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Thousands rally in support of kidnapped IDF soldiers
Yael Branovsky, YNetNews 10/30/2007
International solidarity events organized by Jewish Agency, World Zionist Organization, span mass rallies in 90 locations. ’This proves the Jewish people stand untied in efforts to bring our boys home," say organizers - - Thousands of people all across the world rallied as one on Tuesday in a show of solidarity with the three kidnapped Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev and Gilad Shalit. The rallies, orchestrated by the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization, spanned some 90 locations, including the US, Chile, the Ukraine, Venezuela, Holland and Uruguay. Along with the rallies, special prayer services were held in synagogues around the world. Rallying in New York (Photo: The Jewish Agency) The solidarity events were kicked off with a special ceremony held at the Jerusalem International Convention Center. more..
Gaza: Palestinians say civilians wounded in IDF strike
Ali Waked, YNetNews 10/30/2007
IAF targets terror cell launching Qassams in northern Gaza, Palestinians say army missed and hit residential home nearby. Three Palestinians reported wounded, one a child - - Three Palestinians were wounded on Tuesday evening after an IDF airstrike near Jabaliya apparently missed its intended target. The army said it was targeting a terror cell launching Qassam rockets from the area, Palestinians say the airforce hit a residential building instead. One of the wounded people is reportedly a young boy. The IDF said it was investigating the claim and an initial probe into the incident indicates a possible malfunction with the rocket used in the attack. Girl wounded in Jabaliya attack (Photo: AFP) The army said that the type of rocket used this evening has proven itself... more..
Grandmother and her granddaughter nearly hit by mortar round
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 10/30/2007
Five mortar rounds fired from northern Gaza slam into Netiv Ha’asara. Family members run to bomb shelter and escape injury - - A grandmother and her granddaughter, residents of Netiv Ha’asara, were almost hit by a mortar round fired by Palestinians in northern Gaza into Israel Tuesday evening. A total of five mortar rounds and four Qassam rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip Tuesday. The al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad’s military wing claimed responsibility for the barrage. The mortar rounds landed in the center of the community of Netiv Ha’asara and caused damage to the windows and the living room of the house where the grandmother and granddaughter were staying. "We heard the explosion and realized immediately that it was a result of mortar fire," Aviva Poled, a resident, said. more..
Muhammad Deif: We’ll strike in heart of Israel
Ali Waked, YNetNews 10/30/2007
Senior Hamas member says commander of organization’s military wing ’planning an attack against the Israeli occupation, and will not settle for the defensive fighting policy’; adds ’organization has completed its preparations and is only waiting for orders’ - - Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’ military wing, has said that the movement will strike in the heart of Israel in the near future, a senior Hamas member said Tuesday. The man, Sheikh Ahmed Hamdan from the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, said that he recently met with Deif in his hiding place, and heard from him that Hamas will soon replace its defensive fighting policy with an offensive one. Muhammad Deif Presents: Hamas’ military academy / Roee Nahmias In al-Jazeera interview, senior wanted... more..
Police launch inquiry into clashes with Druze
Ynet reporters, YNetNews 10/30/2007
Druze community leaders convene urgent meeting following clashes in Galilee town of Peki’in which left more than 30 injured; demand commission of inquiry into incident, personal apology from Prime Minister Olmert for security forces’ entry into prayer house - - Twelve of those wounded in the clashes that took place in the Galilee town of Peki’in between local residents and police officers remain hospitalized as of late Tuesday night. Meanwhile the police have already launched an inquiry into the controversial incident and investigators pointed to a series of difficult questions, particularly pertaining to the use of live fire. Leaders of the Druze community asked the State to appoint a commission of inquiry into the clashes and to prosecute police officials responsible for the violent incident. more..
Jihad enabler sent to 7 years in prison
Ahiya Raved, YNetNews 10/30/2007
Husam Hafez Suaftma convicted of purchasing fertilizer for his brother to create explosives - - The Haifa District Court sentenced Husam Hafez Suaftma to a seven-year jail term and a two-year suspended sentence for aiding the enemy during wartime. Suaftma was asked by his brother, an Islamic Jihad member, to purchase fertilizer for him to create explosives - but was arrested before making the purchase. Suaftma, a Palestinian resident of the town of Tubas, converted to Judaism and took the name Assaf Ben David, but recently converted back to Islam. In his charge sheet, Suaftma-Ben David’s life story is detailed. He was born in 1968 in the village of Tubas in the district of Nablus. In the early 1990s, aged 25, he began a process of converting to Judaism and in 1996 he received Israeli citizenship. more..
MKs: Probe police aggression in Peki’in
Sharon Roffe-Ofir, YNetNews 10/30/2007
Arab factions condemn security forces’ response to riots in Druze town over installation of cellular antenna. ’I am astounded by the police’s violence toward civilians,’ says MK Tibi - - Arab Knesset members on Tuesday morning slammed the police’s conduct in response to the riots which broke out in the Druze town of Peki’in following the installation of a cellular antenna in the area. Twenty-seven police officers and about 10 local residents and Magen David Adom paramedics were injured in the clashes. One of the rioters was shot in the stomach by a policeman. MK Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta’al) said that he was "astounded by the police’s violence toward civilians." He called on Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter to remove all the special police forces from the village and launch an investigation into the incident. more..
Dozens injured in Galilee clashes
Ahiya Raved, YNetNews 10/30/2007
Cellular antenna installed in Druze town of Peki’in prompts riots; 27 police officers and about 10 local residents and MDA paramedics hurt, two of them in serious condition. Police to investigate use of live ammunition against protestors - - Twenty-seven police officers and about 10 civilians and Magen David Adom paramedics were injured early Tuesday in clashes which broke out at the Upper Galilee town of Peki’in, following the installation of a cellular antenna in a nearby community. One of the injured was shot in the stomach by a policeman. Some 200 police and Border Guard officers arrived at the area early Tuesday and were met with resistance on the part of hundreds of young residents. Police are expected to launch an investigation into the violent incident. more..
OPT: IOF kills three Palestinian and start fuel cuts in Gaza
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, ReliefWeb 10/29/2007
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) launched its eighth incursion into the Gaza Strip in eight days today, Monday 29 October 2007. IOF penetrated the towns of Beit Hanoun and Rafah and killed three Palestinians; of whom one is disabled. Nine others were injured and one school bombarded. This military escalation coincides with IOF’s commencement of reducing fuel supplies to the Strip. According to field investigations by Al Mezan, at approximately 5. 30am on 29 October 2007, eight Israeli armored vehicles penetrated Ashobaki area north Beit Hanoun town and took positions under helicopters cover. They opened arbitrary fire as a special force sneaked into the Agricultural Collage of Al Azhar University in the north of the town. The force took positions inside the College and opened fire killing a 44-year-old disabled man; Farid Ibrhim Abu Udeh. more..
Israeli forces seize Palestinian near Jenin
Ma’an News Agency 10/30/2007
Jenin Ma’an Israeli forces on Tuesday seized a Palestinian man in the northern West Bank village of Silat adh Dhahr, south of Jenin, after beating his brother. The family of Fatah activist Iyhad Rahhal, aged 22, said he was taken by an undercover Israeli unit, which stormed their home. His brother was evacuated to hospital for treatment. [end]
Unidentified gunmen kidnap son of former Palestinian Attorney General
Ma’an News Agency 10/30/2007
Gaza Ma’an Unidentified gunmen on Tuesday afternoon broke into the house of the former Palestinian Attorney General Hussain Abu Asi in Gaza city and kidnapped his son, Ma’an’s reporter said. Asim Abu Asi, another son of the former attorney general told Ma’an’s reporter that the assailants attacked his mother and sisters when they asked the reason why they stormed into their home. He added that the assailants came back later and seized his brother, Atallah, who was not at home during the first break in. [end]
Israeli forces storm Al-Araqa and Qabatia arresting nine
Ma’an News Agency 10/30/2007
Jenin Ma’an Israeli forces arrested on Tuesday morning nine Palestinians from the town of Al-Araqa, west of Jenin on Tuesday morning and stormed homes of wanted Palestinians in Qabatia in southern Jenin district. Ma’an’s reporter said that 15 Israeli military vehicles invaded Al-Araqa and ransacked several homes before arresting the nine, who are allegedly ’wanted’ by the Israeli authorities. In a separate incident in Qabatia, 18 Israeli military vehicles stormed homes belonging to Palestinian activists affiliated to the An-Nasser Brigades of the Popular Resistance Committees and the Al-Quds Brigades of the Islamic Jihad. Eyewitness said the Israeli soldiers handed over letters to the families of the Palestinian activists threatening to assassinate them if they do not surrender to the Israeli authorities. more..
Israeli forces arrest two Palestinain women in Qalqilia
Ma’an News Agency 10/30/2007
Qalqilia Ma’an Israeli forces arrested two Palestinian women on Tuesday morning from the city of Qalqilia in the northern West Bank. One of the women is the mother of a ’wanted’ Palestinian man and the other is the mother of two Palestinian detainees currently held in Israeli jails. Two men were also arrested in the raid. [end]
Palestinian military groups continue to launch homemade projectiles at Israeli targets
Ma’an News Agency 10/30/2007
Gaza Ma’an The National Resistance Brigades affiliated to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine(DFLP), and Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility in a joint statement on Monday evening for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli settlement of Yad Murdakhai. On Tuesday morning, the Al-Aqsa Brigades said they launched two more projectiles at the Israeli military post of Nahal ’Oz in the eastern Gaza Strip. After the shelling, the groups issued statements emphasizing that their activities were in retaliation for the frequent Israeli atrocities committed against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the apprehension campaigns in the West Bank. In a separate incident, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility on Tuesday... more..
Palestinian gunmen survive Israeli air strike
Ma’an News Agency 10/30/2007
Gaza Ma’an A group of Palestinian gunmen from the Al-Mujahidin Brigades, affiliated to Fatah movement survived an Israeli air strike on Monday evening in eastern Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, a spokesperson from the Brigades said in a statement. Abu Bilal added, "An Israeli drone shelled the group of gunmen while they were trying to launch homemade projectiles at Sderot." [end]
Fighters exchange fire with undercover Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip
IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 10/30/2007
Palestinian fighters, members of the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, exchanged fire of Wednesday with undercover Israeli forces invading Al Qarara, in the Gaza Strip. Shortly after the incident, armored military vehicles invaded the area and fired rounds of live ammunition in several directions, no injuries were reported. [end]
Fateh fighter dies of wounds sustained in an Israeli attack two weeks ago
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 10/30/2007
Palestinian medical sources reported on Tuesday thatOmar Shinnawi, 24, member of Night Knights group, one of the wings of the Al Aqsa brigades, the armed wing of Fateh died of wounds sustained two weeks ago, in Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank. Shinnawi was seriously injured when the army assassinated Bassim Abu Sarriyya, leader of the group. [end]
Settlers flood Palestinian orchards with sewage
Amin Abuwardeh β IMEMC - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 10/30/2007
Palestinian sources in Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank, reported on Tuesday that Israeli settlers of the illegal settlement of Alon Moreh, flooded Palestinian orchards with sewage water causing damage to dozens of olive trees. Abdul-Karim Hussein, head of Dir Al Hatab village council, stated that the army barred the residents from reaching their orchards for six years and that recently when they were allowed into their lands, the resident found out that the settlers are using the orchards for dumping sewage from the settlement. Hussein added that the settlers also uprooted dozens of olive trees and that the orchards are now flooded with sewage. He stated that the settlers carried repeated attacks against the residents and their lands, and that in many cases soldiers did not even attempt to stop the settlers. more..
Ten homemade shells strike western Negev
John Smith - IMEMC & agencies, International Middle East Media Center 10/30/2007
Approximately ten homemade shells fired from the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening landed in the western Negev. Two of the shells landed in an open area near the Israeli town of Sderot, causing neither damage nor injury. The remainder of the shells struck near the town of Nativ. Israeli media sources reported that one house was lightly damaged and several people were treated for shock. The al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and Islamic Jihad claimed repsonsibility for the attacks. [end]
Palestine Today 103007
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio dept, International Middle East Media Center 10/30/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file File 2. 75 MB || Time 3m 0s|| Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Tuesday, October 30th, 2007. In the West Bank, Israeli forces kidnap at least 15 Palestinians in pre-dawn raids across the region. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, the al-Qassam Brigades claim they will strike within Israeli territory should the policy of targeted assassinations continue. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The Israeli army invaded several parts of the West Bank on Tuesday morning, kidnapping at least 15 Palestinian civilians. Of those kidnapped, Palestinian security sources reported that nine were kidnapped from al-Arkka, near the northern West bank city of Jenin, with the remainder being abducted from Nablus, Qalqilia and Hebron. more..
Israeli settlers release waste-water on Palestinian land
Ameen Abu Wardah - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 10/30/2007
Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Alon Mureh, located near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, on Tuesday released a quantity of waste-water on Palestinian-owned land in the area. The waste-water was released onto lands owned by residents of the nearby Dier al-Hattab village, the result being that a number of olive trees were completely destroyed. Dier al-Hattab residents are subject to constant attacks and intimidation from nearby Israeli settlers. Translated by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News Room [end]
Israeli soldiers kidnap one Palestinian near Jenin
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 10/30/2007
Israeli forces on Tuesday attacked a Palestinian home in the village of Siliat al-Thaher located near Jenin city in the northern part of the West Bank, kidnapping one civilian and reportedly stealing 2500 JD from the house. One brother was released two hours later, while the other remains in Israeli custody. The Rahal family also reported that some 2500 JD had gone missing during the attack. [end]
Israeli forces kidnap 10 Palestinians from West Bank
John Smith - IMEMC & agencies, International Middle East Media Center 10/30/2007
At least 10 Palestinians were kidnapped by Israeli forces across the West Bank in the early hours of Tuesday morning. [end]
Two pipe bombs detonated in east Jeruslaem
John Smith - IMEMC & agencies, International Middle East Media Center 10/30/2007
Two pipe bombs exploded near Nablus Road in east Jerusalem on Monday night. No-one was reported injured in the incident. No further information has been released by police. [end]
Israeli military kidnaps 10 Palestinians from Al ’Arqa village in Jenin
Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 10/30/2007
Israeli military forces kidnapped ten Palestinians from al-’Arqa village, located near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, in the early hours of Tuesday morning Security sources reported that about 15 military vehicles invaded the village at 3:00am, ransacking homes and confiscating properties. Sources added that Troops kidnapped ten Palestinians during the military operation, taking them to unknown detention centers. Among those kidnapped were Jabr Mustafa, 28, Aysar Yahya, 23 and Murad Saleh, 22. [end]
IDF kills 2 Palestinians following rocket barrage
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 10/24/2007
Five Qassams fired at western Negev on Wednesday evening, one landing inside southern town of Sderot; two people suffer from shock. Shortly afterwards, IAF aircraft fires missile at cell launching rockets - - Two Palestinians were killed Wednesday evening and another three were injured from a missile fired at them by an IDF aircraft. The missile is believed to have been fired at an Islamic Jihad cell launching Qassam rockets at Israel. The airstrike took place several minutes after the Palestinians fired five rockets at the southern town of the Sderot. One of the rockets landed near a WIZO day care center not far from the home of the town’s mayor, Eli Moyal; two people suffered from shock. Several mortar shells landed near the border fence, starting a fire in a hothouse in one of the Negev’s kibbutzim. more..
Olmert: Bullets won’t stop peace
Neta Sela, YNetNews 10/24/2007
President, prime minister address ceremony at Mount Herzl marking 12 years since former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination. ’Israel is stronger than any shock or crisis,’ Peres says. Rabin’s grandson talks of personal price - - A state ceremony commemorating the 12th anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was held Wednesday afternoon at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem "Twelve years have passed by rapidly since that terrible night in which the prime minister of Israel was killed by the lowliness and abomination that exists in murderers - by the son of injustice who undermined the integrity of Israeli democracy, and plotted to topple it with three bullets, which he fired into the exposed back of Yitzhak," President Shimon Peres said at the ceremony. Chilling Memory Special: Video of Rabin's murder as more..
Terrorist drive-by leaves 2 Israelis injured
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 10/24/2007
Palestinians open fire from passing vehicle on Israeli civilians at the Ariel Junction in the West Bank; one man sustains moderate to serious injuries, another lightly wounded from shrapnel - - One person sustained serious injuries in a drive-by shooting attack in Ariel Junction, in the West Bank. A second person was lightly injured in his foot from shrapnel. According to reports, one of the injured stood at a hitchhiking post exiting Ariel when a large number of shots were fired from a passing vehicle carrying at least two terrorists. The man was struck by a number of bullets, and collapsed. A civilian who witnessed the attack and noticed a passing ambulance called the ambulance to the scene of the attack, and medical treatment was immediately provided. Video: Tapuach task force The second person was injured when the terrorists opened fire at his vehicle. more..
Church damaged in fire in central Jerusalem
Associated Press, YNetNews 10/24/2007
Holy books in sanctuary burned; no suspects arrested - - A church in central Jerusalem was set afire before dawn Wednesday and suffered extensive damage, police said. Holy books in the sanctuary were also burned, police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said. Those who set the building afire apparently threw something flammable inside the windows, Ben-Ruby said. No suspects have been arrested, he said. The church formerly belonged to a local Baptist community, but is now shared by several congregations, including a group of Russians and some Messianic Jews. The church had been set afire in the past. It is located on Narkiss Street, a main road in central Jerusalem that runs near ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods. more..
Occupied Palestinian Territories: Torn apart by factional strife
Amnesty International - AI, ReliefWeb 10/24/2007
CONTEXT In 1994 the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) led to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority (PA), with jurisdiction over parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT - the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip) occupied by Israel since 1967. The establishment of the PA did not change the status of the OPT under international law as territories under Israeli military occupation, and Israel retains effective control over the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their population and their natural resources. The Oslo Accords gave the PA jurisdiction for civil affairs (such as health, education and internal security) in some 40 percent of the West Bank, fragmented into some 230 separate enclaves each surrounded by areas under full Israeli military administration. more..
Palestinian resistance fighters retaliate for Israeli atrocities; fire 23 projectiles
Ma’an News Agency 10/24/2007
Gaza Ma’an The Palestinian resistance on Tuesday night launched at least 18 homemade projectiles at Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip. The military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility for firing three projectiles at the Israeli Western Negev town of Sderot, three at Kisufim and another two at Kfar Aza, just east of the strip. The An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades of the Popular Resistance Committees said that its fighters launched three projectiles towards Ashkelon, one at Sderot and four mortar shells at the Israeli military post at Nahal ’Oz. The An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades also launched five mortar shells at Kerem Shalom and Sufa Crossing points between Israel and the Gaza Strip. The operation was retaliation for the assassination of Deputy Secretary General of the brigades Mubarak Al-Hasanat. more..
Jewish extremists set a church on fire in Jerusalem; no one charged
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 10/24/2007
Israeli media sources reported on Wednesday that a group of extremists had set a church on fire located in the central of the occupied city of Jerusalem in the early hours of Wednesday morning. This is not the first time this church in attacked. It was burned down in 1982 by a group of Jewish extremists. Israeli police told media that no arrests had been made yet but there is an indication that the assailants may be Jewish extremists. The official story that was published by Israeli media says that attackers entered the church after destroying the front doors and windows then set fire inside the church in three different locations. [end]
Israeli police attack mosque near Haifa
Maisa Abu Ghazala - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 10/24/2007
On Tuesday morning, a group of Israeli Special Police damaged the Sarafand Mosque and stole artifacts from the mosque. Israeli bulldozers, under the supervision of the Israeli police, gutted the road in front of the Mosque. The prayers were disliked by the Israeli government, who are trying to cut any Palestinian connection with this mosque. Sarafand mosque was demolished by the Israeli forces in 2000. Since then, the Islamic movement in Israel and the Al Aqsa organization have tried to revive the mosque by holding prayers in the location. During the holy month of Ramadan, the road to the mosque was repaired by a group of volunteers, to facilitate the worshippers being able to reach the mosque. On Tuesday morning, members of the Israeli land department, called Al Menhal or the "Green patrols" brought a bulldozer accompanied by Israeli policemen forces to the mosque location to bulldoze the road leading to the mosque. more..
Three Israeli settlers lightly injured in drive-by shooting
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 10/24/2007
Israeli media sources reported that three Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Ariel, located in the northern part of the West Bank, were lightly injured in a drive-by shooting on Wednesday morning. [end]
21 members arrested across West Bank, Hamas claims
IMEMC Staff - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 10/24/2007
Sources in the Hamas movement on Wednesday stated that Fatah-allied security forces had kidnapped least 21 members of the Hamas movement during dawn attacks in several parts of the West Bank. In the northern part of the West Bank, 11 people were arrested in Nablus, Salfit, and Jenin. The Hamas statement also reported that Palestinian security forces attacked a demonstration in Jericho that was organized by school students against the Israeli attacks on the political detainees in Israeli jails. The statement added that security forces arrested five students from the protest. Translated by: Ghassan Bannoura β IMEMC. org News Room. [end]
Israel moves closer to cutting power in Gaza
Compiled by Daily Star staff, Daily Star 10/25/2007
The Israeli government will take further measures against the population of Gaza on Wednesday in hopes of deterring Palestinian militants from firing rockets, defense officials said, vowing to cut off electricity to the territory every time one of the projectiles hits Israeli territory. Israel oversees more than half of Gaza’s electricity, and any power cutoff would make life more difficult for residents of the already impoverished territory - and possibly draw criticism for violating international law. The Israeli government last month declared Gaza a "hostile territory," clearing the way for the Jewish state to tighten its siege. That decision followed the June takeover of the territory by the Islamist Hamas grpup and rocket fire by Gaza militants at towns in southern Israel. On Wednesday, Israel’s deputy defense minister, Matan Vilnai, said it was time to increase pressure on the militants. more..
Jewish state to educate public on war readiness
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 10/25/2007
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel will launch a public awareness campaign in the coming days focused on telling people what to do in the event of missile attacks, the Israeli Army said on Wednesday. Citing "lessons learned" from the 2006 war against Lebanon, in which Hizbullah fired more than 4,000 rockets at Israel, the army said it is now focused on preparing people in advance of actual conflicts. "The home front command has established a new method of raising awareness based on an information campaign to prepare the population to face emergency situations," an army spokesman told AFP. The army will soon begin distributing recommendations to municipalities, including advice related to nonconventional attacks, according to Israel’s Yediot Ahronot newspaper. "We have no concrete information about an imminent chemical attack, but it is worth taking advantage of a period of calm to prepare for it," the paper quoted the circular as saying. more..
Palestinian children killed in Gaza
Al Jazeera 10/24/2007
Israeli forces have killed two Palestinian children in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical officials have said. They said the two boys, aged 12 and 13, were killed on Wednesday while they were in an area used by fighters to fire rockets into southern Israel. Medics described them as civilians. An Israeli army spokeswoman said Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians who had just launched three rockets into Israel. Earlier on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank, an Israeli soldier was shot and injured while driving near a Jewish settlement, ambulance services said. Source: Agencies [end]
Heavy rocket barrage follows targeted killing
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 10/24/2007
At least 10 Qassams launched Tuesday at Israel. One rocket hits apartment building in southern town of Sderot; several people suffer from shock. Earlier, IDF assassinates senior Popular Resistance Committees member - - Five Qassam rockets were fired at the southern town of Sderot on Tuesday evening. One of them hit an apartment building in the city, and several people suffered from shock. Two additional rockets landed in open areas. The Salah al-Din Brigades, the Popular Resistance Committees’ military wing, claimed responsibility for firing the rockets. In total, more than 10 rockets were launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Most of them landed in open areas. One of the rockets hit an area near a strategic facility in Ashkelon’s southern industrial zone, another landed near southern kibbutzim, and the others landed near communities in the Sdot Negev regional council, not far from the town of Netivot. more..
Yigal Amir’s wife calls for probe against police chief
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 10/24/2007
Larissa Trimbobler writes to attorney general, State comptroller demanding they investigate Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen for leaking videotape of Rabin killer’s interrogation. ’The criminal statute prohibits leaking such material,’ she says - - Larissa Trimbobler, Yigal Amir’s wife, appealed to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz on Tuesday, and demanded he open an investigation against Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen for leaking the videotape of her husband’s interrogation to the press. The tape in question documented Yigal Amir’s first interrogation, just a few hours after he shot former Prime Minister Yizhak Rabin. The police chief gave a copy of the tape to Rabin’s daughter, Dalia, during a ceremony marking the assassination’s 12th anniversary. more..
Qassam lands near strategic facility
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 10/24/2007
Rocket fired from northern Gaza lands near Ashkelon’s southern industrial zone; three more rockets fall near Sderot. No injuries or damage reported. Islamic Jihad’s armed wing claims responsibility - - A Qassam rocket fired by Palestinians in northern Gaza Tuesday landed near a strategic installation near Ashkelon’s southern industrial zone. Three more rockets landed near the western Negev city of Sderot. No injuries or damage were reported in the attack. Around 8 am Tueday morning, the "Color Red" alert system was activated in the Sderot area, and three loud explosions were heard in the city shortly thereafter. A half-hour later another rocket was fired toward Ashkelon. The Al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad’s military wing, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out in response to the killing of two of the group’s members by IDF forces in the West Bank town of Jenin. more..
IDF kills 2 senior Jihad members in Jenin
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 10/24/2007
Terrorists killed by special unit soldiers while trying to flee encircled building in West Bank city; 19 wanted Palestinians arrested - - IDF forces operating in the West Bank city of Jenin in the early hours of Tuesday morning killed two senior Islamic Jihad members who had been on Israel’s most wanted list. An IDF officer was lightly injured during the activity. The Jihad members were identified as Khaled Hussein, the most wanted Islamic Jihad member in north Samaria, and his deputy, Taeiq Abu Ali. During the operation, which took place in the Sabah al-Hir neighborhood in north Jenin, soldiers belonging to a special army unit encircled a building in which the Palestinians were hiding. The Jihad members were killed during the heavy exchanges of fire that erupted as they attempted to flee the scene. more..
PRC fighter killed in Israeli air strike near Gaza beach
Ma’an News Agency 10/23/2007
Gaza Ma’an A leader of the Popular Resistance Committees’ An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, thirty-year-old Mubarak Hasanat, was assassinated on Tuesday when Israeli fighter jets shelled his car on the beach road, south of Gaza City. The shell struck Hasanat’s jeep near the Al-Zahra junction on Gaza beach. Director of Ambulance and Emergency Department in the Palestinian Ministry of Health Dr Muawiya Hassanein said the body was transferred to Al-Zahra clinic. [end]
Israeli forces invade northern Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 10/23/2007
Gaza Ma’an Eight Israeli military vehicles invaded the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Hanoun on Tuesday morning. Eyewitnesses said that four bulldozers razed farmland, reinforced by four military vehicles. [end]
Several students injured in Hamas-Fatah clashes at Al-Aqsa University in Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 10/23/2007
Khan Younis Ma’an Several students were injured on Tuesday when fierce clashes erupted between Hamas and Fatah students at Al-Aqsa University in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses said that students attacked each other with clubs and stones, and at least five students required medical treatment. Palestinian medical sources at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said that at least two students arrived at hospital with head injuries. Following the clashes, the administration of the university suspended study and evacuated all students from the campus. [end]
Israeli forces storm West Bank village; seize one Palestinian
Ma’an News Agency 10/23/2007
Hebron Ma’an The Israeli forces on Tuesday morning seized a Palestinian from the southern West Bank town of Idhna, west of Hebron. Palestinian police sources said that the Israeli forces stormed the town at dawn and ransacked several homes in the town centre, before seizing Ibrahim abu Jheisha. [end]
’Number one resistance fighter’ killed by Israeli forces
Ma’an News Agency 10/23/2007
Jenin Ma’an An Israeli undercover unit on Tuesday morning assassinated prominent leader of Islamic Jihad’s armed wing the Al-Quds Brigades and his associate during armed confrontations in the northern West Bank town of Jenin. A group of resistance fighters were besieged by the undercover force. An Israeli officer was reportedly injured in the clashes. The Israeli forces also seized nine Palestinians in the area. The assassinated leader was identified as forty-three-year-old Sheikh Khalid Al-Rayiq, also known as Abu Al-Saqir (father of the falcon), from Tulkarem. His associate was named as Muhammad Jawabra, from the town of Kafr Ra’i, south of Jenin. Eyewitnesses reported that an Israeli officer was moderately wounded and that the two Palestinians were killed by an Israeli shell which was launched at the besieged building where they were stationed. more..
Kidnapped Palestinian boy released
Ma’an News Agency 10/22/2007
[Ma’anImages] Qalqiliya Ma’an Palestinian security services rescued six-year-old Hamza Abdul Hafith, a boy from the West Bank town of Qalqilya who had been kidnapped Sunday evening. Qalqiliya Governor Rabeih Khandaqji said security forces in Qalqiliya and neighboring Tulkarem worked together to free the child and arrest nine suspects. The governor said Hafith’s family reached an agreement with the kidnappers to settle a financial dispute between them. He said no ransom had been paid to the kidnappers. According to Khandaqji, the motive behind the abduction was financial dispute between the boy’s farther and a group of merchants who hired someone to kidnap the child and take him to Israel territories in an Israeli-plated car. more..
PFLP claim attack on Sdrerot
Ma’an News Agency 10/22/2007
Gaza Ma’an The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility on Monday for launching two homemade projectiles at the Western Negev Israeli town of Sderot. It is not clear if any damage was caused in the attack. [end]
Police officer injured by roadside bomb in Gaza City
Ma’an News Agency 10/22/2007
Gaza Ma’an A Palestinian police officer was injured when a roadside bomb detonated near a police jeep in Gaza City. Director of Ambulances and Emergencies in the Palestinian Ministry of Healt Dr Muawiya Hassanein stated that twenty-five-year-old Ahmad Abu Mghaidib was critically wounded and evacuated to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza City. Hassanein said that Abu Mghaidib was injured by shrapnel, which hit his head and upper body. [end]
Israeli forces fire missiles at ’launch pads’ in northern Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 10/22/2007
Gaza Ma’an The Israeli forces on Monday launched a number of missiles towards what they believed to be a homemade projectile launch pad in northern Gaza. Sources from within the military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, said that the shelling targeted a group of fighters who launched seven homemade projectiles at Sderot. None of the fighters were harmed in the attack. The Al-Quds Brigades on Monday also claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles towards the Israeli town of Ashkelon, also bordering Gaza. The brigades issued a statement declaring that the shelling is part of the natural retaliation for Israeli aggression. [end]
Israeli forces seize four Palestinians in the northern West Bank
Ma’an News Agency 10/22/2007
Nablus Ma’an Israeli forces on Monday seized two Palestinians from Nablus, in the northern West Bank, during an incursion into the city. The invading forces also raided the home of leader of Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades Ja’far Samhan. Ja’far’s sister Ahlam said that the soldiers demolished the contents of the home, claiming they were searching for an explosives-manufacturing workshop. In Qalqilia and Tubas, also in the northern West Bank, the Israeli forces also seized two Palestinians. The apprehensions took place at Hamra checkpoint near Tubas and a flying checkpoint near Qalqilia. One of the detainees was identified at twenty-three-year-old Bilal Shiekh Ibrahim. more..
Al-Aqsa Brigades shell Israeli military post
Ma’an News Agency 10/22/2007
Gaza Ma’an The military wing of the Fatah movement, the Al-Aqsa Brigades, on Sunday evening claimed responsibility for launching two mortar shells at the Israeli military post in Kisufim, bordering the Gaza Strip. [end]
Islamic Jihad fighters confront invading Israeli troops near Jenin
Ma’an News Agency 10/22/2007
Jenin Ma’an The Al-Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad on Monday morning confronted an invading Israeli force in Qabatiya, south of the northern West Bank town of Jenin. More than 12 Israeli military vehicles stormed the village at around 3. 30am, from the east and west sides, and raided several homes, turning them into military posts. The invading forces also cut electricity in some areas of the village. Clashes erupted between Palestinian resistance fighters and invading troops. The Al-Quds Brigades reported that the clashes were fierce, but that there were no injuries [end]
Four Hamas fighters injured in Israeli missile attack
Ma’an News Agency 10/22/2007
Gaza Ma’an Palestinian medical sources reported that four Hamas fighters were injured in an Israeli missile attack on Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip. One of the wounded is in a critical condition. Director of Ambulances and Emergencies in the Palestinian Ministry of Health Dr Muawiya Hassanein said that the Israeli forces launched a surface-to-surface missile at the Hamas combatants, who were close to the Gazan border. Yasser Rantisi, who was critically injured in the attack, was transferred from Kamal Udwan Hospital to Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City due to the severity of his condition. [end]
Palestinian dies of wounds inflicted by Gaza police
Ma’an News Agency 10/22/2007
Gaza Ma’an Muhammad Al-Diri on Sunday night died of wounds he sustained during clashes with the Palestinian police in the Gaza Strip in September His family issued a statement saying he died in an Israeli hospital of injuries incurred on the 28th of September. [end]
Schoolboy kidnapped in Qalqilia
Ma’an News Agency 10/22/2007
Qalqilia Ma’an Six-year-old Palestinian boy Hamza Abdul-Hafith was abducted while on his way to school on Sunday morning in the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia. The family of Abdul-Hafith said he did not return home after school. A relative of the family received a telephone call from an unknown group alleging that they have the boy and want a ransom of 2. 4 million NIS ($600,000 US) for his release. Eyewitnesses reported that men in a car kidnapped the boy as he walked to school and then sped away. [end]
Palestinian man killed by Israeli settler’s car
Ma’an News Agency 10/21/2007
Israeli settler’s car Sunday [Ma’anImages] Tulkarem Ma’an A forty-year-old Palestinian man named Kamal Abdul-Qadir was killed on Sunday when an Israeli settler ran him over on an highway near Kufur Qasim, a Palestinian village inside Israel. Abdul-Qadir was traveling from his home in the West Bank city of Tulkarem to his place of employment in Israel. Eyewitnesses said a group of Palestinian workers were crossing the road when the Israeli vehicle, traveling "very swiftly," struck Abdul-Qadir, killing him instantly. Israeli police stopped the car and called an ambulance. The man’s body was taken first to the United Nations hospital in the West Bank city of Qalqilia, and then to the government hospital in Tulkarem. Abdul-Qadir is survived by a wife and five children. more..
Gaza funeral honors lifeguard killed by Israeli forces
Ma’an News Agency 10/21/2007
Gaza Ma’an Palestinians took part in a funeral procession Sunday in Gaza City for lifeguard Nizar Abu Arab, who was killed Saturday evening by Israeli forces off the Gaza coast. Members of Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades at the head of the procession fired into the air. Abu Arab was an Islamic Jihad activist. [end]
Israeli forces seize seven Palestinians from West Bank bakery
Ma’an News Agency 10/21/2007
Qalqilia Ma’an Israeli forces on Sunday seized seven Palestinians from the northern West Bank town of ’Azzun, near Qalqilia. The Israeli forces claimed that one of the detainees was ’wanted’. An undercover Israeli force besieged a bakery in the centre of ’Azzun and apprehended everyone present. Israeli military vehicles invaded the area to reinforce the undercover unit. [end]
Fatah fighters force retreat of invading Israeli unit in northern Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 10/21/2007
Gaza Ma’an The Al-Aqsa Brigades of the Fatah movement on Sunday reported that its fighters clashed with an undercover Israeli force, which penetrated a hundred metres into the northern Gaza Strip. The brigades issued a statement alleging that "fierce fighting erupted between Al-Aqsa Brigades gunmen and the invading undercover force. [ ] The Israeli force withdrew and fighter jets flew over the area forcing gunmen to leave, fearing air strikes." [end]
Several residents injured by Palestinian gunfire in a Hebron protest
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 10/24/2007
Palestinian sources in the southern West Bank city of Hebron reported on Monday at night that Palestinian security men clashed with Hamas members and supporters after Hamas organized a protest, doomed by P. A security as illegal, in the city in support to the Palestinian detainees in the Negev Israeli detention facility. Several residents were injured. Archive Photo Hebron governor, Dr. Hussein Al A’raj, stated that Palestinian security men fired rounds of live ammunition into the air after the “lives of the security personnel were en daggered by the protesters”; several residents were injured. He added that Hamas did not attempt to apply for a permit to hold the protests, therefore “this protest is illegal and the police asked the residents to leave peacefully”. Hamas legislator in Hebron, Hatim Qfeisha, stated that the security men fired at Hamas supporters as they left a local mosque. more..
Palestine Today 102307
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 10/23/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 2. 75 MB || Time 3m 0s|| Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007. In the West Bank, Israeli forces kidnap 14 civilians across the region. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, the Israeli Finance Minister urges the World Bank to suspend all activities in the coastal region. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. Palestinian security sources reported Tuesday morning that the Israeli army had invaded several areas of the West Bank in pre-dawn raids, kidnapping at 14 Palestinian civilians. In the northern west bank city of Jenin, two Palestinian resistance fighters were killed when the Israeli army invaded in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Nine Palestinians, including three brothers, were also kidnapped in the invasion. more..
Israeli missile kills a resistance fighter in central Gaza.
Rami Al-meghari - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 10/23/2007
An Israeli missile on Tuesday killed Salah Eldin Hassanat, a senior member of the Salaheldin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, as he drove along the central Gaza coastal road. Israeli drone Witnesses said that Hassanat was driving a white jeep along the Gaza-Nusierat coastal road in central Gaza Strip when the missile struck his vehicle. Eyewitnesses reported seeing an Israeli drone launch the missile. [end]
Israeli military abducts two Palestinians from Nablus
Nisreen Qumsieh, International Middle East Media Center 10/22/2007
The Israeli military abducted two Palestinians from the northern west Bank city of Nablus in the early hours of Monday morning, transferring them to an unknown detention center. Security sources reported that several military vehicles invaded the city from the Beit Iba checkpoint, opening fire as they patrolled the streets. After searching and ransacking their homes, local sources reported that Muntaser Al Masri and Omar Al Minawe were kidnapped by the army and moved to an unknown detention center. [end]
Israeli air strike injures four
John Smith - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 10/22/2007
Palestinian sources have reported that four people were seriously injured when Israeli war planes attacked the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday morning. [end]
Persona non grata in Gaza
The Guardian 10/11/2007
Nuns pray in the Deir al-Lateen Catholic church in Gaza City. Photograph: Khalil Hamra/AP At the end of the afternoon, Rami Ayad said goodbye to his fellow workers at Gaza’s Bible Society and headed home. He never got there. In the hours after Mr Ayad’s failed to return home, his wife and his brother spoke to him on his mobile phone. Both were concerned that something was wrong. His brother, Ramzi, said he had heard fear in his voice. Later, Rami called his wife and told her he was in a faraway place and would be very late; the next morning, his body was found in a street. He had been stabbed several times and shot in the head. His friends and family are convinced his only crime was that he was a Christian - and his murder, on October 7, has persuaded many in the 3,000-strong Christian community they are no longer welcome in Gaza. more..
Man killed in Palestinian clashes
BBC Online 10/22/2007
At least one Palestinian has been killed during clashes in the south ofGaza between members of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups. At least seven people have died in Gaza in the last few days as tensions between the rival factions have spilled over into street battles. The clashes are the heaviest fighting since the Hamas Islamist movement seized control of Gaza in June. Reports say mediators have been trying to broker a deal to end the violence. The AFP news agency has reported that rival groups in Gaza have agreed "completely and immediately end all sources of tension, including withdrawing armed men and lifting checkpoints". A joint statement seen by AFP said the groups have also decided to appoint a joint commission to "establish why the incidents happened and come up with a radical solution". more..
Israeli strike kills Gaza official
Al Jazeera 10/23/2007
Israeli forces shot dead two Islamic Jihad membersin Jenin on Tuesday [AFP] An Israeli air attack in the Gaza Strip has killed a member of a Palestinian armed group who also worked as an interior ministry official, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources. The Popular Resistance Committees, an umbrella orgaistaion of Palestinian armed groups, identified the dead man as Mubarak al-Hasanat. Al-Hasanat, besides being a commander of an armed group, also worked as an official in the Hamas-run interior ministry. An Israeli army spokesman confirmed Israel had carried out a strike in Gaza that targeted a "senior terrorist in the infrastructure behind rocket attacks on Israel". Witnesses said an Israeli missile destroyed a car on a coastal road in Gaza, killing al-Hasanat and wounding another person on Tuesday. more..
Yesha rabbis: Majadele is like a fifth column
Ronny Sofer, YNetNews 10/19/2007
Science, culture and sport minister slammed over his demand to prevent ongoing Mugrabi Gate dig in Jerusalem. Majadele in response: It is sad that those who see themselves as settlers’ leader preach hatred - - Raleb Majadele is operating as a fifth column inside the government, Dov Lior, chairman of the Yesha Raabis Committee, wrote Friday in a manifesto against the science, culture and sport minister. "Majadele’s ongoing attempts to halt the excavation works at Jerusalem’s Mugrabi Gate raise the great fear that he is serving our enemies’ interests. This behavior questions causes us to question his loyalty to the Jewish state," Rabbi Lior continued in the letter. "We were shocked to hear of the intentions of enemies from the inside and the outside, who speak out loud about handing over and abandoning the Temple Mount and parts of the Jewish people’s eternal capital. more..
Israels Moviemaker in Shades of Grey .
Jessie Emkic, Middle East Online 10/11/2007
First Published 2007-10-19, Last Updated 2007-10-19 15:54:23 Amos Gitai’s films, both fictional and documentary, are about ambiguity, complexity and compromise. And he believes that peace will come between Israelis and Palestinians. As a Palestinian mayor once told him: One must be optimist; to be a pessimist will make one a nihilist, says Amos Gitai was born in Haifa in 1950, the son of a Bauhaus architect from Berlin, Munio Weinraub Gitai, who had worked with Mies van der Rohe. Amos Gitai also studied to be an architect; and, although he didnt go to film school, he began to shoot short documentaries. He was called up during the 1973 Yom Kippur war, took part in helicopter rescue missions and used his Super-8 camera to take footage of combat. On his birthday, his helicopter was shot down on the Golan Heights; that became his inspiration. more..
Brigades launch RPG at Israeli unit
Ma’an News Agency 10/19/2007
Gaza Ma’an The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah and the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility for launching a rocket propelled grenade at an Israeli army unit east of Gaza International Airport. The brigades said in a statement that the operation was in response to Israeli assassinations of Al-Aqsa Brigades and Al-Quds Brigades leaders in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. [end]
Israeli forces abduct Palestinian in Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 10/19/2007
Rafah Ma’an Palestinian sources said on Friday that special Israeli forces burst into the home of Palestinian citizen, Jihad Abu Shawasha in the Jaradat neighbourhood, south east of the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. The forces invaded the area at 6. 30am and abducted Abu Shawasha, taking him to an unknown destination. Abu Shawasha’s political affiliation is still unknown. The Palestinian resistance said they clashed with the Israeli special forces. One of the resistance members was injured before the withdrawal of the Israeli forces. [end]
Fighters exchange fire with under-cover forces in southern Gaza
IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 10/19/2007
The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, reported on Friday that its fighters exchanged fire with undercover units of the Israeli army invading Al Qarara town, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Quds Brigades - Logo Moreover, the group also claimed responsibility for firing “Quds” homemade shells at the Sofa Israeli crossing, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The Brigades stated that one of its units fired two Quds shells at the Crossing on Friday evening. Earlier on Friday, Quds Brigades fighters fired RPG shells at Israeli forces topping a building near the Gaza International Airport in Rafah. The brigades said that its fighters will retaliate to any Israeli attacks, and will retaliate to the ongoing invasions and assassinations carried by the army. more..
Three injured in Bil’in weekly anti-Wall protest
Manar Jibrin - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 10/19/2007
The residents of the West Bank village of Bil’in, west of the city of Ramallah, joined by international and Israeli peace activists, took to the streets on Friday carrying Palestinian flags, anti-Israel banners and chanting slogans. The march was to protest against the construction of the Wall on village land,preventing the people of the village from reaching their olive groves for the start of the olive harvesting season. This week’s demonstration was joined by a group of cyclists, members of the Palestine Cyclist Club, who travelled on their bicycles from Bethlehem. The protestors marched to the site of the Wall where the Israeli army had placed barbed-wire. The soldiers fired teargas, sound bombs and rubber-coated bullets. Two cameramen, identified as Ghassan Banoura, from the International Middle East Media Centre and George Halata, and a Danish peace activist were injured more..
Israeli operation in Rafah ; one Palestinian kidnapped, another injured
Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 10/19/2007
In the early hours of Friday morning, according to Palestinian sources, special forces of the Israeli army invaded house in the Al Jaradat neighborhood of Rafah in the southern part of the Gaza. The sources report that the special forces invaded the home of Jihad Abu Shousha. They then kidnapped him and took him to an unidentified unknown detention center. Meanwhile, a group of Palestinian resistance fighters say they clashed with the soldiers and one of the group was wounded in an exchange of gunfire. The Israelis then withdrew from the area. [end]
Ministers nix bid to compensate settlers who choose to evacuate
Akiva Eldar Haaretz Correspondent, Ha’aretz 10/19/2007
The Ministerial Committee on Legislative Affairs last week voted down a private proposal which would grant economic compensation to settlers who voluntarily evacuate their homes in contested areas east of the Green Line. The proposal will be brought before the cabinet plenum, due to an appeal by Minister Ami Ayalon over the committee’s decision. According to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s recent policy, the areas in question are designated to be transferred to Palestinian control under the framework of a final status agreement. The details of the initiative were recently brought to the attention of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The Prime Minister’s Office responded by saying it did not recognize the proposal, adding that such a bill could be approved only within the framework of government law and not as a private proposal. more..
Bomber kill over 100 in Pakistan
Associated Press, YNetNews 10/18/2007
Twoblasts hit near former premier Bhutto after she returns from 8 year exile - - A suspected suicide bomber detonated himself Thursday night near a truck carrying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on her triumphant return to Pakistan after eight years in exile, killing at least 115 people, an official said. Party workers and police said Bhutto was unhurt. Associated Press photographer B. K. Bangash at the scenesaid he saw between 50 and 60 dead or badly injured people. Scene of the deadly explosions (Photo: AFP ) He said some of the bodies were ripped apart. An initial small explosion was followed by a huge blastjust feet from the front of the truck carrying Bhutto during a procession through Karachi. The blast shatteredwindows in her vehicle and set a police escort vehicle on fire. more..
Palestinian collaborators to be granted permanent residency
Ronny Sofer, YNetNews 10/18/2007
Cabinet to decide on fate of 31 Dahaniya families in next week’s meeting; expected to grant financial aid, find permanent place of residence in six months - - The cabinet is scheduled to decide Sunday on the request made by families of Palestinian collaborators from the Gaza Strip village of Dahaniya for permanent residency in Israel. The cabinet is also expected to award each family a NIS 45,000 (some $11,200) grant with an additional NIS 9,000 ($2200) for each child under the age of 18, and find them a permanent place of residence within six months. In August 2005, the village of Dahaniya β near the Palestinian city of Rafah β was evacuated and later leveled. The families of 31 Palestinian collaborators were brought to Israel, where the coordinator of government activities in the Palestinian territories was supposed to see to their needs. more..
Israeli forces seize Fatah and Islamic Jihad leaders in Tulkarem
Ma’an News Agency 10/18/2007
Tulkarem Ma’an Israeli forces stormed the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem on Thursday morning, seizing a political leader in the Islamic Jihad movement an activist affiliated with Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades. Islamic Jihad’s Abdul-Nasser Sweis and the Al-Aqsa Brigades’ Bilal Rajab were detained. Sweis’s wife said Israeli soldiers pelted the family’s house with stones before breaking in an abducting her husband. Rajab’s brother said that the Al-Aqsa activist had been granted amnesty by Israel last summer as a part of a deal between Fatah and the Israeli government. He said Rajab works in the Palestinian intelligence services and had signed a pledge to renounce violence, as required by the amnesty agreement. more..
Top army officer reprimanded for using Palestinian Civilians as Human Shields in Nablus
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 10/19/2007
Israeli army Chief Of Staff, Gabi Ashkenazi, decided on Thursday to reprimand Israel Army brigadier general Yair Golan, for allowing soldiers under his command to use Palestinian civilians as human shields during in Israeli military invasion into the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Child used by Israeli soldiers as a human shield - Archive Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported that “Golan was the most senior officer to be questioned in the probe, which the army launched last March”. Haaretz added that the incident took place after soldiers were captured on film forcing a young Palestinian man at gunpoint to lead them from house to house during an arrest sweep in Nablus, Haaretz added. Haaretz also stated that the army said the Golan will not be promoted for at least nine months. The usage of Palestinians civilians as human shields led to dozens of casualties more..
Israeli settlers attack campaign to help farmers in Hebron
Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 10/18/2007
On Thursday morning,Israeli settlers and soldiers attacked scores of Israeli and international activists and Palestinian olive growers in the area around the Atna’el settlement. The Israeli settlement of Atna’el was constructed on Palestinian land which is owned by the people of the village of Al Samou’a, in the southern part of the district of Hebron. The General Committee for the Defense of Land in Hebron District reports that settlers, together with Israeli soldiers, attacked as volunteers helped Palestinian farmers pick olives on land adjacent to the settlement. Settlers used force to stop farmers and volunteers from reaching the olive groves and then attacked and beat them. Musa Makhatra, head of the Committee, said that despite the attacks, they had been able to pick scores of trees. The campaign to ensure that olives near Israeli settlements are picked was taking more..
Bacteria close Knesset kitchens
Zvi Zrahiya, Ha’aretz 10/18/2007
The Health Ministry ordered the closure of the Knesset cafeteria kitchen yesterday as the possibility of a Listeria bacteria infection arose in the course of standard hygiene testing. The bacteria were found in two vegetable shipments from an outside source. One of the shipments included cucumbers. The staff immediately started cleaning and disinfecting the kitchen as well as the two cafeterias, one dairy and the other meat - proper cleaning will kill the bacteria. As a result of the closure, the cafeterias sold pastries and hot and cold beverages instead of the regular menu. The bacteria were found in the course of regular, weekly food testing conducted in the cafeterias and kitchen. After the preliminary results came up positive for the bacteria, other samples were taken - but the results have not yet been received. more..
Top IDF officer censured over use of ’human shields’
Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 10/18/2007
A senior military officer was reprimanded yesterday for allowing soldiers to use Palestinians as "human shields" during military operations, in violation of a Supreme Court ban on the practice. IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi reprimanded Brigadier-General Yair Golan, who formerly served as commander of forces in the West Bank. Ashkenazi is also withholding Golan’s promotion following a probe by the Israel Defense Forces’ criminal investigation division into the army’s use of human shields on raids in Nablus. Golan was the most senior officer to be questioned in the probe, which the army launched last March after IDF soldiers were filmed forcing a young Palestinian at gunpoint to lead them from house to house during an arrest sweep in Nablus. In a landmark decision in 2005, the Supreme Court banned the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields in general and specifically outlawed taking them on searches. more..
Driver of suicide bomber gets 5 life terms for ’05 attack
Yuval Azoulay, Ha’aretz 10/18/2007
The Tel Aviv District Court yesterday imposed five life sentences plus an additional 20 years on an Israeli Arab who drove a suicide bomber to the scene of his attack. Ashraf Keisi, 28, of Baka al-Garbiyeh transported a bomber to the Stage Club in Tel Aviv in February 2005. The attack killed five Israelis and wounded dozens. "The defendant did all this in exchange for filthy lucre, knowing full well the catastrophic results of his acts, both for the victims and for the public and the state," the three-judge panel wrote in their sentencing decision. "Instead of exposing the terrorist cell, he joined it and its goals, even though he had numerous opportunities to repent while there was still time." The court noted that Keisi had met frequently with Nidal Abu Sa’ada, the Islamic Jihad operative who linked him up with the cell that carried out the bombing. more..
Top IDF officer censured over use of ’human shields’ in Nablus
Amos Harel Haaretz Correspondent, Ha’aretz 10/18/2007
Israel Defense Forces Brigadier-General Yair Golan was censured on Thursday for allowing soldiers to use Palestinian civilians as "human shields" during military operations in the West Bank. IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi decided to reprimand Golan - who formerly served as commander of forces in the West Bank - following a probe by the IDF’s criminal investigation division into the army’s use of human shields during raids in the town of Nablus. Golan was the most senior officer to be questioned in the probe, which the army launched last March after IDF soldiers were filmed forcing a young Palestinian man at gunpoint to lead them from house to house during an arrest sweep in Nablus. The army said in a statement that Golan would be passed over for promotion for at least the next nine months. In a landmark 2005 decision, Israel’s Supreme Court banned the use of more..
Golani suffers second casualty this year
Amos Harel, Ha’aretz 10/18/2007
An Israel Defense Forces soldier, Staff Sergeant Ben Kobani, 20, from Hadera, was killed during an operation in the Gaza Strip yesterday. The incident is not expected to affect the type of operations being conducted by the army in the Strip, at least until after the Annapolis summit scheduled for late November. Kobani, of the Golani Brigade, was killed when his unit came under gunfire from close range during an operation east of Khan Yunis, supported by armor and military engineers. The incident occurred around 9 A. M. , close to the village of Abisan. The IDF force had entered the Gaza Strip several hours earlier and pushed about one kilometer into the Strip from the border fence. It faced heavy resistance. One of the units on the flanks, operating in the village’s built-up area, came under fire from Palestinian gunmen at close range. more..
The families that still await a knock on the door
Roni Singer-Heruti, Ha’aretz 10/18/2007
Ravit Notar has been waiting for the phone to ring, for the door to open, for any sign of life from her mother, Yehudit. Yehudit Notar disappeared one morning, 11 years ago, at the age of 51. "I will continue to believe that she is out there somewhere, that she chose to disappear, until her body is found," Notar said. Shira Ginsberg, on the other hand, has come to terms with the fact that she will never see her father again. Although Shmuel Ginsberg, who was last seen at the Bet Yehoshua train station in March 2005, is still classified as a missing person, she is convinced that he killed himself and that his body has simply not been found. "I have no hopes of him being alive, it’s simply not logical. The only logical conclusion is that despite the searches carried out by thousands of people, we simply didn’t find his body," she said. more..
Four die as Gaza factions clash
BBC Online 10/18/2007
Fighting in Gaza between the militant Islamist group Hamas and a clan allied to its political rival Fatah has left four dead, reports say. At least 20 people were wounded in the battle in Gaza City which erupted when Hamas security forces tried to arrestmembers of the Heles clan. Rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine-guns were used in the fighting. Correspondents say it is one of the fiercest clashes since Hamas took over Gaza by force in June. Two of the dead were Hamas Executive Force security officers and two were from the Heles clan, Hamas spokesman Ihab al-Ghusain told the AP news agency. Fighting broke out on Wednesday evening when Heles clan members opened fire on Hamas security forces, Mr Ghusain said. A Fatah official said Executive Force officers were trying to confiscate a car that belonged to a clan member. more..
Man who assisted Hadera market bomber convicted
Ahiya Raved, YNetNews 10/17/2007
Haifa District Court finds Fakri Mantzur guilty of being accomplice to murder and of aiding the enemy in time of war - - The Haifa District court on Wednesday found 28-year-old Fakri Mantzur, from the northern town of Jat in Wadi Ara, guilty of being an accomplice to six counts of murder and of aiding an enemy in time of war for his role in transporting a suicide bomber to a market in Hadera in 2005, where six Israelis were killed and 30 more injured. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack at the time. A Shin Bet investigation led to the arrest of Fakri, a Palestinian who moved to Israel due to the Family Reunification Law. Fakri drove the terrorist, a resident of the West Bank town of Qalqilya, from the Jat area to Hadera. Judge Yael Vilner, who wrote the verdict, said the testimony of Said Kashua, who accompanied the terrorist from the Palestinian Authority to Hadera, was key in convicting Fakri. more..
IDF soldier killed in south Gaza operation
Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 10/17/2007
IDF Golani, Armored Corps troops enter suburbs of Khan Younis to search for terror infrastructure; soldier identified as Ben Kubany of Hadera killed during heavy exchanges of fire - - An IDF soldier was killed during the early hours of Wednesday morning in an operation near Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The soldiers was later identified as Ben Kubany, 20, of Hadera. An initial investigation revealed that the Golani Brigade soldier was severely wounded by a single bullet during an encounter with a terror cell. He died of his wounds en route to Beer Sheba’s Soroka Medical Center. One of the terrorists was also killed in the fighting, which took place in a built up area. The terrorists apparently opened fire as the IDF soldiers approached. The IDF force, which includes troops from the Golani’s 51st Battalion and the Armored Corps, entered the Khan more..
Israeli soldier, Palestinian killed in Gaza
Middle East Online 10/11/2007
First Published 2007-10-17, Last Updated 2007-10-17 13:34:21 Palestinian Hazem Asfur, 21 Israeli bulldozers tear up Palestinian agricultural land amid new attack against Gaza fighters. GAZA CITY - An Israeli soldier and Palestinian fighter were killed in gunbattles in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after the military pushed into a southern part of the Hamas-run territory, officials said. Backed from the air, Israeli troops exchanged fire with Palestinian fighters from the Islamic Jihad and Hamas, the democratically elected movement that controls the Gaza Strip, in open areas to the east of Khan Yunis, witnesses said. One soldier sustained critical wounds in the clashes and was flown by helicopter to hospital, where he was declared dead, an army spokesman said. Islamic Jihad, which has claimed nearly all anti-Israeli attacks in the last two years, said it more..
The Mother of all Pretexts .
Uri Avnery, Middle East Online 10/11/2007
First Published 2007-10-17, Last Updated 2007-10-17 12:21:01 How did it happen that the wonderful Western culture gave birth to the Inquisition, the pogroms, the burning of witches, the annihilation of the Native Americans, the Holocaust, the ethnic cleansings and other atrocities without number? Asks When I hear mention of the "Clash of Civilizations" I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry. To laugh, because it is such a silly notion. To cry, because it is liable to cause untold disasters. To cry even more, because our leaders are exploiting this slogan as a pretext for sabotaging any possibility of an Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation. It is just one more in a long line of pretexts. Why was the Zionist movement in need of excuses to justify the way it treated the Palestinian people? At its birth, it was an idealistic movement. more..
16-year-old boy injured near Tulkarem
Ma’an News Agency 10/17/2007
Tulkarem Ma’an A sixteen-year-old Palestinian boy was moderately injuredon Tuesday when Israeli soldiers fired at him in the northern West Bank town of Anabta east of Tulkarem, Ma’an’s reporter said. Anas Abu Al-Asal was shot in the foot after clashes erupted between Israeli troops and young Palestinian men in the town. [end]
Stones thrown at bus near northern town; none wounded
Jerusalem Post 10/18/2007
Stones were thrown at a bus traveling on the road between Nazareth and Yafia, near Migdal Haemek on Wednesday evening. No one was wounded in the attack on the bus which was empty of passengers. The windshield was damaged in the attack. [end]
Dichter hints larger military offensive is needed in Gaza
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 10/17/2007
Israeli Internal Security Minister, Avi Dichter, hinted on Wednesday that the army needs to carry a large-scaled military offensive in the Gaza Strip. His statements came hours after an Israeli soldier was killed in an invasion into the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Avi Dichter Israeli Security Devices claim that more weapons and ammunition are being smuggled into the Gaza Strip. According to Dichter, Hamas managed to obtain 200 tons of explosives, and that most of these explosives were obtained from the Palestinian Authority. Dichter stated that weapon transfer into Gaza is a very serious issue, and that the Palestinian Authority is not taking any action against it. He added that unless this issue is dealt with, the West Bank will be next. Earlier on Wednesday, one soldier was killed as soldiers invading the Gaza Strip exchanged fire with resistance fighters. more..
One Soldier Killed in Khan Younis
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 10/17/2007
Israeli military sources reported on Wednesday that one soldier was shot and killed in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip as the army invaded the area earlier on Wednesday morning and exchanged fire with resistance fighters. Photo by Reuters Haaretz added that the soldier was seriously injured and died of his wounds at Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva. The National Resistance Brigades, the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, claimed responsibility for killing the soldier. The Brigades stated that its fighters fired a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) at the invading forces in Al Faraheen area, in Khan Younis. Also, fighters of the National Resistance Brigades and the Al Quds Brigades, hurled grenades at invading forces in Al Fareheen and exchanged fire with them, on Wednesday morning. more..
Palestine Today 101707
IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 10/17/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 2. 75 MB || Time 3m 0s|| Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Wednesday, October 17th, 2007. US Secretary of State Rice visits the city of Bethlehem while the Israeli army continues to attack Palestinians killing one in Gaza and kidnapping many more in several parts of the West Bank, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. Early on Wednesday the Israeli army attacked the southern Gaza Strip village of aL-Faraheen, killing one resistance fighter, wounding three and abducting 15 others. Medics confirmed that Hazim Asfour, had been killed and three others wounded during the said attack on the aL-Faraheen, earlier in the day. At least 15 others have been arrested by an Israeli undercover special unit, which swept into the area prior to the attack, witnesses said. more..
Israeli army attacks a Gaza rural area, kills a fighter and abducts locals
Rami Almeghari - IMEMC&Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 10/17/2007
The Israeli army attacked early on Wednesday the southern Gaza Strip village of aL-Faraheen, killing one resiastance fighter, wounding three others and abducting 15 others. Locals of aL-Faraheen escorting one of the wounded to a local hospital on Wedensday (Iyad Albaba) Medics confirmed that Hazim Asfour, has been killed and three others wounded during the said attack on the aL-Faraheen, earlier in the day. At least 15 others have been arrested by an Israeli undercover special unit, which swept into the area prior to the attack, witnesses said. Witnesses added that the Israeli tanks fired a number of shells as a cover for the special unit, killing a Hamas resistance fighter and wounding three others. The aL-Faraheeen area, which lies about 800 meters away from the Gaza-Israel border line, has been frequently attacked by the Israeli army over the past year and half year, at least for sixth times yet, locals told the IMEMC. more..
Israeli settlers attack Palestinian farmers
Colin Bell - 1 of International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 10/17/2007
The Ma’an news agency reported on Wednesday that Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinian farmers near the northern West Bank city of Nablus. According to Palestinian sources, settlers blocked the way of farmers in several locations in the district of Nablus, as they tried to reach the olive groves and harvest their crops. It was reported by one farmer, from the town of Awarta, that settlers from Eytamar threw stones at Palestinian families as they gathered olives from their fields. The Israeli army intervened when Palestinians started to throw stones in return. Another farmer in the town of Azmut said that Israeli settlers from Alon Moreh, east of Nablus, had attacked farmers and that clashes had broken out near the town of Salem. more..
A cousin pays tribute to his bunkmate, who fell in Gaza
Fadi Eyadat, Haaretz Correspondent, Ha’aretz 10/17/2007
The parents of the Israel Defense Forces soldier who was killed in action yesterday in the Gaza Strip did not wish to speak with the media. Instead, Margalit and Rahamim Kubany grieved in private in their Hadera home for Ben, who died at the age of 20. As news of his death spread, dozens of friends and family gathered at the family home to comfort his parents and Ben’s 17-year-old brother and 27-year-old sister, Ido and Sarit. Ben’s friends from the Golani Brigade also came. "He would laugh a lot and make others laugh in his own special way," Ben’s cousin, Shlomi Tzubri, said. Shlomi served with Ben in the same platoon. The two cousins shared a bunk bed. "It’s weird for me. It’s hard to understand," he said. Ben’s friend, Yehiel Gayda, said: "Ben had presence. Wherever he went, people would know that he was there.