Conflict..

Army shells areas northern Gaza strip International Middle East Media Center 11/29/2006 Israeli army tanks stationed at the northern side of the Gaza Strip fired several shells hitting open areas in Beit Lahia town in northern Gaza strip, on Wednesday morning. No injures or damage were reported but the shelling created panic among the residents, this shelling violates the ceasefire deal declared three days ago by the Palestinians and the Israelis. There has been also some plaesitnian violations of the ceasefire deal, when resistance fighters fired some home-made Qassam shells at Israelis targets yesterday. No injuries or damage were reproted. The firing of Qassams followed the assassination of a Palestinian resistance fighter Mahmoud Nasser and an elderly woman fatma Shreim, in the town of Qabatiya near Jenin in the northern West Bank on Monday. more.. Fatah faction fires two projectiles at Sderot Tuesday Ma’an News Agency 11/29/2006 Gaza - The ’Fursan Al-Asifah’ Brigades (’The Knights of the Storm’), a minor military wing affiliated to Fatah, have claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles at the southern Israeli town Sderot on Tuesday night. They assured in a statement that they will continue their resistance against the Israelis until liberation and independence. They said, "This launching comes to assure the continuation of the intifada and the resistance. [end] Several school girls injured and army takes over one house in a village near Hebron International Middle East Media Center 11/29/2006 Several school girls were injured when army fired tear gas bombs at their school in Al Samu’a village south of the West Bank city of Hebron on Wednesday morning. Eyewitnesses said, that Israeli troops stopped and assualted several residents at the checkpoint located on the village entrance. Also, soldiers attacked the school boys and fired rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas at the students, who responded by throwing stones at the soldiers. Later soldiers attacked the girls school in the village and fired tear gas bombs at the classrooms and the school playground causing several choking cases as a result of gas inhalation, medical sources reported. Troops also attacked the house of Hatem Abu Al Kabash, located on the northern entrance of Al village and forced him and his family in one room... more.. Army demolishes two homes in Hebron International Middle East Media Center 11/29/2006 Israeli troops demolished on Wednesday two houses in Hebron city, in the southern part of the West Bank, local sources reported. On Wednesday afternoon, soldiers leveled a house that belongs to resident Faraj Jaber located al Al Baq’a, in the norther side of Hebron. Army claims that the house was illegal constructed. The leveled house is only a few hundred meters away from the Kharishna Israeli illegal settlement outpost. Eyewitnesses reported that soldiers forced the family out of their home, while settlers gathered there to “celebrate” the leveling of the Palestinian house. On Wednesday morning, soldiers leveled one house in Hebron in spite that the family recently obtained a ruling from an Israeli court barring the army from leveling the house. [end] Army takes four prisoners from two villages near Rammallah International Middle East Media Center 11/29/2006 Israeli forces stormed the villages of Dir Ghassanah and Beit Liqia, searched scores of residents’ houses and took prisoner four residents on Wednesday. In Dir Ghassanah, more than 14 army jeeps stormed the village, attacked residents houses and took Mamdouh Al Bargothi, a teacher at the local school, prisoner and moved him to an unknown destination. Soldiers also fired rounds of live ammunition and tear gas at the school children who were on their way to school. The army claimed that soldiers were searching for what they calle "wanted Palestinians". In the nearby village of Beit Liqia, troops stormed the village from several directions, attacked and searched scores of houses before taking three residents prisoners. [end] The Occupation Report November 29, 2006 By Jerrold Cohen, Ph.D, Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel 11/29/2006 Gaza Strip: Shelling violates cease-fire: Israeli tanks fired several shells that hit open areas of Beit Lahia. There were no injuries or damage reported, but the shelling created panic among the residents, and it violates the cease-fire declared three days ago. (14) -- West Bank: Qalqilya arrest: Israeli special forces arrested a wanted man in Qalqilya, whom they claim to being a Hamas operative. He was transferred to security forces for investigation. (35) Birzeit crossing arrest: Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian woman who tried to stab a border guard policeman at the Birzeit crossing north of Ramallah. She was restrained by soldiers and transferred to security forces for questioning.... The Palestinian account refers to her as a girl. more.. Detained wife of a detainee receives extended remand International Middle East Media Center 11/30/2006 Palestinian sources reported on Wednesday that Israeli Prison Authorities extended the remand of detainee Wadha Al Foqaha, the wife of detainee Yousef Al Foqaha. Yousef is one of the leaders of the Islamic Jihad movement. His wife was taken prisoner on August 22, and on Wednesday her remand was extended until December 21. [end] Troops abduct two youth near Jenin International Middle East Media Center 11/30/2006 Palestinian sources reported on Wednesday evening that Israeli soldiers invaded Ya’bod town, near Jenin in the northern part of the West Bank and abducted two youth. The two were identified as Miflih Ahmad Miflih, and Basil Ghasan Reehan. The two were attacked and punched by the soldiers before they were taken prisoner, local sources reported. [end] Clash between Al-Aqsa Brigades and Israeli force in Tulkarem Ma’an News Agency 11/29/2006 Tulkarem - Units of the al-Aqsa Brigades, the militant wing of Fatah, have clashed on Wednesday with an Israeli military force at the at-Tayba checkpoint, south of the Palestinian city of Tulkarem. No casualties have yet been reported. An official in the brigades, Abu Firas, has stated that the clash came "in retaliation for the Israeli atrocities and the assassination of resistance activists in the West Bank town of Qabatia." He declared that the action of Palestinian militants will continue, as long as Israeli military action continues. [end] Undercover Israeli forces abduct a Hamas activist in Qalqiliya, army invades two Tulkarem villages Ma’an News Agency 11/29/2006 Tulkarem - Qalqiliya - Undercover Israeli forces abducted an alleged Hamas activist in the West Bank city of Qalqiliya on Wednesday. Further north, the Israeli army raided two villages in the Tulkarem governorate early on Wednesday, but did not carry out any arrests. Eyewitnesses in Qalqiliya, in the northwest of the occupied West Bank, said that a white jeep with a Palestinian number plate entered the city on Wednesday. In the jeep were a group of undercover Israeli Special Forces in civilian disguise. They abducted Jihad Abu Khader, 25, and left. Abu Khader has been ’wanted’ by the Israeli authorities for almost three years on charges of being a Hamas activist. In Tulkarem, our correspondent reported that Israeli military vehicles broke into the village of Kafr Al-Labad, east of the city of Tulkarem in the northwest of the West Bank, at 3 am on Wednesday. more.. Army attacks farmers east of Tamoun village near Tubas International Middle East Media Center 11/29/2006 Israeli troops attacked Palestinian farmers working in their lands east of Tamoun village, east of the West Bank city of Tubas. Troops chased and attacked the farmers, and forced them to leave claiming that the area is a closed military zone. Six years ago, the Israeli army annexed some of the village’s land, declared it as a closed military zone barring the residents from entering their land. [end] Army takes prisoner from Dar Salah village east of Bethlehem International Middle East Media Center 11/29/2006 The Israeli forces took prisoner one resident from the village of Dar Salah east of the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Wednesday morning. Yousif Al Aref, 38, was taken prisoner as he was crossing one of the miliatry checkpionts setup on the main route between teh north and the south of the West Bank, known as "Al Container" checkpoint. Eyewitnesses said he was stopped at the checkpoint, soldiers confiscated his identity card then interrogated him for some time before he was hand-cuffed, blindfolded and taken to unknown location. [end] Army invades Kufer Al Lubad village east of Tulkarem International Middle East Media Center 11/29/2006 Israeli forces invaded the village of Kufer Al Lubad east of the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem on Wednesday morning. An army convoy stormed the village searched and ransacked scores of residents houses, troops left the village, causing damage to some houses, however no arrests were reported, local residents said. In a related incident an Israeli army force invaded the nearby Kufer Sour village south of Tulkarem, searched and ransacked residents houses, however made no arrests. [end] PLO warns of new militant influx Daily Star 11/30/2006 About 200 Arab militants arrived recently in Lebanon and have set up an Islamic grouping at a Palestinian refugee camp in the North, a senior official of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said Wednesday. "About 200 armed elements came to Lebanon over several phases," Khaled Aref said. He said the militants first joined the Damascus-based "Fatah-Intifada in Lebanon, but a few days ago, they announced their rupture at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon." "They declared that they have formed a new movement called Fatah al-Islam," he said, adding that the militants were Palestinians, Lebanese and a number of other Arabs." We don’t know their real allegiance," he said, without revealing the countries where the militants came from. more.. Guns are not toys: Palestinian man killed and one injured while "mishandling" their weapons Ma’an News Agency 11/29/2006 Khan Younis - A member of the Palestinian security services was killed and another injured, in Rafah on Wednesday, while they were "mishandling" their weapons. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that Mohamad Rashwan, 25, died, and Ahmad Abu Sha’ar, 20, was "moderately injured" when an unknown incident occurred while they were misusing their guns. The men are attached to the Said Sayel base, located on the Salah Ad Din road, between Rafah and Khan Younis, which is where the accident took place earlier today. The body of Rashwan and his colleague were transported to Abu Yousef Najjar hospital in Rafah, and the police started an immediate investigation. [end] Sky Shield intercepts Katyusha, Kassam rockets in tests Globes Online 11/29/2006 Each Sky Shield costs $15 million. Lockheed Martin: 4-5 systems can provide effective defense for a town such as Sderot. -- Lockheed Martin Corp. ’s (NYSE:LMT) Sky Shield air defense system has successfully intercepted and destroyed warheads of Katyusha and Kassam rockets in a series of laboratory tests conducted at the company’s missile and fire control division. Development of the Sky Shield is due to be completed in 2007. Lockheed Martin presented the Sky Shield’s capabilities to Israeli defense officials. The company believes that the system can provide an effective defense against both Katyusha and Kassam rockets. Each system costs $15 million, and the company believes that four or five systems would provide effective defense for a town such as Sderot. more.. IAF looking into unmanned refueling plane Globes Online 11/28/2006 Sources: The IAF’s new UAV, “Eitan,” which is still classified, could serve in the role. -- “Defense News” reports that the Israel Air Force is considering the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as unmanned refueling tankers that can haul the fuel up and autonomously deliver it. The magazine quoted the IAF head of procurement who made the comments at conference held by the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies in Herzilya. IAF has not yet made a formal application for a budget for the development of UAVs, but according to military and defense industry sources quoted by “Defense News” it is likely to do so during 2007. If IAF files a budget request, its multiyear budget could include an initial development budget for new aircraft starting from 2008. more.. Israeli forces kill woman as she attempts to save man bleeding at her doorstep Palestine News Network 11/28/2006 A woman in Jenin gave her life to save a young man. Israeli forces shot Mahmoud Abdel Razek Bakar Nasser in front of Fatima Mahmoud Ahmed Shriem’s northern West Bank home. The women of Qabatiya Village, just to the south of Jenin, sang for Fatima as they walked in her funeral procession. She was a mother, a friend, and a wife. Fatima died trying to pull the young man, Mahmoud, to safety. Medical sources in Dr. Khalid Suleiman Memorial Hospital in Jenin said that she died from blood loss, not from the gunshots. Israeli forces kept the area under siege for hours. No one could leave their homes and ambulances could not reach the victims. Her husband, Mahmoud Hafez, stood still after the mourners carrying his wife’s body had taken their rest. He tried to control his tears, but they fell heavily. more.. Israeli-planted minefield discovered in southern Lebanon International Middle East Media Center 11/28/2006 Israel has been accused of placing a number of landmines in its invasion of southern Lebanon this summer, in addition to leaving behind one million unexploded cluster bomblets. The accusation came after three international cluster-bomb experts were maimed this weekend by landmines. The United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre announced that they have discovered an Israeli-laid mine field in the village of Deir Mimas, three kilometres northwest of the Israeli border. A UN representative stated, "This is the first evidence we have that the Israeli Forces laid new mines in south Lebanon in 2006." The revelation came after a British and a Bosnian bomb removal expert each had a foot amputated this weekend when they stepped on a landmine in Deir Mimas. Further investigation revealed that the area was full of Israeli-made landmines. -- See also: Accident reveals newly laid Israeli mines, UN says more.. Further Evidence Of Enriched Uranium In The Air In Lebanon Following The Recent Conflict Stop Uranium Wars/Pandora DU research Project 11/22/2006 Part of the message of this report is that citizen groups can use simple, affordable and reliable techniques to monitor for the presence of hot radioactive particles in the environment. Green Audit recently reported the results of measurements carried out on samples from a bomb crater in Khiam Southern Lebanon. Measurements made by the Harwell laboratory in Oxford confirmed the existence of Enriched Uranium of activity 180Bq/kg and U238/U235 ratio of 108 in the sample. The discovery, which was reported in ‘The Independent’ of 28th October, has caused some concern. The United Nations Environment Programme UNEP responded that its analyses have failed to detect Uranium. The Israel Defence Force has denied using Depleted Uranium weapons. Further evidence of the widespread existence of enriched uranium in Lebanon is now reported in a new paper by Chris Busby and Dai Williams which has been accepted by the European Journal of Biology and Bioelectromagnetics and is available on the LLRC website www. llrc. org. Since the first analysis of the Khiam sample (which used Mass Spectrometry) was reported, Green Audit commissioned a second analysis using different techniques. Alpha spectrometry carried out at the School of Ocean Sciences University of Wales has confirmed the presence of Enriched Uranium but also shown the absence of significant amounts of plutonium. In addition, gamma spectroscopy has shown that there is no Caesium-137 or other gamma emitting isotopes that would be expected if the sample originated in spent nuclear fuel. There are significant and justified health concerns about exposure to the long lived and widely dispersed oxide particles formed when uranium weapons are used. more.. Gaza militants fire rocket in violation of ceasefire ReliefWeb 11/28/2006 JERUSALEM, Nov 28, 2006 (AFP) - Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday fired a rocket at the southern Israeli town of Sderot, again violating Sunday’s fragile ceasefire agreement in Gaza, medical and army sources said." We identified a rocket being fired from the Beit Hanun area in northern Gaza and landing near Sderot," an army spokesman told AFP. Medical sources said the rocket hit Sderot’s cemetery, causing no injuries or damage. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he was "disappointed" by the continued attack at a time when his country was keeping to its side of the deal, army radio reported." I am disappointed by the continue rocket attacks and I very much hope the Palestinians will abide by their commitments and stop," he said in a meeting with European Union ambassadors. more.. Bulldozers destroying 700 dunams of Bethlehem Palestine News Network 11/28/2006 Israeli military bulldozers began dredging Artas Village in southern Bethlehem under heavy guard. Israeli forces are confiscating and destroying 700 dunams of the southern Bethlehem village. The land is planted with fruit and olive trees, and grapevines. Head of the Artas Village Council, Hamdi Ayash, said Tuesday that this is a prelude to the next phase of the Wall. “Israeli forces are working to destroy hundreds of trees and are damaging the citizens’ land with the goal of seizing as much territory as possible for the Efrat Settlement about a kilometer from the current destruction. This could prove a source for resistance activities against Israel. ”The 4,000 Artas residents will be forced out as the “so-called Israeli Civil Administration’s military target is our town,” said Ayash. more.. Settlers in Hebron abduct a Palestinian woman for seven hours International Middle East Media Center 11/29/2006 Palestinian sources in Hebron, in the southern part of the west Bank, reported on Monday evening that extreme settlers abducted a twenty-year old woman from Hebron, in the souther part of the West Bank, as she was heading back home from work. The settlers held the woman for several hours, apparently in Haggai settlement. Eman Jamil Abu Torkey lives in Tal Romeida, near the Tel Romeida illegal settlement outpost, installed by extremist settlers on Palestinian property in Hebron. Local sources in Hebron reported that four settlers abducted the woman, and drove fast towards the nearby Haggai settlement. Israeli soldiers who were present in the area, investigated the incident, located the woman seven hours later, and drove her back. [end] ’Northern Command ordered firing of cluster bombs’ Jerusalem Post 11/29/2006 In direct opposition to an order by Chief of Staff Lt. -Gen. Dan Halutz, the IDF’s Northern Command led by its former chief, Maj. -Gen. Udi Adam, is suspected of ordering the firing of cluster bombs into populated areas during the last few days of the war in Lebanon, military sources have told The Jerusalem Post. Maj. -Gen. Gershon Hacohen, commander of the IDF’s Military Colleges, was appointed by Halutz to investigate the military’s use of cluster bombs during the war against Hizbullah. According to military sources, Hacohen, who questioned senior officers in the Northern Command during his investigation, plans to present his findings to Halutz in the coming days. IDF regulations, set by Halutz, had permitted the use of cluster bombs.... more.. Lebanon: damage to agriculture, fisheries and forestry estimated at around $280 million Electronic Intifada/UN Food and Agriculture Organization 11/27/2006 Damage and losses to agriculture, fisheries and forestry in Lebanon as a result of last summer’s hostilities are estimated at around $280 million, according to an FAO damage assessment report issued today. The conflict affected the agriculture sector directly, with crops, livestock and equipment damaged by the bombing. But much more important, according to the report, was the indirect economic impact in terms of lost markets and labour opportunities. Poorest hit hardest -- The military bombardments were directed mainly at southern Lebanonand the southern suburbs of Beirut, among the country’s poorest areas. Overall, agriculture accounts for almost 70 percent of total household income in southern Lebanon. more.. Undercover Israeli forces seize an Al-Aqsa Brigades’ member in Qabatiya Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 Jenin - A contingent of undercover Israeli Special Forces entered the West Bank town of Qabatiya on Tuesday and took three men prisoner, including an activist from the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main military group affiliated with Fatah. Local sources said that four Israelis dressed in civilian clothes entered the town in a white Mercedes car. They stopped in front of a carpentry workshop and entered, claiming they were Palestinian citizens from inside Israel. They then seized Ahmad Hanaiysha under threat of armed force. They reportedly took another two men with them, but these men were not identified. Many Israeli military vehicles then participated in an incursion of the town from all directions. The Israeli troops launched a search campaign in many houses, especially in the western neighborhood. [end] Accident reveals newly laid Israeli mines, UN says Electronic Intifada/IRIN 11/26/2006 The Israeli army sowed landmines in south Lebanon during its summer conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the United Nations said on 25 November. The claims came after British and Bosnian bomb disposal experts each had a foot amputated after a newly laid Israeli-made anti-personnel landmine exploded on Friday, according to a statement by the UN’s Mine Action Coordination Centre in South Lebanon (UNMACC SL). Israel has not yet established whether its forces laid landmines in Lebanon during its recent conflict, officials speaking on condition of anonymity at the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) told IRIN. An IDF official said that the mine that caused the injuries could have been laid by Hezbollah or Syria...." This is the first evidence we have that the Israeli Forces laid new mines in south Lebanon in 2006," [UNMACC-SL] said. more.. Israeli army invades Tulkarem, seizes three Palestinian men Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 Tulkarem - The Israeli army invaded the West Bank city of Tulkarem early on Tuesday morning and seized three Palestinians. Our Tulkarem correspondent reported that about 15 Israeli military vehicles entered the city at 1am from the west and the north. They broke into a parking lot belonging to Jihad Samara, and searched it. The soldiers then detained Samara 44, along with another worker, Wael Mahdawi, 24, and a guard, Sami Saddouq. [end] Factions target Israeli vehicles with roadside bombs in Nablus Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 Gaza - A number of brigades have claimed responsibility for detonating roadside bombs next to Israeli armoured vehicles in the West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday morning. The Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, and the Al Aqsa Brigades, the main military wing of Fatah, claimed to have detonated two. In a joint statement, the Brigades said that a joint cell was able to detonate one of two devices in the market street in Balata refugee camp and the other at the entrance to Iraq Tayeh village, east of the city of Nablus. The statement declares that the operation is part of the resistance against the Israeli troops and that this operation comes outside the area of the ceasefire as agreed upon between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. more.. Israel to purchase anti-Kassam system Jerusalem Post 11/29/2006 The defense establishment plans to make an official decision in the coming days to invest $300 million in an anti-Kassam and anti-Katyusha defense system under development by Rafael - Israel’s Armament Development Authority, The Jerusalem Post has learned. According to the plan, a combination of a laser and an anti-Kassam missile interceptor will be operational for deployment outside the Gaza Strip within a year and a half. According to a high-ranking defense official involved in the decision-making process, despite heavy public and international pressure, a committee led by Defense Ministry Director-General Gabi Ashkenazi has decided not to invest in the Skyguard anti-missile laser system, developed and manufactured by US defense contractor Northrop Grumman. more.. Residents forced into village square, all arrestees were bound and blindfolded Palestine News Network 11/28/2006 Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses reported that Israeli forces launched an early morning invasion of the West Bank’s Bethlehem Tuesday. Israeli soldiers took six young people to unknown locations during raids conducted by 12 military vehicles and the soldiers inside. Eyewitnesses described Israeli behavior as “aggressive and provocative. ”Israeli soldiers broke into homes in the Wadi Shahin neighborhood, destroyed contents, and arrested Munir Al Khatib. In Tekua Village, to the east of Bethlehem City, Israeli soldiers arrested two young men. Among them was Ali Jabril. The Israelis raided dozens of houses and forced residents from their homes and into the village square for an hour. In Al ’Ubeidiya Village to the east of the city Israeli forces arrested Rami Hasasneh and another two young men from the towns of Al Doha and Al Khader in Bethlehem. more.. Israeli army besieges the Jenin governorate, arrests ten from same family Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 Jenin - The Israeli army invaded a village in the far north of the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, and seized ten men, all from the same extended family. In another village, also close to the separation wall along the northern edge of the West Bank, the Israeli army demolished two houses. In Qabatiya, south of Jenin, a wanted Al-Quds activist escaped arrest. Our correspondent in Jenin reported that the Israeli forces broke into the village of Silat Al- Harithiya, northwest of Jenin, early on Tuesday and seized ten men. The Israeli soldiers also ransacked a number of houses.... The Israeli forces also demolished two houses in the village of ’Arrabuna, northeast of Jenin... While south of Jenin, in the town of Qabatiya, local security sources reported that an Israeli force surrounded the house of Yassin Abu Sinjar Saba’neh... more.. Israel continues raids as Gaza truce enters 3rd day ReliefWeb 11/28/2006 Tel Aviv_(dpa) _ Israel and Palestinian officials warned Tuesday that a tenuous, three-day-old ceasefire in the Gaza Strip could collapse, calling on each other to prevent what they viewed as violations of the truce. Palestinian factions called on Israel to extend the truce to the West Bank, hinting at a renewal of rocket fire on the Jewish state from Gaza if it did not." If Israel expands its aggressions in the West Bank and continues with the arrest campaigns, the calm will collapse," Abu Obeideh, a spokesman for the armed wing of the governing Hamas movement, told reporters." Any Israeli breach of the partial ceasefire will endanger it," added the spokesman of Hamas’ political wing, Ismail Radwan. Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz however said Israel would continue its arrest raids in the West Bank... more.. Shootings in the Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 Gaza - There continue to be reported incidents about unexplained shootings in the Gaza Strip. On Monday, Ali Sarsour, 17, died of gunshot wounds he sustained last week after being shot in front of his home in Deir El Balah in the central Gaza Strip. On Tuesday morning, a Palestinian man arrived at hospital in Deir El Balah after being shot in the hand. Reportedly, he was playing with a gun when it accidentally fired and injured him in the hand. In another accident, Rafat Zmailawi, 35, was shot in the feet after being forced by armed men to get out of his car north of Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. He was transported to a local hospital and the attackers managed to escape. more.. New checkpoint erected at entrance to Salfit Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 Nablus - The Israeli forces have erected a new temporary barrier at the eastern entrance to the West Bank city of Salfit. The soldiers stationed there are stopping all Palestinian vehicles and forcing many passengers to get out of the vehicles and be searched. Many Palestinians are reporting delays for their work. The soldiers at the nearby Za’atara military checkpoint, east of Salfit, also stepped up their military procedures, and appeared to deliberately delay the searching of the vehicles. This led to the formation of long lines of vehicles, causing traffic jams and delays. [end] A village cut in two: the goal is displacement, looting and land confiscation Palestine News Network 11/15/2006 The town of Azzun ’Atma has come to represent the worst of the worst of the effects of the Israeli Wall in the West Bank. The small town is in the northwestern West Bank’s Qalqilia District as is now known as one of the “bad parts of the West Bank. ”Azzun ’Atma is surrounded, literally encircled, by the area’s 700 kilometers of concrete Wall. Villagers have been trapped by the Wall and now additional illegal Israeli settlement expansion from Ornit and Sha’arei Tikva settlements is designed to wreak additional havoc. Azzun ’Atma residents cannot reach the rest of the West Bank expect for through one infrequently open gate, and cannot go into 1948 areas under the pretext of car theft. With this, the village is completely isolated from the outside world, accessed only through the main gate of the village that may or may not be open. more.. The deadly minefield of Deir Mimas Daily Star 11/28/2006 Interview -- British deminers tell harrowing tale of encounter with newly laid Israeli weapons -- TYRE: The village of Deir Mimas, with its 600-year-old graveyard, sits along a breathtaking ridge strewn with ancient olive groves located a few kilometers from the Israeli border. It faces South Lebanon’s historic, craggy Beaufort Castle - a focal point for fierce fighting through the ages - while the Litani River flows through the valley between them. Occupied by Israel until 2000, it is Deir Mimas’ hilltop vantage point that has again brought a deadly conflict to its doorstep, with cluster bombs and a newly discovered Israeli minefield contaminating its fertile land. "The next thing I know I hear ringing in my ears and I think to myself, I’ve been hit," says David Alderson, formerly of the British Royal Engineers, from his hospital bed in Sidon. more.. Report Of The Mine Action Co-ordination Centre, South Lebanon, October 2006 Mine Action Coordination Centre South Lebanon 11/1/2006 As At October 31, 2006, 796 individual cluster bomb strike locations have been confirmed and recorded. The search for cluster strikes areas is still going on and at the end of each day all known cluster bomb strikes are entered into IMSMA and plotted on a 1:50,000 scale map. The map is updated daily and available on www. virtualhic. org and also on www. maccl. org..... CIVILIAN MINE INCIDENT: Since the cease-fire many people have been either injured or killed as a result of cluster munitions. See the following table for the summary of casualties as at 31 October 06... more.. Three months later, rocket damage barely visible in Kiryat Shmona Ha’aretz 11/28/2006 A little more than three months ago, before the cease-fire in the north took effect, Kiryat Shmona deputy mayor Sami Malul sat in the town’s situation room surveying the devastation caused by some 1,000 Katyusha rockets. He figured that the renovations would take close to a year. This week, one could hardly detect the damage. "It’s hard to believe so many rockets landed here," said Malul. The 12 schools that were damaged were swiftly repaired. "Everyone wanted the school year to begin on time," Malul explained. Chief municipal engineer David Talbich said the renovators "worked round the clock." The company chosen to repair the schools was Amidar. The money came from the Finance Ministry’s compensation fund, whose officials appraised the damage to the schools at NIS 4. 125 million. more.. Palestinians shot dead in West Bank AlJazeera 11/27/2006 A Palestinian fighter and a woman have been killed in an Israeli military operation near Jenin in the northern West Bank. Abdel Razek Nasser, a local leader in the Popular Resistance Committees, died during an exchange of fire with Israeli soldiers in Kabatiyeh. The woman, a neighbour, was killed as she tried to help, sources said. Palestinian fighters fired two rockets towards the Gaza Strip following the Israeli operation on Monday. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed group linked to Fatah, claimed responsibility for the missile launches saying they were in response to the killings of the two Palestinians. In a statement, the group also said the attack was in response to the arrest of 15 Palestinians, including Fatah members, by Israel in the West Bank on Monday. more.. Rockets prompt change in IDF rules of engagement Ha’aretz 11/28/2006 The Israel Defense Forces has altered its rules of engagement along the Israel-Gaza border, after two Qassam rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip on Monday despite the cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians. The new rules allow troops to fire should they positively identify militants preparing to launch a rocket. The rockets, the first to be fired in over 24 hours, were fired in the afternoon. They did not cause any injuries. One landed in the Palestinian Authority, and the second hit an open area in the western Negev. A group identifying itself as the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, took responsibility. Security sources said the group appears to be an independent offshoot of Fatah, and that the PA’s leadership and security forces are making a noticeable effort to prevent rocket fire. more.. Ambushes return to Israeli assassination policy: Jenin Refugee Camp still under siege Palestine News Network 11/27/2006 A few days after the assassination units publicly hit the town of Yamoun in western Jenin, executing five Palestinians: one standing in his kitchen window and four members of Al Aqsa Brigades shot and killed after being arrested; Israeli forces returned to the their old strategies. The times are in the evening, considered a peak time for resistance members to move undetected in the dark but with the streets still crowded. The Yamoun operation was carried out in an obvious house-to-house search and attack used to hunt the resistance. Ambush: At dawn on Wednesday Israeli units and large reinforcements attacked Jenin Refugee Camp in the northern West Bank. Parents said that the Israelis had overtaken a house from the early morning hours, remaining undetected throughout the day. more.. Palestinians fire rockets in new truce violation ReliefWeb 11/27/2006 JERUSALEM, Nov 27, 2006 (AFP) - Palestinian militants fired two rockets toward Israel on Monday, the army said, in a fresh violation of a fragile truce in exchange for Israeli troops leaving Gaza after months of operations. One of the projectiles exploded in an open field near the southern town of Sderot but caused no damage or casualties, a military spokeswoman said. The other rocket backfired and landed in the Gaza Strip. The launches came on the second day of an Israeli-Palestinian truce in the Gaza Strip under which Palestinian militants were to stop firing rockets into the Jewish state and Israeli troops left the territory on Sunday. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed group affiliated to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s secular Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the latest attacks in a statement released in Gaza City. more.. Al-Aqsa Brigades launch two homemade projectiles, in retaliation for Israeli violation of ceasefire Ma’an News Agency 11/27/2006 Gaza - The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main armed group affiliated with the Fatah movement have, on Monday afternoon, launched two homemade projectiles towards Israeli targets, in retaliation for the Israeli authorities arresting 15 Palestinians in the West Bank. In a statement received by Ma’an, the brigades stated that they could not bound by a commitment not to launch projectiles, "as long as the Israelis continue to kill, besiege towns and build the separation wall". They called on President Abbas to give orders to the Palestinian forces, which have been deployed along the borders, to blockade the forces of the Israeli occupation, instead of blockading the Palestinian fighters. [end] Islamic Jihad members taken prisoner near Jenin International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2006 Israeli sources reported on Monday that the army took prisoner several members of the Al Quds brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad in Qabatia town, near the West Bank city of Jenin. The offensive was carried out by under-cover units of the Israeli army, and regular military units. The attack, according to an Israeli army spokesperson, was carried out to counter the activities of the Islamic Jihad. The invasion was carried out on Monday at dawn and lasted for several hours. Troops took several members of the Brigades prisoner and claimed uncovering combat tools, weapons and explosives. Meanwhile, Palestinian sources reported that four members were taken prisoner after the army surrounded a building for more than four hours. more.. Fighter, woman killed near Jenin International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2006 Palestinian sources in Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank report on Monday morning that one fighter and one woman were killed in an Israeli invasion to the nearby town of Qabatia. The sources stated that Abdul-Raziq Mahmoud Bakir, 22, one of the leaders of the Salah Ed Deen Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and Fatima Nazzal, 55, were killed by Israeli military fire after the army invaded the town. Palestinian security sources reported that fierce clashes took place on Monday at dawn after the army invaded the town. The Brigades confirmed that Bakir is one of its members and vowed retaliation. Abu Mojahid, media spokesperson of the Brigades, said that resistance factions declared a ceasefire that was conditional with an Israeli seizure of attacks and assassinations. more.. Three residents taken prisoner by the army in Nablus International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2006 The Israeli army invaded the West Bank city of Nablus, attacked residents’ homes, then took prisoner three residents on Monday at dawn. Troops attackled scores of houses in several neighborhoods in the city and ransacked and searched residents’ belongings before taking Hashem Abu Zalat, 19, Mohamed Hashem, 18, and Rami Abu Ja’sa, 19, to unknown locations. Residents reported that troops attacked locals who were in the streets with live rounds and sound bombs during the invasion, and one army bulldozer intentionally damaged some streets. In the meantime, another army force invaded the nearby Huwwara town and imposed a curfew. Residents were not allowed to leave their houses, which caused school kids to miss classes today. Residents said that the town is still under curfew. [end] A group of settlers attack and injure one child in Hebron International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2006 A group of illegal settlers attacked Palestinian school kids going back home to the Tell Rumeida neighborhood in the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Monday afternoon. Wourod Shabanah, 9, was admitted in the city hospital after sustaining several cuts and broses due the settler attack. Doctors described her wounds as moderate. Shabanah said that she was walking back home with a group of kids from her neighborhood when a group of settlers attacked them. The kids ran away while she was caught by the settlers who beat her up. Local residents said that the settlers came from the nearby illegal settlement of Ramat Shai, built on stolen Palestinian land. [end] The Occupation Report November 27, 2006 By Jerrold Cohen, Ph.D, reprinted by Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel 11/27/2006 Gaza Strip: Gaza Strip killings: Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians this morning in the Gaza Strip, using tanks, bullets, shells. Five students and an elderly man were among the injured. (1) In the northern Gaza Strip, "Palestinian medical sources reported that Ayman Mohamed Judah, 24, was killed after Israeli troops fired live rounds at him. (6) Judah, a Hamas member, worked in the media office of the Qassam Brigades. He was hit in the head and chest by live ammunition. (9)... West Bank: Tulkarm incursion and arrests: Israeli troops set up a roadblock east of Tulkarm at a temporary checkpoint. There, they searched cars as they were going through. The troops stopped a taxi and ordered the two Palestinian passengers and the driver to get out of the car and thoroughly searched them... more.. Three residents taken prisoner from Hebron International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2006 Israeli forces attacked Palestinian residents of the West Bank city of Hebron on Monday morning at took prisoner three residents. Troops have been conducting a search campaign since the early hours of Monday morning. Residents reported that troops attacked and ransacked their belongs before leaving the residents homes. Soldiers took two residents to unknown locations; no names have been issued at the time of this report. In the meantime, another force surrounded the house of Abd Al Aziz Al Ja’bari, located near the illegal settlement of Qiriat Arba’, east of Hebron. Soldiers called the man out of his home then took him away, his brother reported. [end] Army takes four prisoners from Nahalen village near Bethlehem International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2006 The Israeli army invaded the village of Nahalen village, west of Bethlehem City, south of the West Bank and took prisoner four residents on Monday morning. Army vehicles and soldiers attacked the village, searched and ransacked residents’ homes and took Sadi Shakarnah, 19, his brother Saleh, 20, Nassif Shakarnah, 20, and Mahir Ghaiath, 18, to unknown locations, their families reported. [end] Army invades Bethlehem, takes one prisoner International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2006 An Israeli army convoy invaded the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, surrounded a house and took prisoner one resident on Monday morning. Army vehicles invaded Wad Saheen neighborhood in the city center, fired tier gas and sound bombs at the residents, no injuries were reported. Also, troops surrounded the house of Mustafa Suboh, and took son, Temer prisoner. [end] Army takes prisoner three residents from Qalqilia International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2006 Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia and took prisoner three residents on Monday at dawn. Troops stormed and searched several houses and took Lu’ai Furij, 32, Ahmad Kharuf, 22, and Nimir Hindi, 40, to unknown locations, eyewitnesses reported. [end] Army takes prisoner three residents form Beit Ola near Hebron International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2006 Israeli troops took prisoner three residents of Beit Ola village, north west of Hebron city in the southern part of the West Bank, on Saturday morning. Troops invaded the village attacked and searched several houses before taking Jamal Al A’dam, 34, and Salamah Al A’kel, 35, to unknown location. Resident Abdul-Rahman Al A’dam, 33, was taken prisoner at a military checkpoint near the village. [end] Woman injured east of Al Qarara village north of Khan Younis International Middle East Media Center 11/25/2006 One woman was injured by Israeli fire in Al Qarara town north of Khan Younis city, in the souther part of the Gaza strip on Saturday. Fawziyya Al Malaha, 40, was injured in her right leg by Israeli troops invading the village, and was moved to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis for treatment. Her injuries were described as moderate, medical sources reported. Al Malaha was working in her land near Al Qarara, when an army tank opened fire at the farmlands in the area. [end] Index On Illegal Us Weapons In Lebanon By Sarah Meyer, Index Research 4/8/2006 9/11 or 07/06? “How many people do you have to kill before you qualify to be described as mass murderer and a war criminal? " Harold Pinter, Nobel speech. A peace offer was vetoed just prior to the US / Israeli war on Lebanon. 1 Since the war started, there has been much discussion concerning the use of (US) cluster bombs, bunker-busting bombs and chemical weapons – all illegal - presently being used in Lebanon. Some have also said illegal bombs are also being used in Palestine. Protocol I, Article 85, Section 3 of the Geneva Convention: "An indiscriminate attack affecting the civilian population or civilian objects and resulting in excessive loss of life, injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects is a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions." Following is an Index of various reports and articles. US/UK Arms for Israel... more.. The Occupation Report November 24, 2006 By Jerrold Cohen, Ph.D, Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel 11/24/2006 Gaza Strip: Gaza Strip killings: Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians this morning in the Gaza Strip, using tanks, bullets, shells. Five students and an elderly man were among the injured. (1) In the northern Gaza Strip, "Palestinian medical sources reported that Ayman Mohamed Judah, 24, was killed after Israeli troops fired live rounds at him. (6) Judah, a Hamas member, worked in the media office of the Qassam Brigades. He was hit in the head and chest by live ammunition. (9)... West Bank: Tulkarm incursion and arrests: Israeli troops set up a roadblock east of Tulkarm at a temporary checkpoint. There, they searched cars as they were going through. The troops stopped a taxi and ordered the two Palestinian passengers and the driver to get out of the car and thoroughly searched them... more.. Hamas media activist and a 10-year-old boy shot dead by Israeli snipers; three Israeli soldiers injured by roadside bomb Ma’an News Agency 11/24/2006 Gaza - A Hamas activist and a ten-year-old boy were killed by Israeli army snipers in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday morning. Our Gaza correspondent reported that Ayman Jouda, 22, who worked in the Hamas media office and was a member of Hamas’ armed wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, was shot by an Israeli sniper on Friday morning. Palestinian security sources said that Jouda was already dead upon arrival at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya. Eyewitnesses said that Jouda was taking photographs of an Israeli military vehicle that had been set alight by Palestinian fighters when an Israeli sniper shot him in the chest, killing him immediately. The Al Qassam Brigades issued a statement confirming that Jouda was a member in the brigades and saying that they are mourning him as one of them. more.. 3 men hurt while rescuing shepherd from S. Lebanon minefield Ha’aretz 11/25/2006 BEIRUT - A land mine explosion wounded two European mine clearing experts and a Lebanese medic as they tried to rescue a shepherd from an unmarked minefield in southern Lebanon on Friday, said a UN spokeswoman. The three men were rushed to hospital in the town of Marjayoun, said Dalya Farran, a spokeswoman for the UN Mine Action Coordination Center. The condition of the ordnance disposal experts, David Alderson of Britain and Damir Paradzik of Bosnia, was described as serious. But their wounds were "not life-threatening," said Patrick Toyne Sewell, the spokesman of their London-based employer, ArmorGroup. The three men were trying to rescue a shepherd who had led a herd of goats into an unmarked minefield. The goats detonated a land mine. more.. 2 IDF soldiers wounded in Gaza; 3 Palestinians killed by army Ha’aretz 11/24/2006 Three Palestinians were killed and two Israel Defense Force soldiers were lightly wounded in two separate incidents in the Gaza Strip on Friday. Palestinian sources said a Hamas camerman who filmed attacks against Israel for the Islamic militant organiztaion was killed by IDF gunfire in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, Israel Radio reported. The IDF soldiers were lightly wounded when their armored vehicle drove over an explosive device in the Gaza Strip. They were evacauted to a hospital by helicopter for medical assistance. Also in Gaza, Palestinians fired five Qassam rockets at the western Negev on Friday. Two of the rockets hit the Negev on Thursday night, damaging a building. There were no injuries in any of the incidents. more.. Palestinian armed wings continue to fire at Israeli targets, both civilian and military Ma’an News Agency 11/24/2006 Gaza - In spite of the talk about a truce and reports that the Palestinian factions are ready to stop the projectile-launching from the Gaza Strip towards the Israeli towns and cities, the Palestinian factions are continuing to fire their crudely-made projectiles at Israel. The Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, and the Al Aqsa Brigades, the main armed wing of Fatah, have all claimed responsibility for launching more homemade projectiles at towns inside Israel, and attacking Israeli troops inside the Gaza Strip, on Thursday and Friday. In statements, the three different brigades said that they launched many projectiles at the southern Israeli town of Sderot on Thursday evening and Friday morning, and attacked an Israeli tank and military bulldozer... more.. Israeli forces detain at least eight West Bankers, including seven in Jenin, besiege a Tulkarem farm Ma’an News Agency 11/24/2006 Israeli jeep in Tulkarem (Maans)West Bank - The Israeli forces took at least eight Palestinians prisoner in various parts of the occupied West Bank on Friday morning, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources. Our Tulkarem correspondent added that the Israeli army besieged many areas of Tulkarem late on Thursday, including a farm, amid heavy gunfire. The Israeli sources said that three of the arrests were Fatah members and a fourth was a Hamas member, without giving further details. On the other hand, the sources said that the Israeli forces were attacked in the northern city of Nablus by an explosive devise, but said that there were no casualties amongst the soldiers. In another incident, the Israeli sources said that Israeli soldiers were attacked by Palestinian armed men in the city of Tulkarem but no casualties occurred. more.. Israel Steps Up Gaza Offensive But Fails to Slow Rocket Fire An Nahar 11/23/2006 Israel went after Palestinian militants in northern Gaza on Thursday with airstrikes, tanks, and infantry, killing one gunman, Palestinian security officials said, but that didn’t stop rockets from slamming into southern Israel. Israeli tanks rumbled up to an apartment complex on the outskirts of the town of Beit Lahiya around dawn, security officials said. Troops fired bursts from turret-mounted machine guns, killing a militant and wounding another man, and then the tanks withdrew, they said. The officials said militants had fired rockets into Israel from a field near the apartment complex overnight. None of the Palestinian militant groups immediately claimed the dead man as a member. The army said Israeli troops in the same area saw a figure they deemed suspicious and opened fire... more.. Troops kill 10-yr-old boy in Jabalya Jerusalem Post 11/24/2006 IDF soldiers shot and killed a 10-year-old Palestinian boy on Friday afternoon in the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalya, hospital officials said. The army declined immediate comment. In a separate incident, Palestinians fired an anti-tank missile towards IDF armored vehicles in northern Gaza. No one was wounded and no damage was caused. IDF troops returned fire. On Friday morning, three IDF soldiers were lightly wounded when their armored vehicle rode over an explosive device south of Beit Hanun, in the northern Gaza Strip. The two were evacuated to a hospital by an IDF helicopter. Moments earlier, IDF troops killed a Hamas operative who was filming the group’s operations in northern Gaza, Palestinian medical officials said. The man was killed by soldiers operating Jabalya, the officials said. more.. Palestinian military groups shoot at an Israeli soldier in Beit Hanoun Ma’an News Agency 11/24/2006 Gaza - In a joint statement, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) have claimed responsibility for shooting an Israeli soldier in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday. According to their statement, the incident took place when the soldier was on the roof of a military tank near a base belonging to the presidential forces ’Force 17’ in the town of Beit Hanoun. [end] Shooting in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon results in many injuries, possible casualties Ma’an News Agency 11/24/2006 Lebanon - A number of Palestinian refugees in Baddawi refugee camp near Tripoli in northern Lebanon were injured when a shooting suddenly erupted in the camp, according to the Lebanese News Agency. The agency suggests that there may have been casualties. The agency said that heavy and intensive shooting was heard inside Baddawi refugee camp, including the sound of projectiles from near the Al Quds mosque, on Thursday. The agency said that, according to information from inside the camp, some unknown people entered the camp and went to an apartment inside the camp that is rented by some students of Shari’a (Islamic law). Investigations are underway regarding the identity of the people who entered the camp and the reason for the shooting. more.. Report downgrades estimate of direct war losses Daily Star 11/25/2006 BEIRUT: A government report said on Friday that total direct costs to Lebanon from the war of this past summer were $2. 8 billion - $800 million less than an earlier estimate. Shortly after the August 14 cessation of hostilities, the Council for Development and Reconstruction estimated direct material losses at $3. 6 billion. The new government report, which was issued by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s office, said the Israeli bombardment likely would cause GDP growth to fall to close to zero - a drop of 4-5 percent - by the end of the year. Lebanon was hoping to record GDP growth of 6 percent in 2006 based on a projected influx of tourists, surge in exports and increase in foreign direct investment. The Tourism Ministry expected more than 1. 6 million visitors to come to Lebanon in the summer season alone, generating revenues of $3 billion. more.. Lebanese Students Learn How to Avoid Cluster Bombs An Nahar 11/22/2006 Jamming schools spared by the summer war with Israel, students across southern Lebanon have started a difficult year, trying to overcome traumas and learning a life-or-death lesson -- how to avoid being blasted by unexploded ordnance. In a private school in the village of Hanaway, east of the coastal city of Tyre, several hundred students, aged between five and 11, attend a one-hour session about the dangers of cluster bombs. Israel dropped more than 1. 2 million bomblets on Lebanon during its summer offensive, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz. Since the August 14 end to the war between Israel and Hizbullah, 23 people have been killed and another 136 injured in Lebanon after stepping on or handling unexploded components of cluster bombs, according to an AFP count. more.. Yesha Leader: ´Peace Now´ Trying to Undermine State of Israel Arutz Sheva 11/22/2006 Left-wing anti-settlement "Peace Now" made headlines by reporting that nearly 40% of Jewish towns in Judea & Samaria lies on privately-owned Arab land. The Yesha Council denies, but who hears? The Peace Now report, which was publicized widely in newspapers all over the world, "shows that Israel has effectively stolen privately-owned Palestinian land for the purpose of constructing settlements,’’ the group’s website says.... Yaakov (Ketzaleh) Katz of Beit El - a veteran leader of the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria - dismissed the report out of hand. "They merely want to weaken us and the State of Israel, and to maintain themselves in the news," he told Arutz-7. "After what we have seen in Gaza, with the failure of the Disengagement.... they know that talk of another withdrawal is out of the question..." more.. Woman, 64, blows herself up in attack on Israeli troops The Guardian 11/24/2006 Suicide bombing follows killing of grandson · Eight other Palestinians die in Gaza operations -- A 64-year-old Palestinian woman blew herself up as a suicide bomber in Gaza yesterday in an attack on Israeli troops. Two soldiers were slightly injured when the woman, apparently a supporter of the Hamas militant group, detonated explosives strapped to her body, becoming the conflict’s oldest suicide bomber. Eight other Palestinians were killed yesterday as the Israeli military staged operations across the northern Gaza Strip aimed at stopping rocket fire into Israel. Troops were going through Jabaliya refugee camp when they saw a woman acting suspiciously, the Israeli military said. A soldier threw a stun grenade at her and she detonated the explosives. Hamas, which claimed responsibility for the attack, named the woman as Fatma Omar An-Najar... more.. At least 7 dead as Jewish state launches new assault on Gaza Daily Star 11/24/2006 Israeli forces backed by tanks and aircraft killed seven Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday as Hamas’ supreme leader prepared to meet with Egyptian mediators, raising hopes the violence could be contained. In another positive sign, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya held talks Thursday with President Mahmoud Abbas, signaling a resumption of unity government negotiations. On the ground, a 57-year-old woman holding an explosive device tried to blow herself up near Israeli soldiers. An army spokeswoman said soldiers spotted the woman near the Jebaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza and threw a grenade at her, detonating the device. Three soldiers were lightly wounded. The woman was killed.... The Israeli offensive came a day after the government decided to press on with attacks but not order a massive assault. more.. PRC leaders Fayiq Abu El-Qumsan and Mahmoud Al-Basyouni assassinated in Gaza Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2006 Gaza - An Israeli air strike has targeted the car in which operatives of the An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, affiliated to the Popular Resistance Committees were travelling. Fayiq Abu El-Qumsan and Mahmoud Al-Basyouni were killed in the attack, while a civilian was seriously injured when an Israeli fighter jet targeted their white Subaru. An hour ago, a further two Palestinians were killed in the Israeli attack on the northern Gaza Strip. One has been identified as Ala Khalil, 22, killed in Beit Lahiya. Earlier today, two Palestinian youths were killed and eight school children were injured. One of the youths was killed when an Israeli drone shelled a residential area near Sheikh Zayed Towers east of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, and the other was killed by an Israeli sniper in Jabalia. The boys came under fire as they were heading for school. more.. Palestinian factions launch projectiles, detonate bombs, snipe at Israeli targets; Israel shoots at homes, destroys farm Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2006 Gaza - As Israeli soldiers continue to fire at civilian homes and farms in the Gaza Strip, various Palestinian military factions have reported their continued projectile-launching, roadside bombs, and sniping at Israeli targets. The Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, have claimed responsibility for shooting at an Israeli soldier in the northern Gaza Strip, and for firing two homemade projectiles at the southern Israeli town of Sderot, early on Thursday. The Brigades said in a statement that the soldier was shot in the chest while in his military bulldozer, east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. They said he was seen falling and an Israeli ambulance crew arrived on the scene to provide medical treatment and assistance. An Israeli spokesperson confirmed to Israeli Radio that Palestinian armed men attacked the Israeli forces... more.. Eight West Bankers arrested overnight; Israeli army besieges Qabatia for three hours in middle of the night Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2006 West Bank - The Israeli forces arrested at least eight Palestinians in the West Bank early on Thursday. After a fierce attack on Qabatia in the northern West Bank, during which the Israeli troops besieged a house for three hours, the Israeli army seized three members of Palestinian armed groups. The Israeli troops also arrested a recently engaged man in Jericho. Israeli sources said that five of the arrests were in the southern city of Hebron, one was in the village of Eizariyah, east of Jerusalem, and two were in the northern city of Nablus. Our correspondent in Hebron reported that many Israeli military vehicles broke into the city of Hebron from many directions and Israeli soldiers ransacked a number of houses. The Israeli forces then seized Imad Sami Jabari, 38, his brother Muhammad, and Muhammad Bajis Jabari, 27.... more.. Israeli settlers uproot 100 trees in a Bethlehem village Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2006 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Israeli settlers from the Neve Daniyyel settlement in the Gush Etzion bloc, southwest of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, cut down and uprooted olive trees belonging to Mariam Ismael, a Palestinian woman from the nearby Al Khader village on Wednesday. The settlers cut and uprooted more than 100 trees, in total contravention of international law. These trees were planted with the help of the agriculture work committees, who aim to support Palestinian farmers and protect Palestinian lands. [end] Palestinians open fire on an Israeli car north of Hebron Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2006 Bethlehem - According to Israeli security sources, armed Palestinians shot at an Israeli car on Wednesday night north of the West Bank city of Hebron. The sources added that the armed Palestinians opened fire at the car in which many Israeli were traveling, in the Halhoul area north of Hebron. No casualties were reported and the Palestinian gunmen escaped. [end] Last night’s assassination attempts in Jenin Refugee Camp leave one dead Palestine News Network 11/23/2006 Israeli forces invaded Jenin Refugee Camp throughout Wednesday, killing one man during assassination attempts. The targets of last night’s attack were 25 year old Fadi Mahmoud Amor and Ashraf Al Sa’adi. Saraya Al Quds leader Al Sa’adi was shot and injured while Amor, a leader in the Al Aqsa Brigades, was killed. Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli special forces were stationed inside the home of Ahmed Abu Hashab. The break-in was quickly executed with Israeli soldiers firing several shots and hitting Abu Hashab. Ambulances were able to transport him to Jenin’s Dr. Khalil Suleiman Memorial Hospital. Amor was also transferred to the hospital where medical sources in the operating room reported that he died due to a fatal hemorrhage. more.. IDF: Gaza "terrorists" have anti-aircraft capabilities YNetNews 11/24/2006 Israel Air Force worried, pursuant to Hizbullah success at taking down Israeli chopper in Lebanon. Senior officer: Clear increase in attempt to smuggle weapons into Gaza -- According to a senior Israel Air Force officer, "terror" organizations in the Gaza Strip have anti-aircraft capabilities." The IAF is a joint participant in most Gaza operations, particularly in pinpoint operations or assistance to ground forces. IAF sources are worried that, pursuant to Hizbullah success to take down an Israel helicopter in Lebanon, "terror" organizations in the Strip will try to arm themselves with anti-aircraft weaponry. "The threats of antitank and anti-aircraft missiles in Gaza are increasing and we are preparing for that," said the officer. He stated that the IAF has significantly increased its operations over Gaza, which is why "terror" organizations are trying to damage aircraft. more.. Noted religious Zionist rabbi calls for anti-Qassam militias Ha’aretz 11/24/2006 Earlier in the week, the settlers’ rabbinical council expressed support for a return to the "Jewish ethic" of killing someone before he kills you. -- Well-known religious Zionist rabbi Yisrael Rozen is advocating unsupervised Jewish militias as a solution to the Qassam rocket fire in the South. "Had the reins of the state been in ’Jewish’ hands, not necessarily religious, we should have allowed the youth of Sderot, Ashkelon, the western Negev and anyone fit to bear arms... to fight back in the framework of ungoverned militias," he wrote in remarks that will be published Friday in the weekly Zomet Institute bulletin Shabbat Beshabato. "The eternal response to terror is counter-terror, an eye for an eye," wrote Rozen, who heads the Zomet Institute in the Gush Etzion settlement of Alon Shvut, which addresses issues related to Judaism and modern life. more.. Gaza "Terrorists" Arming with Iranian-Made Missiles Arutz Sheva 11/23/2006 (IsraelNN. com) Gaza "terrorists" are building up a weapon stockpile of Konkurs anti-tank missiles, initially produced in India and made in Iran since 2000, according to the Israeli television news program Mabat. The Konkurs-M anti-tank rocket is carried on a small platform and can be rapidly dismounted for portable land operations. It has a range of more than one mile and can penetrate steel armor up to 32 inches thick. [end] Three Tulkarem residents arrested by Israeli military in raid on taxi office Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2006 Tulkarem - The Israeli army has, on Thursday, arrested three Palestinians from the northern West Bank town of Bal’a, east of Tulkarem. Ma’an’s reporter quoted eyewitnesses saying that an Israeli force of 5 military jeeps invaded the town, and, in a swift operation, they broke into a taxi office and abducted one of the drivers, Majid Jamal Hamdan, 27, and two other men who were there, Shadi Barabra, 23, and ’Amir Abu Younis, 22. [end] Mourners at the funeral of an Al-Aqsa Brigades’ activist in Jenin threaten to retaliate Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2006 Jenin - Fatah-affiliated militant brigades have, during the funeral procession of the Al-Aqsa Brigades activist, Fadi ’Umoor, threatened to retaliate fiercely for his assassination by the Israeli forces, in the West Bank refugee camp in Jenin. The brigades’ leader in Jenin, Zakariyya Az-Zubaidi, declared, "We will not rest before we retaliate for our martyrs’ blood." The funeral procession, which attracted hundreds of Palestinian citizens, was led by dozens of armed fighters, who were shooting in the air as a gesture of fury over the Israeli assassination of their operative. [end] Palestinian brigades continue to attack Israeli targets Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2006 Gaza - Three Palestinian military wings have claimed responsibility on Thursday for targeting Israeli sites with homemade projectiles. The Dalal Al-Mughrabi Brigades, affiliated with the Fatah movement, announced that they launched three homemade projectiles towards Begin Kibbutz, the Sa’ad military post and a soldiers’ transport. The Al-Quds Brigades of the Islamic Jihad movement stated that they have launched a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at an Israeli tank in eastern Beit Lahiya. In addition, the An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades of the Popular Resistance Committees claimed to have launched an RPG at an Israeli Merkava tank in Jabalia refugee camp, in addition to a sniper attack on a soldier located on the roof of a Palestinian building. [end] Second Red Cross car set alight in Qalqiliya in a month Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2006 Qalqiliya - A car belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was set alight on Wednesday night in one of the neighborhoods of the West Bank city of Qalqiliya. It is unknown who was responsible for this arson attack. Palestinian security sources said that they received information about a fire in the car at 9. 30 pm on Wednesday in the north of the city. The security forces have begun investigations into the incident. This is the second time an ICRC car was set alight in the city in the last four weeks. [end] Border Policeman indicted for beating protester during Amona evacuation Ha’aretz 11/23/2006 An indictment order was filed Thursday against Eyal Peri, a Border Police officer, for striking a protester during the evacuation of the West Bank outpost of Amona on February 1. According to the indictment, Peri noticed Motti Yogev, a well-known right-wing activist, standing next to a group of girls who refused to leave the outpost. Yogev allegedly asked Peri to let him try to remove the girls from the premises nonviolently, but the officer struck him with his club in the knee. Yogev fell on the ground, and Peri pushed him again when he tried to stand up, the indictment said. Following the incident, Yogev suffered from pain in his knee and had to undergo two operations. Among the witnesses to the incident was MK Uri Ariel, who was present at the time the buildings were destroyed. [end] Israel decides to continue military raids, assassinations in Gaza Daily Star 11/23/2006 Israel’s Security Cabinet on Wednesday agreed to press on with military raids and "targeted killings" in Gaza but did not order a large-scale assault in response to a wave of Palestinian rocket attacks. A government statement said the security forces had been told to prepare and present a plan for a broader operation. Hours later, Israeli ground troops, tanks and armored vehicles advanced on two northern Gaza towns Wednesday, besieging a well-known lawmaker’s house and engaging militants in ferocious clashes, Palestinian officials said. Israeli soldiers killed two Hamas members in the clashes, Palestinian hospital officials said. Earlier in the day, a rocket hit an Israeli school just before pupils arrived. Some Cabinet members had wanted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to approve tougher action... more.. Several homes destroyed in northwestern West Bank citing building without Israeli permission Palestine News Network 11/22/2006 The Israeli administration continues to target the houses of Qalqilia District citizens where early this morning Israeli forces demolished several homes 18 kilometers east of the city, and just days ago destroyed others in the south. In addition to breaking in to other houses under the pretext of searching for the “wanted,” Israeli forces uprooted groves of olive trees. Some 30 people have suffered recent injuries; many children and many from live bullets. Municipal crews are estimating this morning’s material losses at a quarter of a million dollars. On Wednesday morning Israeli forces demolished several houses in eastern Qalqilia, injuring four people near the homes that many residents were trying to protect by throwing stones at the military bulldozers. more.. November in Gaza: 105 killed, 353 injured, 52 left handicapped for life Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2006 Gaza - Ma’an - 105 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of November, Palestinian medical sources have reported. The emergency and first aid department in the Palestinian ministry of health reports that 31 percent of the victims were children. Of the 105 killed, 14 were women. In addition, since the start of November, 353 Palestinians have been injured, of whom 32 were children. With these numbers, the Palestinian death toll since the start of the Israeli military campaign to release the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, reaches 400, just in the Gaza Strip. In addition 1,853 Gazans have been injured. Of this number, 742 were treated in the field and 750 will be handicapped for life as a result of their injuries. 133 of the 750 handicapped cases have lost a limb. more.. Israel approves more Gaza operations, 4 killed ReliefWeb 11/22/2006 JERUSALEM, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Israel’s security cabinet on Wednesday decided to press on with military raids and "targeted killings" in the Gaza Strip but had not ordered a large-scale assault in response to a wave of Palestinian rocket attacks. As Israeli forces killed four Gazans in fresh fighting -- two militants and two civilians, according to Palestinian witnesses and medics -- a cabinet statement said the military had been told to prepare and present a plan for a broader sweep. More Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles rolled into northern Gaza, joining forces already there, witnesses said. Soldiers killed two gunmen from the governing Hamas faction, hospital officials said. They said a Palestinian woman, 35, was killed by Israeli shelling in an area used by rocket crews, and that troops killed a 14-year-old boy in a nearby refugee camp. more.. Senior Fatah aide attacked by unknown gunmen in Gaza City Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2006 Gaza - Unknown armed men fired at a senior Fatah member, Abu Ali Shahin, on Tuesday afternoon in Gaza City, in what appeared to be an attempted assassination attempt. Our correspondent in Gaza reported that Shahin, a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, was attacked after he left a building housing the local radio ’Al Hurriya’ (’Freedom’) in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City. Shahin had been participating in an interview regarding the formation of the new government. Shahin was injured in the thigh and taken to Ash-Shifa’a Hospital in Gaza City, where it was reported that his condition is "moderate". Commenting on the incident, Fatah spokesman in Gaza, Tawfiq Abu Khousa said, "This is a cowardly act. It aims to set the Palestinian area ablaze and sink it in blood". more.. Five Jenin boys injured by rubber bullets Palestine News Network 11/22/2006 When 20 Israeli military vehicles invaded the northern West Bank’s Jenin Refugee Camp Wednesday morning hundreds of young people began throwing stones. Israeli soldiers opened fire with gas and rubber bullets, hitting five boys. Israeli forces were in the center of camp and began searching homes, arrested three people and took them to unknown locations. Eyewitnesses described two invasions of the camp during the morning hours, including raids on homes and detaining residents. A Saraya Al Quds armed resistance leader, Ashraf Sa’adi, said that Israeli forces stormed several homes belonging to Palestinians on the Israeli “wanted” list. Targeted homes included that of Islamic Jihad official in Jenin, Mahmoud Sa’adi. After searches came up empty, Israeli soldiers threatened relatives with death. [end] Israeli army conducts violent raids in northern West Bank; 10 youths taken prisoner, 6 injured, 2 houses demolished Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2006 West Bank - The Israeli army raided Jenin, Nablus and Qalqiliya in the north of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday. The soldiers took ten Palestinian youths prisoner, including four students of the Arab-American University in Jenin, and injured another six, including two with rubber bullets. Two family homes were destroyed in a rural area of Qalqiliya, close to the separation wall. Palestinian security sources said that an Israeli force invaded the city of Jenin and its refugee camp and broke into many houses. Clashes broke out between Palestinian youths and the Israeli troops in the refugee camp, and the Israeli soldiers seized 18-year-old Munir Mer’ib. Baha’ Ammouri, 16, and Ayman Lahlouh were also injured when the Israeli forces shot rubber bullets at the crowds to disperse them. more.. Ongoing Israeli incursion in Beit Hanoun; three killed; Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2006 Gaza - During the latest developments, as an Israeli military incursion continues in the Gaza Strip, two more Palestinians have been killed and 18 more injured. Artillery shelling killed the Al-Qassam Brigades’ activist, Mus’ad Ahmad Abu Mu’attiq, 35, in addition to Sami Az-Zibdah, 22. Asma’ abu Marsah, 45, earlier succumbed to wounds she incurred early on Wednesday, during the heavy Israeli artillery shelling of northern Gaza, bringing today’s death toll to three. Earlier this afternoon, it was reported that three Palestinian school students were injured by the Israeli forces in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. In addition, one Israeli soldier was seriously injured when he was hit by an anti-tank projectile in Beit Hanoun. He was transferred to Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva, according to Israeli sources. more.. Al Aqsa Brigades operative killed, Al-Quds Brigades leader injured in Israeli ambush of Jenin refugee camp Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2006 Jenin - The most prominent member of the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Brigades in Jenin, Fadi Al-’Umoor, 27, has been killed, while a leader in Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades, Ashraf As-Sa’di, was injured in a trap arranged by an Israeli special forces unit, in the Ad-Damj neighbourhood of the Jenin refugee camp, in the northern West Bank on Wednesday. According to the Islamic Jihad official, Mahmoud As-Sa’di, the two operatives ran into the trap and clashed with Israeli troops, resulting in the injury of Ashraf in the hand and shoulder, while Fadi was hit in the thigh and abdomen. Both were able to escape the ambush area, however Fadi succumbed to his wounds under operation at the Jenin governmental hospital. Both had survived several assassination attempts in the past. [end] Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Brigades claim responsibility for the continued projectile-launching at Sderot and Zikim Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2006 Gaza - The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, and the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, have issued statements claiming responsibility for the continued launching of homemade projectiles at the southern Israeli towns of Sderot and Zikim. Meanwhile, the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main military wing of Fatah, have claimed to have hit Israeli military targets in Jabalia refugee camp in the north of the West Bank. The Al-Quds Brigades said that they launched two projectiles at Sderot on Wednesday, while the Al-Qassam Brigades said that they launched a number of projectiles, including three ’Qassam’ projectiles, at Sderot and Zikim on Wednesday morning. The two Brigades said separately that the launching was part of their retaliation for the Israeli acts against Palestinians. more.. Israelis push back into Gaza town BBC Online 11/22/2006 Israeli troops have moved into an area of the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun where Israeli artillery killed almost 20 people earlier this month. During the day, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in Gaza, including two Hamas militants in clashes. Members of Israel’s security cabinet agreed to continue raids and so-called targeted killings to try to halt rocket attacks by Gaza-based militants. But they did not approve any immediate full-scale offensive. Street seizedBeit Hanoun was the site of a weeklong incursion earlier in November in which about 50 people were killed, including about 16 civilians, and which left a wide swath of destruction. Israeli tanks were positioned on the edge of the town as troops took over some buildings inside it. more.. As officials