| News |  |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |
| Conflict |
8 killed in Gaza violence
Ali Waked, YNetNews 9/26/2007
Palestinian sources say five terrorists killed in Gaza’s Zeitun neighborhood in apparent Israeli airstrike on jeep traveling in area; three civilians killed by IDF shell in northern Gaza Strip - Five members of a small terror group linked to the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier last year were killed Wednesday afternoon in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources said. Missiles fired by an Israeli aircraft slammed into a jeep as it traveled in the Zeitun neighborhood carrying members of the Army of Islam, the terror group implicated in the kidnapping of Corporal Gilad Shalit and BBC journalist Alan Johnston. In a seperate incident, three Palestinians, including a kid, were killed and 20 others were injured when a tank shell hit a house in the Beit Hanun neighborhood in northern Gaza. more..
Barak: Gaza operation near
Ynet, YNetNews 9/26/2007
Defense minister says in radio interview that clock is ticking on extensive operation in Strip, but adds ’such an operation is not easy in terms of forces, time frame or challenges to be met’ - "We will use all our diplomatic means to weaken the Hamas leadership and its effectiveness, but the truth must be told, we are nearing an extensive operation in Gaza," Defense Minister Ehud Barak told army radio Wednesday morning. The minister explained there were many reasons why the operation was not carried out in the past few weeks, and added that an operation in Gaza "is not easy in terms of forces, the amount of time that the IDF would have to stay there, or in terms of the operational challenges the fighters will be met with. more..
Israel closes Palestinian borders
Haroon Siddique and agencies, The Guardian 9/26/2007
Israel today announced it had sealed off the West Bank and Gaza Strip ahead of a Jewish holiday because of the "significant terror threat". The shutdown means Palestinians cannot enter Israel unless they have an urgent humanitarian need and includes travel bans within Palestinian areas. The restrictions will stay in place at least until the end of the week-long Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which begins at sunset, and would be lifted only "in accordance with security assessments". "In light of the significant terror threat during the Jewish holiday... a general closure will be implemented... during the holiday period," a the military said. Blanket closures are usually imposed on Jewish holidays, and restrictions are eased, though not lifted, once the holidays are over. more..
Settlers plan five new West Bank outposts during Sukkot holiday
Nadav Shragai, Ha’aretz 9/26/2007
Right-wing activists are planning to set up five new settlement nuclei throughout the West Bank this Sunday, during the interim days of Sukkot. The operation, details of which were announced yesterday, will include taking possession of the land at the following locations: Givat Ha’eitam near Efrat, Hill 1013 near Halhoul in the Hebron region, Nofei Hashmonaim near Hashmonaim, "Harhivi" outpost near Elon Moreh, and "Shvut Ami" outpost in Samaria. The extra-parliamentary right-wing movements participating in the operation are also planning a major march to Homesh, a northern West Bank settlement vacated in 2005 as part of the disengagement from Gaza. "This is the only way to get out of the alleyways and back to the main road, through the Land of Israel," one movement leader, Arye Yitzhaki, told Haaretz. more..
Israeli forces seize Palestinian ’wanted’ in connection with killing two soldiers
Ma’an News Agency 9/26/2007
Nablus Ma’an Israeli forces on Wednesday apprehended Fatah activist, twenty-three-year-old Ayman Zibin, from Nablus, in the northern West Bank. Zibin works in the armament department of the Palestinian police. Palestinian security sources stated that Israeli soldiers raided Zibin’s home in Rafidia, in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and seized him on charge of involvement in the killing of two Israeli soldiers at the beginning of the Second / Al-Aqsa Intifada, in Ramallah. The sources added that Zibin had not been included in the amnesty list of Fatah activists to be exempt from pursuit by Israel. Israeli radio announced on Wednesday morning that Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has fulfilled the pledge he made as prime minister; to arrest all Palestinians ’wanted’ in association... more..
Palestinian resistance fighters drive Israeli troops out of Qabatiya
Ma’an News Agency 9/26/2007
Jenin Ma’an Islamic Jihad’s military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, on Wednesday claimed that it hurled grenades at Israeli forces which had set ambushes in the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya. Early on Wednesday morning, eight Israeli military vehicles invaded Qabatiya and deployed infantry units in four areas of the town. The troops set ambushes in an attempt to seize Palestinian resistance fighters, but they were discovered and attacked with grenades. The Israeli forces subsequently withdrew from Qabatiya. [end]
Israeli forces seize seven Palestinians
Ma’an News Agency 9/26/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an Israeli forces on Wednesday morning seized seven Palestinians in different parts of the West Bank. Israeli sources said that the army conducted raids in search of ’wanted’ Palestinians in Jenin, in the northern West Bank, and in Ramallah, in the centre. [end]
10-kilogramme explosive device discovered near Hebron
Ma’an News Agency 9/26/2007
Hebron Ma’an A 10-kilogramme explosive device ready to explode, was found in the middle of a residential neighborhood in the town of Durasouth west of Hebron on Tuesday, a high-ranking officer in the Palestinian intelligenceservice told Ma’an on Wednesday The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Palestinian security surrounded the area and began interrogating local people. The Palestinian security force was then surrounded by an Israeli military force. An Israeli bomb disposal unit detonated the explosive device safely. He added that no suspects have yet been arrested. [end]
IDF: Qassam rockets discovered in West Bank were not operational
Mijal Grinberg and Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Service and The Associated, Ha’aretz 9/26/2007
The two Qassam rockets found by Palestinian Authority security forces near Bethlehem on Wednesday were not operational, an Israel Defense Forces official said Wednesday. Upon their discovery, the rockets were transferred to IDF inspectors who said that the rockets "looked more like a pile of pipes than rockets that are about to be launched." An IDF official added that there is no evidence showing that the owners of the rockets had launching capabilities. PA forces who found the Qassam rockets said militants were intending to fire them on Jerusalem. It is unclear to whom the rockets belong, and the PA has launched an investigation. Qassam rockets are regularly fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel, but the mostly rural nature of the western Negev region prevents massive casualties. more..
Nablus: IDF arrests last participant in Ramallah lynching
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 9/26/2007
Paratroopers apprehend 36-year-old Tanzim member who was part of angry mob that brutally killed two Israeli reserve soldiers in 2000 - IDF forces in Nablus on Wednesday arrested 36-year-old Tanzim member Hayman Zaban, who was involved in carrying out the lynch in Ramallah some seven years ago in which Israeli reserve soldiers Vadim Nurzhitz and Yossi Avrahami were killed. Zaban is the last of the suspects in the incident to be arrested, and was transferred to defense forces for investigation. "Zaban was shocked when the soldiers came to arrest him," an IDF official said, adding that the Tanzim member was unaware that Israeli security forces were still on his trail. The military said Zaban had eluded IDF forces up until now by moving from one West Bank city to another. more..
Qassam lands in Kibbutz near Gaza
Tovah Dadon, YNetNews 9/26/2007
Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for rocket fire toward Shaar Hanegev where no casualties are reported - A Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a house in the Shaar Hanegev Kibbutz on Wednesday, causing no injuries. The attack came hours after nine Palestinians were killed by the IDF in two separate incidents. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. About 20 rockets and mortar shells were fired towards Israel on Wednesday, but only 10 made it across the border. The remainder fell in the Gaza Strip. Five members of a terror group were killed in an airstrike that targeted a jeep in Gaza City on Wednesday. The Palestinians said the five were members of the Army of Islam, a small group linked to the kidnappings of Corporal Gilad Shalit and BBC Journalist Alan Johnston. more..
Five Molotov cocktails thrown at Israeli car; no wounded or damage
Jerusalem Post 9/27/2007
Palestinians threw five Molotov cocktails at an Israeli car traveling south of Nablus Wednesday evening. None of the car’s occupants were wounded and no damage caused. The IDF conducted a sweep of the area, and discovered two additional Molotov cocktails. [end]
Two Palestinians kidnapped near Hebron
Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center 9/26/2007
Israeli military forces kidnapped two Palestinians from Hebron and the nearby town of Athana, after clashes broke out between troops and Palestinian youths across the area. The two kidnapped Palestinians were later identified as Mohammad Al Batran, 17, and Yousif Abu Jihesha, 22. In related news, eyewitnesses reported that several neighborhoods in Beit Omar and Halhoul witnessed massive nighttime clashes with Israeli troops. While Israeli soldiers used rounds of rubber-coated bullets and tear-gas, Palestinian youths retaliated with stones. No injuries or abductions were reported. [end]
Resistance factions retaliate to the death of Eight residents in the Gaza Strip
Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 9/26/2007
Several Palestinian resistance factions in the Gaza Strip exchanged fire with Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and fired Rocket Propelled Grenades(RPG) at them in retaliation to the death of Eight Palestinians killed by invading Israeli forces in the coastal region on Wednesday. The two armed groups stated that the attack comes part of the natural response to the ongoing Israeli invasion to several parts of the Gaza Strip, and "in retaliation to the crimes carried by the invading forces against the Palestinian people. The two groups added that their fighters will not hesitate in defending the people against these invasions. EightPalestinians were killed by the invading Israeli forces in several areas in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Medical sources reported that five of the slain residents were identified... more..
Exclusive: Ynet reporter visits site of ’Syria operation’
Ron Ben-Yishai, YNetNews 9/26/2007
Ynet reporter and commentator Ron Ben-Yishai visits Syria, speaks to residents about Israel’s alleged overflight. Deir Ezzor is a city located in the Syria’s northeast region close to the Turkish border, and home to what Syria claims to be an agricultural research station. It was there that residents heard the sound of jets overhead on the night between the fifth and sixth of September. It was there that Israel allegedly carried out an air raid two weeks ago. At a checkpoint in the city, a Syrian soldier refused us access to the agricultural research station. Mamnua! he said firmly, and signaled a warning sign with his hand upon noticing the camera. The farm was four or five kilometers away from us. From a distance, we could see some pits that looked like part of a mine or a quarry. more..
Palestinians: Shelling caused power outages in northern Gaza
Jerusalem Post 9/27/2007
Power has failed in some parts of the northern Gaza Strip due to shelling, the Palestinian Ramatan news agency reported Wednesday evening. The report was not confirmed by any other source. [end]
Eight killed and 20 wounded in Israeli invasion of Gaza Strip
Ma’an News Agency 9/26/2007
Gaza Ma’an Eight people were killed and at least 20 others injured in Israeli air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Medical sources have said the injured are in a critical condition. Four people died instantly and another was seriously injured when the Israeli airforce bombed a car in which they were travelling, south of Gaza city. Ma’an’s correspondent said that an Israeli airplane launched at least two rockets at the car, carrying the four armed men, thought to be members of the Army of Islam. Three other bystanders were also injured. All the dead and injured were taken to Al-Shifaa Hospital in Gaza City. The army of Islam denied that their leader Khattab Al-Maqdisi was among the dead, but confirmed that four members of the group were killed. more..
Palestine Today 092607
Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 9/26/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 2. 74MB || Time 3m 0s || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Wednesday September 26th, 2007. In the West Bank, Israeli forces storm several cities kidnapping a number of Palestinian civilians. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, Israeli warplanes shell the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, injuring two. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. Israeli military forces kidnapped one Palestinian from the northern West Bank city of Nablus in the early hours of Wednesday morning. After besieging several dwellings in the city, civilians were forced from their homes and one man, later identified as Ayman Al Zaben, was kidnapped. more..
15 Palestinians arrested across the West Bank
Ma’an News Agency 9/25/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an An explosive device was thrown at an Israeli force, operating in Nablus in the northern West Bank, on Tuesday morning, according to Israeli radio. No casualties were reported. Israeli radio also reported that Israeli forces arrested 15 Palestinians in different cities across the West Bank. Four of those arrested were from the village of Beit Iba, west of Nablus in the northern West Bank, and another from the Balata refugee camp, east of the city. [end]
Seven Palestinian civilians kidnapped in Hebron and nearby village
Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 9/25/2007
The Israeli army attacked and searched Palestinian homes in the southern west Bank city of Hebron and the nearby Sourif village on Tuesday morning, kidnapping seven civilians, Palestinian sources reported. The four were kidnapped when the army attacked and searched homes in the village, witnesses reported. Another three were kidnapped from Hebron city center after the army stormed and rasnaked a number of homes. The civilians were later identified as Mo’tasem Jaber, 17, Mazen Jaber, 18, and Ashraf Idrees, 21. All three were taken to unknown detention camp. [end]
Brigades launch attacks against Israeli targets
Ma’an News Agency 9/25/2007
Gaza Ma’an The National Resistance Brigades (NRB), the armed wing of the Democratic front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) claimed responsibility on Monday evening for launching a homemade projectile at the Western Negev Israeli town of Sderot. They said in a statement sent to Ma’an that the shelling came was in revenge for the suffering of the Palestinian people injured by Israeli forces and for those detained by Israel. They also said that the attack was proof they intended to continue their policy of resistance. In a separate incident, the NRB, along with Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility for launching a projectile at the Nir ’Am Israeli Kibbutz. The Al-Aqsa Brigades, and Al-Quds Brigades of the Islamic Jihad on Monday evening claimed responsibility for launching two... more..
Israeli forces seize Hamas operative in Nablus
Ma’an News Agency 9/25/2007
Nablus Ma’an An undercover Israeli force arrested a Hamas operative in southern Nablus in the West Bank on Tuesday, Nablus’ Ma’an correspondent reported. Eyewitnesses said that an undercover Israeli force besiged the home of thirty-two-year-old Zahi Al-Kusa, a Hamas activist, in the Al-Dahiya neioghbourhood of Nablus before military back up arrived and apprehended the man taking him to the Huwwara military post south of Nablus. Hamas sources confirmed that Al-Kusa had been arrested, saying he was the fourth Hamas operative to be arrested since last Friday. [end]
Al-Aqsa Brigades hurl bombs at Israeli military jeeps in Nablus
Ma’an News Agency 9/25/2007
Nablus Ma’an A unit of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, on Tuesday claimed responsibility for hurling three explosive devices at Israeli military jeeps in the centre of Nablus in the northern West Bank. The group told Ma’an via telephone that one of the devices directly hit one of the jeeps near the Balata Taxi station in the centre of Nablus. [end]
Two armed Palestinians arrested on the Israeli/Gaza border
Ma’an News Agency 9/25/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an Israeli forces arrested two armed Palestinians who were trying to cross into Israel from the Gaza Strip near the Kisufim crossing on Tuesday, Israeli sources said. Israeli security sources said that a patrol operating in the area apprehended the men who were found to be carrying weapons. Israeli security announced a state of alert in the neighbouring settlements, fearing there could have been other Palestinian militants. [end]
Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades in Nablus receive threatening voice messages from Israeli intelligence
Ma’an News Agency 9/25/2007
Nablus Ma’an Activists within the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades in Nablus in the northern West Bank said on Tuesday that they have been receiving voice messages on their cell phones, allegedly, from the Israeli intelligence threatening to kill them and demolish their families’ homes. A spokesperson from the Brigades commented on these messages saying they are part of the psychological pressure the Israeli occupation uses to break the spirit of the brigades’ fighters aiming to get them to abandon resistance. He said the Israelis were using this tactic in Nablus because they have recently been hit hard in the city by the Palestinian resistance. A few days ago, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades escalated their actions against Israeli... more..
Islamic Jihad activist arrested
Ma’an News Agency 9/25/2007
Tulkarem Ma’an Israeli forces arrested an Islamic Jihad activist, on Tuesday. Twenty-six-year-old Nadir Ajaj was arrested during an incursion into the town of Sayda, north of Tulkarem in the northern West Bank, Ma’an’s reporter said. [end]
Israeli forces storm home of Islamic Jihad member
Ali Samoudi, International Middle East Media Center 9/25/2007
Israeli military forces on Tuesday morning invaded the Rumana village, located west of Jenin, targeting the home of an Islamic Jihad member identified as Ameed Amoor, 22. In related news, the Israeli army kidnapped 3 Palestinians on a flying checkpoint, located west of Jenin city, in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Eyewitnesses reported that the kidnapped Palestinians were handcuffed and forced into an Israeli patrol vehicle, after which they were taken to an unknown destination. [end]
Kassam rocket strikes western Negev; none wounded
Jerusalem Post 9/26/2007
A Kassam rocket struck an area of the western Negev near the border of Gaza and Israel late Tuesday night. Nobody was wounded in the attack, and no damage was reported. [end]
Palestine Today 092507
Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 9/25/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 2. 74MB || Time 3m 0s || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Tuesday September 25th, 2007. The Israeli army invades several West Bank cities and kidnaps civilians while the Palestinian resistance in Gaza attacks Israeli targets, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. The Israeli army attacked and searched Palestinian homes in the southern west Bank city of Hebron and the nearby village of Sourif on Tuesday morning, kidnapping seven civilians. Four people were kidnapped when the army attacked Sourif village. Among them was the Mayor, Mohamed Al Houar. Another three were kidnapped in Hebron city center after the army stormed and ransacked a number of houses. more..
Israel constructs 40 new roadblocks in the West Bank despite repeated promised to reduce their numbe
Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center 9/25/2007
A U. N. Investigation has found that the Israeli administration has established approximately 40 new roadblocks in the West Bank in spite of previous promises to reduce their number. During his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this week, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised to lighten the Israeli restrictions imposed on Palestinians, included the removal of 24 roadblocks and other additional lightening of movement restrictions. Despite such guarantees, the number of the roadblocks has increased to 572, compared to 376 roadblocks in August 2005. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the increase in number represents a percentage increase of 52%. In the southern region of the West Bank, specifically in the Hebron area, while Israeli... more..
Israel considers cutting off Gazas electricity if homemade shells fired
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 9/24/2007
The Israeli security committee, installed by the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, in the wake of the Israeli cabinets announcement Gaza is an enemy entity, recommended that Israel should cut off an Israeli power cable, feeding Gaza, once a Palestinian homemade rocket lands in Israel. The committees recommendation would include five main power supply cables, feeding Gaza with the needed electricity. In case the Israeli defense minister approves the recommendation, he will have to submit it to the minister of infrastructure, Fouad BinElaizer, for final approval by the Israeli power company, the Israeli Maareef Daily reported. Quoting an Israeli security source, the Maareef newspaper said it is not anticipated that the international community would criticize Israel for imposing such a punishment. more..
Israeli forces seize 22 in ongoing raids throughout the West Bank
Ma’an News Agency 9/24/2007
Nablus Ma’an Israeli forces seized 22 Palestinians during raids in in the West Bank Monday morning. Ten of those detained were taken from the area around the city of Nablus. Separately, Israeli forces stormed the village of Deir Al-Hatab, east of Nablus, laying siege to the home of Ahmad Mash’ati, a leader in the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP), threatening to demolish the building if he did not surrender. Local sources said Israeli military vehicles invaded the village of Beit Furik, east of Nablus seizing seven PFLP supporters. The Israeli forces also stormed the village of Awarta, south of Nablus, and seizing one Palestinian. Another resident was taken by Israeli soldiers from Balata refugee camp east of Nablus. more..
EF officer dies of wounds sustained in Ash-Shati refugee camp
Ma’an News Agency 9/24/2007
Gaza Ma’an Twenty-one-year-old Palestinian citizen, Al Matar, from Ash-Shati refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Sunday night died of a gunshot wound he received to his chest a week ago. The spokesperson of the Hamas-affiliated Executive Force, Islam Shahwan, said that Matar was a member of the EF and was injured performing his duties as a guard for the military medical services in Ash-Shati. The EF seized three citizens from the camp, allegedly Fatah loyalists, who were accused of shooting Matar and his colleague. [end]
Al-Aqsa Brigades shoot at Israeli hitch-hiker
Ma’an News Agency 9/24/2007
Gaza Ma’an Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed group affiliated to the Fatah movement, on Monday claimed responsibility for firing at an Israeli hitch-hiker near the Shilo settlement intersection in northern West Bank. The brigades said in a statement, received by Ma’an, that Israeli forces hurried to the scene and tried to chase the assailants, but failed to catch any. [end]
National Resistance Brigades shell Nahal Oz
Ma’an News Agency 9/24/2007
Gaza Ma’an The National Resistance Brigades, the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), claimed responsibility on Monday morning for launching two mortar shells at the Israeli military post at Nahal ’Oz. The brigades explained in a statement that the shelling came as natural response to the Israeli policy of siege and incursions in the Gaza Strip. They reiterated their "adherence to resistance until the Palestinian territories are freed from occupation." [end]
Israel considers collective punishment of Gaza Strip
Ma’an News Agency 9/24/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an The Israeli security committee entrusted to examine how to deal with Gaza as an "enemy entity" on Monday recommended cutting the electricity supply to the Gaza Strip from Israel whenever a homemade projectile lands in Israeli territories. The Gaza Strip is supplied with five electricity lines from Israel, each providing seven megawatts. The Israeli security has formed a committee to provide recommendations to Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak, on the most suitable form of punishment for the Gaza Strip. If Barak accepts the recommendation, he will submit it to the Minister of Internal Infrastructure, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, who will ask the electricity company to cut supply to Gaza Strip. An Israeli security source told Israeli daily Maariv that the international community... more..
Resident dies of wounds sustained after being attacked by gunmen
International Middle East Media Center 9/24/2007
Palestinian medical sources in the West Bank reported on Monday that resident Ali Sa’id Matar, died on Sunday of wounds sustained on Thursday after being attacked by unknown gunmen. He added that internal violence and conflicts serve "the interests of the enemies of the Palestinian people", and called on all Palestinian factions and the Palestinian people to reject any calls for internal violence and to remain united in their struggle against the Israeli occupation. Majdalawi also said that those groups that are trying to create further tension and internal clashes should be exposed and prosecuted regardless of their political claims or preferences. [end]
Israeli army kidnaps 22 Palestinians
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 9/24/2007
The Israeli army kidnapped 22 Palestinians in the early hours of Monday morning from different parts of the West Bank. In Deir al-Hattab village, east of Nablus, Israeli forces besieged the house of Ahmad Mashati, a local leader of the Abu ali Mustafa brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Meanwhile, Israeli armored vehicles invaded the Beit Foreek village, also east of Nablus, where Israeli troops rounded up a number of PFLP supporters. In Awatra village, south of Nablus, one Palestinian civilian was kidnapped by invading Israeli forces. A second resident was taken from the Balata refugee camp, located in Nablus. Further kidnappings were also reported in Jenin, Ramallah and Hebron. [end]
LEBANON: Fields of Fire: Cluster bombs in Lebanon
Manoocher Deghati/IRIN, IRIN - UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 9/25/2007
Towards 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. Play Film by clicking Below - 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..
Israeli bulldozers raze arable lands in Rafah
Rami Almeghari & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 9/23/2007
Israeli army bulldozers, accompanied with tanks, incurred on Sunday some hundred meters into the Shuka village, to the east of Rafah city in southern Gaza Strip. Witnesses in the area said that the Israeli bulldozers razed the arable land of Samir aL-Masri, thus depriving about 50 farmers of their source of income. aL-Masri family member added that the bulldozers also damaged a number of green houses after they have razed the area. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said that an Israeli army undercover special unit stormed late at yesterday night the Sufa crossing area, to the southeast of Rafah city. The reports said about 40 Palestinian residents were taken prisoners during the yesterday night attack [end]
Israeli forces raid four Palestinian towns, attacking Muslims during prayer
Ma’an News Agency 9/23/2007
Jenin Ma’an Israeli forces raided residential areas in at least four separate attacks on the West Bank and Gaza Strip this weekend. Eyewitnesses said eight Israeli military vehicles invaded the West Bank town of Qabatiya’s old city. Israeli soldiers occupied rooftops and roamed the streets. The incursion came after an explosive device was reportedly thrown at an Israeli military patrol near the town. Israeli forces blocked the street, held up passing vehicles and searched the residents of the area. In a separate incident in the Al-Far’a valley in the northern West Bank Israeli soldiers threw tear gas canisters into the Al-Isra mosque during the evening prayer. Soldiers occupy West Bank home - Approximately 50 Israeli troops occupied a residential building in the West Bank town... more..
Israeli forces seize two in Nablus raids
Ma’an News Agency 9/23/2007
Nablus Ma’an Israeli forces stormed the town of Kafr Qallil, south of the the West Bank city of Nablus Sunday evening, seizing an activist affiliated with the armed wing of Fatah, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. The detained man, twenty-two-year-old Faris Mansur, had been one of the fighters who received amnesty from Israel in July. Earlier on Sunday, Israeli forces seized a Hamas activist named Ahmad Abu Al-Iz from Al-Ayn refugee camp, also near Nablus. The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth alleged that Abu Al-Iz was arrested after he attempted to hide in a weapons cache under a pregnant woman’s bed. Nasser Salman, head of the municipal council of the town of Qawsin, south of Nablus, said that Israeli forces invaded during Iftar, the daily breaking of the fast during Ramadan. more..
’No alternative to ground operations’
Roi Mandel, YNetNews 9/23/2007
Reports of IDF raid on secret military site spark debate regarding necessity of ground operations. ’No technology can replace people when it comes to intelligence gathering,’ former commando and current Meretz MK Vilan says - Reports in the foreign press regarding a raid by an elite IDF commando unit on a secret military site in Syria that took place prior to the alleged IAF overflight this month have once again sparked a debate regarding the necessity of ground operations in the modern battlefield. In a conversation with Ynet on Sunday, Meretz MK Avshalom Vilan, a former commando, said there was no alternative to collecting intelligence on the ground. "No technology can replace people when it comes to intelligence gathering," he said. more..
Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades claim fight with Israeli forces in Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 9/23/2007
Gaza Ma’an The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed to have clashed with Israeli forces in the eastern Gaza Strip on Saturday night. The brigades said they fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns in an "operation to emphasize our adherence to resistance as our choice to retaliate for Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people." [end]
Headquarters of Fatah Al-Yasser set ablaze in Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 9/23/2007
Gaza Ma’an The central Gaza headquarters of the Fatah-offshoot movement Fatah Al-Yasser were set ablaze Sunday evening. Witnesses said the building caught fire around dusk. Fighters rushed to the scene and extinguished the fire. The building, located near the entrance of Al-Bureij refugee camp was nonetheless damaged. They added that the building was set ablaze at the Iftar time, and that figher fighter hurried to the scene and extinguished the fire which caused material damage to the building near the entrance to Al-Buraij refugee camp. In July explosive device was detonated at the entrance of one of the movements offices in Gaza City [end]
Palestinian fighters fire at Israeli bus stop
Ma’an News Agency 9/23/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an Israeli sources said that Palestinian fighters opened fire atan Israeli bus stop near Shile settlement in the northern West Bank Sunday. No injuries were reported in the incident. The sources added that the shots came from a speeding car. Israeli forces began to comb the area in an attempt to find the assailants. [end]
Al-Aqsa Brigades launch two homemade projectiles at Sderot
Ma’an News Agency 9/23/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, launched two homemade projectiles at the Israeli border town of Sderot, near the Gaza Strip Sunday. Israeli sources said that one projectile landed on an open area, and another landed near a highway. No damage or injuries were reported. [end]
IOA claims capturing Palestinian with explosive belt
Palestinian Information Center 9/23/2007
NAZARETH, (PIC)-- Israeli policemen have arrested a Palestinian worker after finding a booby-trapped belt in his apartment in Tel Aviv where he was residing illegally, according to the Israeli police claim. It added that the policemen quarreled with the workers who lived in that apartment before arresting the young man, who intended to carry out a human bombing operation against an Israeli target. Meanwhile, IOF troops blasted their way into several Palestinian homes in Nablus and wreaked havoc in them at dawn Sunday. In Bizaria village, north of Nablus, the IOF soldiers kidnapped Mohammed Salem, 23, from his family home at an early hour on Sunday. Locals in the village noted that Salem was released from Israeli occupation jails only six month ago. more..
UN: Roadblocks up 52% over last 2 years
Jerusalem Post 9/22/2007
The number of West Bank roadblocks has increased by 52 percent in the last two years, according to a report released Friday by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. It was released two days after Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that he would remove 24 road blocks in the West Bank. The UN report, however, argued that the situation is getting worse, not better. In just the last month an additional 40 roadblocks were added, for an increase of 7. 5 percent, from 532 to 572. Out of those roadblocks, 76 are manned and 19 are partially manned. Separately the United Nations Relief and Works Association complained that some 300 of its Palestinian workers were barred from entering Jerusalem from the West Bank on Friday. more..
Israeli forces attack a Mosque near Jenin
Ali Samoudi, International Middle East Media Center 9/22/2007
Several worshippers were overcome by tear gas on Friday night when the Israeli army attacked the Wad Al Fare’a Mosque, located south of Jenin. Also near Jenin, Palestinian resistance fighters fired an explosive device at an Israeli military unit as it patrolled the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya. In the aftermath of the operation, Israeli forces called for reinforcements, searching and ransacking the town and detaining several civilians for interrogation. [end]
Army invades east of Rafah, demolished houses and abducts 45 residents
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 9/22/2007
Local sources in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, informed the IMEMC that Israeli troops, supported by armored vehicles and jeeps, invaded an area east of Rafah in the southern part of the Gaza Strip on Saturday at night. As the offensive is still ongoing, 45 residents were kidnapped by the invading forces and some houses were demolished by military bulldozers. Several resistance groups exchanged fire with the invading forces. [end]
Explosives belt designated for holiday attack found in Tel Aviv apartment
Amos Harel Avi Issacharoff and Roni Heruti-Singers, Ha’aretz 9/22/2007
A suicide attack in Tel Aviv was thwarted on Saturday when security forces found an explosives belt in an apartment in the city, designated to be used in an attack over the Yom Kippur holiday. The belt was found Saturday morning in an apartment near the southern end of Allenby Street by the Shin Bet security service, operating with Yarkon District Police. The apartment was occupied by Palestinians residing there illegally. It was apparently smuggled in parts from the West Bank City of Nablus. The residents attempted to resist arrest, and, in the process, one officer was wounded and needed medical attention. They were ultimately arrested and taken in for questioning. Sappers came to the scene and blew up the belt in a controlled explosion. more..
Police, Shin Bet foil suicide attack in Tel Aviv
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 9/22/2007
(Video) Officers discover explosive belt hidden in residential building following arrest of Nablus resident during last week’s operation in West Bank city. Sappers conduct controlled-detonation of belt - VIDEO - Police and Shin Bet officers foiled a suicide attack which was meant to take place in Tel Aviv Saturday after discovering an explosive belt hidden in a residential building in the city’s southern area. The belt was found following the arrest of Mahadi Ashur, a Palestinian from Nablus who worked in Tel Aviv. The man was apprehended during last week’s operation in Biet llma, a refugee camp in the West Bank city. Sappers conducted a controlled-detonation of the belt. The belt was the same one IDF forces in Nablus failed to locate after arresting a would-be suicide bomber,... more..
Military wing of Hamas announces death of leader
Ma’an News Agency 9/22/2007
Gaza Ma’an The military wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, on Saturday announced the death of one of the brigade’s leaders, thirty-five-year-old Imad Abu Hujair. Abu Hujair was killed in clashes with invading Israeli forces east of Al-Bureij refugee camp on Friday. The Qassam Brigades said that Abu Hujair was the field leader of the Juhor ad Dik area, in the eastern Gaza Strip. [end]
PRC fighters shell Israeli town as part of operation ’Death Messages’
Ma’an News Agency 9/22/2007
Gaza Ma’an The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, on Saturday morning claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli town of Sha’ar Hanegev, to the east of northern Gaza. The brigades issued a statement declaring that the operation was part of campaign ’Death Messages’, launched in retaliation for Israeli atrocities against Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. [end]
UN: Israel has added dozens of new roadblocks in West Bank
Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 9/22/2007
Despite repeated promises to reduce the number of roadblocks in the West Bank, Israel has in fact added dozens of new ones, according to the United Nations. Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this week to remove 24 roadblocks and consider additional alleviations of movement restrictions on the Palestinians. This followed a similar promise to alleviate movement restrictions that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. However, the number of roadblocks has now reached 572, an increase of 52 percent compared to 376 in August 2005, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In the past two months alone, Israel put up 40 new roadblocks, OCHA said. more..
Israel imposes complete closure on West Bank and Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 9/21/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an Israel imposed a complete ’security’ closure starting from Thursday evening on the whole of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip which will last until Sunday morning. The reason given for this measure is the Jewish Festival of Yom Kippur. Israel said that they would not permit anyone to enter Jerusalem, except for emergency health care and then only with the coordination of the Israeli District Co-ordination Office (DCO). Muslim worshippers will also not be allowed to enter Jerusalem for Friday prayers even if they have a special permit to do so. The Israeli authorities also said they will deploy thousands of police in the streets of East Jerusalem especially in the Old City to ensure the safety of both Muslim and Jewish worshippers. more..
Israeli forces pull out of Al-Ain Camp
Ma’an News Agency 9/21/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an Hebrew sources said on Friday that the Israeli forces have finished their three-day operation in the Al-’Ain refugee camp, east of Nablus. The sources also said that during the operation the Israeli forces arrested 49 ’wanted’ Palestinians and have taken them to an interrogation centre. The Israeli operation in the Al-’Ain camp resulted in the death of two Palestinians and a number of others injured, in addition to the demolition of a number of houses. [end]
Nablus invasion ends with the abduction of Al Qassam brigades leader
Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 9/21/2007
The Israeli army ended its military offensive into Al Ein refugee camp, in Nablus, after kidnapping Nihad Shqeirat, 34, leader of the Al Qasam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. During the three-day military offensive, two Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed, and at least 49 Palestinians, including two members of Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fateh, were kidnapped. Eyewitnesses reported that Shqeirat exchanged fire with Israeli soldiers for several hours and when he ran out of ammunition he attempted to escape from a house he barricaded himself in, but the soldiers managed to surround and kidnap him. An Israeli military source stated that Shqeirat ran the infrastructure of the Al Qassam brigades in Nablus area. Hamas sources reported that Shqeirat was previously imprisoned by Israel... more..
Qassam Brigades leader arrested in Al-Ain Camp
Ma’an News Agency 9/21/2007
Nablus Ma’an Israeli Forces early on Friday morning arrested a Palestinian man who Israel accuses of being a leader of the Az-Adin Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas in the Ain Bayt Al-Ma refugee camp in Nablus. Eyewitnesses in the camp said that thirty-four-year-old Nihad Rashid Shqirat was trying to get out of the house where he had taken up position after using all his ammunition. The Israeli forces arrested him after a long search. The leader of the Israeli army in the West Bank announced that Shqirat was a part of the infrastructure of the Qassam Brigades in the Nablus area. Shqirat has previously spent a number of years in Israeli prisons and around three years ago his family’s home in the Al-’Ain refugee camp was destroyed by Israeli forces. [end]
IDF arrests head of Hamas cell in Nablus
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 9/21/2007
Military operation in West Bank city ends with foiled suicide attack, arrest of 49 wanted Palestinians - A senior Hamas leader in Nablus was arrested Friday morning by IDF forces completing an operation in the Beit Ilma refugee camp in the West Bank city. Duvdevan unit forces arrested Niyad Shkirat at the end of a long operation which lasted for the past few days. Forty-nine other wanted Palestinians were also captured during the operation, and all suspects were trasfered to defense forces for investigation. Nablus Raid 2 pardoned Fatah members detained, then released/ Ali Waked Palestinians say al-Aqsa members apprehended during IDF operation in refugee camp released by Israel for fear their arrest would jeopardize amnesty deal Full story The Hamas official... more..
Salah Ad-Din Brigades launch rockets at Ashkelon
Ma’an News Agency 9/21/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an The Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for bombarding the Israeli town of Ashkelon, near the Gaza Strip, with four rockets. The Brigades said in a statement the operation was in response to the crimes perpetrated by Israeli forces in the cities of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, saying they will continue to bombard Israeli towns. Israeli sources confirmed that Palestinian rockets had landed in an open area without causing any injury or damage. [end]
Palestinian arrested in Qalqiliya
Ma’an News Agency 9/21/2007
Qalqiliya Ma’an Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian man in the early hours of Friday morning in the West Bank town of Qalqiliya. Israeli forces burst in to the home of Ali Mazooz Abd Al-Rahim Daoud and searched it before arresting him. Palestinian security sources said that a number of military vehicles invaded the city at dawn, entering a number of neighbourhoods and carrying out house to house searches. [end]
Al-Aqsa Brigades in Gaza vow to continue armed fight against Israeli occupation
Ma’an News Agency 9/21/2007
Gaza Ma’an The leaders of Fatah’s military wing in the Gaza Strip in the Gaza Strip reaffirmed their commitment to armed struggle against the Israeli occupation. In a press conference the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades said Israelis will not live in peace until all Palestinians do. They said they will never be involved in any truce with Israel until the occupation is removed. They said they would not be stopped from taking military action, including firing homemade projectiles at Israel, to defend the land and rights of Palestinians living in Gaza. They did not reveal any specific plans for their operations in order to protect their fighters. [end]
This Week In Palestine Week 38 2007
Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 9/21/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 11. 9 MB || Time 13m 0s This Week In Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www. IMEMC. org, for September 15thst through September 21st, 2007. The Israeli government declared the Gaza Strip an enemy entity, while the army kill eight Palestinian this week, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. Bethlehem - On Friday at midday, the residents of Al Walaja village to the north of the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, joined by International and Israeli supporters marched against the building of the illegal Israeli wall on village land. Shortly after Friday prayers were held on the construction site, by main road leading into the village, the protesters marched along the hillside to reach a road which used to connect Al Walaja to Bethlehem. more..
Israeli Air Force lays an egg with false alarm
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 9/22/2007
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel’s air force scrambled warplanes on Friday after radar spotted a potential airborne enemy flying from Syria - only to discover the culprits were migratory birds, Army Radio reported. Israeli radar picked up the birds over the Syrian border but officers were unable to rule them out as enemy aircraft from the screen, the radio said. Tensions have soared on Israel’s northern border with Syria since Damascus said its air defenses fired on Israeli warplanes that dropped munitions deep inside its territory in the early hours of September 6. The Israeli government has maintained a total blackout on the operation, but the Army Radio report said that military commanders were preferring not to take any risk. http://www. more..
Palestinians: Three civilians killed in IDF raid in Gaza Strip
Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoffs and News Agencies, Ha’aretz 9/21/2007
Israel Defense Soldiers soldiers killed three Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip during an incursion on Thursday, hospital officials said. Gunmen confronted the IDF force and set off explosives, and an Israel Air Force helicopter also took part in the clashes in Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. According to Dr. Moaiya Hassanain of the Health Ministry in Gaza, 17-year-old Mahmoud Kassassi was hit by shrapnel from a tank shell, then run over by an army bulldozer. On Thursday afternoon, 22-year-old Mohammed Abu-Hajir was killed by IDF fire. Palestinian sources said he too was unarmed and was not a member of any militant group. 17-year-old Yunis Abu-Hujeila’s body was found after troops withdrew from the Strip on Thursday evening. more..
Full closure on West Bank, Gaza
YNetNews 9/20/2007
Full closure imposed on Gaza and West Bank ahead of Yom Kippur, IDF to allow passage only for humanitarian needs - A full closure has been imposed on the West Bank and Gaza starting Thursday at midnight for the duration of the Yom Kippur holiday. The closure will be lifted on Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s orders following a renewed security assessment after the holiday ends. During the closure Palestinians will only be permitted to enter Israel for humanitarian reasons. International organization workers, lawyers, medical professionals, clergymen, and other populations will also be permitted entry, under the coordination of Israeli security forces and the Palestinian Authority. A similar closure was imposed on the West Bank during Rosh HaShana due to intelligence information warning of several possible planned terror attacks. more..
Two killed in Israeli incursions in Gaza, one crushed by bulldozer
Ma’an News Agency 9/20/2007
Gaza Ma’an A Palestinian youth was crushed by an invading bulldozer and another was killed by gunfire during an Israeli incursion east of Al-Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday. The corpse of seventeen-year-old Mahmoud Al-Kafafi has been transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, in central Gaza. The other young man, twenty two year old Muhammad Abu Hujair died from a gunshot wound in his head. Medical sources said Hujair succumbed to his wounds after he was transferred to the intensive care unit of a Gaza hospital. Under fire Two other Palestinians were injured when Israeli helicopters opened fire at Palestinian citizens east of Al-Bureij, Palestinian medical sources reported. more..
Israeli forces seize nine Palestinians from different regions of the West Bank
Ma’an News Agency 9/20/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an Israeli forces on Thursday seized nine Palestinians from different regions of the West Bank. Israeli sources stated that the military apprehended three ’wanted’ Palestinians from Tulkarem, in the northern West Bank, four in Ramallah, in the centre, one in Nablus, in the north, and one in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. [end]
Nine Palestinians abducted in pre-dawn invasions
John Smith, International Middle East Media Center 9/20/2007
Israeli forces kidnapped at least nine Palestinians from different areas of the West Bank in the early hours of Thursday morning. [end]
Palestinian brigades launch projectile at Israeli military post
Ma’an News Agency 9/20/2007
Gaza Ma’an The National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the DFLP and the Al-Aqsa Brigades of Fatah movement on Thursday claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli military post of Nahal ’Oz east of the Shuja’iyya neighbourhood in Gaza city. [end]
Brigades launch projectiles at Sderot
Ma’an News Agency 9/20/2007
Gaza Ma’an Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades on Thursday claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at theIsraeli town of Sderot in the Western Negev. They said in a statement that the operation was in retaliation for Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. In a separate incident the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades also claimed responsibility for targetting Sderot with a homemade projectile. [end]
Suicide bombing in Israel thwarted
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 9/20/2007
IDF forces operating in Nablus arrest would-be suicide bomber and his two collaborators; men planned to launch terror attack in heart of Israel Paratrooper and Haruv units arrested a would-be suicide bomber and two of his collaborators in the Beit Ein Ilma refugee camp in Nablus Thursday; the three men were planning to carry out a terror attack in the heart of Israel in the next few days. The ongoing operation in the area in the last three days has already led to the arrests of 36 wanted Palestinians, including senior Hamas and Popular Front members. Earlier, Palestinian sources in Gaza reported that the IDF detained two prominent al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades leaders in the al-Ein refugee camp in town. The two were said to be on the list of wanted gunmen granted amnesty by Israel. more..
Soldier filmed minutes before his death
YNetNews 9/20/2007
(Video) Staff Sergeant Ben-Zion Haim Henman who was killed in action in Nablus Tuesday was filmed by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit just minutes before his death. ’We have a great country, a great army, good luck to all,’ he says - VIDEO - Chilling documentation: Staff Sergeant Ben-Zion Haim Henman, the soldier killed Tuesday during an IDF operation in the Ein Beit Ilma refugee camp in Nablus, was filmed by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit cameras just minutes before his death . On Thursday, Paratroopers Brigade commander Herzi Levy and a representative of the IDF Spokeperson’s Unit arrived at the Henman family home on Moshav Nov to give them the film of their son’s final moments. Video: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit Ben-Zion, 22, who served in the Paratroopers Brigade, was filmed... more..
Israelis press attacks in Gaza, West Bank
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 9/21/2007
Residents of a crowded refugee camp outside the Occupied West Bank city of Nablus said they were running out of food and water Thursday, as an Israeli Army attack against Palestinian militants raged for a third day. The Israelis arrested two suspected Islamist leaders on Thursday, while Israeli troops in Gaza killed a 17-year-old boy and a Hamas fighter. The militant group Islamic Jihad also pledged to continue firing rockets into Israel. The army is allowing food, medicine and ambulances into the Ein Bet Ilmeh camp outside of Nablus, military spokesman Zidki Mamman said. But with a tight curfew clamped on the camp since Tuesday, some of the 5,000 residents said they could not leave their homes to buy food. Hussam Hamdan, 30, said troops had marched him out of his own apartment early Thursday and forced him to enter a neighbor’s apartment to bring them out. more..
Yiftah Spector: I was the man who shot ’Liberty’
Amir Oren, Ha’aretz 9/20/2007
Until his dying day, Moorer believed the version of the malicious Israeli plot to attack the spy ship Liberty. Many Americans share that belief. Their view is bolstered by former classified documents that are slowly being made available by the electronic information gathering agency NSA [National Security Agency], in whose service the U.S. Navy operated the Liberty. In a forthcoming book, Brigadier General (res. ) Yiftah Spector claims he was the leader of the air attack, although his partner is identified only as Y. The two were flying Mirage planes, on intercept readiness, armed with missiles and shells for dogfights. Thus, in the absence of bombs, the "Liberty" was not sunk, only damaged. "Both of us had sharp eyes," Spector writes. more..
’You get the planes, we’ll deal with Congress’
Amir Oren, Ha’aretz 9/20/2007
One day in October 2003, three elderly men met in a hall on Washington’s Capitol Hill and read out the findings of their commission of inquiry in front of the cameras. It was their private commission, not a state or judicial body. The three were the former judge advocate general of the U.S. Navy, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Thomas Moorer - the group’s most senior member. The Moorer commission investigated the June 1967 attack on the U.S. S." Liberty," a spy ship, by the Israel Air Force and the Israel Navy. The Israelis who have probed the affair, and some American researchers, too, are no longer in doubt: The attack was carried out by accident, due to faulty identification and the general chaos that prevailed during the Six-Day War (see box). more..
Palestine Today 092007
Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 9/20/2007
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 Thursday September 20th, 2007. In the West Bank, the Israeli army continues to impose its siege on the el-Ein refugee camp in Nablus. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, a 17-year-old boy is crushed by an invading Israeli bulldozer. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The Israeli army continued its assault on the el-Ein refugee camp in Nablus for a third consecutive day, further tightening the siege on the residents. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli reinforcements arrived in the area on Thursday morning, banning medical crews from entering the camp. more..
’Syria attack’ caused TV disturbances
Arieh Egozi, YNetNews 9/20/2007
Costumers of Yes Satellite Television complain ofbroadcast disturbances. Investigation reveals espionage ships, aircraft responsible Espionage ships and aircraft have been causing disturbances in satellite company Yes’ broadcasts, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported Thursday. "The disturbances began on September 6, on the day Damascus announced that IAF aircraft flew in its territory," an Israeli expert said on Wednesday. "Everyone wants to know what is happening, and this is the result," he said. Investigations carried out by Yes satellite experts revealed that the disturbances, which caused the images on the screen to freeze, were caused by radar transmissions. "There is a jungle of powerful transmissions out there," said one of the experts, who claimed that ships cruising... more..
IDF kills 2 gunmen in Nablus
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 9/19/2007
Army operation in Nablus refugee camp continues; two gunmen killed and 12 wanted Palestinians arrested since forces entered area. Abbas spokesman says ’Israel is responsible for continuing the cycle of violence and bloodshed’ The IDF continued to operate Wednesday in the Ein Beit Ilam refugee camp in Nablus, where Sergeant Ben-Zion Haim Henman, 22, of Moshav Nov in the Golan Heights was killed the day before and another soldier was moderately wounded. A Hamas operative, Adiv Salim, was killed by IDF fire during the morning. Adiv is the brother of Jamal Salim, one of Hamas’ prominent leaders, who was killed at the beginning of the intifada. On Tuesday, forces killed a Popular Front gunman in the refugee camp. The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday condemned the ongoing operation in Nablus. more..
Israeli forces kidnap 3 Palestinians from Qalqilia, one from Hebron, two from Bethlehem
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 9/19/2007
Israeli forces kidnapped three Palestinians from the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The abducted Palestinians were later identified as: Ala Al Far, Abed Al Rahman Kasho’wa and Mohammad Abu Mariam. They have been transferred to an unidentified detention center. In the southern West Bank city of Hebron, during a military operation in the area, Israeli forces kidnapped one Palestinian, summoning another to Israeli Intelligence. WAFA sources reported that the kidnapped man is Shadi Abu Tu’ma. He was taken from his home in the Al Fuwar refugee camp while it was being searched by the army. Israeli sources reported that military operations around the Al Fuwar refugee camp have been stepped up from Tuesday night when the area was closed and civilian movement prohibited. more..
Israeli forces abduct three and beat two Palestinians in Qalqilia
Ma’an News Agency 9/19/2007
Qaliqilia Ma’an Israeli forces withdrew from Qalqilia, in the northern West Bank, on Wednesday after seizing three Palestinians and ransacking several homes. Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli forces raided Qalqilia at 1am and withdrew at 4am. The seized Palestinians were Abed Al-Rahman Qashu, Alaa Al-Far and Radwan Abdul Latif. Beating - In a separate incident in Jit village, east of Qalqilia, Israeli soldiers abused and beat two Palestinian youths. Ahmad Abu Baker and Bilal ’Ulayyan were attacked by a group of soldiers. Medical sources said their injuries were moderate; they were beaten with clubs and sustained severe bruises and trauma. [end]
Israeli forces arrest 7 West Bankers
Ma’an News Agency 9/19/2007
Bethlehem Ma’an Israeli forces arrested seven ’wanted’ Palestinians in the West Bank on Wednesday. Israeli sources said that the army arrested two of the men in Nablus, in the northern West Bank, three in Qalqilia, also in the northern West Bank and two in Bethlehem in the southern West Bank. [end]
Deaths in Israeli Raid on Nablus; Hamas to Maintain Truce
Palestine Chronicle 9/19/2007
An Israeli soldier and a Palestinian fighter have been killed during an Israeli raid on a refugee camp in the West Bank town of Nablus. The Israeli military said another of its soldiers was wounded after they were fired upon as they entered the Ein Bet Ilmeh refugee camp on Tuesday. Smoke rose from the camp and loud booms and gunshots could be heard as a helicopter gunship hovered overhead. Medics said the fighter, who was the fourth Palestinian killed by Israeli troops in the past three days in the West Bank, belonged to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Al Jazeera’s Shireen Abu Aqla said Israeli forces opened fire at a building in the centre of the camp, saying that there were wanted fighters inside. Israeli soldiers also prevented Palestinian worshippers from leaving a mosque inside the camp, Abu Aqla reported. more..
IDF hunts Hamas cell planning suicide bombing inside Israel
Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 9/20/2007
Israeli forces are hunting a Hamas cell based in the Nablus area, as they suspect Hamas of planning to dispatch a suicide bomber on a mission inside Israel. Staff Sergeant Ben-Zion Henman, whose unit was participating in the hunt, was shot and killed yesterday in clashes with Palestinian gunmen in Nablus. Also yesterday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that the security forces’ operations in the West Bank will continue, because they contribute to preventing attacks against Israelis. He also said that the decision to remove roadblocks and ease travel restrictions on the Palestinian population will depend greatly on security considerations. The gun battle occurred in the Ein Beit Ilma refugee camp in Nablus soon after 8 A. M. A force from the Paratrooper Brigade had entered the camp in search of a militant... more..
Palestinian killed as IDF hunts for Hamas cell in Nablus raid
Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoffs, Ha’aretz 9/19/2007
A Palestinian man was killed Wednesday morning in the West Bank city of Nablus, as Israeli forces continue their hunt for a local Hamas-led cell believed to be planning a suicide bombing in Israel. Palestinian eyewitnesses identified the man as 35-year-old Adib Salim, and added that he was disabled, unarmed, and not involved in the fighting. Palestinian sources said Salim was, however, a Hamas member and the brother of Jamal Salim, a top Hamas commander killed by the Israel Defense Forces. Family members told Reuters that Salim had been disabled in a 2001 Israel Air Force strike in Nablus. Israel Radio quoted military sources as saying Salim was killed during a firefight between soldiers from the Heruv Battalion and three armed militants. more..
For the second day the army continues to attack Nablus, killing one
Ameen Abu Wardah & Ghassan Bannoura & Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center 9/19/2007
Israeli forces continued, on Wednesday, the military operation in El-Ein Beit Al Ma refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Nablus for the second consecutive day. Israeli soldiers shot and killed a disabled Palestinian man in his home during the early hours of Wednesday morning. The man, Adeeb Al Damouny, received serious injuries to his head and neck. Eyewitnesses reported that he was shot at 7am and died of his wounds half an hour later. Al Damouny is thought to be the second Palestinian killed by the Israeli army in its continuing operation against the El Ein Beit Al Ma refugee camp. Witnesses added that the military is still bringing in reinforcements through the Beit Iba and Huwarra checkpoints. According to Israeli sources, this military offensive is intended to target a group of resistance men who were planning attacks against Israeli targets. more..
Palestine Today 091907
Ghassan Bannoura - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 9/19/2007
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 September 19th, 2007. The Israeli army continues to attack Nablus, killing another civilian, and the Israeli government declares the Gaza strip an "enemy entity", these stories and more coming up stay tuned. Today Israeli forces continued its military operation in El-Ein Beit Al Ma refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Nablus for the second consecutive day. Israeli soldiers shot and killed a disabled Palestinian man in his home during the early hours of Wednesday morning. The man, Adeeb Al Damouny, received serious injuries to his head and neck. more..
Sderot waiting for Israel to cut off electricity to Gaza
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 9/19/2007
Residents of rocket-battered city call on government to implements its declaration of Strip as ’hostile entity’, respond to Qassam, mortar shell barrage launched at their city Wednesday evening Two Qassam rockets were fired at the southern town of Sderot on Wednesday evening, a few hours after the national security cabinet declared the Gaza Strip a "hostile entity". One of the rockets landed near apartment buildings and the other hit an open area outside the city. There were no reports of injuries or damage. Concerned UN chief urges Israel to reconsider decision on Gaza/ Associated Press Ban Ki-moon warns that any cutoff of vital services to Strip would violate international law, punish already suffering civilian population Full story The declaration, which was made. more..
Deaths in Israeli raid on Nablus
Al Jazeera 9/18/2007
An Israeli soldier and a Palestinian fighter have been killed during an Israeli raid on a refugee camp in the West Bank town of Nablus. The Israeli military said another of its soldiers was wounded after they were fired upon as they entered the Ein Bet Ilmeh refugee camp on Tuesday. Smoke rose from the camp and loud booms and gunshots could be heard as a helicopter gunship hovered overhead. Medics said the fighter, who was the fourth Palestinian killed by Israeli troops in the past three days in the West Bank, belonged to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Palestinian ambulances were barred from entering the camp, witnesses said. The PFLP and Islamic Jihad groups claimed responsibility for killing the soldier in attack using explosives. more..
Israelis step up airspace violations
Mohammed Zaatari, Daily Star 9/19/2007
TYRE: Israeli warplanes made low-altitude passes over Southern Lebanon on Tuesday, in defiance of the United Nations cease-fire resolution that ended the summer 2006 war, Lebanese security officials said. Six aircraft violated Lebanese airspace starting at 10:00 a. m. , swooping low and breaking the sound barrier over the port cities of Sidon and Tyre, police said. The planes also overflew the Bint Jbeil region, Lebanese Army reports said. Bint Jbeil is considered a stronghold of Hizbullah. Israeli warplanes have violated Lebanese airspace on a near-daily basis in the past two weeks, but Tuesday’s intrusions were lower in altitude and caused sonic bangs. Israel has drawn intense international criticism by continuing overflights after the August 14, 2006, cease-fire based on Security Council Resolution 1701 that put an end to the 34-day war. more..
Hamas and Islamic Jihad clash outside Gaza mosque
Ma’an News Agency 9/18/2007
Gaza Ma’an Four members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad were injured during clashes which broke out between them on Tuesday evening in one of the mosques in Gaza City. Eyewitnesses said that the clashes happened in the square outside the Askalan mosque which is under the control of Islamic Jihad. The reason the clashes broke out is unclear. Three Hamas members and one member of Islamic Jihad were treated at the scene for injuries sustained from being beaten, according to eyewitnesses. Ma’an has learnt that the leadership of both Hamas and Islamic Jihad tried their utmost to contain the situation. Sheikh Nafidh Azam, an Islamic Jihad leader told Ma’an that the clashes broke out after a misunderstanding. But he did not explain what the misunderstanding was about. more..
Teenager shot dead in West Bank
BBC Online 9/17/2007
A Palestinian teenager has been shot dead by Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Ramallah, officials have said. Local residents said Mohammed Jabbarin, 16, had not been armed and had been shot after he threw rocks at a patrol. The Israeli military said its soldiers had identified and killed an armed man handling an explosive device which he was planning to use against them. The youth was the third Palestinian to be killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank in the past two days. On Sunday, two militants from the Fatah-linked al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades were killed in Hebron and Nablus. In other violence, Palestinian militants in Gaza fired three mortars into southern Israel, the Israeli military said. No injuries or damage were reported. more..
Israel thwarted Hamas plan to attack Israelis in Jordan in 2005
The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 9/18/2007
Israeli authorities have foiled a plot by a Hamas militant to attack Israeli tourists at a hotel in neighboring Jordan, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office announced Tuesday. A statement said Khader Shkeir, from the West Bank village of Ein Arik, was arrested on July 31. It gave no reason for the delay in announcing the arrest. The statement said Shkeir admitted to planning the attack during a visit to Jordan in 2005 with an accomplice. It said the suspects chose the Radisson SAS hotel in Amman and a second hotel as their targets. According to the statement, the pair planned to board a bus carrying tourists to the hotels and carry out a mass shooting attack. It said they bought two AK-47 automatic weapons for the attack, but the plan went awry when Jordanian authorities arrested Shkeir on suspicion of militant activity and deported him to the West Bank. more..
Israeli forces attack Jenin and Qabatiya
Ali Samoudi, International Middle East Media Center 9/18/2007
Israeli military force stormed the northern West Bank city of Jenin and the town of Qbatiya town, located near Jenin, in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Troops broke into the area while randomly opening heavy fire on the areas. Local sources reported that a huge Israeli force invaded the area, randomly opening fire, besieging homes, carrying out house-to-house searches, confiscating properties, and capturing and interrogating residents. [end]
Two groups claim joint responsibility of killing an Israeli soldier in Nablus
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 9/18/2007
The Al Quds brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, and the Abu Ali Mustafa brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), claimed joint responsibility of killing an Israeli soldier during an Israeli military invasion into Ein Beit Al Ma’ refugee camp, west of the northern West Bank City of Nablus. He stated that one Israeli soldier was killed and two were injured when the two resistance groups detonated an explosive charge near a military force as it was trying to break into a home in the camp. One fighter, identified as Mohammad Khalid Rida, 18, member of Abu Ali Mustafa brigades, was killed during ensuing clashes with the invading forces. Abu Hamza stated that fighters of different factions are ready to counter any military assault and warned that if Israel... more..
Soldier killed in W. Bank clash laid to rest in Golan
Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoffs, Ha’aretz 9/18/2007
The funeral for Israel Defense Forces paratrooper staff sergeant Ben-Zion Henman, killed Tuesday morning in the West Bank during clashes with Palestinian militants, was held at 11:30 Tuesday night at the southern Golan regional cemetery in the Golan Heights. The Palestinian gunman responsible for 22-year-old Henman’s death was also killed in the exchange of fire, as was a trained IDF dog. Several Palestinians were wounded, among them two men wanted by Israel. The militant groups Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility for the incident. An additional IDF soldier was lightly wounded in a separate clash nearby. The incident occurred at around 9 a. m. as IDF paratroopers were carrying out a routine operation in the West Bank camp of Ein Beit Ilmeh near Nablus. more..
Palestinian killed during Israeli incursion in northern Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 9/18/2007
Gaza Ma’an A Palestinian citizen was killed on Monday evening in the northern Gaza Strip when Israeli forces opened fire at him. Director of the ambulance and emergency department in the Palestinian ministry of health, Dr. Muawiya Hassanein, said that Israel sources reported that the military had killed a Palestinian in the north of the Gaza Strip. Coordination is ongoing to transfer the corpse into the Gaza Strip; it is currently being detained by the Israeli army, which is attempting to discover whether the deceased was a combatant or a civilian. Radio Israel said on Tuesday that the Israeli forces opened fire at a group of Palestinian fighters in the northern Gaza Strip, none of whom were injured. Palestinian sources revealed that the Israeli forces launched two missiles at a Hamas training base in northern Gaza, injuring three people. more..
Palestinian youth and Israeli soldier killed during clashes in Nablus
Ma’an News Agency 9/18/2007
Nablus Ma’an A Palestinian youth and an Israeli soldier were killed in Al-’Ayn refugee camp, western Nablus, as fierce clashes erupted between invading Israeli forces and Palestinian resistance fighters on Tuesday morning. Another soldier is reported to have been injured after the Israeli military incursion sparked armed confrontations in the refugee camp, in the northern West Bank. An activist from the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades; eighteen-year-old Muhammad Khalid Rida, was shot to death in the central neighbourhood of the refugee camp. Director of medical relief in Nablus, Dr. Ghassan Hamdan, said the youth received several bullets to his body. The Israeli troops prohibited ambulances from reaching him. more..
Israeli forces raid Qabatiya
Ma’an News Agency 9/18/2007
Jenin Ma’an Israeli forces on Tuesday morning invaded Qabatiya, east of the northern West Bank town of Jenin, and set up several ambushes and military posts in the western and eastern neighbourhoods. Eyewitnesses told Ma’an that Israeli military vehicles were deployed throughout the town and snipers were stationed in deserted homes. Undercover forces stormed homes, gathered families in one room and took over the buildings. The Israeli forces withdrew at 6am; there were no reported injuries or apprehensions. [end]
Israeli court jails 2 for Islamic Jihad membership
Ma’an News Agency 9/18/2007
Jenin Ma’an The Israeli military court at Salem on Tuesday jailed two men for being affiliated to Islamic Jihadi, the office for prisoners affairs in Jenin said. Mahmoud Tahaynah from Silat Al-Harithiyya near Jenin in the West Bank was jailed for six years and Ashraf Ibrahim from the city of Jenin was jailed for 5 and a half years. [end]
Soldier injured during Nablus arrest raid
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 9/16/2007
IDF soldier lightly injured in exchanges of fire with wanted suspects in West Bank city - IDF soldiers and wanted terror suspects exchanged fire Tuesday morning during an arrest raid in the West Bank city of Nablus, the army said. A soldier was lightly injured from shrapnel during the operation, which was launched to quell terror attacks against Israeli targets over the holidays. The soldier was transferred to the Sheba Medical center in Tel Hashomer, near Tel Aviv, for treatment. Troops have been in the city since late Monday night in preparation for a sweep against Hamas and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) gunmen in the city. The IDF thwarted a suicide bombing attack last week when they arrested a