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 stay away from funeral of eighth Qassam victim, relatives ask: ’Why doesn’t anyone visit us?’ Ha’aretz 11/23/2006 The only public figure from City Hall, the Knesset or the government who attended the funeral of Sderot Qassam victim Yaakov Yaakobov yesterday was Yisrael Beiteinu MK Robert Ilatov. Municipal officials say they didn’t attend because intermediaries asked them not to. Yaakobov’s sister-in-law, Zilpa, denies such a request was made, saying the pain is too great for anyone to have asked. All day Tuesday, the family, immigrants from the Caucasus, maintained a vigil by Yaakobov’s bedside in Soroka’s intensive care unit. Throughout the day, relatives repeated the question "Why doesn’t anyone come to us? From City Hall? The government?" "If he were Moroccan, they would be here," Yaakobov’s son said through his tears, summarizing the sense that no one cares. more.. Israeli forces hand a letter to the family of Islamic Jihad activist Mahmoud As-Sa’di, asking him to surrender Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2006 Jenin - The Israeli forces have on Wednesday handed a letter to the family of a member of the Islamic Jihad movement, Sheikh Mahmoud As-Sa’di, asking him to surrender to the Israeli forces as soon as possible. "Otherwise, he will be assassinated and his house demolished." In a phone call with Ma’an’s reporter in Jenin, a member of the As-Sa’di family stated, "At 5:30am, the Israeli forces broke into his house and forced his family to evacuate. They turned the house upside down, destroying property and digging in the ground, in addition to confiscating a computer." In addition, the search extended to the family’s neighbours and relatives, including the house of an Al-Quds Brigades activist, Ashraf As-Sa’di and other operatives in the area. more.. Israeli forces arrest two Palestinians, and release a third, in Ramallah Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2006 Ramallah - Israeli forces have, on Wednesday morning, arrested Abdallah Al-Bakri, 34, and Ayman Qur’an, 40, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Al-Bakri had been released from prison only 40 days ago. At the same time, the female detainee Abeer Barakt, from the suburb of Um Ash-Sharayit in southern Al-Bireh city has been released. Abeer had been arrested a month ago. She is a mother of 6 children, 2 of which had been killed by Israeli soldiers. [end] Lebanese Waters Still Stained Black By Meena S. Janardhan, Inter Press Service 11/21/2006 DUBAI, Nov 21 (IPS/IFEJ) - Squally winter weather in the eastern Mediterranean poses a fresh threat to marine ecology from Lebanon to Turkey this year, due to the remnants of the oil slick caused in July when Israeli forces bombed a power plant south of Beirut.. Between 10,000 and 15,000 tonnes of crude leaked from the crippled power plant of Jiyeh, 30 km from the Lebanese capital, Jul. 13-15. The spill seriously contaminated the waters along the Lebanese and Syrian coast. Environmental damage to neighbouring Cyprus, Greece and Turkey was somewhat reduced by operations to mop up the floating oil. But the danger persists. Highly specialised teams with extensive experience need to immediately get down to work cleaning rocks and buildings before winter storms lash the region, warns the Malta-based RMERC... more.. From Baltimore to the paratroopers Jerusalem Post 11/22/2006 The lower bunk bed is made with clean sheets and freshly fluffed pillows accompanied by assorted stuffed animals. The walls are plastered with their usual d cor - baseball pennants, sports posters, and pictures of longtime friends. But the oversized Israeli flag that had always hung boldly above the desk is gone. Scott Blumberg doesn’t live here anymore. In August, two months before his 21st birthday, Blumberg moved to Israel, 9,600 km. from his home and family in Baltimore, Maryland. Today, he’ll be sworn in as a soldier in the IDF. Blumberg’s parents aren’t Israeli. He doesn’t have family in the Middle East, and his command of the Hebrew language is far from fluent. So why would he decide to leave everything familiar to become a citizen of another country and join a foreign army.... more.. ’When it comes to firing the gun, it’s a massive shock. It’s what you don’t see in the movies.’ The Guardian 11/23/2006 We followed young British Jews signing up for service in Gaza and the West Bank -- He grew up in suburban north London and still misses home comforts like milky British tea, the friends he left behind and the local pub. But yesterday Joe Wainer joined an elite Israeli army unit, and now he faces the prospect of active service in the occupied West Bank. The 19-year-old, one of nine young Britons who have signed up for a programme that recruits foreign Jews for the Israel Defence Forces, realised his life had changed when he fired an M16 rifle for the first time in training. "When it comes to fire the gun, it’s one of the biggest shocks," he said. "The smell of the gunpowder, the kickback. It’s what you don’t see in the movies." The soldiers, all of whom will have dual nationality, are part of a wave of migration to Israel from western countries... more.. Study: 40 percent of settlements were built on Palestinian land Ha’aretz 11/21/2006 A new study conducted by left-wing group Peace Now has found that approximately 40 percent of settlements, including long-standing communities, are built on private Palestinian land and not on state-owned land. In a press conference held in Jerusalem on Tuesday, the group presented a report asserting that out of a total area of 157,000 dunams used by West Bank settlements and industrial zones, 61,000 dunams (approximately 38 percent) are privately owned by Palestinians. The report singles out the two largest settlements, both of which have city status. It says that 86. 4 percent of Ma’ale Adumim is built on Palestinian land, and 35. 1 percent of Ariel. The group says that the data presented in the report "demonstrates that the property rights of many Palestinians have been systematically violated in the course of settlement building." more.. IDF attacks Gaza City home, kills militant, civilian Ha’aretz 11/22/2006 An Israel Defense Forces special forces unit yesterday killed a senior operative in Hamas’ military wing. Ayman Hassanin, aged 26, was killed when the force attacked him in his house, in the Sajaiyeh quarter of Gaza. Palestinian sources said that 70-year-old Sa’adia Kharaj was also killed during the attack. The special forces entered the area during the night and made their way to the house, calling on Hassanin to give himself up. Palestinians inside the house began firing at the soldiers with mortars and light arms. The soldiers returned the fire, killing the wanted man. IDF sources said they had no information about the death of a woman and that the fire had merely been returned in the direction from which it came. Despite the continued rocket firing yesterday, senior Hamas officials reiterated they are prepared for a mutual cease-fire. more.. Sderot man dies of wounds sustained in Kassam attack Jerusalem Post 11/22/2006 Fearing a further escalation in Kassam rocket fire, the defense establishment has begun putting the finishing touches on plans to launch a massive Defensive Shield-like operation into the Gaza Strip. Doubtful that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will succeed in convincing terror factions to accept a cease-fire, defense officials are seriously considering reoccupying the Gaza Strip in an effort to stop Kassam rocket attacks." We are not left with many options," a high-ranking defense official told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. "What we know can work at stopping the Kassams is a major operation and the reoccupation of the Gaza Strip." The plans that have been drawn up for the major operation in the Gaza Strip include the calling up of reserve divisions as well as the possibility of implementing military rule of law in the Palestinian territory. more.. Peretz considers retaking parts of Gaza Strip Ha’aretz 11/22/2006 Defense Minister Amir Peretz held a security briefing Tuesday, and requested an examination of options for reoccupying areas of Gaza from which rockets are fired in order to distance the fire from Israeli communities. Peretz would like to avoid a long-term presence in Gaza, and therefore instructed the IDF to come up with "creative solutions." Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will convene the security cabinet on Wednesday to discuss the continued Qassam rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. Prior to the meeting, Olmert will hold consultations with Peretz, in what will be the first meeting of the two since a dispute broke out between them on Sunday. Political sources in Jerusalem said they do not believe a large-scale operation to reoccupy Gaza, similar to 2002’s Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank, will be approved in Wednesday’s meeting. more.. Israeli army shells another residential area in Gaza, 11 injured Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2006 Gaza - Eleven Palestinians were injured when Israeli shells targeted a residential area in Izbat Abed Rabbo, east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday afternoon. The Israeli forces fired a shell at the house of Ahmad Al Jabal, without causing any casualties amongst the family members. Medical sources said that eleven injured Palestinians were evacuated from the scene. Dr. Muawiya Hassanein, from the emergency and first aid section of the Palestinian health ministry, said that seven of the injured were taken to Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya and four others were taken to Awda hospital in Jabalia. It was noticed that the Israeli forces reinforced their presence in the area, especially in the Mount Kashif area, east of Jabalia. more.. Sneh: Spray flies, dry swamp YNetNews 11/21/2006 Deputy defense minister offers solution to Qassam rocket fire into Israel; Peres says government should fight terror like crime -- Once Gaza was a hornet nest, today it is a fly swamp: As Sderot and western Negev residents continue to suffer daily Qassam attacks, politicians have suggested solutions to deal with the problem. Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh said on Tuesday that Israel needs to, "spray the flies and dry up the swamp." Sneh said Israel should hold talks not only with powerful elements in the Palestinian Authority but with any side interested in doing something. He said terror elements should be driven out of Gaza. He added that his ministry is checking four anti-missile systems, two of which are made in Israel. "Within weeks we will decide which system to choose..." more.. Palestinian death toll reaches three Jerusalem Post 11/21/2006 A Palestinian youth who was shot on Tuesday morning during IDF operations in Gaza died of his wounds on Tuesday evening, bringing the day’s Palestinian death toll to three. Earlier in the day, security forces comprised of Yamam, an elite counter-terror unit, IDF forces, and members of the Shin Bet surrounded a home belonging to Imad Hasmin, a senior Hamas terrorist involved in the manufacturing and firing of Kassam rockets into Israel. The security forces called on Hasmin to surrender, and after he refused, they used bulldozers and other means to try to force him out of the house. During the operation, shots and mortars were fired at the IDF troops in the area. The soldiers returned fire and killed two Palestinians, including Hasmin. more.. IDF admits targeting civilian areas in Lebanon with cluster bombs Ha’aretz 11/21/2006 The Israel Defense Forces discovered that there had been "irregularities" in the use of cluster munitions, even before the end of the recent Lebanon war, sources in the defense minister’s office said Monday. As a result of this information, Defense Minister Amir Peretz ordered an "extensive inquiry" into the use of these munitions before the war’s end. Meanwhile, for the first time Monday, the IDF admitted targeting populated areas with cluster munitions. In a statement released by the IDF Spokesman’s Office, "the use of cluster munitions against built-up areas was done only against military targets where rocket launches against Israel were identified and after taking steps to warn the civilian population." The statements released by the minister’s office contradict Israel Defense Forces’ claims... more.. Safer Israeli cluster bombs not used Jerusalem Post 11/21/2006 An Israeli made cluster bomblet, installed with a self-destruct mechanism, was not used by the IDF during the war in Lebanon even though they would have drastically reduced the threat to civilian populations in the target areas. Instead, Israel used cluster bomblets manufactured in the United States which did not have a self-destruct mechanism. Lebanon claims 24 civilians were killed and 76 injured by cluster bombs since the end of the war, with the shells exploding mostly in fields and orchards. Defense officials explained that the IDF did not use or buy cluster bomblets manufactured by Israel Military Industries (IMI), since Israel bought its bomblets in the United States with the $3 billion it receives annually from the US government in military aid. IMI manufactures a low dud-rate cluster bomblet which carries a self-destruct fuse. more.. Palestinians ’own 40%’ of Israeli West Bank settlements The Independent 11/22/2006 Almost 40 per cent of land used by Israel for its settlements in the occupied West Bank is owned by Palestinians, the Israeli organisation Peace Now said yesterday on the basis of leaked official maps and other data. Contrary to official claims that the land is state-owned and that private property is only seized temporarily for security reasons, the leak shows that privately owned Palestinian land has been repeatedly used to build and expand settlements. The potential embarrassment to Israel is all the greater because it suggests that the use of private Palestinian land is especially prevalent in Jewish settlements which successive Israeli governments have made clear they are determined to keep. For example, Peace Now say the leaked data for the largest settlement.... Ma’ale Adumim... indicates the amount of privately owned Palestinian land accounts for 86. 4 per cent. more.. Israeli troops enter Jericho, arrest Al Aqsa member Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2006 Jericho - The Israeli army seized an activist in the Al Aqsa Brigades, the main military wing of Fatah, on Tuesday after besieging his house in the West Bank city of Jericho. Our Jericho correspondent reported that the Israeli forces broke into the city and besieged the house of Shadi Jouda, 32, in Al Arab neighborhood of Jericho on Tuesday. The Israel troops then succeeded in arresting the man without any clashes or confrontations. [end] Barrages continue: Sderot turns into ghost town YNetNews 11/21/2006 Qassam rocket which caused severe injury of worker Tuesday morning was another nail in southern town’s coffin. Market, commercial centers are empty. Business owner: Parents are afraid to send their children outside, and I understand them -- The rocket fire from the northern Gaza Strip toward the southern town of Sderot continued on Tuesday as well, critically wounded a worker. The city streets seemed emptier than ever. A large number of the residents left the city for safer places, such as Eilat. Those who stayed did not dare to leave the houses and the fortified areas. Only few dared to go out to the market and the commercial centers, places which in the past were teeming with life. Once in a while, a few courageous residents who dared to leave their house for a few minutes to buy some groceries arrived at the market. more.. Military wing of PFLP fires projectiles from Beit Hanoun to Sderot Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2006 Gaza - The Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), have claimed responsibility for launching a number of homemade projectiles towards the southern Israeli town of Sderot on Tuesday. In a statement, the Brigades said that one projectile was launched from the entrance of Beit Hanoun "under the nose of the Israeli soldiers". The Brigades said that this projectile-launching was in retaliation for the Israeli "aggressions and crimes against the Palestinian people". The Brigades threatened that they will continue their operations against the Israeli occupation until the liberation of Palestine. The Brigades also called for the Palestinian factions to act in a united way, and to confront the Israelis as one block. [end] "Children are not safe even in United Nations classrooms"; two children shot inside UNRWA school Saturday Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2006 On Saturday 18 November 2006, two schoolchildren were shot and wounded inside UNRWA’s Beit Lahia Elementary School in the northern Gaza Strip, the UN agency responsible for Palestine refugees reported. At 15:10 hrs, while sitting at his desk in a first grade classroom, UNRWA says that seven-year-old Ahmed Issam Abdel-Aziz was struck by a bullet in the head. The bullet, which first bounced off a window ledge, penetrated 3-5 millimetres into Ahmed’ skull. Five minutes later, Rewa Khalid Al-Mabhouh, 12, was shot in the leg soon after entering the school to pick up her younger brother, since evacuation of the school was underway. Both bullets entered the school from the north, and, according to the UNRWA report, Israeli tanks were seen stationed on a hill 1. 5 kilometres north of the school. -- See also: Two children shot inside UNRWA school more.. Gaza: 2 Hamas members killed in IDF air strike YNetNews 11/20/2006 Palestinians report army launched missile at vehicle carrying Hamas operatives in Sajaiya neighborhood, two gunmen killed in attack, four injured, including at least one child -- Palestinian sources reported Monday evening that two people were killed and four were injured, two of them severely, in an IDF air strike in the Gaza City neighborhood of Sajaiya. An Israeli army spokesman confirmed that an airstrike was aimed at a car carrying "terror activists" in Gaza City. The Palestinians said that an IDF aircraft fired a missile at a vehicle carrying several gunmen, members of Hamas’ armed wing. Local witnesses identified the men killed as Abdel-Qader Habib and Basil Abeid, two Hamas activists. At least one child was injured in the attack. more.. Ongoing invasion of Balata Refugee Camp destroys contents of houses and arrests 11 Palestinians Palestine News Network 11/20/2006 Israeli forces took 11 Palestinians to unknown locations during Monday’s invasion of Balata Refugee Camp. The northern West Bank raid left personal belongings inside several homes destroyed. The Israeli military says that several of those arrested were members of Saraya Al Quds, the armed resistance wing of Islamic Jihad. Eyewitnesses described the invasion as large with major numbers of military machines storming the camp in two incursions beginning at dawn. Israeli soldiers broke into houses and destroyed the entire contents of several of the homes. Thirty eight year old physical education teacher, Omar Hamad Maskawi is arrested and his home is destroyed. Arrestee Abu Hamada is a 40 year old bus driver and Jasir Abu Hamada works in communications... more.. Israeli troops re-invade Beit Hanoun, as projectiles continue Ma’an News Agency 11/20/2006 Gaza - The Israeli forces re-entered Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday morning, according to Palestinian security sources. In addition, Palestinian military factions launched a number of homemade projectiles at Israeli towns and military posts on Monday. Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli troops, accompanied by military bulldozers, closed off the town of Beit Hanoun from the north and the south. They reported that the Israeli forces launched four shells into the town; some shells landed in empty areas and some in an area near Palestinian homes in the Abed Rabbo area. Local sources told Ma’an that one of the shells landed on the house of Abdul Halim Khadir, causing damage to the house but no casualties. In the Jabalia area, it was reported that the Israeli artillery, stationed east of the Gaza Strip, launched a shell... more.. Confiscation of the Jordan Valley Palestine News Network 11/20/2006 The Mayor of Tubas is reporting that Israeli forces are splitting the Jordan Valley from the rest of the West Bank. “They have left us with only limited spaces and the procedures and practices against us are becoming more aggressive as the confiscation scheme broadens." The northeastern West Bank district is under the same siege as the northwest and the south. Mayor Daraghma continued to tell PNN Monday, “Farmers have their land ownership documents, but the occupation forces are preventing them from reaching their lands under the pretext that those lands have become closed military zones. ” Tubas’ Mayor explained, “The take-over of the Jordan Valley began in June 1967 and continues today.... To increase the level of occupation is the overall strategy at every level, and is continuing with the Wall and an increase in settlement activity. ” more.. Halutz: Troops violated ’explicit’ orders not to use cluster bombs Daily Star 11/21/2006 Israel’s army chief launched an investigation into the military’s use of cluster bombs in Lebanon, following media reports that he had not authorized wide use of the controversial munitions in fighting. The Israeli Army said in a statement that Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz had appointed a commission of inquiry headed by a high-ranking officer who would "look into the implementation of all orders and instructions regarding the use of cluster type munitions [during the war]." Israel’s Haaretz reported on Monday that Halutz said the orders he gave to limit the use of cluster bombs during the summer war was "explicit." "There is no question that one of the things that must be investigated is the way in which the orders were given and implemented. Were the orders explicit? I believe that they were," Halutz was quoted as saying. -- See also: Confusion clouds use of cluster bombs in Lebanon more.. Two children shot inside UNRWA school ReliefWeb/UNRWA 11/20/2006 18 Nov 2006 Gaza – This Saturday afternoon two schoolchildren were shot and wounded inside UNRWA’s Beit Lahia Elementary School in the northern Gaza Strip. At 15:10 hrs, while sitting at his desk in a first grade classroom, Ahmed Isam Abdel-Aziz, seven years old, was struck by a bullet to the head. The bullet, which first bounced off a window ledge, penetrated 3-5 millimeters into Ahmed’ skull. Five minutes later, Rewa Khalid Al-Mabhouh, 12 years old, was shot in the leg. She had just entered the school’s eastern corridor to pick up her younger brother, since evacuation of the school was underway. Both bullets entered the school from the north, and Israeli tanks were seen stationed on a hill, 1. 5 kilometers north of the school. Ahmed was taken to Adwa Hospital for removal of the bullet, and then to Gaza Eye Hospital... more.. Israeli troops invade Bethlehem’s Manger Square, besiege building Ma’an News Agency 11/20/2006 Bethlehem - Three Palestinians, including a WAFA journalist, were injured in Bethlehem in the south of the occupied West Bank on Monday when the Israeli forces invaded the city and besieged a building allegedly housing ’wanted’ Palestinians. One alleged Al-Quds Brigades operative has been arrested. Palestinian security sources stated that at least three people were sent to the governmental hospital in Beit Jala for medical treatment. Eyewitnesses have reported that three young Palestinian men were hit by live ammunition and one by a rubber bullet. Of the three hit by live bullets, two were hit in the legs and one in the head. The Israeli forces entered the city around 1pm.... Palestinian youths threw stones, bottles and Molotov cocktails at the invading Israeli troops, who responded with rounds of rubber bullets, live ammunition, and tear gas. more.. Security fence breached near J’lem Jerusalem Post 11/20/2006 Entire segments of the security fence near Jerusalem have been breached, allowing dozens of Palestinians to enter the country from the West Bank on a daily basis, Channel 10 reported on Monday evening. According to the report, no fence remained at all for a stretch of some eight kilometers, and every meter or so, the upper part of the fence was bent. Holes in the barrier were noted approximately every 100 meters, and the alarm system had been disconnected. The discovery raises the question of the effectiveness of the barrier, which was built to keep terrorists from infiltrating the country. The security fence, the first part of which became operational in July 2003, had been a controversial issue since its inception, from both the Israeli and Palestinian perspective. more.. IAF strike kills Palestinian, hurts 8 Ha’aretz 11/20/2006 An elderly Palestinian was killed yesterday in an Israel Air Force strike on a Gaza City vehicle, in which the army said Hamas militants were riding. Saturday night, the Israel Defense Forces canceled a planned air strike on the Jabalya homes of two members of armed groups after hundreds of Palestinians congregated near the homes, forming a "human belt" around them. In yesterday’s attack, the IAF fired a number of missiles at a car traveling in the Gaza City neighborhood of Zeitoun. The IDF claims that the passengers included several Hamas militants who had been involved in making and launching Qassams at Israel. Several passersby were wounded by the missiles, including 75-year-old Rabah Haji, who died later of his injuries. Eight other Palestinians were wounded including some children and two Hamas militants. more.. Combat service requests at all-time high YNetNews 11/20/2006 November 2006 draft underway, number of new IDF recruits asking to serve in combat units passes 70 percent mark -- The number of new IDF recruits requesting to serve in combat units passed the 70 percent mark on Monday, an all-time high. The November 2006 draft got under way at the recruitment center at Tel Hashomer on Sunday. During his visit to the recruitment center, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. -Gen. Dan Halutz was presented with the figures by Maj. Gen. Elazar Stern who heads the army’s human resources directorate. During last year’s November draft, 69. 6 percent of recruits asked to serve in combat positions. The figures are particularly encouraging in light of the military’s failures during the recent war in Lebanon, which placed the future soldiers’ motivation in question. more.. Halutz frowns on massive Gaza action Jerusalem Post 11/20/2006 Declaring that Israel was not "coming to terms" with Kassam rocket fire, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. -Gen. Dan Halutz said Monday he was not currently in favor of launching a massive ground operation into the Gaza Strip to stop the daily rocket attacks on towns in the western Negev. A total of 11 Kassams landed in the Negev on Monday, seven in Sderot and one which scored a direct hit on a home in a nearby kibbutz. No one was injured in any of the attacks but extensive damage was caused to the home. "Israel is not surrendering to the Kassam rockets," Halutz told reporters as he mingled with new recruits during their enlistment in the IDF at the Tel Hashomer Induction Center on Monday. He said that it was easy to propose large-scale operations in the Gaza Strip as a solution to the Kassam fire... more.. Jericho: IDF kills youth holding toy pistol YNetNews 11/20/2006 Palestinian youth steps out of his vehicle near Jericho checkpoint and draws pistol at troops. One soldier shoots and kills him. Later pistol was found to be a metal toy -- An IDF reservist force has shot and killed a 17 year-old Palestinian Monday at a checkpoint north of Jericho after he drew a pistol at the soldiers. A preliminary investigation of the incident revealed that the gun was a toy gun made out of metal. An IDF investigation revealed that the youth arrived at the checkpoint in a vehicle, walked towards the checkpoint and spoke to the local commander, telling him he wants to travel to the village of Udga. He then turned around and drew the pistol at the soldiers. One of the soldiers shot at him and killed him on the spot. The IDF is reporting that the toy pistol is identical in its shape to a real pistol. more.. Israeli troops invade Qalqiliya Monday morning Ma’an News Agency 11/20/2006 Qalqiliya - Israeli troops seized Omar Maraba, 25, from his home in the West Bank city of Qalqiliya on Monday morning. Our correspondent in Qalqiliya reported that the Israeli forces entered the city and broke into a number of houses in Qalqiliya, including Maraba’s house. The soldiers arrested him after searching the house. The reporter added that the forces ransacked a number of other houses in Qalqiliya. [end] Israeli troops meet resistance as they invade a West Bank village Sunday Ma’an News Agency 11/20/2006 Ramallah - Israeli forces raided the village of Deir Abu Mash’al, northwest of the West Bank city of Ramallah, on Sunday evening. Palestinian sources said that citizens of the village confronted the Israeli forces with stones, empty bottles and Molotov cocktails. The Palestinians managed to set one of the Israeli jeeps alight, the sources said. Eyewitnesses confirmed that one of the jeeps was burned out and an Israeli ambulance arrived on the scene to treat and evacuate the casualties. They added that some explosions were heard after the jeep was set alight. [end] Mayor of Ramallah comes under fire from unknown assailants Ma’an News Agency 11/20/2006 Ramallah - Unidentified armed men have shot at the Ramallah municipality building, and at the car of the mayor of the city, Mrs. Janet Mikhael. The mayor’s car, and the car of one of her entourage, came under fire in the car park of the municipality building. Ma’an’s correspondent in the city said that the employees were "stunned and astonished" at the event, and condemned it in forthright terms. The mayor, Mrs. Mikhael, said "what happened demonstrates lawlessness, and we are calling on the formation of a committee to investigate the incident." She confirmed that no-one was injured. [end] Palestinian teenager found dead near Tulkarem Ma’an News Agency 11/20/2006 Tulkarem - Palestinian citizens in the northern West Bank refugee camp of Nor Shams, near the city of Tulkarem have on Monday found the body of a teenager, who had been stabbed to death. According to Ma’an’s reporter, Palestinian police started their investigation into the killing of Muhammad Ayyob Abu Sirriyya, 13, who was found dead after being stabbed in the back and in the chest. The child had left home in the morning and never came back. [end] Hamas announces missile ’upgrade’ YNetNews 11/20/2006 Missiles, antitank weapons will be ’more accurate and effective,’ says Qassam Brigades spokesman; Mashaal ’optimistic’ over unity talks in Damascus -- Hamas is working to produce a new generation of missile weaponry, according to a statement made Sunday by Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obaida. The Qassam Brigades is the armed wing of Hamas. According to the statement, reported on Monday on the Hamas website Palestine Info , which has a UK web domain address, Hamas is "strivinghard to upgrade its missiles and antitank weapons to make them more accurate and more effective than what they are now." The website, which refers to the IDF as the "Israeli occupation forces (IOF)" added: "After revealing the news in press statements he made Sunday, Abu Obaida warned IOF generals and Israel’s war minister Amir Peretz... more.. Rocket hits kibbutz building; no injuries YNetNews 11/20/2006 Western Negev kibbutz experiences its first rocket attack: Qassam falls on office building’s roof, deflected and lands nearby. Kibbutz not equipped with alert system, fortified rooms -- The Qassam fire on Israel continues: A rocket landed Monday evening in one of the kibbutzim of the Eshkol regional council in the Western Negev. The rocket directly hit an office building in the kibbutz, at the same time when many of the community’s members were making their way to the dining hall nearby. One person was at the office building when the rocket struck, but escaped unharmed owing to the strength of the structure. Some damage to property was caused. Monday’s attack marks the first time a Qassam lands inside the kibbutz, after several rockets have already landed in cultivated areas outside the community. more.. At least two Palestinians killed in IDF Qalqilyah raid Ha’aretz 11/18/2006 At least two Palestinians were killed and 31 others were injured by Israel Defense Forces fire in the West Bank city of Qalqilyah on Friday, as IDF troops surrounded a house in which they believe the head of the Hamas military wing in the city is hiding. Palestinian sources said three people were killed in the ensuing clashes, but according to the IDF only two were killed. According to Palestinians, two of the injured were in critical condition, while six were moderately injured. IDF special forces conducting an operation to arrest the wanted militant opened fire after they were confronted by Palestinians who pelted them with firebombs and stones, the army said. An IDF bulldozer is currently demolishing the house, in an attempt to force the wanted militant out. more.. ’Bionic wasps’ could be miniature future weapon with a deadly sting The Independent 11/18/2006 A high-tech and unmanned "bionic wasp" capable of destroying a cell of militants or guerrillas is among a series of futuristic weapons being discussed by a group of experts set up by the Israeli Deputy Prime Minister, Shimon Peres. A spokeswoman for Mr Peres yesterday confirmed a report that the veteran politician had set up a 15-strong group of experts in security, high technology, business and academia to discuss the use of battlefield "nanotechnology". The report carried by the mass circulation daily Yedhiot Ahronot said the emerging technology would allow weapons, based on "building blocks" the size of a millionth of a millimetre, and of the sort that "one sees today only in science fiction films". It quoted Mr Peres, a holder of the Nobel Peace Prize, as telling a recent meeting: "The war in Lebanon proved that we need tiny weapons..." more.. Lebanese civilians confirm that arms are still flowing in from Syria Jerusalem Post 11/18/2006 Lebanese civilians close to the border with Syria told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that weapons for Hizbullah were being brought in by the truckload at night. Lebanese Army troops on duty at the border refused to confirm the claims. This correspondent watched as a line of trucks and lorries several kilometers long built up at one crossing on the road from Lebanon into Syria. The trucks, en route from Beirut to Damascus, were laden with a mixture of goods: everything from construction materials to fruits and vegetables. But in the late afternoon wintry chill they were stationary; their drivers had disappeared and only the occasional soldier kept guard every few hundred meters." They don’t move in the day," said Yusuf Saad, a taxi driver waiting at the border crossing. more.. Israel pledges revenge as rocket attack kills woman The Independent 11/16/2006 Israel’s Defence minister Amir Peretz yesterday pledged that Palestinian militants would pay a "heavy price" after a woman was killed and one of his own bodyguards severely wounded in a Qassam rocket attack launched from Gaza. The woman, Fa’ina Slotzker, 57 became the ninth Israeli to be killed by a Qassam since 2000 when the rocket landed on a walkway less than 150 yards from Mr Peretz’s home in a residential area of the border town of Sderot. A 17 year old male youth was seriously injured last night in a later rocket attack on the town centre. One witness said Mrs Slotzker, an immigrant from the Caucasus who has a son and a daughter in Israel, had been waiting for her husband after crossing a road and stepping onto the brick path leading towards the street where Mr Peretz lives. more.. IDF loots $200,000 from private households in Beit Hanoun The Daily Life of Kawther Salam 11/13/2006 Judging from below report from a press conference of the mayor of Beit Hanoun, the "soldiers" of the Givati criminal rabble were not content with murdering and injuring hundreds of people, destroying property valued at millions of dollars, destroying the livelihood of a whole city during their so-called "Autumn Clouds" operation, but they also had time to steal cellphones, gold (which is the most widely used form of saving in Palestine) and other private property from the homes of impoverished people who are already under a genocidal regime of starvation.... The Mayor of Beit Hanoun, Muhammad Nazek Al-Kafarneh, said.... that the Israeli soldiers participating in the so-called “Autumn Clouds” operation in the city used the ocassion to steal Palestinian property: money, gold, cellphones and other valuables. more.. Army bulldozes lands south of Bethlehem International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2006 The Israeli army started to bulldoze farm lands and uproot trees that belong to the residents of Wadi Rahal Village, south of he West Bank city of Bethlehem on Monday morning. The lands are located between the village of Wadi Rahal and the nearby Jorit Al Sham’a, situated next to the illegal Israeli settlement of Efrat, originally built on lands annexed from the two villages. Mustafa Hindi, a member of the local committee for lands defense from the village said this army action is part of the construction of the Wall in the southern part of the Bethlehem district, which is leading to more loss in farm lands and creating a new prison in the Bethlehem area. [end] Israeli forces detain 10 Palestinians in Hebron while collecting their olives Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2006 Hebron - The Israeli occupation forces have detained ten Palestinians from Hebron along with their agricultural tractors, for several hours, while they were collecting their olive crops near the Israeli settlement of Telem, in western Hebron. Eyewitnesses told Ma’an that that Abdus-Salam Abu Shkheidem, along with his sons and brothers were detained since the morning on Monday, because they were collecting their olive crops. [end] Israeli forces destroy PFLP offices and vandalize Nablus’ Al Ein Refugee Camp Palestine News Network 11/13/2006 In an assault on the leftists, Israeli forces demolished the headquarters of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and neighboring homes. The attack on Al Ein Refugee Camp started with 15 Israeli military vehicles storming the northern West Bank’s Nablus during the early hours of Monday. A bulldozer began destroyed the PFLP offices. Other Israeli forces raided the home of Palestinian Legislative Council deputy Ahmed Al Haj Ali for the second time this week, forcing his family outside. Witnesses report that Israeli soldiers began hunting the Palestinian official several months ago. Israeli forces arrested citizen Abu Ihab Khatari and transformed the family home of Amer Basyouni into a military post. Basyouni was killed earlier in the Intifada. Another bulldozer began vandalizing the camp by tearing off store front... more.. Attacks on Jenin intensified throughout weekend with several arrests, including children Palestine News Network 11/13/2006 Israeli forces have intensified their attacks and incursions in Jenin, declaring the aim is to pursue the armed resistance wing of Islamic Jihad, Saraya Al Quds. Israeli soldiers began rounding up citizens in and holding them in the cold for interrogations beginning on early in the weekend. The Israelis attacked Jenin Refugee Camp with at least 30 military vehicles and bulldozers coming from all entrances to the camp and besieging a centrally located in the camp. That area became the interrogation center. Saraya Al Quds leader Ashraf Al Sa’adi told PNN on Sunday that Israeli forces overtook several houses but the armed resistance fought back. One Palestinian was injured. Israeli forces continued the assault, besieging the family home of Afif Sarhan and opening fire with bullets and missiles. more.. Child, 9, dies from wounds sustained last week Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2006 Khan Younis - Mahmoud Adel Abu Taha, 9 years old, died on Saturday from wounds sustained during arbitrary shooting, carried out by unknown persons in Khan Younis. Ma’an’s correspondent reported that the child Abu Taha was shot in the head and was transferred to the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, where he died. [end] Israeli forces arrest 12 Palestinians in Rafah Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2006 Rafah - Ma’an- Palestinian security sources have on Monday stated that the Israeli military has arrested 12 Palestinians in the near the Sufa crossing in eastern Rafah governorate. The spokesperson of the national security service in the southern Gaza Strip, Adnan Barbakh, said that a number of Israeli military vehicles entered the area, approximately 800 meters into Palestinian territory, amidst heavy shooting. The vehicles damaged the farmland under their tracks, and caused significant damage to the agricultural greenhouses in the area. The occupation force arrested Mahmoud, Jihad, Hasan, Bassam and Salim Mu’ammar, as well as Abdul-Hamid Faris and five additional citizens, all from the Abu Mor family. [end] Army takes over a house in Rafah and turns it into a military post International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2006 Israeli troops operating in Rafah at the southern border of the Gaza Strip attacked and took over one Palestinian home on Monday morning. Soldiers took over the roof top of the house and turned it into a shoot out post. The house belongs to Ali Mo’amer and is located near the Sofa border crossing into Gaza, which the Israeli army controls. [end] Israeli army incursion into Ein Beit Al Ma refugee camp in Nablus, soldiers break into PLC member’s house Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2006 Nablus - In a violent incursion into Ein Beit Al Ma refugee camp west of the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday, the Israeli army destroyed an office belonging to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), broke into the house of a Palestinian legislator, and arrested at least one young man. Palestinian security sources told Ma’an that the Israeli army completely destroyed the office with explosives and bulldozers after breaking into the camp with several military vehicles. They added that the Israeli soldiers ransacked dozens of houses in the camp, including the house of Ahmad Al-Haj ’Ali, a Hamas member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. This was the second time that the Israeli forces invaded his home in less than two months. The residents of the building were forced to evacuate. -- See also: Grave suspicion of extrajudicial execution of two wounded Palestinians more.. Troops shell two area in the southern part of the Gaza Strip International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2006 Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip reported, on Monday at night, that soldiers shelled several homes in Al Mawassi area, and Al Qarara town, near Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Army used heavy artillery and tank shells in its attack causing damage, no injuries were reported. [end] Palestinian hospital starts blood donation campaign to aid injured in Beit Hanoun International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2006 Dar Al Salam hospital (the House of Peace Hospital), along with the science and technology university departments in the city of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza strip, on Monday started a campaign for blood donation to aid the injured in Beit Hanoun. Beit Hanoun is a town in the northern Gaza Strip that has been under an Israeli attack for nearly two weeks. Over 75 people have been killed, and hundreds more injured, in that time period. The campaign is aiming to collect blood to aid the scores of injured residents who are still in the hospitals due to the continuous Israeli invasion of Beit Hanoun. Most of the injuries have resulted from Israeli artillery shelling and gunfire, and many of the injured were inside their homes when they were hit. [end] Army invades Bethlehem city for the second time in less than 12 hours and takes six prisoners International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2006 The Israeli army invaded Al Doha Village on the western side of the West Bank city of Bethlehem and took prisoner six residents on Monday at noon. Several army vehicles stormed the village and surrounded a car repair workshop, searched and ransacked it, then took all residents who were inside to unknown locations. Among the prisoners were: Firass Nawaura, Fares Nawaura, Hassan Nawaura, and Hanni Zawahra; the remaining two are have not been identified at the time of this report. Eyewitnesses said that troops forced the six into an army jeep and took them away. Late Sunday night, less than 12 hours ago, troops invaded a nearby area of the city, surrounded a building and took a child prisoner after searching ad ransacking residents’ homes. [end] Army installs a barbed wire fence near Azone Village International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2006 The Israeli army started to install a barbed wire fence on the southern farm lands that belong to Azon Village, south of the West Bank city of Qalqilia on Monday morning. Local residents said that the fence looks like it will surround the village, cutting it off completely from the nearby village and Qalqilia City. The village of Azon is already surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements, which were built on lands stolen from the local farmers who are now forced to pass through two checkpoints to reach their lands. [end] Six citizens arrested in Al-Doha Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2006 Bethlehem - Israeli military forces arrested six citizens from Al-Doha town, south of Bethlehem, after they broke into a motor workshop garage in the middle of the village. Eyewitness said that "a large number" of military vehicles entered the town and surrounded the garage before arresting those inside. Among the six arrested were the brothers Firas and Fares Nawawreh, and Hani Zawahreh. The identity of the others arrested is not known at this time. [end] Army takes two prisoners from Nablus and nearby refugee camp International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2006 The Israeli army invaded Ein Beit Al Ma’ refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus and took prisoner two residents on Monday at dawn. Troops and army vehicles stormed the camp and fired sound bombs and tear gas at residents’ houses, soldiers searched a number of houses and ransacked them before taking Abu Ihab Al Khatawi and Mohamed Maraka, 17, to unknown locations. Moreover, Israeli troops searched houses on the eastern side of the city of Nablus and the nearby Askar refugee camp. No arrests were reported, according to local sources. [end] Hamas’ military wing fires projectiles at Israeli targets east of Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2006 Gaza - The Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, have claimed responsibility for launching a number of homemade projectiles and mortars at the Israeli towns of Sderot and Kfar Maimoun and the Israeli military post in the Israeli lands Monday morning. In separate statements, the Brigades said that they launched many projectiles at Israeli targets in the Israeli towns of Sderot and Kfar Maimon, east of the Gaza Strip, and the Farahin military post, east of Abasan. The statements added that the launching of these projectiles is part of their retaliation for the Israeli "aggression" against the Gaza Strip. [end] Another death in Beit Hanoun; death toll reaches 89 Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2006 Gaza - A Palestinian man, Mahmoud Hamadah, aged in his twenties, died on Sunday evening from wounds he had sustained during the shelling by the Israeli forces on Wednesday 8 November in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. The director of relief and emergencies in the Palestinian ministry of health told Ma’an that Hamadah was treated in the intensive care unit and with his death, the death toll from Beit Hanoun over recent days rises to 89. [end] Youth dies of wounds sustained last week International Middle East Media Center 11/12/2006 Palestinian medical sources in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, reported that one youth died of wounds sustained on November 6, in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The youth was identified as Mahmoud Hamada, 18. He was in critical condition at a Beit Hanoun hospital after the army shelled Beit Hanoun last Monday, and was pronounced dead on Sunday. Earlier on Sunday, an eighteen-year old boy who was critically injured in Wednesday’s shelling died today of his injuries, making the death toll since the invasion started last week reach 75, one-third of whom are children. Eighteen civilians were killed in Beit Hanoun of Wednesday after the army shelled civilian houses, another child was killed Sunday by the ongoing Israeli shelling of the town. more.. Troops invade village near Bethlehem, break into home International Middle East Media Center 11/12/2006 Israeli soldiers, and border-guard forces, invaded on Sunday at night Batteer village, near Bethlehem, broke into several houses and searched them, the Palestine News Network reported (PNN). The invasion is part of repeated invasions carried by the army into Bethlehem District over the past nine days. The army invaded the village from several directions, especially an the area where a train track being constructed by Israel passes through the Palestinian lands in Batteer and Al Walaja. The train track, as planned by Israel, goes from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem passing through Palestinian lands in Bethlehem villages. The PNN said that soldiers fired flares over several fields and searched them after breaking into and searching dozens of houses there. Dozens of adults and youth were detained and interrogated... more.. Palestinian child blown to pieces by Israeli shell, teen dies of wounds sustained Wednesday International Middle East Media Center 11/12/2006 In the town of Beit Hanoun, the site of an Israeli shelling that killed eighteen civilians on Wednesday, another child was killed Sunday by the ongoing Israeli shelling of the town. And an eighteen-year old boy who was critically injured in Wednesday’s shelling died today of his injuries, making the death toll since the invasion started last week reach 75. , one-third of whom are children. Medical sources reported that a group of students were targeted by the Israeli shelling on Sunday, in the western part of Beit Hanoun, near Balsam Hospital. One was blown to pieces, and was eventually identified as Moussa Ahmed Zahd, 14, from Al Shaima’ area in Beit Lahiya. Two other boys in the crowd were severely injured.... Local witnesses identified the shrapnel as being from a surface-to-surface missile, a weapon made in the U.S. A.... -- See also: Israel Hits Gaza With Nimrod Missiles more.. Israeli forces raid Bethlehem’s Batir Village, conduct invasive searches Palestine News Network 11/12/2006 On Saturday night a large military force, including border guards, stormed western Bethlehem’s Batir Village. This came within the context of nine consecutive days of Bethlehem District invasions. The Israelis conducted the raid coming from several points, focusing on the area around the Israeli train that passes through the village. Soldiers broke into residential buildings, and searched lands and people, illuminating the outskirts of the village with spotlights. Israeli soldiers forces Palestinians from their homes, questioning adults and young people alike. This part of western Bethlehem is heavily destroyed, with the worst of the destruction taking place just within the past two years. Al Walaja and Batir villages were some of the most heavily forested remaining in Bethlehem, however the Israeli government confiscated much of the land... more.. Palestinian injured by Israeli gunfire north of Khan Younis International Middle East Media Center 11/12/2006 A Palestinian was wounded Sunday in al-Qarara town, north of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, when Israeli troops opened random fire towards citizens’ houses in the area, local sources reported. No further information is known about the identity of the injured. It was reported by local sources that the Israeli gunfire was unprovoked, and the injured Palestinian was a civilian. [end] IAF kills Palestinian its says launched Qassam in Gaza Strip Ha’aretz 11/12/2006 An Israel Air Force strike on gunmen launching a Qassam rocket from the Gaza Strip killed a Palestinian on Sunday, medics and Palestinian security sources said. According to Palestinian security officials, a 16-year-old civilian, Abdallah Abu Namous, was driving his donkey carriage when he was killed. They said Abu Namous had accidentally entered an area used earlier by militants to fire rockets at Israel. His brother, who was with him, escaped unharmed, but another person in the area was wounded. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed there had been an air strike on Palestinians as they fired a rocket from northern Gaza at Israel. The spokeswoman had no further details. more.. VIDEO - The Video Pelosi and AIPAC Don’t Want You to See Another Day in the Empire 11/11/2006 Please note: this video contains images of women and children killed by the Israeli state with U.S. weapons in Beit Hanoun, the Gaza Strip, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act (specifically, Ttitle 22, Chapter 39, Subchapter III § 2778 c). “My wife recorded this for my blog a couple of days ago. Since then, she won’t even look at the news,” writes Sabbah.... If the above video is not enough to convince you of the brutality of the Israeli government, watch the one below. On November 2, the IOF “transferred the males of Beit Hanoun aged between 16-45 in a convoy of large trucks to unknown destinations…. Security sources reported that the Israeli occupation forces called the men through loudspeakers, and gathered them in front of An-Nassr mosque in the north of Beit Hanoun,” according to Aljazeera. -- See also: Video 1 - YouTube more.. Israel Detonated a Radioactive Bunker Buster Bomb in Lebanon By Flaviano Masella, Angelo Saso, Maurizio Torrealta, Centre for Research on Globalization - Middle East/RAI News 11/11/2006 What kind of weapon leaves traces of radiation & produces such lethal & circumscribed consequences? KHIAM SOUTHERN LEBANON: A BOMB’S ANATOMY -- The special report was triggered by the radioactivity measurements reported on a crater probably created by an Israeli Bunker Buster bomb in the village of Khiam, in southern Lebanon. The measurements were carried out by two Lebanese professors of physics - Mohammad Ali Kubaissi and Ibrahim Rachidi. The data - 700 nanosieverts per hour – showed remarkably higher radiocativity then the average in the area (Beirut = 35 nSv/hr ).... The samples were tested by Harwell’s nuclear laboratory, one of the most authoritative research centers in the world. On October 17th, Harwell disclosed the testing results - two samples in 10 did contain radioactivity. -- See also: Uranium Radiation Levels in AfghanistanNot Attributable to Depleted Uranium more.. VIDEO - Massacre Of Palestinian Women And Children Centre for Research on Globalization - Middle East 11/10/2006 Global Research Editor’s note: Israeli Forces shoot indiscriminately at Palestinian Women and Children. The official story of the Israeli military is that this was a crack-down operation on "terrorists". Read the semi-official report by the Voice of America (VOA) (below) and then view the video to see what really happened: "Mr. Olmert says Israel intends to stop what he describes as the terror coming from Gaza, but has no intention of reoccupying the territory. Israeli military authorities expressed regret for the death of a 12-year old girl. She was shot by an Israeli sniper who Israeli authorities say was aiming at a Palestinian militant..." (VOA) The "hidden agenda" behind Israel’s so-called "unilateral disengagement plan" (leading to the 2005 evacuation of Jewish Settlers) is to transform Gaza into a concentration camp. more.. Lebanon war’s deadly legacy continues to kill By Salim Yassine, Centre for Research on Globalization - Middle East 11/13/2006 Three months after a UN-brokered ceasefire ended the 34-day conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the fields and olive groves of southern Lebanon remain sewn with a deadly crop -- unexploded cluster bombs. On Friday, farmer Mohammed Rizk became the latest victim of the summer war. Police said he was killed and a companion was wounded as they gathered olives in the village of Kfar Roumman, near Nabatiya. Since August 14 when hostilities ended, 23 people have been killed and another 136 injured by cluster munitions. The Israelis fired hundreds of thousands of the bomblets into south Lebanon during the month-long conflict, but according to the UN, clearing them has been made more difficult by Israel not revealing the precise areas they targeted. more.. Comrades of captured IDF reservists blast Almog assessment Ha’aretz 11/14/2006 The comrades of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, the two IDF reservists abducted by Hezbollah, were outraged to hear the conclusions reached by the internal investigation, headed by Major General (res. ) Doron Almog, into the incident. The conclusions, publicized Sunday, questioned their abilities as soldiers. According to their comrades, "it seems that they are trying to lay the blame on the simple soldier. The things Almog noted would not have prevented the abduction." During a Sunday press conference in which Almog presented the findings of the probe into the incident, comrades of the two abducted soldiers, including their battalion and company commanders, came under severe criticism. more.. IDF to reopen guerrilla-warfare training center in wake of Lebanon war Ha’aretz 11/14/2006 The Israel Defense Forces intends to reopen the guerrilla-warfare training facility as a result of the Lebanon war, the IDF publication Bamahaneh has reported. The IDF shut down the facility, located at the Elyakim base in the north, following the withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. The army has been criticized internally as well as by many political leaders for, among other things, what they have called the army’s failure to effectively deal with Hezbollah’s guerrilla tactics during the Lebanon war. IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz has himself called the results of the war "mediocre." The training at the facility will include navigation using GPS satellites, constructing hidden outposts and camouflage techniques, according to the report. The facility will also include a paintball course... more.. 800-year-old Um An-Nasr mosque in Beit Hanoun destroyed by the Israeli forces Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2006 Gaza - The An-Nasr mosque in Beit Hanoun, which was completely destroyed by the Israeli shelling during the invasion of Beit Hanoun, is a historic mosque that was built 800 years ago. The imam of the mosque, Sheikh Shihda Abu Zreiq, told Ma’an on Friday that the occupation has ruined "the house of God", which was built in the year 637 according to the Islamic calendar, following the ’Um An-Nasr’ battle between the armies of Sultan Mahmoud Qutob and the Crusaders’ armies in the area between Gaza City and Asqalan (today’s Ashkelon). The Muslim armies triumphed in the battle. The imam said that the Israeli occupation army did not intend to kill Palestinian fighters in particular. They also killed children, women and old people. The sheikh called on the Arab and Islamic world to learn the lessons of these incidents. [end] Cluster bomb blast kills one Hezbollah fighter International Middle East Media Center 11/11/2006 Lebanese sources reported on Friday at night that one Hezbollah fighter was killed when an Israeli cluster bomb exploded as he was clearing unexploded ordnance in southern Lebanon. The fighter was a member of a specialized team formed by Hezbollah to clear cluster bombs dropped by Israel during the war that took place between Israel and the party in July and August. The fighter was identified as Mohammad Taiseer Riziq. The incident took place in Arnoun village, in southern Lebanon. Cluster bombs dropped by the Israeli forces over Lebanon killed more than 22 people since the end of the war on August 14. The war ended by a UN-brokered ceasefire. Last Tuesday, UN Humanitarian Chief, Jan Egeland, called for an international freeze of cluster bombs. more.. Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip lead to Israeli restrictions on West Bank Palestine News Network 11/10/2006 After the major Israeli attack on the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli government has approved a state of full alert among Israeli forces in the West Bank and cities inside Israeli boundaries through tomorrow evening. Along with restrictions outside, Israeli prison administrators prevented Friday prayers for Palestinian political prisoners. A Palestinian political prisoner who has been moved throughout the Israeli prison system for years spoke with PNN. “When I heard what was done by the prisons department Friday morning to impose strict measures on prisoners, especially in the Friday sermon, I was puzzled. The Israelis already will not allow what they refer to as ’inflammatory words’ to be used in any sermon, so when they said that no ’inflammatory words’ could be used today, why? There is already a permanent ban." more.. Israeli army arrests 27 ’wanted’ Palestinians Friday Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2006 Bethlehem - The Israeli forces arrested 27 ’wanted’ Palestinians from a number of cities in the West Bank at dawn on Friday, Israeli sources claimed. The 27 Palestinian men were seized from the cities of Ramallah, Bethlehem, Qalqiliya and Jenin on claims of being activists with the Fatah, Hamas, or Islamic Jihad movements. Palestinian security sources said that more than 15 Israeli military vehicles broke into the West Bank city of Bethlehem and the nearby village of Al-Khader early on Friday. Israeli soldiers then forced their way into several houses in the city of Bethlehem and seized Ahmed Habib, 35, and Yasser Skafi, 35, who is the local director of the ’Al-Islah’ association. In Al-Khader, the Israeli soldiers seized Khalid Da’dour, 42. In Qalqiliya in the northwest of the occupied West Bank... Israeli forces broke into the village of Habla... more.. With possibility of settler kidnapping, Israeli forces besiege Bethlehem and Hebron Palestine News Network 11/10/2006 When word was released that an Israeli settler may have been kidnapped from a settlement in the West Bank’s Bethlehem, Israeli forces moved from their permanent military installations surrounding the city, including from settlements, and into the streets and homes of Bethlehem. Israeli forces conducted house to house searches throughout Bethlehem and fired gas, sound bombs, and rubber bullets at dozens of youth throwing stones and empty bottles. Israeli forces also imposed checkpoints in Beit Jala and in the western villages near Road 60. Israeli forces have declared all of the Bethlehem District a “closed military zone. ” Cars are being held for hours at the top of Beit Jala just up the hill to the west of city and along the settler Road 60 to the west. more.. On eighth day of continual invasions Israeli forces arrest five people in Bethlehem Palestine News Network 11/10/2006 For eight days Israeli forces have been invading the Bethlehem District conducting raids in a widespread arrest campaign. Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses reported on Friday that seven groups of military vehicles incurred in the early morning hours of the day into the city center. Israeli forces broke into several homes and searched them, arresting 45 year old Ahmed Habib of Hamas. The sources said that Habib played a key role in local strife between Hamas and Fateh as it has just been revealed that he as behind attempts to form an executive body of the Hamas movement in Bethlehem. In Al Khader, the town to the southwest of Bethlehem with a strong nonviolent resistance movement, Israeli forces arrested a young man after storming dozens of houses. Israeli forces also stormed northern Bethlehem’s Aida Refugee Camp... more.. Factions fire projectiles at Israeli communities bordering Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2006 Gaza - The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas; the Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, and the Al Mujahideen Brigades, a military wing of Fatah, have on Friday claimed responsibility for launching four primitive home-made projectiles towards the Israeli communities of Netiv Ha’asara and Miftahim, and the Israeli city of Sderot close to the Gaza Strip. [end] Factions fire mortars at Israeli military runway east of Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2006 Gaza - The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the main military wing of Fatah, and the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), have claimed responsibility for firing four mortars at the Israeli military aviation runway east of Al-Maghazi in the central Gaza Strip. in a joint statement sent to Ma’an, the Brigades assured that this operation came in response to the Israeli massacres, the latest being the massacre of Beit Hanoun. They assured that they will continue their resistance until the end of the Israeli occupation. [end] Israeli air strike destroys house of PFLP activist in northern Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2006 Gaza - Israeli war planes bombed on Thursday night the house of an activist in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in the Al-Tawam district of Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip. The house was totally demolished. Our correspondent in Gaza reported that eyewitnesses said war planes bombed the house of Talal Abu-Safieh with a number of missiles, destroying it completely. The owner of the house was given half an hour to vacate the building. [end] -- See also: Explosion levels Gaza house in apparent accident with bomb more.. Explosion levels Gaza house in apparent accident with bomb Ha’aretz 11/10/2006 An explosion destroyed the house of a militant leader late Thursday in Gaza City, apparently an accident with explosives, Palestinian security officials said. Two people were rescued alive from the rubble. The security officials said the blast was caused by explosives inside the house. The house belonged to Talal Abu Safiyah, commander of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine forces in the area. The PFLP is a small, radical Palestinian group. The PFLP said the house was hit by a missile fired from an Israeli F-16 warplane, but other Palestinians said they did not hear a warplane overhead, and the Israeli military said there was no airstrike. Earlier on Thursday, three people were lightly injured as a Qassam rocket hit central Sderot. Four additional people were treated for shock. -- See also: Israeli air strike destroys house of PFLP activist in northern Gaza Strip more.. Palestinians fire 3 Qassam rockets into western Negev Ha’aretz 11/10/2006 Qassam rockets continued to be fired Friday, with two falling close to a town in the western Negev. There were no reports of injuries or damage. Earlier Friday, Israel Defense Forces troops wounded a Palestinian gunman who approached the border fence near the Karni crossing between Israel and the northeastern Gaza Strip. No soldiers were hurt in the incident. On Friday morning, Palestinian militants fired a Qassam rocket that landed in an open field outside the town of Sderot. No injuries or damage were reported in the incident. The security forces arrested Thursday night 27 wanted Palestinian militants across the West Bank. [end] A citizen of Beit Hanoun dies from wounds inflicted by the Israeli shelling on Wednesday Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2006 Gaza - The director of ambulances and emergencies in the Palestinian ministry of health, Dr Muawiya Abu Hassanein, has announced the death of Bassem Al-Kafarnah, 37, a Palestinian from the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip who was injured on the 8th of November by shrapnel from an Israeli tank shell. [end] Senior IDF officer to face dismissal for July kidnappings Ha’aretz 11/10/2006 Major General (res. ) Doron Almog, head of the team investigating Hezbollah’s abduction of Israel Defense Forces soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, is expected to recommend on Sunday that Brigadier General Gal Hirsch be dismissed from the IDF over his responsibility for the incident. Hirsch, commander of Division 91, is contesting the recommendation, which states that the abduction was a serious operational failure for which he was responsible due to shortcomings that allowed Hezbollah to carry out the operation from its planning through to its implementation. Other team members say rather than dismissing Hirsch from the service, he should not be allowed to serve in field commands in the coming years. more.. Hamas’ military wing fire seven projectiles at Israeli targets in and around the Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2006 Gaza - The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, fired four homemade projectiles at Netiv Ha’asara, an Israeli communuity north of the Gaza Strip on Friday. They also claimed responsibility for firing a homemade projectile at kibbutz Be’eri, east of the central Gaza Strip on Friday morning. They also launched two homemade projectiles at a group of Israeli vehicles near Al-Da’ur in Beit Hanoun in the north of the Strip. In statements sent to Ma’an, the Al-Qassam Brigades claimed their responsibility for the launchings and assured that the launchings came in response to the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza, including the recent Israeli massacres. more.. Israel on high alert Friday; ’80 warnings received’ Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2006 Bethlehem - The Israeli police forces were put on high alert throughout Israel on Friday morning following the massacre in Beit Hanoun in which 20 Palestinian civilians were killed. The city of Jerusalem was put on the highest degree of alert following warnings that armed operations might be staged, Israeli sources said. The sources added that thousands of Israeli policemen and border guards were deployed in crowded places. In the old city of Jerusalem, particularly in the area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, thousands of policemen were deployed in case of any protests against the Beit Hanoun massacre. In Nazareth, the Higher Follow-up Committee for Arabs in Israel said it intends to hold a demonstration in the early afternoon against Israel’s brutal shelling of northern Gaza. more.. Instead of "martyrdom operations", Hamas may increase its kidnapping operations, like of Shalit Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2006 Bethlehem - Hamas may not carry out bombing operations inside Israel as threatened, sources close to Hamas have said. Instead, the Hamas movement could step up its kidnapping operations, similar to the capture of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit at the end of June 2006. Following the Israeli army’s shelling of a residential area of Beit Hanoun in the north of the Gaza Strip, in which 20 Palestinian civilians were killed, mostly women and children, a number of Hamas leaders called for renewed "martyrdom operations" deep inside Israel. According to the sources, Hamas is considering further kidnapping operations, like the one of Shalit, as an alternative form of armed resistance. [end] Analysis: Why wasn’t the air force used to counter Qassams? By Ze'ev Schiff, Ha’aretz 11/10/2006 Israel Defense Forces intelligence officials confirmed on Thursday in their testimony to the investigating committee that the Qassam rockets fired at Ashkelon the day before the artillery fire on Palestinian civilians in Beit Hanun was aimed at children on their way to school in the morning, and therefore had to be disrupted. But the committee received no answer as to why the disruption had to be effected by artillery fire rather than from the more accurate aircraft. When Brigadier General Moshe Tamir became division commander for the Gaza front in August, he ordered artillery be limited because of the severe mistakes that often result in densely populated areas. more.. Radical Jews call for wiping out Palestinians Middle East Online 11/10/2006 Followers of radical Jew Kahane encourage violent acts, voodoo curses to drive Palestinians out of their land. -- In the annals of "terrorists" with unlikely day jobs, consider the case of Lenny Goldberg, a long time follower of Meir Kahane, the Brooklyn-born rabbi who founded a movement of violently anti-Arab Jewish militants. Goldberg, a somewhat geeky, soft-spoken New York Jew, recently joined about 200 of his fellow radicals -- branded "terrorists" even by Israel and the US State Department -- to commemorate Kahane’s assassination by an Arab gunman in Manhattan 16 years ago." I have a business," Goldberg said, somewhat embarrassed, in the basement conference room of the three-star Caesar Hotel in Jerusalem. more.. There was no kidnapping of a settler in the Bethlehem area, Israeli army says Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2006 Bethlehem - The Israeli forces assured on Friday morning that, contrary to media reports, no Israeli settler had been kidnapped in the area of the West Bank village of Nahalin, south west of Bethlehem, on Thursday evening. The Israeli police searched the area intensively on Thursday evening after some boys from the nearby illegal Israel settlement of Betar Illit reported seeing Palestinians kidnapping someone. [end] Egypt uncovers tunnel under Gaza border used for smuggling arms Ha’aretz 11/11/2006 Egypt on Friday discovered a weapons-smuggling tunnel under its border with Gaza. Egyptian security officials said the tunnel began in the bedroom cupboard of a Egyptian of Palestinian origin who lives in northeast Sinai. The tunnel ran 700 meters and emerged in the Gaza house of one of his relatives, the officials in this north Sinai town quoted the man as telling his interrogators. The officials identified the man as Raed Seif Barhoum and said he had finished the tunnel last month. Barhoum, who is under arrest, has confessed to using the tunnel to smuggle weapons and explosives into Gaza, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the press. Security officials confiscated US$13,000 and some automatic rifles from his house. more.. Peretz issues tighter artillery fire rule YNetNews 11/9/2006 IDF submits findings into killing of 18 Palestinians by artillery shells in Beit Hanoun to defense minister who limits issuing of orders for artillery fire to officers of maj. -gen. rank or higher -- The Israel Defense Forces submitted its findings on the killing of 18 Palestinians by artillery shells in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday to Defense Minister Amir Peretz. Peretz ordered limited orders to fire artilleries into Gaza to command chiefs, officers ranking as maj. -gen. and above. Peretz also ordered the army to review its artillery fire procedures. An initial probe into the incident related the disaster to a malfunction in the artillery battery’s radar. The United Nations discussed the incident in Beit Hanoun on Thursday, with France demanding an independent investigation committee be set up to probe the circumstances. more.. Israeli military incursions in Nablus and Jenin; twelve Palestinian men taken prisoner Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2006 Nablus - Jenin - The Israeli forces invaded a number of Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps in the north of the occupied West Bank on Thursday at dawn. They detained twelve men and took them away to an unknown destination. Israeli troops stormed Jenin refugee camp early on Thursday. Fierce clashes erupted between the Israeli soldiers and Palestinian fighters from the Fatah-affiliated Al Aqsa Brigades and the Islamic Jihad-affiliated Al Quds Brigades, a source in the Al Quds Brigades told Ma’an by telephone. The source added that two Israeli military vehicles were hit by the fighters. He said that the Palestinian fighters also used roadside bombs in the clash. Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli forces were forced to withdraw from the refugee camp after one of their vehicles was hit. more.. Hamas says death of 18 civilians will be avenged The Guardian 11/8/2006 The leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas called on his fighters yesterday to "activate resistance" hours after an Israeli artillery strike killed 18 civilians, mostly women and children, from a single family in Gaza. Khaled Meshaal, who lives in exile in Damascus, promised retaliation after a wave of artillery shells landed before dawn on a residential street in Beit Hanoun. Several homes were hit, all belonging to one family. The attack sparked international condemnation and came a day after the Israeli military ended a six-day operation in Beit Hanoun that claimed more than 50 lives. More than 350 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli military in the past five months. "Our condemnation will not be in words but in deeds," Mr Meshaal said. "All Palestinian groups are urged to activate resistance." more.. Massacre in Beit Hanoun By Yousef Alhelou, Electronic Intifada 11/8/2006 Beit Hanoun, occupied Gaza Strip -- One day after the Israel army declared that it had pulled out and completed Operation Autumn Clouds in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, 24 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and the West Bank, 19 people were killed and at least 45 were injured as a large number of shells were fired at the town. Another five Palestinians were killed in Jenin, northern West Bank by Israeli army fire. The series of incidents began at 6 am, when eyewitness said that dozens of tank shells and missiles landed simultaneously in a small and limited area in Beit Hanoun. Ambulances found it difficult to evacuate the wounded. According to Palestinian sources, some of the shells landed on a house, killing 11 members of one family called Al-A’athamein, including a nine-year-old child and a 73-year-old woman. more.. Police on high alert nationwide YNetNews 11/10/2006 Police chief raises level of alert for fear of terror attacks to avenge Gaza killings, riots by Arab Israeli community during planned protests Friday, and attempts by right-wing activists to disrupt gay pride parade in Jerusalem -- Police raised the level of alert across the country for fear of terror attacks, riots near the Temple Mount and Arab villages in protest at the Beit Hanoun killings. In this atmosphere, police also fear that right-wing activists could try to disrupt the gay pride parade in Jerusalem on Friday, despite a compromise between haredi and gay leaders that a planned march in Jerusalem is replaced by a gathering at the Givat Ram Stadium in the city. Police will coordinate operations with the Border Guard and the Israel Defense Forces. more.. Israeli forces fail to arrest Sheikh Abdul-Qadir Bani ’Udah from Tammun Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2006 Jenin - The Israeli forces have, on Thursday morning, broken into the home of the family of Sheikh Abdul-Qadir Bani ’Udah, from the Palestinian town of Tammun near Jenin. The soldiers have turned the house upside down, searching for Sheikh Abdul-Qadir, after they received news of him being in the house. Sheikh Abdul-Qadir, 32, has been chased by the Israelis for the last three years. The Israeli forces removed a large area of the house flooring tiles, and destroyed a considerable part of the furniture. [end] Brigades launch projectiles at Israeli targets from the Gaza Strip Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2006 Gaza - The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed group affiliated with the Islamic Jihad movement, have, on Thursday, claimed responsibility for launching a "Quds" home-made projectile towards the southern Israeli city of Sderot. The brigades mentioned in a statement that the projectile landed in a warehouse, near Hapoalim Bank, causing both material damage and casualties. In their statement, the brigades said "these are the first retaliations for the Israeli atrocities, and for the assassination of our leader in the south of the West Bank, Tha’er Hassan." The National Resistance Brigades of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), along with the Al-Quds Brigades, also announced that they launched two mortar shells at the military post in Nahal ’Oz, east of Gaza City. [end] Armed Palestinians ambush an Israeli force in Nablus Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2006 Nablus - Salfit - A group of armed Palestinians affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine have claimed responsibility for ambushing an Israeli infantry force in eastern Nablus, in the north of the occupied West Bank on Thursday at dawn. The group, calling themselves the Brigades of Khaled Akra, and pledging allegiance to the Jihad Jibril Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), assured in a statement that this operation came in response for the Israeli "massacres" in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip and Yamun in the Jenin area. They assured that they will continue their resistance until the liberation of Palestine. [end] DFLP and PFLP unite to launch projectiles at Sufa crossing Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2006 Gaza - The National Resistance Brigades of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), have announced their joint responsibility for the launching of two projectiles at the Israeli military post at the Sufa crossing, east of Rafah, on Thursday afternoon. In a joint statement, the brigades said that they will continue their projectile launching to retaliate for the Israeli crimes against Palestinian people. [end] Hamas’ armed wing fires two projectiles at Israeli town of Be’eri Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2006 Gaza - The Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, have claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Be’eri, east of the Gaza Strip, on Thursday. In a statement, the Brigades said that this operation came as part of their retaliation for the Israeli aggressions and attacks on the Gaza Strip. [end] The PFLP condemns the Israeli attacks on Beit Hanoun Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2006 Khan-Younis - The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has on Thursday denounced the "bloody and brutal" massacres, committed by the Israeli forces in Beit Hanoun. They described the most recent atrocities as "the beginning of a criminal campaign, which aims to break the Palestinian will of its steadfastness." The spokesperson of the PFLP stated in a press release that the participation of Avigdor Lieberman in the Israeli government reveals the aggressive intentions of that government towards the Palestinian people. The spokesperson also added that the Israeli prime minister and his government continue "to take advantage of the inter-Palestinian disagreement to provide cover for their plans and atrocities. Consequently, Palestinian leaders must take care when considering those Israeli Zionist plans. more.. Army takes one prisoner at a checkpoint near Nablus International Middle East Media Center 11/9/2006 The Israeli troops stationed at a military checkpoint south of the West Bank city of Nablus took prisoner one resident after stopping and hitting him on Thursday morning. Eyewitnesses said that two soldiers stopped a service taxi which the young man was in took the man out of the car searched him and attacked him with their rifles, the young man was bleeding form his mouth and nose, residents called an ambulance but soldiers refused to let the ambulance take the man to get medical care, then an army jeep took him to unknown location, his name remains unknown until the time of this report. [end] IDF adjourns Betar Illit search Jerusalem Post 11/10/2006 The IDF adjourned its searches for the night in the south Jerusalem neighborhood of Betar Illit following earlier reports of a kidnapping, and is due to resume the search operation on Friday. However, police estimated that since no one was reported missing in the neighborhood it seemed that the incident was a dispute between two Palestinian workers. The neighborhood’s security control center had told Judea and Samaria Police that, according to an eight-year-old girl, it appeared that a haredi man was dragged into a car by two Palestinians near the neighborhood’s border with Kfar Naalin. The girl said that she had witnessed the incident from her bedroom window. more.. Israeli forces beat schoolchildren demonstrating in Jerusalem; use excessive violence against 10-year-olds Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2006 Jerusalem - Israeli forces have forcefully dispersed a school students’ march in occupied Jerusalem. The march started from several schools in the city, and converged in the city centre, in condemnation of the massacres in Beit Hanoun and al-Yamun. Ma’an’s correspondent in Jerusalem reported that, when the march reached the Israeli police station at the entrance of Salah El-Din Street, the school children stopped and started to chant slogans, before a large force of Israeli police and Israeli border guards attacked the participants in the march, assaulting them with beatings, and launching tear gas canisters into the crowd. Our reporter added that more than 25 female and male school students were beaten, amongst them 8 female students, who were fiercely beaten, causing one of them to lose consciousness. more.. Grief turns to rage as Beit Hanoun buries its dead The Guardian 11/10/2006 Militants call for revenge at funeral of 18 victims · Olmert blames artillery strike on ’technical failure’ -- Thousands of Palestinians crowded the streets of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza yesterday, some firing guns into the air, as they buried 18 members of a single family who died in an Israeli artillery strike. As ambulances brought the dead from hospital morgues into the town, one distraught man carried in the air the body of a small child wrapped in white cloth. The child’s head hung exposed as he walked through the chanting crowd. In Jerusalem, the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, said a "technical failure" was to blame for the strike before dawn on Wednesday in which several artillery shells hit houses in a residential street in Beit Hanoun. The deaths, all from the extended Athamna family and among them 14 women and children... more.. 12 Israeli jets violate Lebanese airspace as Paris seethes over mock attacks Daily Star 11/10/2006 Twelve Israeli jets violated Lebanese airspace on Thursday, a few hours after Paris summoned Israel’s ambassador in protest over Israeli warplanes diving on French UN peacekeepers in the South, the Lebanese Army said. The fighter-bombers entered Lebanon at 12:25 p. m. and flew high over the coastal town of Naqoura, headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) near the borders with Israel, an army statement said. They then flew over other Southern regions before flying at a lower altitude over the eastern city of Baalbek, the army added. The 12 planes left Lebanese airspace at 1 p. m. after flying over Tripoli and Akkar in the North. France on Thursday summoned Israeli ambassador Daniel Shek to complain about an incident in which Israeli warplanes dived menacingly on French UN peacekeepers... more.. Israeli forces detain families during invasion of Jenin Refugee Camp Palestine News Network 11/9/2006 Armed resistance members responded to an Israeli invasion of Jenin Refugee Camp. Israeli forces injured a member of Saraya Al Quds, the armed resistance wing of Islamic Jihad, and arrested others. Thursday’s attack on the northern West Bank refugee camp targeted Fateh’s Al Aqsa Brigades. At dawn Israeli forces invaded via three entrances to the camp, flooding several neighborhoods and alleys. Eyewitnesses reported that the operation first focused on besieging and subjecting homes to raids and searches. During the incursion Israeli forces fired shells and bullets at homes and neighborhoods while Saraya Al Quds and Al Aqsa resistance members responded. Saraya Al Quds leader Ashraf Al Sa’adi was the target while Israeli soldiers shot and injured Mahmoud Afif Sarhan. more.. Israeli wall building continues to devastate farming communities; today is the turn of Umm Salamuna, south of Bethlehem Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2006 Bethlehem - Israeli surveyors have started surveying lands in Umm Salamuna village, south of Bethlehem, Thursday, November 09, 2006. Citizens of the village attempted to protest against this latest step by Israeli authorities, as they believe this is a prelude to the building of the separation wall on their lands, which consequently means confiscation of the agricultural land which the wall is to be built upon. Head of the committee to defend Bethlehem lands, Khalid Azza, stated "the lands which Israel is trying to build the separation wall on is 152 dunums. These are agricultural lands, which the Palestinian villagers are depending on, in their daily life." He warned of the Israeli plans and added that this means that further lands will be separated behind the wall, in addition to the 7500 dunums which the wall has already taken from the area. [end] Witnesses say Israel still has troops in and around Ghajar Daily Star 11/9/2006 BEIRUT/GHAJAR: The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expects to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Lebanese part of Ghajar and other border territories today, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday. "UNIFIL is carrying out an investigative patrol in order to confirm the Israeli withdrawal from the area around Ghajar," UNIFIL spokesperson Milos Strugar told The Daily Star. "UNIFIL will verify the withdrawal tomorrow with the handover of the area to the Lebanese Army." The Israelis are still present inside Lebanese territory in Ghajar and the immediate vicinity of a few hundred meters. Hopefully, soon we will have an agreement over this." In Israel, an Israeli military official confirmed on Tuesday that ".... at the moment, we are not changing our deployment inside the village itself." more.. Peretz to reevaluate IDF policy of shelling northern Gaza Strip Ha’aretz 11/10/2006 Defense Minister Amir Peretz decided Thursday to reevaluate the policy of directing IDF artillery fire at the Gaza Strip, following the killing of 19 Palestinian civilians by errant Israel Defence Forces shelling in Beit Hanun on Wednesday. Peretz also decided that from now on all artillery fire must be approved by GOC Southern Command Yoav Galant, or his superior officers. The IDF has halted the artillery fire until the completion of an inquiry into Wednesday’s incident. Major General Meir Kalifi, who is heading the IDF inquiry, met Thursday evening with Peretz and presented him with the inquiry’s findings. The inquiry found that a malfunctioning electronic card in the artillery battery’s guidance system, which was replaced five days ago, was the cause of the errant fire. more.. The Occupation Report November 9, 2006 Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel 11/9/2006 Chronicling the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - Jerrold Cohen, Ph. D. , Editor -- Gaza Strip: TAn Israeli drone fired at least one missile at a car containing two Palestinian fighters affiliated with the Qassam Brigades (Hamas) in Gaza City Wednesday night, turning the car into a charred wreck and instantly killing the two fighters, "whose dismembered bodies were taken out of the twisted metal with difficulty.... Hundreds of citizens rushed to the scene and collected remains of the two victims that scattered in the scene." These fighters were Ahmed Rajab Awad, 32 and Ramzi Yousef Shuhaiber, 22. Awad was a field commander. (5).... West Bank: Israeli forces invaded the Jenin Refugee Camp at dawn, through three entrances, "flooding several neighborhoods and alleys." First, the soldiers besieged homes and subjected them to raids and searches. I more.. Nine children buried, victims of latest Israeli massacre; Beit Hanoun hospital over-run with casualties and corpses Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2006 Gaza - Nine children, including Maysa, a one-year-old infant and Malak, a two-year-old toddler, together with their deceased mothers, were taken to the cemetery on Thursday at noon. These were just some of the latest victims of the most recent Israeli massacre, committed by Israeli military forces on Wednesday in Beit Hanoun, in the north of the Gaza Strip. The victims were carried on the arms of their relatives, and other Palestinians, who came in their thousands to participate in the funeral. Those in the caskets were mostly from one family, the Athamna family of Biet Hanoun. Palestinians of all ages, as well as national and Muslim factions participated in the funeral,Beit Hanoun is a small town, consisting of 8 streets and is, like every other town of the Gaza Strip, very crowded. more.. Israeli bloodbaths continue unchallenged Middle East Online 11/9/2006 Israeli shells shear branches off Palestinian patriarch’s family tree, kills 16 of Saad al-Athamna’s extended family. -- The Israeli shells that crashed through residential apartment blocks in northern Gaza as dawn broke Wednesday sheared the branches of Saad al-Athamna’s once-bountiful family tree. "My sons, my mother, my grandchildren," he weeps. "All are gone. All of them died. Now I wish I could die." The shells tore into at least five neighboring homes in the center of Beit Hanun, killing 18 people. Sixteen were from Athamna’s extended family and two were neighbors who had come to try and help those fleeing the fire. Athamna is short and stout with kind eyes and fleshy jowls. Just hours after the shells hit his family, he lay on his back in a hospital bed in Gaza City, staring puffy-eyed at the concrete ceiling. more.. Egyptian ministry of health treats injured Palestinians from Beit Hanoun Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2006 Gaza - The Egyptian minister of health and housing, Dr Hatim al-Jabali, has on Thursday, given directions to offer quick intensive medical care to injured Palestinians from Beit Hanoun, who were received in Egyptian hospitals today. The Egyptian minister demanded a detailed report on the injuries, and repeated checks every two hours. The spokesperson of the ministry of health in Egypt said that the minister is following the status of the injuries closely, referring to the fact that 24 cases have been received at the Nasir Institute hospital since Thursday. He added that their ages range from 8 to 55, and their injuries range from fractures to burns at different levels. Three were kept in intensive care unit; one was sent to Al-Hilal hospital in Ramsees and a third was sent to Sheikh Zayid hospital. more.. Al-Aqsa mosque in state of high alert following threats from Jewish extremists Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2006 Jerusalem - A state of alert dominates the area of the Al-Aqsa mosque after some Jewish extremist groups have expressed their intention to break into the mosque. The head of the Islamic group, Sheikh Ra’id Salah, and the head of the Al-Aqsa association, Sheikh Ali Abu Sheikha have been patrolling the grounds of Al-Aqsa since the early morning, so as to be close if any sudden development takes place. Recently, the threats made by Israeli groups to break into the Al-Aqsa mosque have increased. Sheikh Raed Salah stated "We work hard, so as to monitor and prevent any invasion of the mosque, and our message is that the Aqsa mosque is a pure Palestinian Arab Islamic property, to which no Jewish people in the world have access. Whenever one enters it, they must be expelled." [end] More IAF flights reported over Lebanon Jerusalem Post 11/9/2006 Israeli fighter jets were reported to have penetrated deep into Lebanon on Thursday, a day after France said its troops were "two seconds" away from firing on a squadron of F-15s that buzzed their positions in the south of the country at the end of October. The jets flew over the southern coastal town of Nakoura and the city of Tyre, as well as Baalbek in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on Thursday, according to Lebanese officials. A senior Defense Ministry official said in response to the French complaint: "Israel sees the international forces as partners and not enemies in the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701." He added that the overflights were strictly for inspection and noted that there would be no need for them if the smuggling of weapons from Syria to Lebanon was stopped. -- See also: Israeli aircraft escapes French fire by seconds more.. Israeli aircraft escapes French fire by seconds Middle East Online 11/9/2006 PARIS - French United Nations troops were "two seconds" away recently from firing at Israeli aircraft diving towards their position in southern Lebanon, Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said in parliament on Wednesday." Two seconds later there would have been a shot against the aircraft which were directly menacing our forces," Alliot-Marie said." A catastrophe was avoided thanks to the judiciousness of our troops," she added. The incident occurred on October 31, the defence ministry said, without giving the exact location. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said that a caution would be given to the Israeli authorities, saying that "Israeli flights over southern Lebanon are a source of serious concern... When Israeli aircraft recently ’dived’ on French UNIFIL soldiers, it is a miracle that nothing serious happened..." more.. Israeli attacks on northern Gaza Strip begin again, killing 20 more Palestinians Palestine News Network 11/8/2006 Residents of Beit Hanoun awoke Wednesday to the sound of explosions and screams. Israeli forces were firing artillery shells on Hamad Street in the northern Gaza Strip town, pummeled by a week of invasions. During this morning’s attack Israeli forces killed 20 Palestinians and injured dozens. Several people are in critical condition, leaving additional deaths eminent according to medical sources. Since the invasion began seven days ago, Israeli forces killed approximately 80 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more. Among them are tens of children, civilians, and members of the armed resistance. One eyewitness told PNN that Israeli forces were deliberately targeting the Al Kavarneh home near a local school. When residents awoke they began to gather scattered body parts. more.. Israeli air strike on female Hamas legislator’s house in Jabalia camp Ma’an News Agency 11/7/2006 Gaza - Five Palestinians were killed on Tuesday morning, including two in an armed clash between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters. The other three were killed in an air strike that targeted the house of Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member Jamila Shanti in Jabalia refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. She survived, but her sister-in-law was killed. Medical sources said that the medical crews were finally able to reach the bodies of Hamdi Batsh and Raed Qarm after seven hours of obstruction by the Israeli troops who prevented anybody approach the dead bodies. Batsh and Qarm were killed in an armed clash with the Israeli soldiers. Al Quds Brigades spokesman Abu Ahmad told Ma’an via telephone that the men were members in his brigades, who are affiliated with Islamic Jihad. more.. Israeli Tank Shells Kill 14 Palestinians The Guardian 11/8/2006 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israeli tank shells landed in a residential neighborhood north of the town of Beit Hanoun early Wednesday, killing at least 14 people in their sleep, according to witnesses. Palestinian hospital officials said there were several more injured. According to witnesses, many of those killed were women and children. Hundreds gathered outside the Kamal Adwan hospital, weeping as bodies arrived. Witnesses said that many of the dead arrived in their sleeping clothes. Four hospitals were treating the wounded across Gaza. Palestinian security officials said that five tank shells landed in the area within 15 minutes. The Israeli army said it was unaware of an incident in the area but was checking. more.. Mission not accomplished. IDF says they will return to Gaza soon Jerusalem Post 11/8/2006 Is this some kind of military Newspeak that Peretz picked up from his generals? Or is it a linguistic invention of his own? And what does it mean, that the operation was a success, its objectives achieved? Or did the tanks run out of steam before reaching their destination? One answer to this question was delivered a few hours later when a salvo of Kassam rockets hit the outskirts of Ashkelon. Considering that the aim of the operation in Gaza had been to reduce the rockets’ range and make it a lot harder for the Palestinians to hit Sderot, the fact that they succeeded in hitting deeper into Israel hardly means that the operation was an unqualified success.... Givati Brigade commander Lt. -Col Yoel Strick... said in an interview on Army Radio that his soldiers would be going back into the Gaza Strip quite soon. more.. Over 60 Palestinians dead and 300 injured in a week of Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip Palestine News Network 11/7/2006 In six days of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip well over 60 Palestinians are reported killed and at least 300 injured. The destruction to the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Strip, the loss of agriculture and homes, and the devastated infrastructure is difficult to describe. Local sources reported on Tuesday morning as Israeli forces began withdrawing that making an estimate of the devastation is nearly impossible at this point as it looks as if “several earthquakes struck." But as the day wore on so did the Israeli killings. Several more Palestinians died in Beit Lahiya when Israeli aircraft targeted a group of armed resistance members late in the afternoon..... later on Tuesday morning Israeli forces shot and killed two more Palestinians while Israeli aircraft bombed and destroyed the Jabaliya Refugee Camp home of a [PLC] member. more.. Palestinians in Rafah fear they are next YNetNews 11/7/2006 In southern Gaza Strip, Palestinians preparing for possibility IDF will launch offensive in Rafah now that operation in Beit Hanoun is winding down -- The operation in Beit Hanoun ended on Tuesday morning but in the Gaza Strip Palestinians know that lull is only temporary as their attention focuses south on Rafah along the border with Egypt. Residents of the southern town fear that the Israel Defense Forces’ next military operation will be in their midst. Israeli troops carried out several pinpoint operations in Rafah over the last four months since the June 25 kidnapping of Corporal Gilad Shalit. But residents fear that large-scale operation could be launched to curb arms smuggling from the Sinai desert through tunnels. more.. Gaza: Morgues running out of room YNetNews 11/5/2006 IDF expresses satisfaction over results of Operation Autumn Clouds, which went into its fifth say Sunday. Some 46 Palestinians killed so far, including many Qassam cell members. Meanwhile, Beit Hanoun residents report of civilian casualties, but army says only three civilians hurt -- Operation Autumn Clouds went into its fifth day Sunday, and the IDF has already expressed its satisfaction with the results so far. At least seven Qassam cells were hit in the course, or immediately following launching rockets at Israel, and a Southern Command officer said that, "We notice that Qassam launchers are moving southward, to less effective areas, and this stems from our activity. Meanwhile, sources in Gaza said that 46 Palestinians have been killed since Wednesday, 11 of them on Saturday. more.. Hamas sources: IAF destroys home of top militant in Gaza City Ha’aretz 11/8/2006 An Israel Air Force air strike on Wednesday destroyed the house of a leading Hamas militant in Gaza City, Hamas and security sources said. The strike targeted the home of Ahmed al-Jabari, second in command of Hamas’ military wing. No one was injured in the strike, they said, as the occupants were warned ahead of time to leave. The Israel Defense Forces had no immediate comment. On Tuesday, IDF troops killed seven Palestinians, including an unarmed woman, in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, hours after formally ending a six-day offensive in the northern town of Beit Hanun and retreating to the outskirts of the area. Also Tuesday, four Qassam rockets landed in Ashkelon, one of them striking an area school. A fifth rocket landed near the western Negev town of Sderot. more.. VIDEO - Beit Hanoun: It was like a Tsunami YNetNews 11/7/2006 VIDEO - 57 graves dug for Palestinians killed in IDF Operation Autumn Clouds. Palestinians report hundreds of homes damaged -- VIDEO - Israeli forces pulled out of a battered northern Gaza town on Tuesday after their biggest operation in the Palestinian territory in a year, leaving residents to bury their dead. “This is the worst raid we have ever witnessed,” Said Khalil Yazji, a 45-year-old resident and police officer. “The Israeli army has brought destruction into every single street and nearly into every single house. This is the tsunami of Beit Hanoun." more.. Sderot kids: Can’t remember life without Qassams YNetNews 11/8/2006 Children of Sderot, western Negev speak in front of Children’s’ Rights Committee in Knesset and tell their stories under Qassam threats. Niv says he has trouble concentrating, Liza can’t remember life without Qassams -- To the children of Sderot and the western Negev, life in the shadow of Qassams has been a traumatic experience for a long time; so much so, that some of them even say that they don’t remember life without them. The Committee for Children’s’ Rights heard testimonies Tuesday from the mouths of some of those kids who have been under constant threat of rocket attacks. "We have no normal life. We never know what will happen the next hour when Qassams fall; we are not only afraid for ourselves, but also for our families. It’s traumatic to think that someone close to us will get hurt. It’s just terrible..." more.. IDF commander: Gaza situation miserable YNetNews 11/7/2006 Col. Yoel Strick sums up past week’s Gaza operation as satisfactory, but says operation ’doesn’t provide solution for everything in Gaza’. Admits it was difficult to see situation of local population -- Givate Brigade commander Col. Yoel Strick was pleased as his forces left the area of Beit Hanoun after a weeklong operation. "We proved we can operate in every type of environment," he said on Tuesday, summing up operation ’Autumn Clouds’ in northern Gaza. He sees the army’s achievements as up to par with the objectives set for the operation. "We moved as we wished in Beit Hanoun, searched the streets and almost every house," says Col. Strick, "the "terrorists" made quite a few mistakes when they sent out rocket launching cells and allowed us to hit them in such an unprecedented way." more.. Ultra-Orthodox protesters hurl rocks at Jerusalem Mayor Lupolianski Ha’aretz 11/8/2006 Ultra-Orthodox protesters pelted Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski with stones as he attempted to leave an auditorium in the religious neighborhood of Mea She’arim on Tuesday. Demonstrators threw rocks and eggs at Lupolianski and his deputy mayor, Yehoshua Pollack, as they exited the Daughters of Jerusalem center, where he had been accompanied by non-Hasidic religious leader Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. Lupolianski was forced to reenter the auditorium, and wait and hour before police arrived to disperse the protests. Lupolianski said after the incident that while he was opposed to holding a gay pride parade in Jerusalem, he would continue to fight the physical violence accompanying the religious demonstrations against the parade. more.. UN: No IDF uranium bomb use in Lebanon YNetNews 11/8/2006 UN team carrying out environmental assessment of Lebanon after last summer’s Israel-Hizbullah war confirms IDF used artillery containing white phosphorous but finds no evidence of depleted uranium -- A UN official said Tuesday that a team carrying out an environmental assessment of Lebanon after this summer’s Israel-Hizbullah war confirmed that the Israeli military used artillery containing white phosphorous but found no evidence of depleted uranium. Achim Steiner, UN Undersecretary-general and executive director of the UN Environment Program, said samples taken by scientists confirmed “the use of white phosphorous-containing artillery and mortar ammunition” by the Israeli military during the conflict. ”No depleted uranium shrapnel, or other radioactive residue was found..." more.. Probe: IDF ship hit by Hezbollah missile had malfunctioning radar Ha’aretz 11/8/2006 The results of an Israel Defense Forces probe released Tuesday show that the radar on an Israel Navy vessel struck four months ago by a Hezbollah missile had been malfunctioning at the time of the attack. Earlier findings of the probe showed that the ship’s crew had not been given sufficient intelligence information warning of a potential attack. The IDF has still not decided what course of action, if any, will be taken against the personnel responsible for the crew’s lack of preparation, which cost the lives of four soldiers. The probe, conducted by a special committee under the supervision of Brigadier General (Res. ) Nir Maor, found that senior naval officers had not taken into account the possibility of an Iranian missile reaching Hezbollah’s arsenal, despite defense warnings to prepare accordingly for such a threat. more.. Palestinian girl from Jabalia refugee camp blows herself up amid Israeli soldiers; Ma’an News Agency 11/6/2006 Gaza - A Palestinian girl named Mervat Mas’ood, 21, from the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip has detonated an explosive belt, blowing herself up, amid a group of Israeli soldiers. The Israeli army has announced that one soldier has been lightly injured. The Al-Quds Brigades, affiliated with the Islamic Jihad movement, have claimed responsibility for the operation, which came in retaliation for the atrocities of the occupation military committed in Beit Hanoun and elsewhere across the Gaza Strip, which has, so far, resulted in the deaths of 60 Palestinians and the injury of 300. According to local sources, the girl detonated her body after Israeli soldiers forcibly entered her house and tried to force her to undress, removing her facial veil and her outer coat. [end] Israeli fighter jets strike children on way to school; 15-year old killed, teacher critically injured Ma’an News Agency 11/6/2006 Gaza - A Palestinian teenage boy was killed and eight others were injured, including a teacher, when they were struck by an Israeli rocket while on their way to school in the Zayed area of Beit Lahiya in the Gaza Strip on Monday morning. A member of the Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, was also killed in an air strike on Monday morning. With these deaths, the death toll in Gaza has now risen to 53 and more than 250 Palestinians have been injured since the start of the Israeli military offensive ’Operation Autumn Clouds’ on the Gaza Strip six days ago. Our correspondent reported that an Israeli jet fired a rocket at a car carrying Palestinians, including some Palestinian fighters. The rocket missed the car and hit the children who were on their way to their school. more.. Israel Hits Gaza With Nimrod Missiles Islam Online.net 11/5/2006 Nimrod is an anti-tank laser-guided missile of 26 km range and pinpoint accuracy. -- GAZA CITY — Israel is using its sophisticated surface-to-surface Nimrod missiles against civilian targets and locals in the ongoing Gaza Strip onslaught, which entered its fifth day in a row on Sunday, November 5. "The occupation army has fired a barrage of Nimrod missiles at civilian targets in the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Hanun," a well-kept Palestinian military source told IslamOnline. net, requesting anonymity. "They are using this highly destructive weaponry against innocent civilians," he asserted. Nimrod is an anti-tank laser-guided missile of 26 km range and pinpoint accuracy. It is easily installed on a variety of ground platforms and helicopters. On land, it provides standoff strike capability against ground point targets such as tanks and bunkers. more.. Palestinian women suspected of handling Jihad funds arrested Ha’aretz 11/7/2006 A number of Palestinian women from the Ramallah and Hebron areas were arrested recently by the Shin Bet security service on suspicion of helping transfer funds from Islamic Jihad’s Damascus headquarters to the terror group’s activists in the territories. The central suspect in the affair, Wadha Fakha, 34, from the Jilazoon refugee camp near Ramallah, was arrested in August. Fakha was running an Islamic Jihad office in Ramallah, and according to Shin Bet officials, received money from its headquarters in the Syrian capital. The money, the Shin Bet said, was then transferred to activists in Islamic Jihad’s military wing, who used it to carry out terror attacks. Fakha was arrested along with four other women from Jilazoon and Na’ama, a village west of Ramallah. more.. IDF soldiers withdraw from north Gaza town of Beit Hanun Ha’aretz 11/7/2006 The Israel Defense Forces pulled out of the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun before daybreak Tuesday, the military said, ending an almost week-long operation that killed 53 Palestinians, including 16 civilians, and an IDF soldier. In a statement, the IDF said infantry, engineering and armored forces completed their operations, which were aimed against terror infrastructure and rocket launching infrastructure in Beit Hanun. Still, the statement said the IDF continues to warn civilians to stay away from combat areas." The IDF will continue to act with determination in order to destroy terrorist organizations and terrorist infrastructure and in order to prevent and disrupt the launching of rockets at Israel," the statement read. The IDF said forces took up new positions inside the Gaza Strip but outside the town. more.. Attack on Beit Hanoun may be the beginning of a wider assault on Gaza Ma’an News Agency 11/6/2006 Bethlehem - The attack on Beit Hanoun will continue for another two days, Israeli military spokesmen have said. However, they have not clarified that the attack on other areas of the Gaza Strip will stop. In addition, the Israeli writer Alex Fishman told the Israeli newspaper ’Yedioth Ahronoth’ that the military operations in the Strip are just an introduction to a wider conflict. He added that the operation in Beit Hanoun is part of a series of operations which were discussed by Israel’s security cabinet. The cabinet discussed how to deal with the Hamas power "with an iron fist" and how to frustrate the establishment of a "battalion of commandos" in the Gaza Strip by Hamas, Fishman said. Fishman added that the operation is a limited operation if compared with future operations. more.. The Occupation Report November 6, 2006 Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel 11/6/2006 Chronicling the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - Jerrold Cohen, Ph. D. , Editor -- Gaza Strip: Two teenagers were killed on Monday and nine others were wounded, including a teacher, when Israelis attacked a car in Beit Lahiya. The dead included Ramzi al-Sherafi, 15, and Muhammad ’Ashour, 16. The nine others wounded included their teacher, when an Israeli warplane fired a missile at a car near a school bus. This brought the death toll to 51 in six consecutive days, with over 250 wounded, including 38 in critical condition. (3) The teacher was female, and she was placed in the intensive care unit at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The injured children were 10 to 13 years old. (12).... West Bank: 0701 hours: Israeli soldiers arrested 12 Palestinians overnight in the West Bank, in Nablus, Hebron, and near Bethlehem. more.. Israeli drone aircraft falls in Beit Hanoun Ma’an News Agency 11/6/2006 Gaza - The Israeli army has revealed on Monday evening that one of their unmanned drone aircraft has fallen in the northern Gaza Strip, but did not mention any further details. Earlier, eyewitnesses reported that an Israeli drone crashed in the industrial zone of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, after witnessing a huge explosion followed by "the falling of a huge flaming body." Whether the aircraft was shot down or suffered from some kind of technical complication, forcing it to crash, is as yet unknown. [end] IOF Wounds 2 Policemen, Arrests 9 others in WB WAFA - Palestine News Agency 11/6/2006 NABLUS, November 6, 2006 (WAFA) - Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) wounded on Monday at pre-dawn two policemen and arrested nine citizens in the West Bank (WB) cities of Nablus and Bethlehem, security sources said. In Nablus, IOF swept into kufr Qalil, Eraq al-Tayyeh villages and ’Askar Refugee Camp, amid intensive gunfire shooting, launched a door-to-door search campaign and wounded two policemen, security sources said. They added that Israeli soldiers arrested three citizens of Nablus and led them into an unknown fate. In Bethlehem, IOF swept into al-’Ebedeya town, launched a wide search campaign and arrested and led four citizens into an undisclosed place. in the meantime, Israeli soldiers, backed by military vehicles, thrust into the villages of al-Khass and al-Shwawra... more.. Elderly woman dies Sunday of injuries sustained during Friday invasion of Bethlehem Palestine News Network 11/5/2006 Fatima Zahran, the elderly woman shot in the abdomen during Friday’s invasion of Bethlehem, died on Sunday. The 75 year old was on the balcony of her central West Bank home when Israeli forces were in the midst of the 15 hour invasion. Three people are dead now, including a 14 year old boy shot in the head and a member of the armed resistance. Dozens of people are injured. Members of the armed resistance and children with stones were among those trying to stave off the invasion. A statement released by the the Factional Coordinating Committee called on all free peoples of the world to intervene and stop the "ongoing Israeli killing spree" throughout the Gaza Strip and West Bank.... Medical staff and patients were among those targeted during Friday’s invasion with Israeli soldiers besieging ambulances and taking patients... more.. Mohammed wrote to me last night saying: ’We are getting killed’ Rafah Today 11/6/2006 .... ETHNIC CLEANSING: Umm Al Naser mosque has a different story with the siege, right after the Israeli soldier’s louder speakers announced for every male Palestinian from the age of 14- 45 should gather in a stadium and then transferred into holes dug by the Israeli bulldozers for investigations and integrations... as a result, many men who chose not to give up to the Israeli loud speakers as they decided not to be herded like cattle, fled inside the mosque instead. The Israeli bulldozers as a result came and demolished part of the mosque while the men were under siege inside the mosque. As soon as the news started to spread about the threat of killing all the people who refused to surrender under the mosque. To the surprise of the Israeli’s, hundreds of Palestinian women took to the streets and headed to break the Israeli siege... [includes photos] more.. National unity rises from destruction as Israeli attack on northern Gaza Strip leaves over 50 dead Palestine News Network 11/6/2006 The sixth day of the assault on the northern Gaza Strip brings an increase in the death toll. Israeli forces have not stopped killing Palestinians in Beit Hanoun, and no end is in sight. But as the Israeli attacks continue, internal dialogue to form a coalition government is witnessing an improvement. On Monday afternoon dozens of Israeli tanks lined up to attack eastern Gaza City’s Al Shajaiyeh neighborhood. Palestinian medical crews and ambulances waited to respond. Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, including a member of the Al Qasam Brigades. Early this morning Israeli forces fired a missile near a school bus, killing a student. Her teacher and six classmates were injured.... On the sixth day of the Israeli air and land invasion of northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, 19 year old Mohammad Ahmed Ashour died from injuries sustained. more.. Israeli forces invade Nablus, injure two members of National Security and arrest young people Palestine News Network 11/6/2006 Israeli forces occupying the West Bank invaded Nablus early on Monday and opened fire on residents. Among the injured were to two members of Palestinian National Security, 27 year old Ihab Al Halabi and 34 year old Sa’ed Musleh. The initial attack took place on a school in the northern West Bank city. Israeli forces also took several people to unknown locations, including brothers 20 year old Mo’taz and 16 year old Mohammad Hamza Mansour during an invasion of Askar Refugee Camp. Israeli forces attacked other areas of the Nablus District, arresting a young man from Iraq Al Taih. [end] Al-Quds Brigades detonate roadside explosive under Israeli troop transport Ma’an News Agency 11/6/2006 Gaza - The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed group affiliated with the Islamic Jihad movement have claimed responsibility on Monday for detonating a roadside explosive device underneath an Israeli soldiers’ transport in eastern Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. In a statement received by Ma’an, the brigades said that the operation came as a demonstration of "loyalty to the martyrs of Beit Hanoun", and as confirmation of their commitment to resist the Israeli occupation "until the whole Palestinian lands are freed." [end] Police issue eviction notices to settlers in West Bank outpost Ha’aretz 11/6/2006 Police issued eviction notices on Monday to residents of Yitzhar South, an isolated outpost in the West Bank. Police spokesman Moshe Pinche said that the orders were handed to the residents of nine structures in the outposts and were effective immediately. He said he hoped the settlers would leave on their own accord and said there were no plans for a forced evacuation soon. The Israel Defense Forces refused to say how much time it would give settlers to leave before resorting to forcible evacuation. Military sources said two weeks ago that Defense Minister Amir Peretz had no plans to evacuate entire illegal outposts in the near future. The sources said that as part of the first phase of evacuation, Peretz would most likely authorize the destruction of 86 illegal structures in the West Bank - 47 belonging to settlers, and 39 built by Palestinians. more.. DFLP Beit Hanoun office destroyed by Israeli military Ma’an News Agency 11/6/2006 Gaza - Amid a ferocious crusade against Palestinian public institutions, the Israeli army has, on Monday, targeted the headquarters of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) in the Gazan city of Beit Hanoun, destroying it completely. In a statement received by Ma’an, the DFLP declared: "This fierce campaign, represented by the blockade, destruction and killings, falls within an Israeli plan to force the Palestinian people to their knees, and steal their ability to stand in their lands." They called on the international community and humanitarian organizations to immediately intervene, to protect the Palestinian people and their properties. [end] Unexploded Hezbollah rockets pose risk Electronic Intifada/IRIN 11/5/2006 DUBAI, 5 Nov 2006 (IRIN) - Israeli bomb disposal units are combing the north of the country for unexploded Hezbollah rockets left over from the recent conflict in an operation that will continue for months, Israeli police say. Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party with an armed wing, fired nearly 4,000 rockets - including more than 100 containing cluster bombs - into the densely populated Galilee region in Israel’s far north as well as cities further south such as Haifa, killing 43 civilians. While the risks to residents of southern Lebanon from an estimated one million unexploded cluster bombs fired by Israel are well-documented, Israeli officials say the world has largely ignored the problems caused by unexploded Hezbollah rockets in their country. more.. IDF to ease restrictions on W. Bank for upcoming Christian holidays Ha’aretz 11/7/2006 In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, the Israeli Defense Forces announced it intends to ease restrictions on the Palestinian population in the West Bank and Jordan valley in November, in preparation for the upcoming Christian holidays." As part of the IDF policy and effort to ease restrictions," the statement said, the IDF will authorize "2,000 merchants to enter Israel, in addition to the 10,000 already authorized." The statement also said the IDF will provide authorization for 1,000 additional workers to enter the country. Finally, the statement said, the IDF will authorize the entry of as many as 5,000 West Bank and Jordan Valley Christians into Israel on specific dates for the purpose of participating in religious ceremonies. Still, the statement conditioned the easing of restrictions on the security of Israeli citizens. more.. Israeli troops fire on women in mosque siege The Guardian 11/4/2006 One killed, 10 hurt in march to free gunmen · Beckett voices concern over civilian deaths -- Palestinian women described yesterday how they were shot and injured in the face and the legs by Israeli troops as they led a protest march into the scene of the biggest military incursion into Gaza in months. At least one woman was killed and 10 were injured as large crowds of women walked past tanks into the town of Beit Hanoun yesterday morning saying they wanted to help free a group of Palestinian gunmen holed up inside a mosque. It was the third day of fighting in the town, the most serious military operation in Gaza since June. More than 20 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have been killed in three days...." We carried two white flags. They didn’t ask us to stop and then suddenly we saw them shooting at us..." more.. Israeli forces invade Bethlehem, kill 14 year old and critically injure several in 15 hour attack Palestine News Network 11/4/2006 Israeli forces burned down a family home and killed a 14 year old boy in an attack on Bethlehem lasting 15 hours on Friday. Beginning at 2:00 am military vehicles began invading the central West Bank city from Beit Jala in the west and Obeiyat in the southeast. Israeli forces surrounded a three-story home where Ahmed Hassan lives on the first floor. Soldiers shouted through loudspeakers for residents to leave their apartments. About 10 people entered the streets, including children. Palestinians from adjacent homes were also forced to gather in a public square 500 meters away. Israeli military and intelligence officers accused Hassan of belonging to the resistance wing of Islamic Jihad and said they have been hunting him for four years. Young people were hit the hardest during interrogations in the public square... more.. 19 Palestinians killed in IDF raids in West Bank, Gaza Ha’aretz 11/4/2006 At least 19 Palestinians, including five civilians, were killed Friday in Israel Defense Forces operations in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Nine of the fatalities occurred in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun, where the IDF has been operating since Wednesday morning. In the most recent incidents on Friday night, three Israel Air Force strikes around the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya and one near the southern town of Rafiah killed seven Palestinian militants and wounded several more, Palestinian security officials said. A few hours earlier, another airstrike hit a makeshift mosque on the outskirts of Beit Hanun on Friday evening, killing at least one Palestinian and injuring three others.... Palestinian officials said a four-year-old boy died of wounds sustained in IDF shelling in Beit Hanun the day before. more.. Dr. Hassanen: "At least 39 Palestinians, including children killed, 150 injured since Wednesday" International Middle East Media Center 11/3/2006 Dr. Muawiya Hassanen, head of the Emergency Unit at the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that at least 39 Palestinians were killed and at least 150 were injured, 23 seriously, since Israel started its military offensive dubbed “Autumn Clouds”, on Wednesday. Dr. Hassanen added that the army invading Beit Hanoun is not allowing the ambulances and medics to transfer the casualties to hospitals or any other medical facilities. “In many cases, the army delayed the medics and ambulances for periods that exceeded four or five hours”, Dr. Hassanen stated. He added the several residents were killed by sharpshooters, while the rest were killed by “unconventional shells and internationally barred weapons”, and appeal international organizations to interfere in order to stop the Israeli aggression... more.. Twelve residents killed in less than one hour in the Gaza Strip International Middle East Media Center 11/4/2006 Number of Palestinian residents killed in the Gaza Strip on Friday arrived to twenty-one residents after the Israeli forces killed on Friday at night twelve residents in several areas of the Gaza Strip, several medics were among the killed. Palestinian medical and security sources in the Gaza Strip reported that one fighter was killed and six were injured in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, after an Israeli military helicopter fired a missile at a vehicle carrying fighters in the town. The fighter was identified as Mansour Abu Hameed, the field leaders of the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. In a separate attack, five residents were killed when a military helicopter fired a missile at a group of residents in Be’er Al Na’ja area in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, two of the causalities were medics. more.. Israeli forces open fire on women helping Palestinian fighters escape besieged mosque; one woman killed, 16 injured Ma’an News Agency 11/3/2006 Gaza - In the ongoing Israeli ’Operation Autumn Clouds’, Israeli forces opened fire on women who were trying to assist a group of Palestinian fighters besieged in An-Nasser mosque in Beit Hanoun to escape. One Palestinian woman was killed and another is currently in a state of clinical death. At least another 16 women were injured, of whom three are in a critical condition. The women were staging a demonstration demanding an end to the siege of the An-Nasser mosque, in which dozens of Palestinian men have been holed up in the mosque since Thursday evening. The Israeli army announced that its forces had surrounded 60 armed Palestinians in the mosque, in the fiercest attack so far in the current Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip... On Friday morning, Israeli bulldozers arrived to start destroying the besieged mosque. more.. Israeli sniper shoots dead a 14-year old boy in Balata refugee camp Ma’an News Agency 11/3/2006 Nablus - A teenage Palestinian boy was killed and his older brother injured during an incursion by Israeli Special Forces into Balata refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday evening. Our correspondent in Nablus reported that Ibrahim Sanaqra, 14, was killed when an Israeli sniper shot him as he was trying to rescue his brother, Ahmed Sanaqra, 28, who had been seriously injured by an Israeli bullet when he was trying to plant an explosive device near the Martyr’s Cemetery in the refugee camp. The two youths were reportedly active members of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of Fatah. Eyewitness reported that the Israeli military operation began around ten pm on Thursday. Israeli Special Forces broke into Balata refugee camp from all sides and occupied several houses. more.. Deadly air strikes pound Gaza AlJazeera 11/3/2006 Eight Palestinians have died in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight on Friday, as an Israeli offensive into the territory continues. The Palestinians were killed in after-dark aerial attacks following violence in which at least 11 other people, including two women, were killed by Israeli fire during the day. Of the eight killed in night-time air strikes over the towns of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, Jabaliya and Rafah, at least five were Palestinian fighters, including one Hamas security officer who was killed when his car was hit in Rafah. Two rescue workers also died in a strike in Jabaliya. It was the third day of Operation Autumn Clouds which has come on top of four months of Israeli military operations in Gaza since a soldier was captured in late June. more.. Israeli warships open fire on Gaza City Thursday night Ma’an News Agency 11/3/2006 Gaza - Israeli warships, positioned off the coast of the Gaza Strip, fired missiles at the areas of Al-’Atatreh, As-Sudaniyah and a horse-riding club, in the north of Gaza Strip on Thursday evening. The missiles caused several successive explosions and enormous blasts which shook Gaza City and the north. No casualties were reported. [end] Israeli forces raid Tulkarem; seize father and son, and two Al Aqsa members Ma’an News Agency 11/3/2006 Tulkarem - The Israeli forces seized four Palestinians early on Friday, including two members of the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Brigades, during an incursion into the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Our correspondent in Tulkarem reported that several Israeli military vehicles invaded the western area of the city and broke into the house of Khalid Khader Abu-Tabikh, and forced all the inhabitants to evacuate the building. Our correspondent added that the Israeli forces arrested the owner of the house, Khalid Khader Abu-Tabikh, 42, and his son Mohamed, 16, and another 2 men who where inside the house and reportedly members of the Al-Aqsa Brigades: Ahmed ’Izat Abu-Tabikh, 23, and Nader Nayef Abu Zanat, 21. more.. The Occupation Report November 3, 2006 Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel 11/3/2006 Chronicling the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - Jerrold Cohen, Ph. D. , Editor -- Gaza Strip: Nine Palestinians died Wednesday, including two women and one child in the Gaza Strip. (4) (The Jerusalem Post counted at least 12. (10) Friday at dawn, four Palestinian fighters were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a Palestinian vehicle in the al-Shujaya neighborhood east of Gaza city. (7) "The latest casualties were three fighters who were assassinated by a missile that targeted their vehicle." ...." Their bodies were severely mutilated as a result of the blast." (The correct number was later established as four killed in the car, all four from Al Qassam Brigades, one unidentified. ).... West Bank: "Large numbers of IOF troops kidnapped PA minister of public works and housing Abdul Rahman Zeidan in a pre-dawn raid Friday from his home in Ramallah..." more.. Israeli forces shoot brothers in Balata Refugee Camp Palestine News Network 11/3/2006 Israeli forces killed 15 year old Ibrahim Mohammad Sanakrah Friday. During a morning invasion of Nablus’ Balata Refugee Camp, Israeli forces also injured Sanakrah’s 19 year old brother Ahmed. Eyewitnesses in the northern West Bank camp reported today that Israeli forces overtook a high building and opened fire on Ahmed Sanakrah who was planting an explosive device in a move to fend off the invasion. The member of Fateh’s Al Aqsa Brigades was injured in the shooting and remained immobile on the ground near his car. When Ibrahim attempted to bring his brother to safety, Israeli forces shot and killed the 15 year old. He died instantly as reported by the small group of women in the refugee camp who pulled both boys out of firing range. more.. Body of Palestinian resident found under rubble of his home in Bethlehem International Middle East Media Center 11/3/2006 In ongoing Israeli invasion of Bethlehem; 5 injured, one critically -- Palestinian medical sources in Bethlehem reported that the body of Tha’er Ahmad Hassan, 27, member of the Islamic Jihad was found under the rubble of his home that was demolished by the army earlier on Friday, the Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, reported. The agency added that initial reports from Bethlehem indicated that Hassan was not at home when the army bulldozed it after surrounding it since early morning hours on Friday, but after the army left the area, the body of Hassan was found under the rubble. The army operated in Bethlehem on Friday, shot and killed one child identified as Abed Khalil Soboh, 13. Several residents, including a 70-year old woman and two children, were injured. more.. Palestinians: 18 killed by IDF fire on Friday Jerusalem Post 11/3/2006 Two women, both age 40, were shot dead -- Following a day of intense clashes between the IDF and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, IAF air strikes around the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya after dark Friday killed three Palestinian terror operatives and wounded several more, Palestinian security officials said. In the south of the coastal strip, near the town of Rafah, another aerial attack struck a vehicle carrying members of a militia formed by the interior minister in the Hamas government, seriously wounding four occupants. The IDF could not confirm the Palestinian reports, and denied an earlier report that an IAF air strike had hit a makeshift prayer room on the outskirts of the Gaza town of Beit Hanoun early Friday evening, killing at least one person. more.. Hamas’ military wing fire a ’Qassam’ at Erez crossing Ma’an News Agency 11/3/2006 Gaza - The Izzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, have claimed responsibility for launching a home-made "Qassam" projectile at the Erez crossing between Israeli and the Gaza Strip on Friday. The Brigades affirmed in a statement that the shelling came as part of the continuous battle to block the Israeli assaults on Gaza, especially the area of Beit Hanoun in the north of the Gaza Strip. [end] DFLP and PFLP Brigades fire missile at an Israeli observation tower near Al-Bureij refugee camp Ma’an News Agency 11/3/2006 Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the National Resistance Brigades, the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), have claimed responsibility for firing a rocket-propelled ’Cobra’ grenade at an Israeli observation tower in the area of Qaws Um Husniyyah east of Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Friday. In a statement, the Brigades promised the Palestinian people to continue resisting the Israeli occupation. [end] Islamic Jihad faction fires five projectiles at Ashkelon and Sderot on Thursday; one Israeli woman lightly injured Ma’an News Agency 11/3/2006 Gaza - The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, have announced their responsibility for firing five homemade projectiles at the Israeli city of Ashkelon and town of Sderot on Thursday evening. The Brigades said in a statement that the launching came in response to the Israeli massacres of Palestinian people, especially in Beit Hanoun. Meanwhile, Israel reported that an Israeli woman from Sderot was injured from shrapnel from a Palestinian projectile that fell on her house. Her injuries were described as light. [end] Israeli police claim to have found a bomb inside Israeli settlement of Eli in northern West Bank Ma’an News Agency 11/3/2006 Bethlehem - The Israeli police said that they found on Thursday evening an explosive device near the entrance of the local police station in the illegal Israeli settlement of Eli, south of the West Bank city of Nablus and east of Salfit. The Israeli police said that bomb experts exploded the bomb remotely without any casualties. The Israeli forces and police started investigating the incident and searching the area. [end] Palestinian shot by an Israeli garbage worker near Al-Eizariya Ma’an News Agency 11/3/2006 Jerusalem - A Palestinian young man was lightly injured on Friday when he was shot by the director of a garbage area belonging to the illegal Israeli settlement of Qedar, southeast of Jerusalem, in the occupied West Bank. Israeli media reported that a number of young Palestinian men were throwing stones at Israeli workers in the garbage area, which is close to the road leading to the Palestinian suburb of Jerusalem called Al-Eizariya (biblical Bethany). The director of the garbage area lost his self-control and opened fire on the Palestinians, injuring one. [end] VIDEO - Haredim injure 7 officers in protest of pride parade YNetNews 11/2/2006 Haredim accuse police of excessive violence during recent Jerusalem anti-parade rallies; police officers treated ultra-Orthodox like common criminals,” resident says. J’lem police chief: Decision on whether to authorize parade early next week -- VIDEO - A Jerusalem haredi who took part in the anti-gay parade rally Thursday told Ynet, “A lot of blood could have been saved had Jerusalem Police Chief Ilan Franco decided to call off the parade. “I witnessed unprecedented violence here toward people who were merely on their way to buy fish, fruits and vegetables,” the haredi man continued, “but the police officers treated them like common criminals." more.. Israeli forces have killed 30 Palestinians in attack on northern Gaza Strip Palestine News Network 11/4/2006 As night fell on the northern Gaza Strip Israeli forces began lighting the sky with missiles fired from area military bases. Three members of the armed resistance were the first people targeted in the evening killings. General Director of Emergency in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Mu’aweya Hasanean, reported Friday evening that in 48 hours Israeli forces killed 30 Palestinians and injured 150 in Beit Hanoun. He is warning of the health catastrophe as medical supplies, including medicines and blood, are running low in the only hospital. Water and food are becoming scarce as the town has been declared a “closed military zone” and the attack continues. The Red Cross and some other international organizations are making it in with foodstuffs such as baby formula. For the first time Israeli forces are firing surface to surface missiles in the northern Strip... more.. Israelis kill 9 more Palestinians and allude to Hezbollah Palestine News Network 11/4/2006 Palestinian medical sources and eyewitnesses reported that Israeli forces killed nine more Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Friday night, including an ambulance driver in 10 air raids. Israeli warplanes fired missile after missile onto the north and south. Two cars east of Jabaliya Refugee Camp just north of Gaza City were targeted for carrying members of the armed resistance while warplanes fired into Rafah in the southern Strip. At least five resistance members were killed in attacks in the north as reported by Palestinian security sources. Israeli forces targeted members of the Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed resistance wing of Fateh, in Sheikh Zayed City, while other raids were concentrated on the northern Strip... more.. Roof of Gaza Mosque Collpases as Troops Clash with Gunmen Inside Ha’aretz 11/3/2006 The roof of a mosque in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun collapsed on about 60 Palestinian gunmen holed up inside early Friday as they exchanged fire with Israel Defense Forces troops. A gunman was said killed in the clashes, and five militants were killed by the IDF elsewhere in Gaza and in the West Bank. Most of the gunmen, representing several militant factions, escaped the mosque unharmed, Palestinian sources said. Palestinian witnesses said IDF bulldozers demolished a wall of the mosque and fired stun grenades and tear gas in an effort to force them to surrender. A military source said troops exchanged fire at the mosque after being shot at. The source said some militants had given themselves up...." We are using every means not to damage the mosque," the source said. more.. Israeli settlers attack Palestinian farmers while harvesting olives; hypocrisy at large as "Olive Patrol" is formed Ma’an News Agency 11/2/2006 Bethlehem - Ma’an - The Hebrew daily newspaper, Ma’ariv, has reported that Israeli settlers have established a new body called "the olive patrol", which sends patrols of volunteers to "monitor" the Palestinian farmers while they harvest their olives. The body consists of 12 settlers from each settlement, and is attended by a lawyer. The new body aims "to protect the security and the rights of the Israeli settlers during the collecting of the olive product, and to prevent theft on governmental properties." They also intend to undermine the "sedition" of the Palestinian and Israeli left, relating to the olive harvest. While this new body carefully protected their rights, on Thursday morning, groups of Israeli settlers attacked a number of Palestinian farmers while they were collecting their olive product across the West Bank. more.. IDF paper: Lebanon overflights aim to pressure int’l community Ha’aretz 11/2/2006 An internal Israel Defense Forces document says the continued air force flights over Lebanon are intended in part to pressure the international community to prevent arms smuggling to Hezbollah and secure the release of IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, a senior Defense Ministry official said Thursday. The document, titled "Strategic diplomatic messages: the army must continue overflights to secure international pressure," was approved by IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss policy with the press. Foreign Ministry spokesman Aviv Shir-On said setting political objectives is not part of the IDF’s tasks.... The Lebanese army [said] its gunners fired anti-aircraft artillery at Israel Air Force warplanes as they flew over south Lebanon. more.. Troops clash with gunmen holed up in Gaza mosque Jerusalem Post 11/3/2006 As Operation Autumn Clouds entered its third day, troops surrounded a mosque in Beit Hanun early Friday and exchanged fire with dozens of gunmen who had holed up inside. Palestinian witnesses reported that IDF bulldozers tore down one of the walls of the mosque, located in the center of the northeast Gaza Strip town, and that soldiers then used tear gas and fired stun grenades in order to force the suspects out. Reports indicated that about 60 people were inside the mosque. There were no reports of casualties among the troops. Earlier Friday, three Palestinians were killed when the IAF fired missiles at two Kassam rocket teams in the northern Gaza Strip. Despite the intensified IDF action, seven Kassam rockets landed in the western Negev and south of Ashkelon Thursday. more.. Four year-old child dies of wounds suffered Wednesday, his father killed earlier International Middle East Media Center 11/3/2006 Palestinian medical sources in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of Gaza Strip, reported that one child died of wounds sustained earlier on Wednesday at dawn after the Israeli air force shelled his parent’s house. The child was identified as Bara’ Riyad Fayyad, 4, he was playing in front of his parent’s house. The sources added, that Riyad Fayyad, 42, the father of Bara’ was killed in the strike and five members of his family were injured. The injured family members were identified the wife of Riyad, and his son, who died tonight, in addition to his daughter Hiba, 7, Amir, 10, Mahmoud 11 and Abdullah, 7. The death of the child raises the number of residents killed in the Gaza Strip to sixteen since the army carried its “Operation Autumn Clouds” on Wednesday morning. more.. Israeli forces continue attack on northern Gaza Strip, kill 10 Palestinians Palestine News Network 11/2/2006 Palestinian security and medical sources confirmed Thursday morning reports that the number of Palestinians that Israeli forces have killed in the northern Gaza Strip’s town of Beit Hanoun has reached 10 since Wednesday morning. The latest victims are the elderly Ahmed Diab Baysuni, shot and killed by a sniper, 29 year old Isam Abu Odeh, and 22 year old Yousef Aqel. All were killed on Thursday morning. Medical sources report that Aqel died immediately upon being shot in the head by an Israeli sniper who was on the roof of a house neighboring his. Also on Thursday morning in Beit Hanoun, another sniper shot the elderly man in the heart. Isam Abu Odeh was killed in the nearby town of Beit Lahia when an Israeli sniper shot him in the back and back of his head while he was entering his home. more.. Death toll in last 48 hours in Gaza rises to 13; over 70 injured Ma’an News Agency 11/2/2006 Gaza - Israel’s ongoing offensive on the north of the Gaza Strip has killed a further six Palestinians on Thursday, bringing the death toll over the last 48 hours to 13. A 75-year-old man died of a heart attack after an Israeli missile hit his neighbour’s home, injuring six members of the same family. Most recently, a Palestinian woman, Mis’adah Al-Huweiki, has been killed while trying to release the fighters surrounded in the mosque in Beit Hanoun. There have now been over 70 injuries. At least twelve of the injured are in a critical condition, including four-year-old Bara’a, who is in a coma. A large number of the injured are women and children. Medical sources have confirmed the death of Basim Jamal, 21, from a shot in the head in Salah Addin Street in Beit Hanoun. more.. Israeli Killings Resume in Gaza Strip Palestine Chronicle 11/2/2006 The town of 30,000 people has been effectively under an army curfew since the Israeli troops entered it on Wednesday, the witnesses said. -- GAZA CITY - Israeli troops are reported to have killed five Palestinians in northern Gaza, three of them civilians including a 75-year-old, in one of its biggest operations in the coastal strip in months. Witnesses said soldiers, backed by tanks and using loudspeakers, ordered all residents over 16 years of age in the town of Beit Hanoun to present themselves at a school for questioning. The town of 30,000 people has been effectively under an army curfew since the Israeli troops entered it on Wednesday, the witnesses said. The latest casualties bring to 14 the number of Palestinians killed since Wednesday. more.. Army assassinates three fighters, 8 residents killed on Wednesday, 15 in two days International Middle East Media Center 11/2/2006 Palestinian medical sources in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, reported that three fighters were assassinated on Wednesday at night raising the number of residents killed on Wednesday to eight; fifteen residents were killed since the army initiated its attack in Gaza on Tuesday. The sources stated that three fighters of the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and four others were injured into two separate air strikes in Sha’sha’a area, east of Jabalia. The first attack targeted a group of resistance fighters of the Al Qassam brigades, one fighter identified as Shadi Mahmoud Al Sharif, 25, was killed. Several minutes after the first strike, the Israeli air force carried a second strike killing two fighters and injuring three others. more.. Mass arrests of men of Beit Hanoun; taken away in trucks to unknown destinations Ma’an News Agency 11/2/2006 Gaza - Israeli forces have, on Thursday afternoon, transferred the males of Beit Hanoun aged between 16-45 in a convoy of large trucks to unknown destinations. Security sources reported that the Israeli forces called the men through loudspeakers, and gathered them in front of an-Nasir mosque in the north of Beit Hanoun. In addition, Palestinian sources stated that Nadi Salim Ubaid, 20, from the Ash-Shuja’iyya district was injured, while medical personnel can not transfer him to hospital. According to the director of relief and ambulances, the young man is being detained by Israelis near the border line between the Gaza Strip and Israeli territory. [end] Two Palestinians arrested in Tubas Ma’an News Agency 11/2/2006 Jenin - Israeli military forces have arrested a Palestinian from the city of Tubas, south of Jenin, on Thursday morning, after invading the city. Troops also abducted another citizen, who was waiting at the Tayseer checkpoint, taking him to an unknown location. Eyewitnesses stated that the Israeli forces arrested Izzat Tayseer Abu Muhsin, and took another citizen to an unknown direction after checking his identity card. [end] Israeli army carries out arrest raids across the West Bank; Israel claims 25 arrests, Palestinians confirm 9 Ma’an News Agency 11/2/2006 Bethlehem - Jenin - According to Israeli sources, the Israeli army arrested more than 25 Palestinians on Thursday from different areas in the West Bank, claiming that they are ’wanted’. Palestinian sources have confirmed that nine Palestinians were seized by the Israeli forces in arrest raids across the occupied West Bank on Thursday, including two teenage boys. The Israeli sources said that the Israeli army arrested a number of Palestinians from the city of Bethlehem and they claimed that they found a pistol and ammunition. Palestinian security sources told our correspondent in Nablus that the Israeli forces seized three men in Nablus city: Mohamed ’Ali Al-Sheikh Khalil, 22 and Maher Jum’a Al-Badawi, 30 from Balata refugee camp, and Ala’ Mustafa Abed Salem, 25, from Askar refugee camp. more.. Settlers attack Palestinians harvesting their olive trees International Middle East Media Center 11/2/2006 An extremist settlers group of Shvut Rachel settlement, in the northern part of the West Bank, attacked on Thursday several Palestinian residents while picking their olive orchards in the area. One resident was moderately injured and was evacuated for medical treatment. Several residents stated that they were attacked and harassed by the settlers who attacked them and their orchards. The Israeli police and several activists of Rabbis For Human Rights arrived at the scene, but the settlers were already gone to Shvut Rachel settlement. Israeli sources reported that the settlers claim that the land belongs to them, but the land belongs to the Palestinian residents and is officially recognized by the Israeli so-called Civil Administration office. more.. Israeli squadrons continue to pound Gaza City Ma’an News Agency 11/2/2006 Gaza - The Israeli military has launched missiles into the Gazan areas of Atatrah and Sudaniya and at the horseman club in the northern Gaza Strip. The damage incurred have caused repeated explosions which thundered through the city of Gaza and the northern Strip. [end] Al-Quds Brigades launch five projectiles toward Sderot and Ashkelon Ma’an News Agency 11/2/2006 Gaza - The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing affiliated with the Islamic Jihad movement have claimed responsibility for launching five "advanced" Quds3 home-made projectiles toward the Israeli cities of Sderot and Ashkelon. Israeli authorities have said that a woman from Sderot was "moderately injured" by flying shrapnel from a Palestinian projectile that landed in her house. [end] Militant factions continue to launch projectiles towards Israeli targets Ma’an News Agency 11/2/2006 Gaza - Palestinian militant factions have continued on Thursday to launch home-made projectiles at Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip. The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing affiliated with the Hamas movement, have claimed responsibility for launching a Qassam rocket towards the Israeli city of Sderot, and a Yaseen projectile towards a soldiers’ transport in Beit Hanoun. The Al Qassam Brigades also launched a rocket-propelled grenade at an Israeli tank, and three mortar shells at other Israeli military vehicles in Beit Hanoun. The brigades stated that this operation comes in retaliation for the frequent Israeli assaults against the Palestinian people. more.. Military wings join forces to bombard Israel with projectiles, Al Quds Brigades threaten to target Ashkelon Ma’an News Agency 11/2/2006 Gaza - Many military groups, affiliated to the whole spectrum of Palestinian political factions, have responded to Israel’s violent offensive on the Gaza Strip by firing projectiles at Israeli towns and kibbutzim close to the borders of the Gaza Strip. They are promising to continue their armed resistance. The Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, has called on the Israeli government to stop its incursion into the area of Beit Hanoun, and threatened that they might target the Israeli city of Ashkelon if the incursion continues. In a statement issued Thursday, the Brigades assured that they have the capabilities to hit Ashkelon. The Brigades also threatened to carry out "martyrdom" bombings in Israeli cities. The Al Quds Brigades said that they fired four projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot and at the Kerem Shalom military post. more.. Israeli forces invade Tulkarem Ma’an News Agency 11/2/2006 Tulkarem - Israeli troops entered the city of Tulkarem in the north of the West Bank on Thursday and detained four Palestinian men. Israeli Special Forces broke into the eastern neighbourhood of the city around 3pm Thursday to target a group of armed Palestinians. The Israeli forces were backed up with armoured vehicles. They broke into the Abu Safaqa house, ransacked it and took four Palestinian men prisoner: Walid Shqair, Mohammad Abdulatif, Walid Nasasra and Abu Safaqa. [end] Army takes prisoner one resident from Kufer Saba neighborhood in Qalqilia International Middle East Media Center 11/2/2006 Israeli troops invaded Kufer Saba neighborhood in the West Bank city of Qalqilia on Thursday at dawn and took prisoner one resident. Mohamed Jaber, 24, was taken to an unknown location when troops stormed his home and neighboring houses. [end] Army takes two prisoners from Bethlehem International Middle East Media Center 11/2/2006 An Israeli army force invaded the village of Rakhmah, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Thursday at dawn and took two prisoners. Soldiers and jeeps deployed around the village and troops searched and ransacked scores of houses in the before taking Ayman Ali, 31, and Issam Al Sha’er, 32, to and unknown location, local sources reported. [end] Army takes prisoners three residents prisoner from Nablus International Middle East Media Center 11/2/2006 Israeli forces invaded the West Bank city of Nablus and Balata refugee camp on Thursday morning and took prisoner three residents. Palestinian security sources in Nablus reported that troops and army vehicles stormed Nablus and Balata refugee camp and searched and ransacked scores of houses before taking Ala Abu Mussalam, 25, Mohamed Khalil, 22 and Maher Al Badawi, 40, to unknown locations. [end] Army invades Al Far’a village and refugee camp near Tubass, takes one prisoner International Middle East Media Center 11/2/2006 The Israeli army took prisoner one resident during an invasion to Al Far’a village and refugee camp, south of the West Bank city of Tubass on Thursday morning. Mohamed Daraghmah was taken prisoner when seven Israeli army jeeps invaded AL Far’a refugee camp and searched his house. Another force invaded the village of Al Far’a near the refugee camp and searched a number of houses. Troops left the village and took Daraghmah to an unknown location, eyewitnesses reported. [end] Army invades Al Jalazun refugee camp near Rammallah International Middle East Media Center 11/2/2006 The Israeli army invaded Al Jalazun refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Rammallah and attacked residents’ houses on Thursday at dawn. Local sources said that a number of army vehicles invaded the camp and opened fire randomly at residents’ houses. Currently soldiers are surrounding several houses and condecting a wide scale house-to-house search campaign there. Residents reported that soldiers were seen taking prisoners but no names or numbers have been issued at the time of this report. [end] Up to 200,000 still displaced after war, UN says Electronic Intifada/IRIN 11/1/2006 BEIRUT - Up to 200,000 people could still be displaced in Lebanon nearly three months after the Israel-Hezbollah conflict ended, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday." We don’t have the precise number of IDPs [internally displaced people] since there has been no formal registration, but we can estimate their number to 150,000 - 200,000," Stephane Jaquemet, UNHCR regional representative in Lebanon, told IRIN. He added that the vast majority of the displaced live with friends or relatives and not in collective centres. This has made it harder for relief workers and authorities to work out an exact figure for the numbers displaced and to assess their needs. UNHCR spokesman Simon Russel said many of the displaced had been unable to return because of unexploded ordnance littering the landscape... more.. Key data withheld from army officers during Lebanon war Ha’aretz 11/3/2006 Senior officers Northern Command and Division 91 officers were not privy to essential intelligence information regarding Hezbollah’s deployment prior to the second Lebanon War. The intelligence, which was available to the Israel Defense Forces, included accurate information about Hezbollah bunkers and positions, as well as the internal structure of such positions. The officers were aware that such information existed, but were prevented by the Intelligence Directorate’s Committee on Source Security, claiming that the information was secret. Military Intelligence decided that the information would only be made available in the event of a war. Officers’ demands to gain access to information on routine security preparations that could counter Hezbollah raids inside the border fence were also rejected... more.. ’Gay attack’ on Israel synagogue BBC Online 11/2/2006 A Tel Aviv synagogue has been attacked and daubed with graffiti, apparently in response to religious Jewish attempts to ban a gay pride march in Jerusalem. Ultra-orthodox Jews have opposed the march, scheduled for next week. Windows in the synagogue were smashed and the walls were painted with the slogan: "If we can’t march in Jerusalem you won’t walk in Tel Aviv". On Wednesday evening ultra-orthodox protesters clashed with police in a district of Jerusalem. No-one was injured in the Tel Aviv attack, which took place in a central area of the city and was reported early on Thursday. Ultra-orthodox angerItai Pinkas, a member of Tel Aviv’s city council and a gay community leader, told Israel’s Haaretz newspaper the attack was a "malicious provocation". more.. Death toll rises to eight in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday International Middle East Media Center 11/2/2006 Palestinian medical and security sources in the Gaza Strip reported that the death toll rose to eight on Wednesday as the Israeli army continued its strikes in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Dozens of residents, including several children were injured. On Wednesday at night, one Palestinian was killed and at least three were seriously injured after the Israeli air force shelled an area in Beit Hanoun where several residents were gathering, while under cover forces of the Israeli army attacked several residents. The resident was identified as Mohammad Khalil Fayyad, a local engineer. Eyewitnesses reported that Fayyad was shot by the under-cover forces while he was in his house. The death of Fayyad rises the death toll in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to eight.... At least five Palestinian houses were totally demolished... more.. Israeli forces overtake southern West Bank homes in sweeping early morning raids Palestine News Network 11/1/2006 At dawn this morning Israeli forces invaded the southern West Bank’s Hebron District. They arrested a Palestinian from the town of Idna while converting houses into military installations in a neighboring village. Israeli forces also raided southern Hebron’s Yatta. Sources in the Palestinian Joint Operations Room in Hebron reported today that Israeli forces stormed the home of a 45 year old university professor and began inspecting his personal belongings. Within minutes he was bound and blindfolded, and in the back of an Israeli military jeep on his way to an unknown location. His sons, 23 year old Hamza and 22 year old Hazim, are also imprisoned. South of Hebron City Israeli forces converted a home into a military barracks after taking a 10 member family and forcing them into a single room... an Israeli military force besieged the home for more than 30 hours. more.. Army invades Nablus and takes eight prisoners International Middle East Media Center 11/1/2006 Israeli forces invaded the city of Nablus, north of the West Bank and took eight residents prisoner on Wednesday morning. The invasion targeted residents’ houses in the old town area of the city and some homes in Balata and Askar refugee camps. Troops attacked residents’ houses and searched and ransacked them before taking the eight to unknown location. Local sources said that the eight are known as Abd Al Majeed AL Khndakji, and his brother Taymor, Jihad Al Sa’eh, Tha’er Joda, Imad Hannon, Ramzi Al Saka and Hussin Makhluf. All are from Nablus city. Troops also took Nidal Abu Issa, the general Fatah secretary, from his home in Askar refugee camp. Residents said that army bulldozers and Hummers damaged some of the civilian cars parked on the stree and some front doors of shops... more.. Israeli Army takes over a house and turns it to an army post, south of Hebron International Middle East Media Center 11/1/2006 Israeli army troops took over a house in Al Samo’e village, south of the West Bank city of Hebron, and turned it into an army post in the early morning hours on Wednesday. Jinat Al Daghamin, a local resident, reported that a group of Israeli soldiers stormed her family’s home in Al Samo’e village, searched it, then forced the family into one room of the house and took over the house until the morning, turning it into an army post from which they launched an attack on the village. The soldiers used the house to fire sound bombs and live rounds at the residents of the village. Inside the house, the soldiers did not allow the family to go to the bathroom and attacked family members who tried to talk to the soldiers. more.. Israeli soldier killed in Beit Hanoun International Middle East Media Center 11/1/2006 Israeli sources reported on Wednesday afternoon that one soldier was shot and killed during the military offensive carried by the army in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The soldier, according to the sources, was shot as he was hiding in one of the buildings in the town. He suffered a serious injury and died of his wounds at the building. An Israeli military source reported that soldiers spotted a group of fighters who shot the soldier and fired at them injuring at least two. The Israeli Ynetnews reported that Staff Sgt. Kiril Golenstein, 21, was killed overnight during army operations in Beit Hanoun. The Ynetnews added that Golenstein was injured by Palestinian gunmen and was evacuated for treatment, but died of his wounds later on. The soldier, according to the Ynetnews report was... the third soldier to be killed since the abduction of Gilad Shalit. more.. Israeli Army invades Tulkarem refugee camp, injures four civilians and takes three prisoners International Middle East Media Center 11/1/2006 Israeli forces invaded the West Bank city of Tulkarem and its refugee camp on Wednesday morning, ransacked residents’ homes, injured four residents and took three as prisoners. Soldiers and army vehicles entered the city in the early dawn hours, then proceeded to the refugee camp, where they remained for the rest of the morning. Soldiers attacked residents’ houses, searched and ransacked them, destroying property. During the invasion the army opened fire at people in the street, and injured Abd Al Aziz Al Jab’e, 16, in the head, Awad Al Dush, 15, in his right leg, Wa’el Jubali, 15, in the shoulder, and Omer Ramadan in the head, medical sources reported. Residents said that troops also took Abd Al Fatah Yousif, Mohamed Baraka, and Yousif Abu Tahoun as prisoners. more.. Palestinian resistance brigades target several Israeli sites after day of carnage Ma’an News Agency 11/1/2006 Gaza - The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed group of the Islamic Jihad movement have launched two medium range homemade projectiles towards the Israeli cities of Sderot and Ashkelon. Furthermore, the national resistance brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, have claimed responsibility for throwing three homemade projectiles at Israeli military vehicles stationed to the east of Gaza airport. In addition, the "Aqsa Protector’s Brigades" have targeted an Israeli troop transport with a rocket-propelled grenade. Also, the Al-Aqsa Brigades of Fatah have announced that they have launched "an advanced projectile" at Kesofem military post on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip. [end] Palestinians: We fired Nasser-1 at W. Bank settlement YNetNews 11/1/2006 Salah al-Din brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees claims they fired short-range missile towards settlement near Nablus. IDF denies report -- The Salah al-Din brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed that they fired a short-range missile Wednesday morning towards the settlement of Migdalim near Nablus in the West Bank. The IDF denied the report. The statement released by the organization says that at about 4:00 a. m. Wednesday morning, a cell of the organization fired a short range Nasser-1 rocket towards Migdalim. "The cell of the Shahid Abu Yosef al-Koka has successfully fired a rocket at Migdalim, which is stealing the lands of Nablus..." more.. Palestinian armed faction claims to have fired a projectile at West Bank settlement Ma’an News Agency 11/1/2006 Gaza - Nablus - The An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), have announced responsibility for launching a projectile at the Israeli settlement of Migdalim south east of Nablus in the north of the West Bank. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Brigades said that the projectile was launched at 4am on Wednesday. They said, "This is the first step on the way to defeating the Israelis and forcing them to leave Palestine". The Brigades also threatened to continue their resistance. [end] Salah Addin Brigades sabotage Israeli military vehicles Ma’an News Agency 11/1/2006 Gaza - An Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the armed group affiliated with the Popular Resistance Committees, have on Wednesday evening claimed responsibility for sabotaging an Israeli military bulldozer, soldiers’ transport and a tank, near the railway in the Al-Bustaniyya neighbourhood in Beit Hanoun. At the same time, a group of their fighters survived an assassination attempt by an Israeli helicopter. [end] Unknown gunmen attack a radio station affiliated with the PFLP Ma’an News Agency 11/1/2006 Gaza - Anonymous gunmen have broken into the radio station, Sawt Ash-Sha’b ["the voice of the people"], which is affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). They attacked property, the employees and guests who were taking part in a program on-air. The attack resulted in material damage to computers, furniture and electronic equipment. Four employees and two guests were injured when the gunmen opened fire inside the building. [end] The Israeli army invades Jenin district and takes 9 residents prisoner International Middle East Media Center 11/1/2006 The Israeli army invaded the West Bank city of Jenin and the nearby villages of Kufer Dan and Yabod on Wednesday morning and took prisoner nine residents. In the village of Yabod, west of Jenin city, troops stormed residents’ houses and searched and ransacked scores of them. According to eyewitnesses, soldiers forced families out before searching their homes. Local sources reported that troops took seven residents prisoner before leaving the village. Hassep Masharka and two of his brothers, Yousif and Manssour were among them. Moreover, in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp, troops attacked residents’ homes and searched them. The campaign happened mostly in the east side of the city and in the refugee camp.... another Israeli force entered the village of Kufer Dan, west of Jenin on Wednesday morning... more.. Army shells several houses in Gaza International Middle East Media Center 11/2/2006 Palestinian security sources in the Gaza Strip reported that Israeli soldiers shelled on Wednesday night after midnight several houses in Al Shujaeyya area, east of Gaza city; damage was reported, no injuries. The sources stated that tanks stationed at the eastern borders of the Gaza Strip fired several shells at the houses and farmlands, especially in the eastern side of the town. Eyewitnesses reported that the shelled caused a power blackout in the town which caused panic among the residents. [end] Israeli forces kill seven Palestinians in attacks on northern Gaza Strip Palestine News Network 11/1/2006 Beginning at dawn Wednesday Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Hanoun. Palestinian medical sources are reporting this morning that intense Israeli air strikes instantly killed National Security Force member, 25 year old Azwaidi Faiz Mohammad while 23 year old citizen Ahmed Yousef Sa’adat died of sustained injuries. Another four Palestinians were killed as the armed resistance responded to the Israeli ground invasion. Medical sources list 24 year old Hussam Mohammad Abu Herbed, 26 year old Tariq Mustafa Nasser, 22 year old Mohammad Al Masri, and 24 year old Ahmed Zuhair Adwan as being killed during fighting. Medical sources reported late Wednesday afternoon that a seventh Palestinian died due to injuries sustained during the attack. more.. 10 Palestinians killed in firefight with IDF in Gaza Jerusalem Post 11/2/2006 Dozens of Palestinian gunmen swarmed to Beit Hanun to engage IDF units that raided the northern Gaza Strip village Tuesday night in the latest bid to strike at the Kassam rocket infrastructure in the area. After a day of fierce battles, an IDF soldier and at least 10 gunmen were killed but rockets continued to fall inside the Green Line. St. -Sgt. Kiril Golenshin, 21, a dog-handler in the crack "Sting" canine unit from Moshav Shekef in the Negev, was killed before dawn when gunmen opened fire on troops as they navigated the narrow alleyways of the village, IDF officials said. Golenshin was shot in the head and was evacuated quickly, but died soon afterwards. Despite IDF action in Beit Hanun, northern Gaza Kassam rocket squads still managed to fire nine of their crude rockets at communities in the western Negev. more.. Army invades Al Jalazoun refugee camp in Ramallah International Middle East Media Center 11/1/2006 Israeli soldiers invaded on Wednesday night after midnight Al Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah city in the northern part of the West Bank. Local sources reported that soldiers, supported by armored vehicles and jeeps, invaded the camp and broke into dozens of homes. Local sources reported that soldiers caused damage to the furniture and belonging of several houses, no arrests were reported. [end] Israeli army bombs north Gaza; 7 Palestinians killed, 62 injured Ma’an News Agency 11/1/2006 Gaza - At least seven Palestinians were killed and over 60 injured during a major Israeli offensive on the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning. Israeli military sources have anounced that one Israeli soldier was killed, during the incursion into Beit Hanoun which destroyed five family homes. Rising Palestinian casualties: Early on Wednesday, Israeli jets launched a rocket at a crowd of Palestinians in the town of Beit Hanoun in the north of the Gaza Strip. Our correspondent reported that this raid killed five Palestinians: one was a member of the national security, two were members of the Hamas-affiliated Al Qassam Brigades, one was a member of the Islamic Jihad-affiliated Al Quds Brigades, and the fifth was a guard of the minister of refugees’ affairs. The reporter added that in addition, more than 18 Palestinians were injured in this attack. more.. Settlers release wild and dangerous dogs around farm lands in the Jordan valley International Middle East Media Center 11/1/2006 A group of Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Routem released wild and dangerous dogs onto Palestinian farm lands on Wednesday with the intention of killing the farmers’ sheep. Farmers said that the dogs are a serious threat to their sheep and their owners. They were released on lands confiscated by the settlers three years ago in order prevent Palestinian land owners from the West Bank city of Tubass from reaching their lands located in the Jordan Valley in the West Bank. [end] Army takes one prisoner from Ithna village near Hebron International Middle East Media Center 11/1/2006 Israeli troops took one resident prisoner from the village of Ithna located west of the city of Hebron and south of the West Bank on Wednesday morning. Troops and army jeeps surrounded the house of Jebril Al Jibawi, 45, who works as a teacher, searched and ransacked it, then took him to an unknown location. Local sources said that Al Jibawi’s sons Hamza, 23, and Hazim, 22, were taken prisoner by the Israeli army earlier this year. [end] VIDEO - Lieberman: Treat Gaza like Chechnya YNetNews 11/1/2006 Ministers approve Peretz recommendation to refrain from all-out campaign to battle arms smuggling in Gaza. Lieberman’s cabinet debut: ’Emulate Russia’s treatment of Chechnya. ’ Arab MK Barakeh: Government is trying to base its tenure on as many Palestinian corpses as possible -- VIDEO - Wednesday saw the cabinet meet to discuss Defense Minister Amir Peretz’s recommendation to refrain from embarking on an all-out offensive and stick to ’pinpointed activities’ in Gaza. The current operation in the Beit Hanoun area continues, with reports of at least six Palestinians killed and about 20 wounded. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has already condemned the operation and called it "another massacre." more.. 3 Arabs suspected of J’lem shul attack Jerusalem Post 11/1/2006 Three Jerusalem Arabs were under arrest Wednesday for allegedly setting fire to a city synagogue, police said. The three, whose ages ranged from 15-20 and were all residents of the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya, are suspected of hurling flammable material at the ’Sha’are Rachamim VeSemcha’ synagogue in the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of French Hill several months ago, as well as setting fire to three private vehicles in the area. The synagogue, which is located on the periphery of the neighborhood, was badly damaged during thenighttime attack. The three suspects were remanded in custody Wednesday by a Jerusalem court. The suspected arsonists told police interrogators that they carried out the attacks for "nationalistic" reasons, police said. [end] The politics of the Gaza operation Jerusalem Post 11/2/2006 Nothing has been left to chance in this latest operation, not only on the operational-military side. The IDF took care to also secure its media wing in advance and prepared public opinion for another round of warfare which would also involve unavoidable casualties on our side. A procession of senior officers has been making its way to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee over the last few weeks, each officer bearing a new prediction, quickly revealed to the press, about the "Hizbullization" of the Gaza Strip, the latest information on tons of explosives and advanced missiles being smuggled from Sinai and a new Hamas army trained by al-Qaida. It was a crude but effective PR campaign leading up to the inevitable large-scale Gaza incursion on Tuesday night. more.. West Bank veterinarian: Zoo animals not safe from occupation Palestine News Network 11/1/2006 Qalqilia is encircled by the Israeli Wall, with soldiers opening and closing gates for passage at various intervals. Life is this northwestern West Bank city is lived in prison. Veterinarian Dr. Sami Khader told PNN that the zoo is one of the few bright spots. “I supervise the care of all the animals in the zoo, with one of the latest success stories being the monkey, ’Rambo. ’ I am pleased to say that after a rough period he is now in good health." Dr. Khader said on Wednesday that the zoo also symbolizes some of the worst of life under occupation. “The story of the giraffes is difficult. A female is grieving over the death of her mate [killed in an IDF attack]. This is one of the most egregious acts of aggression I have seen. It proves to me that the occupation forces do not discriminate between people, trees, and stone." more.. Fatah member, arrested for shooting at PM Haniyeh’s convoy, is released Ma’an News Agency 11/1/2006 Gaza - Sources in the Fatah movement have assured that one of its members, Mohamed Aldarbashi, who was arrested by the Executive Force on charges of shooting at the prime minister’s convoy in Nuseirat refugee camp and setting one of the Executive Force’s jeeps alight, was released on Tuesday. Aldarbashi, a Fatah member, was seized by a group from the Executive Force, which is under the command of the Hamas-led ministry of interior, on Monday evening. A source within Fatah denied any relation between Mohamed Aldarbashi and the shooting at Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh’s convoy on 20 October and the burning of a jeep. more.. Islamic Jihad’s armed wing: We fired 57 projectiles at Israeli targets in October Ma’an News Agency 11/1/2006 Khan Younis - The Al Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, fired 57 homemade projectiles during the month of October from the Gaza Strip into Israeli towns and military positions, according to a statement the group issued on Wednesday. The Brigades added that four of their armed members were killed during the month. [end]

Diplomacy..

Sources: Rice will ask Olmert to lift roadblocks in West Bank Ha’aretz 11/29/2006 American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will come to Jerusalem Thursday morning and meet Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Before this, Rice will visit Jericho, where she will meet Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Rice’s visit to Jerusalem is meant to show American support for the new negotiating process, official sources say. That began with the cease-fire, and should presumably lead to setting up a Palestinian national unity government. In the next stage, the U.S. is expected to help jump-start the political negotiations between Israel and the PA. After the meeting with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Jericho Thursday, Jerusalem sources say they expect Rice to ask Olmert to help Abbas by alleviating the siege on the Gaza Strip and removing non-essential roadblocks in the West Bank. more.. Security group: Start Saudi Plan talks Jerusalem Post 11/30/2006 Two days after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he looked favorably on certain aspects of the 2002 Saudi peace initiative, the Council for Peace and Security, an organization made up of former security officials and diplomats, said Israel should enter into a dialogue with the moderate Arab world on the basis of this plan. The Saudi plan, adopted at the Arab Summit in Beirut in March 2002, called on Arab states to "normalize relations" with Israel in return for the establishment of a Palestinian state following an Israeli withdrawal to the Green Line and a just solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees in accordance with UN Resolution 194. This resolution called on Israel to allow the return of Palestinian refugees and compensate those who don’t want to do so. more.. Suleiman expects a prisoner swap deal within the coming weeks International Middle East Media Center 11/30/2006 Egypt’s Intelligence Chief, Omar Suleiman, expressed optimism that a prisoner swap deal between Israel and the Palestinians will be reached within the coming weeks before the end of the year. Israeli officials also said a deal is soon. Earlier on Wednesday, Suleiman met with Israeli Defense Minister, Amir Peretz, and held talks on a possible swap deal that would see the release of the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in exchange of releasing Palestinian detainees. Suleiman also met with Israeli’s Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, and held talks on the truce and prisoner exchange, in addition to separate meetings with the Israeli Minister for “Strategic Affairs” Avigdor Lieberman, and National Infrastructure Minister, Benyamin Ben-Eliezer. more.. Omar Sulaiman pays a sudden visit to Israel Ma’an News Agency 11/29/2006 Bethlehem - The director of Egyptian intelligence, Omar Sulaiman, has on Wednesday afternoon, held a sudden meeting with the Israeli "minister of strategic threats", Avigdor Lieberman, in Jerusalem. Israeli political sources portrayed the meeting as sudden and positive, stating that Lieberman himself was surprised at that meeting. This is the first meeting between an Egyptian high ranking official and Lieberman, who, for many years, has been labeled as antagonizing relations with Egypt. The far-right-wing Israeli minister, known for his support of ethnic-cleansing policies in Arab communities inside Israel, threatened to shell the Aswan High Dam at the outbreak of the Palestinian second intifada. During his visit, the Egyptian official met with the Israeli minister of defense, Amir Peretz... more.. On the occasion of the Day of Solidarity, Palestinians call for the application of international law Palestine News Network 11/29/2006 On the occasion of the Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People a collective call is being issued by all Palestinian factions. The request is simple, yet somehow unattainable as of yet: apply international law, including the Fourth Geneva Conventions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in particular, United Nations resolutions. The Palestinian Liberation Movement, Fateh, said that if the UN simply applied the resolutions already on the books, regardless of those that did not make it due to the United States veto, the injustice would be rectified. Hundreds of UN resolutions in both the Security Council and the General Assembly were passed throughout decades of struggle, intended to be applied “in order to bring justice to the Palestinian people and end their suffering." more.. Shin Bet chief, UN commissioner meet secretly YNetNews 11/29/2006 First publication: Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin met earlier this week with UN Human Rights High Commissioner Louise Arbour, considered the most important international personage regarding the human rights issue. The rare meeting was initiated by the foreign ministry, who thought it appropriate that the head of a covert security organization – a body accused by humanitarian organizations of violating the rights of Palestinian suspects – meet with Arbour to explain the ethical dilemma facing Israel in its struggle against Palestinian terror. During the meeting, the two debated assassinations, Qassams, the IDF artillery operation in Beit Hanoun that led to 19 Palestinian deaths, the security fence and disruptions to Palestinian daily life. more.. Haniyya kicks off first foreign tour by outlining vague vision of statehood Daily Star 11/30/2006 PM refuses to say whether 1967 borders would be temporary or final -- Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya on Wednesday set the tone for his first foreign tour since taking office by promoting a Palestinian initiative based on an independent state on land outside Israel’s 1967 borders. On another front, Egypt’s intelligence chief held talks in Israel on Wednesday on a possible prisoner exchange between Israel and Palestinian militants. After talks in Cairo with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, Haniyya said that a timeframe for the creation of a state needs to be defined but did not insist on the six-month deadline put forward by Khaled Meshaal, Hamas’ political leader. Haniyya told a news conference it was time governments in the Middle East and around the world put pressure on Israel to recognize such an independent Palestinian state. more.. PM Haniyeh in Egypt at start of Middle East tour to raise support for the Palestinians, overcome economic siege Ma’an News Agency 11/29/2006 Cairo - Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh is in the Egyptian capital Cairo at the start of a tour of a number of Arab and Islamic countries in the Middle East. He will meet with his counterpart, the Egyptian prime minister, Dr. Ahmed Nazif, and his foreign minister, Ahmed Abu Al-Gheith, in addition to the secretary-general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa. In a press conference held on Tuesday evening, Haniyeh said that he has many issues to discuss on his tour, primarily related to the political and economic situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. He said that his tour aims to strengthen Palestinian relations with the Arab and Islamic world, both between the peoples and the governments. A spokesman for his Hamas party, Dr. Ismael Radwan, told Ma’an that Haniyeh will cut short his tour if there are unexpected obstacles requiring his attention. more.. Jordan refuses to receive Palestinian Prime Minister Palestine News Network 11/29/2006 The Al Quds Al Arabia daily newspaper published news today that Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya submitted a request to include a visit to Jordan during his current regional tour. He plans to visit Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Kuwait, Qatar and Iran. This is the first of its kind for the democratically elected Prime Minister since March. However, according to Al Quds Al Arabia, the Jordanian authorities are refusing to receive Prime Minister Haniya. Since he was elected on 25 January of this year, the Prime Minister has experienced no shortage of problems, the largest being the US-led political and economic blockade.... Palestinian sources report that Haniya sent a letter to the Palestinian ambassador in the Jordanian capital of Amman four weeks ago to arrange his visit. more.. Haniyeh meets with Egyptian foreign minister Ma’an News Agency 11/29/2006 Cairo - Palestinian Prime Minister Isma’il Haniyeh and his delegation have, on Wednesday, met in Cairo with the Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmad Abul-Gheit at the At-Tahrir ("liberation") palace. Haniyeh updated the Egyptian minister with news of the deteriorated situation in the Palestinian territories, as a result of the Israeli assaults and economic siege. The talks also tackled the Egyptian mediation to accomplish a prisoners’ exchange with Israel, in order to push the peace process forward. The Palestinian delegation accompanying the prime minister comprises the director of the prime minister’s office, Muhammad Al-Madhoon, the spokesperson of the government, Dr Ghazi Hamad, and the Palestinian ambassador to Egypt, Munthir Dajani. more.. Haniyeh honored by the union of Arab physicians Ma’an News Agency 11/29/2006 Cairo - The union of Arab physicians has, on Wednesday, honored Palestinian Prime Minister, Isma’il Haniyeh, who is visiting Cairo at the beginning of his first tour of Arab and Islamic countries since his inauguration as Prime Minister. The tour will include Qatar, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The executive director of the ambulance and relief committee of the union, Dr Jamal Abdus-Salam, said that the honor bestowed on Haniyeh is associated with his prominent role in the drive toward Palestinian unity, and getting rid of the occupation. While in Cairo, Haniyeh paid a visit to the injured Palestinians from Beit Hanoun, who are being treated at the Nasir Institute hospital. During the visit, Haniyeh declared that, "Great Egypt was, and still is, in the heart of every Palestinian..." more.. Palestinian university teachers mark International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People Ma’an News Agency 11/29/2006 The Palestinian University Teachers’ Association issued the following press release marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People:The 29th of November marks the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people. This anniversary is commemorated ever year by the United Nations, the very same organization that was pressurized by the imperialist forces, namely the United Sates of America, into partitioning Palestine on Novemeber 29,1947. In declaring this day a day of solidarity with the Palestinian people, the UN expressed its regret for this unjust and unjustifiable resolution which was taken regardless of the tremendous pain and horror it caused to the Palestinian people. And which led to the creation of a new entity, namely Israel, at the expense and on the soil of the Palestinian people. more.. Peres in the USA: West Bank settlements should mostly be evacuated Ma’an News Agency 11/29/2006 Bethlehem - Israeli deputy prime minister, Shimon Peres, expressed his believe that the truce announced between the Palestinians and the Israelis may lead to a resumption of peace negotiations, leading to a settlement of the conflict. In a speech at Cornell University in the United States, Peres said that this opportunity should not be lost. He also declared that most of the settlements in the West Bank should be evacuated, and those that are not evacuated, should be consolidated to ensure they cover not more than 8 percent of the West Bank. Peres added that Israel made a mistake by using cluster bombs in southern Lebanon during the war with Lebanon in the summer. [end] Impasse between Israel, Palestinians regarding the number of prisoners to be released Ma’an News Agency 11/29/2006 Bethlehem - The deal for a prisoners’ exchange between Israel and the Palestinians has been delayed because of differences between the two sides in regard to the number of Palestinian prisoners to be release, the. Israeli daily ’Haaretz’ has reported. The paper added that there is a huge gap between the number of prisoners to be released that Israel offers and what Hamas is demanding. ’Haaretz’ added that the Hamas political chief, Khalid Mash’al, is calling for at least 1,000 Palestinian prisoners to be released, while Israel has said that it is ready to release just 300 prisoners. [end] Rice’s visit shows US support of Abbas; Ma’an News Agency 11/29/2006 Bethlehem - The American secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, is due to meet with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, on Thursday in the West Bank city of Jericho. Both officials will discuss the "new circumstances" that follow the Israeli Prime Minister’s speech on Monday. Israeli political sources have foreseen that Rice will ask President Abbas to show more "gestures of leadership", through imposing his orders, and "not to miss opportunities." Rice will also propose the American efforts to work out a political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, affirm the commitment of the US to invest more efforts to enhance the status of the Palestinian president, and "to repair his ability to control the situation in the Palestinian territories. [end] Rice to Meet Israeli, Palestinian Leaders Washington Post 11/30/2006 DEAD SEA, Jordan, Nov. 29 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will meet Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the Palestinian Authority’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, as part of a U.S. effort to demonstrate progress on the Israeli-Palestinian peace effort. Rice will travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories shortly after attending meetings between President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Amman, Jordan. Then she will travel to this Jordanian resort for a conference designed to promote Palestinian democracy. U.S. officials say the renewed attempt to promote peace between the Israelis and Palestinians is separate from efforts to bring stability to Iraq.... Arab leaders have signaled that they expect the United States to demonstrate progress on building a Palestinian state... more.. UN begins mapping disputed Shaba Farms on Lebanon border Ha’aretz 11/30/2006 The United Nations has started work on mapping the Shaba Farms area on the northern border, using available maps and satellite photographs. The disputed territory, or parts of it, is claimed by Syria, Lebanon and Israel. The main problem facing the experts at UN Headquarters in New York in their efforts to map the area, is that in talks on the Shaba Farms in recent years, a fundamental element has been missing: The overall territory and borders of the disputed area are unclear. Western diplomats say the interpretations each side offers on the size of the territory and its ownership are completely different from those offered by the others. Another issue delaying a solution to the problem of Shaba Farms stems from the disagreement between Lebanon and Syria on ownership. more.. Thousands participate in rally for kidnapped soldiers in Brussels Ha’aretz 11/30/2006 The families of the two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah last summer are to return from Brussels Thursday, after meeting European Union parliament members and taking part in a mass rally to release the abducted soldiers." We still don’t know if they’re alive," said Shlomo Goldwasser, father of the soldier Udi Goldwasser, at a news conference. Representatives of European Jewish organizations, who organized the rally, said that thousands of Jews from all over Europe had come to Brussels to participate in it. The families asked the EU parliamentarians to help them obtain a sign of life from the soldiers. Udi Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were captured by Hezbollah and Noam Shalit was captured near the Gazan border.... European Friends of Israel (EFI), a European pro-Israeli lobby, joined the families... more.. Peretz: Egyptian presence contributes to regional stability YNetNews 11/29/2006 At start of his meeting with Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman, defense minister says, ’Suleiman greatly contributes to stability in the Middle East and to promotion of relationship between moderate forces in region. ’ In light of concern over arms smuggling from Egypt to Gaza, officials discuss deal for release of Gilad Shalit and Palestinian prisoners -- Defense Minister Amir Peretz met Wednesday afternoon with Egyptian Intelligence Chief General Omar Suleiman, and the two discussed the deal for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit and Palestinian prisoners, combined with a diplomatic move. At the start of the meeting, Minister Peretz said that "there is no doubt that Suleiman has made many contributions to the stability in the Middle East and to the promotion of the relationship between the moderate forces in the region." more.. Algerian festival shows solidarity with Palestinian struggle Ma’an News Agency 11/29/2006 Bethlehem - The national library of Algeria, in cooperation with the Palestinian embassy in Algeria, has organised a festival to show solidarity with Palestinian people. The festival marks the occasion of the "International day of solidarity with Palestinian people", which is running concurrently with the 18th anniversary of the declaration of the Palestinian independent state in Algeria in 1988. Speakers in the festival confirmed the support of the Algerian people and government toward the Palestinian people. The festival, in which many activities were offered, such as folklore and poetry, was attended by many Algerian officials and ambassadors in the Algerian capital, Algiers. [end] PFLP calls for "practical solidarity" with the Palestinian people Ma’an News Agency 11/29/2006 Gaza - The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), has on Wednesday issued a statement calling upon all free people of the world to support the Palestinian people, and to help lift the siege imposed on them. In a statement received by Ma’an, the PFLP thanked every person who expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people, despite "the hardships of the American era". They stressed the necessity for "practical, perceptible, action" to accompany the "abstract solidarity". The action of international solidarity which they are calling for is the build-up of pressure on the international community to offer protection to the Palestinian people, through temporary deployment of international forces to replace the Israeli occupation. more.. Germany, Israel sign youth exchange agreement YNetNews 11/29/2006 Young Israeli participating in project says, ’In Israel we only learned about Nazi Germany, here I saw new angles’ -- Israel and Germany have signed an agreement to continue cooperation on the Bilateral German-Israel Youth Exchange program during a meeting at the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv Tuesday evening. As part of the program, Israeli youths are brought to Germany to meet with Germans of their own age, while Germans also visit Israel. Signing the agreement for Israel, Union of Local Authorities Deputy Director-General Avi Rabinovitch told delegates, "This is a great honor for me on behalf of the State of Israel." Rabinovitch said he saw the Youth Exchange program as a way to foster warmer relations between Israelis and Germans who would one day become leaders of their countries. more.. Congenial meeting in Beirut warns against possible detractors Palestine News Network 11/29/2006 The Lebanon-based representatives of the Fateh movement, Palestine Liberation Organization, and Hezbollah sat down for what was described as a “congenial meeting” in Beirut. The subject was the current ’cease-fire’ with the Israelis and the Palestinian national unity government formation. Khalid Al Haj Aref, Sheikh Hassan Izz Al Din and Hussein Khalil were the major players discussing the latest developments that include all factions. The Fateh movement position was clear that “resistance and the Intifada cannot falter in its diligence in looking out for Israeli violations or abuses. The resistance will continue in many forms. ”The Fateh leader continued, “The Palestinian presence in Lebanon is not limited to being supportive of the unity of Lebanon and Arabism. more.. Rice to tell Abbas: ’Don’t miss opportunity, impose order’ Ha’aretz 11/29/2006 United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans to tell Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas at their meeting Thursday that he must increase his efforts to impose order in the Palestinian Authority, in order not to miss the opportunity to resume negotiations offered by the Gaza cease-fire and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s speech in Sde Boker on Monday, sources in Washington said Tuesday. Rice will pledge America’s aid in strengthening Abbas’ position, the sources said, but will stress that the United States expects results from him in return. Israeli officials said Washington understands that further progress depends on the success of the cease-fire, which took effect on Sunday. As of Tuesday night, it was still unclear whether Rice would also come to Jerusalem.... more.. ’No more steps until Shalit returned’ Jerusalem Post 11/29/2006 There is unlikely to be any additional progress in the suddenly rejuvenated diplomatic process until Cpl. Gilad Shalit is released, a senior diplomatic source said Tuesday, on the eve of a visit by Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. Suleiman met last week in Cairo with Damascus-based Hamas head Khaled Mashaal, who Israel believes holds the key to Shalit’s fate. The official hinted that expanding the cease-fire from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank would also be dependent on the release of Shalit, who has been held since June 25." Until the Shalit issue is solved, it will now be difficult to move forward with any confidence-building steps with the Palestinians beyond the decision Sunday to move the IDF out of Gaza," the official said. more.. PM Haniyeh heads abroad, says Israel must stop its arrests, incursions and assassinations for truce to last Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 Gaza - Israel must stop the arrests, incursions and assassinations in the West Bank if it wishes the truce to last, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh told journalists as he left the Gaza Strip for a tour of Arab and Islamic countries on Tuesday. Haniyeh, told journalists at the Rafah crossing, "This will be the first time I am leaving the territories since I occupied the post of prime minister. This visit aims to enhance the relationship with the Arab and Islamic countries in order to secure the necessary support for the Palestinian people to confront the siege". The prime minister added, "This visit will be for the good and interest of the Palestinians, their issues, rights and principles". He added that he is going to meet with Palestinian faction leaders in the Syrian capital, Damascus to discuss the issue of reforming the PLO... more.. Jordan says no to Palestinian refugees Jerusalem Post 11/28/2006 King Abdullah of Jordan said on Tuesday that he would not allow a massive influx of Palestinian refugees into his country as part of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. During a speech at the Jordanian parliament, Abdullah added that he would oppose any deal that discriminated against the Palestinians or that came at Jordan’s expense, Israel Radio reported. Jordan’s king went on to say that he would help the Palestinians as far as possible in establishing an independent state on the basis of UN decisions and the peace process. Abdullah criticized the extremists in the region while stressing that the Jordanians "would be the first to defend Islam." Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said that he was ready to talk to Israel about the details of the initiative presented by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert... more.. Jordan vows to reject ’unjust’ Palestinian-Israeli peace Daily Star 11/29/2006 AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Tuesday pledged his country would reject any "unjust settlement" of the Palestinian issue that could undermine Amman’s own stability and development. The king was speaking at the opening of the fourth ordinary session of Parliament since June 2003 elections, and his "speech from the throne" was followed by the re-election of the speaker for the 110-seat lower house." My government... commits itself to offering all possible support to the Palestinians," the king said." Jordan will not accept an unjust settlement of this issue, nor will Jordan accept any settlement that comes at its expense," he told the Upper and Lower chambers of Parliament. Jordan, where half the population is of Palestinian origin, has repeatedly said it will never accept becoming a substitute state for the Palestinians... more.. PM: Continuation of Qassam fire despite truce is ’disappointing’ Ha’aretz 11/29/2006 Halutz: IDF not consulted enough on truce decision -- Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday he was disappointed that Qassam fire from the Gaza Strip had continued into the third day of a mutual cease-fire." I very much hope the Palestinians will keep up their obligations and stop firing," Olmert said. Palestinian militants in the Gaza on Tuesday fired two rockets at the western Negev town of Sderot. Both rockets landed in an open field north of the city, causing no injuries or damage. Earlier Tuesday, Defense Minister Amir Peretz warned the Palestinian Authority to enforce the truce, saying that failure to do so could force a "fierce" Israeli response. Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz criticized the decision-making process of the political echelon on Tuesday... more.. Condoleezza Rice to visit Tel Aviv and Ramallah; Bush may invite Olmert and Abbas to meet him in Amman Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 The United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, intends to visit Israel and the occupied Palestinians territories over the coming days, according to Israeli political sources. The sources said, on Monday, that Rice intends to show the US administration’s support for the ceasefire which the Palestinians and Israelis have agreed upon. Rice will be accompanying the US president, George W Bush, on his visit to the Jordan capital, Amman, this week where he is scheduled to meet the Jordan monarch, Abdullah II, and the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri Al-Maliki. Rice decided to visit Tel Aviv and Ramallah after the Israelis and the Palestinians agreed on the ceasefire. The sources describe this ceasefire as having "imposed" on her agenda. more.. Red Cross: No signs of life from abducted IDF troops in Lebanon Ha’aretz 11/29/2006 The Red Cross has been unable to transfer letters written by their families to the two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah last summer, nor was it able to obtain any signs of life from Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, a Red Cross official told representatives of the families in Brussels on Tuesday. Though the organization promised to keep trying, Goldwasser’s mother Miki was infuriated by the news. It is inconceivable, she said, that the Red Cross could not transmit letters to her sons through Hezbollah when the organization is an official party that sits in Lebanon’s parliament. The families, who arrived in Brussels on Tuesday, also met with the speaker of the Belgian parliament, who promised to try and obtain information about the soldiers from his Lebanese counterpart, Nabih Berri. more.. Abbas welcomes Olmert’s ’positive’ peace overtures Daily Star 11/29/2006 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday welcomed as "positive" peace overtures from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, stirring hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough amid a fragile truce. In another apparent goodwill gesture, Israel has agreed in principle to let Abbas send a security force loyal to him into Gaza, where a fragile truce is in effect, an Israeli diplomatic source said on Tuesday. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya on Tuesday embarked on his first foreign tour since taking office to lobby for political and financial support in the region. He plans to be away for several weeks and visit Egypt, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Sudan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, a trip likely to delay further efforts to form a unity government with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. more.. The Al Aqsa Brigades fighters parade in Nablus, present homemade shell International Middle East Media Center 11/29/2006 The Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fateh movement, paraded on Tuesday in the northern West Bank City of Nablus, and presented new homemade shells they called Jund-Allah “the soldiers of God”. The group said that these shells will be fired at Israel in case of military escalation. The group said it has the missiles, but so far there is no decision to launch them at Israel. This is the first time an armed group openly announces its owns homemade shells in the occupied West Bank. The group was parading in a neighborhood in the Old City of Nablus. The shell can hit a target 5 kilometers away, and includes a 3 kg explosive head. During the march, one of the fighters read a statement announcing that the group is willing to take part in the ceasefire declared by the Palestinian factions, but Israel should in return stop its military... more.. Egyptian border guards refuse entry to Haniyeh entourage Jerusalem Post 11/29/2006 Egyptian security officials at the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday turned back several bodyguards and aides accompanying Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on his first visit to Egypt. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, held talks in Jordan with King Abdullah on the latest developments in the Palestinian territories in the aftermath of the cease-fire with Israel that was announced earlier this week. Sources close to Abbas told The Jerusalem Post that he will also discuss preparations for the deployment of the Jordan-based Palestinian Bader Force in the Gaza Strip. They said Israel has agreed in principle to allow the 2,000-strong force, which is a branch of the PLO’s Palestine Liberation Army, to deploy in the Gaza Strip to help enforce law and order. more.. U.S.: No point for Israel to talk to a Syria that supports terror Ha’aretz 11/29/2006 There is no point for Israel to hold negotiations with Syria as long as the latter continues to support and facilitate terrorism, United States National Security Adviser Steven Hadley said on Tuesday." Here is Syria, which is clearly putting pressure on the Lebanese democracy, is a supporter of terror, is both provisioning and supporting Hezbollah and facilitating Iran in its efforts to support Hezbollah, is supporting the activities of Hamas," Hadley said during a visit to Riga alongside President George W. Bush for a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit." This is not a Syria that is on an agenda to bring peace and stability to the region, and I think Prime Minister Olmert said, under those circumstances, with that kind of Syrian policy, how can you talk about negotiating on the Golan Heights?..." more.. Palestinian FM enters Gaza Strip carrying case with $20M in cash Ha’aretz 11/28/2006 Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar on Tuesday entered the Gaza Strip carrying a suitcase containing $20 million in cash. Al-Zahar raised the funds, which he brought in through the border with Egypt, over the past two weeks during a series of visits to several Arab countries. Various Palestinian officials, using their VIP status, have brought millions in Arab-donated dollars into Gaza in recent months, despite international sanctions against the group. In June, al-Zahar brought 20 million euros across the border, stuffed in 12 suitcases. Palestinian law permits cash to be carried over the border as long as it is declared. The international community has said it will not lift the sanctions unless Hamas recognizes Israel, accepts past peace deals and renounces violence, conditions Hamas has rejected. more.. Suleiman to arrive for talks on Shalit Jerusalem Post 11/28/2006 More than five months after IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit was taken captive by Hamas operatives in a raid on an army outpost at Kerem Shalom on the Gaza border, Egypt’s head of intelligence, Omar Suleiman, was expected to arrive Wednesday to discuss an incipient deal for his release. Suleiman, who is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, and National Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, plans to share the details of talks in Cairo last weekend with Hamas leader-in-exile Khaled Mashaal. Mashaal met Suleiman - Egypt’s point man for the Israeli-Palestinian dispute - the previous day continued the negotiations with other security officials into the evening, an Egyptian security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media. more.. Olmert: Israel agrees to the formation of a contiguous Palestinian state free of settlements Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 Bethlehem - Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, announced yesterday that Israel has made a deal with Hamas in which Israel accepts the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners, even those sentenced to long-term imprisonment, according to a report aired on Israeli television Channel Two last night. Channel Two added that, with the approval of Olmert, a secret channel was opened with the imprisoned Fatah leader, Marwan Al-Barghouthi, to discuss the details of the Israeli plan, aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state. Channel Two described Olmert’s speech as "reconciliatory" in which he promised the Palestinians to establish a state with continuous borders and free of settlements. Olmert’s plan brought harsh criticism from the extreme right. more.. Senior PLO aide, Farouq Qaddoumi, to travel to New York for International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 Khan Younis - Farouq Qaddoumi, the head of political and foreign affairs in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), will travel to New York on Tuesday in order to participate in Wednesday’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, according to sources close to Qaddoumi. On the margins of this event, which was established by the United Nations in 1979 and is held every year on 29 November, Qaddoumi’s delegation plans to meet with the United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan and representatives from Russia, China, Cuba, Venezuela and some Arab and European countries. The source added that Qaddoumi will tour some Latin American countries before returning to the Middle East. This tour is aimed at updating the Latin American heads of states regarding the recent developments in the Palestinian arena.. more.. Hamas: Any Israeli violation of the truce in the West Bank endangers the ceasefire Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 Gaza - A senior Hamas spokesman has declared that any Israeli violation of the truce, especially in the West Bank, puts its survival at risk. Dr. Ismael Radwan added, "The truce is related to [stopping] the projectile-launching [in exchange] for an Israeli commitment to stop its aggressions in the West Bank and the Strip ". Speaking to Ma’an via telephone, Radwan said, "The truce includes the West Bank as a condition. This was agreed upon between the factions and Abbas". He added that there is no time limit for the truce. He said that the period of the truce depends on its evaluation by the committee which was formed by the factions to oversee the truce. He also said, "It depends on the Israeli commitment in this regard. more.. Solana urges the Quartet to oversee the Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 Bethlehem - The European Union foreign and security policy chief, Javier Solana, has issued a request to the Quartet, which comprises of the UN, EU, USA and Russia, to establish an international mechanism to monitor the cease-fire between the Palestinians and the Israelis, the website of the Israeli paper ’Yedioth Ahronoth’ reported on Monday evening. Solana said that he wished to see greater intervention by the Quartet committee in regards to overseeing the situation on the ground in the region. [end] Mash’al meets senior Russian aide in Damascus Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 A high-ranking official in the Hamas movement said that the Hamas political head, Khalid Mash’al, met with the Russian foreign minister’s undersecretary, Alexander Sultanov, in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Monday, in order to discuss the formation of the new Palestinian government. A Hamas political bureau member, Izzat Rishiq, said that Sultanov met with Mash’al and other prominent Hamas members late on Monday. They discussed the latest developments regarding the formation of the new government and also Hamas’ point-of-view in this regard. He added that the meeting also addressed the issue of the international economic siege imposed on the Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories. [end] Tayseer Khalid lambasts Olmert’s speech for demanding the Palestinians renounce their national rights Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 Jenin - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s so-called ’reconciliatory’ speech is flexible in its format and rigid in its content, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the political bureau of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), declared in a statement sent to Ma’an. Tayseer Khalid criticised some of Olmert’s demands, such as calling on the Palestinians to renounce their legitimate right to resist the occupation, and the right of the Palestinian refugees to return to their homes. Khalid also condemned Olmert’s demand that a new Palestinian government must be formed in accordance with the American and Israeli criteria in order to return to any negotiations. ` more.. Ali Abunimah discusses the potential for "One Country" in Palestine By Ali Abunimah, Electronic Intifada/Democracy Now! 11/28/2006 EI’s Ali Abunimah appeared on Democracy Now!, interviewed by host Amy Goodman, on Tuesday, November 28, 2006. He was joined by Columbia University professor and author of the new book, "The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood," Rashid Khalidi. These two leading Palestinian-American intellectuals discuss the current situation in Palestine, the role of US policy, and former President Jimmy Carter’s new book on Palestine. In addition, Abunimah and Khalidi discuss the history of colonialism and occupation, from the British to the present, in Palestine. -- Listen here to Ali Abunimah and Rashid Khalidi(mp3 file) more.. Supreme Judge meets with the Swedish consul general in Jerusalem Ma’an News Agency 11/28/2006 Jerusalem - The Supreme Judge in Palestine, Tayseer Tamimi, met with Swedish consul general, Nils Eliasson, in Jerusalem on Tuesday. The judge briefed the consul about the general conditions of the Palestinians living in the city of Jerusalem and in the occupied Palestinian territories in general. Tamimi urged the consul to ask his government to pressurize Israel to stop its unjust measures in the occupied Palestinian territories. He praised the role of the Swedish government in their support to the Palestinian people. The consul said, ’’This visit comes within the mutual cooperation with the judge as a prominent figure in Palestine, and to enhance the dialogue between civilizations". He also condemned the abuses against Islam which he said will not serve the cooperation between the Europeans and Muslims. [end] AJC slams proposal to change Law of Return to exclude converts Ha’aretz 11/29/2006 The heads of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) sent an unusually harsh letter yesterday to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, warning that if a proposed change goes through in the Law of Return excluding converts in the definition of a Jew, it could seriously impair support for Israel among American Jews. The letter came after Haaretz reported that a bill to change the Law of Return had been put before Olmert whereby converts would not be considered Jews for the purposes of the Law of Return. The bill was initiated by Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar and formulated by the Chief Rabbinate’s legal advisor due to its concern that the High Court is on the verge of recognizing Reform conversions in Israel as valid for the purpose of the Law of Return. more.. Mofaz: Arafat agreed to house secret Iranian bases inside PA Ha’aretz 11/28/2006 Iran and the Palestinian Authority, then headed by Yasser Arafat, reached a secret agreement in 2002, which called for the creation of branch Iranian revolutionary guard corps bases in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in exchange for military aid to the Palestinian Authority. Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, who had been serving as defense minister at the time, discovered the details of the deal on Monday. According to Mofaz, Arafat formulated the deal with Iranian leaders in secret meetings. Mofaz added that as part of the deal Iran supplied the Palestinian Authority with 50 tons of military equipment as specified by Arafat. This equipment was intercepted by the Israel Defense Forces on munitions ship "Karin A" in 2002. more.. Sides work on extending cease-fire to West Bank Jerusalem Post 11/28/2006 Confidants of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas are in "constant contact" trying to reach an agreement to expand the cease-fire in Gaza to include the West Bank, senior government sources said Monday evening. The comments came hours after Olmert, in a speech at David Ben-Gurion’s grave in Sde Boker marking the 33rd anniversary of his death, defined the concessions Israel would be willing to make were the Palestinians to end terrorism, give up demands for a right of refugee return and free captive soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit.... Officials in the Prime Minister’s Office said Olmert’s decision to directly address the Palestinian people and say he would release numerous Palestinian prisoners, "including ones who were sentenced to lengthy prison terms," was meant to go over Mashaal’s head... more.. Rogue rockets fail to shatter Gaza ceasefire deal The Guardian 11/27/2006 Cautious hopes for return to peace negotiations · Israel vows restraint after shaky start to truce -- A surprise ceasefire between Palestinian militants in Gaza and the Israeli military appeared to hold for its opening day yesterday, raising the first hopes for months of a return to peace negotiations. The dawn truce got off to a shaky start as some militants fired several of their crude rockets into southern Israel in the early morning. But Israeli troops did not respond, and Palestinian officials said later they believed the ceasefire was still intact. The agreement, brokered by the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and offered to the Israelis in a late-night telephone call on Saturday, may bring to an end five months of violence in Gaza that came at huge cost. more.. Olmert demands the Palestinians to drop the Right of Return International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2006 Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, said on Monday that Israel insists on unilaterally drawing its borders, totally rejecting the Right of Return of the Palestinian Refugees, and that Israel will implement the Road Map plan but with the implementation of “the letter of assurances” Israel received from the American president in April 14, 2004. The letter of assurances, sent by Bush to the then-Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, includes modifying the Road Map Plan in a way that will not oblige Israel to withdraw from Jerusalem, and assures the country that it could retain the large settlement blocs and reject the Right of Return. Olmert demanded the Palestinians to form a government that abides by Quartet’s conditions to “renounce violence, recognize Israel and recognize the previous peace deals”. more.. Syria accuses Israel of building dam Jerusalem Post 11/28/2006 Damascus accused Israel on Monday of building a dam on the Golan Heights to steal water and deprive Syria and Jordan from badly needed resources, Syria’s official news agency reported. Irssan Irssan, head of the water resources department at the town of Quneitra just across the border from the Golan Heights, said Israel started building the dam in July only 10 meters (yards) away from the cease-fire line delineated by a UN peacekeeping force in the area." The dam will divert rain water from the Golan Heights and will deprive Syrian farmers and shepherds from the most important resources for their farms and their animals," Irssan said. A senior Israeli official denied Syria’s allegations, saying Israel does not have any dams." We are not a country that has enough water to have dams," said the official... more.. White House hails ’welcome developments’ by Israel, Palestinians Ha’aretz 11/28/2006 A day after a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians largely went into effect and hours after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert laid out a new initiative for talks with the Palestinians, the United States said Monday it saw potential for reviving the Arab-Israeli peace process." I think this [speech by Olmert], combined with the announcement of a cease-fire, is certainly welcome developments, certainly potentially promising," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack." Our role is to try to help the parties see how they can surmount those obstacles and to bring in neighbors in the region who have an interest in seeing the parties get back to a political horizon," McCormack said, adding that the United States viewed Olmert’s speech as "constructive." more.. Erekat: Despite violation, truce can and must hold Ha’aretz 11/28/2006 Palestinian lawmaker Saeb Erekat on Monday condemned a Qassam rocket strike on Israel from Gaza earlier in the day, but said that the day-old cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians "can work, and I believe we have to make it work." Speaking to Channel 2 Television, Erekat called for patience regarding the truce violations. "I admit there were Palestinian violations, [and] let me condemn them," he said." I know how much trust you have of us, but what other road do we have? " he asked. "This can work and I believe we have to make it work." Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh also urged Israel on Monday to refrain from its operations in the West Bank. Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired two Qassam rockets at Israel on Monday, despite a day-old cease-fire... more.. Olmert offers prisoner swaps AlJazeera 11/27/2006 Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, has said Israel is ready to "withdraw from considerable territory", free Palestinian prisoners and release funds to the Palestinian Authority in exchange for the return of a soldier seized in June. He also said a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip was possible if peace talks were begun. It is the first time Olmert has offered to exchange prisoners for Gilad Shalit, whose capture in a cross-border raid by Palestinian militants triggered an Israeli offensive into the Gaza Strip. Olmert’s speech came after a ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on Sunday morning. Olmert said: "With Gilad Shalit’s release and his return safe and sound to his family, the Israeli government will be willing to release many Palestinian prisoners, even those who have been sentenced to lengthy terms." more.. Implementation of the agreement on movement and access, 18-31 Oct 2006 ReliefWeb/OCHA 11/27/2006 14 Nov 2006 - The United Nations (1) is submitting the 26th bi-weekly report on the implementation of the 15 November Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA), covering the period 1 – 14 November 2006 inclusive. 1. Overall Progress: In the 2 weeks prior to the signing of the AMA in 2005 an average of 192 trucks entered through Karni daily and 22 exited. (3) At the end of the first year of AMA implementation, 205 trucks entered and 28 left an average increase of 15%. Sufa crossing opened for the same number of days. Rafah had been closed immediately prior to the AMA agreement; a year later it has been open on 4 days during a two week period. However, Rafah continues to open erratically and the average number of people crossing is only a third of that during the first 6 months of the AMA implementation.... Rafah crossing was open on 4 days... more.. Islamic Jihad: no ’cease-fire’ without West Bank Palestine News Network 11/27/2006 Remaining true to the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people becomes nearly impossible within the confines of the current rules of the international community -- Mahmoud Al Sa’adi is a leading figure in the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine. He is among the ’cease-fire’ detractors that Government Spokesperson Ghazi Hamad denies exist. Al Sa’adi rejects any ’cease-fire’ with the Israeli occupation that does not include cities in the West Bank. He points out that the Israeli government is appropriating territory and practicing some of the worst forms of aggression and repression against the Palestinian people in history. He warned that Islamic Jihad’s glasses are not fogged and the response that may come from the armed resistance wing affiliated with them could be severe “in the light of Israeli arrogance. ” more.. ’Cease-fire deal must apply in W. Bank as well’ Jerusalem Post 11/27/2006 Hamas on Sunday dismissed as "unacceptable" Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s threat to arrest any Palestinian who violates the latest cease-fire with Israel. Meanwhile, several Palestinian armed groups warned that they would resume their attacks unless Israel also halted its military operations in the West Bank. At least three groups, including Islamic Jihad, have refused to sign on to the cease-fire agreement. One of them is the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, which said it would not abide by the cease-fire as long as Israel continued to arrest its members in the West Bank. The group, which belongs to Abbas’s Fatah party, was responding to the arrest of Mahmoud Kadoura, a top member of the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, in Ramallah. more.. Government Spokesperson says ’cease-fire’ is a go and denies existence of skeptics Palestine News Network 11/27/2006 Government Spokesperson Ghazi Hamad said that the agreement for a ’cease-fire’ was signed by all Palestinian forces and factions. “This agreement reflects the strength and unity of the Palestinian ranks with an understanding of the nature of national interest. ”The Palestinian Prime Minister and President’s offices are moving to ensure that no excuses can be used to stop getting the blockade lifted and with a ’cease-fire,’ attentions can go back to unity government formation. When Israel said it would stop all forms of aggression against the Palestinian people and showed a commitment, President Abbas and Prime Minister Haniya jumped at the chance and organized the armed resistance to stop launching projectiles from the northern Gaza Strip. more.. Haniyya to meet Egyptian officials in Cairo Tuesday International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2006 Senior Palestinian sources reported on Monday that Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyya, will head to Cairo on Tuesday for meetings with Egyptian officials to discuss the issues of National Unity Government, prisoner swap deal and lifting the embargo imposed on the Palestinians, the Ramattan news agency reported. The sources stated that Haniyya also intends to tour in several Arab countries to inform the leaders on the developments in Palestine. Haniyya did not leave the Gaza Strip since his movement, Hamas, won the legislative elections last January. On Sunday evening, Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashal left the Egyptian capital after a three-day visit where he met with the Egyptian Intelligence Chief, Omar Suleiman, and discussed with him several issues... more.. Abu Rdainah responds to Olmert: Deeds are preferable to words Ma’an News Agency 11/27/2006 Gaza - In the first official response to the declarations of the Israeli prime minister, the spokesperson of the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rdainah stated "What is needed is deeds, not words". He also stated the necessity of restarting negotiations in order to start serious talks, based on the resolutions of the international community and the implementation of the Road Map plan, including the Arab peace initiative, particularly the issue of the right of repatriation of refugees. The Israeli prime minister stated earlier on Monday, that Israel would be willing to evacuate large territories, including some settlements, in exchange for "real peace" and the Palestinians abandoning of the right of repatriation. In addition, Olmert stated that Israel will release a large number of Palestinian prisoners... more.. PM likely to present plans for diplomatic peace effort Ha’aretz 11/27/2006 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is expected to give a speech focusing on diplomatic issues Monday at the annual memorial service for prime minister David Ben-Gurion at Sde Boker in the Negev. Olmert’s bureau would not reveal any details of the contents of the address, but it may be assumed that following the cease-fire deal reached with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Olmert will present his plans and expectations for a diplomatic initiative with the Palestinians. Government sources in Jerusalem said Sunday they believed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority this week as an expression of U.S. support for the Gaza cease-fire. Rice is to arrive Wednesday with President George W. Bush in Jordan to take part in a conference on democracy and development called by King Abdullah.... more.. Hamas chief warns of new intifada BBC Online 11/25/2006 The exiled political leader of the Palestinian radical group Hamas has warned of another uprising (intifada) by Palestinians. Khaled Meshaal said it would happen unless there was international agreement on a Palestinian state within six months. Mr Meshaal said Israel would have to withdraw to its pre-1967 borders. He was speaking in Cairo amid talks with Egyptian mediators on forming a Palestinian national unity government. Also on the agenda was a possible prisoner exchange with Israel. Mr Meshaal said Hamas would be prepared to co-operate on a ceasefire - including an end to missile attacks on Israel - if there was an Israeli commitment to withdraw to the borders that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. ’Seize this opportunity’ -- "We give the international community six months for real political horizons..." more.. Israel ignores Mashaal’s ultimatum Jerusalem Post 11/25/2006 Jerusalem pointedly did not respond Saturday to Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal’s threats that Israel had six months to negotiate an agreement on a Palestinian State in Gaza and the West Bank or "face a third intifada." "We don’t have to comment on every remark this man says," a diplomatic official in Jerusalem said. "This is not the way we work." For a Jerusalem Online video of events click hereThe official said that Mashaal, with his contradictory statements, was trying to "drive the system nuts. On the one hand he wants to stress the positive, a willingness to negotiate, on the other he threatens another intifada. On the one hand he says that the release of [kidnapped soldier Gilad] Shalit is near, on the other hand he blames Israel that it has not taken place. We don’t need to respond to this." more.. Jordanian king: region faces three civil wars The Guardian 11/27/2006 Fears for Iraq, Lebanon and Palestinian territories · US ’must bring parties together’ · Israeli troops kill two Palestinians in West Bank -- King Abdullah of Jordan warned yesterday that three civil wars could break out in the Middle East, and called for "something dramatic" to come out of a summit this week that George Bush will attend. Speaking on US television, he said growing factional tensions in Iraq, the Palestinian territories and Lebanon could lead to a "tremendous crisis" in the region. The king, who will host a summit in Amman between Iraq’s prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, and the US president, said Iraq was "beginning to spiral out of control". But the main problem in the region nevertheless remained the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he said. "Palestine is the core... it is linked to the extent of what’s going on in Iraq." more.. Secretary-General welcomes Gaza ceasefire ReliefWeb 11/27/2006 The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan: The Secretary-General welcomes the reported agreement between President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, to establish a mutual ceasefire in Gaza. He is, however, deeply concerned that Palestinian militants continue to fire rockets against civilian targets inside Israel. Such attacks underscore the destructive power that militants have to derail the crucial efforts under way to de-escalate tensions. The Secretary-General calls upon both parties to adhere strictly to their commitment, and avoid hasty action which could jeopardize progress towards a sustained period of calm. He also encourages them to endeavour to extend the ceasefire to the West Bank. [end] UNIFIL Troops Bring Calm to the South Despite Challenges An Nahar 11/27/2006 Three months into their mission of enforcing a cease-fire, U. N. peacekeepers have succeeded so far in keeping the peace at the Israeli-Lebanon border that previously had been a Mideast flashpoint for decades. No shooting incidents have been reported across the international border since the U. N. Interim Force in Lebanon began beefing up with the arrival of French forces Aug. 19, shortly after a U. N. cease-fire ended this summer’s Israeli-Hizbullah war. But the peacekeepers’ mission remains far from complete: Israel’s warplanes continue to fly over Lebanon, and Israeli troops continue to hold on to the divided border village of Ghajar. Perhaps most troubling to the world community, Hizbullah has so far kept its weapons, albeit hidden, despite a handful of small seizures in south Lebanon since the war’s end. more.. Armitage: Israel Failed to Learn from U.S. Mistakes in Iraq An Nahar 11/27/2006 Israel failed to learn from U.S. mistakes in Iraq when it fought Hizbullah during the summer, former U.S. deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage said Monday. He said Israel conducted the 34-day July-August war "in a manner that was guaranteed to fail by trying to do it antiseptically from the air, instead of learning the lessons that we seem to have forgotten in Iraq, and that is that only a soldier with a bayonet" can bend an enemy’s will. Israel made extensive use of aerial bombing in the war but failed to achieve its main objectives...." So the upshot of this inexplicable policy to date has been the emboldenment of Syria, the emboldenment of Iran and the fact that Hizbullah now is seen as an ascendant NGO," Armitage told international conflict mediators gathered to discuss peacemaking at a retreat in Singapore. more.. Chile celebrates November as a Month of Action for Palestine! Stop The Wall 11/25/2006 Every week several initiatives are taking place highlighting the events of the month: the week against the Apartheid Wall, the anniversary of the declaration of Independence, the death of Yasser Arafat and the UN day for Palestine. The activities range from conferences, video screenings and exhibits to a mass held in the cathedral of Santiago, the capital of Chile, celebrated by the cardinal. A series of solidarity declarations have been issued by various organizations. The Chilean communist party – after the renewed veto of the US to a statement of condemnation of the massacre in Beit Hanoun - has clearly demanded from the government to speak up, denounce and act against the crimes of the Occupation. more.. Israel rejects Palestinian offer to halt rocket fire ReliefWeb 11/24/2006 GAZA CITY, Nov 24, 2006 (AFP) - A proposal by Palestinian factions to stop rocket attacks in exchange for an end to Israeli offensives in Gaza and the West Bank was rejected as inadequate by Israel on Friday. A Palestinian child and Hamas militant were killed by Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip just hours after a spokesman for the ultra-radical Islamic Jihad extended the offer, following an overnight meeting between rival factions. Four Palestinian rockets also exploded inside Israel in ongoing attacks on Friday, causing damage to a commercial centre in the southern town of Sderot. Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniya, head of the Western-boycotted Hamas government, reiterated on Friday that Israeli offensives should end "in order to allow factions to stop" rocket fire. more.. U.S. Groups To Host Rightist Minister With Anti-Arab Plan Forward 11/24/2006 In a further indication of his acceptance into the political mainstream, controversial right-wing Israeli politician and newly minted government minister Avigdor Lieberman will be hosted next month in New York by the most influential umbrella organization of American Jewish groups. The leader of the secular nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, Lieberman is best known for his proposal to transfer part of Israel’s Arab population by turning over territory within the 1967 border to the Palestinians. But he is slated to speak about Iran on December 12, when he addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in his capacity as deputy prime minister in charge of strategic threats.... the decision to host Lieberman, a pariah among Israeli doves, has not drawn any public objections from members of the conference. more.. Survey: Israel has world’s worst image Globes Online 11/23/2006 Israel was ranked last in perception of its government, and as a tourist attraction. -- The Anholt-GMI Nation Brand Index for the third quarter of 2006 unflatteringy rates Israel as “the country with the world’s worst image. ” The quarterly survey examines the perceptions and positions of 25,900 consumers in 35 developed and developing countries towards 36 nation brands. A nation’s image is based on six variables: the consumers’ opinions about the country’s export products, its tourist appeal, investment potential, potential emigration target, perceptions of the values of its government, heritage and culture, and behavior of its residents. Israel is ranked at or near the bottom in almost every variable. The reason is not lack of brand recognition; Israel is one of the most well-known countries in the world. more.. Iraq war was good for Israel: Olmert Washington Post 11/22/2006 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Iraq war was a boon for Israel’s security, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Wednesday, voicing fresh endorsement for a Bush administration sapped by the unpopularity at home of its Middle East policies. The mid-term election losses of U.S. President George W. Bush’s Republican Party were widely considered a repudiation of his decision to topple Iraq’s Saddam Hussein as part of a vision of democratizing the region and bolstering allies like Israel. Olmert avoided explicit comment on the Republicans’ fortunes during Washington talks with Bush earlier this month. But in a speech to visiting American Jews, Olmert made clear he had few regrets about the changes wrought by the 2003 invasion of Iraq...." Thank God for the power and the determination and leadership manifested by President Bush." more.. Israel: No end to Gaza offensive until Palestinians halt rocket fire Ha’aretz 11/25/2006 Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Meshal said in an interview published Friday in the saudi Al-Watan daily that if Israel adopts serious measures to release teenage and female prisoners, he will see it as proof of its good intentionsMeshal met on Thursday in Cairo with the Head of Egyptian Intelligence Omar Suleiman, and discussed the status of Gilad Shalit and the current crisis in Palestinian politics. At the meetings end, representatives from both sides said that they held a "positive discussion". Meshal arrived in Cairo as head of an envoy of senior members from the Hamas Damascus branch, including Imad al-Alami, head of the Damascus bureau and Mohammad Nasser, a member of the Hamas Policy Bureau. His visit was planned for the end of last October, but was postponed for unknown reasons. more.. Governor Tamari: I will not accept the plunder of Bethlehem Palestine News Network 11/25/2006 Under the laws of occupation, the Bethlehem District Governor says, we must struggle over land ownership. But he was not only speaking of Israeli destruction, but also of internal fighting between families embroiled in land disputes. “It is a thorny, sensitive, and complex file that must be confronted through legal and peaceful means,” Salah Tamari said as he invited PNN to sit down in his office during an Israeli siege. The Governor said that he could not leave while soldiers were “blockading houses and shooting at people. ”In such emergency situations, Tamari said, “I cannot leave. We are following the developments and we informed the Office of the President, especially as these attacks have been taking place in Bethlehem since the beginning of this month." more.. Israel Rejects Palestinian Peace Offer Washington Post 11/24/2006 JEBALIYA, Gaza Strip -- The Palestinian prime minister said Friday that militants were prepared to stop firing rockets at Israel if it would halt all military action in Palestinian territories. Israel rejected the offer, saying it would respond positively only to a total truce. Similar proposals in the past have failed to curb fighting, and a spokesman for the ruling Hamas group quickly stepped back from the cease-fire talk, which came as fighting between militants and Israeli troops in Gaza claimed the lives of a 10-year-old Palestinian boy and a militant filming the clashes.... Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said armed factions had agreed Thursday to halt rocket fire in exchange for a complete cessation of Israeli military operations in Gaza and the West Bank." The ball now is in the Israeli court," Haniyeh said. more.. MP Qaraqa’: Israeli government lives in a political vacuum as it tries to block European conference Palestine News Network 11/25/2006 Member of Parliament Issa Qaraqa’ told the Women’s Committee for Social Action that the Israeli government lives in a political vacuum and crisis. He cited Israeli official attempts to block an international conference initiated by the French, Spanish, and Italians. Palestinian Legislative Council member and former Director of the Palestinian Prisoner Society Qaraqa’ said that the international peace conference initiative includes a call for protection for the Palestinian people. He said that the Israeli government has been “racing against time to close the path to the Europeans. ”Qaraqa’ pointed out that since the end of the war in Lebanon, the Israeli government began a bid to return to the rejected version of the Road Map. It was deemed unacceptable last year after the Israelis changed 14 major points... more.. Peaceful settlement of Palestine question, UN special information programme among issues addressed as Palestinian rights committee approves four texts ReliefWeb/United Nations General Assembly 11/24/2006 Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People - 297th Meeting (AM) -- The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People this morning approved four new draft resolutions for General Assembly adoption calling for measures to be taken by the Committee, the Division for Palestinian Rights and the Department of Public Information in light of new developments in the Middle East, including the assassination of Pierre Gemayel, Lebanon’s Minister of Industry, on Tuesday. By the first text, the General Assembly would request the Committee to continue extending its cooperation and support to civil society organizations to mobilize international solidarity and support for the Palestinian people, particularly during this critical period of humanitarian hardship and financial crisis... more.. Former MI officer: Israel must sit down for talks with Syria Ha’aretz 11/24/2006 Former senior Military Intelligence officer Dr. Yossi Ben Ari said this week he believes Israel should try to reach a rapid peace agreement with Syria. Ben Ari argues that Syrian president Bashar Assad and the Syrian military exploited the war in Lebanon to draw the conclusion that rocket and missile arsenals are the most important component in a conflict with Israel." If war breaks out, the sides will come to the negotiating table at the end, where they can already sit now," he said. Ben Ari will speak about his conclusions at a conference Sunday, when the complete results of a Market Watch poll on Israeli opinion about talks with Syria will also be released. Partial survey results released Wednesday indicate that more than half of Israelis would like to see Israel engage in negotiations with Syria, but are unprepared to withdraw from the Golan Heights... more.. Islamic Jihad: A one-sided truce is not acceptable Ma’an News Agency 11/24/2006 Gaza - Any talk about truce with the Israeli occupation in the shadow of Israel’s aggression is unacceptable, according to the media spokesman of the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad. Abu Ahmad said in a statement issued Friday, "the resistance will not accept any free-of-charge truce with the enemy, as this enemy still continues to strike houses, assassinate the ’mujahideen’ [fighters] and escalate their aggressions against the Palestinians". The statement also said, "Islamic Jihad rejects any truce presented without the other side’s acceptance of the conditions of the resistance, and that includes stopping the assaults, opening the crossings, lifting the siege, and exchanging and releasing prisoners." In regards to the projectile-launching, Abu Ahmad said, "the projectile-launching is part of the natural retaliation..." more.. Intel Post Fuels New Dem Fight In Congress Forward 11/24/2006 A California lawmaker’s campaign to become chair of a key congressional committee over the objections of House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi is dividing Jewish lawmakers and failing to attract public support from Jewish groups. For months, speculation has bubbled in Washington over Pelosi’s alleged desire to keep the reins of the House Intelligence Committee out of the hands of fellow California Rep. Jane Harman and instead elevate Rep. Alcee Hastings, a South Florida lawmaker who was previously removed from his federal judgeship because of influence peddling. ... Debbie Wasserman Schultz, another Jewish legislator, also signed the letter.... Hastings, first elected to the House in 1992, is known as one of Israel’s strongest advocates in Congress, as is Harman. more.. Jihad leader: Qassams to cease if all military operations stopped in West Bank, Gaza Ha’aretz 11/24/2006 Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Fatah have agreed to stop launching Qassam rockets against Israel, if the Israel Defense Forces ceases its operations in the Gaza Strip, Hader Habib said Thursday night. Government spokeswoman Miri Eisin responded to the proposal by saying Israel would only stop its actions after militants laid down their weapons." Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups have chosen to fire rockets into Israel day in and day out. Israel will continue to defend its citizens against the rockets and will only stop its actions once those who fire, store and make the rockets and those who smuggle in their components cease their actions," Eisin said. According to Habib, the understandings between the various Palestinian factions were reached during a meeting of representatives of the groups... more.. Israel sending Hamas cease-fire signals Jerusalem Post 11/24/2006 Recognizing that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is incapable of halting the Kassam rocket fire from Gaza, Israel reportedly is conveying messages indirectly to Hamas to try and secure a cease-fire. While insisting that Israel was not maintaining a continuous, indirect dialogue with Hamas, a government official on Thursday night acknowledged that messages were "getting through." The government appeared to be seeking a "de facto" hudna arrangement that would include the release of kidnapped soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit in an exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a halt to targeted killings of terrorists in Gaza and an end to the Kassam attacks out of Gaza, former National Security Council chief Giora Eiland said Thursday. more.. Mashaal in Cairo for talks on Shalit Jerusalem Post 11/23/2006 The exiled political leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, held talks with Egyptian intelligence Thursday on moves to secure the release of a captured Israeli soldier and the formation of a new Palestinian government, Egyptian officials said. Mashaal met the chief of intelligence, Omar Suleiman - Egypt’s point man for the Israeli-Palestinian dispute - and continued the negotiations with other security officials into the evening, an Egyptian security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media. No statement was released on the talks, but Mashaal’s deputy in Syria, Moussa Abu Marzouk, said that Mashaal had gone to Cairo "to discuss the Israeli soldier issue and the national unity government." more.. Rice drops plan for Jordan peace summit due to PA turmoil Ha’aretz 11/24/2006 U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had wanted to use her trip to Jordan next week to jump-start Israeli-Palestinian talks, but the idea was shelved due to the Palestinians’ ongoing failure to establish a unity government, Israeli government sources said. Earlier this week, U.S. President George W. Bush unexpectedly announced he would be joining Rice on her Jordan trip, which was scheduled to coincide with a conference that King Abdullah of Jordan is hosting. Bush is coming mainly to reassure a key American ally in the region that the United States will not execute a hasty withdrawal from Iraq in response to the Republican defeat in the American midterm elections earlier this month. But Rice’s visit was planned some time ago, and she originally considered inviting PM Ehud Olmert and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas... more.. Dovish Israeli MP trumpets new plan to jumpstart peace process Daily Star 11/24/2006 JERUSALEM: Amid increasing calls for a diplomatic breakthrough to end the continuing Israeli-Palestinian crisis, a prominent leader of Israel’s left-wing bloc has come up with a new Middle East peace initiative. "We are on the verge of a [diplomatic] development in the region" Meretz MP Yossi Beilin told reporters in Jerusalem, claiming that both sides realize "violence won’t work." Beilin, one of the "architects" of the 1993 Oslo Accords but an opposition MP largely marginalized by recent Israeli governments, has therefore drawn up his own plan - "Mapping the Road from Realignment to Permanent Status." The blueprint, he says, would be custom-made to fit the needs of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert based on the principles of the internationally drafted but moribund "road map". more.. Peace talks The Guardian 11/23/2006 What do young Palestinians and Israelis think about the chances of peace in the Middle East? Emine Saner joins four activists trying to find common ground at an unofficial summit in London -- Despite the freezing temperature of the London hotel room, the atmosphere is far from frosty. Israelis Yoav Sucary and Moran Avital are sitting next to Aya Hijazi, a Palestinian, and we are waiting for her colleague, Odeh Awwad. The four, who are youth leaders for an organisation called OneVoice, are here to give a series of talks at universities and to meet leaders and politicians. They met in person only days ago. What is most striking is the optimism they share - that, and a sense of humour...." We don’t have to love each other. He is my enemy and I am his enemy, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk and try to come up with a resolution." more.. EU official: FMs should discuss initiative for Middle East peace Ha’aretz 11/23/2006 European Union Foreign Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said on Thursday that the initiative for Middle East peace presented by Spain, Italy and France needed to be discussed with all EU member states. She recommended that the matter be taken up ahead of the next EU meeting of foreign ministers on December 11-12. Ferrero-Waldner said that while the peace initiative is positive, the EU should speak with a single voice on foreign policy matters. Spain, Italy and France agreed last week to work on a joint Middle East plan which includes a ceasefire, a Palestinian government of national unity, an exchange of Israeli and Palestinian prisoners, and possibly international observers. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi later said the initiative should be extended to other European partners, starting with Germany and Great Britain. more.. Delegation from Spanish NGO ’Peace and the Third World’ visits Bethlehem Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2006 Ramallah - The health workers association in Palestine hosted a delegation from the Spanish association Paz y Tercer Mundo (PTM) ["Peace and the Third World"] on Tuesday. The delegation comprised of the organisation’s president, Iñaki Marquiegui, the director, Javier Anozita, the former representative in Palestine, Silvia Asanseo, and the current representative, Jorge Rodriguez. During their sojourn in Palestine, the delegation has visited several centres of the association in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem, Qalqiliya and Ramallah, in addition to some Palestinian formal and informal civil organisations. In Bethlehem, the delegation visited the Al-Wahah ["Oasis"] center for rehabilitation of the handicapped, and the Beit Sahour medical center. They also met with the mayor of Bethlehem, Dr Victor Batarsah. more.. Governor of Bethlehem is visited by the representatives from UK, Belgium and India Ma’an News Agency 11/23/2006 Bethlehem - The Bethlehem governor, Salah Tamari, met with the representatives from India, United Kingdom and Belgium to the Palestinian Authority (PA) on Wednesday. Tamari briefed the foreign officials on the latest developments for Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories in general, and in Bethlehem in particular. Tamari discussed with the UK consul general the general situation in the territories and the area of Bethlehem following Israel’s restrictive measures and particularly considering the approaching Christmas. Tamari urged the UK consul general to call on his government to put pressure on Israel to ease the Palestinians’ lives and to stop the assaults and aggressions against Palestinians. In his meeting with the Belgian consul, the governor briefed him about the situation in the territories... more.. France authorizes troops to fire at IAF jets over Lebanon Jerusalem Post 11/23/2006 French soldiers in Lebanon who feel threatened by aggressive Israeli overflights are permitted to shoot at IAF fighter jets, a high-ranking French military officer told The Jerusalem Post. Wednesday, several days after meeting with an IDF general in Paris to discuss what he said was a "blatant violation of the cease-fire." Last weekend, Maj. -Gen. Ido Nehushtan, head of the IDF Planning Directorate, traveled to Paris and met with military officials to explain why the IAF flies over Lebanon despite the UN-brokered cease-fire. Nehushtan, new to his post and previously deputy commander of the air force, told his French counterparts that Israel was conducting the flights to collect intelligence on Hizbullah positions in southern Lebanon. more.. Palestinian sources: Saudis have severed ties with Hamas Ha’aretz 11/23/2006 Palestinian sources have claimed that Saudi Arabia has severed relations with Hamas in recent weeks, and the Saudi government is consequently refusing to meet with senior Hamas officials. Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud a-Zahar, who visited the kingdom recently, did not meet with a single senior Saudi official during his stay, sources said. Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has reached an agreement with Hamas on a diplomatic platform for a Palestinian unity government, Abbas said in a interview with the London-based paper Al-Hayat yesterday. What remains to be resolved, he said, are the issues of a cease-fire and a prisoner exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Senior Hamas officials have said recently they would be willing to declare a temporary cease-fire with Israel. more.. IDF trains UN teams in Lebanon in disposal of cluster bombs Ha’aretz 11/23/2006 JERUSALEM - The Israel Defense Forces said yesterday that it is helping to train U. N. peacekeepers on safe clearing of cluster bombs and mines left behind from last summer’s war with Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas. The delayed detonation of unexploded Israeli cluster bomblets have killed more that 20 Lebanese and wounded 70 since the war’s August 14 cease-fire, drawing international scrutiny and censure of Israel’s fighting tactics. Lieutenant-Colonel Amit Tesler, commander of the IDF’s international training branch, said that in September his unit trained a Spanish contingent from the UNIFIL peacekeeping force in clearing munitions. An Italian contingent was due to arrive next in Israel for the week-long course, Tesler told reporters." We are offering this service so that those people will arrive in Lebanon with the knowledge necessary..." more.. Palestinian FM Zahhar: Talks are stalled as new suggestions - such as a technocrat government - are considered Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2006 The Palestinian foreign minister, Mahmoud Zahhar, has confirmed that the talks between Hamas and Fatah have been postponed for a few days. Speaking to journalists in the Syrian capital Damascus, Zahhar added that "negotiations between the two movements were postponed for a few days in order to study new suggestions". He added, "We have been talking about a national government; now a technocrat government is presented on the table. It seems that there will be no Fatah and Hamas representatives in this government. This is a new step that complies with the Quartet’s demands". The Quartet, comprising of the UN, EU, USA and Russia, have stipulated that any Palestinian government must recognise Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence and adopt all the previously signed peace agreements. more.. PA civil servants received 40% of 2006 salaries Jerusalem Post 11/22/2006 The report of a UN body released Wednesday attacked international sanctions against the Palestinian Authority as hurting the weakest Palestinians and making the poor even poorer. The overview also said that the period since the outbreak of the second intifada in late 2000 has seen "unprecedented" contraction of the economy, declining incomes and high rates of unemployment and poverty. The study on the socioeconomic impact of the financial crisis in Palestinian areas, authored by American-raised economist Salem Ajluni, was sponsored by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Ajluni projected that there would be an immediate 10 percent reduction in the "deep poverty" rate if international aid were restored to the PA. more.. Olmert: Take Iran threats seriously; Iraq war good for Israel Ha’aretz 11/23/2006 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appealed to the world yesterday to take seriously the threats posed by Iran’s nuclear program and declarations by Iranian leaders that Israel must be wiped off the map. Speaking to a convention of the Orthodox Union, an American Jewish group, Olmert said the physical threat posed by Iranian nuclear weapons was no less dangerous than what he called the "moral aspect," calls by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for Israel’s destruction, which he compared to Nazi Germany." We heard the voices in the past of leaders of nations that were talking about the liquidation of the Jewish people," Olmert said. "We can’t afford... to listen and not to react." "We can’t allow anyone in any place in the world to continue their routine without responding," Olmert said. more.. Italian PM calls the Spanish-French initiative "premature" Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2006 Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has declared that it is not the suitable time for a Middle East peace conference. In a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart, he said that the initiative of the French and Spanish governments should be preceded by some noticeable action. He added that this is a premature initiative. He also said that this initiative should be supported by other European countries, like the UK and Germany. The Spain-France initiative was launched on 16 November. [end] Italians released unharmed after kidnappers demand EU investigation into late President’s death Palestine News Network 11/22/2006 After two kidnapped Italians were released unharmed last night, the security situation in the Gaza Strip continued to unravel under the stress of closure and attacks. Fateh Revolutionary Council member Madi Abdel Aziz Shaheen (Abu Ali), was shot and injured by unknown persons. Medical sources at Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital said that Abu Ali was hit in his right leg and his condition is stable. Fateh, and its armed resistance wing Al Aqsa Brigades, condemned the shooting as "the work of cowards. ”The two Italians, who were released at Gaza City’s Beach Hotel, worked for the Red Cross in Khan Younis. The Nasser Salah Addin Brigades played a crucial role in garnering their speedy release. An anonymous phone call indicated that the kidnapper’s demand was that a European Union investigation be opened into the death of President Arafat. [end] Under-Secretary-General, briefing Security Council, describes ‘alarming escalation of violence’ between Israelis, Palestinians ReliefWeb/UNSC 11/21/2006 Palestine Observer Welcomes Proposals for Immediate Ceasefire; Israel Says Situation Could Quickly Change if Syria, Iran Relinquish Terror -- With an alarming escalation of violence, the tragic events of November had once again highlighted the fact that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could not be resolved through force, the United Nations senior political official told the Security Council this morning. “We have seen another month of violence in the Middle East –- one that for the tragedy of Beit Hanoun will almost certainly be remembered as a dark hour in this very long conflict”, Ibrahim Gambari, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs said. Stressing the critical importance of returning to the political track to resolve the current stalemate, he noted that intense confrontations between the Israeli Defense Forces and Palestinian militants... more.. Indian representative to the PA visits Ma’an News Agency Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2006 Bethlehem - The Indian representative to the Palestinian Authority, Zikrur Rahman, has on Wednesday visited the headquarters of Ma’an network in Bethlehem. The ambassador was hosted by the head of the administrative board, Saleem Suwaydan, and the general director of Ma’an network, Raed Othman. The ambassador toured the different departments of the network and watched the production and editing of the news. The network’s general director briefed him over the historically short legacy of the network, which has been able to play a major role in the development of Palestinian media, thanks to good organization and team spirit of the employees. For his part, the Indian ambassador stressed the importance of media in spreading the culture of peoples. more.. Popular delegation from Jerusalem visits the South Africa representative to the PA in Ramallah Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2006 Ramallah - The South African representative to the Palestinian Authority, Royce Kuzwayo, received a delegation from Jerusalem representing a drug-prevention committee and a popular committee to support Jerusalem, in his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday. The delegation explained to the acting representative the difficulties which the Palestinian Jerusalemites are facing on all levels because of the effects of the separation wall and other Israeli policies against the residents of east Jerusalem. The delegation stressed the need to deepen the relations between the Palestinians and the South Africans, especially in the shadow of the strong relationship which there used to be between former Palestinian president Yasser Arafat and former South Africa president Nelson Mandela. more.. Israel’s UN representative: The UN Human Rights Council is a "biased, prejudiced, bigoted body" Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2006 The United Nations General Assembly was being “hijacked, used and abused” by member states who turned the victims into the accused and the terrorists into victims, Dan Gillerman, Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations, told correspondents on 17 November, according to reports from the United Nations Department of Public InformationHe called the discussions in the Assembly Hall a “farce”. In a special session earlier on 17 November, the UN General Assembly deplored Israel’s recent military actions in the Gaza Strip. By 156 votes to 7, the Assembly passed a resolution calling on Israel to withdraw its troops from the occupied Palestinian territory. The Assembly also called on the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, to send a fact-finding mission to Beit Hanoun and report back to the Assembly within 30 days... more.. UN Commissioner rejects meeting families of abducted soldiers Ha’aretz 11/22/2006 The families of kidnapped soldiers Eldad Regev, Ehud Goldwasser, and Gilad Shalit protested on Tuesday to United Nations representatives in Israel following the refusal of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, to meet with them. The coordinators of the effort to free the soldiers said Arbour, who is now in Israel, finally said no to a meeting after avoiding a direct answer for two weeks. The families want to discuss UN efforts to attain signs of life from the three soldiers. Benny Regev, brother of Eldad Regev, said the families were "furious and disappointed" at Arbour’s refusal to meet with them. He said Arbour has "no small responsibility for the well-being and security of the men, as part of Resolution 1701." more.. Hamas says ready for immediate halt to Qassam attacks Ha’aretz 11/22/2006 Hamas told Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas yesterday it was prepared to immediately halt Qassam attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip. The announcement came at a meeting yesterday of Palestinian factions, in which Abbas presented Defense Minister Amir Peretz’s proposal for a mutual cease-fire. The meeting, which took place yesterday afternoon in Gaza, was attended by representatives of the five largest Palestinian factions: Hamas, Fatah, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). Khalil Hiya and Jamal Abu Hashem represented Hamas. Abbas opened the discussion by reporting he had received a proposal from Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz for a mutual cease-fire. more.. Olmert: New European peace plan impeding regional progress Ha’aretz 11/22/2006 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his Italian counterpart on Tuesday that the new European initiative for Middle East peace was interfering in political progress between Israel and Palestinians. Olmert also said there has been progress in talks with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Italy’s Prime Minister Romano Prodi said on Tuesday he wants Britain and Germany to be part of a new push for Middle East peace that is being developed by Italy, France and Spain. A statement issued by Prodi’s office said the Italian leader described the initiative to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in a telephone call. Prodi told Olmert that the three initiators of the plan had a "particular sensibility" for the Middle East as they also border the Mediterranean, but that other major European Union countries need to be involved. more.. UN official: Israel should review its ’entire’ military policy in Gaza Ha’aretz 11/22/2006 Israel should review its "entire policy" of military action against Palestinians since violence was bound to cause civilian casualties and destroy prospects for peace, a senior United Nations official said on Tuesday. Ibrahim Gambari, the UN undersecretary-general for political affairs, also told a Security Council meeting on the Middle East that Palestinian militants fired more than 200 rockets and mortar shells over the past month into the town of Sderot, which he called "legally and morally wrong." Israel Defense Forces operations in the West Bank and Gaza have killed at least 128 Palestinians and wounded more than 380 during the past month, including at least 19 children." Israel should act prudently and proportionally in defending its citizens, so as to avoid civilian casualties," Gambari said... more.. Olmert not ready to fire Peretz - yet Jerusalem Post 11/21/2006 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his defense minister, Amir Peretz, will sit near each other at the security cabinet table on Wednesday but are not expected to discuss the dispute between them that has caused Olmert to seriously consider firing Peretz. The dispute started on Sunday, when Peretz spoke to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas without consulting the prime minister. Olmert’s anger increased later when Peretz told Olmert incorrectly that Abbas had initiated the conversation and when the defense minister leaked details from the talk with Abbas to the press. Sources close to Olmert said he "does not intend to fire him yet," but put the emphasis on the "yet." They said Olmert had seriously considered firing him because of the lost trust between the two... more.. Al Qassam Brigades: We will stop firing projectiles if the Sderot "settlers" all evacuate Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2006 Gaza - The Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, has presented an initiative to stop the projectile-launching at the Israeli town of Sder