commander in south Gaza City. The force is aimed at securing the shores from IDF marine operations as well as criminal activity of drug dealers. Although the force does not as yet own any marine vessels, Israel is responding to the matter with the utmost gravity. more.. Cursing professor to be probed Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/9/2007 Police decide to launch investigation against Bar Ilan professor Hillel Weiss, who wished IDF officer dead - The Judea and Samaria Police decided Thursday to launch an investigation against Professor Hillel Weiss who is suspected of incitement for cursing IDF Hebron brigade commander Colonel Yehuda Fox during the evacuation of Hebron settlers this week. "May your mother be bereaved, your wife be widowed, your children be orphaned and may you be struck down in the next war and any memory of you be erased," Weiss was heard saying during a protest against the evacuation. The Bar Ilan professor also said that "the policemen are worse than the Nazis." Following the incident, which was caught on video by Ynet’s cameraman, the head of the Investigation Unit at the Judea and Samaria police launched... more.. IAF helicopter strikes defunct airport in Gaza; no casualties Ha’aretz 8/10/2007 An Israel Air Force helicopter strike destroyed on Thursday the disused control tower at Gaza’s defunct airport. There were no casualties in the raid. The Israel Defense Forces said that the air force fired at three armed men seen in the vicinity of the airport, near southern Gaza’s border with Israel, but gave no further details. The Islamic Jihad militant group said three of its gunmen were in the area, but left shortly before the strike. The airport was closed down shortly after the outbreak of the Palestinian intifada in 2000. Meanwhile, Palestinian gunmen fired three Qassam rockets into the western Negev Thursday afternoon. Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon reported that one person was treated for shock. No damage or injuries were reported. more.. Palestine Today 080907 Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/9/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 3. 19 MB || Time 3m 27s || - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Thursday August 9th, 2007. The Israelis kill one civilian in Gaza and kidnap seven others in morning invasions in the West Bank, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. The Gaza strip - One Palestinian civilian was shot and killed by the Israeli army near the Kitz-sofem crossing located near the central Gaza strip at the border with Israel on Thursday midday. Palestinian medical sources identified the man as Mohamed Abu Sha’r. The sources added that he was a mentally challenged person. Witnesses said that Abu Sha’r approached the gate of the crossing. more.. Three Hamas fighters killed in clashes with Israeli forces in Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/8/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – Two members of the military wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, were killed by Israeli forces, east of Gaza City, on Wednesday morning. Eyewitnesses said that intensive shooting was heard in the area and armed confrontations erupted between Israeli Special Forces and Palestinian resistance fighters. 23-year-old Fadi Irqaiq and Mohammad Batniji, aged 19, were killed in the clashes. Both men were from the Shujaiya area of the Gaza Strip. The two corpses were transported to Ash Shifa Hospital. The Qassam Brigades said they are in mourning for the two men. The brigades issued a statement announcing that the clashes lasted for forty-five minutes and the brigades were able to launch mortar projectiles at the Israeli forces east of Gaza City. more.. Four Palestinians kidnapped and two Israeli soldiers injured in the W.B city of Nablus Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/8/2007 A massive Israeli force invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus and the nearby Balata and Asker refugee camps, on Wednesday morning, searching homes and kidnapping four Palestinians. Two Israeli soldiers were reportedly injured in the invasion. Local sources indicated that the invasion began when at lest 20 military vehicles stormed the old city of Nablus and the nearby refugee camps, randomly opening fire and searching homes. During the search, four Palestinian civilians were kidnapped, among them Abed Ragheb, and Samier Alosh. Israeli army sources reported that during clashes with local resistance, two soldiers were lightly wounded. [end] Israeli settlers attack mosques in Hebron Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center 8/8/2007 Israeli settlers set fire to the Al Kayyal mosque in the old city of Hebron on Tuesday night. The Al Kayyal and Al Hesba mosques have been closed by the Israeli authorities since the massacre at the Ibrahimic mosque in 1994 in order to expand the "Ibraham Abeno" settlement and the Jewish neighborhood in the old city. Al Shiekh, Mohammad Husien, General Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestinian lands and Imam of the holy mosque condemned the settler attacks on the mosque and on the residents of the old city of Hebron. Al Shiekh Mohammad Husien called on international organizations to intervene and bring an end to all settlement activities and to press the Israeli government to reopen the closed mosques in Palestine. Earlier of this week, Israeli settlers were reportedly attacked and set fire to a mosque in the city centre. more.. Armed clashes take place in El Ein refugee camp Ameen Abu Warda, International Middle East Media Center 8/8/2007 Violent clashes between the Israeli army and local Palestinian resistance forces took place in the early hours of Wednesday morning in the Ein Beit El Ma’ refugee camp, located in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Local civilians reported that resistance fighters from the Abu Ali Mustafa brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Al Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, confronted a large Israeli force that was trying to invade the camp. A violent clash ensued in which an explosive device was thrown at the Israeli army. The Abu Ali Mustafa and Ez Eddin Al Qassam brigades issued a joint press release claiming responsibility for the attack in which they claimed that a number of Israeli soldiers had been injured in the defense of the camp. more.. Army invades Yatta village near Hebron, attacking homes in the locale Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/8/2007 The Israeli army invaded the village of Yatta, located south of Hebron city in the southern part of the West Bank, and attacked homes on Wednesday. [end] Israeli army kills Hamas-affiliated security officer in Gaza Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/8/2007 Palestinian sources in the Gaza strip reported on Wednesday afternoon that one executive force officer, the Hamas-affiliated security force, was killed by Israeli army fire near the Eretz crossing ( Beit Hannon), located at the northern borders between the Gaza strip and Israel. Palestinian medical sources identified the victim as Akram Abu Amsha, 22. Eyewitnesses stated that executive force members were helping the Palestinians entering the Gaza strip from that crossing and managing traffic when Israeli tanks stationed at an army post near the crossing opened fire at the officers, killing Abu Amsha. Executive force members have been helping Palestinians cross the border since a number were allowed to re-enter the Gaza Strip. [end] The Israeli municipality of Jerusalem demolishes a Palestinian home Mayssa Abu Ghazalih, International Middle East Media Center 8/8/2007 The Israeli Jerusalem municipality and police demolished a Palestinian home located in the Wadi Al Joze neighborhood in Jerusalem on Wednesday. The house, which was under construction, belonged to Abdullah Al Jabi. The municipality said that the house was built without documents, documents that have never been issued to those Palestinians living in the occupied city since 1967. Al Jabi told IMEMC that a massive Israeli military force surrounded the neighborhood, forced the family out, and did not give them a chance to evacuate their belongings. Al Jabi added that he received no warning from the municipality before that attack. Al Jabi is a Palestinian man who lives in Jerusalem with his family. He began building the house when he could no longer afford to pay rent. more.. PFLP combatants attack Israeli targets, injuring a soldier Ma’an News Agency 8/8/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – The military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, on Wednesday morning announced responsibility for injuring an Israeli soldier in Ein Beit el Ma refugee camp, west of Nablus. In a telephone conversation with Ma’an’s correspondent in Nablus, the brigades said that one of its groups clashed with an Israeli infantry patrol in the camp early on Wednesday morning, injuring one of the soldiers. Palestinian security sources said that many Israeli military vehicles penetrated the old city of Nablus and raided several residential areas. The soldiers ransacked several homes, claiming they were in search of ’wanted’ Palestinians. Israeli radio confirmed that an Israeli soldier was injured in the camp. more.. Al Quds and Al Aqsa Brigades claim responsibility for attack on Israeli military post Ma’an News Agency 8/8/2007 Khan Younis - Ma’an - A joint group of Al Quds and Al Aqsa Brigades fighters claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles at an Israeli military post east of Abu Al Ajin, east of Gaza City. The Al Quds Brigades are the military wing of Islamic Jihad and Al Aqsa Brigades are that of Fatah. In a statement they said that the operation was retaliation "for Israeli aggression against Palestinians." [end] Chaos in Hebron continues as Palestinian fighters bomb settlers Ma’an News Agency 8/8/2007 Hebron – Ma’an – Palestinian armed fighters threw locally-made bombing devices at an Israeli car near Dura village, west of Hebron, on Tuesday evening. Palestinian sources said that the local citizens threw a bomb at an Israeli settler car. The sources added that there is a preliminary report of the injury of three settlers. The Israeli forces arrived at the scene and began an investigation in the area. Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli soldiers forced Palestinians to evacuate the buildings and stand in the streets. Israeli settlers were also seen gathering in one area. In recent days Israeli settlers in Hebron have attacked Palestinian sites, including a mosque in the old city. The settlers set fire to the mosque and prevented fire services from reaching the area. more.. Al Aqsa Brigades clash with Israeli forces near Sufa Crossing Ma’an News Agency 8/8/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The joint command of the Al Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of President Abbas’ Fatah movement, have on Wednesday reported clashing with Israeli troops near the Sufa crossing point between the Gaza Strip and the northern Negev desert. A statement released by the brigades declared that their memers had injured some Israeli soldiers before escaping. The brigades stated that this clash "comes as a response to the crimes committed by the Israelis". They concluded by insisting that they "will continue to resist the Israeli forces". Later in the evening, the Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, claimed responsibility for shooting an Israeli soldier at the same position. [end] Al Aqsa Brigades launch three homemade projectiles at Israeli military position Ma’an News Agency 8/8/2007 Gaza - Ma’an - The Al Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah movement, have claimed responsibility for firing three homemade projectiles at the Israeli military position of Natif Ha’tsara, north of Beit Hanoun. [end] Palestinian child kidnapped in Hebron Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/8/2007 The Israeli army kidnapped one Palestinian civilian from the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Wednesday. Local sources stated that soldiers kidnapped Mohamed Al Tablishi, 17, as he walked in the old city of Hebron. Israeli army sources said troops kidnapped the child because he tried to stab them using a knife, a story not corroborated by eyewitnesses. [end] Hebron prepares for another clash as IDF looks to remove Jewish squatters from more stores Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 8/8/2007 Hebron is gearing up for a new battle between the settlers and the Israel Defense Forces after the Civil Administration issued evacuation orders for four stores where settlers squatted two years ago. But the evacuation will not take place immediately because the settlers have appealed to the Judea and Samaria Appeals Committee, and their case will be heard in two weeks. The stores are located in the "triangle market" not far from the wholesale market from where two Jewish families were evacuated Tuesday. All the stores are on Jewish-owned land that was inhabited by Jews until 1929, when Arabs massacred many members of the local community and the survivors fled. Between 1948 and 1967, when Jordan controlled Hebron, the stores were managed by the kingdom’s custodian of enemy property. more.. UN to help get farmers back on their feet following war with Israel Agence France Presse, Daily Star 8/9/2007 ROME: The United Nations food agency on Wednesday announced plans to help Lebanese farmers get back to work after months of interruption caused by last year’s war with Israel and unexploded ordnance in their fields. An initial assessment by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) after the war estimated damage and losses to the agricultural sector at $280 million. The munitions dropped by Israel included more than a million cluster bomblets, around 40 percent of which failed to detonate on impact, according to the United Nations. The ordnance has wounded more than 200 people since the end of the war last August 14, according to the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Center (MACC), and around 30 people have been killed. About half of southern Lebanon’s working population "relies wholly on agriculture... more.. Army invades Jenin and Jenin refugee camp Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/8/2007 The Israeli army invaded the northern West Bank city of Jenin and Jenin refugee camp on Wednesday morning. [end] Hebron store owner: Eviction was a facade Ali Waked, YNetNews 8/8/2007 Owner of one of stores in city’s wholesale market invaded by Jewish families tells Ynet evacuation will not change a thing: ’Everything that took place there was mainly meant for the cameras, but there were no clashes. The army and the settlers have the same goal’ - "The so-called clashes between the IDF and the settlers are one big façade," Ziad Sarsur, the owner of one of the two stores taken over by Jewish families in Hebron’s wholesale market, told Ynet on Wednesday. The evacuation of the two families and hundreds of right-wing activists was completed by large police and Border Guard forces on Tuesday morning. "Yesterday the merchants and I saw the commotion on television and laughed. What a poor and unsuccessful façade," Sarsur said. more.. Organization to award Hebron refuseniks with citations Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/8/2007 SOS Israel praises soldiers who refused orders to evict Jewish families from Hebron: ’These soldiers are worthy of being written up in gold in the history of the people of Israel’ - The refusal of religious soldiers to participate in the forcible evacuation of two Jewish families from the Hebron market place on Tuesday has led to heated public debate on the issue of refusing orders, but while most condemn the move, there are also those who commend it. "The people of Israel strengthen and support the soldiers who obeyed the laws of the Torah and refused to carry out the criminal order to expel Jews from the City of the Patriarchs - Hebron," proclaimed a leaflet to be distributed by the SOS Israel organization this weekend. These soldiers are worthy of being written up in gold in the history of the people of Israel as heroes of Israel. more.. Kibbutzniks, rabbis slam refuseniks Yossi Yehoshua, YNetNews 8/8/2007 Rabbis belonging to association which founded haredi Nahal Battalion threaten to prevent enlistment of national religious troops if right-wing leaders try to convince them to refuse orders. Kibbutz Movement calls on youth to join field units whose soldiers refused orders - The refusal of religious soldiers to take part in the evacuation of two Jewish families from the Hebron wholesale market on Tuesday has led to a rare agreement between the founders of the haredi Nahal Battalion and heads of the Kibbutz Movement. Rabbis from the Netzach Yehuda association, which founded the haredi Nahal Battalion, harshly criticized the attempts of right-wing leaders to convince the battalion’s troops to refuse the order to take part in the Hebron evacuation. more.. LEBANON: Women in the Frontline for Clearing Cluster Bombs Rebecca Murray, Inter Press Service 8/2/2007 TYRE, Lebanon, Aug 8(IPS) - "Mine action is a male dominated sector, but it doesn't have to be," declares Christina Bennike, the dynamic head of Danish charity Dan Church Aid (DCA) in south Lebanon. "I really felt it would be important to address this from the beginning, then it would be natural instead of something different or unique." DCA, together with the government-backed Swedish Rescue Services Agency, has taken the innovative step of hiring both men and women as searchers to do the challenging work of Battle Area Clearance (BAC) -- methodically clearing the land of deadly cluster bombs, a metre at a time. "We've had the first integrated teams in Lebanon and it's working out well," Bennike told IPS on phone. "They understand they are here to do a job, and return the land to the people. more.. Unexploded Israeli rocket detonates killing two children in Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/7/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinian child, Hala Wael Abdalah, aged 7, and her brother, Islam, aged 9, were killed in an explosion on Tuesday morning in a housing estate, in the An Nada area of the northern Gaza Strip. Eight others were injured in the incident. The cause of the explosion has not been verified. Palestinian medical sources from Kamal Adwan Hospital said that Hala arrived dead, with her body severely burnt and in pieces. Her brother, Islam, died shortly after arriving at hospital. Ma’an contacted local residents in the area to decipher the cause of the incident. Many said they believe it was a Palestinian homemade projectile, launched by one of the factions and targeting Israel, which landed in the area and killed the two children. None of the factions have as yet announced responsibility for launching the projectile. more.. Gangs of Israeli settlers in Hebron set ablaze a mosque and attack fire fighters Ma’an News Agency 8/7/2007 Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian mosque in the old city of Hebron on Tuesday morning and prevented the fire services from reaching the blaze. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that one fire fighter said "we heard the settlers taunting the Palestinians through the telephone when the people in the mosque made distress calls to us. The Palestinians also called for the Israeli soldiers to help to stop the attack on the mosque." Sources from the fire services department in the old city told Ma’an that they received a telephone call from Israeli officials requesting that they go and extinguish the fire in the mosque. A source from the fire services said "when we reached the area we were met by dozens of Israeli settlers who attacked us with stones and rocks." more.. 30 injured, four arrested as police evacuate families, supporters from Hebron market Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 8/7/2007 Some 30 people were injured yesterday morning when security forces clashed with settlers whom they were evacuating from the wholesale market area in Hebron. According to police, 11 policeman were wounded in the skirmishes that erupted at the market, where Jewish settlers and right-wing activists were illegally occupying several buildings. Three policemen were taken to the hospital. Local Jewish community leaders said that 26 activists were treated for injuries. Police took four protesters into custody. The evacuation began shortly after 6 AM, after hundreds of right-wing activists had barricaded themselves inside three apartments in the market and had encircled the market with barbed wire, oil drums, and burning tires. Protesters also locked and welded shut the doors to the apartments. more.. Islamic Jihad combatants shell Israeli targets and snipers shoot four soldiers Ma’an News Agency 8/7/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al Quds Brigades, announced responsibility for launching several projectiles at Israeli army posts and towns on Tuesday. The brigades issued a statement saying that a group of snipers shot four Israeli soldiers, two of whom were at Kisufim Crossing, one at the military base in Kisufim and another at Al Farahin military base, all on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip. The group also announced that they shelled the Israeli military post near Kisufim with two mortars. The brigades confirmed in a statement that the operations were "part of the retaliation for Israeli aggression and attacks on Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian lands." [end] Israeli army kidnaps 6 Palestinians from Talouza, 2 from Balata refugee camp near Nablus Ameen Abu Warda, International Middle East Media Center 8/7/2007 The Israeli army escalated military operations around the Nablus area over the past day, implementing a widespread abduction operation in the area to search for so-called "wanted Palestinians." In the early hours of Tuesday morning, an Israeli force invaded Talouza town and the Balata refugee camp, located in northern West Bank city of Nablus, launcing an abduction campaign in both areas. Palestinian sources reported that a huge number of military vehicles invaded Talouza town, ransacking homes and kidnapping 6 Palestinians. Israel military sources claimed that the abducted persons were members of Hamas. The abducted Palestinians were later identified as Jebriel Darawsheh, Ja’far Darawsheh, Mohamad Al Fares, Ammar Darawsheh, Ali Awaysah and Fadi Salahat. more.. Unknown gunmen open fire on Hamas member Ameen Abu Warda, International Middle East Media Center 8/7/2007 The Hamas member, Awny Al Obwah, 31, was shot by unknown gunmen on Monday night between 9:30- 10:00, and sustained critical wounds to his stomach. Awny was walking with his wife while a number of gunmen drove past in a car and opened fire on him. Awny was transferred to the local hospital in Nablus for medical treatment. Medical sources have indicated that Awny currently lies in intensive care in a critical condition, after one of his kidneys was removed in the aftermath of the attack. Hamas condemned the attack on one of its members. [end] Ecologists, government officials grapple with how to clean Lebanon’s shore following last summer’s war Agence France Presse, Daily Star 8/8/2007 AMCHIT, Lebanon: Thick, black oil still clings to the rocks at the bottom of the seabed, an ugly legacy of Israel’s war against Lebanon last summer. All along the stony beach of Amchit, some 40 kilometers north of Beirut, every nook and cranny is stained black and effluent washes ashore from a nearby industrial plant, caught up in the sticky flow. It seems a world away from the glitzy tourist resort, traditional fishing port and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Byblos just five kilometers down the coast. Here the sand and pebble beaches have been cleaned up in an effort to bring things back to normal, sparking accusations of unfair prioritizing by environmentalists. "Thirty kilometers of coast north of Byblos have not been cleaned. Historic and tourist sites have been privileged, but nowhere else," says Fifi Kallab from the environmental group Byblos Ecologia. more.. Israeli warplanes buzz South, Chouf, Bekaa Daily Star 8/8/2007 Four Israeli warplanes flew at a medium and low altitude on Tuesday over Jezzine in south Lebanon and Iqlim Toufah in the Chouf area. The warplanes also flew over West Bekaa and launched mock air raids in Libaya, Machgara, Sohmor, Yohmor and Karaoun. The Israeli airplanes continue to breach Lebanese skies almost daily violating United Nations Security Council resolution 1701which ended last summer’s war. [end] Thirty hurt as police evict Jewish settlers from centre of Hebron Rory McCarthy in Gaza City, The Guardian 8/8/2007 Israeli police and soldiers forcibly removed two dozen illegal settlers and hundreds of their supporters yesterday from the centre of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank. The settlers threw stones, water, oil and cement powder as they tried to resist being carried out one by one. Thirty people were hurt, with one settler and six policemen needing hospital treatment after the three-hour confrontation. More than 400,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, but the few hundred who live in Hebron have proved the most hardline. The two settler families evicted yesterday had moved into a two-storey building in the city centre’s long-closed market area last autumn but ignored a supreme court order to leave. Hundreds of supporters joined them in recent days, ahead of yesterday’s operation. more.. Palestinian brigades shell Israeli targets Ma’an News Agency 8/7/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The An Nasser Salah Ad Din Brigades, affiliated to the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli town of Sderot on Tuesday morning. In a statement, the brigades said that the operation "came as part of the natural reaction to the Israeli crimes and aggression." The An Nasser Salah Ad Din Brigades also claimed joint responsibility with the Al Aqsa Brigades of Fatah for the shelling of the Israeli military post Karni Crossing on the border of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday at dawn. The brigades claimed they fired three 80mm mortar shells. [end] Armed assailants attack banks after money is deducted from salaries Ma’an News Agency 8/7/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – Palestinian banks in Nablus closed their doors on Tuesday in protest against an armed attack on the Arab Bank and Palestine Bank in the city. An armed masked assailant told Ma’an’s reporter "the reason for the attack is the banks’ administration deducting huge sums from the salaries of the employees; they didn’t even consider the employees’ situation." Several armed men opened fire at the Arab Bank branch in the city centre and forced the administration to close the bank. Other armed assailants attacked Palestine Bank, shooting at it and attempting to storm it, before the administration closed the doors. Following the attacks on the two banks, the rest of the banks in the city closed in protest. Dozens of Palestinian security services personnel were deployed in the streets following the incidents. more.. Palestine Today 080707 IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/7/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 7. 08 MB || Time 7m 44s || - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Tuesday August 7th, 2007. Two families and several hundred right-wing Israeli settlers have been removed from two illegally-occupied buildings in the city centre of the West Bank city of Hebron. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, two children were killed and 5 others injured when a device exploded in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya. The West Bank - The Israeli police on Tuesday morning removed two families and several hundred teenagers who had illegally occupied two buildings in the old market area of the southern West Bank city of Hebron. The removal of the settlers began at approximately 6:30 am when a large force... more.. Police may press charges against Bar Ilan professor Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/7/2007 Prof Hillel Weiss was heard cursing Hebron brigade commander, wishing him dead, following evacuation of Jewish settlers from two residences in city’s marketplace - The Judea and Samaria district police announced Tuesday it was considering investigating and possibly filing criminal charges against Hillel Weiss, a professor at Bar Ilan University Faculty of Jewish Studies and Orot Israel College. Weiss, who was protesing when IDF forces evicted settlers from two residences in the West Bank city of Hebron Tuesday morning, was heard cursing IDF Hebron brigade commander Colonel Yehuda Fox. "May your mother be bereaved, your wife be widowed, your children be orphaned and may you be struck down in the next war and any memory of you be erased," Weiss said. more.. Chaos in Hebron as settler mobs attack Palestinians and set buildings ablaze Ma’an News Agency 8/6/2007 Hebron – Ma’an – A gang of Israeli settlers set two Palestinian homes ablaze in the old city of Hebron on Sunday evening and a settler car ran over a 22-year-old Palestinian citizen, Noman Fawwaz Nazir, on Al Shohada Street, in the city centre. Dozens of Israeli settlers gathered in the old market place in the centre of Hebron after the Israeli police distributed orders to evacuate two shops occupied by Israelis over six years ago. Palestinian security sources informed Ma’an’s correspondent that a group of Israeli settlers stormed a mosque in the old market place and set fire to the building. They then set ablaze the home of local citizen Andurrahman Sammouh and another Palestinian house. The settlers prevented the fire service from reaching the burning buildings. more.. 3,000 security forces ready to oust two Hebron families Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 8/6/2007 The most amazing aspect of the operation planned for tomorrow to evacuate two Jewish families that forced their way into the Hebron wholesalers’ market is the enormous number of forces allocated for it: about 700 police officers, 10 companies of Border Police officers and no less than four Israel Defense Forces battalions. Roughly 3,000 security forces will be mustered under the command of the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division. At first glance, this will be the largest confrontation between settlers and the government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert since the demolition of the nine houses of the Amona outpost about 18 months ago. In reality, however, it is doubtful that any evacuation will take place tomorrow, and it is not at all clear that an evacuation will involve a violent confrontation. more.. Abu Ali Mustafa and Salah Eddin brigades injure Israeli settlers near Nablus Ameen Abu Warda, International Middle East Media Center 8/6/2007 The Abu Ali Mustafa brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Salah Eddin brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, injured a number of Israeli settlers near the Alon Mureh settlement, located near the northern West Bank city of NablusPalestinian sources reported that a huge Israeli force rushed to area and launched a wide-scale military operation to search for those responsible. The same sources stated that resistance fighters sustained no injuries in the attack. In a statement released to the press, the Abu Ali Mustafa and Salah Eddin brigades noted that “The Abu Ali Mustafa and Salah Eddin brigades ambushed a settler car on the way to the Alon Moreh settlement at 10:30 on Sunday night. ” [end] On resident injured, five kidnapped in Nablus IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 8/6/2007 The Israeli army concluded its invasion to Al Ein refugee camp, in Nablus, after invading it on Monday at dawn. One resident was abducted at several others were injured. Palestinian medical sources reported that the abducted resident was identified as Usama Hasan Daoud, 17. Daoud was shot by three rounds of live ammunion fired by the army during the invasion. Five residents were kidnapped by the invading forces and were moved to unkown destinations. Israeli army carries out military operation in El Ein refugee camp The Israeli army carried out a large military operation in the El Ein refugee camp, located near northern West Bank city of Nablus, on Sunday night. Local residents said that huge force invaded the camp on Sunday midnight, closed the area, and ransacked homes inside the camp. more.. Palestinian youth died of wounds sustained three days ago IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 8/6/2007 Palestinian medical sources in Ramallah, in the northern part of the West Bank, reported on Monday that one youth died of wounds sustained three days ago when Israeli soldiers stationed at a roadblock near the city fired several rounds of live ammunition at him. The youth was identified as Mohammad Al Maloukh; he was shot in his chest, head and back, the sources stated. Eyewitnesses reported that Al Maloukh was practically assassinated by the soldiers after stopping him at the roadblock, and that he was shot from a close range. The army claimed that Al Maloukh attempted to escape after he was stopped at the checkpoint. In other news, soldiers kidnapped four residents from Al Jalazoun refugee camp, and Abu Falah village, near Ramallah. more.. Palestinian boy dies after being shot by checkpoint soldiers Ma’an News Agency 8/6/2007 Ramallah – Ma’an – The 17-year-old Mohammad Oreib Ahmad from Qarawat Bani Zayd who was admitted into a hospital in Ramallah four days ago after being shot by Israeli soldiers at Atara checkpoint to the north of Ramallah, on Monday succumbed to his wounds. Medical staff performed surgery on the boy several times, but to no avail. [end] Islamic Jihad and Fatah combatants attack Israeli targets, soldier injured Ma’an News Agency 8/6/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, claim that they launched three mortars into Israel, east of Juhor ad Dik in the Gaza Strip, on Sunday evening. In a statement issued by the brigades they said "the shelling was retaliation for the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people." The Al Quds Brigades also announced responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles at Sderot, which is located close to the north of the Gaza Strip, on Monday morning. In related news, the Sami Al Ghoul Brigades, a small militia affiliated to Fatah, said that they clashed with Israeli Special Forces on Monday to the east of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza. In their statement, they said that the "group clashed with Israeli forces which were attempting to infiltrate the area. more.. IDF officer lightly wounded by Palestinian fire in Nablus Ha’aretz 8/6/2007 An Israel Defense Forces officer was lightly wounded by Palestinian fire early Monday morning, during an arrest raid in the West Bank city of Nablus. He received initial medical treatment at the scene and was then transferred to a hospital in Israel. Three wanted Palestinians were taken into custody during the operation. Five others were arrested overnight Monday in separate West Bank raids. An explosive device targeted IDF troops in Jenin. None of the soldiers were wounded. Also Monday, the Israel Air Force targeted a Palestinian rocket crew in northern Gaza that according to the IDF had just fired two rockets in the direction of Israel and was preparing to fire a third. According to Israel Radio, a Qassam rocket hit the western Negev town of Sderot on Monday, causing no damage or injuries. [end] IDF troops unwilling to evacuate Hebron market sentenced to jail Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 8/7/2007 The Israel Defense Forces on Monday sentenced twelve soldiers to varying terms in military prison for refusing to take part in the removal of two Jewish families from a wholesale market in Hebron. IDF GOC Central Command, Major General Gadi Shamni, ordered disciplinary measures against two commanders and ten of their subordinates, and said they would be removed from combat. After the twelve stood trial, the commanders were sentenced to 28 days in military prison, and their 10 underlings were given 14-day terms. The soldiers refused to take part in guard duty along the Hebron-Jerusalem highway in the West Bank. The young men felt that the mission would negate their ideology as it would indirectly assist the evacuation of the families from Hebron by filling in for Border Police troops who would be diverted to carrying out the evacuation. more.. Reaction mixed to soldier’s evacuation refusal Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 8/6/2007 The refusal of soldiers to participate in today’s evacuation of Jewish settlers from Hebron’s market drew mixed reactions yesterday, with MKs on the right expressing their support. MKs Aryeh Eldad and Zvi Hendel (National Union - National Religious Party) congratulated the soldiers for "refusing to be the executioners of a blatantly immoral decision." The two Knesset members also said that the decision was "politically motivated, and its aim is to evict Jews from Jewish property in Hebron." "This is clearly an illegal order," Hendel said. "There is a limit to the extent to which the Jews can be abused, only because the extreme left has taken over the Supreme Court. The Israel Defense Forces needs to prepare for war and not deal with political policing actions. more.. No longer marginal Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 8/6/2007 The ideological refusal to carry out military orders to evacuate settlers is no longer a marginal phenomenon within the Israel Defense Forces. Such refusal was not something to be dismissed two years ago either, when non-combat soldiers were placed on the front lines of the disengagement forces, while Golani and Paratroopers units were transferred to other assignments. But refusing orders has now become more mainstream, and is being granted increasingly greater legitimacy. More rabbis are directing their students to refuse evacuation orders, more right-wing public figures are supporting refusal, and more religious soldiers feel that they have the public and familial backing to refuse orders. And yesterday they were joined, though not for the first time, by some secular soldiers as well. more.. Israeli forces search Bethlehem streets for three missing soldiers Ma’an News Agency 8/6/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Citizens of Bethlehem in the occupied Palestinian West Bank were surprised by intensive Israeli forces deployed in many areas of the city on Monday morning. Israeli forces were seen patrolling the streets in Israeli military vehicles following unconfirmed reports they were searching for three Israeli Special Forces members within the city. Israeli forces were also seen patrolling the streets in neighbouring towns and villages. Sources from the Palestinian security services told Ma’an that Israeli forces frequently enter the cities of the governorate and patrol the streets. Israeli sources told Ma’an that three Israeli soldiers had entered the city and that contact with them had been lost. Reports of three missing Israeli soldiers were later revealed to be false. more.. Explosive device hidden in dead sheep Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/6/2007 Cleared for publication: IDF arrests Palestinian who planned to carry out terror attack in West Bank settlement - An IDF force operating in the West Bank on Monday morning uncovered an explosive device weighing 40 kilograms (88 pounds), which was hidden inside the corpse of a sheep. The soldiers were led to the device by a Palestinian terrorist who was arrested and questioned by the defense establishment. According to intelligence information, military sources believe that the device, which was found on a road near the settlement of Elon Moreh, was slated to be used in a terror attack in one of the settlements in the area - Elon Moreh, Kedumim, Itamar or Bracha. On Sunday night, an IDF officer was lightly injured in an operation in the Nablus area after Palestinian gunmen opened fire at the force. more.. Qassam lands in Sderot kindergarten Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 8/6/2007 Rocket lands in schoolyard, damaging nearby buildings, including other adjacent schools. Kindergarten empty due to summer vacation; no casualties - A rocket launched from northern Gaza landed in a kindergarten schoolyard in Sderot, moments after the completion of a Monday afternoon meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, took credit for the attack, which caused damaged to nearby buildings, including two other kindergartens and a public elementary school. Since the structures were empty, due to summer vacation, there were no ensuing casualties. "We heard the Color Red warning system and, luckily, managed to get into our protected room in time. more.. Israeli settlers attack Palestinian homes in Hebron John Smith, International Middle East Media Center 8/6/2007 A group of Israeli settlers attacked a number of Palestinian homes in Hebron, setting two houses ablaze and running over a Palestinian man in the city centre on Sunday night, Palestinian media sources have indicated. After gathering in the centre of Hebron, the settlers reportedly attacked and set fire to a mosque in the city centre, after which the homes of two Palestinians were set ablaze. Security sources have indicated that the settlers prevented the fire service from stopping the blaze. Later the same day, a 22 year old Palestinian man, later identified as Noman Fawwaz Nazir, was struck by a settler-owned car. The man was admitted to a local hospital for medical treatment. [end] Palestine Today 080607 IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/6/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 3. 96 MB || Time 4m 20s || - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Monday August 6th, 2007. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the West Bank city of Jericho. In the Gaza Strip, meanwhile, a child has died while waiting to return to the coastal region at the Rafah crossing. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The West Bank - Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert on Monday met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Jericho to discuss broad visions of the future outline of a Palestinian state. The visit marked the first time that any Israeli Premier has visited a Palestinian city in more than 6 years. more.. Scores of settlers takeover farm lands of Palestinian villagers near Bethlehem By: Najeep Faraj, International Middle East Media Center 8/6/2007 Scores of Israeli right wing settlers takeover lands that belongs to Palestinian farmers from the village of Ertass south of Bethlehem city in the southern part of the West Bank, on Sunday evening. Witnesses told IMEMC. org that armed setters arrived to the lands with tents and building supplies and started to build a settlement on the Palestinians farmers’s lands, the farmers who own the lands and villagers of Ertass rushed to the area, a scuffle took place between the two groups, no injuries reported. Shortly after massive Israeli troops arrived to the area and forced the villagers to leave after announcing the location as a closed military zone.... Khaled Al Azza the head of the Lands defense committee in Bethlehem city accused the Israeli army of working with the setters and helping them to takeover the... more.. Israeli forces botch assassination attempt of a DFLP fighter and injure several civilians Ma’an News Agency 8/5/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The National Resistance Brigades of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) announced that one of its operatives escaped an Israeli assassination attempt on Saturday evening. The brigades said that an Israeli fighter jet launched a rocket at a car in which a group of combatants was traveling on Salah Addin Street in Gaza City. In a statement issued by the brigades, they said that the group was targeted whilst on a military mission, adding that many Palestinians were injured in the Israeli air raid. [end] Israeli forces erect new checkpoint in Tulkarem Ma’an News Agency 8/5/2007 Tulkarem – Ma’an – Israeli occupying forces erected a new checkpoint on Sunday morning, at Baqa al-Sharqyia Illar junction, north of the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Local residents said that security procedures at Anabta checkpoint, east of Tulkarem, had become rigorous on Sunday morning. Ma’an’s reporter quoted security sources as saying that the Israeli forces said the military procedures were put in place more than a month ago to protect the area and investigate local citizens. The procedures have led to huge tail-backs of vehicles at the checkpoints. [end] Girl ’raised from dead’ after Israeli air strike Marwan Naamani, Daily Star 8/6/2007 BAZURIYE: One year ago, Dalia Hussein was just an ordinary little girl in southern Lebanon. She worked hard at school and showed a particular talent for maths. But then Israel bombed her home and her family feared the worst - until a miraculous stroke of luck saw her "raised" from the dead. Now seven years old, she is back home for the first time in 10 months, still severely handicapped despite extensive treatment at a hospital in Italy. On August 8, 2006, Dalia and her family were hit by an Israeli air strike on the village of Ghaziyeh, north of Tyre, where they had sought refuge from Israel’s destructive campaign. "It was one o’clock. Dalia had gone with her father, her brother and her sister to buy some yoghurt for lunch from a shop in the village," recalls her mother, Alia Deeb. more.. Resistance fighters attack Israeli targets in retaliation for assassinations of Palestinians Ma’an News Agency 8/5/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades of the Popular Resistance Committees said on Sunday that they launched four homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Ashkelon. The brigades issued a statement declaring that the operation was "part of the retaliation for Israeli aggression, crimes and assassinations of the Palestinian people." The Al Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad said that they launched a projectile at the Israeli military post near Erez Crossing between Israel and Gaza. The Al Quds Brigades issued a similar statement announcing that their attack was a just reprisal for Israeli attacks on Palestinians. The Al Mujahideen Brigades, a military group formerly affiliated to Fatah but currently independent, announced responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at Ashkelon. more.. Three Jihad men killed in IDF weekend operations Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 8/4/2007 Two Islamic Jihad gunmen were confirmed killed and 15 others injured in an Israel Air Force attack south of Khan Yunis last night. The aerial attack targeted two Palestinian vehicles, a sedan and a commercial vehicle. Islamic Jihad confirmed two of its members were killed. Some of the injured were civilians. Meanwhile, an undercover Israel Defense Forces unit shot and killed an Islamic Jihad militant in Nablus’ old market area on Friday morning. Also Friday, two civilians were taken to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon for light injuries sustained in a Qassam rocket attack on Sderot. The incident occurred when soldiers surrounded the home in which Raed Abu al-Adas was hiding. Al-Adas is considered the head of Islamic Jihad’s military organization in the Balata refugee camp, near Nablus. more.. Al Aqsa Brigades bomb two Israeli vehicles, west of the Abu Matipk military post, central Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/4/2007 Gaza - Ma’an – The Ayman Judeh unit of the Fatah-affiliated Al Aqsa Brigades, have announced that they have detonated two explosive devices during an Israeli military incursion, between Al Maghazi refugee camp and the border with Israel, in the central Gaza Strip. In a statement received by Ma’an, the Brigades announced, "It [the unit] detonated two explosive devices when [Israeli] Special Forces landed in the area, and engaged with troops in a firefight. Israeli military reinforcements attended the location, accompanied by two military vehicles. They searched the area, under the cover of heavy gunfire, supported by Apache helicopters. Israeli ambulances attended to transport the dead and wounded from the scene". [end] An Nasser Brigades clash with Israeli force in central Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 8/4/2007 Gaza - Ma’an – The An Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, have reported clashing with Israeli troops, east of Juhor ad Dik, in the central Gaza Strip, at dawn today. The brigades stated that this engagement "comes in response to the continuing arrests and raids carried out by the occupation forces in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank… To continue the way of resistance is the way to liberate Palestine". [end] Qassam Brigades launch 10 mortars at Israeli military post Ma’an News Agency 8/4/2007 Gaza - Ma’an – The Hamas-affiliated Al Qassam Brigades revealed their responsibility on Friday evening for launching 10 mortars at an Israeli military post, north of Beit Lahia in the very north of the Gaza Strip. A statement issued by the Brigades stated that the operation was "part of the retaliation against the Israeli aggression against Palestinian people. " [end] Islamic Jihad combatants fire projectiles at Erez Crossing Ma’an News Agency 8/4/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, the Al Quds Brigades, on Saturday claimed responsibility for launching two mortar shells at the Israeli-controlled Erez Crossing in the northern Gaza Strip. The brigades said in a statement that the operation came in retaliation for the Israeli escalation against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. [end] PFLP fighters launch projectiles at Sderot Ma’an News Agency 8/4/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, on Saturday announced that they launched two homemade projectiles at the Israeli Western Negev town of Sderot." The operation is a natural retaliation to Israeli criminal acts against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip," said the brigades in a statement. The brigades called on all Palestinian resistance factions to attack Israel as "the Israeli enemy only understands the language of force." [end] One Palestinian killed and fifteen injured in Israeli air raid on southern Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/4/2007 Rafah – Ma’an – Palestinian citizen, Hisham Al-Jamal, was assassinated and fifteen others were injured after Israeli drones targeted a car in the Jneina neighbourhood, east of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday night. Director of Abu Yousif An Najjar Hospital, Ali Mousa, stated that the hospital received the corpse of Al-Jamal and the fifteen wounded Palestinians, three of whom are in a critical condition. The car was hit near the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza. Mousa said that medical staff are exerting all efforts to save the injured citizens, whose wounds cover their bodies. Eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli drones launched at least two rockets at a car, in which a number of Palestinian activists from Islamic Jihad’s Al Quds Brigades were traveling. more.. Israel launches Gaza air raid Al Jazeera 8/4/2007 At least two people have been killed and 15 others injured in an Israeli air raid on two vehicles in the Gaza Strip, ambulance crews and local residents said. Witnesses in Rafah, near Gaza’s border with Egypt, said missiles fired from an Israeli aircraft on Saturday hit a car and a truck. Two Islamic Jihad members travelling in the car reportedly escaped unharmed. An Israeli army spokeswoman in Tel Aviv said the attack had prevented "an imminent terrorist strike on Israel" and claimed that the truck had been carrying weapons. Witnesses said explosions came from the vehicle after it was attacked, but there was no immediate independent confirmation that it had been carrying explosives. Some residents said the truck appeared to have been disguised as an Israeli tank transporter. more.. IOF troops kill Quds Brigades commander, resistance fighters clash with them Palestinian Information Center 8/3/2007 NABLUS, (PIC)-- An IOF special unit, Friday at dawn, assassinated Raed Abu al-Adas, 27 years, the commander of the Quds Brigades in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Eyewitnesses told PIC correspondent that the special unit raided the Ras al-Ain neighbourhood in Nablus using a civilian car and opened fire at Abu al-Adas killing him on the spot. The IOF troops detained the corpse of the martyr and prevented Palestinian ambulances from taking it. A 40-year old man who is a resident of the neighbourhood was also wounded and a young man was arrested by the invading troops. About 30 military vehicles went into the city as a reinforcement. The invading troops had a huge military bulldozer which was used to close roads and a number of houses were searched and ransacked. more.. Israeli military forces invade Gaza airport, south-east of Rafah crossing, several Palestinians arrested Ma’an News Agency 8/3/2007 Rafah – Ma’an – Israeli military forces on Friday at dawn re-invaded the now-defunct Gaza International Airport, to the south-east of the Rafah Crossing. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli troops arrived with over 30 military vehicles, which were deployed into the area under the cover of fighter jets and helicopters. Local sources have said that "many" Palestinian citizens have been arrested. The National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said that they succeeded in targeting an Israeli soldier at the airport. According to the brigades, the attack "comes in the framework of the responses to the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank." [end] Settlers attack UN personnel near southern Hebron Hills Amira Hass, Ha’aretz 8/4/2007 Two residents of an illegal settlement outpost near Hebron attacked United Nations workers on Thursday. The UN personnel were driving in the South Hebron Hills area when one of the settlers jumped on the car and smashed the windshield, sending shards of glass into the driver’s eye. A Haaretz reporter and photographer were in the car at the time, along with three members of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The settlers, residents of Mitzpeh Yair, claim that the OCHA workers were trying to uproot the outpost’s olive trees. The OCHA workers had been visiting the nearby Palestinian town of Bir al Eid. As they were leaving, they spotted a man approaching. The driver braked in order not to hit him and the man drew near, as if to speak to the occupants. more.. Palestinian security forces continue arresting and "prosecuting" Hamas members, says Hamas Ma’an News Agency 8/3/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – In a statement received by Ma’an on Friday, Hamas have declared that security forces loyal to the Palestinian Authority are still arresting and "prosecuting" Hamas members in the West Bank. According to the statement, security forces have recently arrested two Hamas members from Salfit. In related news, Hamas said that the Fawar Youth Football Club in the Hebron Governorate has banned seven members of the club, because they refused to participate in a championship to be played in memory of Fatah activist Samih Madhoun, "executed" by the Hamas-affiliated Al Qassam Brigades. [end] Troops attack farmers in the plains area IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 8/3/2007 Several Palestinian farmers were attacked on Friday by Israeli troops in the Plains area, in the West Bank’s Jordan Valley, after the army stopped them as they tried to enter their farmlands. Resident Sadeq Daraghma stated that soldiers detained him and his sons before severely punching and hitting them with batons, and forced them out of the area. Daraghma and his sons were trying to reach their land to farm it. Also, resident Taiseer Sawafta said that soldiers forced him and dozens of other farmers to wait for one hour, exposed to the extreme summer heat, and attacked him along with three other farmers. Sawafta added that the soldiers told him and the rest of the farmers that they would be arrested if they try to enter the area again. more.. Israeli force invades northern Gaza; kidnaps several civilians Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center 8/3/2007 An Israeli military force invaded Beit Lahia, located in the southern Gaza strip, in the early hours of Friday morning. Eyewitnesses reported that a huge number of Israeli military vehicles, backed by several armoured bulldozers, invaded the area while shooting heavily. Troops launched a wide-scale ransacking campaign on several houses, confiscating property and searching for so-called “wanted Palestinians”. The same sources added that the military force used a loudspeaker to call on civilians to leave their homes and commune in the central square. Several civilians were later kidnapped and transferred them an unknown detention centre. In a previous invasion to Beit Lahia on Thursday, two Palestinian civilians were killed and another three injured in an Israeli military offensive. more.. Two killed in Gaza factional conflict John Smith, International Middle East Media Center 8/3/2007 Two Palestinians were killed in Gaza City as Hamas and Islamic Jihad clashed on Thursday night. Islamic Jihad claims that a number of members of the organization were ambushed by Hamas gunmen, one of whom was shot in the head, another in the legs. Shortly after the incident, Fatah official Salah al-Amoudi was shot dead by unknown masked gunmen. The Hamas movement, who have pledged to uphold law and order in the Gaza Strip, have launched an investigation into the murder of al-Amoudi. [end] Israeli military kills one in Nablus, arrests others in Nablus and Tulkarem Ma’an News Agency 8/3/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Israeli sources have revealed that army troops have arrested a Palestinian citizen in the city of Tulkarem on Friday at dawn. His name has not yet been disclosed. Also in the north of the West Bank, troops are launching a heavy artillery attack in the city of Nablus, during an ongoing military operation which started in the middle of the night. Although damage has not yet been assessed, Israeli troops killed a member of the Fatah-affiliated Al Quds Brigades, and arrested others. [end] Israeli military forces launch raid in the area of Salfit in the West Bank, arresting Palestinians Ma’an News Agency 8/3/2007 Nablus – Salfit –Ma’an – Israeli military forces Friday arrested several Palestinians from the villages of Bidya and Qarawat Bani Hassan, to the west of the West Bank city of Salfit. Eyewitnesses said that a large contingent of the Israeli army raided Bidya, entering homes and arresting citizens. Qarawat Bani Hassan was also besieged. Israeli forces searched Ahmed Khadr’s house and arrested him. The Salfit governorate suffers from a continuous campaign of arrests, and repeated raids of towns and villages within the province. [end] Islamic Jihad’s military wing launches RPG towards an Israeli force in Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/3/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, Al-Quds brigades claimed responsibility on Friday for launching a rocket- propelled grenade RPG at an Israeli undercover force which was stationed in a Palestinian home east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. In a related regard, the Al-Mujahidin brigades claimed that their militants clashed with Israeli troops in a military jeep which was combing the borderline east of Ash Shuja’iyya neighborhood in Gaza city. The Israelis have not reported any casualties. [end] An Nasser brigades launch an RPG at an Israeli military tank in Rafah Ma’an News Agency 8/3/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – An Nasser Salah Addin brigades, the armed wing affiliated to the Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility on Friday evening for launching a rocket-propelled grenade RPG at an Israeli military tank east of Gaza airport in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. In a statement received by Ma’an, the brigades said, "The tank was directly hit, and was seen ablaze." [end] 3 Qassams fired toward Negev Ynet, YNetNews 8/3/2007 2 rockets land in Sderot; number of residents suffer from shock. Third Qassam damages dairy barn in nearby community - Palestinians in north Gaza fired three Qassams toward the western Negev Thursday morning. Two rockets landed in Sderot, with one of them causing damage to homes and vehicles. A second rocket landed in an open field on another city street, while the third landed in a nearby kibbutz and damaged a dairy barn. The al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad’s armed wing, claimed responsibility for the attack on Sderot Friday morning. A spokesman on behalf of the organization told Ynet that the rockets were "a response to the assassination of a senior in the organization in Nablus tonight". Several residents who suffered from shock as a result of the attack were treated by Magen David Adom paramedics. more.. IOF troops occupy the Rafah airport and raid the Nahda neighbourhood Palestinian Information Center 8/3/2007 RAFAH, (PIC)-- IOF troops on Thursday night, completely occupied Gaza’s international airport, to the east of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, and raided the Nahda neighbourhood of the city. Eyewitnesses told PIC correspondent that a large number of military vehicles raided the neighbourhood and took complete control of the airport turning it into a military camp. Residents also reported that the invading troops occupied a number of homes and turned them into military posts after detaining their occupants or using them as human shields. Sporadic sound of gunfire has been reported in the area. On Friday morning the IOF troops started an arrest campaign amongst the Palestinians living around the airport. The IOF troops have recently occupied the airport on various occasions and used it as a base to launch incursions into Rafah and to bulldoze tracts of land around it. [end] UN officials attacked by Israeli settlers, south of the West Bank city of Hebron Ma’an News Agency 8/3/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli settlers from Mitzpe Yair on Thursday attacked two officials of the United Nation’s Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), south of Hebron. The officials were accompanying a Haaretz reporter when the attack took place; one of the UN officials was injured. Israeli military sources said that they are investigating the attack. Haaretz reports that Mitzpe Yair is an "illegal outpost", meaning that the establishment is outside of the boundaries of the official Israeli settlement bloc. Seen by many in the settler movement as expanding the frontiers of Israeli settlement, these makeshift domestic bases are illegal under Israeli law, quite apart from the "official" Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the establishment of which are contrary to international law. more.. Israelis pelt Beit Hanoun with eggs and vegetables John Smith, International Middle East Media Center 8/3/2007 A group of Israelis from the Tel Aviv region have constructed a number of homemade projectile launchers which they have used to fire fruit, vegetables and eggs at the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, a site that witnessed the massacre of 19 Palestinian civilians after heavy artillery was fired at the town last November. The group, who claim that their actions are designed to raise awareness of attacks on Sderot, uses a homemade projectile to variety a variety of substances at Beit Hanoun, including eggs, tomatoes and other vegetables. “The shooting was amazing, some of the vegetables flew over to the Strip, we actually spotted the eggs flying into Beit Hanoun. […] I’m glad we did this […] we are considering keeping this up. ” The northern Gaza Town of Beit Hanoun last November witnessed the deaths of... more.. Qassam rockets hit western Negev John Smith, International Middle East Media Center 8/3/2007 Three Qassam rockets were launched at the Western Negev on Thursday morning. No serious injuries were reported. Qassam rocket shell. Two of the rockets landed in Sderot, causing limited damage to a number of homes and vehicles, while the third rocket damaged a barn in a nearby kibbutz. [end] Police ban Shfaram protest over failure to try Natan-Zada’s killers Jack Khoury, Ha’aretz 8/3/2007 Police rejected Friday a request by far-right activists to hold a protest this weekend in the Israeli Arab town of Shfaram against the state’s failure thus far to indict those responsible for killing Jewish terrorist Eden Natan-Zada roughly two years ago. Natan-Zada was beaten to death by an angry mob after he killed four Arab civilians on a bus in the town in the weeks leading up to Israel’s disengagement from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank. After he was subdued and subsequently handcuffed by police, an angry mob stormed the bus and beat him to death. The far-right activists objected to the decision, saying their request is legally legitimate. Police will conduct situation periodic situation assessments in the coming days to determine whether to allow the protest to go ahead and under what conditions. more.. IDF to conduct inquiry into infiltration by Palestinians across Gaza border with Israel Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 8/4/2007 The Israel Defense Forces Gaza Division will conduct an inquiry in the coming days in order to determine how two Palestinians managed to infiltrate Israel from the Gaza Strip on Friday. The IDF was late in realizing that the Palestinians had successfully crossed the fence near Kibbutz Meflasim along the northern Gaza Strip after a delay, and was therefore unable to capture the two. They boarded a commercial vehicle that awaited them on the Israeli side of the fence, traveling northward before being eventually captured by police in the Israeli Arab town of Tira. The Palestinians infiltrated Israel in order to seek employment, not carry out a terrorist attack. Police continued to search the Tel Aviv area in an effort to find the person who drove the two, bringing one man in for questioning in Bat Yam. more.. This Week In Palestine – Week 31 2007 Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/3/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 17. 9MB || Time 19m35s| | - This Week In Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www. IMEMC. org, for July 27 through August 3, 2007. US Secretary Rice meets Palestinian officials to support Fayyad’s government, while Israeli military invasions continue in the West Bank. Meanwhile clashes between Hamas and Islamic Jihad erupted in the Gaza strip, but contained swiftly. These stories and more coming up, stay tuned. Nonviolent Resistance in Palestine - Let’s begin our weekly report with nonviolent action in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem against the wall and settlements. IMEMC’s George Rishmawi has the details: Bethlehem - The residents of Artas and Al Walajah villages located near the West Bank city... more.. Israeli troops invade Jenin and surrounding areas; searching for "wanted" Palestinians Ma’an News Agency 8/2/2007 Jenin – Ma’an - Occupying Israeli troops invaded Jenin city and Wade Al Far’a, south of the city, today at dawn, breaking into many houses. Palestinian security sources reported that Israeli forces invaded Jenin and broke into many houses, shooting at homes and searching many houses, claiming that they were searching for "wanted" members of Palestinian resistance brigades. In Wadi Al Far’a, eyewitnesses said that Israeli forces invaded the area and established a flying checkpoint, stopping many cars, but made no arrests. In Yamoun town, west of Jenin, Israeli forces arrested two citizens; Majde Hamdeia, 25, and Mohammad Sa’aeed Abu Sefein, 27, taking them to an unknown location. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli forces besieged the home of Bajes Hamdeia, allegedly an operative in the Islamic Jihad-affiliated... more.. Three Palestinians die in clashes between Hamas Executive Forces and members of Islamic Jihad Ma’an News Agency 8/2/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – Three Palestinians have died on Thursday, during clashes between what appears to be members of the Hamas Executive Forces and the Islamic Jihad movement in the Gaza Strip. Seven people were wounded. Among the dead are Nidal Ad Daya, 20, from the Islamic Jihad movement, and Salah Amoudi, 37, from the Fatah movement. The identity of the third casualty remains unknown as of yet. The Ministry of Internal Affairs from the deposed government said that it is conducting an investigation into the killings, especially the death of Amoudi. He was gunned down by unknown gunmen after he left a local mosque at dawn, in the Sabra district. The An Nasser Salah Ad Din Brigades, affiliated to the Popular Resistance Committees, succeeded in mediating between Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. more.. Israeli troops withdraw from Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, after 24 hours, leaving two dead and many wounded Ma’an News Agency 8/2/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli military forces have withdrawn on Thursday from the Beit Lahia area, in the northernmost part of the Gaza Strip, after almost a full day of incursions. During the 24-hour siege, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, one a member of the National Resistance Brigades and the second from the Islamic Jihad-affiliated Al Qassam Brigades. 8 others, including a child, were injured. Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli forces bulldozed large areas of agricultural lands and farms, especially in the Ash Shaymaa area, before they withdrew. Many houses in Beit Lahia were also ransacked. The soldiers arrested many Palestinians in the process, taking them to unknown destinations. [end] Israeli military kills 17 year old Palestinian at Bir Zeit checkpoint, north of Ramallah Ma’an News Agency 8/2/2007 Ramallah – Ma’an – Sources within the Ramallah hospital said Thursday that Mohammad Orieb Ahmad, a young Palestinian man, was admitted to the hospital morgue today, after being shot dead by Israeli forces near Bir Zeit checkpoint, to the north of Ramallah. Israeli sources claimed that they had shot the youth because he was trying to attack them. According to the 17-year old’s uncle, Marwan, Ahmad was shot while he was driving his car. Israeli soldiers contradict this account, saying, "the young man was arrested by Palestinian policemen, but he jumped from the police car and ran to the barrier." The soldiers then shot him, as they thought he was going to attack. An Israeli army spokesman did not clarify why the soldiers did not aim for the legs, but chose to shoot him dead. more.. Israeli troops shoot Palestinian policeman at checkpoint outside Nablus Ma’an News Agency 8/2/2007 Nablus - Ma’an – Occupying Israeli troops have shot at a Palestinian police patrol on Thursday near an Israeli military checkpoint, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Policeman Yousef Abu Mustafa Bata, 28, was injured when he was shot by the Israeli soldiers stationed at the Beit ’Iba checkpoint, north-west of Nablus. Eyewitnesses said that many shots were fired at the man, before an Israeli military ambulance arrived on the scene, and transported him to an unknown destination. Israeli sources said that the man is a "wanted" Palestinian, and, when attempting to escape from the Israeli soldiers, he was shot. His injuries have been described as "between moderate and serious", according to Israeli sources. Bata is from Balata refugee camp, and works in the Qalqilia city police. [end] Troops assassinate a resistance fighter in Nablus IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 8/3/2007 Palestinian medical sources in Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank reported on Thursday night after midnight that Israeli troops shot and killed the leaders of the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad in the city. One resident was injured and another was kidnapped. Eyewitnesses reported that under-cover forces of the Israeli army driving a local Palestinian vehicle infiltrated into Al Daraj neighborhood in the Old City of Nablus and opened fire at Raed Abu Adas, 34, causing instant death. The eyewitnesses added that at least thirty military vehicles invaded the areas after the under-cover forces assassinated the fighter. The army was also accompanied by military bulldozers, and also invaded Al Qaisariyya neighborhood adjacent to Al Daraj. more.. Gov’t may resurrect laser-based missile protection system Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 8/2/2007 The government is considering resuming funding for the advanced laser-based Skyguard missile protection system, security officials told Haaretz. They added that if the system is approved, it can be operational within 18 months. The project was dropped about a year and a half ago, despite several successful tests and in spite of repeated rocket attacks from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, but Public Security Minister Avi Dichter has been enlisted to spearhead the effort to resurrect Skyguard by a strong lobby group, including former defense ministry officials, that has developed. To address the threat from Palestinian Qassam rockets, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and then-defense minister Amir Peretz approved the development of an alternative missile-defense system which is based on intercepting rockets rather then laser beams. more.. Israeli army kidnaps two from Jenin, threatens to liquidate Al-Quds Brigades Ali Samoudi, International Middle East Media Center 8/2/2007 Residents of Jenin told IMEMC that the Israeli army threatened to harshly punish those who help wanted members of the Al Quds brigades during an invasion into the area on Thursday morning - Israeli soldiers carried out a wide-scale invasion and search campaign in Jenin camp and the town of Al Yamoon, west of Jenin. The army vowed to liquidate wanted members of the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, who announced their rejection of a previous pledge to cease attacks against Israel. The same sources reported to IMEMC that armed clashes took place on Thursday morning in Jenin refugee camp, where Al Quds Brigades fighters fired an explosive device on Israeli patrols. Meanwhile, the Israeli army kidnapped two Palestinians from Al Yamoon; one of them, Majdi Hamdiyah, is a brother of a senior Al Jihad leader. more.. Israeli army carries a wide-scale abduction campaign in several areas of West Bank Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center 8/2/2007 The Israeli army abducted a number of Palestinians in different areas of the West Bank on Thursday morning. The first abduction was carried out in Beitunia, west of Ramallah city in the central West Bank, where Israeli forces kidnapped one Palestinian. Palestinian security sources in the area reported that Israeli soldiers surrounded and searched the home of Yousef Kefaya before kidnapping and transferring him to an unknown destination. The second abduction took place in the northern West bank, where one Palestinian was kidnapped from Nablus and seven were kidnapped from the nearby village of Burqa. The kidnapped residents of Burqa were identified as: Nadeem Amer, Habeeb Ja’far, Samer Daghlas, Nojood Abu Amer, Tareq Sayef, Ameen Desoqi, and Tamer Daghlas. more.. Israeli forces arrest 24 citizens in Ramallah, Nablus and Jenin Ma’an News Agency 8/2/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli forces on Thursday arrested 24 Palestinian citizens in the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Nablus and Jenin. Israeli media stated that the men were "wanted". Israeli sources said that, during the operation, Israeli soldiers were shot at, but no injuries were reported. [end] Abu ’Ali Mustafa brigades claim responsibility for attacking an Israeli military jeep in Balata refugee camp Ma’an News Agency 8/2/2007 Nablus - Ma’an - The PFLP-affiliated Abu ’Ali Mustafa Brigades have claimed responsibility for attacking an Israeli military jeep at dawn today, in Balata camp, east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. In a statement received by Ma’an, the Brigades declared, "this attack is a response for the Israeli crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip". [end] Mujahideen Brigades claim destruction of Israeli tank in Gaza Ma’an News Agency 8/2/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The Mujahedeen Brigades, which were formerly affiliated to Fatah, but now operate independently, have claimed responsibility on Thursday morning for targeting of an Israeli tank in Beit Lahia. The brigades assured that they destroyed the tank. Israeli military sources did not mention any casualties or injuries. [end] Lebanon Crisis: Health Cluster Bulletin No. 27, 01 Aug 2007 World Health Organization - WHO, ReliefWeb 8/1/2007 The Lebanon Crisis Health Cluster Bulletin aims to give an overview of the health activities conducted by the health cluster partners in relation to the latest Lebanon conflict as well as the crisis in the Palestinian camps. It compiles health information received from the different organizations working in the most affected areas. The Health Cluster Bulletin will be issued every other Wednesday. Highlights- - No outbreak was reported through the Early Warning and Response system (EWARS). - Two New landmines/UXOs/cluster bombs’ casualties were registered last week as per the National Demining Office (NDO) and UNDP Mine action report. Nahr El-Bared Crisis - The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is leading the Humanitarian and Relief interventions in response to the Nahr El-Bared Crisis. more.. Palestinian militants botch attack on IDF troops Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 8/2/2007 An apparent attempt by Palestinian militants to blow up a house in the Gaza Strip while a Golani Brigade force was in it failed on Wednesday. An explosion occurred in the house after the troops had already left, and nobody was hurt. A Palestinian youth was killed and another injured yesterday by IDF and Border Police fire at roadblocks in two separate incidents in the West Bank. A Golani reconnaissance regiment entered Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip in the middle of the week and occupied several houses. Two armed Hamas men were killed in an exchange of fire with the troops, military sources said. Several hours after the soldiers left on Wednesday, an explosion destroyed a floor of the house they had stayed in. IDF sources said this was probably a botched attack on the Golani troops. more.. Missile-launcher aimed at Gaza Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 8/2/2007 Group from central Israel makes improvised projectile-launcher, lobs organic eggs, vegetables at Beit Hanoun to raise awareness of situation in Sderot - A number of Israelis from the Tel Aviv vicinity drove south and fired improvised missiles towards Gaza, in an effort to raise awareness of the difficult situation in Sderot. The group used a projectile-launcher built by Yahav Michaeli - a stunts and pyrotechnics expert - to lob organic eggs and vegetables towards Beit Hanoun. "The idea was to draw attention to what’s going on with a little bit of humor, because we thought it could relieve the pressure a little," said members of the group. "When you wander around Sderot and notice the atmosphere there, you understand that a sort of emotional stagnation has taken hold of the State. more.. Palestine Today 080207 Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/2/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 4. 11MB || Time 4m29s|| - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Wednesday August 2nd , 2007. As US Secretary of State visited the West Bank today to allegedly show support for Abbas and to push for peace talks, the Israeli army carried out several invasions in the West Bank, kidnapping twelve Palestinians, These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The Gaza Strip - A member of the Executive Force of the Hamas Ministry of Interior was killed and seven persons were injured in clashes with Islamic Jihad members east of Gaza city on Wednesday night Islam Shahwan, spokesperson for the Executive Force, claimed that three of its members were shot while trying to apprehend a civilian who was breaking the law. more.. 2 dead, 3 injured as mass Israeli force invades northern Gaza under hail of bullets Ma’an News Agency 8/1/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – Two Palestinians have been killed and three injured after Israeli forces penetrated Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday morning. Eyewitnesses reported that more than thirty Israeli military vehicles penetrated the Sheimaa area of northern Beit Lahiya amidst intensive shooting at local residents and their homes. The witnesses also said that the Israeli forces bulldozed vast areas of farmland in the region, especially near the former Israeli settlement of Dogit, in the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian security sources informed Ma’an that the Israeli army seized several local citizens and removed them to an undisclosed destination. Left to die - Director of ambulances and emergencies in the Palestinian ministry of health, Dr Muawiya Hassanein, confirmed to Ma’an that two local citizens are dead and three injured. more.. Israeli settlers violently assault Palestinian family in their home in Jerusalem Ma’an News Agency 8/1/2007 Jerusalem - Ma’an - Israeli settlers on Wednesday attacked a family home in Beit Safafa, southeast Jerusalem, injuring five family members and a number of elderly relatives. Mohammad Ali Zawahra, whose family bought the home in 1966, told Ma’an that "80 settlers attacked the house and told us to leave. When we refused, they attacked us with sticks, stones and bars." Zawahra stated that his 70-year-old mother sustained serious head wounds in the attack and his father was severely beaten. Three of his brothers were also admitted to hospital in the aftermath of the assault. Zawahra highlighted the complicity of the Israeli police, who were at the scene when the attack took place, noting that "when the family was attacked, the Israeli police did nothing to prevent or stop the settlers. more.. Israeli forces enter Ramallah; place Palestinian security forces under curfew Ma’an News Agency 8/1/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli forces on Wednesday invaded the West Bank city of Ramallah and imposed a curfew on the Palestinian security forces in the city. A member of the Palestinian security forces reported that Israeli soldiers forced them to evacuate from the streets of Ramallah. [end] Hamas man killed, six Jihad members wounded in Gaza infighting Avi Issacharoff, and The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 8/2/2007 One Hamas man was killed and six Islamic Jihad members wounded Wednesday, as fighting broke out between the two militant groups in the Gaza Strip. The clash resulted from an incident the night before, when Islamic Jihad gunmen fired in the air in celebration during a wedding, both sides said. Hamas, which overran the Gaza Strip in a lightning operation last month, has banned firing weapons in public. On Wednesday, the Hamas militia fired a rocket at a house in Gaza City and traded fire with Islamic Jihad militants inside. Gunfire could be heard for several hours. Islamic Jihad leader Khader Habib said the raid was unnecessary. "I solved the situation at the wedding yesterday," he said. Hamas said in a statement that the Islamic Jihad militants were ordered to hand over their weapons but failed to do so, and we implemented the law. more.. Islamic Jihad gunman killed in clashes with Hamas Ali Waked, YNetNews 8/1/2007 Tensions between two groups run high due to Hamas’ attempts to prevent Jihad from firing rockets at Israel; gunfights erupt following Hamas attempt to kidnap Jihad member - Palestinian sources in Gaza reported on Wednesday evening that a Palestinian gunman affiliated with Islamic Jihad was killed in clashes with Hamas. Some 10 additional Palestinians were wounded in the fighting. Senior Hamas official Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar and Islamic Jihad leader Mohammed al-Hindi met in Gaza in an attempt to reconcile their two warring factions. Fierce clashes have been taking place between Hamas and Islamic Jihad gunmen in Gaza Wednesday afternoon and evening. On Tuesday, members of Hamas’ task force tried to arrest a Palestinian man who fired in the air during a wedding in the Sajaiya neighborhood in Gaza City. more.. Unknown gunmen kill Gaza resident and former PFLP activist Ma’an News Agency 8/1/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – Anonymous gunmen killed Talal Abu Safiya, aged 38, from the Gaza Strip. The man was riddled with bullets after he left his home in Gaza City. Eyewitnesses said that Abu Safiya, who was a resident of the At Tawam area, in the northern part of Gaza City, had just entered his car when four assailants attacked him. He died at the scene. According to several sources, Abu Safiya was a former activist for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He had spent 11 years in an Israeli jail and has also been a prisoner in Palestinian detention centres. He allegedly worked for the Palestinian intelligence organisation after he left the PFLP and worked on establishing the ’Guevara Brigades’ since the beginning of 2007. more.. Two boys injured during Israeli incursion into Tulkarem refugee camp Ma’an News Agency 8/1/2007 Tulkarem – Ma’an – The Israeli occupation forces withdrew from Tulkarem refugee camp, in the northern West Bank, on Wednesday afternoon following an incursion which lasted an-hour-and-a-half and left two boys injured. The Palestinian security services said that the Israeli occupation forces stormed the camp in search of ’wanted’ Palestinians and military jeeps surrounded the area. 16-year-old Hadi Hamdan and Mohammad Kharyoush, aged 18, were injured in clashes that erupted between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian resistance fighters. During the invasion the Israeli army raided the homes of local residents. [end] Hidden tension between Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Najeeb Farraj, International Middle East Media Center 8/1/2007 The Palestine News Network was informed of a hidden sort of tension between Hamas movement and the Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. The tension rose due to several activities carried by the Hamas-formed Executive Force, and conducts carried by the Hamas government in Gaza. Anonymous sources in Gaza reported that security patrols belonging to the Executive Force clashes in several incidents with members of the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad. One of the incidents took place two weeks ago when the Executive Force detonated an explosive charge which was placed by the Al Quds Brigades in a road usually used by Israeli military vehicles during invasions to the Gaza Strip. A spokesperson of the Executive Force reported that explosive experts of the force safely unwired a landmine planted by members of the Islamic Jihad. more.. Palestinian in critical condition after being repeatedly shot by unknown gunmen Ma’an News Agency 8/1/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – A Palestinian citizen was injured at the hands of unknown gunmen in the area of Al Ma’ajin, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, on Tuesday evening. Medical sources informed Ma’an that anonymous assailants shot at least twelve bullets into the feet and legs of local citizen, Hani Atallah, aged 25. Atallah is from Balata refugee camp in eastern Nablus. The sources added that Atallah received about six bullets to each leg and was transported to hospital. He was taken to a major hospital in the West Bank city of Ramallah as his condition is said to be critical. [end] Report: Thirty-four Palestinians, including two children, killed by Israeli army fire in July Ameen Abu Wardeh, International Middle East Media Center 8/1/2007 The Palestinian Liberation Organization Department of International Affairs on Wednesday issued its monthly report of Israeli attacks on Palestinians for the month of July 2007. The report stated that 34 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli army during the month, among them two children. Five of the thirty-four were victims of extra-judicial assassination, while another two died when the ambulances transporting them to the hospital were detained at military checkpoints. In addition to the 34 killed, 85 civilians were injured in different Israeli military attacks. The PLO also reported that six homes were destroyed by the Israeli army. Three of the homes were in east Jerusalem, which the army claimed were built without the necessary permits. more.. PLO report reveals Israel killed 34 Palestinians in July Ma’an News Agency 8/1/2007 Nablus – Ma’an – According to the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s (PLO) department of national and international relations, Israeli forces have killed 34 Palestinians in July alone. Among the dead were two children and a prisoner. Five of the 34 victims were assassination targets and two died at Israeli roadblocks while being transported to hospitals for treatment. The monthly report reviews Israeli violations in the Palestinian territories. As did other issues, the July report concludes that Israeli forces continue their military activities and operations. The PLO department stated that Israel is employing all kinds of weapons against Palestinians during incursions into Palestinian areas, and destroying farms and infrastructure. The report added that in July the Israeli army destroyed six homes,... more.. Eight Al Quds Brigades members killed in July, says Islamic Jihad Ma’an News Agency 8/1/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, said on Wednesday that eight of its members were killed in the month of July during clashes in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. In a statistical report, Islamic Jihad stated that they launched 62 homemade projectiles last month from the Gaza Strip towards a number of Israeli targets. The report also reviewed other operations which the movement conducted against the Israeli forces in Gaza and the West Bank. The report mentioned the detonation of several roadside bombs, the launching of 44 mortars and 13 rocket-propelled grenades, and ten sniper operations. [end] Palestinian who killed 3 soldiers arrested Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/1/2007 PRC member Nahed Akra admits to investigators he was involved in attack against IDF tank on Karni-Netzarim route in 2002 - A Palestinian who was behind planting a bomb that caused the death of three IDF soldiers in February 2002 was arrested by the Shin Bet and the police 10 days ago. The man, Nahed Akra, a Popular Resistance Committees member, also admitted to having taken part in other attacks against IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip. Akra, 39, was recruited to the PRC in 2001, while he was working in the Palestinian intelligence service. He underwent training and learned to build rockets and improvised explosive devices. In his investigation, he admitted to being involved in a series of terror attacks against Israeli targets, including an attack against an IDF tank on the Karni-Netzarim route in the Gaza Strip. more.. IOF troops storm WB cities, ransack civilian homes Palestinian Information Center 8/1/2007 RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Large numbers of IOF troops stormed the cities of Ramallah and El-Bireh at an early hour Wednesday breaking into and ransacking a number of Palestinians’ homes at the pretext of looking for Palestinian resistance fighters. In the same context, eyewitnesses said that elements of Fatah-affiliated security apparatuses that were heavily deployed on the streets and main junctions of Ramallah a month ago had withdrawn from their positions few minutes before the Israeli invasion of the city. Israeli sources had mentioned that IOA informed the PA in Ramallah of its intention to storm the city in order to arrest a number of Palestinians. In another development, the IOF troops stormed at an early hour Wednesday the towns of Beit Kahel and Tafouh to the west of the Al-Khalil city, southern West Bank... more.. Islamic Jihad warns of IOF invasion of the Gaza Strip Palestinian Information Center 8/1/2007 GAZA, (PIC)-- Khaled Al-Batsh, one of the Islamic Jihad Movement’s leaders in the Gaza Strip, has warned that the IOF incursion into northern Gaza earlier Wednesday was in prelude to an invasion of the entire Strip to wipe out Palestinian resistance. Batsh, in a press release, cited Israel’s statements of growing resistance operations in a bid to justify its large-scale attack on the Strip within the few coming days or weeks. He called on all factions to be cautious and to forge political conciliation, especially between Fatah and Hamas, to turn a new page in internal relations in a bid to face the expected invasion. In confrontation with the invasion troops in northern Gaza, the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas Movement, declared responsibility for blasting a building in the area where an IOF special unit had occupied... more.. Two killed, three injured by Israeli army in northern Gaza Ghassan Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/1/2007 Two Palestinian civilians were killed and another three injured in an Israeli military offensive that targeted the town of Beit Lahyia in the northern Gaza strip on Wednesday morning, according to Palestinian medical sources. Witnesses reported that at least 30 Israeli military vehicles stormed the town from several directions and opened fire randomly on residents’ homes. At the same time, military bulldozers started to uproot trees and destroy locally-owned farmland. The army reportedly kidnapped a number of residents and transported them to an unknown location. Sources indicated that the military offensive is still underway. Palestinian resistance fighters from al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and Salahaddin Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, stated in a joint press... more.. Israel kills two in Gaza raid Al Jazeera 8/1/2007 Israeli troops have killed two Palestinians and wounded several others during a raid in the northern Gaza Strip, residents and ambulance workers say. Hamas and the Popular Resistance Committees said on Wednesday that their fighters confronted the Israelis in the Gaza town of Beit Lahiya. The area is used by fighters as a launching ground for rocket attacks on southern Israel. Shooting started between the soldiers and the Palestinains after more than a dozen Israeli armoured vehicles and two bulldozers rolled into the strip near the northern town, witnesses and medics said. According to Dr Muawiya Hassanin of the Palestinian health ministry, besides the two killed, several others were injured in the Israeli firing. Israeli soldiers regularly enter the Gaza Strip. [end] Skyguard may be rising from the dead Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 8/1/2007 The government is considering resuming funding for the advanced laser-based Skyguard missile protection system, security officials told Haaretz. They added that if the system is approved, it can be operational within 18 months. The project was dropped about a year and a half ago, despite several successful tests and in spite of repeated rocket attacks from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, but Public Security Minister Avi Dichter has been enlisted to spearhead the effort to resurrect Skyguard by a strong lobby group, including former defense ministry officials, that has developed. To address the threat from Palestinian Qassam rockets, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and then-defense minister Amir Peretz approved the development of an alternative missile-defense system which is based on intercepting rockets rather then laser beams. more.. Plan: Zaka activists to help IDF during war Neta Sela, YNetNews 8/1/2007 IDF, rescue organization in talks over possible cooperation in time of war; initiative will see thousands of volunteers, yeshiva students recruited to help civilian population in emergency situations The Zaka search and rescue organization is in negotiations with the IDF on the possibility of calling up Zaka volunteers for service in emergency situations, including war, Army Radio reported Wednesday. According to the report, the group’s directors Dudi Zilbershlag and Yehuda Meshi Zahav have been in talks with the Home Front Command in recent weeks and have formulated a plan that would see thousands of Zaka volunteers operating under the army’s command in a time of war. Meshi Zahav and Zilbershlag were angered by the initiative’s publication Wednesday, before its details had been finalized. more.. Palestine Today 080107 Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 8/1/2007 Click on Link to download or play MP3 file - || File 3. 42 MB || Time 3m44s|| - Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Wednesday August 1st, 2007. In the Gaza strip, a massive Israeli force invades the town of Beit Lahiya, leaving two dead and three injured. In the West Bank, meanwhile, an Israeli Army Company is accused of desecrating graves near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The Gaza Strip - Two Palestinian civilians were killed and another three injured in an Israeli military offensive that targeted the town of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza strip on Wednesday morning. Eyewitnesses to the invasion reported that at least 30 Israeli military vehicles stormed the town from several directions, randomly opening fire on residents’ homes. more.. Photos: Palestine 1945-1948 britains-smallwars.com 8/1/2007 Index: Please note that these pages are no way intended to be Anti-Semitic or Anti-ArabWe are simply trying to tell the story of the British forces involvement in Palestine for 1945 to 1948. - Recently our attention has been drawn to a series of new books, articles and radio and television documentaries on the subjects covered by Britain’s Small Wars. Their contents, in many cases, draw extensively on material published on this web site and used without acknowledgment or permission of the copyright holders. When this site was created and developed, its aim, which remains, was to record those conflicts since 1945 in which British service personnel have been called upon to do their duty, reported as far as possible through the eye-witness accounts of those involved, and to create Honour Rolls, where none existed before... more..  Diplomacy
Israel did not keep one promise, says Fayyad Roee Nahmias, YNetNews 8/29/2007 ’Not everything reported in the media actually takes place,’ Palestinian prime minister says, detailing series of violations by Jewish state. According to Fayyad, ’There is a big difference between the talks on cooperation and ease of restrictions and what happens in practice’ - Israel did not carry out even one move it committed to, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad charged on Wednesday, a day after the meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem. In an interview with the Jordanian newspaper al-Dustour, Fayyad was asked what he thought about Israel’s ongoing activity in the West Bank and assassinations in the Gaza Strip. "This proves that there is a big difference between the talks on cooperation and ease of restriction and what happens in practice. more.. Abbas calls on Washington to provide peace outline ahead of conference Daily Star 8/30/2007 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned Wednesday that a US-sponsored international peace conference planned for November could fail if no plan for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was devised ahead of the meeting, as two Palestinian children fell victim to Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip. Following closed-door talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman, Abbas told state-run Jordan Television that the proposed conference "lacked clarity." He said he did not know an official date, other than mid-November, for the conference and was unsure who would attend. "The third issue is related to the content of the meeting," Abbas said. "If we go to a conference without clarity on a solution and without a declaration of principles within the framework of a work plan, I don’t think that the conference will be beneficial. more.. Israel thwarts deal to release prisoners in exchange for Shalit Ma’an News Agency 8/29/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Israel frustrated a deal with Hamas to exchange captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for Palestinian prisoners 14 weeks ago, Israeli Television’s Channel 2 reported on Tuesday. The deal which was negotiated through Egyptian mediation involved exchanging Shalit for 350 Palestinian prisoners. The TV channel added that Israel insisted that only 40 of the names on the list of Palestinian prisoners could be released, which resulted in the failure of the deal. Channel 2 reported that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office had admitted that there was such a dealbut said that some of the names on the list of Palestinian prisoners had "blood on their hands." Twenty-one-year-old Corporal Shalit was captured on the 25th of June 2006 and is currently in the custody of Hamas, the Popular Resistance Committees and the Army of Islam. more.. Abbas in Jordan for talks Ma’an News Agency 8/29/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to arrive in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Wednesday for a hastily arranged visit to discuss developments in the Palestinian territories with Jordanian officials. The Palestinian ambassador to Jordan Atallah Khayri said Abbas will stay in Jordan for two days. The Palestinian president is shuttling meetings in Jordan, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian territories as part of his endeavors to reactivate the peace process. Abbas is also scheduled to meet with the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when she arrives in the region soon. [end] Al Awja crossing to reopen on Thursday for 161 people, of 4000 awaiting transit Ma’an News Agency 8/29/2007 Gaza – Ma’an - The liaison coordinator with the Egyptian authorities over border crossings, Hani Al-Jabour, has announced that the Al-’Awja Crossing with Egypt is to be reopened tomorrow [Thursday 30th] for those who want to enter or leave the Gaza Strip via the Erez Crossing. Those who will be allwed to cross are mainly Palestinians with business or study obligations abroad. 161 people will be allowed passage, 50 of which will travel to Cairo while 111 will leave Cairo for the Strip." The decision to reopen Al-’Awja crossing came after consultations and arrangements with the Egyptians. The crossing was closed last Sunday and only 74 citizens departed out of 4000 pending permission, given that they have business and study obligations abroad," Al-Jabbour revealed. more.. Israel, EU lawmakers blast UN meeting on Palestinian rights The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 8/30/2007 A United Nations-sponsored conference on the rights of Palestinians opens this week at the European Union assembly, despite protests by Israel and EU lawmakers who say the meeting’s organizers have an anti-Israeli agenda. The two-day panel meeting, opening Thursday at the EU assembly, was convened by the UN’s Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. It will discuss ways to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace, the committee said. But Israel views the committee as a legacy of the 1975 UN General Assembly resolution which was revoked in 1991 and which equated Zionism with racism. Some EU lawmakers, backing Israel’s push to have the conference canceled, say the panel meeting was approved by leaders of European Parliament’s political groups without consulting the appropriate parliamentary bodies. more.. UN envoy: Quartet, Arab nation talks to take place on Sept. 23 Rami Hipsch and The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 8/30/2007 The international Mideast mediators known as the Quartet will meet with key Arab nations next month to promote new efforts to revive the Arab-Israeli peace process, the United Nations’ top Middle East envoy said Wednesday. Michael Williams, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, told the Security Council the Sept. 23 meeting would be hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at UN headquarters. In attendance would be the Arab League committee that has been promoting a pan-Arab plan for peace with Israel which was presented by Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers on a trip to Israel in July. A UN official said other likely participants are Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Syria. Williams expressed "guarded optimism" on Wednesday about prospects for peace in the region because... more.. Border tensions between Israel and Syria lessened Ma’an News Agency 8/29/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Israeli military sources have said that tension along the border between Israel and Syria has decreased, the Israeli daily newspaper Maariv reported on Tuesday. According to Maariv, the return of the Syrian forces to "normal activities" is an indication of the lessening tension. The Israeli army has sent an indirect message to Damascus informing the Syrians that Israel has no intention of attacking Syria. Israeli army maneuvers usually carried out in the Golan Heights, on the Syrian border, have been transferred to the Negev – a sign that Israel means what it says, according to Maariv. On Tuesday night, Israeli Television reported that the chances of another war with Hezbollah are now more likely than another war with Syria. [end] Security officials: IDF reducing troop presence in Golan in effort to ease tensions Haaretz Service and The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 8/30/2007 The Israel Defense Forces has decided that war with Syria is unlikely and is reducing its troop presence in the Golan Heights after months of cross-border tension, security officials say. The decision followed months of growing tensions along the frontier and concerns that the escalation could result in war. Over the summer, Israeli and Syrian officials have repeatedly made alternating announcements that they had no interest in hostilities. The Israeli officials said Syria’s military has now also reduced its war readiness, but offered no details because the exact steps taken by the Syrians are classified. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to divulge the information to the press. IDF troops scheduled to hold maneuvers on the Golan Heights would now be moved away... more.. Relief aid dispatched to Palestine Source: Government of Jordan, ReliefWeb 8/29/2007 AMMAN, August 29 (JT) - Upon His Majesty King Abdullah’s directives, urgent medical assistance was dispatched Tuesday to the West Bank and Gaza Strip to help address a shortage in medicines and medical supplies. The JD250,000 medical aid will be handed over to Al Maqased Hospital in Jerusalem and several Gaza Strip hospitals, particularly Al Shifaa Hospital. Secretary General of the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO) Abdul Salam Abbadi, whose agency is in charge of Jordan’s external relief aid, said the assistance includes large quantities of drugs and medical supplies. Abbadi told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that more aid convoys will be dispatched to the Palestinians in days, apart from medical and food assistance planned to be sent during the Holy Month of Ramadan. more.. UN International Conference of Civil Society in Support of Israeli - Palestinian Peace in Brussels, 30 - 31 August United Nations General Assembly, ReliefWeb 8/28/2007 NEW YORK, 28 August (Department of Political Affairs) -- The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will convene the United Nations International Conference of Civil Society in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace at the European Parliament premises in Brussels on 30 and 31 August 2007. Its theme is "Civil society and parliamentarians working together for peace in the Middle East". The Conference will provide a timely opportunity to discuss the situation on the ground, with particular attention given to the role of elected representatives in advancing the cause of Middle East peace in concert with civil society. It will build on the results of the previous international conferences, giving civil society representatives and other participants from all regions of the world,... more.. Russian tourists no longer need visas Ronny Sofer, YNetNews 8/29/2007 Citizens of former Soviet nations will no longer be required to obtain visa before entering Israel as government unanimously votes to change law. Foreign Ministry already working on mutual agreement with Russia - Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter toed the line with the rest of the ministerial legislative committee on Wednesday as they unanimously voted to cancel the law demanding tourists from Russia and other former Soviet nations obtain a visa to enter Israel. Dichter had initially objected to the proposal and provoked an onslaught of criticism after stating that the policy change would allow "tens of thousands" of prostitutes and criminals to enter Israel freely. Dichter’s office said he had always supported the proposal and voted in accordance with his opinion but that he still maintains... more.. Israel archaeologists fear damage at Jerusalem dig Reuters, YNetNews 8/29/2007 Archaeologists says priceless relics could be damaged by mechanical digger being used by Muslim caretakers to carve out utility trench at one of capital’s holiest shrines - Israeli archaeologists said on Wednesday they fear priceless relics could be damaged by a mechanical digger being used by Muslim caretakers to carve out a utility trench at one of Jerusalem’s holiest shrines. The work is being carried out on the plaza revered by Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and by Jews as the Temple Mount. "It is appalling that in one of the most important archaeological sites in the country, heavy machinery is used in a barbaric way to dig a ditch 120 meters long and 1. 5 meters deep," said Gabriel Barkay, an archaeologist at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv. more.. Sudanese president offers to host Palestinian refugees fleeing Iraq Ma’an News Agency 8/29/2007 Al-Khartoum – Ma’an – A Palestinian parliamentarian delegation on Wednesday met with Sudanese President ’Omar Al-Bashir and other officials. The Palestinian delegation was headed by the head of the Fatah PLC bloc, Azzam Al-Ahmad. The delegation delivered a letter to Al-Bashir from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and updated him on the dire situations in the occupied Palestinian territories in light of the frequent Israeli aggression, expansion of settlements and confiscation of lands. They also discussed the aftermath of ’the Hamas coup" in the Gaza Strip. The Sudanese president informed the Fatah delegation that he will agree to host Palestinian refugees who are currently stranded at the Iraqi borders with Syria and Jordan. The Palestinian delegation also met with the chair of the Sudanese Popular Conference party, Hasan Turabi, and other leaders of the party. more.. Hamas welcomes Gul as Turkey’s new president Ma’an News Agency 8/29/2007 Gaza - Ma’an – Hamas has welcomed the swearing in Turkey’s new president, Abdullah Gul. The movement congratulated the new president and wished him success in his new position. Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, said that he hoped this historical change would serve the Turkish people and the region, in addition to helping the Palestinian people and their just and fair case. The winning of the Islamic party in Turkey reflects the natural change within the people of the region and their trend towards Islam, Hamas said in a statement. The statement urged the western world to deal with the people of the region on the basis of mutual respect and cooperation instead of self interest. [end] The deposed Palestinian government continues to make efforts to stop the sanctions imposed on Gaza Wissam Afifah, International Middle East Media Center 8/29/2007 The Palestinian deposed cabinet issued a statement on Wednesday that the cabinet is still doing efforts by contacting Arab and international countries in order to left the sanctions imposed on the Gaza strip. The statement also welcomed the stands of several countries that accepted and welcomed the latest Palestinian legislative council elections, and added that it’s important to open communication with those countries in order to end the crippling embargo that is imposed on the Gaza strip since Hamas took over the costal region in mid June 2007. The statement said that the Palestinian security forces have started to work on cases of corruption in addition to the deployment of the police force all over the Gaza strip with the executive force of Hamas being absorbed inside the police force. more.. Testing Israel’s diplomacy Yaakov Lappin, YNetNews 8/29/2007 The ADL’s recognition of the Armenian genocide raises questions on relations between Israel and Diaspora Jewish organizations - Turkey was, predictably, infuriated by the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) 180 degree turn-around on the ultra-sensitive issue of the Armenian genocide because Ankara , Israel’s closest Muslim ally in the region, relies heavily on Israel and Jewish organizations to support its claim that no genocide took place. Israeli diplomats were flooded with angry messages from the Turkish capital, calling on Jerusalem to ’reign in’ the ADL. Despite attempts by Jerusalem to explain that it did not control American Jewish organizations, Turkey’s Ambassador to Israel, Namig Tan, told the Azeri Press Agency this week: "Turkey has always approached positively the Jewish lobby of America and Israel. more.. Erekat says negotiations between Abbas and Olmert did not reach final status issues Ma’an News Agency 8/28/2007 Ramallah - Ma’an – Chief Palestinian negotiator, Dr Saeb Erekat, said that Tuesday’s discussions between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert did not reach the level of the final status issues, especially the right of return for refugees, the status of Jerusalem and the finalising of borders. In a press conference in Ramallah after the meeting between the two leaders, Erekat said that "The temporary borders are rejected and are not on the agenda." ’’Palestinians shouldn’t build up their expectations with regard to these talks", he added. He said that no details or documents were exchanged concerning final status issues. Erekat pointed out that there are some other sides "who are attempting to start negotiations with Israel. more.. PM, Abbas discuss three major final status issues Aluf Benn Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 8/29/2007 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas held one-on-one talks Tuesday on the three issues that are at the heart of a final status agreement - borders for a Palestinian state, the future of Jerusalem and the right of return of Palestinian refugees to Israel. It was the first time the two men discussed these matters in depth, according to an Israeli official. The two aim to bring an "agreement of principles" to an upcoming international summit on Middle East peace, set to take place in November. These core issues have to be discussed on the way to finding a diplomatic solution of two states for two peoples, an official in the Prime Minister’s Office quoted Olmert as saying. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the two leaders spoke privately. more.. Israeli final status terms leaked Al Jazeera 8/28/2007 Al Jazeera has obtained a document claiming to be Israel’s terms on which final status negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians can begin. The Palestinian president and the Israeli leader have been discussing the issue of Palestinian statehood in two hours of talks on Tuesday, an Israeli spokesman said. Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem correspondent, who has seen the Israeli document, said it "lays out some broad principles that Israel believes both sides should sign up to as a starting point for formal negotiations"." Some of the things are fairly obvious - renouncing words and actions associated with war, recognition of United Nations Security Council resolutions." Also, previous peace endeavours such as the Madrid conference of 1991 and the declaration of principles signed between Yasser Arafat and the late Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1993. more.. PA, Israel expand teams preparing for fall summit Aluf Benn Barak Ravid and Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 8/28/2007 The framework of discussions between Israel and the Palestinian Authority will be expanded to include the establishment of negotiating teams for each side, which will discuss the agreement of principles to be prepared ahead of the international conference in November, a senior government official said yesterday. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas are to meet today to further discuss the agreement of principles. Meetings between Olmert and Abbas have so far been private, but the framework will now be expanded in order to "reach November with a logical product," the official said. Olmert and Abbas are expected to meet again before Rosh Hashanah; sources in the Palestinian Authority said that in their next meeting, Olmert and Abbas will try to agree on as many issues as... more.. Israel weighs Abbas’ request to extend amnesty Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 8/28/2007 Israel is considering a Palestinian request to include in its amnesty for Fatah fugitives 26 militants expelled in 2002 after a siege on the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The request, made by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas during his meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday, calls for the inclusion of the 26 fugitives in an amnesty scheme offered to members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades earlier this summer. Some in the current request are from Fatah rivals such as Hamas. The amnesty being considered for the Bethlehem exiles is spread over a three-month period, during which they are expected to present themselves daily at PA security headquarters in the city. In addition, they will be forbidden to carry arms or be members of any militant organization. more.. Olmert evades Abbas’ demands in meeting of two leaders Ma’an News Agency 8/28/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met on Tuesday in Jerusalem, in order to discuss plans for US President Bush’s international peace conference this autumn. Abbas has said that the conference will be pointless unless it addresses the core Palestinian issues of statehood, the borders, refugees and the status of Jerusalem. Abbas said to Voice of Palestine radio, "If there is a clear framework including final status issues, we will welcome this and go to the conference." The timing and agenda of the planned international summit have not yet been set. Abbas rejected Olmert’s recent proposals for a territorial exchange of Palestinian populated areas of Israel, for Israeli settlement blocs in the West Bank. more.. Olmert, Abbas to form declaration of principles by November Ronny Sofer, YNetNews 8/28/2007 VIDEO - Israel, Palestinian Authority to try to come to mutual understanding prior to scheduled peace conference in Washington - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday revolved around the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, Ynet has learnt. The two, who met at the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem, discussed some of the more sensitive issues, such as the status of Jerusalem and the possible borders of the future Palestinian state. Olmert and Abbas decided to hold at least two more meetings before October, in an effort to come to an understanding about all core issues before presenting a declaration of principles to the international peace conference scheduled to take place in Washington this November. more.. Entire establishment failed miserably, Gilad Shalit’s father says Roee Mendel, YNetNews 8/28/2007 ’After an endless number of meetings and assessments - Gilad is still not with us,’ Noam Shalit says during Tel Aviv rally to mark kidnapped soldier’s 21st birthday - During a rally held at Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square Tuesday evening in honor of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit’s 21st birthday, his father, Noam, said, "After two birthdays and 429 days in captivity (at the hands of Hamas), and after an endless number of meetings and assessments - Gilad is still not with us. "We feel as though the entire establishment under Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s leadership failed miserably in its efforts to return him home," he added. "In my opinion, there was never a prepared deal (for Gilad’s release). It doesn’t seem likely. We receive very little phone calls from official sources. more.. Hamas paper nixes Shalit birthday letter Jack Khoury, Ha’aretz 8/28/2007 Noam Shalit has been attempting to get the leading Hamas newspaper to print a birthday letter to his son, captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, but the editor has refused to run it, according to an Israeli advocacy group for abducted soldiers. The group said Noam Shalit had used Palestinian and Israeli mediators to ask the Gaza-based newspaper, Palestine, to run a personal letter ahead of his son’s 21st birthday today - his second in captivity - but that the editor said he would not cooperate with Israelis. Noam Shalit has previously sent a letter to his son to the Palestinian paper Al-Quds Al-Arabi, considered an independent newspaper, but this time he said he was interested only in having it run in a Hamas paper. Meanwhile, friends and family of the Israeli soldier plan to celebrate his 21st birthday in a public rally in Tel Aviv. more.. Barak to propose: Replace W. Bank roadblocks with mobile checkpoints Aluf Benn, Ha’aretz 8/28/2007 Defense Minister Ehud Barak wants to replace permanent checkpoints in the West Bank with mobile ones, to ease restrictions on Palestinian traffic while still safeguarding Israel’s security. However, he believes that such a change cannot be implemented immediately, as the Israel Defense Forces must first train a sufficient number of troops in the new methods, which is likely to take some time. Barak held his first meeting with senior defense officials on the checkpoint issue last week. More than two months ago, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert assigned Barak the job of easing movement restrictions in the West Bank to improve Palestinian daily life. Since then, the IDF has been conducting staff work on the issue, but has still not finished. Barak is seeking a more permanent solution than simply removing a few checkpoints here and there. more.. Jenin security chief: We’ve changed our attitude, Israel still has not Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 8/28/2007 JENIN - Members of the Palestinian security forces in Jenin were very excited yesterday by the presence of many Israeli media teams in town. They were doubly excited by what was being considered the Palestinian security forces’ biggest success in recent years: saving an Israeli officer from being lynched after he accidentally drove into the city. Commanders of Jenin’s main security forces - police, intelligence and national security - said their swift intervention to save the major in the Israel Defense Forces proved that the Palestinian Authority’s security teams can deal with real threats and take over security in West Bank cities. Visiting Jenin yesterday, the Palestinian security commander in the West Bank, General Ziab al-Ali, told Haaretz that during the past year, the PA’s forces have prevented dozens of attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers in the West Bank. more.. Israel considers border fence with Egypt Ruth Sinai and Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 8/28/2007 Israel is considering the construction of a border fence in cooperation with Egypt to prevent the passage of terrorists, smugglers and asylum-seekers between the two countries, Prime Minister’s Office Director General Ra’anan Dinur told the Knesset Committee on Foreign Workers yesterday. A government official said Vice Premier Haim Ramon pitched the idea of the fence to the head of Egyptian Intelligence Omar Suleiman in Cairo a few weeks ago. Following Ramon’s visit, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was considering opening official negotiations with Egypt on the fence. Egypt has yet to respond to the proposal. Construction of the fence unilaterally by Israel would cost between NIS 2. 5 to 3 billion. Officials in Jerusalem said it was unlikely Egypt would agree to the fence’s construction, and thus a unilateral move would damage the relations between the two countries. more.. Hezbollah to blast Israel with blitz of law suits Yoav Stern, Ha’aretz 8/28/2007 Hezbollah is planning to file a host of lawsuits against Israel over the damages it caused during the Second Lebanon War. Lebanese individuals with dual citizenship will file the suits in the countries where they hold citizenship. Attorney Ibrahim Awada, who heads Hezbollah’s legal department, revealed the plan last week on a Syrian television program devoted to "Zionist crimes against Lebanon." He said that each plaintiff will hire a lawyer in the country where he files suit, and Hezbollah will pay the lawyers’ fees. The Lebanese government began mulling lawsuits against Israel immediately after the war ended last summer, but was stymied by the fact that United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the war, blamed Hezbollah, rather than Israel, for its outbreak. more.. PA security forces say Jenin rescue proves their mettle Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 8/29/2007 Members of the Palestinian security forces in Jenin were very excited Tuesday by the presence of many Israeli media teams in town. They were doubly excited by what was being considered the Palestinian security forces’ biggest success in recent years: saving an Israeli officer from being lynched after he accidentally drove into the city. Commanders of Jenin’s main security forces - police, intelligence and national security - said their swift intervention to save the major in the Israel Defense Forces proved that the Palestinian Authority’s security teams can deal with real threats and take over security in West Bank cities. Visiting Jenin Tuesday, the Palestinian security commander in the West Bank, General Ziab al-Ali, told Haaretz that during the past year, the PA’s forces have prevented dozens of attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers in the West Bank. more.. Reinventing Nativ with triple the funds, more territory Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 8/28/2007 Nativ, once a clandestine organization that promoted Jewish identity and immigration to Israel from behind the Iron Curtain, is hoping that last month’s cabinet decision redefining its mission will reverse its decline since the Soviet Union collapsed. During most of its existence, Nativ was subordinate to the prime minister. But after the fall of communism, successive premiers paid it less and less attention. Last year, however, Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman, himself a Soviet immigrant, entered the government and promptly took Nativ under his wing. He secured both a budget increase to bail it out of a financial crisis this year and a promise to triple its funding in 2008. In early July, an interministerial committee recommended that Nativ’s operations be expanded to Germany, and the cabinet approved this recommendation a few weeks ago. more.. MIDEAST: Bush Peace Plan Met with Scepticism Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani, Inter Press Service 8/28/2007 CAIRO, Aug 28(IPS) - Last month, U.S. President George W. Bush called for an international summit aimed at reaching a final settlement of the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But while most Arab capitals welcomed the proposal, unofficial reactions to Bush’s newfound zeal to revive the Middle East "peace process" have been less sanguine. "This is a last-minute attempt by the U.S. President to prove that he cares about the Palestinian issue," Mohamed Abu al-Hadid, political analyst and chairman of the state-owned print-house Dar al-Tahrir (which publishes official daily al-Gomhouriya), told IPS. "He sat for seven years in the presidency without making any serious effort until now to restart negotiations." On Jul. 16, Bush announced a new U. more.. UK charity targets Israel Yaakov Lappin, YNetNews 8/28/2007 War On Want: Israel’s disregard for human rights is one of gravest injustices in century - A British charity has denied charges of anti-Semitism after coming under fire for producing a detailed guide to boycotting Israel. War on Want, ostensibly a charity set up to fight worldwide poverty, recently published a guide on its website, entitled, "Towards a global movement for Palestine; a framework for today’s anti-apartheid activism." "Boycotts, divestment, and sanctions have gained currency in recent years as a series of strategies to pressure Israel in pursuit of justice for Palestinians," the guide’s introduction said. "Yet, it is clear that initiatives need to strengthen and gain greater popular support if they are to be an effective force in support of Palestinians," it continued, before instructing... more.. Egyptian film star faces ban for acting with Israeli Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 8/29/2007 CAIRO: A rising Egyptian film star who plays the son-in-law of Saddam Hussein in a BBC drama faces a possible ban on performing in Egypt for acting with an Israeli in the film. Actor Amr Waked, now shooting in Tunisia, ran into trouble when his union discovered that Israeli actor Yigal Naor had been cast in the role of the ousted and executed dictator in the drama about his life. Waked, who appeared alongside Hollywood stars George Clooney and Matt Damon in Stephen Gaghan’s 2005 blockbuster "Syriana," defended his position, telling several Egyptian newspapers that he did not know an Israeli was involved until after he signed a contract. He also said the film was pro-Arab and criticizes United States foreign policy, according to the English-language newspaper The Egyptian Mail. more.. POLITICS: Israel Warned US Not to Invade Iraq after 9/11 Gareth Porter, Inter Press Service 8/28/2007 WASHINGTON, Aug 28(IPS) - Israeli officials warned the George W. Bush administration that an invasion of Iraq would be destabilising to the region and urged the United States to instead target Iran as the primary enemy, according to former administration official Lawrence Wilkerson. Wilkerson, then a member of the State Department's Policy Planning Staff and later chief of staff for Secretary of State Colin Powell, recalled in an interview with IPS that the Israelis reacted immediately to indications that the Bush administration was thinking of war against Iraq. After the Israeli government picked up the first signs of that intention, Wilkerson says, "The Israelis were telling us Iraq is not the enemy -- Iran is the enemy." Wilkerson describes the Israeli message to the Bush administration in early 2002... more.. Minister of Women’s Affairs meets Egyptian Ambassador Ma’an News Agency 8/28/2007 Ramallah – Ma’an – The Palestinian minister for Women’s Affairs, Khulud D’eibis, met on Tuesday with the Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian territories, Ashraf ’Aqil, in Ramallah in the northern West Bank. The minister briefed her guest on the establishment of the ministry as well as updating him on the daily suffering of Palestinian women as a result of Israeli measures. D’eibis also stated the importance of Egyptian support for the celebrations of Jerusalem, the capital of Arab culture 2009. She said that Egyptian participation was vital in making the celebrations a success, stressing that Jerusalem remains the symbol of Arab sovereignty. The Egyptian ambassador reiterated his government’s support to the legal Palestinian government and highlighted his government’s readiness to engage in an exchange of expertise with the Palestinians. more.. Nativity Church deportees may be allowed home Ma’an News Agency 8/28/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Palestinian sources said on Tuesday that they believe that the file on the deportees from the Bethlehem Nativity Church will be closed during the holy month of Ramadan and that the deportees will be able to return to their homes in the West Bank from the Gaza Strip and Europe, where they have been in exile since 2002. Jihad J’aara, one of thirteen deportees to Europe told Ma’an via telephone that "Israel has expressed readiness to have 28 deportees in the Gaza Strip return to their homes in the West Bank." J’aara also said that the issue of the 14 deportees in Europe is still under discussion. At the beginning of 2002 an Israeli incursion into the West Bank city of Bethlehem resulted in dozens of Palestinians seeking refuge in the Nativity Church where they thought they would be safe. more.. An Economist’s Task: Building a Model for his People Steven Erlanger, MIFTAH 8/28/2007 THE first time Salam Fayyad was in the Oval Office, he did not know where he was. He got a hint when President Bush walked in with an upraised arm, giving the “Hook ’em Horns” sign. Mr. Bush may not have been fortunate enough to go to the University of Texas, having been exiled to Yale. But Mr. Fayyad earned a Ph. D. in economics in Austin. He follows the Texas football team, and his eldest son, Khaled, just started college there. Mr. Fayyad, 55, the non-Hamas prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, considers his real alma mater American University of Beirut, where he graduated in 1975. Its motto, he says, is, “That they may have life and have it more abundantly. ” That is his hope for the Palestinian people, and his own difficult, ambitious and dicey task. more.. Barak won’t rule out huge Israeli military operation against Gaza if Palestinian ’rocket’ attacks continue Ma’an News Agency 8/27/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Israeli radio has reported that Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak won’t rule out launching a huge military operation if Palestinian factions continue launching "rockets" at Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip. Barak estimated that Israel will have the ability to stop the "rockets" in the next two and half years. Barak also believes that Hamas might carry out "terror operations" in order to disrupt the peace summit scheduled for this autumn. [end] Israeli cabinet call for waging large-scale military attack on Gaza Palestinian Information Center 8/27/2007 GAZA, (PIC)-- Israeli ministers called on Sunday for launching large-scale attacks on the Gaza Strip and for escalating assassinations, at the pretext of stopping the firing of resistance rockets, which pounded the Zionist settlement outposts, as well as the infiltration to the Palestinian lands occupied in 1948. During a routine cabinet meeting, Israeli minister of internal security Avi Dichter said that the IOF troops must take hold of rocket-launching areas in the north of the Gaza Strip and use them as bases to wage armed attacks on the Palestinians, not ruling out the full evacuation of those areas from their Palestinian residents. For his part, Israeli interior minister Meir Shitrit urged the government to enter Gaza militarily, instead of depending on retaliations, to eliminate the Palestinian resistance. more.. Abbas, Olmert to discuss principles ahead of conference Ronny Sofer, YNetNews 8/28/2007 Palestinian president set to arrive at prime minister’s Jerusalem residence in order to discuss preparations for US-sponsored Middle East conference scheduled to take place in Washington in November Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is scheduled to meet Tuesday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at his Jerusalem residence. The two are expected to discuss the forming a document of principles ahead of the US-sponsored international conference scheduled to take place in November in Washington. In the first part of the meeting, the negotiating teams from both sides will meet with the two leaders. Later, Olmert and Abbas will move to the prime minister’s private office where they will discuss issues related to the document of principles. The prime minister is expected to tell the Palestinian president... more.. Israeli soldier enter Jenin city, PA hands him back to the army Ghassan Bannoura News, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007 An Israeli soldier mistakenly drove his car into the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Monday. Security forces of the Palestinian Authority detained the soldier before handing him to the Israeli army. Palestinian sources reported that one Israeli soldier entered the city in his car. Upon reaching the city center, residents gathered around the car and attacked the soldier, thinking that he had arrived to kill local resistance fighters. While the car was set on fire, the soldier was not harmed in any way. Entering the city in civilian cars and killing local youth and resistance fighters is a policy that is commonly used by the Israeli army. The city of Jenin is surrounded by Israeli settlements and checkpoints are present on all roads leading in and out of the city. [end] Livni: Rescue of IDF major proves PA’s strength Avi Issacharoff, and Amos Harels, Haaretz Service and The Associated, Ha’aretz 8/27/2007 Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Monday praised the Palestinian Authority for rescuing an Israel Defense Forces officer who inadvertently entered the West Bank city of Jenin. "This operation proves that the Palestinian government and its forces are growing stronger in the field relative to the terrorist organizations," Livni said, during a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad. Livni stressed that the rescue of the IDF officer is an example of how security deterioration can be prevented, and how Israel and the Palestinians can avoid harm to both sides. Livni and Fayad also discussed regional developments, including the Middle East summit scheduled to take place in the fall. The pair agreed on renewing the activity of currently defunct joint Israeli-PA committees on economic and environmental issues. more.. PA forces rescue IDF officer in Jenin Roee Nahmias, YNetNews 8/27/2007 IDF major en route to northern West Bank accidentally enters Jenin. Mob attacks his car, forces him out and beats him. Palestinian security officers save him from crowd moments before they torched his car. Islamic Jihad slam PA security for denying them opportunity to kidnap officer - An IDF officer was rescued Monday afternoon by Palestinian Authority police officers after he mistakenly entered Jenin. The officer, a major serving in the army’s Central Command, was on his way to the Mevo Dotan settlement in the northern West Bank but accidentally drove into Jenin, located seven miles northeast of the settlement. Holiday Adventure Israeli vacationers take wrong turn, end up in Jericho/ Efrat Weiss Family gets lost on way to vacation resort in Tiberias, ends up in Jericho. more.. Al Quds Brigades slams P.A security forces for handing to Israel a soldier captured earlier Monday Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007 The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, issued a press release on Monday slamming the Palestinian Preventive Security Force, loyal to Fateh movement, for handing to Israel a soldier who entered Jenin earlier in the day and was captured by members of the Brigades. One of the leaders of the Brigades stated that members of the brigades in Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank, managed to capture an Israeli officer who infiltrated into the city. "But our fighters were surprised to see members of the Preventive Security Force surrounding them and taking the soldier away", the leader stated, "the soldier was wearing his military uniform, he was moved to the security headquarters in the city before four Israeli jeeps entered the city and the preventive security forces handed the soldier to them". more.. Lieberman: Not the time for military action against Iran Ronny Sofer, YNetNews 8/28/2007 Strategic Affairs Minister, in an interview with Israel Radio’s Persian language channel, says economic sanctions most effective way to deal with rogue Islamic republic - Economic sanctions, not military actions, are the right tools to deal with Iran right now, Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Monday evening in an interview with Israel Radio’s Persian language channel. "I don’t think that a military solution is the right way to go at this point," Lieberman said in response to a question regarding Israeli action against Iran... The most effective way to stop the Iranian nuclear program is through economic sanctions. This was the case in Libya and Korea," he stated. "Unfortunately however, those who will pay the price (of sanctions) are the Iranian people. more.. Hamas sources differ on report of renewed attacks Amos Harel Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 8/27/2007 Hamas officials offered differing opinions Sunday on the question of renewing terrorist attacks in the West Bank and Israel. A political adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Ahmad Yousef, told Haaretz that the Shin Bet security service’s assessments that the group is intensifying efforts to undermine diplomatic dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority through a series of spectacular terrorist attacks are inaccurate. "There is no change in the Hamas position. Israel is threatening us and attacking us - we are only responding to provocations. But we do not intend to initiate any action, like the resumption of suicide bombings," Yousef said. However, Fawzi Barhum, spokesman for Hamas in Gaza, told Haaretz that the organization intends to use any means to achieve its aims. more.. Public Security Minister Dichter: Egypt wants Hamas to prosper Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 8/27/2007 Public Security Minister Avi Dichter said that Egypt’s failure to prevent arms smuggling implies that the country wants Hamas to prosper, Army Radio reported Monday. In an interview with Army Radio, Dichter said that "any right thinking person who witnesses the Egyptians’ failure to act against arms smuggling can all but infer that strengthening Hamas is their interest." "Egypt is capable of acting decisively against Hamas, but hasn’t done that for more than seven years," Dichter added. "Their intelligence is as good as ours," he concluded. The deputy head of the Shin Bet security service told the cabinet at its weekly meeting on Sunday that 40 tons of explosives have been smuggled into the Strip since Hamas took over the coastal area in mid-June. more.. An Israeli document suggests prisoners swap deal between Israel and Palestinians Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 8/27/2007 The Israeli government might consider a prisoner swap deal for the release of captured Israeli soldier, Gil’ad Shalit, who has been held by Palestinian resistance groups in southern Gaza since June, 2006, Maan News Agency reported. According to a document, leaked from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, the Kadima party-led Israeli government is suggesting possible prisoners swap deal in the near future amidst internal security assessment in light of PM Olmert’s ‘failure’ to secure security achievements as well as social and economic projects. Such a breakthrough is regarded as a crucial by the current Israeli government, so as it can gain confidence of the Israeli public, the document suggests. A likely prisoner swap, therefore, might involve a list of Hamas-linked prisoners, Israel had previously rejected,... more.. On the eve of Shalit’s birthday, Haniyeh advisor appeals to Israel to show goodwill for a prisoners exchange Ma’an News Agency 8/27/2007 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Political advisor of deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, Ahmed Yousef, on Monday expressed the former government’s willingness to exchange Palestinian prisoners for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. In a special interview with Ma’an, Ahmad Yousef appealed to the Israeli government to show goodwill on the issue, as he said Hamas did when it released an audio recording of Shalit in order to reassure his family. Yousef said "Israel must release the hostages in the Israeli prisons." Yousef also said that Israel failed to appreciate Hamas’ gesture and did not release any prisoners as a result. Hamas is serious about an exchange of detainees, stated Yousef. The Hamas movement has presented everything that is required for completing the deal, said Yousef; such as a list of prisoners wanted in exchange for Shalit. more.. ’Free women and children and we’ll release Shalit video’ Roee Nahmias, YNetNews 8/27/2007 Ismail Haniye’s diplomatic advisor conveys message to Israel, saying prisoner swap could be advanced - The Hamas government led by Ismail Haniyeh is interested in speeding up the prisoner swap deal for the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Haniyeh’s diplomatic advisor said Monday. In interviews with Palestinian news agencies, Dr Ahmed Yusef called on the Israeli government to make a goodwill gesture "as the Hamas movement did when it released an audio tape of Shalit in order to calm his family down." As part of the gesture, Yusef said, Israel should release female Palestinian prisoners and prisoners under the age of 18. "Unfortunately, they had no appreciation for Hamas’ move and did not make any goodwill gesture," Haniyeh’s advisor said. more.. Barak: Hezbollah rocket arsenal bigger now than before the war Shahar Ilan, Ha’aretz 8/27/2007 Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hezbollah has more rockets today than it did prior to the Second Lebanon War last summer. According to a source who was present at the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
