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2 Hamas militants killed in IDF strike
Ali Waked, YNetNews 11/28/2007
Air Force strikes in southern Strip, kills two Islamist group members. Earlier Palestinians fire rocket and 5 mortars at western Negev - - An Israeli air strike on a Hamas position in the southern Gaza Strip Wednesday killed two militants. Palestinian medical sources reported that one of those killed was identified as Rami Abu-Ross, a member of the Islamist group’s armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The IDF said the strike came in response to the rocket and mortar attacks earlier in the day. In the mornig hours five mortar shells were fired from northern Gaza at Israel. One of the mortars landed in a chicken coop in a western Negev community, causing damage. No injuries were reported in the attack. The four other mortar shells landed near the Gaza border fence. On Monday the IAF struck a Qassam cell near Beit Hanoun, killing three Hamas members and wounding two others. more..
Rabbi urges religious youths to refuse orders
Kobi Nahshoni, YNetNews 11/28/2007
Following Annapolis conference, Rabbi Aharon Trop, a well known educator, says protests are a ’waste of time’ - - Rabbi Aharon Trop, head of the Bnei Tzvi Yeshiva in Beit El, and a rising force among West Bank rabbis, has called for mass order refusal following the Annapolis conference. "This is a moral crime raised on a black flag, it justified and even demands order refusal," Trop said. Trop made the comments in a leaflet to the Komemeyut movement which will be distributed on Saturday in synagogues, and which reached Ynet. In the leaflet, the rabbi calls on the public to declare in advance on plans to refuse orders or to go AWOL en masse in case of settlement evacuation. Under the headline "Enough of Protests!" Rabbi Trop sets out against demonstrations, which he says are used as weapons against democratic regimes, but which are not useful against a cynical corrupt government and a hostile press. more..
Israeli army shoots three children, abducts two in Azzoun village
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/28/2007
Approximately 10 Israeli military vehicles invaded and took over the residential streets of Azzoun village Tuesday mid-afternoon, abducting two young men and shooting 3 teenagers with live ammunition. According to eyewitnesses, over 200 Israeli soldiers, including Special Forces, entered the old city quarter around 2:45 pm from different directions, positioning themselves at various points on the narrow lanes, firing live bullets and throwing sound bombs while closing in on the home of a Palestinian man they were attempting to abduct. International Human Rights Workers at the scene were able to approach the vicinity but were held back at a distance by Israeli soldiers posted at street ends. At about 3:20 pm, approximately 10 Israeli soldiers exited from an alleyway, two young handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian men being forced along at gunpoint. more..
Palestine Today 112807
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio dept, International Middle East Media Center 11/28/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 3. 67 MB || Time 4m 0s || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Wednesday, November 28th, 2007. The Israeli army kills four Palestinians during several attacks on Gaza, while Palestinian and Israeli leaders continue peace talks in Washington, these stories and more coming up, stay tuned. The Gaza strip On Wednesday afternoon Israeli naval forces killed one Palestinian Police Officer and injured three others near the southern Gaza city of Rafah local sources reported. the man was killed when naval forces opened fire at Khan Younis beach. Another three members of the Qassam Brigades were killed on Wednesday in an air strike near the northern Gaza city of Beit Hanoun. A total of seven Palestinians, both civilians and resistance fighters, have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in... more..
Israeli naval forces kill two Palestinian Police Officers in southern Gaza
Rami Almeghari, Saed Bannoura - IMEMC&Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/28/2007
Israeli naval forces on Wednesday afternoon killed two Palestinian Police Officers and injured five othersin Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, local sources reported. The men were killed when an Israeli naval ship stationed off the coast opened fire at Khan Younis beach. Mu’awiya Hassanain, the director of emergency and ambulance services in the Palestinian health ministry named one of the deceased as Rami Abu Ar-Rus. The other officer has not yet been named. The Israeli military claims that the attack was targeting an area from which homemade shells had been fired across the border at Israeli towns. Khan Younis is one of the most crowded places on earth, and virtually every attack on the city by Israeli forces have resulted in civilian casualties which Israel terms ’collateral damage’. Wednesday’s killing comes less than 24 hours after Israel and Palestinians agreed, at the Annapolis summit, to restart stalled peace talks. more..
UN archives reveal plan to arm Jewish militia
Ofri Ilani, Ha’aretz 11/29/2007
It was November 29, 1947. The United Nations General Assembly had just passed Resolution 181 - the Partition Plan, according to which the British Mandate was to be divided into a Jewish state and an Arab state. Civil war broke out between the Jewish and the Palestinian residents, particularly in the mixed cities and on the roads. The UN faced a difficult problem: how to implement the partition resolution together with the economic union of the two states, as specified by the resolution. The UN Secretariat created a Special Committee to deal with what was seen as the first major challenge of the young body. Dr. Elad Ben-Dror, a historian at Bar-Ilan University, has been studying UN diplomacy after the Partition Plan, at the University Institute for Diplomacy and Regional Cooperation of Tel Aviv University. Last year, he sat in the UN archives and read recently-declassified documents relating to the work of the Special Committee. He more..
IAF kills 2 Gaza Hamas officers
Yuval Azoulay, Ha’aretz 11/29/2007
The Israel Air Force yesterday killed two Hamas officers when it fired missiles at a Hamas security position in the southern Gaza Strip, a Palestinian security source and medical workers said. Two Hamas naval police officers were killed and at least 10 other people were wounded, Hamas radio reported. An IDF spokesman confirmed that there had been an air strike at a Hamas position near Khan Yunis after militants fired 11 mortar shells and Qassam rockets at nearby Israeli communities. The IDF said the strike was in retaliation to the incessant Hamas mortar fire. Some of the volleys fired yesterday morning coincided with Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi’s tour of the area together with OC Southern Command Yoav Galant. A military source said the visit was associated with the Annapolis conference and the high alert the IDF has been placed on, following the attempts of terror organizations to carry out attacks. Su more..
Israel Air Force appoints first female deputy squadron commander
Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Israel Air Force For the first time in the history of the Israel Air Force, it was decided Wednesday to appoint a woman to the position of deputy squadron commander. Captain Yifat (last names of air force officials cannot be made public for security reasons) will be appointed second deputy commander of the freight transport squadron. Captain Yifat began her career in the IAF as an assistant controller in the force’s control unit. She later volunteered to take part in the IAF’s prestigious flight course, which she completed with honors in the cargo transport division in 2002. She was stationed with the "Karnaf" squadron, and recently commanded over the basic level of the flight course at the Hatzerim air force base’s flight school. Air Force commander Major General Eliezer Shkedi issued instructions to open all positions in the air force to women. Wo more..
Palestinians: IAF missiles kill 2 Hamas naval officers in Gaza
Mijal Grinberg Yoav Stern and Youval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondents, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
The Israel Air Force on Wednesday killed two Hamas naval police officers when it fired missiles at a Hamas security position in the southern Gaza Strip, a Palestinian security source and medical workers said. At least 10 other people were wounded, Hamas radio reported. An Israel Defense Forces spokesman confirmed that there had been an air strike at a Hamas position near Khan Younis after militants fired 11 mortar shells and Qassam rockets at nearby Israeli communities. The IDF said that one of the shells hit the Israeli town of Kerem Shalom, causing damage to a structure there. Two other shells struck south of Kibbutz Erez and the fifth hit inside Palestinian territory next to the security fence in southern Gaza. There were no injuries reported in any of the incidents. Militants and IDF forces clashed in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday. In more..
Al-Aqsa Brigades attack Israeli military base
Ma’an News Agency 11/27/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Fatah’s military wing, the Al-Aqsa Brigades, claimed responsibility on Tuesday for launching a homemade projectile at an Israeli military base called Megen east of Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. The fighters claimed that they succeed in hitting the military installation before withdrawing from the area unharmed. [end]
Palestinian killed in anti-Annapolis rally in Hebron; police suppress rally in Nablus
Ma’an News Agency 11/27/2007
Hebron - Ma’an - A Palestinian man was killed during an anti-Annapolis rally, organised by the Islamic Hizb Ut-Tahrir movement in the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday. Palestinian security forces shot thirty-seven-year-old Hisham Barad’i was shot in the heart local medical sources said. Several other protestors and security officers were injured during the rally, including the Hebron security chief, Samih As-Sayfi, as protestors threw stones at police. Around 2,500 supporters of the Hizb Ut-Tahrir participated in the rally and more than 30 were arrested. Dr Mahir Al-Ja’bari from Hizb Ut-Tahrir in Hebron accused the Palestinian security services of killing Barad’i and injuring many others. Hebron Governor Hussain Al-A’raj, said he held Hizb Ut-Tahrir responsible for what happened. "I warned the leaders of Hizb Ut-Tahrir yesterday of the repercussions of the rally, and I told them... more..
An-Nasser Brigades launch projectiles at Israeli cities
Ma’an News Agency 11/27/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades claimed responsibility on Tuesday for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli cities of Ashkelon and Kfar Azza. They said in a statement that the shelling was part of their "Autumn Storms" operation, which emphasizes their adherence to the unalienable Palestinian rights. [end]
Gunmen arrested in Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 11/27/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – The deposed Palestinian interior ministry in Gaza Strip said on Tuesday that their police arrested a group of gunmen after they hurled grenades at a civilian jeep in the central Gaza Strip, injuring three occupants. The Interior Ministry released a statement saying that police chased the perpetrators and stopped their car. [end]
30 injured, 200 detained as PA forces crack down on anti-Annapolis rally in Ramallah
Ma’an News Agency 11/27/2007
Bethlehem – Ma’an – 30 protesters were injured when hundreds of heavily-armed Palestinian police and security forces dispersed a peaceful demonstration in opposition to the international meeting in Annapolis in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday. Eyewitnesses said that police and Presidential guards used batons and teargas to disperse the 500 person demonstration, which was held in defiance of a ban on public protests issued by the Palestinian Interior Ministry. Eight people were arrested, including Jamal Juma, the coordinator of the Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign. Mu’ammar Urabi, head of Watan TV in Ramallah, a member of the Ma’an network, was among those assaulted by Palestinian police. Wael Shuyokhi, an Al-Jazeera correspondent was also brutally beaten while covering the rally in Ramallah. At a second demonstration in Ramallah on Tuesday afternoon, witnesses said... more..
Armed Palestinian groups respond to assault on Gaza Strip
Ma’an News Agency 11/27/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Three Palestinian military groups claimed joint responsibility for launching seven mortar shells at an Israeli military installation at Nahal Oz, on the border with the Gaza Strip on Monday night. Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades, the Popular Resistance Committees An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades and Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds also said they fired a rocket-propelled grenade an Israeli military watch tower and clashed Israeli soldeirs at 10:40 pm. The three Brigades said their actions came in retaliation for "Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people," including the policy of so-called "targeted killing" in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. [end]
MIDEAST: Christians And Muslims Coexist In Gaza
Mohammed Omer, Inter Press Service 11/27/2007
Credit:Mohammed Omar Monsignor Manuel Musallam GAZA CITY, Nov 27(IPS) - As Sunday dawns in Gaza City the traditional Islamic call to prayer mingles melodically with church bells. Side by side, mosque and church doors swing open, welcoming the faithful. Greetings are eagerly exchanged. The October kidnapping and murder of Rami Ayyad, the manager of Gaza’s only Christian bookstore, sent shudders through the Christian community. Was this a hate crime or simply a tragic occurrence? Monsignor Manuel Musallam, head of Gaza’s Roman Catholic community, doubts the attack was religiously motivated. "Rami was not only Christian," the Musallam told IPS. "He was Palestinian. Violent acts against Christians are not a phenomenon unique to Gaza." Immediately upon hearing of the murder, the elected Prime Minister Ismail Hanyieh of Hamas ordered the Palestinian ministry of interior to... more..
Hebron man killed by Palestinian police during anti-Annapolis rally
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/28/2007
As Palestinians gathered to rally against the Annapolis summit today, Palestinian police loyal to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas fired into a Hebron rally, killing one man. Palestinian security forces shot thirty-seven-year-old Hisham Barad’i in the heart, according to local medical sources. Around 2,500 supporters of the Hizb Ut-Tahrir movement participated in the rally and more than 30 were arrested. The Hebron governor blamed the Hizb Ut-Tahrir movement for what happened, saying "I warned the leaders of Hizb Ut-Tahrir yesterday of the repercussions of the rally, and I told them that the Palestinian leadership will not relinquish unalienable Palestinian rights." He added, "We banned all rallies including pro and anti-Annapolis, and an application by Fatah to organize a pro-Annapolis rally was turned down." more..
Israeli forces kill two Palestinian resistance fighters
IMEMC Staff - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2007
Palestinian sources reported on Tuesday that two Palestinian resistance fighters from Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement were killed inseparate Israeli army attacks. One of the resistance fighters, Ali Al Sousi, was killed when Israeli ground forces invaded the city of Rafah in the southern part of the Gaza strip. Witnesses said that local fighters clashed with the invading forces leading to the death of Al Sousi. Earlier on Tuesday at dawn, Fadi Asaf, 23, was killed when the Israeli army fired several missiles at a group of resistance fighter in Jabalyia town in the northern part of the costal region. These attacks bring the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army on Tuesday to three. Palestinian medics pronounced dead Ali Alsufi, a 55-year-old local farmer in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah on Tuesday, after the Israeli soldiers opened fire on him. more..
Israeli forces kidnap a Palestinian near Qalqilia
Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2007
Eyewitnesses reported that Ayman Yamen,21 was kidnapped and taken to an unknown detention center. [end]
Yousif: the homemade shells are used to create a fear balance with Israel
PNN - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/24/2007
In an interview held in his office in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Dr Ahmad Yousef, the political adviser of the deposed Palestinian prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh said that the Palestinian home made shells although underdeveloped are used as a preventive tool in order to create a balance of fear as the Israeli occupiers continue with their attacks against the Palestinians. He added that these home made shells will be used as a warning message to Israel. He clarified that the resistance fighters are using these home made shells in retaliation to the Israeli attacks. We- the Hamas movement- have said before that we are ready for a comprehensive and simultaneous cessation of firing shells with Israel and all of the resistance factions will abide to this national stance. He added that by reporting its daily attacks and infringements in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Israel has succeeded in convincing... more..
Excerpts from Olmert’s speech: ’We will not avoid discussing any subject’
Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
"I had many good reasons not to come here to this meeting. Memory of failures in the near and distant past weighed heavily upon us. Dreadful terrorism perpetrated by Palestinian terrorist organizations has affected thousands of Israeli citizens, has destroyed families and has tried to disrupt the lives of the citizens of Israel... The ongoing shooting of Qassam rockets against tens of thousands of residents in southern Israel, particularly in Sderot, serves as a warning sign, one which we cannot overlook... But I came here, despite the concerns and the doubts and the hesitations to say to you, President Mahmoud Abbas, and through you to your people, and to the entire Arab world, the time has come. "We no longer and you no longer have the luxury of adhering to dreams detached from the sufferings of our peoples, the hardships that they experience daily, and the burden of living under constant uncertainty, which offers no hope of change or of a better future. We more..
IDF strikes kill at least three Hamas militants in Gaza Strip
Haaretz Service and News Agencies, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
The Israel Defense Forces killed at least three Hamas militants on Monday in two separate incidents in the northern Gaza Strip. In the first incident, an Israel Air Force aircraft opened a missile strike on militants at a mortar launching pad in the northern town of Beit Hanoun. One militant was wounded in the incident and at least one other was killed. An IDF spokeswoman said the missile targeted militants who had launched two mortar shells at Israel shortly before, and identified hitting them. Witnesses said an IAF missile was fired in the northern part of the territory near a key crossing with Israel. Most Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks against Israel originate in the north of the strip. Hamas, which controls the coastal enclave, said the militants were members of their group. In the second incident, which occurred near the Erez Crossing, two other militants were killed by IDF fire on the ground. Th more..
Al Qassam launch projectiles at Israeli military site
Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Al Qassam brigades claimed responsibility for launching three projectiles against theKarm Abu Salem Israeli military site in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday. The brigades said the attack was in response to Israeli crimes committed against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. [end]
Israeli forces arrest two near Qalqilia
Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2007
Qalqilia – Ma’an – Israeli forces arrested two Palestinian citizens in the town of Azzun east of Qalqilia in the northern West Bank on Thursday morning. Local Palestinian sources told Ma’an that the Israeli forces stormed several houses in the town before arresting Hamza Shunnar and Raed Shbaita. The Israeli forces have imposed tight security measures against the residents of Azzun for three weeks, closing the northern entrance to the town with cement blocks. [end]
Hamas accused P.A security forces of arresting 13 supporters
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 11/23/2007
Hamas media sources stated on Thursday that Palestinian Security Forces arrested on Thursday at dawn thirteen members and supporters of the movement in Beit Umren village west of Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank. The sources added that P. A security personnel broke into homes of dozens of Hamas members and supporters, searched them, and arrested thirteen residents. Also, security forces members broke into the house of one resident who was accused of hurling stones at them as they were operating in the area. The resident, Atallah Mohammad Samara, said that he was severely punched and received life threats. Hamas said that this arrest campaign comes only one week after a similar campaign which was carried the Palestinian security forces in Aseera Al Shimaliyya village, near Nablus. 22 Hamas members and supporters were arrested. more..
Palestine Today 112207
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 11/22/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file ||File 2. 75 MB || Time 3m 0s|| Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Thursday, November 22nd, 2007. Two Palestinians have died due to Israeli army attacks on the Gaza strip, while 11 others have been kidnapped during army invasions in the West Bank. These stories and more, coming up, stay tuned. The Gaza strip On Thursday morning, a Palestinian man died of wounds he recieved on Tuesday, when the Israeli army attacked the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis. Palestinian medical sources confirmed the man’s death, who had been suffering since he was admitted to the hospital, right after the Israeli attack. In the meantime, local Palestinian sources confirmed today that three Palestinian resistance fighters were shot and wounded during armed clashes with the Israeli army forces, on the eastern borders of the Gaza Strip. more..
Saraya aL-Quds calls for protecting the resistance in the West Bank
Rami Almeghari - IMEMC&Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/22/2007
The Sarya aL-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad group, called today for ensuring protection for the Palestinian resistance fighters in the backdrop of recent Palestinian security services’ crackdown on fighters from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). In a statement, faxed to press, the aL-Quds brigades warned of harming the Palestinian resistance fighters and their weapons, saying that such resistance has been found to resist the Israeli occupation. The statement demanded the Palestinian Authority to ensure protection for the Palestinian people, by halting arrest campaigns across the West Bank, hailing, in the meantime, the PA’s crackdown on gangsters, who continue destabilizing internal security. The PA’s security services have recently chased a number of Palestinians, the PA says involved in actions of internal unrest in the West Bank city of Nablus. more..
The youngest Palestinian political detainee leaves the detention camp
Hadeel Wahdan – BBC - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/22/2007
They say life is just stories someone did not have the chance to tell yet. With this in mind, I tried to manage the boredom I felt while waiting in front of the Israeli detention camp of Telmond for the release of Aisha Eliyan, the youngest Palestinian political detainee to be released by the Israeli army this week. Aisha leaves the detention camp Aisha was born three years ago in Telmond Detention Camp. For three years she was unable to see the blue sky or play freely, her crime was that she was the daughter of a Palestinian women, Itaf Eliyan, who is detained for being a member of a political group that Israeli considers hostile. Um Waleed, the grandmother of Aisha sat waiting on a stone installed by the army in front of the main gate of the detention camp, Um Waleed is Aisha’s only remaining family member, since the army kidnapped her father several days before. more..
In Gaza: a Palestinian dies of wounds and four others injured by Israeli army fire
Rami Almeghari - IMEMC&Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/22/2007
The 35-year-old male, Nedal aL-Najjar, died today morning of wounds he sustained earlier on Tuesday, when the Israeli army attacked the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis. Palestinian medical sources confirmed the death of aL-Najjar, who has been suffering from very critical injuries since been admitted to the hospital, right after the Israeli attack. Sources at the Palestinian resistance declared that aL-Najjar belonged to the aL-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. Meanwhile, Palestinian resistance factions, including those of Hamas and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, affirmed they engaged in a fierce battle with the Israeli army’s invading forces on Tuesday. In the meantime, local Palestinian sources confirmed today that three Palestinian resistance fighters were shot and wounded during armed clashes with the Israeli army forces, on the eastern borders of the Gaza Strip. more..
Israeli forces kidnap al Aqsa brigades spokesperson in Nablus
Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/22/2007
In a pre-dawn invasion on Thursday, Israeli military forces kidnapped Naser Al Kharraz, the spokesperson of the al Aqsa brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Security sources reported that the Israeli military invaded the city and besieged Al Kharraz’s home. Troops searched the house and confiscated property belonging to Al Kharraz and his family members. Sources confirmed that soldiers kidnapped Al Kharraz and transferred him to an unknown detention center. [end]
Lands of ’Awarta town annexed and its history falsified
Ameen Abu Wardeh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/20/2007
’Awarta village, located southeast of the West Bank city of Nablus, has been invaded by groups of Israeli settlers who are more extreme than any other settlers in the West Bank. The town is currently an open-air jail after the Israeli closure of the main street to Nablus. Previously, it would take only ten minutes to reach the city center of Nablus on this road, but now residents of the town are obliged to use Huwara checkpoint which doubles the distance and doubles the cost. Awad Abed As Salam, a teacher in the town, reported that Israeli settlers annexed the fields, splitting them into two parts. The parts are separated by barbed wire rolls and electrified fences. The settlers’ homes lie behind two rows of barbed-wire, while the Palestinian farmers’ fields are isolated between these rows. Israeli forces have declared the fields to be a ’no man’s land’ that the Palestinians are forbidden from entering, for fear that they might try to enter the Israeli settlement. more..
2 Qassams land near Sderot; no injuries
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 11/21/2007
Rockets fall in town’s vicinity, causing no damage. Earlier Wednesday, mortar barrage fired at Erez crossing - - Two Qassams fired from northern Gaza landed near the town of Sderot Wednesday evening. One rocket landed on a road in the town’s vicinity and the other fell near a neighboring kibbutz. There were no reports of injuries or damage. Several mortar shells were fired from the Strip at the Erez crossing Wednesday morning. The mortars landed in open fields, causing no injuries or damage. On Saturday, Sderot sustained a heavy rocket salvo that caused much damage to property. Five vehicles sustained hits and two of them caught fire. Caught on tape On Tuesday, the IDF release a videotape depicting a strike against a Qassam launching cell in Gaza. The cell is shown retrieving the projectiles and launchers and setting them up in a dirt embankment in northern Gaza. more..
Niddah - the animated version
Yael Eichenwald, YNetNews 11/21/2007
How does a wife wake up her husband without touching him? What does dinner look like when passing objects is forbidden? How does the couple prepare for the big moment when the wife is ’pure’ again? Dafna Sudri’s animated clip gives all the answers - - Animation: Dafna Sudri No touching, no passing objects, no sleeping in the same bed: Niddah (literally: Separation) is a term that refers to to the regulations and rituals concerning menstruation. Dafna Sudri’s animated clip "A Day in the Life of a Couple Practicing Niddah," explores this ritual in a humoristic way. Sudri, who studied animation at the prestigious London Westminster University, worked on the five-minute clip for a year-and-half. Sudri, who drew each of the 3,000 pictures by hand came up with the idea when she was attending Jewish family law classes ahead of her wedding. more..
ZAKA, Sderot’s Municipality sue Mashaal
Neta Sela, YNetNews 11/21/2007
In lawsuit submitted to International Criminal Court in The Hague, volunteer organization and rocket-ridden city’s mayor argue Hamas leader responsible for murder of 176 Israeli citizens, injury of hundreds - - ZAKA, a volunteer organization committed to the recovery and identification of human remains, in coordination with the municipality of the rocket-battered city of Sderot, may be on to a new method for combating Hamas : The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. In a lawsuit against Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal, ZAKA’s directors Yehuda Meshi-Zahav and Dudi Zilbershlag and Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal argue that Mashaal is responsible for numerous murders and crimes against humanity and war crimes. In the suit Mashaal is blamed for the killing of 176 civilians and the wounding of hundreds in Hamas-sponsored terror attacks and suicide bombings that took place since 2002. Attac more..
Lupolianski launches east J’lem development plan
Neta Sela, YNetNews 11/21/2007
Mayor says ’too many engaged with talking about Jerusalem - we’re acting,’ allots NIS 200 million to program - - Parallel to hints heard recently in the government on the possible future option of dividing Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Municipality is advancing a wide-scale program for the development a strengthening of the urban center in the eastern part of the city. The program will be part of a city outline program, aimed at keeping Jerusalem’s territory as a single and continuous urban bloc. The estimated cost of the project for the public space stands at NIS 200 million (about $51. 3 million). In the context of the program, Jerusalem’s municipality is planning on developing commerce, hotels, an expansion of Jerusalem’s marginal neighborhoods, the safeguarding of historic buildings, and a combination of urban and private initiatives to hasten activity in the public sector, as well as tourist attractions and an encouragement of fares. more..
Israeli settlers shoot at a Palestinian bus near Tulkarem
Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2007
Qalqilia – Ma’an – Israeli settlers shot at a Palestinian bus near Beit Lid lon the road to Tulkarem and Nablus, in the northern West Bank on Thursday. Eyewitnesses said that three masked men in an Israeli car shot at the Palestinian bus, causing it to topple over. There were no reports of any injuries. [end]
Fatah office looted in Deir Al-Balah
Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – A Fatah office in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip was ransacked on Wednesday by unidentified assailants, Fatah sources said. Fatah’s regional spokesperson said the office does not co-ordinate political activities but specializes only in services to families of those who were killed, injured or jailed by the Israelis. He added that it was the second time the office had been looted despite being only 20 metres away from the Deir Al-Balah police station. [end]
Palestinian military groups react to Israeli incursions
Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility on Wednesday for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli towns of Sderot and Kfar Aza in the western Negev. Separately, Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades said they fired on Israeli military jeeps near Nahal Oz border crossing and Qarmish military posts in eastern Gaza city. The military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), the National Resistance Brigades, and the Al-Aqsa Brigades claimed joint responsibility for hurling two projectiles at Kisufim crossing on Tuesday. The military groups said, in separate statements, that their operations constituted retaliation for Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. more..
Israeli forces invade Tulkarem
Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2007
Tulkarem – Ma’an – Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem and stormed several Palestinian homes on Wednesday. Palestinian security sources said that an Israeli military force invaded the northern end of Tulakrem. No Palestinians were detained in the raid. [end]
Al-Quds Brigades attack Israeli jeep in Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility on Wednesday for launching a 30-kilogram explosive device at an Israeli military jeep near the Kisufim checkpoint on the border between the southern Gaza Strip and Israel. In a spress tatement, the brigades said the operation was conducted while the jeep was guarding the Israeli military post at Kisufim. [end]
Israeli settlers attack two Palestinians on road near Nablus
Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2007
Jenin – Ma’an – Israeli settlers smashed a Palestinian man’s car in the village of Huwwara, near the West Bank city of Nablus at 9pm Tuesday night. The driver, thirty-five-year-old Hatim Qash from the village of Birqin, and another passenger survived the attack, in which a group of settlers attacked the car with stones and clubs. Qash said: "I was on my way back to Jenin, in my taxi. One passenger only was in the car, who is a friend of mine. We were coming from Ramallah. As I came close to Yitzhar settlement, I saw a dim light in the horizon. I thought it was a military checkpoint, and so I slowed down." "As I came closer," he continued, "I became worried, so I dimmed up the car’s front lights. I saw a large number of settlers on the road side who attacked the car with stones, clubs and metal objects." He added that after the attackers broke all the car’s windows and smashed the body of the car, he was able to speed up and escape. more..
Israel increases restrictions on occupied Palestinians in preparation for summit
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/20/2007
Curfews have been imposed on all towns and villages in the northern West Bank. Access to Jerusalem for worshippers hoping to pray at the al-Aqsa mosque has been cut off. Soldiers operating the over 700 checkpoints and roadblocks in the West Bank have been instructed to severely restrict the movement of Palestinian people. These and many other measures have been put in place Tuesday by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, in preparation for a ’peace summit’ between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on Monday. According to an Israeli military spokesperson, "Defence Minister (Ehud Barak) has ordered the army to up its security measures and vigilance to face a possible wave of terrorist attacks" The moves come after Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in two separate attacks in Gaza late Monday night; and Palestinian resistance fighters shot dead one Israeli settler in the northern West Bank. more..
IDF foils terror attack on Netiv Ha’asara
Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 11/19/2007
Soldiers open fire at terrorists attempting to climb Gaza security fence near Israeli community; some would-be attackers hit - - IDF forces and security officers from Netiv Ha’asara foiled on Monday an attempt by terrorists to infiltrate the community, located just north of Gaza. Soldiers identified three Palestinians climbing on the security fence and opened fire, hitting some of the would-be attackers. There were no reports of injuries among the soldiers. The residents were ordered to remain inside their homes. Earlier on Monday, Israeli communities surrounding the Strip were hit with a heavy barrage of some 20 mortar shells. No injuries were reported in the attacks. Also, a Qassam rocket fired by Palestinians in north Gaza landed in a western Negev kibbutz, but no injuries were reported in that attack either. Prior to the infiltration, Netiv Ha’asara’s security coordinator, Gil Ta’asa, told Ynet that the situation in the area was tense. Follo more..
Mortar barrage hits Negev; no injuries
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 11/19/2007
Some 20 mortar shells fired by Palestinians in Gaza toward Israel; Qassam lands in kibbutz - - Some 20 mortar shells fired by Palestinians in north Gaza landed in the western Negev Monday afternoon. No injuries or damage were reported in the attacks. Nine of the mortars landed near the Erez crossing, by the Gaza security fence, damaging a number of cars that were parked in the area. Earlier, a Qassam rocket landed in a kibbutz in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council. No injuries were reported in that incident either. On Monday morning a loud explosion rocked Ashkelon’s southern neighborhoods, as a Qassam rocket landed in an open area south of the city. Ashkelon residents said that they heard a particularly loud explosion. "The explosion was so strong my house trembled. We are used to Qassam rockets, but far from here, in the industrial zone. This more..
Military training facility for rent
Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 11/19/2007
GOC army headquarters offers foreign armies to rent urban-warfare training facility in Tze’elim. For a fee, soldiers from various countries will train, receive guidance and sleep in nearby hotel - - Senior IDF officers appear to be worried about the drop in the dollar’s exchange rate - it’s not good for business: Several weeks ago, the IDF Foreign Training Division started taking representatives of foreign armies on guided tours of the urban-warfare training facility in Tze’elim. "There is lot of interest, we hope to close some deals soon," a military source told ynet. The urban-warfare training facility is a "city" composed of hundreds of structures - including high risers, an audio system that simulates the sounds of people, artillery, explosions and helicopters; simulation of enemy forces on the attack and more. Along with training, the GOC army headquarters offers the foreign armies’... more..
Qassam lands near neighborhood in Ashkelon
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 11/19/2007
Rocket fired from Gaza Strip hits open area in south of city. ’The explosion was so strong my house trembled,’ resident says - - A loud explosion rocked Ashkelon’s southern neighborhoods Monday morning as a Qassam rocket landed in an open area south of the city. Several rockets have been fired at Ashkelon over the past two weeks, most on them landing in the southern industrial zone. Earlier Monday, a rocket landed inside the Sha’ar Hanegev regional council, and two rockets were fired at midnight Sunday, one of them landing in a community near Netivot and another falling near Ashkelon’s industrial zone. Ashkelon residents said that they heard a particularly loud explosion. One of the residents living nearby said that "the explosion was so strong my house trembled. We are used to Qassam rockets, but far from here, in the industrial zone. This is more..
Al-Qassam Brigades shell Israeli target
Ma’an News Agency 11/19/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility on Monday for launching three mortar shells at an Israeli military monument east of the Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun. They said in a statement that the shelling came in retaliation for Israeli incursions into Gaza Strip. [end]
Israeli forces seize four Palestinians in Bethlehem area
Ma’an News Agency 11/19/2007
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Invading Israeli forces abducted four Palestinians near the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Monday, Palestinian security sources said. Israeli soldiers stormed several homes in the village of Tuqua before detaining twenty-six-year-old Hafith Hamida and his twenty-eight-year-old brother Imad Hamida. In a separate incursion, Israeli troops invaded the village of Al-Furdais, seizing twenty-year-old Mousa Tnuh. In the village of Al-Ubeidiya, Israeli forces abducted twenty-one-year old Mahmoud Rabaya after ransacking his home. [end]
Al-Quds Brigades launch projectiles at Sderot
Ma’an News Agency 11/19/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of the Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles at Israeli town of Sderot on Monday morning. They said in a statement that the shelling of the town, which borders the Gaza Strip, came as a reaffirmation of the right of Palestinians to engage in resistance "until the liberation of Palestine." [end]
Israeli military attacks Azzoun High School
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 11/20/2007
Local sources reported that Israeli military jeeps and soldiers invaded the grounds of Azzoun High School, in the Qalqilia district of the West Bank, on Sunday. The soldiers reportedly drove around the school grounds, interrupting lessons and waving their guns at teachers and students. According to witnesses, three teachers and one administrator went to speak to the soldiers, requesting that they leave. Soldiers replied that it was the teachers who should leave them alone - telling them to go back to their classrooms and stop interfering in the soldiers’ work. One teacher reported: "We said to him that there are rules that forbid you from entering a school". The soldier said "For me there are no rules. I will come one time, two times, ten times, as many times as I want and no one can forbid me. If you forbid me, I will shoot you." Another teacher reportedly asked the soldiers "What if we were soldiers... more..
Palestine Today 111907
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 11/19/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 3. 67 MB || Time 4m 0s || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Monday, November 19th, 2007. In the West Bank, Israeli forces kidnap eleven Palestinians across the region. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, several members of the al-Quds Brigades survive an Israeli air strike on their vehicle. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The West Bank The Israeli military on Monday morning kidnapped at least eleven Palestinians across the region. In the northern West Bank cities of Nablus and Qabatiya, at least eight Palestinians were abducted after Israeli troops invaded the areas and searched homes. Meanwhile, near the southern West Bank cities of Bethlehem and Hebron, Israeli troops kidnapped three from the villages of Taqua and Dora. more..
Hamas: Fatah security forces arrest Nablus municipal council member
IMEMC staff - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/19/2007
The Hamas movement on Monday claimed that Fatah-affiliated security forces had arrested Hussam al-Qaltuni, 50, a member of the northern West Bank City of Nablus’ municipal council. According to the statement, al-Qaltuni was driving his car when he was stopped at a Palestinian checkpoint in the city of Nablus, after which he was taken to the Palestinian Authority central jail in the city. Al-Qaltuni is a Hamas leader in the city, and a board member of several Islamic charitable organizations. He has been detained by Palestinian security forces twice in the past few months, and his house has been attacked several times by unknown gunmen. Translated by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC. org more..
Olmert: Israel will freeze settlement activity and evacuate outposts
John Smith - IMEMC & agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/19/2007
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday indicated that his administration would freeze all West Bank settlement activity and abandon all currently-existing illegal outposts. Speaking to the Israeli Cabinet, Olmert told ministers that such a move would see Israeli fulfill its road map obligations. "It is impossible to repeat that the road map is a strategic asset for Israel and at the same time to ignore our obligations... let us admit to ourselves: We committed not to built new settlements... we promised not to expropriate land... We promised to raze illegal outposts... We will not deviate from our principles, and we will fulfill all of our obligations," the Israeli PM stated. Olmert’s comments came hours before the Israeli PM was due to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. more..
Seven Hamas members arrested across West Bank
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/19/2007
Hamas media sources on Monday reported that Fatah-affiliated security forces had arrested seven members of the movement across the West Bank. Among those arrested were two political ex-detainees and one municipality council member. In the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, Fatah forces arrested Murad Jebriel and Abed Jebreil, both of whom had been previously detained by Israeli forces. In the southern West Bank city of Hebron, Jihad Deriyah was arrested after Palestinian security forces attacked his workplace in the nearby village of Beit Fajar. Elsewhere in the central West Bank, municipal council member Najeh Najeep was arrested in the village of Ein Yabrod, located near Ramallah. Mohamed Mater, from the northern West Bank village of Tamon, was also arrested after an interview with Palestinian security forces in the nearby city of Tubas. more..
Israeli Army ’very weak’ during 2006 summer war
Daily Star 11/20/2007
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli media quoted Monday a report issued by Israel’s State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss as saying the status of the Israeli Army was "very weak" when it decided to go to war in the summer of 2006 against Hizbullah. "Battalions that had not trained for five years and severely lacking various munitions, was the shape the Israeli Army ahead of the summer 2006 war," the report said. Lindenstrauss found that from 2000 until 2006 the general staff, due to budget constraints, cut back on training for combat units in the reserves and regular service. "There was no proper analysis done of the ramifications the drop in training would have." He found that during the war, the Defense Ministry made emergency orders of essential types of ammunition, some of which did not make it to the frontlines in time. The report further found that the Israeli Army’s Operations Directorate does not have a mechanism in... more..
One crisis after another: presidential logjam follows two years of turmoil
Compiled by Daily Star staff, Daily Star 11/20/2007
Rival Lebanese leaders are seeking to agree on a new president with the incumbent’s term ending this week; a lack of deal is expected to trigger an escalation in the country’s political crisis. Here is a chronology of some of the main events in Lebanon since former Premier Rafik Hariri was killed, along with 22 other people, on February 14, 2005. l February 28: Pro-Syrian Premier Omar Karami resigns. l March 5: Syrian President Bashar Assad tells his Parliament Syrian troops will start phased pullout from Lebanon. l April 26: Last Syrian soldiers leave Lebanon. l June 2: Anti-Syrian journalist Samir Kassir is killed in Beirut by a bomb in his car. l June 16: UN investigation into Hariri’s killing starts. l June 19: Lebanese parliamentary elections end in victory for anti-Syrian alliance led by Hariri’s son Saad Hariri. l June 21 - Former Communist Party leader and critic of Syria George Hawi is killed in Beirut by a bomb in his car. more..
Al-Quds Brigades claim responsibility for shooting Israeli soldier
Ma’an News Agency 11/15/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – The Islamic Jihad’s military wing, Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility on Wednesday evening for shooting and injuring an Israeli soldier while he was on a military tank near Erez crossing in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. They said the tank was guarding a bulldozer which was demolishing agricultural lands near the industrial estate near Erez. The Al-Quds Brigades affirmed in their statement that their combatants hit the soldier and that the operation was recorded on film. They added that the operation came in retaliation for the Israeli atrocities committed against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. [end]
Israeli forces demolish more Negev homes
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 11/16/2007
The Israeli authorities continued their campaign against ’unrecognized’ Arab villages in the Negev desert, demolishing four homes on Thursday. The regional council of the ’unrecognized’ villages reported that the Israeli authorities demolished four homes in three different villages. Hussein al-Rafay’a, head of the regional council of unrecognized villages, challenged the ongoing Israeli attacks and destruction of homes. He stated that the orders given by the Israeli government are racist orders, given with the intent of expelling the Arabs from the area. The villages are not officially recognized by the state of Israel, despite the residents having lived there prior to the creation of Israel in 1948. The Bedouin people who reside in these villages are forbidden by Israeli authorities from building permanent structures, and have been moved from village-to-village multiple times by the Israeli government. more..
Yushchenko says revered Ukrainian hero did not lead pogroms against Jews
Associated Press, YNetNews 11/17/2007
Visiting Ukrainian leader defends posthumous national award given to Roman Shukhevych, who Holocaust scholars say took part in pogroms against Jews in the 1940’s which resulted in the deaths of over 4,000 Ukrainian Jews - - Visiting Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on Thursday defended his country’s award of a top honor to a man accused of murdering thousands of Jews during World War II, while pledging to work to eradicate anti-Semitism in his country. The controversy over the award cast a shadow over a visit that otherwise was devoted to improving relations between Ukraine and Israel. Yushchenko spoke out against anti-Semitism several times, especially during a speech in Israel’s parliament. Yushchenko left Israel Thursday evening. Speaking at a foreign policy forum Thursday in Jerusalem, Yushchenko said Ukrainian nationalist leader Roman Shukhevych was posthumously named a Hero of Ukraine... more..
Israel helps fix faulty Gaza electricity
Tani Goldstein, YNetNews 11/17/2007
After Gaza power grid blacks out, IDF enters coastal strip to transfer equipment provided by Israeli power company to help fix Palestinian network - - While the debate continues to rage over the proposal of cutting off Israeli-supplied electricity to the Gaza Strip as a punitive measure in wake of unceasing Palestinian rocket fire towards southern Israel, Israel is actually making sure the power is up and running smoothly along the coastal strip. Earlier this week a technical malfunction in the electricity network in northern Gaza caused a power outage that some Palestinians thought was the beginning of the "Gaza blackout" plan proposed by Defense Minister Ehud Barak. To solve the problem, the Israel Electric Corp. (IEC) agreed to transfer the equipment needed to fix the network to their Gazan counterparts. Se more..
3 Qassams fired at Israel; IDF attacks in Gaza
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 11/17/2007
One rocket hits potato packing house, causing some damage; shortly after, IDF attacks in Gaza, reportedly killing two members of Qassam launching cell - - Three Qassam rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip at Sderot and the western Negev Thursday. One of the rockets landed near a potato packing house in a Negev industrial area, causing some damage. Four people were treated for shock and one woman was evacuated to the hospital for further treatment. Shortly after the attack, IDF helicopters fired a missile at a Qassam launching cell in Beit Lahiya. According to Palestinian sources, two gunmen were killed and three other were injured in the strike. One of the dead gunmen was identified as a member of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction. The affiliation of the second militant was not immediately known. more..
Deeply alarmed by number of mines laid each year, General Assembly would urge aid for development of national mine-action capacities, by Fourth Committee draft
United Nations General Assembly, ReliefWeb 11/13/2007
GA/SPD/390 Sixty-second General Assembly Fourth Committee 22nd Meeting (AM) In Debate on Israeli Practices, Focus Shifts to Separation Wall, Deemed ’Noxious’ to Palestinian Welfare, ’Pretext’ for Israeli Claim to East Jerusalem The General Assembly, deeply alarmed by the number of mines laid each year, as well as the presence of a still very large number of square kilometres infested by mines and explosive remnants of war as a result of armed conflicts, the General Assembly would urge all States to assist countries affected by mines and explosive remnants of war in the establishment and development of national mine-action capacities, according to a draft text approved today without a vote by the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization). The draft resolution, which was orally amended, would also have the Assembly urge all States to support national programmes, while taking into... more..
Settler enclave mocks Mideast peace prospects
Middle East Online 10/11/2007
HEBRON, West Bank - When the Israeli army occupied the top two floors of Mohammed al-Jabari’s hillside home in the Palestinian West Bank city of Hebron for two weeks in September, he blamed his neighbours. Since 200 hardline Jews moved into an unfinished concrete monstrosity across the street one rainy night in March -- creating one of Israel’s newest West Bank settlements -- soldiers have also been posted just outside Jabari’s gate. They said they had to have a presence in his home for security reasons. "They made noise all night, pacing back and forth with their boots. We couldn’t sleep. They kept opening and closing the iron gate, over and over again," he says. The settlement, which the Palestinians call the Al-Rajabi house, does not yet have the iron fences and barbed wire of the more established settlements in the occupied West Bank, but it has a checkpoint, a small guard tower, and a sniper’s nest on the roof under camouflage netting. more..
Abbas wants Hamas ousted
Middle East Online 10/11/2007
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Thursday called for the people of Gaza to oust his Islamist rivals who seized control there five months ago as he seeks a lasting peace with Israel. "We must get rid of this clique that took control of the Gaza Strip by force and which is exploiting the suffering and tragedies of our people," he said in a televised speech from his Ramallah office to mark the 19th anniversary of the symbolic declaration of a Palestinian state. Hamas ousted secular Fatah security forces loyal to Abbas in mid-June after a week of deadly violence, resulting in the fall of the Hamas-dominated Palestinian government and a new government being formed in the West Bank. The ongoing factional feuding has now split the Palestinians into two separate entities, with the Islamist Hamas ruling the roost in Gaza and Fatah administering the Israeli-occupied West Bank. more..
Nine injured, including Japanese journalist; four arrested at Bil’in demonstration
Ma’an News Agency 11/16/2007
Ramallah – Ma’an – Nine people were injured and four others arrested during the weekly demonstration against the separation wall in Bil’in, near Ramallah in the central West Bank on Friday. Local residents, foreign peace and some residents from neighbouring villages gathered for the demonstration. A high-ranking French delegation including politicians and mayors from French cities also attended the demonstration, including the head of the European left wing party Francis Meriros and head of the French-Palestinian twinning programme, Ferno Tweil. Palestinian Legislative Council members Jihad Tumalie and Muheeb Awwad accompanied the French delegation. The visitors listened to a detailed illustration about Bil’in’s three-year resistance to the separation wall. PLC member Muheeb Awwad delivered a speech about the impact of the wall on the West Bank and how it impedes the establishment of a Palestinian independent state. more..
Fatah accuses Hamas forces of arresting Brigades spokesperson
Ma’an News Agency 11/16/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades on Friday accused Hamas forces of arresting their spokesperson, Aqil Ash-Sheikh Khalil, in Gaza City, a statement said. "Hamas-affiliated militias arrested Sheikh Khalil after watching him for a long time. They took him to the Al-Mashtal headquarters, which Hamas uses as a detention centre for keeping and torturing Fatah’s members," the statement said. Sheikh Khalil is the general commander of the Al-Aqsa Brigades in the Saftawi area of Gaza City and is ’wanted’ by Israeli forces. Khalil is the second Al-Aqsa Brigades spokesperson to be arrested by Hamas in a month. Nasir Abu Fool, the spokesperson and general commander of the Al-Aqsa Brigades Yasser Arafat forces was seized a month ago. more..
Protest near Abbas’ Gaza home against Jewish extremist threats to Al-Aqsa mosque
Ma’an News Agency 11/16/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas organised rallies in the Gaza Strip on Friday for the second day in a row in protest at attempts by Israeli settlers and politicians to enter the grounds of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. People gathered outside mosques after the Friday prayer, shouting slogans calling on the Arab and Muslim world to defend the Al-Aqsa mosque. The main rally took place in Gaza City outside the home of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. "These rallies are meant to tell the world that we are ready to starve and die in order to defend the Al-Aqsa mosque, and let this be known by all," prominent Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya said. ööAddressing the rally, which included members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees, he asked them to prepare to "free the Al-Aqsa mosque from Israeli occupation." His message to Israel was clear - "Your end has come close because as your tyranny grows, heaven’s might grows too. more..
Israeli undercover force seize two in Bethlehem
Ma’an News Agency 11/16/2007
Bethlehem – Ma’an – An undercover Israeli force seized two Palestinians from Bethlehem in the southern West Bank on Thursday evening, their relatives told Ma’an. According to their families, an Israeli undercover unit took twenty-seven-year-old Adel Nawawra and twenty-nine-year-old Ayish Nawawra to an unknown destination. [end]
Palestinian security arrest nine more Hamas members
Ma’an News Agency 11/16/2007
Nablus – Ma’an – Hamas said on Friday that Palestinian security services arrested nine Hamas members in the West Bank on Thursday night. In a statement, the Islamist movement said five Hamas loyalists were arrested in Nablus in the northern West Bank, two in Tulkarem and two others in Hebron in the southern West Bank. [end]
Haniyeh calls for enquiry into Gaza rally massacre
Ma’an News Agency 11/16/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Deposed Palestinian prime minister Isma’il Haniyeh on Thursday evening called for the formation of a "transparent and impartial national committee" to investigate Monday’s bloody events in Gaza City that left seven dead and scores injured following a rally to commemorate the death of Yasser Arafat. The violence occurred as the rally began to disperse. Eyewitnesses said Fatah supporters began taunting the Hamas-affiliated police force who then opened fire on the crowd. The leader of the de facto government in Gaza demanded the release of all those arrested after the shootings except those thought to have been responsible for inciting violence. Hs said his government will "adhere to its duties towards the victims" of the rally. "Despite the facilitations which the government made, Hamas was not invited to attend the celebration. more..
PFLP launch projectiles at Sderot
Ma’an News Agency 11/15/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades claimed responsibility on Thursday for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot in the western Negev, they said in a statement. The statement added that the operation was in retaliation for Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people. [end]
Union of Palestinian journalists condemns attack on German TV journalists by "Hamas militias"
Ma’an News Agency 11/15/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – The Palestinian syndicate of journalists on Wednesday condemned the assault on staff of a German television station in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip by what they called "Hamas militias." According to a statement released by the syndicate, photojournalist Sawah Abu Saif was arrested and his camera was confiscated. Zakariyya Tilmis, the German TV correspondent was also attacked, the statement added. The statement said, "Hamas militias hurled a grenade at the journalists and a gathering of citizens and fired heavily during the abduction of Abu Saif. This dangerous escalation against media came in accordance with the decision to ban public freedom by force, taken by the dark forces which staged a coup in Gaza." more..
Israeli forces invade Qabatia
Ma’an News Agency 11/15/2007
Jenin – Ma’an – Israeli forces invaded the northern West Bank town of Qabatia south of Jenin on Thursday, carrying out an arrest and inspection campaign in the town’s centre, Ma’an’s reporter said. Palestinian security sources said that several Israeli military vehicles entered the town from the west and stormed a number of houses near the Salah Addin mosque under cover of heavy gunfire and sonic bombs. They claimed they were searching for Palestinian fugitives. Eyewitnesses told Ma’an’s reporter that the Israeli troops forced Palestinian residents to leave their homes and gather in a mosque yard for interrogation. [end]
Al-Mujahidin and Islamic Jihad target Israeli military post
Ma’an News Agency 11/15/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – A joint group of Fatah’s Al-Mujahidin Brigades and Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility on Thursday for launching four mortar shells at the Israeli military post of Abu Mtaibiq in the central Gaza Strip. They said in a statement that the shelling is in response to the frequent Israeli threatens to invade the Gaza Strip. [end]
Al-Qassam Brigades attack Israeli military posts
Ma’an News Agency 11/15/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility on Wednesday for launching four mortar shells at the Israeli military post of Qarmish in the northern Gaza Strip, and two other mortar shells at Nahal ’Oz military post. They said in a statement that their activity was in retaliation for Israeli incursions in the Gaza Strip. [end]
Al-Aqsa Brigades launch projectile at Sufa crossing and Sderot
Ma’an News Agency 11/15/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility on Wednesday evening for launching a homemade projectile at the Sufa crossing east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. They said in a statement that the operation was in retaliation for Israeli aggressions and targeted killings of Palestinians. On Thursday for they said they launched a homemade projectile at the Israeli town of Sderot in the Western Negev. They said in a statement that the shelling emphasizes that resistance will continue against Israeli occupation. [end]
An-Nasser Brigades target Israeli military post
Ma’an News Agency 11/15/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – The An-Nasser Salahaddin Brigades, the armed group affiliated to the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed responsibility on Wednesday for launching three mortar shells at the Israeli military post of Nahal ’Oz east of Gaza City. They said in a statement that the shelling resulted in power cut in the area and Israeli helicopters were seen flying overhead which meant that the target was hit. [end]
This Week In Palestine - Week 46 2007
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 11/16/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 11. 0MB || Time 13m 0s || This Week In Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www. IMEMC. org, for November 10th through November 16th 2007. Palestinians mark the 19th anniversary of their independents with Israeli attacks leaving five killed in Gaza and internal clashes leaving another eight dead. These stories and more, coming up, stay tuned. Nonviolent Resistance in West Bank Let’s begin our weekly report with the nonviolent action in the village of Bil’in near the city of Ramallah. IMEMC’s Manar Jebreen with the details: As has been the case for the last two and a half years, the villagers of Bil’in, along with their international and Israeli supporters, conducted their weekly protest against the illegal Israeli wall built on the village land. This week, French parliamentarians, municipality leaders, union representatives,... more..
Israeli forces storm northern and central West Bank
Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/16/2007
Israeli military forces on Friday morning invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus and the central West Bank city of al-Bireh, Palestinian security sources have reported. In al-Bireh, located near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, Israeli troops established a flying checkpoint on one of the main roads. Again, no kidnappings were reported. [end]
Hamas: Fatah security forces attack girls’ dormitory at al-Najah University
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 11/16/2007
The Hamas movement on Thursday accused Fatah-affiliated security forces of breaking into a girls’ dormitory at the al-Najah university in Nablus and attacking several students. The dormitory in question is reserved for female students who are part of the Islamic bloc, and is located in Rafidia neighborhood of Nablus. Eyewitnesses to the event claimed that the dorm was surrounded by Fatah security forces on Wednesday afternoon, after which each room was raided and residents forces to gather in one place. Witnesses added that the security forces confiscated any posters, pictures or documents promoting the Islamic bloc, in addition to one computer. Since Hamas’ rise to power in the Gaza Strip, Fatah forces have steeped up attacks against the movement in the West Bank. Similarly, Hamas forces in Gaza have intensified their attacks against the Fatah movement, as seen in Monday’s violence that left at least seven Palestinians dead and scores more injured. more..
Palestine Today 111507
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 11/15/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file File 2. 75 MB || Time 3m 0s|| Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Thursday, November 15th, 2007. Palestinians marked the 19th anniversary of their independence, and the Israeli army killed two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, these stories and more coming up so stay tuned. The Gaza strip Two Palestinians were killed and four others wounded on Thursday in an Israeli strike on the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya. Initial media reports said that those killed belonged to the Fatah’s offshoot, aL-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and that one of those injured was in a critical condition Witnesses said that a missile struck a car while driving on a road in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia. The Israeli army has recently been engaged in a series of air strikes on Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza, killing dozens of them and injuring many others. more..
Israeli forces hit Gaza targets
Al Jazeera 11/15/2007
An Israeli attack on a car in northern Gaza Strip has killed two Palestinians and wounded three others, medical sources and witnesses say. The attack in the town of Beit Hanoun came after fighters from the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades fired rockets towards towns in southern Israel. The group identified the dead as its own. An Israeli military spokeswoman said ground forces fired on a Palestinian rocket crew. The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is an armed wing of the Fatah, led by Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. The Israeli military said ground forces struck a rocket squad about to fire at Israeli towns. Al-Aqsa said it fired 10 rockets on Thursday by midday. Israeli aircraft later struck an electricity transformer, causing no casualties. But power was knocked out in several homes, according to Said Hamad of the Beit Hanoun town council. Source: Agencies more..
Deeply alarmed by number of mines laid each year, General Assembly would urge aid for development of national mine-action capacities, by Fourth Committee draft
United Nations General Assembly, ReliefWeb 11/13/2007
GA/SPD/390 Sixty-second General Assembly Fourth Committee 22nd Meeting (AM) In Debate on Israeli Practices, Focus Shifts to Separation Wall, Deemed ’Noxious’ to Palestinian Welfare, ’Pretext’ for Israeli Claim to East Jerusalem The General Assembly, deeply alarmed by the number of mines laid each year, as well as the presence of a still very large number of square kilometres infested by mines and explosive remnants of war as a result of armed conflicts, the General Assembly would urge all States to assist countries affected by mines and explosive remnants of war in the establishment and development of national mine-action capacities, according to a draft text approved today without a vote by the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization). The draft resolution, which was orally amended, would also have the Assembly urge all States to support national more..
National Resistance Brigades pledge to escalate resistance
Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – The National Resistance Brigades, the armed group affiliated to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) claimed responsibility on Tuesday afternoon for launching a homemade projectile at the military post of Sufa, south of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. In a statement the group pledged to escalate their resistance against ongoing Israeli aggressions. [end]
Abbas declares three days of national mourning for Gaza dead
Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2007
Ramallah – Ma’an – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has declared three days of national mourning beginning on Tuesday for the seven dead killed in Monday’s massacre in Gaza City. Flags will be at half-mast as sign of mourning for the victims killed by Hamas-affiliated police in Gaza City during a rally to commemorate the third anniversary of the death of former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. [end]
Israeli forces arrest Qalqilia resident
Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2007
Qalqilia – Ma’an – Israeli forces arrested forty-two-year-old Muhammad Suwan on Tuesday after raiding his home in the northern West Bank town of Amateen, east of Qalqilia. Eyewitnesses said that an Israeli force invaded the town and ransacked several homes before arresting Suwan. [end]
Two Hamas members arrested in West Bank
Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2007
Nablus - Ma’an – Hamas said on Tuesday that the Palestinian security services arrested two of their members on Monday in Nablus in the northern West Bank and Hebron in the southern West Bank. In a statesmen, Hamas named the arrestees as Abdul-Rahman Ashur from Nablus and Faysal Ishaq from Hebron. [end]
Funerals of those killed in rally massacre; Gaza on general strike
Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Hundreds of Palestinians took part in funeral processions on Tuesday for two of the victims of Monday’s clashes in Gaza City that left seven dead and scores injured during a memorial rally for the late President Yasser Arafat. Fourteen-year-old Ibrahim Ahmad was buried in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip and the second funeral took place in Gaza City as mourners escorted twenty-six-year-old Husam Al-Awadi to his final resting place. Five of the victims were buried on Monday evening without formal funeral processions. The whole of the Gaza Strip went on general strike on Tuesday following the deaths of the seven people and scores of injuries after gunmen opened fire on the crowd. Shops remained closed, and students and teachers did not attend school. The mood in Gaza was subdued as people tried to come to terms with what they had witnessed the previous day. more..
Palestinian journalist complains he was attacked by Hamas’ forces in Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2007
Bethlehem – Ma’an – A correspondent for the Ramallah-based Palestine radio was attacked and beaten by the de facto government’s police in Gaza City while he was covering the Fatah-organized rally in Gaza City marking the third anniversary of the death of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in which seven people were killed and scores injured, he told Ma’an via telephone. Thirty-year-old Tamim Abu Mu’ammar told Ma’an that he was trying to send a report by telephone to the Palestine radio in Ramallah about the attacks on the rally when the de facto government’s police beat him with clubs and rifle butts. He said they searched his cell phone and ordered him to leave the scene, threatening to attack him if they saw him again. Mu’ammar said his whole body was covered in bruises. more..
Brigades clash with invading Israeli forces in Qabatia
Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2007
Jenin – Ma’an – Israeli forces raided the northern West Bank town of Qabatia south of Jeninon Tuesday morning, and Palestinian combatants countered the invading forces before they withdrew, Ma’an’s reporter said. No injuries or arrests have been reported. Eyewitnesses said that 32 Israeli military vehicles stormed the town from all directions. Troops tried to ambush Palestinian activists and ransacked several homes. Sources within Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades and the Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades claimed their gunmen clashed with the Israeli forces, yet no injuries were reported. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses said they saw an Israeli helicopter landing twice on plains belonging to the towns of Ya’bad and Arraba near Jenin. They also said they saw large numbers of Israeli troops and patrols. more..
Israeli forces demolish house in Kafr Haris
Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2007
Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli forces on Tuesday began to demolish houses and shops in the northern West Bank village of Kafr Haris, west of Salfit, after issuing warrants to their owners weeks ago, according to Ma’an’s reporter. Our correspondent said the Israeli forces besieged the village and broke into the home of Abdullah Dawood forcing him to leave the house before demolishing it. The same house was damaged by Israeli forces in 1994. [end]
Israeli forces detain seven in Nablus
Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2007
Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained seven Palestinians on Tuesday after several military vehicles raided the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank. Palestinian security sources confirmed the arrests and named those seized as Shadi Abdul-Haq and his son Fadi, Radi Qadiri, Rami ’Ashur, Muhamad ’Ashur, Bilal Tab’uni and ’Amid Ksheika. [end]
Israeli media: one Palestinian seized near Bethlehem
John Smith - IMEMC & agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2007
One Palestinian man was seized near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem after allegedly throwing a number of Molotov cocktails at an Israeli building site, Israeli media sources on Tuesday afternoon reported. [end]
Gaza police forces arrest Abbas advisor
Rami Almeghari - IMEMC&Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2007
The Hamas-affiliated Gaza police on Tuesday arrested Kamal Alsherafi, an advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in the northern Gaza Strip. The arrest comes less than 24 hours after violence ripped through a large Fatah rally in Gaza, leaving at least seven Palestinians dead and scores more injured. Earlier media reports indicated that a number of similar arrests were made on Monday night after the Interior Ministry of the de facto government vowed to bring to justice those who, it claimed, fired on its police forces. The interior ministry spokesman, Ehab Algosain, on Monday stated "we have footage of those who opened fire at the police personnel from the rooftop of the nearby al-Azhar university and will bring to justice all those involved … no one is above the law." Monday violence has been roundly criticized by various Palestinian factions, with Fatah branding more..
Israeli military confiscates lands near Jenin
Ali Samoudi - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2007
Israeli forces on Tuesday ordered scores of Palestinian farmers near the northern West Bank city of Jenin to evacuate their orchards, forbidding the owners from using them. Local farmers reported that enforced Israeli forces descended on fields located behind the illegal wall, near Barta’a village, and ordered them to leave the land. One farmer told IMEMC that "the Israeli military is not satisfied with the fields they confiscated to establish the wall, but wish to take more." Israeli troops also barred the farmers from future use of their land, citing so-called ’security considerations’ as a justification. Barta’a village currently lives under complete isolation and closure. The village, which located on the Israeli border, is surrounded by the illegal wall and closed behind an iron gate, with thousands of Dunums of village-owned land confiscated for the illegal structure. more..
Israeli forces kidnap two Palestinians in Hebron
Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2007
Israeli military forces on Tuesday kidnapped two Palestinians near the Ibrahimi Mosque in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. The men, later identified as Ased Abu Zneid and Mohammad Masalma, both from Dora town, were kidnapped after Israeli forces invaded a house near the mosque, claiming that the two men were in possession of a knife with which they planned to attack Israeli forces. Both were transferred to an undisclosed detention center. [end]
Israeli forces open fire on civilians’ homes in Beit Hanoun
Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2007
Israeli military forces on Tuesday morning opened fire against civilians’ homes in Beit Hanoun, located in the northern Gaza Strip. Local sources reported that Israeli soldiers stationed at the nearby Eretz crossing opened fire for no apparent reason. No injuries were reported in the attack. [end]
’The situation in the South could change any minute’
Mohammed Zaatari Daily Star staff, Daily Star 11/14/2007
TYRE: The commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major General Claudio Graziano, said that peacekeepers should be "ready to face any new developments which could affect our area of operations." "The overall situation in Lebanon is delicate but the situation in the South is rather calm," Graziano said following a visit to the UNIFIL headquarters in its western area of operations in the coastal city of Tyre. "Beware, however, that the situation in the South could change any minute so let us be prepared to face any threats," Graziano added. UNIFIL was set up in 1978 to monitor the Lebanon-Israel borderafter an Israeli invasion of its smaller neighbor. UNIFIL was expanded after the 34-day summer war with Israel in 2006. Some 13,500 peacekeepers from 27 countries patrol South Lebanon and include a naval force that patrols Lebanese coast. On Monday, a French peacekeeper was killed and another wounded in South Lebanon in an accidental weapons discharge, UNIFIL said. more..
Fatah members rounded up in Gaza
BBC Online 11/13/2007
Hamas says it has rounded up dozens of Fatah activists in Gaza, a day after a huge rally commemorating Yasser Arafat ended in gunfire killing seven people. Witnesses say security forces opened fire on unarmed crowds after the rally turned into a protest against the Hamas movement’s takeover of Gaza in June. Hamas says its police came under attack from Fatah gunmen and returned fire. Fatah party officials allege 400 of their supporters were arrested and dozens more summoned for questioning. Palestinian Authority President MahmoudAbbas, of Fatah, compared the rival party’s actions at the rally with "crimes of the Israeli occupier". He has declared a three-day period of mourning for the dead and flags flew at half-mast throughout the West Bank, which has remained under Fatah control since the summer’s violence. Chaos A spokesman for Hamas’s Executive Force security teams said troops had detained about 50 Fatah members since the rally. more..
Hamas rounds up Fatah members
Al Jazeera 11/14/2007
Hamas has rounded up scores of Fatah members in the Gaza Strip a day after its rival Fatah drew more than 200,000 supporters to a rally that ended in gunfire that killed seven people. Islam Shahwan, spokesman of the Hamas Executive Force, said it had detained about 50 Fatah members since Monday’s rally. "They are the ones who planned and organised the rally yesterday and are suspected of being responsible for the chaos that took place," Shahwan said. Hazem Abu Shanab, a Fatah official, said Hamas security forces took 400 Fatah members into custody in a series of raids. Dozens more were ordered to report to police stations for questioning, he said. Meanwhile, three days of mourning began across the Palestinian territories for the seven people killed in the violence on Monday. More than 100 others, including Hamas and Fatah members, were reportedly wounded more..
Soldier accidentally launches missile near Lebanese border
Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 11/12/2007
Nahal Brigade soldier fires antitank missile during drill on northern border; missile lands in Israeli territory, causing no injuries or damage, but officials say incident could have ended with grave results - - An antitank missile was accidentally fired by an IDF soldier during a Nahal Brigade drill near the Lebanese border on Monday. The missile landed in Israeli territory, causing no injuries or damage. IDF sources stressed that this was a serious incident that could have resulted in injuries or an escalation with Lebanon had the missile landed on the other side of the border. An initial investigation of the incident revealed that during a maneuver of the Granite Regiment in the area Monday morning, one of the soldiers who had been practicing on using the antitank system, launched the missile by mistake. The missile landed at a distance of several kilometers. more..
Reserve soldier killed in training accident
Hagai Einav, YNetNews 11/12/2007
APC flips over during military drill in Golan Heights; one dead, five injured. Army launches investigation into incident - - A reserve soldier was killed and five others were lightly to moderately injured in a training accident Monday morning when the IDF armored personnel carrier (APC) they were traveling in flipped over. The dead soldier was identified as First Sergeant Assaf Waxman, 28, of Rishon Lezion. Firefighters and paramedics from Katzrin were called to the scene in order to administer first-aid and extricate a soldier trapped in the overturned APC. The soldiers were taken to Poriya Medical Center in Tiberias to receive medical attention. Following multiple attempts to resuscitate one of the soldiers, the medical staff had no choice but to proclaim him dead. Eli Peretz, the Magen David Adom (MDA) director for the Jordan Rift Valley, more..
IDF arrests 2 Hamas lawmakers
Ali Waked, YNetNews 11/12/2007
Khaled Tapas, Dr. Maryam Salah detained during IDF operation in Bethlehem, al-Bireh. Hamas says arrests aimed at hindering parliament’s routine work - - IDF forces operating in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem and el-Bireh on Sunday night arrested two Palestinian parliament members on behalf of Hamas , Khaled Tapas and Dr. Maryam Salah. A third Hamas lawmaker was arrested several days ago in Hebron. Hamas claimed that the arrests were a ploy devised by Israel to help Fatah, by hindering the organization’s attempts to hold routine parliament meetings, which need a certain number of members in attendance in order to take place. IDF forces have avoided arresting members of Hamas’ parliament in the past few weeks, and have even released those who were already in custody. In the last two weeks however, as tensions between Hamas and Fatah began more..
Palestinian PM vows crack down on outlaws
Reuters Foundation, ReliefWeb 11/11/2007
By Wafa Amr RAMALLAH, West Bank, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Palestinian Prime Minister Salem Fayyad vowed on Sunday to hunt down outlaws in the restive West Bank city of Nablus as part of a Western-backed push to revive peacemaking with Israel. Fayyad, appointed by President Mahmoud Abbas after rival Hamas Islamists seized control of the Gaza Strip in June, said security forces had made arrests in the city, a frequent flashpoint between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants. "We have begun arresting symbols of chaos, known to the people of Nablus, and the arrests will continue until we get the last one of them," Fayyad told reporters in Ramallah. Abbas dismissed a Hamas-led government after the Islamist group took over Gaza in a brief civil war and appointed the Western-educated Fayyad to lead an administration in the Israeli occupied West Bank where his Fatah party remains dominant. more..
PLC member condemns memorial rally shootings
Ma’an News Agency 11/12/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinian Legislative Council member Khalida Jarrar, who is member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s politburo, on Monday condemned the shooting of participants in the memorial rally marking the third anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat. In a press statement demanded that the "killers and criminals" face the utmost penalty. She also called on Hamas and its security services to halt such dangerous violations. [end]
Six injured at funeral for Gaza rally victim
Ma’an News Agency 11/12/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Six Palestinians were injured as clashes erupted on Monday between the de facto government’s police and mourners during the funeral procession in Deir Al-Balah of one of the victims shot dead during the Fatah-organized rally in Gaza City earlier on in the day. According to eyewitnesses, the mourners were attending the funeral of Abu Samra, who was killed in the clashes that followed the Fatah rally in Gaza city commemorating Arafat’s death. [end]
Two Palestinians seized after attempted stabbing of Israeli soldier in Hebron
Ma’an News Agency 11/12/2007
Hebron - Ma’an - Israeli forces seized two fifteen-year-old boys after they attempted to stab an Israeli soldier near the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron in the southern West Bank on Monday, Israeli sources said. Palestinian security sources named the boys as Muhammad Masalmah and Muhammad Abu Znaid. [end]
Brigades launch projectiles at Israeli targets
Ma’an News Agency 11/12/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – The military wing affiliated to the Isdlamic Jihad, Abu Ali Mustafa Briagdes claimed responsibility on Monday for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli Kibbutz, Netiv Ha’asara on the border with the Gaza Strip. In a separate incident, Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades said they launched five mortar shells at the Israeli military post of Nahal ’Oz in southern Israel. [end]
Gaza doctor dies of wounds sustained in Israeli airstrike
Ma’an News Agency 11/12/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – A forty-one-year-old Palestinian doctor named Wahid Salih died on Monday of wounds sustained two days ago in an Israeli airstrike. One other Palestinian civilian was killed in the Israeli bombardment of the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday. [end]
Israeli soldiers injured in Gaza Strip clash, Al-Quds Brigades say
Ma’an News Agency 11/12/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility on Monday for launching a rocket –propelled grenade at an Israeli watchtower at the Kisufim military post in the southern Gaza Strip. The group claimed that Israeli soldiers were wounded in an ensuing skirmish, including a soldier in the tower. [end]
Seven dead, 55 injured as Hamas forces fire on massive rally honoring Arafat in Gaza; Fatah leaders vow revenge
Ma’an News Agency 11/12/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Seven Palestinians were killed when Hamas-allied police opened fire on a massive Fatah-organized rally in Gaza City marking the third anniversary of the death of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Monday, according to Palestine TV. Hundreds of thousands had attended the event, the largest Fatah rally since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in June. The number of injured is estimated to be at least 55. Palestine TV broadcast live clashes between the Hamas-affiliated police and Fatah supporters who pelted police with stones. According to the TV station "Hamas militias" fired from the roof of Al-Azhar University into the crowd in the adjacent Al-Katiba Square. The gunshots sent thousands of Fatah-supporters running. The Interior Ministry in the Hamas-controlled de facto government of the Gaza Strip accused the organizers of the rally of breaking an agreement to keep the gathering peaceful. more..
Palestinian military groups launch projectiles at Israeli towns
Ma’an News Agency 11/12/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, claimed to have launched two homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot, bordering the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening. The group issued a press statement saying that the shelling marked the third anniversary of the death of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who they called a "symbol of the nation’s dignity." The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, also claimed responsibility for launching two projectiles at the Israeli town of Ashkelon. [end]
Palestine Today 111207
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/12/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 3. 67 MB || Time 4m 0s || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Monday, November 12th, 2007. In the West Bank, Israeli forces kidnap 23 Palestinians across the region. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, at least five Palestinians are killed as Hamas-affiliated police forces open fire on commemorative rally for the late Yasser Arafat. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The Gaza Strip. At least five Palestinians were on Monday killed during a mass rally commemorating the death of Yasser Arafat in Gaza city, media sources have indicated. Initial eyewitness reports suggest that the Gaza police force attacked the rally after an armed man, reported by Hamas sources to be a Fatah gunman, opened fire from nearby rooftops – a report that has yet to be confirmed. more..
Two Palestinians teens seized in Hebron for alleged attempted attack on Israeli soldier
John Smith - IMEMC & agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/12/2007
Two fifteen-year-old Palestinians were on Monday abducted in the southern West Bank city of Hebron after Israeli Border Police accused them of attempting to attack an Israeli soldier near the Ibrahimi Mosque. [end]
At least seven Palestinians, including one child, killed during commemorative rally
John Smith - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 11/12/2007
At least seven Palestinians, including one child, were on Monday killed during a mass rally commemorating the death of Yasser Arafat in Gaza city, media sources have indicated. Initial eyewitness reports suggest that the Gaza police force attacked the rally after an armed man, reported by Hamas sources to be a Fatah gunman, opened fire from nearby rooftops, but the precise circumstances of the outbreak of violence remain unclear. IMEMC's correspondent in Gaza city, who attended the demonstration, reported that Hamas forces attacked and assaulted demonstrators, leaving at least 60 Palestinians injured. The situation remains tense, with police forces deployed across the city and the death toll expected to rise. Later in the day, the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas slammed the killings as a "heinous crime. more..
Palestinian factions shell Israeli territory
John Smith - IMEMC & agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/12/2007
Various Palestinian factions on Monday morning claimed responsibility for firing a number of homemade shells at Israeli territory from the northern Gaza Strip. [end]
Israeli army kidnaps six civilians, including two legislators
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/12/2007
The Israeli army on Monday morning attacked the cities of Bethlehem and Ramallah, located in the southern and central West Bank, kidnapping six civilians, including two Hamas legislators. In Ramallah, the Israeli military surrounded the home of Dr. Maryam Saleh, a Palestinian lawmaker of the Hamas movement, storming the home, seizing the woman and moving her to an undisclosed location. The soldiers also issued a military order to Saleh’s husband, stating the he must attend an interview with Israeli military intelligence in the near future. Also in Ramallah, a further four civilians were kidnapped when troops attacked and searched homes in al-Bireh neighborhood. Among those four kidnapped was Majeed Hassan, a father of nine children and the husband of a political detainee serving time in an Israeli detention center. Elsewhere, an Israeli army force invaded the city of Bethlehem on Monday at dawn, kidnapping Hamas legislator Khaled Tafesh, and moving him to an undisclosed location. more..
Two Hamas legislators kidnapped
John Smith - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/12/2007
Hamas sources on Monday reported that two of its legislators were kidnapped by the Israeli army in pre-dawn raids on Monday. The law-makers, later identified as Dr. Maryam Saleh and Khaled Tapesh, were arrested from the central West Bank city of Ramallah and the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem [end]
Gaza violence shows worsening divide
Martin Patience, BBC Online 11/12/2007
BBC News, Jerusalem Fatah supporters reportedly began taunting the Hamas forces The violence during the third anniversary of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s death illustrates the deadly tensions between the two main Palestinian political factions. Six Palestinians were killed and dozens other injured as clashes broke out between Hamas and Fatah supporters at the Gaza memorial. Both sides laid the blame for the violence at each other’s door. Ever since the bloody Hamas takeover in June, the Islamic movement has pursued an aggressive law-and-order agenda, barring demonstrations, and sometimes brutally cracking down on its rival, Fatah. But Hamas permitted Monday’s commemoration of Yasser Arafat - also the former Fatah leader - hailing him as a national figure. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, waving yellow Fatah flags and carrying portraits of the late more..
Deadly clash at Arafat Gaza rally
BBC Online 11/12/2007
The rally was a rare chance for Fatah to show its Gaza support Enlarge Image At least six people have died in gunfire at a rally in Gaza City organised by Fatah to mark three years since the death of Yasser Arafat. The violence occurred when Fatah supporters began taunting Hamas police and throwing stones, witnesses said. The Hamas security forces reportedly responded by firing towards the crowd. It was the biggest rally held by the late president’s party since it was ousted from Gaza by Hamas in June after a series of bloody clashes. Arafat died in Paris on 11 November 2004 and since his death Palestinian politics has been riven by splits, the most violent between the secular nationalist Fatah party and the radical Islamists ofHamas. Paying respects Hamas has banned opposition rallies since its takeover of Gaza, and its security personnel were out in force at the edge of Monday’s massive gathering. more..
In pictures: Arafat anniversary rally
BBC Online 11/12/2007
Supporters of the Palestinian Fatah party have held a massive rally to mark the third anniversary of former leader Yasser Arafat’s death. The square in central Gaza City where the rally took place was a sea of yellow - the colour of Fatah. It was the largest rally to be held by the party since it was ousted from power in Gaza by rival faction Hamas in June. Tensions reportedly rose when the crowd began chants accusing Hamas security forces of being a proxy for Shia Muslim-ruled Iran. The security forces reportedly opened fire on the crowd, causing people to flee. Hamas officials said they had fired toward protesters who threw stones at security compounds. Several people were killed and more than 100 were wounded in the clashes. Back 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next 1) { document. more..
A first: 40 haredim join Air Force
Yossi Yehoshua, YNetNews 11/11/2007
Group of Orthodox men who dropped out of yeshiva studies receive training in aircraft maintenance, mechanics in framework of project ’Blue Dawn’ - - The first ever group of Orthodox Jews was recruited into the Israel Air Force (IAF) last week as part of project "Blue Dawn", Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday. In the framework of the project, 40 haredi men who had drooped out of their yeshiva studies, received training in areas such as aircraft maintenance, mechanics and the arming of fighter jets and helicopters. The recruits all have a low medical profile and cannot serve in combat positions. The project was launched due to the depleted supply of human resources in the Air Force and in an attempt to provide Orthodox men with professional experience that would later help integrate them into the private market. more..
Qassam hits dairy barn in Negev kibbutz; 6 cows killed
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 11/11/2007
Rocket fired from Gaza lands in Kibbutz Zikim, nearby plant damaged. ’No one is planning on leaving; we are hoping for the best,’ kibbutz member says - - A Qassam rocket fired by Palestinians in north Gaza Sunday morning hit a dairy barn in Kibbutz Zikim in the western Negev, killing six cows and causing severe damage to the structure. Sappers and security personnel dispatched to the scene said the rocket was 165 millimeters in diameter. Kibbutz Zikim member Tal Mor said the cows killed in the attack were pregnant, adding that several others were injured in the strike. "We may have to put some of the cows down," he said. Mor said a nearby plant was also damaged. "We have not seen a rocket of this type in these parts before. more..
Neo-Nazis, anti-fascists clash in Prague’s Jewish quarter
Associated Press, YNetNews 11/11/2007
At least six people injured, 80 arrested as police and anti-fascist protestors try to prevent Neo-Nazis from marching through Jewish quarter day after Kristallnacht anniversary - - Neo-Nazis trying to march through the Jewish quarter of Prague on Saturday clashed with self-proclaimed anti-fascists, and at least 80 people were arrested in outbreaks of violence around the capital. Police also seized weapons including a gas gun, axes and sticks at scattered sites as the extremists tried to reach the Jewish quarter, police spokesman Ladislav Bernasek said. At least six people, including one policeman, suffered head injuries, said Prague rescue service spokeswoman Jirina Ernestova. Police stop neo-Nazis from marching (Photo: AFP) The march had been scheduled to take... more..
Qassams land near Sderot; IDF strikes launchers
Ynet, YNetNews 11/11/2007
IDF attacks Qassam cell members Saturday shortly after they fire rockets towards Sderot. No injuries or damage reported. Palestinians claim passerby injured - - The IDF attacked Saturday a Qassam cell shortly after they fired rockets at the western Negev. Palestinian sources reported that a civilian was injured by an air strike at members of an Islamic Jihad cell in northern Gaza Strip. While Palestinians claim the gunmen escaped unharmed, the IDF reported the attack was successful and that the cell members that fired the Qassam and the rocket launcher they operated were hit. Shortly before the strike, the gunmen fired two Qassam rockets towards Sderot. The Qassams landed south of town and no injuries or damage were reported. more..
Israeli artillery fires at projectile launching pad in Gaza Strip
Ma’an News Agency 11/11/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli artillery on Sunday morning fired at a homemade projectile launching pad inthe area of Sha’sha’a in the northern Gaza Strip. No casualties have been reported. Israeli sources said the shelling came after Palestinian combatants launched projectiles towards Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip. [end]
Military bulldozers uproot lands west of Bethlehem
Najeeb Farraj – IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 11/12/2007
Israeli military bulldozers uprooted on Sunday afternoon large areas of Palestinian orchards which belong to residents of Al Ma’sar village, south of Bethlehem; dozens of trees were uprooted. Dozens of residents rushed to the area and tried to stop the uprooting of their lands, and the soldiers attacked them with batons and weapons; one resident was injured and was moved to a medical center after suffering concussions and bruises. Mahmoud Zawahra, head of a local committee against the Wall and Settlements in southern Bethlehem villages, stated that these villages are under ongoing attacks as the army is bulldozing more lands in order to pave a settler-only road leading to Efrat settlement. Zawahra added that soldiers bulldozed ten Dunams and still intend to bulldoze more Palestinian lands. more..
Jordan and the ’last chance conference’
Oraib Al-Rantawi Commentary by, Daily Star 11/12/2007
Of all the countries in the region, Jordan has been the most enthusiastic and active in the course of the past two years in calling to exploit what could be considered "the last chance for peace in the region." This position gained additional momentum following US President George W. Bush’s speech last July in which he expressed his desire to host an "international meeting" for peace this autumn. The Jordanian perspective, which supports the Bush initiative, is based on a number of considerations of which two are particularly important. First, solving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in its various aspects and establishing a viable Palestinian state is a goal in and of itself that will positively impact both Jordan’s and the region’s security and stability. more..
Israelis say troops wounded two suspected drug smugglers in Ghajar
Agence France Presse - AFP, Daily Star 11/12/2007
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli troops shot and wounded two suspected Lebanese drug smugglers as they tried to infiltrate the Israeli-held sector of a divided border village, an Israeli military spokesman said on Saturday. He said the two Lebanese in Friday’s incident in the village of Ghajar were caught transporting a sack with a large quantity of hashish. One of them tried to escape but was later detained and the second was shot in the legs and arrested at the scene, where he also received first aid, the spokesman said. According to a military source, they were wearing uniforms from the Spanish contingent of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Both men were handed over to the police for interrogation. A Lebanese security source identified the detained suspects as brothers Khaled and Ziad al-Mohammed. more..
Beirut diary: Monday 12 November
BBC Online 11/12/2007
In the latest instalment of his diary, BBC Middle East correspondent Tim Franks visits the Lebanese capital Beirut and finds grief, anger and fear live on following a deadly car bombing in September. Noha Chikhani is the mother of Charles, who died in the car bombing in Beirut in September. She serves us black coffee and hot, diluted blossom-flower ("white coffee") in translucent cups and saucers, symmetrically arranged on a tray. Charles Chikhani, 28, had returned to Lebanon to live The family apartment has rough, peeling balustrades on the outside. Inside, it has the feel of a Parisian home, of simple, restrained elegance. The sounds of chaos from Beirut traffic percolate through the Arabesque shutters. Mrs Chikhani had gone to make the coffee when she was unable to complete her sentence. more..
Gal Hirsch: Commanders hid behind fighters
Raanan Ben-Zur, YNetNews 11/11/2007
Division commander who resigned in wake of Lebanon War goes on the offensive, attacking war-time actions of senior military echelon. ’Deplorable political norms have penetrated parts of an IDF afflicted by dangerous politicization’ - - The division commander who went home has returned with a vengeance. Gal Hirsch, Galilee Division Commander during the Second Lebanon War, went on the offensive Sunday night, fiercely attacking the conduct of the IDF’s senior leadership in the war. "During and after the Second Lebanon war the senior political echelon hid behind those fighting in the field and deserted them, leaving commanders on their own and refusing to accept responsibility," he stated. Speaking at an event celebrating the publishing of a new book on the war, Hirsch said, "I am saying that... more..
Abu Ali Mustafa brigades target Israeli soldier in north Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 11/10/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, claimed responsibility on Saturday for targeting an Israeli soldierin Abraj An Nada in the northern Gaza Strip. The brigades said it was in response to the continuous crimes perpetrated by Israeli forces against Palestinians. [end]
Hamas: five more members detained Thursday
Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2007
Nablus – Ma’an – Hamas said that Fatah-allied Palestinian security forces continued a crackdown on their movement Thursday night, seizing five Hamas members in the West Bank. In a press statement Hamas said that the security forces detained two teachers in the city of Ramallah, and three other Palestinians from the cities of Nablus, Jenin, and Qalqilia. Hamas says Palestinian Authority forces have detained more of their members each night, in an effort to suppress the movement. Hamas, for its part, has been accused of suppressing Fatah activity in the Gaza Strip. [end]
Palestinians detained as Israeli forces invade Jenin
Ma’an News Agency 11/7/2007
Jenin – Ma’an – Dozens of Israeli military vehicles entered the West Bank city of Jenin early on Wednesday morning, searching for Palestinian fighters wanted by Israeli authorities. Witnesses said the soldiers were searching for Tariq Abu Ghaliya, an activist with Islamic Jihad’s armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigades. Failing to locate Abu Ghaliya, the soldiers detained his father and brother instead. [end]
3 killed in road accidents Friday
Raanan Ben-Zur, YNetNews 11/9/2007
Two people dead, three seriously injured in accident near city of Taibeh in central Israel; motorcycle rider killed near Beit Shemesh after losing control of vehicle, hitting safety railing. Seven people killed in road accidents within 24 hours - - Two people were killed and three were seriously injured Friday evening in a traffic accident on the road leading from the central city of Taibeh to the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Two vehicles were involved in the accident, and one of them overturned. Magen David Adom crews dispatched to the area proclaimed two of the passengers dead and evacuated the injured to hospitals. The accident is believed to have been caused due to a wet road. Also Friday, a motorcycle rider was killed on the road leading from Moshav Mata to the city of Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem. more..
Bomb rocks Gaza café
Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2007
Gaza - Ma’an – A bomb went off outside a coffee shop in Western Gaza City early on Friday morning, Palestinian security sources said. No one was injured but the shop was damaged. The café, Al-Masra, was the second bombing this week in the neighborhood near Al-Azhar University. A fast food restaurant was bombed just a few meters away on Monday. The perpetrators of the attacks remain unknown. Tensions have been high in recent weeks between the Hamas, who have controlled the Gaza Strip since June and rival factions such as Fatah and Islamic Jihad. Two Islamic Jihad members and one bystander have been killed in the last three weeks in fighting with the Hamas-dominated security forces. Al-Azhar University is a secular educational institution. In October 2005, armed Fatah forces overran the campus, assaulting students and administrators, reportedly in response to the expulsion of six Fatah students. more..
Al-Quds Brigades launch projectiles at Sderot
Ma’an News Agency 11/8/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Islamic Jihad’s military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, claimed responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot, bordering the Gaza Strip on Thursday evening. The Al-Quds Brigades said they would continue to launch projectiles at Israeli targets in response to Israeli aggression in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. [end]
Israeli forces raid mosque, seize ten Palestinians in ongoing fighting in northern Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 11/8/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – At least ten people were detained, including journalists and a village official, as Israeli forces continued their assault on the Northern Gaza Strip on Thursday afternoon. Fatah’s armed Al-Aqsa Brigades said that a group of their fighters survived an Israeli missile attack in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday. Fatah’s central information office said the group of four combatants were on a mission to launch a homemade projectile at the bordering Israeli town of Sderot when the missile landed nearby. Meanwhile, invading Israeli forces continued their operation in the Bedouin village of Um An-Nasir Thursday afternoon, also in the Gaza Strip. Israeli troops had entered the village Thursday morning. Hamas condemned the raid on the mosque. A Hamas statement also accused Israeli forces of detaining journalists covering the fighting. more..
Islamic Jihad fighters launch 5 projectiles at Israeli towns
Ma’an News Agency 11/8/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds brigades claimed responsibility Thursday morning for launching five homemade projectiles at Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip. The group launched one projectile at Sderot, one at Kfar Aza, and three at the town of Ashkelon. [end]
Islamic Jihad: two Israeli soldiers wounded in attack
Ma’an News Agency 11/8/2007
Gaza - Ma’an – Islamic Jihad’s armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigades,claimed to have wounded two Israeli soldiers in a gunfight on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip. The group said they opened fire on Israeli troops on the border near Gaza City in what they said was a "natural response" to Israeli attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. [end]
Arsonists set fire to Social Affairs Ministry building in Gaza
Ma’an News Agency 11/7/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Arsonists set fire to the office of the Palestinian Ministry of Social Affairs in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, causing material damage but no injuries. Hamas condemned the attack, calling it a step towards paralyzing civil society institutions in the Gaza Strip. The movement called for the perpetrators to be arrested and brought to justice. [end]
Fatah, Islamic Jihad claim two more attacks on Israeli targets
Ma’an News Agency 11/7/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad said they launched a rocket propelled grenade at an Israeli bulldozer near the Israeli military post at Kisufim, near the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Separately, Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli town of Nahal Oz, east of the Gaza Strip. [end]
Hamas: Palestinian security forces detain journalists, 15 others
Ma’an News Agency 11/7/2007
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Fatah-allied Palestinian Preventive Security service seized two journalists employed by Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa satellite TV channel in the West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday, Hamas claimed. A Hamas press statement said that the security forces detained reporter Ala Titi and his assistant, Usayd Amarnah, and also confiscated cameras and videotapes. The statement said the journalists were seized after interviewing the wives of Hamas PLC member Hatim Qafisheh, who was detained by Israeli forces on Tuesday, and imprisoned PLC speaker Aziz Dweik. Hamas accused the security forces of seizing fifteen other Hamas members in the citieis of Tulkarem, Jenin, Tubas, and Nablus. more..
Three Palestinians injured as tunnel collapses under Gaza-Egypt border
Ma’an News Agency 11/7/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Three Palestinians were treated for injuries after a tunnel underneath the Gaza-Egyptian border collapsed on Wednesday. Muawiya Hassanein, the director of Ambulance and Emergency Services in the Palestinian Health Ministry said the Palestinians were taken to Abu Yousef An-Najjar hospital in the city Rafah. Medical officials could not confirm reports that a fourth person is still missing underground. Israeli officials have accused Palestinian fighters of using an elaborate network of tunnels to smuggle equipment and personnel into the Gaza Strip. [end]
Hamas: Fatah students attack leader’s son. East Jerusalem governor says fight not politically motivated
Ma’an News Agency 11/7/2007
Jerusalem – Ma’an – Hamas accused Fatah-affiliated students of assaulting Suhayb Yousef, a student at Al-Quds University in Abu Dis and the son of jailed Hamas leader Hassan Yousef on Wednesday. East Jerusalem Governor Jamil Nasser denied that the attack took place. A Hamas press statement said Suhayb Yousef was hospitalized as a result of the attack. Governor Nasser said Yousef had verbally attacked university professor Layla Ayyad after she asked him to withdraw from her class due to failing grades. Ayyad’s brother Ahmad, the governor said heard about the argument and pyhsically fought with Yousef. East Jerusalem officials are saying the fight was motivated by clan conflict, not political concerns. Clan dignitary Hajj Mousa Al-Wahidi is reported to mediating in the dispute according to Palestinian traditions. more..
Palestinian military factions strike Israeli targets around Gaza Strip
Ma’an News Agency 11/7/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Three Palestinian military organizations claimed responsibility for separate attacks on Israeli targets bordering the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning. The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility for launching a homemade projectile at the Israeli border town of Sderot. Meanwhile, the National Resistance Brigades, the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) claimed responsibility for launching a projectile at Israeli military vehicles near the village of Juhor Ad-Dik. Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades also said their fighters launcheda rocket-propelled grenade at two Israeli bulldozers in the town of Abu Al-Ajin, in the central Gaza Strip. more..
Al-Aqsa brigades claim responsibility for projectile attack on Sderot
Ma’an News Agency 11/7/2007
Gaza – Ma’an –The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, claimed responsibility on Tuesday evening for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli town of Sderot, in the desert near the Gaza Strip. In a press statement the group said the attack was a part of a campaign they are calling Autumn of Gaza, in retaliation for Israeli attacks on Palestinians. The group also claimed that Israelis had confirmed the attack. They said the rockets landed in a school and a sports field, causing four injuries. The Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reported that two projectiles did land in Sderot, causing three Israelis to be treated for shock. [end]
This Week In Palestine - Week 45 2007
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/9/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 11. 0MB || Time 13m 0s || This Week In Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www. IMEMC. org, for November 3ed through November 9th 2007. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice states that she hopes to see a peace deal in the region before U.S. President George Bush leaves office, and the Israeli army kills six Palestinians this week in Gaza and the West Bank these stories and more coming up stay tuned. Nonviolent Resistance in West Bank Let’s begin our weekly report with the nonviolent actions in Bethlehem and Ramallah. IMEMC’s Manar Jebreen with the details: Bethlehem The villagers of Um Salamunah, located near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, along with Israeli and international peace activists gathered on Friday in a peace protest against the illegal wall Israel is constructing on the village land. more..
Army kidnaps an Islamic Jihad leader in Birzeit University near Ramallah.
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/9/2007
Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli soldiers manning the container checkpoint east of Bethlehem city, in the southern part of the West Bank, have kidnapped the leader of the Islamic Jihad student block in Birzeit University on Thursday evening. Shriteh has been the leader of the Islamic Jihad Student Bloc in Birzeit University, for two years. Islamic Jihad sources said that he was forced to pull out of studying for one year because the army had him put on their ’Wanted’ list. [end]
Five injured and two kidnapped in the weekly protest at Bil’in.
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/9/2007
On Friday, the villagers of Bil’in joined their international and Israeli supporters and marched against the wall that is built illegally on the village land. The protest started from the village mosque went through the village towards the lands that have been cordoned behind the wall. At the road, Israeli soldiers were waiting at a razor wire barricade, they had put there. As soon as the unarmed protesters approached, Israeli troops showered them with tear gas, rubber bullets and sound bombs. Five protesters, among them two internationals, were injured. Israeli soldiers managed to kidnap Adeeb Abu Rahmah and Abdalfatah Burnat after beating them up with their rifle butts and batons. Two hours later, both were released. Mustafa Al Baghuoti, a Palestinian law maker, joined the protest of Bil’in on Friday and was subjected to a lot of tear gas. more..
Two kidnapped, three injured during peaceful demonstration near Bethlehem
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/9/2007
The villagers of Um Salamunah, located near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, along with Israeli and international peace activists, on Friday gathered in a peace protest against the illegal wall Israel is constructing on the village land. As a result of the short scuffle, three villagers sustained light wounds and another two Israeli activists were kidnapped by the Israeli soldiers. The protest of today was to commemorate the third anniversary of the death of the late Palestinian president, Yasser Arafat. The protest ended after speeches were delivered in both Arabic and English. [end]
Israeli media: Nine Palestinians kidnapped across West Bank
John Smith - IMEMC & agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/9/2007
Israeli media sources on Friday morning claimed that Israeli forces had abducted nine Palestinians in a series of pre-dawn raids across the West Bank. [end]
Book: Lords of the Land
Middle East Online 11/7/2007
Reviewed by Jim Miles In my previous article I entered into a direct discussion on possible outcomes for the Israel-Palestine question based on a CBC radio interview between two different proponents and the most recent books they had written. Within that, while I was not fully receptive of Akiva Eldar’s arguments for the two-state outcome, I also mentioned his most recent book, co-authored with Idith Zertal, identifying it as an excellent political read concerning the issue of settlements in the occupied territories. To do justice to this book, as it is an important view of the settlement process from within the Israeli political structure and from within the settlers themselves, I feel it needs more emphasis as a positive work in relationship to the historiography of Israel-Palestine. more..
Palestine Today 110807
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 11/8/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 3. 67 MB || Time 4m 0s || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Thursday, November 8th, 2007. In the West Bank, the Israeli army kidnaps at least 25 Palestinians in a series of raids across the region. In the Gaza Strip meanwhile, Hamas-Islamic Jihad infighting leaves one dead. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The West Bank Israeli military forces on Thursday morning attacked the northern west Bank cities of Nablus, Jenin and Salfit, ransacking homes and confiscating properties. In Jenin and Salfit, troops attacked and searched scores of residents’ homes, searching for so-called ’wanted Palestinians. more..
One Palestinian killed, three injured, by unexploded Israeli ordinance
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/8/2007
Palestinian sources reported Thursday that one Palestinian was killed, and a further three injured, when a bomb left by the Israeli army exploded in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. [end]
Beit Omer village attacked by Israeli troops; 19 civilians kidnapped
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/8/2007
Israeli forces on Thursday morning invaded the village of Beit Omer, located near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, kidnapping at least 19 civilians. Local sources reported that the civilians were kidnapped after at least 20 military vehicles entered the village, imposing a total curfew on the area, and ransacking and searching homes. During the search, troops kidnapped 19 men from the village, transporting them to an undisclosed detention camp Among those kidnapped were Omer Awad, Sakher Alami, Habes Abu Iyash, Iyad Abu Hashem, Nabeel Abu Maria, Mohamed Solebi, Rami Abu Maria, Mohaned Khalil, Waseem Sabarnah, and Ibraheem Sabarnah. Residents added that a number of homes were damaged during the searches. more..
Security forces kidnap five Hamas members in the West Bank
Ali Samoudi, International Middle East Media Center 11/8/2007
The Hamas movement on Thursday reported that Palestinian Security forces kidnapped five Hamas members from Nablus and Jenin. In Nablus, security forces kidnapped a teacher named Husam Sulieman after calling him for intelligence meeting. In Jenin, Security forces kidnapped four among those a clerk of a Court. Translated by Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News [end]
Israeli military invades northern Gaza village
Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/8/2007
Israeli forces on Thursday morning invaded a northern Gaza Bedouin village, destroying civilian properties, and kidnapping scores of Palestinians. Eyewitnesses to the attack reported that the troops entered the village, attacked several homes, and confiscated and vandalized properties. After invading several homes and establishing military posts within, Israeli bulldozers entered the area, razed many Dunums of Palestinian-owned land, and destroyed several roads. A large, but unidentified, number of Palestinians were kidnapped during the attack, among them Ziyad Abu Farya, Head of the local Council in the village. The attack remains ongoing. [end]
Israeli army invades Bethlehem area, 2 homes demolished
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/8/2007
At least 15 Israeli military vehicles, and two army bulldozers, on Thursday morning invaded the village of al-Fourdess, located to the east of the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, demolishing two homes. Witnesses told IMEMC that troops stormed the village at around 5 am on Thursday, closed all entrances to the village, and imposed a complete curfew. Shortly after, two homes, belonging to Nasser al-Tinih and Faize al-Tinih, were destroyed by Israeli bulldozers. While a number of villagers attempted to intervene in the demolition, they were forcibly removed by Israeli solders. Amar al-Tnih a relative of the home owners, told IMEMC that the army claimed they had destroyed the buildings as they lacked the necessary building permits, adding that the owners had been protesting the demolition order in an Israeli court. more..
Israeli military invades Jenin and Salfit
Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/8/2007
Israeli military forces invaded different the northern West Bank cities of Jenin and Salfit in the early hours of Thursday morning, searching and ransacking homes. In the same operation, Israeli troops invaded the nearby village of Kfur Dan, attacking residents and searching homes. Elsewhere, Israeli forces attacked al-Zaweya, located in western Salfit, on Wednesday evening, imposing a curfew. Khader Hamooda, Mayor of the town, reported that a large number of soldiers, backed by ten military vehicles, invaded the area, attacking scores of homes and assaulting local residents. No abductions were reported in either attack. [end]
Israeli military invades two mosques in Nablus; 6 kidnapped
Ameen Abu Warda - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/8/2007
Israeli military forces invaded on Thursday morning invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus, attacking two mosques and kidnapping six Palestinians. Local sources reported that soldiers attacked the mosques, located near the old city, searched them and confiscated property. In the same operation, the Israeli military abducted at least six Palestinians. Among the abducted were Mohammad al ’Afory, Kamel Abu Zant and Majed al Masry. All were transferred to an undisclosed destination. Translated by Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News [end]
Palestine Today 110707
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 11/7/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 3. 67 MB || Time 4m 0s || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Wednesday, November 7th, 2007. One Palestinian was killed in the Gaza Strip while in the West Bank the Israeli army attacked Nablus city and kidnapped 20 civilians, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. The West Bank At least twenty Palestinian civilians have been kidnapped in Nablus, when Israeli troops invaded the nearby Balata refugee camp in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Eyewitnesses reported that among those kidnapped was the wife of an operative of the al-Aqsa Brigades (the armed wing of Fatah), who was taken in order to force him to turn himself in to the army. more..
West Bank settlements ’expanding’
BBC Online 11/7/2007
Construction is continuing in dozens of Jewish settlements in the West Bank despite Israel’s pledge to freeze their expansion, an campaign group has said. Peace Now says Jewish population growth is three times higher in the area occupied in 1967 than in Israel itself. It says settlers are bypassing a ban on using caravans to expand settlements by erecting pre-fabricated homes on site. Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are deemed illegal under international law. Israel had pledged to stop their construction as part of internationally-backed peace efforts. Peace Now says there is continuing construction in 88 out of about 150 of the authorised settlements, in addition to the building of permanent structures in 34 unauthorised settlement outposts. more..
IDF soldier killed in operational accident near Gaza
Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 11/6/2007
Hummer vehicle overturns for unknown reason during routine patrol along border fence; soldier seriously injured, later dies of his wounds - - An IDF soldier was killed Tuesday morning in an operation accident at the Gaza Strip border, near the Kissufim checkpoint. He was later identified as First Sergeant-Major Yariv Ben-Amitai, 21, of Kibbutz Hazorim. The soldier, from the Golani Brigade’s 13th regiment, was seriously injured as a Hummer vehicle overturned during a routine patrol along the border fence, and died of his wounds shortly afterward. His family was informed of his death. Twelve operational accidents have taken place since the beginning of 2007, and this was the first casualty in such an accident. The accident took place at around 7:30 am, on a road where the IDF hold routine patrols in order to defend the border fence. more..
IDF to install cameras, distress buttons at West Bank hitchhiking posts
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 11/6/2007
Decision comes amid warnings of additional attempts by terror organizations to kidnap Israeli citizens in area - - The IDF will soon begin installing surveillance cameras and distress buttons at hitchhiking posts situated along Highway 60 in the West Bank amid warnings of additional attempts by terror organizations to kidnap Israeli citizens. The project will cost an estimated NIS 2 million (about $500,000). On June 25 of last year, Eliyahu Asheri, 18, was kidnapped by terrorists from the Popular Resistance Committees at a hitchhiking post near Ofra. His body was found a few days later in Ramallah’s Tira neighborhood. On June 15 of the same year, two Israeli teenage girls escaped a kidnapping attempt at a hitchhiking post located at the Rahelim Junction in Samaria. An initial IDF investigation revealed that three Palestinians from Jenin tried to force the girls into their car at gunpoint. more..
Israeli soldier dies in car accident on Gaza border
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 11/6/2007
An Israeli soldier on patrol along the Gaza border was killed Tuesday morning when the Hummer-type vehicle he was in turned over. Staff Sergeant Yariv Amitai died in the accident, while the other three soldiers in the vehicle survived. [end]
Unknown gunmen abduct and torture son of Hamas senior official
Manar Jibrin - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/6/2007
A group of unknown gunmen kidnapped and attacked Suheib Yousef, 23, the son of West Bank Hamas leader Sheikh Hasan Yousef, on Tuesday afternoon. The young man is a student at the Al-Quds campus of Abu Dis University in East Jerusalem, and was abducted while participating in an activity on campus. Apparently, two men inched their way close to Yousef during the event, and then asked him to accompany them outside. Then, according to witnesses, the men forced Yousef onto a bus in which he was confronted by a group of armed men who stated they were with the Palestinian Authority’s Intelligence Service (run by the rival Fateh party). The men then allegedly abducted Yousef, taking him to a nearby apartment and stabbing him in the hand several times as part of an interrogation. When he was released by his attackers, Yousef was immediately taken to a hospital in Ramallah, where his injuries were treated. more..
Israeli troops kidnap one civilian from Hebron
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/6/2007
Hateem Qafishah, 46, was kidnapped on Tuesday morning by Israeli troops who attacked his home in southern West Bank city of Hebron. Witnesses said that soldiers surrounded the house on Tuesday at dawn, and kidnapped the man. Local sources stated that Qafishah was released four months ago after serving 6 months of administrative detention in Israeli jails. [end]
The Israeli army invades Jenin city and nearby villages
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/6/2007
The Israeli army on Tuesday morning invaded the northern West Bank city of Jenin, and the nearby Qabatyia and Jalkamos villages. Palestinian sources reported that troops searchedand ransacked homes, but left without kidnapping anyone. The Israeli army calimed they were looking for so-caled ’wanted Palestinains. ’ [end]
UAE sends fifth de-mining team to South Lebanon
Daily Star 11/7/2007
BEIRUT: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Project for the Support and Reconstruction of Lebanon dispatched to Lebanon on Tuesday a fifth team of explosives experts from the UAE national army on Monday. The team is expected to help in clearing cluster bombs and other unexploded munitions left by Israel during its 34-day war in Lebanon in July-August 2006. The UAE has already sent teams to South Lebanon to help the United Nations as well as other NGOs in clearing hectares of infested land. The UAE team focused its activities on clearing agricultural fields in the southern region, "so as to help Southerners regain their normal lives," a statement issued by the project said. http://www. dailystar. com. lb Tags: Lebanon Printable Version Send to a friend more..
Israel cuts Gaza’s fuel supplies in half
Ma’an News Agency 11/4/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Daily fuel imports into the Gaza Strip remain at slightly more than half their normal levels, Palestinian officials said Sunday. Nehro Hisamawi, the director of the distribution center at Nahal Oz, the main crossing point for liquid fuels into the Gaza Strip, said Israeli authorities are allowing 47 thousand liters of gasoline daily, down from the previous level of 90 thousand liters. Israel is also allowing the transfer of 190 thousand liters of diesel fuel per day, down from the normal level of 300 thousand liters per day. The diminished supply has resulted in high fuel prices and therefore a higher cost of transportation for ordinary Gazans. Arguments between taxi and bus drivers and passengers have become a common sight on the streets of Gaza, and the government is searching for a solution. more..
Bill seeks Palestinian compensation for rocket damages
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 11/4/2007
Ministerial Committee on Legislation approves bill that would have PA pay for damages to life and property caused by rocket attacks on Israel; money to be collected through tax payments - - A bill approved by the Ministerial Committee on Legislation Sunday would allow Israel to claim compensation from the Palestinian Authority for damages caused by Qassam rockets fired at Israel. The money would be deducted from the tax payments collected by Israel on the PA’s behalf. The bill states the PA bears the responsibility for the Qassam attacks from Gaza, and that the attacks are sponsored either by the Authority or its representatives. "Contrary to the agreements between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the Authority fails to meet its obligations," the bill states. "Not only does it nor fight terror, it even encourages it, supports it and sometimes executes it through its employees. more..
Dozens arrested during evacuation of West Bank outpost
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 11/4/2007
Shortly after arrest of 32 settlers from Shvut Ami outpost, right-wing activists declare they will return to settlement; Legal Forum for Land of Israel sends request to police to suspend chief of Border Guard in West Bank for confiscating video of evacuation - - Thirty-two right-wing activists who were arrested Sunday morning during the evacuation of the Shvut Ami illegal outpost in the West Bank vowed to return to the site once again. Shortly after 3 pm Sunday afternoon, Border Guard officers arrived at the outpost located near the settlement of Kedumim in northern Samaria in order to evacuate all residents. Shvut Ami is one of five illegal outposts erected by right-wing activists during the most recent Sukkot holiday. Around 200 people arrived to the outpost on the day of its establishment and, although many have since left, a couple dozens remained. more..
2 Jerusalemites accused of planning to kill city mayor
Aviram Zino, YNetNews 11/4/2007
Two east Jerusalem residents were asked to transport suicide bomber, locate targets for terrorist attacks; Teens planned to assassinate senior Israeli figures including Jerusalem mayor - - Two youths from east Jerusalem were recently indicted for attempting to help a suicide bomber enter Israel illegally and planning to assassinate prominent Israeli leaders, including Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, in a charge sheet that was released for publication Sunday. Mamoun and Atallah Abu Tir, both 19-years-old, stand accused of trying to create their own terrorist cell. Their efforts started when one of the pair began a correspondence via the Internet with an Islamic Jihad member from Algeria who called himself "Shahid Alsaria." The two communicated for a month and-a-half and Shahid promised to put the east Jerusalem youths in contact with Islamic Jihad members from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. more..
Qassams cause blackout in Sderot
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 11/4/2007
Rocket fired at southern town hits power line, damages several buildings; a number of people suffer from shock - - Three Qassam rockets were fired Sunday afternoon from the northern Gaza Strip towards the western Negev. One of the rockets hit a house, causing damage to the building and its surroundings. IDF forces arrived at the scene shortly afterwards and removed the debris at the spot where the rocket landed A second rocket hit a power line, starting a small fire. Several people suffered from shock. The damaged power line also resulted in a temporary blackout in Sderot. "We heard three loud explosions, but the Color Red alert system didn’t sound… my whole house was shaking," one of the residents told Ynet. Several of Sderot’s residents arrived at the house and confronted the IDF forces, protesting what they called the military’s helplessness in fighting the Qassams. more..
Barak, Mazuz clash over Gaza power cuts
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 11/4/2007
Defense minister furious at attorney general’s decision not to approve plan to limit power supplies to Strip; associates say conversation was heated - - A heated exchange between Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Attorney General Menachem Mazuz followed the latter’s decision not to approve the plan to restrict power supply to the Gaza Strip. During the conversation, Barak said to Mazuz, "You will not make decisions for me." According to aides, Barak continued to say that "the decision received all of the legal approvals and was made after a preliminary procedure. You had plenty of time to object then." On the other hand, Mazuz’s associates insisted it was a clarification talk and "Mazuz does not tend to raise his voice." Sources in the government told Ynet that Mazuz was present at the cabinet meeting when the issue was discussed. more..
OPT: OCHA Closure Update Oct 2007
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - OCHA, ReliefWeb 10/31/2007
Movement within, and in and out of, the West bank is controlled by numerous checkpoints, road blocks, earth mounds, trenches and gates. These physical obstacles, some staffed by soldiers and others unstaffed, combined with the Barrier, flying checkpoints and a complex system of permits, form an integrated and coherent system that restricts the movement of around 2. 4 million Palestinians to their basic services, places of worship and even to their families in the West Bank. The Israeli authorities state that these measures are necessary for the security of Israeli citizens, both in Israel and those living in settlements in the West Bank. The function of most obstacles, however, is to protect those civilians living as settlers in the West Bank by controlling Palestinians movement onto roads that are primarily used by them. more..
Israel steps up threats to invade Gaza Strip
Reuters Foundation, ReliefWeb 10/30/2007
By Dan Williams JERUSALEM, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Israel escalated its threats on Tuesday to invade the Hamas-run Gaza Strip in response to Palestinian rocket fire after a plan to impose economic sanctions drew objections from legal experts and foreign powers. Since quitting Gaza in 2005, Israel has mounted regular commando raids and air strikes on rocket crews but the salvoes have not ceased. Islamist Hamas’s takeover of the territory in June stoked calls in the Jewish state for a big military sweep. "Every passing day brings us closer to a broad operation in Gaza," Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak told reporters. "We are not looking forward to it (and) we would be happy if circumstances prevented it. " Israel, which controls official Gazan border crossings, began reducing the amount of fuel pumped to Gaza this week. more..
Fighters fire 12 projectiles at Sderot causing power outage
Ma’an News Agency 11/4/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinian fighters claimed to have launched a total of 12 homemade projectiles at the Israeli border town of Sderot by mid-day on Sunday, causing a power outage but no injuries. Fatah and Islamic Jihad fighters claimed responsibility for launching nine projectiles at Sderot. Some of the rockets damaged a power installation and another landed in the yard of an Israeli home. Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Brigades and Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades said the attack was part of a campaign they are calling "Autmn of Gaza," a response to the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip. The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) also said they launched three projectiles at Sderot. Four Palestinians, including three unarmed civilians, were killed Sunday in an Israeli attack on the northern Gaza Strip. Israeli officials say the assault was aimed at stopping projectile attacks. more..
Palestinian security services shoot man in Qalqilya
Ma’an News Agency 11/2/2007
Qalqilya – Ma’an – Palestinian security services shot and wounded a twenty-seven-year-old man in Qalqilya on Friday evening. Security services said that Mahmoud Ja’idi refused to stop at a checkpoint set up by the security services at the eastern entrance to the city. Members of the security services then opened fire on his car wounding him. Medical sources said that he had been hit in the back and his condition was stable. [end]
Jaysh-Al-Baraq clash with Israeli forces in Nablus
Ma’an News Agency 11/2/2007
Nablus - Ma’an - The Jaysh Al-Baraq, part of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades affiliated to Fatah, claimed responsibility for setting off an explosive device near an Israeli patrol and clashing with Israeli forces in the city of Nablus on Friday morning. The Jaysh Al-Baraq said in a statement that the operation was in response to crimes committed by the Israeli forces and their continued incursions into the cities of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. [end]
Israeli authorities stop alleged bomb plot
Ma’an News Agency 11/1/2007
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Israeli Army claimed on Thursday that it foiled an attempted attack on the Israeli military checkpoint at Huwwara, south of the West Bank city of Nablus. Israeli radio said soldiers found four explosive devices and metal shards in a Palestinian’s bag at the checkpoint. Israeli authorities safely detonated the bombs. [end]
Hamas sources: "Palestinian security forces arrest six Hamas members in the West Bank"
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 11/4/2007
Hamas media sources reported on Sunday that Palestinian security forces, loyal to Fateh movement, in the West Bank, arrested on Saturday six Hamas members in Nablus, Qalqilia and Bethlehem. PA security forces - Archive In Nablus city, in the northern part of the West Bank, Palestinian security forces arrested Aroura Al Kharraz, the son of Sheik Maher Al Kharraz, one of the leaders of Hamas in the West Bank. Also, security forces arrested Majdi Hadada after breaking into the Water Resources Department at Nablus Municipality. This is the second time that P. A forces arrest Hadada. Moreover, security forces arrested Wajdi Al Aroury, from Aroura village near Ramallah city, north of Jerusalem. Al Aroury, a student of the Art Faculty at Al Najah University in Nablus, was arrested as he was leaving the new university campus in Al Jneid area. more..
Four Palestinians killed in Gaza as Israeli army attacks different positions
Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/4/2007
Four Palestinians including a father and a child have been killed after Israeli warplanes struck a factory in northern Gaza. illustration photo In less then half an hour, the Israeli army attacked different positions in northern Gaza, including the factory in which three people have been killed, media sources reported. P alestinian medics declared the death of at least one resident and the injury of a number others, when a brick factory has been hit. The medics identified the dead as Hesham Khadoura,25, who is believed to be a member of the the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad. Earlier in the day, the Israeli warplanes hit the entrance of another factory in northern Gaza, killing three workers, including a father and his son. The medics identified them as Zaher Al’er,40, his son Yousef,18 and a third called Mohammad Abu Harbeed, 23. more..
Israeli cluster bomb wounds 3 civilians in South
Mohammed Zaatari Daily Star staff, Daily Star 11/5/2007
Three people were wounded on Sunday by a cluster bomb in the southern village of Tallousah, in Marjayoun. Abbas Khalil, Mohammad Khalil and Hafez Milhim were wounded while working in an agricultural field. Cluster bombs dropped by Israel during last year’s war with Lebanon continue to kill and wound civilians on a regular basis. Israel dropped at least 1 million cluster bombs during the three last days of the conflict, after the United Nations Security Council had brokered a resolution to end hostilities. It has refused to provide information about its cluster bombs strikes, despite repeated UN requests to do so. http://www. dailystar. com. lb Tags: Israel Printable Version Send to a friend more..
Israeli air raids kill Palestinians
Al Jazeera 11/4/2007
Israeli strikes have killed four Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip after Palestinian fighters launched rockets into Israel, medical and security officials say. The civilians, mainly factory workers, were killed when an Israeli shell exploded near Jabaliya on Sunday as they were changing into their factory uniforms, officials said. According to reports, at least three of them were civilians working in the area, among them was 40-year-old Zaher al-Har, his 18-year-old son Yussef and Mohammed Abu Habib, 22. The Israeli air strike killed a fourth and seriously wounded another in the same area, medical officials confirmed. An Israeli army spokesman confirmed two air strikes and ground shelling on the northern Gaza Strip. Related link Watch Al Jazeera’s report on West Bank troop surge "An armed rocket launcher was targeted with two militants standing more..
Diplomacy
Israeli Arabs: Abbas lacks mandate to make concessions
Roee Mandel, YNetNews 11/28/2007
Poll conducted by Arab Center for Practical Social Research finds that the majority of Israeli Arabs distrust Palestinian negotiators to settle on core issues in peace talks with Israel; 65. 6% of respondents state that negotiators lack the authority to recognize Israel as a sovereign state; staggering 81% of Israeli Arabs say negotiators cannot concede the rights to Jerusalem - - A poll conducted among Israeli Arabs finds them unwilling to recognize Mahmoud Abbas’ authority to negotiate with Israel on their behalf. A survey conducted by the Mada-El- Carmel Institute, or the Arab Center for Practical Social Research, found that most Israeli Arabs feel that Palestinian negotiators lack the mandate to make concessions on key issues in peace talks with Israel, including the right of return, the future of Jerusalem, formal recognition of the state of Israel, as well as other territorial concessions. more..
Olmert: No concessions without Road Map compliance
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 11/28/2007
’Vast majority of Israeli public will support painful concessions for peace,’ prime minister tells Israeli reporters after White House meeting with Bush, Abbas. Adds: I was immensely proud to represent the state of Israel at Annapolis - - WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Israeli reporters in Washington Wednesday that Israel would not make any concessions unless the Palestinians comply with the US-backed Road Map for peace. "This condition was stressed in the joint declaration and it is accepted by both the Americans and Palestinians," he said a day after the Annapolis peace conference. The prime minister said he believed the vast majority of the Israeli public would support "painful" concessions for peace, adding that he believed the Knesset would also back such a move. "There is complete agreement on the distinction between the agreement we wish to implement... more..
Palestinian prisoner release still in chains
Ali Waked, YNetNews 11/28/2007
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners receive official word from PA, Red Cross that they will be released this coming Sunday. Many, however, remain skeptical of this timeline due to two-week delay in their release. ’We will wait until our release actually comes and not get our hopes up beforehand,’ a prisoner says - - Palestinian prisoners drew a deep collective breath Wednesday, after it previously appeared that negotiations over their release had reached a stalemate. Prisoners at the Ktziot prison, who are scheduled for release as a good will gesture by Israel to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, eagerly followed the proceedings at the Annapolis peace summit Tuesday in order to find out just when their official pardon would come. Prisoners had first assumed that they would be released at the beginning of this week (prior to the peace summit on Tuesday), but when no signs of their discharge... more..
Bush: Israeli, Palestinian leaders off to hopeful start in peace talks
Associated Press, YNetNews 11/28/2007
US president hosts Olmert, Abbas at White House, says ’ we will use our power to help you lay out a Palestinian state that will live side-by-side in peace with Israel’ - - President George W. Bush, capping an intense flurry of diplomacy, said Wednesday the agreement by Israeli and Palestinian leaders to resume long-stalled peace talks was "a hopeful beginning." Bush was joined at the White House by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in a brief ceremony a day after they agreed in nearby Annapolis, Maryland, to try to reach a Mideast peace settlement by the end of 2008. "One thing I have assured both gentlemen is that the United States will be actively engaged in the process," Bush said. "We will use our power to help you as you come up with the necessary decisions to lay out a Palestinian state that will live side-by-side in peace with Israel. more..
Ahmadinejad: Israel will not last
AFP, YNetNews 11/28/2007
Iranian president says ’Zionist regime’ cannot last because it’s built on ’aggression, lying, crime and wrongdoing’ - - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Wednesday predicted that Israel would not survive, as he lashed out at the US-hosted conference seeking to relaunch the Middle East peace process. "It is impossible that the Zionist regime can last," the government mouthpiece website of state broadcasting quoted Ahmadinejad as saying in a cabinet meeting. "Deterioration is in the nature of this regime as it has been built on aggression, lying, crime and wrongdoing," he added. He said the meeting uniting Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Annapolis, Maryland has "failed already and was stillborn. It lacked the cornerstones of effective political work". The Islamic republic - which has made non-recognition of Israel one of its main ideological themes... more..
Dichter says timetable for talks unrealistic
Rona Tal, YNetNews 11/28/2007
Internal security minister skeptical about Road Map’s prospects, says he values sincerity of Palestinians’ intentions, but doubts their ability to implement change - - The timetable for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, as specified in the Road Map for peace, is unrealistic, Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter declared Wednesday. During a visit to the IDF Reception and Sorting Base to meet with fresh recruits to the Border Guard police, Dichter commented on the Annapolis peace conference , its prospects and the risks it carries. "Stage one is the Road Map, to which the Palestinians will be have to adhere. The Road Map stipulates a two-year timetable, and the Palestinians have not met it. The timetable was unrealistic to begin with. Its is still unrealistic, but it sets a direction, and what will eventually decide the outcome will be the Palestinians’ performance. more..
Joint Understanding read by President Bush at Annapolis Conference
Government of the United States of America, ReliefWeb 11/27/2007
Memorial Hall United States Naval Academy Annapolis, Maryland Released by the White House, Office of the Press Secretary PRESIDENT BUSH: The representatives of the government of the state of Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, represented respective by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and President Mahmoud Abbas in his capacity as Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee and President of the Palestinian Authority, have convened in Annapolis, Maryland, under the auspices of President George W. Bush of the United States of America, and with the support of the participants of this international conference, having concluded the following joint understanding. We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate... more..
OPT: Peace process without Hamas not viable - UN
David Brunnstrom, ReliefWeb 11/28/2007
BRUSSELS, Reuters - A Palestinian peace process that does not include Hamas cannot be viable, the head of the U. N. Palestinian refugee agency said on Wednesday, after talks in the United States to try and revive the effort. Karen AbuZayd, head of the U. N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said more political pressure was needed to resolve the split between rival Palestinian factions Fatah, which controls the West Bank, and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. Asked at a news conference if she felt a peace process that did not include Hamas was viable, she replied." I don’t think it’s viable at all and I think that’s what the Palestinians themselves are saying, including the Palestinian authorities in (West Bank capital) Ramallah. ". Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged at a 44-nation conference at Annapolis in the United States on Tuesday to try to forge... more..
OPT / Israel : Conférence internationale d’Annapolis (27 novembre 2007)
Government of France, ReliefWeb 11/27/2007
Le ministre des Affaires étrangères et européennes a représenté la France à la Conférence d’Annapolis, marquant ainsi, à la suite de ses deux déplacements dans la région, son engagement personnel en faveur de la paix au Proche-Orient. Bilan de la conférence La France salue le fait qu’à l’occasion de la conférence d’Annapolis, les autorités israéliennes et palestiniennes se soient engagées devant la communauté internationale à reprendre sans délai des négociations de paix sur l’ensemble des questions concernant le statut final. Il est nécessaire de redonner un horizon politique aux peuples palestinien et israélien. A ce titre, la réunion d’Annapolis, en initiant un nouveau cycle politique, diplomatique et économique, a inauguré un temps d’espoir et de progrès qui doit aboutir, comme s’y sont engagées les parties, à un accord sur la création d’un Etat palestinien indépendant et viable avant la fin 2008. more..
Israel/OPT: Middle East Quartet expresses support for Annapolis Conference
United Nations Secretary-General, ReliefWeb 11/27/2007
SG/2133 Following is the text of the statement issued yesterday in Washington, D. C. , by the Quartet ( United Nations, Russian Federation, United States and European Union): The Quartet principals -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, High Representative for European Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado and European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner -- met today in Washington to discuss the situation in the Middle East ahead of the upcoming Annapolis Conference. They were joined by Quartet Representative Tony Blair. The Quartet expressed strong support for the 27 November Annapolis Conference. It welcomed the commitment of the Israeli and Palestinians leaders to launch bilateral negotiations towards the establishment of a Palestinian... more..
Activities of Secretary-General in Washington, D.C., and Annapolis, Maryland, 26-27 November
United Nations Secretary-General, ReliefWeb 11/28/2007
SG/T/2577 United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Washington, D. C. , on 26 November, to attend a meeting of the principal members of the Quartet, before travelling onward to Annapolis, Maryland, to participate in the conference there on Middle East peace. Shortly after arriving in Washington, the Secretary-General met with High Representative for European Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana. They discussed the preparations for the Annapolis meeting and exchanged views on how to ensure that an effective follow-up process will be launched. After that, the Secretary-General met with the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, and also discussed with him the Annapolis meeting and the next steps. He then travelled to the State Department to meet with the other Quartet principals:Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov; United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Javier Solana; Portuguese... more..
Christian leaders ask Muslims for forgiveness
Middle East Online 10/11/2007
LONDON - In response to a letter from 138 Muslim scholars entitled ’A Common Word Between Us and You’ which highlighted the existence of a common ground between Christianity and Islam, members of the worldwide Christian community wrote their own letter, acknowledging that in the past (e. g. in the Crusades) and in the present (e. g. in excesses of the ’war on terror’) many Christians have been guilty of sinning against Muslims. The full text of the letter: As members of the worldwide Christian community, we were deeply encouraged and challenged by the recent historic open letter signed by 138 leading Muslim scholars, clerics, and intellectuals from around the world. A Common Word Between Us and You identifies some core common ground between Christianity and Islam which lies at the heart of our respective faiths as well as at the heart of the most ancient Abrahamic faith, Judaism. more..
Scottish groups call for boycott of Israel’s ’Eden’ water brand
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/28/2007
The city council of Edinborough, Scotland, is about to vote on whether to renew a contract with the Israeli bottled water company ’Eden Springs’, and local activists have stepped up the pressure on the council to drop the bid. The reason, according to human rights activists, is that the company, based in the Israeli-occupied Syrian territory known as the Golan Heights, is pillaging water resources that actually belong to Syria. Israeli forces captured the Golan Heights in a 1967 war and have been occupying the territory in violation of international law since that time. The contract with the City of Edinborough is worth $325,000, and supplies water coolers to schools and offices in the city. Mick Napier, chairman of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, stated, "I am outraged that money is being given to reward Eden Springs. This company pillages the water of an occupied territory." more..
Catholic leader calls for return of Palestinian refugees
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/28/2007
An official from the Vatican, representative of the Catholic Church’s leader the Pope, stated on Wednesday that the Palestinian refugees have the right to return to their homeland in what is now Israel. Cardinal Renato Martino said he was encouraged by Tuesday’s peace talk in Annapolis, in the U.S. , adding that he heoped that significant measures would be underway by next year. [end]
Iran’s President says Annapolis Summit failed, Israel is doomed
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/28/2007
The president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Wednesday stated that the Summit held by George Bush between the Palestinian President and the Israeli Prime Minister was a failure, and the Israeli state was doomed to collapse. "It is impossible that the Zionist regime will survive. Collapse is in the nature of this regime because it has been created on aggression, lying, oppression and crime," said Ahmadinejad in his statement on Wednesday." Soon, even the most politically doltish individuals will understand that this conference was a failure from the beginning." The Annapolis Summit changed from a bold announcement in April by George Bush that he would bring about peace in the Middle East, to merely a one-day conference yesterday in which no real steps were taken. According to Ahmadinejad, no Palestinian-Israeli negotiations would be able to succeed unless they addressed key issues of the Palestinian people’s human rights. "M more..
Abbas, Bush and Olmert to meet on Wednesday
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/28/2007
The American president George Bush announced that the White House will host the first round of talks between the Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Israeli premier Ehud Olmert on Wednesday. According to Bush’s statement, he will hold talks separately with the Palestinian and Israeli leaders before the three convene later in the day. The announcement comes one day after the Annapolis conference, where more that 50 countries and organizations met, under the sponsorship of the American administration, to revive the peace process in the Middle East. In the opening joint statement, which was reached only a few minutes before the conference began, Olmert and Abbas promised to conclude a final status agreement by the end of 2008. The implementation of the agreement will, however, be conditional on the fulfillment of each side’s obligations under the US brokered Road Map peace plan. more..
445 prisoners to be released on Sunday
Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/28/2007
The Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs on Wednesday announced that 445 Palestinian prisoners would be released next Sunday. The Ministry indicated that 429 prisoners will be released at 10:00 am in front of Ofer Israeli detention center, near Beitunia town in western Ramallah. A further16 prisoners will be released at the Eretz border crossing in the Gaza Strip on the same day. The media department of the ministry reported that the date was only assigned after repeated phone calls to Israeli prison officials to give a specific date for the release. In September, Israel set free 90 Palestinian prisoners, but still holds at least 12,000, including hundreds of women and children, in various prisons and detention facilities. more..
Why there was partition
Alexander Yakobson, Ha’aretz 11/29/2007
November 29 is an opportunity to recall the reasons underlying the decision of the international community in 1947 to divide the country into two nation-states: a "Jewish State" and an "Arab State," in the words of the partition resolution. The United Nations committee that investigated the subject and recommended partition submitted a detailed report to the UN General Assembly, which in the end was adopted in the famous vote. The report said, among other things: "It is a fact that both of these peoples have their historic roots in Palestine, and that both make vital contributions to the economic and cultural life of the country [... ] The basic conflict in Palestine is a clash of two intense nationalisms. Regardless of the historic origins of the conflict... there are now in Palestine some 650,000 Jews and some 1,200,000 Arabs who are dissimilar in their ways of living and, for the time being, separated by political interests. [. more..
PM: Two states, or Israel is done for
Haaretz Correspondents and AP, By Aluf Benn David Landau Shmuel, Ha’aretz 11/29/2007
WASHINGTON - "If the day comes when the two-state solution collapses, and we face a South African-style struggle for equal voting rights (also for the Palestinians in the territories), then, as soon as that happens, the State of Israel is finished," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Haaretz yesterday, the day the Annapolis conference ended in an agreement to try to reach a Mideast peace settlement by the end of 2008. "The Jewish organizations, which were our power base in America, will be the first to come out against us," Olmert said, "because they will say they cannot support a state that does not support democracy and equal voting rights for all its residents." Olmert pointed out that he had said similar things in an interview he gave four years ago, when he was deputy prime minister under Ariel Sharon, in which he revealed for the first time his proposal for a withdrawal from most of the occupied territories. more..
Most of the public thinks Annapolis summit was a failure
Yossi Verter, Ha’aretz 11/29/2007
The lavishly produced Annapolis summit, the bombastic speeches, the impressive participation by Arab states and the deadline set for the final status agreement - the end of 2008 - left no impression on most Israelis. Only 17 percent of the public believe the conference was a "success," while most - 42 percent - called it a "failure," according to a Haaretz-Dialog survey. The poll was conducted yesterday, a day after the Annapolis conference, among a representative sample of 497 people. A quarter of the public believes the conference was "neither a failure nor a success." This is surprising, considering that on the summit’s eve, polls showed an overwhelming majority of the Israeli public supported it. Only among Kadima voters did a majority (43 percent) call the conference a "success," compared to 25 percent who deemed it a failure. Vo more..
The Iranian who took to Zionism
Ofri Ilani, Ha’aretz 11/29/2007
The partition plan released in August 1947 came as a pleasant surprise to most of the Jewish leadership in the Land of Israel. Although the majority of the population was Arab, 64 percent of the territory was earmarked for the Jewish State. "It was the most generous resolution the Jews could have hoped for," says Dr. Elad Ben-Dror, of Bar-Ilan University. His previous study was about the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP), which was appointed in May 1947 and drafted the partition proposal. UNSCOP created this plan mainly because it was considered the only applicable one. "They concluded that the most practical solution at the time was establishing a Jewish state within an expansive territory. The Jewish Agency made it clear to them that it would support the partition plan if the Jews received most of the land," says Ben-Dror. more..
Jewish groups: We all have a stake in Jerusalem’s future
Anshel Pfeffer, Ha’aretz 11/29/2007
Even before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert returns to Israel, the question of world Jewry’s involvement in the domestic debate here surrounding the Annapolis process, especially the issue of Jerusalem, is taking center stage. During two press briefings this week, Olmert stressed that international Jewish organizations have no right to intervene in Israeli government decisions on the peace negotiations. On the eve of the Annapolis summit, he said, "This question [the role of diaspora Jewry] was determined a long time ago, and the Israeli government has the sovereign right to negotiate on behalf of Israel." These statements angered the leadership of one of the largest U.S. Jewish organizations, the Orthodox Union, which unites most religious American Jews. The organization has called on the Israeli government not to alter its stance on Jerusalem several times. more..
The Palestinian delegation / No whisper of history in the making
Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 11/29/2007
The Palestinian negotiators returned from Annapolis to Washinton’s Ritz-Carlton in a less than festive mood Tuesday evening. There had been no whisper of history in the making - or maybe it was drowned out by echoes of gunfire from Hebron and Ramallah. Likewise, protests against concessions muffled the euphoria the Americans tried to drum up. Even the ceremonial opening of the final status talks yesterday failed to alleviate the Palestinians’ growing concern over the harsh criticism from Ramallah of their meager achievements. It may be just another attempt to complain of the White House’s tendency to favor Israel. On the other hand, perhaps the Palestinian team was simply being realistic. Annapolis may have ended on a positive note for the Palestinians. At least it was decided to set up a mechanism to supervise the first stage of the road map’s implementation. Bu more..
Annapolis Diary / If I forget thee Jerusalem, you can forget about us
Aluf Benn and Shmuel Rosner, Ha’aretz 11/29/2007
1. A few members of the group of American Jewish leaders who came to meet Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday, a few hours after he finished his duties at Annapolis, were dissatisfied with his speech. Why did Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas mention Jerusalem and you did not, one asked. The absence, of course, was not by chance. Olmert and President George Bush tried to bypass the problematic core issues of the conflict. "We say, ’If we forget thee Jerusalem,’ but we try not to mention it," one top Israeli official said. Jerusalem is the stick that those opposed to the renewed peace process will use to beat the prime minister. A few coalitions, mainly of Orthodox Jews in America, are already recruiting members for a campaign against the future division of the city. On Monday, Olmert pissed them off further by telling them, in rather harsh language, that he simply didn’t care about their opinion. more..
Former NATO head expected to join Rice’s Mideast team
Haaretz Correspondent and Agencies, By Amir Oren, Ha’aretz 11/29/2007
Former NATO commander Lieutenant General James Jones is expected to accept a role as adviser to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on security issues related to peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, according to official sources. The retired Marine Corps general will go by the official title of "Special Envoy for Middle East Security." According to State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, the job involves monitoring the development of the Palestinian security services, and how they interact with their Israeli counterparts. Without referring to Jones specifically, McCormack said that the person who takes up the position would "take a look internally at not only the efforts of the Palestinians to build up their security forces, but how those efforts relate to the Israeli government and Israeli security efforts and how those efforts also relate throughout the region." more..
News / Bush launches talks between Israel, PA
Haaretz Staff and Channel 10, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
In this edition: U.S. President Bush formally launches final status talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Labor announces it is severing ties with the coalition. Annual test results indicate Israel’s students are doing more poorly than they did last year. Bush says Israeli, Palestinian leaders off to a hopeful start Labor ’severs contact’ with coalition over Friedmann bill Report: Wide gaps between test scores in Jewish, Arab schools For more video news and features, visit [end]
Rice names Gen. James Jones as new Mideast security envoy
News Agencies, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tapped a former NATO commander on Wednesday to serve as a special U.S. envoy for Middle East security, moving quickly to maintain momentum coming out of this week’s international conference that launched new Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. She said James Jones, a retired Marine Corps general, was the "person we need to take up this vital mission." "Building security in the Middle East is the surest path to making peace in the Middle East," Rice said, "and General Jones is the best individual to lead our efforts in this essential endeavor." "I believe we need an experienced leader who can address the regional security challenges comprehensively and at the highest levels and who can provide the full support of our government to the partners as they work to meet their responsibilities," Rice said. Jones, standing at Rice’s side for the announcement in the State... more..
Ahmadinejad: Annapolis failed, Israel doomed to collapse
The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that the U.S. -brokered Mideast peace conference on Tuesday was a failure and that Israel is doomed to collapse. The comments, lashing out at the Annapolis gathering that many saw as aimed at isolating Iran, marked the first time in months that the hard-line Iranian president used such strong anti-Israeli rhetoric. "It is impossible that the Zionist regime will survive. Collapse is in the nature of this regime because it has been created on aggression, lying, oppression and crime," Ahmadinejad said after a cabinet meeting, according to state-run television. "Soon, even the most politically doltish individuals will understand that this conference was a failure from the beginning," he said, the official IRNA news agency reported. In a reference to Arab countries who attended the conference, he said, "we are disappointed that some individuals fell victim to the sinister Zionist regime. Th more..
Bush says Israeli, Palestinian leaders off to a hopeful start
Barak Ravid Aluf Benn and, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
United States President George W. Bush, capping an intense flurry of diplomatic activity, said Wednesday the agreement by Israeli and Palestinian leaders to resume long-stalled peace talks was a hopeful beginning. Bush was joined at the White House by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a brief ceremony a day after they agreed to try to reach an agreement by the end of 2008. "One thing I have assured both gentlemen is that the United States will be actively engaged in the process," Bush said. "We will use our power to help you as you come up with the necessary decisions to lay out a Palestinian state that will live side-by-side in peace with Israel." "Yesterday was an important day, and it was a hopeful beginning," Bush said, referring to the one-day peace conference held Tuesday in Annapolis. "No matter how important yesterday was, it’s not nearly as important as tomorrow and the days beyond. I more..
Rabbi Yosef: Shas will quit gov’t if Jerusalem is on talks’ agenda
Nadav Shragai and Yair Ettinger, Haaretz Correspondents and Reuters, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Shas spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef said he will order the party to leave the governing coalition if the question of Jerusalem is raised in negotiations with the Palestinians. Rabbi Yosef hosted a meeting of rabbis at his home during the weekend, including the rabbis of the Old City. Also at the meeting was Nahman Zoldan, whose son Ido Zoldan was murdered a week ago by Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank. The meeting was initiated by Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, who is the founder and director of the Temple Institute. It also stemmed from the opinion raised by Rabbi Haim Cohen that Shas must immediately withdraw from the coalition because the current government threatens the unity of Jerusalem. Meanwhile, right-wing protesters are holding a vigil in front of the house of the Shas chairman - Industry and Trade Minister Eli Yishai. They are protesting the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox party’s continued presence in the government. more..
Syrian state-run newspaper: Non-comprehensive peace won’t last
Yoav Stern Haaretz Correspondent and Reuters, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
An editorial in a newspaper controlled by the Syrian regime said Wednesday that any peace agreement that is not comprehensive would be short-lived, just one day after participating in the Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland. "Peace, if its not comprehensive and on all tracks, is a deal that will collapse with the first gust of wind," said the editorial in the Syrian regime’s official newspaper Tishrin. According to Tishrin editor Issam Dari, "the Annapolis summit could be the American administration’s last chance to prove its intentions." "We have great hopes for the awakening of the administration’s conscience in its final hours of existence, which will rectify the serious failures of the American policy," wrote the newspaper. "This conference is an opportunity to examine the seriousness of the American administration in peacemaking. Th more..
Palestinian refugees take dim view of Annapolis
Perhaps in the distant future we can hope for a, Daily Star 11/28/2007
BEIRUT: After months of diplomatic efforts, more than 40 countries gathered Tuesday for a peace summit in the American city of Annapolis, Maryland. The first gathering of its kind in seven years to address the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was heralded with optimism by US President George W. Bush and other leaders. Residents of Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon do not share this view, however, asThe Daily Star confirmed during a visit to the Burj al-Barajneh camp on the outskirts of Beirut. Interviews with numerous camp inhabitants found frustration and irritation with the peace process and the plight of the Palestinian people. Edward Kattoura expressed hope that Annapolis could produce concrete results but he added that realistically, any development on the right of return was highly improbable. "I’m not expecting huge change," he said. more..
Bush launches new Mid-East talks
BBC Online 11/28/2007
US President George W Bush has renewed his pledge to give the Israeli and Palestinian leaders his full support in reaching a peace deal in 2008. Mr Bush spoke after meeting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli PM Ehud Olmert, as they began their first peace talks in seven years. He said Tuesday’s conference was a "hopeful beginning" for Mid-East peace. Meanwhile former Nato commander Gen James Jones has been appointed the new US Middle East envoy. Among his tasks will be to monitor how the Israelis and Palestinians live up to the security commitments made under the "road-map" which forms the basis for the newly-relaunched negotiations. "Building security in the Middle East is the surest path to making peace in the Middle East," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said of his appointment. "Gen Jones is the best individual to lead our efforts in this essential endeavour." more..
Annapolis: The end of the beginning
Paul Reynolds, BBC Online 11/28/2007
World affairs correspondent, BBC News website The handshake: now for the hard work Annapolis is the end of the beginning for the new Middle East peace talks, not necessarily the beginning of the end. That was the easy bit. Now for the hard work. All the old unresolved issues have to be tackled - the borders of Israel and the new state of Palestine, Jerusalem, Israeli settlements, Palestinian refugees. A pessimist, a realist maybe, can look at the target date for an agreement - December 2008, the end of the Bush presidency - and say that the agenda is too large and the room for manoeuvre too little for success to be likely, let alone assured. The concept is to create a critical mass of opinion that will enable the centre ground to be held. For this to happen, great compromises will have to be made by each side, leaving them open to being outflanked by critics within their own camps. more..
Angry Gazans reject Mid-East talks
Aleem Maqbool, BBC Online 11/27/2007
BBC News, Gaza City Many Gazans reject peace talks carried out in their name In a sea of green flags, tens of thousands of Palestinians marched in Gaza City denouncing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as a "traitor". It came on the day of the biggest Israeli-Palestinian conference for years, which Mr Abbas is attending. But the protestors here simply do not believe that the meeting is being held for their benefit. "The people that are meeting in Annapolis don’t represent the Palestinian people they just represent themselves," said one protester. "We are opposing the Annapolis conference because it will not secure our rights," said another. The march in Gaza was yet another illustration of the forces dividing Palestinians at the moment. The two main Palestinian political factions - Hamas and Fatah - are bitterly opposed following Hamas’s bloody takeover of Gaza this June. more..
Israel, Palestinians vow to seek peace deal by late 2008
Middle East Online 10/11/2007
Israel and the Palestinians pledged Tuesday to seek a peace deal by the end of 2008 as they seized on a major US-sponsored conference to revive negotiations frozen for seven years. Flanked by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, US President George W. Bush read out the pledge to top diplomats and others from 50 countries and organizations meeting in Annapolis, Maryland. "We agree to engage in vigorous, ongoing and continuous negotiations and shall make every effort to conclude an agreement before the end of 2008," the statement said. In a keynote speech marking what amounts to his biggest push for Middle East peace since he took office in 2001, Bush said the time was ripe for an end to the six-decade conflict, despite rising extremism and violence in the region. Brushing aside skeptics, Bush told delegates meeting in a building of the US Naval Academy at Annapolis: "I... more..
Arabs at Annapolis .
James Zogby, Middle East Online 10/11/2007
This is one of those moments when the old adage, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade," applies. It’s easy to find fault with the Bush Administration’s many failures. But anger at the many messes they have created won’t bring needed change. Finding a way forward is a responsibility we all share. Let me explain. I’ve long criticized this administration’s foreign policy, arguing that its trademarks have been that: • they neglect a problem when they might have taken action to solve it; • they let ideology trump reality when they have become engaged; and • they "spin" when they have failed, or try to change the subject by moving on to another front. We are seeing all of these trademarks and their consequences playing out this week in the crises in Israel-Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, and Pakistan. Responding to so many crises at once can be a trying affair for even the most skilled of US Administrations. more..
Abbas and Olmert address Annapolis conference
Ma’an News Agency 11/27/2007
Washington – Ma’an – US president George W. Bush opened the Annapolis conference on Tuesday evening with a short speech saying that the first session of a committee for bilateral negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians will be held on December 12. He also vowed to endeavor to reach a final peace agreement before the end of 2008. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert were also present at the opening ceremony. Bush also announced that both sides have agreed to start addressing the final status core issues. The US president also demanded that Israel abide by its commitments and end the occupation of Palestinian territories and stop settlement expansion. In his address to the conference, Abbas also called for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories as a step towards a just and comprehensive peace. more..
End of Israeli occupation will enable PA to assume security control in West Bank
Ma’an News Agency 11/27/2007
Washington – Ma’an – The end of Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, and settlement construction are pre-requisites for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to assume control of security in the Palestinian territories, a member of the Palestinian negotiation team at the Annapolis conference Nabil Sha’ath said on Tuesday. He told CNN that there had been noticeable changes in security in the West Bank, particularly in the Nablus district. 300 Palestinian security services were deployed at the beginning of November. The move is a bid to prove that the PA are able to control Nablus and can eventually take over complete security of the volatile city from Israeli forces. He added that Israel should assist the PA to assume security control in the West Bank by easing measures which impede the movement of Palestinians. "The Israeli army must withdraw in order for us to avoid being seen as assisting the occupation," Sha’ath added. more..
Palestinian journalists support participation in Annapolis, but warn against compromise
Ma’an News Agency 11/27/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – A group of Palestinian journalists and intellectuals held a press conference in Gaza city on Tuesday to express support for the Palestinian delegation at the international meeting in Annapolis, so long as they do not back down on basic Palestinian rights, and the right to use any means necessary to secure those rights. Journalist and political analyst Hasan Al-Kashif said, "Our people realize at this time that their liberty and independence can not be achieved without elements of development and prosperity in the area." Al-Kashif added that he views Palestinian participation in Annapolis conference as an opportunity to bring the Palestinian question to the forefront of the international agenda. He argued that it should be a "duty" for Palestinian nationalist forces support the delegation participating in the meeting. "If the conference failed, and [Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas]... more..
MIDEAST: Much Ado About Annapolis
Ali Gharib, Inter Press Service 11/27/2007
Credit:White House photo/Chris Greenberg President George W. Bush reads from a joint statement by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in which they pledged to resume Mideast peace talks. ANNAPOLIS, Maryland, Nov 27(IPS) - The Middle East peace conference that began and ended here on this crisp, sunny Tuesday was lean on specifics for a lasting peace deal between Israel and Palestine and the formation of a Palestinian state. Dealing with a timeline for continued talks on "final status" issues, rather than the contentious issues themselves, the conference delivered few changes to the status quo. The summit of representatives from over 50 nations and international groups convened on Tuesday at the U.S. Naval Academy under the leadership of President George W. Bush to discuss the slow process of building a lasting regional peace between Israel and its Arab neighbours by creating a new state in the Middle East. more..
Haniyeh: Palestinians will not abide by Annapolis statements
Wisam Afifa - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2007
In a speech delivered Tuesday, Ismail Haniyeh, the deposed Palestinian Prime Minister, indicated that Palestinians would not abide by the outcome of the Annapolis conference, indicating that the summit had no "relevance on the ground." Haniyeh also criticized the West Bank-based administration for making decisions without the approval of the majority of Palestinians, both within the occupied territory and abroad. Turning his attention to those Arab countries attending the summit, Haniyeh argued that they had no mandate to approve Palestinian compromises, adding that his government would reject any such agreements. Translated by ManarJibrin-IMEMC News [end]
Gaza residents stage demonstration against Annapolis
Rami Almeghari - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2007
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians on Tuesday took to the streets of Gaza city in protest against the Annapolis peace summit, currently taking place in the United States. The rally, the largest, since Hamas established power in the region in in June, was called for bythe Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements. Protesters chanted slogans against the Washington-sponsored conference, saying, "we wont recognize Israel, we never concede the right of return, we never give up an inch of our lands." One of the protesters told IMEMC that "we don’t care about our conditions, we need no more alleged peace conferences." Dr. Ahmad Bahar, speaker of the Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council, told the crowds,"today, the Palestinian people tell those meeting in Annapolis that they refuse to concede their inalienable rights." Bahar also revealed that the PLC had recently passed a new bill prohibiting concession... more..
Palestinian security forces arrest 30
Najeep Faraj - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2007
Palestinian Islamic Faction the liberation party announced on Tuesday that the Palestinian security forces affiliated with the Fatah movement have arrested at least 30 members of the party from several parts of the West Bank over the past 24 hours. According to their statement the members were arrested because the party is planning to conduct protests in several West Bank cities against the Annapolis conference on Tuesday. The statement said that the party will go ahead and conduct those protests regardless of those arrests and the Palestinian West Bank government decision of banning protests against the Annapolis conference. . Translated by Ghassan Bannoura -- IMEMC News. [end]
Palestinians take to streets in protest against Annapolis
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/27/2007
As leaders commenced the Annapolis conference in Maryland USA, Palestinians on Tuesday took to the streets across the West Bank city Gaza strip to voice their opposition to the summit. In Ramallah, scores of Palestinians responded to a call by the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements and a number of other NGOs to protest in the city center. During the rally, protesters called on the Palestinian delegation at Annapolis to refrain from further concessions until Israel ends its occupation of Palestinian land. Palestinian police later attacked the demonstration, arresting at least 5 people and leaving severalinjured. In Gaza city, thousands gathered in the city center in response to a call by the ruling Hamas party and the Islamic Jihad movement. Leaders of both movements delivered speeches declaring the Annapolis conference as yet another agreement aimed at killing the Palestinian case and the dream of freedom. more..
Iran: ’True owners of Palestine’ absent at Annapolis conference
Yoav Stern Haaretz Correspondent, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
The Annapolis conference was a "bargaining session" at which the real stakeholders were not even present, an Iranian government spokesman said Tuesday. "The conference is taking place in the absence of the true owners of Palestine," said Gholam-Hossein Elham, according to the Iranian news agency IRNA. Elham added that leaders of the Palestinian factions opposed to Annapolis would meet in Iran in another 10 days. "Iran is the home of all the fighting Palestinian factions who aspire to liberate their land from the grip of the thieving occupier," he said. It is not clear whether this meeting will be in addition to or in place of a meeting of Palestinian rejectionist groups that had originally been slated to take place in Damascus. That meeting, supposed to be Tuesday, was postponed, and Hamas rejected an Iranian offer to host it in Tehran. more..
Court lets Winograd omit personal findings from final report
Yuval Yoaz and Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondents, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Second Lebanon War The Winograd Committee does not have to include comments about individuals in its final report on the government’s handling of the Second Lebanon War, nor does it have to send warning letters to those who may be harmed by its conclusions, the High Court of Justice ruled Tuesday. In their ruling, Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch and justices Hanan Meltzer and Edna Arbel rejected two petitions. The Movement for Quality Government had demanded the committee issue personal conclusions, while the Military Advocate General had sought the warning letters. However, the justices criticized the committee for changing its initial scope, which they said raised "many questions and doubts." "Looking at it in its entirety," Beinisch wrote, "the committee has changed its stance. Its announcement that it does not intend to include personal findings in its final report raises questions,... more..
Gov’t to set up 14 teams in ’negotiations administration’
Barak Ravid Haaretz Correspondent, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The cabinet is expected to approve shortly the establishment of a "negotiations administration" that will include 14 working groups, before negotiations start on December 12, as announced Tuesday at the summit. The team set up by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni a few weeks ago to aid in the negotiations with the Palestinians last week presented her with a series of documents that make recommendations for conducting the talks on the core issues the day after the Annapolis summit. The recommendations include reestablishing a body to oversee the negotiations, similar to that established seven years ago by then prime minister Ehud Barak for the Camp David and Taba talks. The oversight administrative body will include up to 14 working groups on different issues. The support team for the negotiations was headed by Nimrod Barkan, who is also the head of the Foreign Ministry’s Center for Political Research. Th more..
Joint statement completed minutes before presentation
Avi Issacharoff and Barak Ravid Haaretz Correspondents, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
issued at Annapolis Tuesday was completed less than half an hour beforehand, Israeli and Palestinian sources told Haaretz. According to the Palestinian sources, yet another round of Israeli-Palestinian talks on the document broke off at midnight on Monday with no results. At that point, Saeb Erekat replaced Ahmed Qureia, the head of the Palestinian negotiating team, and the talks resumed, but still no progress was made. The next morning, after the parties already had landed in Annapolis, the talks continued. Finally, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice took Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas out of a three-way meeting with U.S. President George Bush and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and pressured him to approve the draft document, the sources said. Eventually, he did so, enabling Bush to read it to the conference. The Israeli sources noted that Bush was clearly pushing for the document: At... more..
Fuel baron taking on Blue, Super-Sol through Yellow
Sivan Klingbail, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Zadik Bino’s company Paz intends to expand the Yellow chain of convenience stores, attached to its gasoline stations throughout Israel, with the aim of transforing the chain into the third largest grocery chain in Israel. The holding company plans to increase the number of Yellow outlets, located at most of Paz’s 260 gas stations, and expand some of the existing stores. It has apparently not been decided whether the stores would be branded as Yellow, Yellow Market, or some other brand. Yellow Market was launched as a new pilot format this year, on a 200-square-meter area that serves as a fully stocked small grocery store, including fruits, vegetables and frozen meat products. The company had earlier announced that three branches would be tested in the Netanya area, Hadasim and Rehovot, and now intends to increase the number of outlets. In an interview to TheMarker last September, outgoing Paz CEO Modi Ben-Shach described the issues that lay ahead. "W more..
For those who have forgotten what a nation-state is
David Navon, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni found herself under heavy attack from the Arab Knesset members, backed by her colleague from the coalition, Ophir Pines-Paz, for supposedly expressing the views of the extreme right. And what was all this about? About having said that when a Palestinian state is established, it will also fulfill the national aspirations of the Israeli Arabs. I could not believe my ears when I heard that. After all, it is for this very purpose that the solution of "two states for two peoples" was meant. Were the two peoples desirous of living in a bi-national state, there would be no reason to partition the land. But nations have been granted the right of self-determination. For that reason, most nation-states were not formed on multi-national territory, but rather as the result of partitioning that kind of territory on the basis of the lines that separate the living areas of members of different peoples... more..
Genesis Partners disavows Yaron Polak after conviction for possessing child porn
Guy Griml, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
The local venture capital industry was sent reeling by Monday night’s ouster of Genesis Parters’ Yaron Polak, 57, who admitted to possessing child pornography. The fund announced that it was disassociating itself from Polak, a partner, after the Kfar Sava Magistrate’s Court convicted him of the offense. "The decision was reached a few hours after Genesis was apprised of Polak’s court conviction," the fund stated. Polak is a leading figure in the local venture capital business. He has 25 years of experience in the IT and communications industries, specializing in organizational software companies active in the U.S. and Israel. He was CEO of Ness Technologies, Israel’s largest IT services company. In addition, he also has worked for the Formula-Wiztec Solutions group, which he led to a Nasdaq float and acquisition by Convergys, the Rad Group and Control Data. more..
Lev Leviev’s Africa-Israel expected to pour massive investment into Belarus
Michael Rochvarger, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
The economy of Belarus is flourishing. With the expansion of the country’s international business activities, Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko met with Lev Leviev last week. Belarus is eagerly courting investments by tycoons like Leviev in sectors beyond the diamond market. Leviev heads the Leviev Group of Companies (LGC), which conducts bustling business in diamonds, construction and infrastructure, fashion industry, communications, high-tech and media, real estate and tourism. The conglomerate’s reach includes the U.S. , Russia, South Africa, Namibia, Angola, New Zealand, Fiji Islands, Kenya, Singapore, India, Hong Kong, Italy, France and Britain. Russian newspapers report that President Lukashenko is negotiating the inclusion of LGC in huge construction projects in central Minsk, the capital of Belarus. According to newspaper reports, LGC is expected to invest in a variety of areas, including development... more..
To Palestine via the side road
Shmuel Rosner, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
ANNAPOLIS - "Events are subject to change without notice," the U.S. State Department warned the guests at the Annapolis meeting a few hours before it was due to convene. That announcement was to the point at this confused and confusing conference, where many of the participants wondered before their arrival what the reason for calling it was and remained confused as they left for Annapolis about its aims. On the face of it, everyone understands what Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wants, but there are still arguments about what President Bush wants. "Mr. Palestine" was the headline given to his picture on the cover of The Economist. If the editors intended this as light-hearted provocation, one can smile and go on one’s way. If they wanted to cause Yasser Arafat to turn in his grave, they must have succeeded. But if they meant to hint that Bush was the man who by his own deeds will set up the Palestinian state, it seemsthey chose the wrong person. more..
Negotiations on final status to get underway in 2 weeks
Aluf Benn Shmuel Rosner and, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Israel and the Palestinians will begin final-status negotiations on December 12, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas announced yesterday in a joint statement read out by U.S. President George W. Bush at the Annapolis conference. "I don’t think it’s a risk to try for peace," he said. "I think it’s an obligation." In a meeting with Olmert and Abbas before the conference, Bush said that the U.S. would not impose a solution on the parties, but would assist them. In the joint statement, which was finalized only a few minutes before the conference, Olmert and Abbas promised to try to conclude the final-status agreement by the end of 2008. However, implementation of the agreement will be conditional on fulfillment of each side’s obligations under the road map peace plan. Both sides agreed that Washington will determine whether those obligations have been fulfilled. Bu more..
The joint understanding
Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
"We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate a culture of peace and nonviolence; to confront terrorism and incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis. "In furtherance of the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, we agree to immediately launch good-faith bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty, resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception, as specified in previous agreements. "The steering committee will develop a joint work plan and establish and oversee the work of negotiations teams to address all issues, to be headed by one lead representative from each party. Th more..
Gov’t to set up 14 teams in ’negotiations administration’
Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The cabinet is expected to approve shortly the establishment of a "negotiations administration" that will include 14 working groups, before negotiations start on December 12, as announced yesterday at the summit. The team set up by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni a few weeks ago to aid in the negotiations with the Palestinians last week presented her with a series of documents that make recommendations for conducting the talks on the core issues the day after the Annapolis summit. The recommendations include reestablishing a body to oversee the negotiations, similar to that established seven years ago by then prime minister Ehud Barak for the Camp David and Taba talks. The oversight administrative body will include up to 14 working groups on different issues. The support team for the negotiations was headed by Nimrod Barkan, who is also the head of the Foreign Ministry’s Center for Political Research. Th more..
Joint statement completed just minutes before presentation
Avi Issacharoff and Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The joint Israeli-Palestinian declaration issued at Annapolis yesterday was completed less than half an hour beforehand, Israeli and Palestinian sources told Haaretz. According to the Palestinian sources, yet another round of Israeli-Palestinian talks on the document broke off at midnight on Monday with no results. At that point, Saeb Erekat replaced Ahmed Qureia, the head of the Palestinian negotiating team, and the talks resumed, but still no progress was made. The next morning, after the parties already had landed in Annapolis, the talks continued. Finally, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice took Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas out of a three-way meeting with U.S. President George Bush and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and pressured him to approve the draft document, the sources said. Eventually, he did so, enabling Bush to read it to the conference. more..
Ovadia: Shas to quit gov’t if J’lem is on agenda
Nadav Shragai and Yair Ettinger, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Shas spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef said he will order the party to leave the governing coalition if the question of Jerusalem is raised in negotiations with the Palestinians. Rabbi Yosef hosted a meeting of rabbis at his home during the weekend, including the rabbis of the Old City. Also at the meeting was Nahman Zoldan, whose son Ido Zoldan was murdered a week ago by Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank. The meeting was initiated by Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, who is the founder and director of the Temple Institute. It also stemmed from the opinion raised by Rabbi Haim Cohen that Shas must immediately withdraw from the coalition because the current government threatens the unity of Jerusalem. Meanwhile, right-wing protesters are holding a vigil in front of the house of the Shas chairman - Industry and Trade Minister Eli Yishai. They are protesting the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox party’s continued presence in the government. more..
Iran: ’True owners of Palestine’ absent at Annapolis conference
Yoav Stern, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
The Annapolis conference was a "bargaining session" at which the real stakeholders were not even present, an Iranian government spokesman said yesterday. "The conference is taking place in the absence of the true owners of Palestine," said Gholam-Hossein Elham, according to the Iranian news agency IRNA. Elham added that leaders of the Palestinian factions opposed to Annapolis would meet in Iran in another 10 days. "Iran is the home of all the fighting Palestinian factions who aspire to liberate their land from the grip of the thieving occupier," he said. It is not clear whether this meeting will be in addition to or in place of a meeting of Palestinian rejectionist groups that had originally been slated to take place in Damascus. That meeting, supposed to be yesterday, was postponed, and Hamas rejected an Iranian offer to host it in Tehran. more..
Annapolis and the coalition / Should they stay or go?
Yossi Verter, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
In the tumult of the cameras snapping photographs, one picture caught President Bush sitting with Condoleezza Rice and Ehud Barak. Bush and Barak are sharing a joke. This is the same Barak who has committed "to end the partnership with Olmert" when the complete Winograd report on last year’s Lebanon war comes out in a few weeks. Such a move will end the negotiations with the Palestinians, and early elections will see the right come to power, the polls say. After yesterday, it’s hard to imagine Barak fulfilling his promise. It’s hard to imagine him acting against his constituency, who support Ehud Olmert and the peace process, especially after they heard the prime minister make a speech that even Shimon Peres would be proud of, a speech worthy of "the head of the peace camp." It’s hard to imagine Barak clashing with the U.S. administration, which may be a lame duck, but you never know. It more..
Annapolis Diary / Who’s in favor of ending (Israeli) terrorism?
Shmuel Rosner Aluf Benn, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
1. If there is a need for proof that nothing changes in Israeli-Palestinian relations, the joint declaration should suffice - the one that was signed a few minutes before President George W. Bush went to the podium and only after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice put a little pressure on Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. If proof is needed to show that much has changed, then the whispering between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Abbas - a moment after Abbas finished his speech and Olmert took the floor - is proof of this. The talks over the joint declaration, a total of only 437 words, lasted many weeks and reflected previous rounds of Israeli-Palestinian talks. As always, the Palestinians announced each day that there was a "crisis," and until the last minute declared they were going to pass on the whole thing. As always, the Israelis said that things will be fine, and played down the disagreements. An more..
President George W. Bush: ’We must not cede victory to extremists’
Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
The people of Israel have just aspirations, as well. They want their children to be able to ride a bus or to go to school without fear of suicide bombers. They want an end to rocket attacks and constant threats of assault. They want their nation to be recognized and welcomed in the region where they live. Today, Palestinians and Israelis each understand that helping the other to realize their aspirations is key to realizing their own aspirations - and both require an independent, democratic, viable Palestinian state. Our purpose here in Annapolis is not to conclude an agreement. Rather, it is to launch negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians. In light of recent developments, some have suggested that now is not the right time to pursue peace. I disagree. First, the time is right because Palestinians and Israelis have leaders who are determined to achieve peace. more..
Livni: Our hands are extended for regional peace deal
Barak Ravid, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said she hoped and prayed that instead of fighting, the right thing to do is to build a joint future for two separate states, in a speech as part of a panel on comprehensive peace in the Middle East yesterday. Numerous other foreign ministers also spoke, including some from Arab countries. Defense Minister Ehud Barak spoke at a different panel, chaired by Tony Blair, on building the institutions of the Palestinian state. He called on the Palestinians to put an end to the violence. Livni noted that the Israeli Declaration of Independence calls for Israel to "extend our hand to all neighboring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighborliness," and she added that our hands have remained extended for peace to the entire Arab world including the Palestinians, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Morocco and Indonesia. more..
The Palestinians after the summit / Bring in Hamas
Zvi Bar'el, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Fatah’s violent dispersal of the Hamas rally against the Annapolis summit in Hebron attests to Mahmoud Abbas’ determination to seal every crack Hamas might slip through. At the same time, it illustrates that the Palestinian Authority chairman is dealing with a time bomb. The key question now is whether Abbas will turn Gaza into a new place of exile for Palestinians and abandon the Palestinian principle of creating a single state incorporating Gaza and the West Bank. Or will he find a way to include Hamas? It is clear to Abbas and Washington that an all-out war by Fatah on Hamas is impossible without massive military intervention by Israel. If Abbas enlists Israeli help for such a cause, he would undermine his legitimacy and turn Hamas into a victim. Hamas’ leadership, however, objects to negotiating with Israel - let alone recognizing it - and thus excludes itself from the political equation reached at Annapolis. more..
Peres: Israel maintains constant secret contacts with Damascus
Mijal Grinberg, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Israel conducts secret contacts with Syria all the time, but serious negotiations cannot begin until Syria stops supporting terror and ends its involvement in Lebanon, President Shimon Peres said yesterday while touring the Negev. Referring to Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal’s declaration that he would not shake hands with Israeli officials during the Annapolis peace conference, Peres said that "it doesn’t matter if they shake hands or not, next time they will." The conference was attended by representatives from some 40 countries in an effort to relaunch dormant peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. "The most interesting thing about the [Annapolis] conference is the large number of Arab nations surrounding one table. The participation of many other countries is also very important." Peres explained that one of the reasons that compelled some of these nations to attend... more..
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas: ’Neither of us are begging for peace’
Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
"It is a support of our approach that calls for a balanced historical settlement that would ensure peace and security for our independent state and for Israel, as well as for all countries in the region. "This Arab and Islamic participation in today’s meeting is also an affirmation that the Arab peace initiative was not a step without well-defined targets, but indeed it was a bold strategic plan that aims changing the nature of relations in the region and to usher in a new era there. "But to achieve that does not depend on the Arab and Islamic position by itself, but requires meeting this position by a reciprocal strategic willingness that would basically lead to ending the occupation of all Palestinian occupied territories in 1967, including East Jerusalem, as well as the Syrian Golan and what remains of occupied from Lebanese territories, and to resolve all other issues relating to the conflict. ... more..
The Palestinians / Two out of three ain’t bad
Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Minutes after Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert finished their speeches, Palestinian spokesmen rushed to the press room at Annapolis to lower expectations. Being well-versed in peace conferences that end with glorious fanfares but lead nowhere in practice, they warned that it is necessary to see whether the promises made at the conference are implemented on the ground. Yet even the skeptics among them expressed some satisfaction at the PA’s achievements. In the end, the joint Israeli-Palestinian declaration issued at the conference includes both of the PA’s main demands: a timetable for beginning and ending the negotiations and an American-led supervisory mechanism to determine whether each side is fulfilling its obligations under the road map peace plan. Moreover, U.S. President George W. Bu more..
Saudi FM: U.S. set one-year deadline in advance
Haaretz Staff, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said the United States had promised that negotiations would be concluded within a year, the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat reported yesterday. Speaking to the newspaper ahead of his participation in yesterday’s summit, Prince Saud said the Muslim kingdom had decided to attend the meeting in Annapolis because it would address core issues in the Palestinian-Israeli dispute and would include the Syrian and Lebanese tracks. "The important factor is setting a deadline for negotiations so they do not become endless, and this is what the host, the American government, has promised, that the time period will not exceed one year," the newspaper quoted Prince Saud as saying. "We felt from the United States and the international Quartet [of Mideast peace negotiators] some encouraging assurances that negotiations would be followed up through specific mechanisms and reciprocal commitments by all the active parties," he said. more..
Protest in the West Bank / One killed at anti-Annapolis rally
Yoav Stern and Yuval Azoulay, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
The Palestinian Authority had banned all demonstrations in the West Bank yesterday to maintain "stability, security and the rule of law" while the conference was taking place, according to its proclamation. But the order outraged many Palestinians, including civil-society groups. The Liberation Party, an extremist Islamic faction based in Hebron, decided to defy the ban. The slain demonstrator, Hisham al-Baradi, 37, was hit in the chest by a bullet. The PA issued a statement afterward saying it is not clear who killed Baradi, but it would open an immediate investigation. Demonstrators defied the ban in several other West Bank cities as well. In Ramallah, where some 1,000 people demonstrated, PA police beat several Palestinian journalists. In Bethlehem, police beat demonstrators and arrested dozens of them. In Gaza, Hamas organized a massive demonstration against Annapolis at which tens of thousands of... more..
Dutch pro-Palestinian conference shelved after Histadrut intervenes
Cnaan Liphshiz, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
The Netherlands’ largest trade union has shelved its plans to hold a Palestinian solidarity conference tomorrow, the 60th anniversary of the UN vote on the Partition Plan. Last week’s annulment, which ended concerns of a boycott against Israel, came after the Histadrut labor federation insisted it be invited, Haaretz has learned. "We regret that the planned event upset certain people," ABVAKABO FNV’s spokesman said in a statement explaining why the conference was postponed indefinitely. "We don’t aim for a boycott against Israeli products and wish to take no political standpoint." Another spokesman from the union, which has 365,000 members, told Haaretz, "ABVAKABO didn’t decide to rule out a boycott call, nor do we intend to do so." Dr. Ronny Naftaniel, who heads the pro-Zionist Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI), said he harbored deep mistrust for the conference. "T more..
News in Brief
Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Jerusalem businessman and city council member Nir Barkat is considering running for mayor in 2008 as the candidate of Yisrael Beiteinu, the party of Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Haaretz has learned that the two sides are in advanced negotiations. Barkat ran for mayor in the last elections on a liberal-secular slate, but joined Kadima when that party was founded. Yisrael Beiteinu said: "There are no agreements with Barkat and everything is open." It said all options are open until its party’s municipal assembly at the beginning of January. (Lily Galili) The Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee approved a bill requiring mandatory sentences of 20 years imprisonment for attacking an elderly person and causing bodily harm, and at least 10 years for assaulting an elderly person. The proposed law, which now goes to the Knesset plenum for its first reading, was approved by six votes to two. Bu more..
News / Special coverage of the Annapolis Conference
Haaretz Staff and Channel 10, Ha’aretz 11/27/2007
In this edition: A special report on the day of the Annapolis Conference: Israel and the Palestinian Authority agree to launch peace talks to be completed by the end of 2008. Tens of thousands protest against the conference in Gaza and the West Bank. Four Palestinian militants are killed as the IDF raises the alert level ahead of the conference. Full text of Bush’s speech at Annapolis, including joint statement Haaretz. com TV: Segments from Annapolis address by Prime Minister Olmert Haaretz. com TV: Segments from Annapolis address by PA Chairman Abbas Israel, PA agree to strive for accord by end of 2008 Haaretz. com TV: Segments from Annapolis address by U.S. President Bush For more video news and features, visit more..
Eli Yishai: Annapolis participants are out of touch with reality
Reuters, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Head of the Shas party and Employment, Trade and Industry Minister Eli Yishai called the speeches at the Annapolis conference "dreams" out of touch with a reality where Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is incapable of fighting terror or establishing control. Yishai added that the Shas party has no intention of leaving the government in protest to the joint Israeli-Palestinian statement reached at the conference, saying that there is no reason to do so as the agreements have no possibility of being carried out. Head of the Meretz-Yahad party MK Yossi Beilin stated that as long as Yishai and rightist MK Avigdor Lieberman stay in the coalition, they will serve to hamper and complicate any future peace negotiations rendering it impossible to have faith in Olmert’s actions. Beilin added that the presence of the two rightist MKs in the coalition is especially problematic at a time when there is "a clear majority in the Knesset that supports peace." more..
Full text of Bush’s speech at Annapolis, including joint statement
Assaf Uni Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
(Watch excerpts from Bush’s speech on Haaretz. com TV) Thank you for coming. Prime Minister Olmert, President Abbas, Secretary General Ban, former Prime Minister Blair, distinguished guests, welcome to one of the finest institutes we have in America, the United States Naval Academy. We appreciate you joining us in what I believe is an historic opportunity to encourage the expansion of freedom and peace in the holy land. We meet to lay the foundation for the establishment of a new nation, a democratic Palestinian state that will live side by side with Israel in peace and security. We meet to help bring an end to the violence that has been the true enemy of the aspirations of both the Israelis and Palestinians. We’re off to a strong start. I’m about to read a statement that was agreed upon by our distinguished guests. more..
Analysis / Four quick points on Israel-Palestinian joint statement
Shmuel Rosner in Annapolis, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Mideast peace process Starting tomorrow, a new political reality will make life more difficult both for Olmert and for Abbas. Promising to conclude the peace negotiations within a year is the headline of this document. It is a challenge that should not be taken lightly. Both sides remember that deadlines are not sacred in the Middle East, and were rarely met in similar occasions. Nevertheless, they will try to meet this goal, paying Bush for his vision (the Palestinians) and support (Israelis). The timing is important for Israel specifically for another reason: This will be the year in which Bush will make his most important decision concerning Israel - whether to prevent Iran, by all means necessary, from getting a nuclear bomb. We don’t know exactly how the American judge will evaluate the way both sides fulfill their commitments as specified in the road map. Th more..
Israel, PA agree to strive for accord by end of 2008
Barak Ravid Aluf Benn and, Ha’aretz 11/28/2007
Israel and the Palestinian Authority agreed Tuesday to immediately launch peace negotiations in order to reach an agreement by the end of 2008, U.S. President George Bush said in his remarks at the Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland. Prior to his prepared address, Bush read a joint statement agreed on by the sides during last-minute negotiations at the summit. (Watch excerpts from Bush’s speech on Haaretz. com TV) Bush spoke before representatives of more than 50 nations and organizations that he had invited to Annapolis for a day-long conference aimed at restarting the stalled peace process. Among the participants were the foreign ministers of most Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, as well as the Syrian envoy to Washington. "We agreed to immediately launch good faith, bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty resolving all outstanding issues, including core... more..
’Peace there won’t be, but you look well’
Ian Black, The Guardian 11/28/2007
"We’re off to a strong start," George Bush quipped at the end of his opening speech to the conference, but he mangled Mahmoud Abbas’s first name and fumbled a handshake between the Palestinian president and Israel’s prime minister, Ehud Olmert, that didn’t quite live up to the occasion’s historic billing. It was a long way from the famous scene on the White House lawn when Bill Clinton brought Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin together after their ill-fated Oslo agreement in 1993. Annapolis was always described as a "launching pad" for fresh peace talks, and there were early signs of just how difficult those would be. Abbas and Olmert, both weak leaders with powerful enemies, spoke in their native languages, as if to emphasise just how aware they are of domestic pressures as they begin negotiations. Technical problems meant the Palestinian leader was several minutes into his address before the English translation... more..
Rhetoric and reality: Bush’s battle for the future of the Middle East
middot, The Guardian 10/11/2007
George Bush told the Annapolis summit yesterday that a battle was under way for the future of the Middle East as events on the ground underlined the difficulties ahead for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that were relaunched after seven years. Iran, on cue, said it had developed a new long-range ballistic missile, while thousands of supporters of the Islamist movement Hamas protested in Gaza, chanting "Death to America", "Death to Israel" and scorning the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, as a "collaborator". In the West Bank, Palestinian security forces shot dead a demonstrator. Bush came to the US naval academy to portray his support for revived "final status" negotiations between Abbas and Ehud Olmert, Israel’s prime minister, against the background of a broader regional struggle. "We must not cede victory to the extremists," he said. In the Maryland winter sunshine, all was carefully choreographed. "T more..
Israeli migration agents target German Jews
183, The Guardian 10/11/2007
An Israeli intelligence organisation is to send agents to Germany in an effort to persuade tens of thousands of Jews from the former Soviet Union to settle in Israel. Representatives of the organisation Nativ are soon to operate on the approval of the Israeli government to "counter the dangerous assimilation of former Soviet Jews in Germany", according to the wording of a decision recently passed by the cabinet of prime minister Ehud Olmert. Around 200,000 Jews from the former Soviet Union, about 70% of the total community, are currently living in Germany having begun arriving at the invitation of the government in the early 1990s. But their assimilation into what is now the fastest growing Jewish community in the world has been problematic, largely due to linguistic and cultural differences, including varying approaches to defining Jewishness and even sometimes a lack of knowledge about the Holocaust. Th more..
Rhetoric crashes into reality at Annapolis
Ian Black in Annapolis, The Guardian 11/27/2007
George Bush told the Annapolis summit today that a battle was under way for the future of the Middle East as events on the ground underlined the huge task ahead as Israeli-Palestinian peace talks were relaunched after seven years. Iran, on cue, announced that it had developed a new long-range missile, while thousands of supporters of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas protested in Gaza, chanting "Death to America," "Death to Israel" and scorning Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas as a "collaborator". In the West Bank, Palestinian security forces shot dead a demonstrator. The American president came to the US naval academy to portray his support for revived negotiations between Abbas and Ehud Olmert, Israeli’s prime minister, against the background of a broader struggle. "We must not cede victory to the extremists," he said. In the winter sunshine of Maryland, all was carefully choreographed. "T more..
’Peace there won’t be, but you look well’
Ian Black in Annapolis, The Guardian 11/27/2007
"We’re off to a strong start," George Bush quipped at the end of his opening speech to the conference, but he mangled Mahmoud Abbas’s first name and fumbled a handshake between the Palestinian president and Israel’s Ehud Olmert that didn’t quite live up to the occasion’s historic billing. It was a long way from the famous scene on the White House lawn when Bill Clinton brought Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin together after their ill-fated Oslo agreement in 1993. Annapolis was always described as a "launching pad" for new peace talks, and there were early signs of just how difficult those will be. Abbas and Olmert, both weak leaders with powerful enemies, spoke in their native languages, as if to stress just how aware they are of domestic pressures as they begin negotiations. Technical problems meant the Palestinian leader was several minutes into his speech before the English translation could be heard by the hundreds of journalists gathered at the Naval Academy. Se more..
Annapolis agreement: full text
The Guardian 10/11/2007
"We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate a culture of peace and nonviolence; to confront terrorism and incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis. "In furtherance of the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, we agree to immediately launch good-faith bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty, resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception, as specified in previous agreements. "We agree to engage in vigorous, ongoing and continuous negotiations, and shall make every effort to conclude an agreement before the end of 2008. For this purpose, a steering committee, led jointly by the head of the delegation of each party, will meet continuously, as agreed. "T more..
Israel to lure Soviet Jews from Germany
Kate Connolly in Berlin, The Guardian 11/27/2007
An Israeli intelligence organisation is to send its agents to Germany to try to persuade tens of thousands of Jews from the former Soviet Union to settle in Israel. Representatives of the organisation Nativ are soon to operate in Germany on the approval of the Israeli government to "counter the dangerous assimilation of former Soviet Jews in Germany", according to the wording of a decision recently passed by the cabinet of the prime minister, Ehud Olmert. Around 200,000 Jews from the former Soviet Union - about 70% of the total community - are living in Germany after arriving at the invitation of the government in the early 1990s. But their assimilation into what is now the fastest-growing Jewish community in the world has been problematic, largely due to linguistic and cultural differences, including varying approaches to defining Jewishness and even sometimes a lack of knowledge about the Holocaust. Th more..
Israel and Palestinians commit to peace talks
Full text of the Annapolis declaration, The Guardian 10/11/2007
Israel and the Palestinians will start immediate negotiations to address all outstanding issues and seek an agreement by the end of 2008, George Bush said today. The US president said the two sides had committed themselves to "good faith bilateral" negotiations in a joint declaration that had been the principal goal of the Annapolis conference. Applause greeted Bush’s declaration as he, the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, engaged in a three-way handshake that echoed the historic handshake between Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin on the White House lawn in 1993. The first formal negotiating session is to begin on December 12, Bush said as he opened the conference, designed to kickstart negotiations for a Palestinian state that will live side by side in peace with Israel. Bush emphasised that the meeting marked the beginning of a difficult process. "O more..
Reactions to Annapolis statement
BBC Online 11/27/2007
Israel and the Palestinian Authority have agreed a joint statement at the Annapolis peace conference, which it is hoped may lead to a full peace agreement before the end of 2008. SAEB EREKAT, SENIOR PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR We have this opportunity now, I hope we are not going to waste it, I hope we seize the opportunity and stay on the course in producing a two-state solution... We are doing this peace process for ourselves as Palestinians and I think we can go back to our people with a message of peace, freedom and security, a two-state solution. I think we will win the day. SAMI ABU ZUHRI, SENIOR HAMAS OFFICIAL Abbas has committed a crime by pledging to follow the road map... Resistance will continue against the occupation by all means. We have heard too many false promises... Bush has failed to deliver anything for the Palestinians during his presidency. more..
Key excerpts: Mid-East conference
BBC Online 11/27/2007
The main participants have been setting out their positions at the opening of a Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland. Below is a selection of key quotes from the speeches. ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN JOINT STATEMENT We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate a culture of peace and non-violence; to confront terrorism and incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis. In furtherance of the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, we agree to immediately launch good-faith bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty, resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception, as specified in previous agreements. more..
New Mid-East peace drive launched
BBC Online 11/28/2007
Mr Bush wants a peace deal agreed before he leaves office News conference Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed to start talks aimed at reaching a full peace deal by the end of 2008. Opening a Middle East peace conference, US President George W Bush said all outstanding issues dividing the two sides would be on the table. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the talks must include the status of Jerusalem as a Palestinian capital, and the future of refugees. Israeli PM Ehud Olmert said Israel was prepared to make compromises for peace. Standing before the diplomats from more than 40 countries and international agencies at the US naval academy at Annapolis, Maryland, President Bush stepped back to allow the Palestinian and Israeli leaders to shake hands. "We agree to engage in vigorous, ongoing and continuous negotiations and shall make every effort to conclude an... more..
The perspective from the street
Al Jazeera 11/24/2007
As the Annapolis Middle East peace talks approach, Al Jazeera asked Palestinians and Israelis, along with others who live in the region, what they expect the talks to achieve and what they would like to see come from them. M Mahmoud, teacher, West Bank "I don’t expect anything from these talks. We have already heard and seen many rounds of talks that resulted in nothing - with the exception of exerting pressure on the Palestinian side to widen the rift between Palestinians. Unfortunately, our Palestinian negotiation team seems submissive to orders issued by the totally biased American policy towards Israel. On the other hand, Israel has never expressed willingness to commit to peace. No nation ever mentions the core of the problem, which is ending the occupation and leaving Palestinians to establish their own relations with the wider world. more..
Entire world accepts Israeli stance, says Livni
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 11/22/2007
Foreign minister to leave for US on Saturday evening ahead of Annapolis peace conference; tells Ynet summit’s success is fact that it will jumpstart move in which State of Israel’s security is inseparable part of agreement - - The Israeli stance that the Annapolis conference is the beginning of a diplomatic process for the establishment of two states for two people is now accepted by the entire world, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told Ynet on Thursday, on the eve of her departure to the US-sponsored peace summit scheduled to take place in Maryland next week. "This was not a simple process, but as we approach the Annapolis conference, our perception that the conference is not aimed at ending the process has been absorbed and is now accepted by everyone," Livni said. According to the foreign minister, "Problems dozens of years old cannot be solved within a few days. Th more..
Mazuz: Public officials under investigation should resign
Aviram Zino, YNetNews 11/22/2007
Attorney general says Israeli society relies too heavily on arbitrary legal action to fight corruption instead of taking a real stance for good governance - - Attorney General Menachem Mazuz took a veiled swing at Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday, implying that it would behoove the prime minister as the country’s top elected public official to step down from office should police decide to push for a criminal indictment against him. Speaking at a conference at the Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv several short days before police officials are expected to make public their decision regarding the validity of the investigation against Olmert in the Bank Leumi case , Mazuz said that in numerous countries around the world, public figures who become the subject of a police investigation often resign while the inquiry is still in its first stages. more..
TA University junior academic staff launches strike
Moran Zelikovich, YNetNews 11/22/2007
Junior lecturers decide to halt studies in a different university department each day, starting Sunday; plan to launch general strike after end of senior staff’s strike - - The junior academic staff at Tel Aviv University decided Thursday to launch a strike of its own in a bid to improve their conditions and the conditions of outside lecturers. According to the junior staff, the lecturers are earning a meager living and are not entitled to basic benefits as they are employed on temporary contracts which are renewed on an annual basis. In a two-hour meeting Thursday, the junior staff decided to halt studies in a different university department each day, starting next week. The Tel Aviv University strike is expected to be expanded to all other universities across the country. The junior academic staff is refraining at the moment from declaring a general strike, in a bid to differentiate... more..
Report: IAF strike in Syria also targeted radar station
News agencies, YNetNews 11/22/2007
Aviation Week reports Israel’s September strike on Syria targeted radar station near Syrian-Turkish border. US supplied strategic information but was not actively involved, says magazine - - The United States provided Israel with strategic information about the Syrian air defense systems prior to the Israeli Air Force strike on a suspected nuclear site in Syria, the US based Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine reported Thursday. According to aerospace industry officials quoted in the report, the US was monitoring the electronic emissions coming from Syria during the IAF strike. The strike, said Aviation Week, targeted not only the suspected nuclear reactor being developed at Dayr az-Zawr, but also a Syrian radar station located at Tall al-Abuad, near the Syrian-Turkish border. The Israeli fighter jets, reported the magazine, flew over Syria without alerting Syrian air defenses. more..
Teachers following Olmert to Annapolis
Moran Zelikovich, YNetNews 11/22/2007
Israeli teachers to hold rally outside Mideast peace conference. ’Prime minister trying to escape to far away places in order to avoid the moral and educational problems at home,’ they say - - A delegation of Israeli teachers is expected to leave for Annapolis, Maryland Thursday night, where they plan to hold a rally "to remind Ehud Olmert of the troubles at home". Referring to the strike launched more than a months ago by the Middle and High School Teachers’ Association, Ronny Phiro, a teacher from Ort Jerusalem, said "we realize that the prime minister is trying to escape to far away places in order to avoid the moral and educational problems that are occurring right under his nose, so we decided not to let him run. "It’s not that the security issue is not important, but there are others that are just as urgent or even more," he said, adding that the rally will be held opposite the United... more..
Greenpeace strippers disrupt Peres
Yael Ivri-Darel, YNetNews 11/22/2007
Protestors led away from conference on nuclear Middle East at Tel Aviv University - - Greenpeace activists who arrived Thursday morning at a conference on the nuclear issue at Tel Aviv University stripped in protest a few moments before the start of a speech by President Shimon Peres. The protestors carried leaflets bearing the messages "strip the Middle East of nuclear programs" and "a new Middle East = clean from nuclear programs." They were briskly removed from the hall by security guards. ’Strip the Middle East of nuclear program’ - one of the protestors (Photo: Dudi Bar Sela) After finally beginning his address, Peres addressed the unusual protest, saying: "The air conditioning here has to be turned down, I was concerned for their health." On a more serious note, the president added that "it would be more correct to hold the protests in Tehran, not in Israel. more..
Cell with PM’s Office phone number left in MK’s stolen car
Amnon Meranda, YNetNews 11/22/2007
Thief phones Effie Eitam from Ramallah, demands NIS 12,000 to return vehicle - - Effie Eitam’s car was stolen by a Palestinian early Thursday outside the Knesset member’s rented apartment in Jerusalem’s French Hill neighborhood. The Mazda 5-type vehicle, which was leased by the Knesset, contained Eitam’s cell phone, which contains the phone numbers of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office, as well as that of several ministers and MKs. Eitam, who found shards of glass where the car was parked, said the thief phoned him to negotiate. "At first he (the thief) called my family, then my assistant and finally me," the National Union-NRP member told Ynet. "He said to me: ’I stole your car. I’m in Ramallah. If you want it back, I’m willing to hand it over for NIS 12,000 (about $3,000)’." "You frequently hear of such cases, but when it happens to you it’s kind of a shock," Eitam continued. "Y more..
Report: Syria to snub peace parley barring ’political surprise’
Roee Nahmias, YNetNews 11/22/2007
Officials in Damascus tell Al-Hayat Syria won’t participate in Annapolis conference because Golan Heights dispute not on agenda, but will wait with official announcement until after Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting; different wording to invitation may reverse decision, they add - - Syria does not plan on participating in next week’s peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland barring any "political surprises", an official in Damascus told the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Al-Hayat Thursday. According to the report, Syria’s decision stems from the fact that the issue of the disputed Golan Heights is not expected to be raised directly during the parley, which is expected to begin next Tuesday. Syria received an invitation to attend the US-brokered conference last Tuesday along with more than 40 other countries and organizations. more..
On Zionism and anti-Semites .
Tony Greenstein, Middle East Online 10/11/2007
Last summer in Britain, a series of different union conferences – the National Union of Journalists, the University College Union, the public service UNISON and Transport & General Workers Union - passed motions concerning a boycott of the Israeli state and its institutions. This sent the Zionist movement into frenzy. Starving the people of Gaza into submission is one thing, but interfering with the ‘academic freedom’ of Israeli academics is quite another. Some Israeli universities are complicit to the highest degree in the oppression of the Palestinians: Dan Halutz, Chief of Israel’s Defence Staff and war criminal praised Haifa University, in its February 2006 newsletter, for tailoring its courses to meet the needs of the security services (http://research. haifa. ac. il/~eden/newsletter. pdf) and in its March 2007 newsletter Haifa boasted that the heads of all 4 security agencies were Haifa graduates (http://media. more..
Jordan king names new prime minister
Middle East Online 10/11/2007
AMMAN - Jordan’s King Abdullah II named a new technocrat prime minister on Thursday after the current cabinet resigned following this week’s parliamentary election, a senior official said. The king officially designated Nader Dahabi to form a new cabinet after prime minister Marouf Bakhit, who had headed the government since November 2005, submitted his resignation, the official said. "The new government will be announced Sunday and its members will be sworn in before the king," the official added. The development took place after the king returned from a three-way summit with President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh ahead of a US meeting on Middle East peace next week. Dahabi, 61, currently head of a special economic zone in the Red Sea port of Aqaba, served as transport minister from 2001 to 2003. more..
Oman to attend US peace meet
Middle East Online 10/11/2007
MUSCAT - Oman on Thursday became the first of the pro-Western Arab states in the Gulf to announce it will take part in a US-sponsored Middle East peace meeting next week. "The United States is a friend of ours. We know they are making serious efforts," said Omani Foreign Minister Yussef bin Alawi bin Abdullah, quoted by the official ONA news agency. "There is no reason not to accept the invitation." The meeting in the US town of Annapolis on Tuesday is an attempt to kickstart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process which has stalled since 2000. Print [end]
US woos Arab states to join peace conference
Middle East Online 10/11/2007
The United States is widening the scope of the US-sponsored Mideast peace conference next week in Annapolis, hoping to entice skeptical Arab states like Saudi Arabia and Syria to join the summit. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that Washington wanted "as broad an Arab participation as possible," as Washington softened its stance on the summit’s talking points. The US administration had initially wanted to limit Tuesday’s peace summit agenda to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but has decided to broaden the discussions to satisfy several Arab countries, particularly Saudi Arabia. "There is very clear understanding among everybody that this is a meeting about the Palestinians and the Israelis. But nobody denies that you will eventually have to resolve the Syria-Israeli track, the Lebanon-Israeli track, and ultimately that there has to be normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab world," Rice said. more..
Al-Aqsa Brigades leader refuses to meet Dayton to discuss Palestinian ’wanted’ list
Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2007
Nablus – Ma’an Exclusive – A prominent leader from the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, told Ma’an’s reporter on Thursday that he refused to meet with the US Security Advisor General Keith Dayton to discuss the issue of Palestinians in Nablus, who are ’wanted’ by Israel. Mahdi Abu Ghazala, who is himself on Israel’s ’wanted’ list, said he refused to meet Dayton out of respect to the Palestinian Authority as he considers it their responsibility to negotiate the matter with the Israelis. Dayton paid a surprise visit to Nablus earlier in November to monitor the implementation of a security plan that included a deployment of 300 Palestinian Authority security service members to the volatile city. The Palestinian Authority recently announced that the plan was progressing successfully and they said that Palestinian police will take control of security operations in other West Bank districts. more..
3 brigades members injured in clashes with Israeli forces
Ma’an News Agency 11/22/2007
Gaza – Ma’an - Three combatants, thought to be members of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades, were injured in clashes with an Israeli undercover force near the Abasan district of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, Palestinian sources said. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades and the National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine said they also took part in the clashes. They said they succeeded in forcing the Israeli forces to withdraw. Furthermore, Israeli forces announced that they shot and injured a Palestinian citizen near the eastern borders of the Gaza Strip. The injured citizen is still in the custody of Israeli forces. In a separate incident, the National Resistance Brigades claimed their fighters clashed with another undercover Israeli force who were trying to infiltrate the Al-Farahin neighborhood in east Khan Younis. more..
MIDEAST: Likudnik Hawks Work to Undermine Annapolis
Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service 11/21/2007
WASHINGTON, Nov 21(IPS) - Despite near-universal scepticism about the prospects for launching a serious, new Middle East peace process at next week’s Israeli-Palestinian summit in Annapolis, a familiar clutch of neo-conservative hawks close to the Likud Party leader, former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, isn’t taking any chances. Hard-liners associated with the American Enterprise Institute and Freedom’s Watch, a bountifully funded campaign led by prominent backers of the Republican Jewish Coalition, among other like-minded groups, are mounting a concerted attack against next week’s meeting which they fear could result in pressure on Israel to make territorial concessions. The attack, which comes amid steadily growing neo-conservative fears that the administration of President George W. Bush is becoming increasingly "realist" in its last year in office, is being directed primarily against Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, rather than the president himself. more..
Al Barghuthi: Israel succeeds in imposing facts through Annapolis
Rasheed Hilal - 1 of International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 11/22/2007
In a press conference held in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, Dr Mustafa al Barghuthi, secretary general of the Palestinian national initiative, pre emptively stated Israel as responsible for the failure of the Annapolis peace conference. He accused Ehud Olmert and the Israeli government of misleading of the world and western public opinion in a bid to gain time to pass its plans on the ground [end]
Al Zahar of Hamas: Arab-Islamic division shadows Annapolis summit
Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/22/2007
The Gaza-based senior Hamas leader, Mahmoud Al Zahar, stated on Thursday that the ongoing’Arabic-Islamic division’, will likely shadow the upcoming Annapolis peace summit. Al Zahar’s remarks came during an interview with the London-based Al Quds Al Arabi Arabic newspaper. The Hamas leader confirmed that there are some Arab countries that continue to support his group’s rule in Gaza, saying that current Arab and Islamic circumstances are unhelpful. az-Zahar considered what he termed ’ Arab-Islamic divided positions’, will leave an impact on the Washington-sponsored conference, expected next Wednesday. The Hamas senior wondered as to whether the Arab participation in the conference is voluntary or to pressure the Palestinian side, attacking the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah as a ’batch of liars’. The Palestinian leadership in the West Bank, which was formed right after the Hamas takeover of Gaza in June,... more..
Israeli sources: Egyptian police found explosive materials near Gaza-Egypt border
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/22/2007
Israeli sources reported that Egyptian police found explosive materials near a school in the town of Al Arish on the Gaza-Egypt borders on Thursday. According to the sources, the Egyptian police found a ton of explosives in an underground cave while searching for smuggling tunnels used by the Palestinian resistance to get weapons and food supplies into the coastal region. This latest discovery was made public less than two days after the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told the Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert that Egypt is doing its best to stop the resistance from smuggling weapons into Gaza via Egypt using underground tunnels. The American and Israeli administrations have put severe pressure on the Egyptian regime to stop the weapon smuggling on the Egypt-Gaza border. The Israeli army that is surrounding the Gaza strip has imposed a total siege on Gaza shortly after Hamas took power in the 2006 Palestinian elections. more..
Israeli legislator claims Israel lied about removing roadblocks
Ameen Abu Wardeh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/22/2007
More than half of the roadblocks that the Israeli government claims to have removed have not actually been removed, said Dov Khenin, a member of the Democratic Front for peace and equality in the Israeli Knesset. Khenin said that the Israeli group MachsomWatch (Checkpoint Watch) revealed through their incestigations of West Bank checkpoints and roadblocks that the Israeli Defense Minister lied when he presented a list of 33 roadblocks that he said have already been removed. Over 700 checkpoints and roadblocks cover the West Bank, making movement for the Palestinian population virtually impossible. The report of MachsomWatch indicated that Barak pledged to Rice to depose 33 roadblocks and dirt obstacles which were constructed on the entrances of the Palestinian towns. In the wake of this pledge, Israeli soldiers issued the names of 33 roadblocks that they claimed to have already removed completely. more..
Can Annapolis be anything but another disappointment?
The Daily Star, Daily Star 11/22/2007
Editorial Hope can be a powerful force, but it will take more than that to prove wrong the widespread expectation that next week’s peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, is destined to fail. All of the principal actors are political weaklings at home, and the very purposes of the gathering have been the subject of heated debate. Lawyerly dredging of the pond for new stumbling blocks, long the hallmark of Israeli diplomacy, has been under way for weeks, the latest shtick being a demand that the Palestinian side explicitly acknowledge Israel’s right to be an apartheid state. Looming over the entire process, too, is the ripening confrontation between the United States and Iran. Under these and several other limiting circumstances, it is difficult (if not impossible) to see how this effort to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can succeed where others - with better organization, stronger leadership, and more committed mediators - have failed. more..
Analysis: The possibilities of Annapolis
Jeremy Bowen, BBC Online 11/22/2007
BBC Middle East editor The other day in Washington a colleague of mine asked the White House press secretary what journalists should call the Middle Eastern event that is about to happen in Annapolis. The press secretary did not offer any advice. An aide suggested "get together". Getting together: Can the two leaders talk peace after Annapolis? Maybe the aide was being mischievous. But words like summit or peace conference are being discouraged. Expectations for the meeting in Annapolis are being minimised. If you want to be right about the Middle East, it usually pays to be pessimistic. An awful lot can go wrong with any attempt to bring Israelis and Palestinians together, and often does. The last time the United States convened a full blown Middle East summit, at Camp David in 2000, it collapsed. The vacuum left behind was filled a few months later by violence that continues today... more..
US storm over book on Israel lobby
Henri Astier, BBC Online 11/22/2007
BBC News The Bush administration - like its predecessors - has stood by Israel The power of America’s "Jewish lobby" is said to be legendary. Commentators the world over refer to it, as though it were a well-established fact that US Jews wield far more influence than their numbers (2% of the population) would suggest. But this presumed influence is also a delicate issue in the US, and is rarely analysed. How does the lobby work? Is its power truly legendary, or just a legend? Two US academics, John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen Walt of Harvard, have set out to answer those questions, and triggered a firestorm of controversy as a result. Their book The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy, which builds on a 2006 article in the London Review of Books, says the reasons for US support for Israel need to be explained. more..
Hamas dismisses Annapolis talks
Al Jazeera 11/21/2007
Amid a flurry of diplomatic activity in the run-up to the US-hosted Middle East talks next week, Palestinian group Hamas has dismissed the conference as a failure. Hamas, which has not been invited to the Annapolis talks, said Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, had no right to negotiate on behalf of all Palestinians. And Mahmoud al-Zahar, the former Palestinian foreign minister from Hamas, told Al Jazeera that nothing positive would come from the talks. He questioned the sincerity of the US, saying that after leaving aside the Middle East conflict for seven years, the Bush administration was now trying to "make an impression that something can be squeezed by such a meeting... in the last moment". In video Jerusalem residents on the conference Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas MP, said the Palestinian delegation to Annapolis "are not taking the national consensus into account, are acting without a people’s mandate and do not have any legitimacy". more..
British official accuses Israel of obstructing Palestinian Police
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/20/2007
As the Palestinian Authority under Mahmoud Abbas attempts to implement its part of signed agreements with Israel, a British official in the region has accused Israel of thwarting those efforts. Colin Smith isa retired British police commander who is charged with assisting the Palestinian Authority in the implementation of their policing and security obligations. He says that the nightly raids by Israeli forces into Nablus and other areas where the Palestinian police have deployed are undermining the work of the Palestinian security forces. Smith added that the escalation of Israeli attacks in the area has made it impossible for the Palestinians to implement their side of the agreement. Israeli officials say that they will ’not stand idly by if there is an intelligence warning of a terrorist attack’, but will invade whenever necessary. more..
Palestinians to get armoured cars
BBC Online 11/21/2007
Israel has approved the transfer of 25 armoured vehicles to Palestinian security forces in the West Bank. The move has long been opposed by Israeli security forces but officials described it as a goodwill gesture. The Russian-made vehicles are to be deployed in Nablus. Israel also allowed provision of 1,000 guns and 2m bullets. The moves are meant to bolster Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who will attend peace talks next week in the US city of Annapolis. Israeli officials said another 25 armoured vehicles could be sent if Mr Abbas’s forces make progress in curbing militants. The militant wing of Hamas, which wrested the Gaza Strip from Mr Abbas in June, called the shipment a "Zionist gift" and accused Palestinian security services in the West Bank of collaborating with Israel. Delivery of the vehicles was first approved in 2005, said an Israeli government spokeswomen, but... more..
PA government weak, but seeks peace, says Olmert
Attila Somfalvi, YNetNews 11/21/2007
Prime minister meets Kadima’s Young Guard, says current Palestinian leadership unable to control terror, enforce its authority, but it is first government to state it’s interested in peace with Israel - - "We are dealing with a Palestinians leadership that is, in many ways, weak. It doesn’t presently posses the power and the authority to enforce its rule on Judea and Samaria, and certainly not on Gaza," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in a meeting with Kadima’s Young Guard Wednesday night. However, he added, "for the first time there is a Palestinian government that publicly declares: ’We don’t want to fight Israel, we are against terror, we support Israel. ’" Olmert said that Israel has already made some accomplishments in its negotiations with the Palestinians, most notably an unequivocal understanding that any future agreement would depend on a Palestinian crackdown on terror. "It’s more..
Defense establishment supports Annapolis summit
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 11/21/2007
In briefing to cabinet Wednesday, IDF, Shin Bet representatives say Israel should exercise caution in peace negotiations, warn US conference’s failure might lead to collapse of moderate rule in PA - - Senior defense officials expressed their support for the Annapolis peace conference during Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, but stressed that Israel would have to make sure that the Palestinians keep their end of the bargain after the summit. During the discussion, IDF and Shin Bet representatives presented to the ministers their predictions for the day after Annapolis, and warned of the possible scenarios that may unravel if the summit fails to jump-start diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians. "Israel should attend the Annapolis conference, but exercise responsibility and caution when discussing the concessions to the Palestinians," one official explained. more..
Maj. Gen. Stern: Haredim should serve
Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 11/21/2007
IDF Human Resources Directorate head Elazar Stern addresses wide-spread phenomenon of draft-dodging among ultra-Orthodox, religious Zionist youth - - "Even if a person has been granted a legal exemption from serving, it does not mean that he is not dodging the draft, only that the law does not compel him to serve in the IDF," head of the IDF Human Resources Directorate Major General Eleazar Stern, said Wednesday at a conference at Bar-Ilan University. According to Stern, anyone who intentionally lowers his physical or mental profile or falsely claims to study in a yeshiva belongs in the IDF. At the conference, the senior officer stated that there are many who purport to be fulltime yeshiva students but who do not actually studyTorah. At the moment, among the population eligible for the draft, about 11% receive exemptions by declaring fulltime torah-study as their profession. more..
Police to release decision on Bank Leumi affair Sunday
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 11/21/2007
As Prime Minister Olmert lands in Washington ahead of Annapolis conference, police to announce recommendations regarding his involvement in sale of bank’s controlling interest - - The police are expected to release their decision on the Bank Leumi affair on Sunday, Ynet learned Wednesday. As Prime Minister Ehud Olmert lands in Washington at the beginning of the week ahead of the Annapolis peace conference, the head of the police’s investigation department will announce the police’s recommendations regarding the prime minister’s involvement in the sale of Bank Leumi’s controlling interest. According to suspicions, while Olmert served as acting finance minister, he allegedly illegally held a direct and indirect relationship involving bribery with two of his friends, Daniel Abrams and Frank Louie. The prime minister was questioned twice by police investigators over this affair. Accor more..
"Pray for the train to be on time"¦
Kobi Nahshoni, YNetNews 11/21/2007
Late for work or school because of long Morning Prayer? Do you get stuck in traffic because you were held up at shul? Israel Railways presents ’Synagogue Coach’. Project’s initiators at Union of Synagogues wait for green-light from transportation minister, generous donor to provide Torah Scrolls - - "Attention passengers, the next stop - Beit Yehoshua. The next Minyan is at 6:27. Please make sure not to leave baggage unattended." If such an announcement sounds fictitious, you probably haven’t taken the early morning train in Israel lately. Makeshift Minyans are being held in the crowded wagons every morning. Now the Union of Synagogues want to institutionalize the custom. The Union approached Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, asking that the first wagon of every train be designated as a synagogue. Simultaneously, the Union’s members are searching for a donor who’ll sponsor the Torah Scrolls and Holy Arks needed. The more..
Settler leader: People have lost faith in Zionist vision
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 11/21/2007
Outgoing Binyamin Regional Council head Pinchas Wallerstein says, ’Had we started the struggle a week earlier, we would have won. ’ On eve of Annapolis conference, he believes ’the people are also allowed to make foolish decisions’, but warns of national trauma - - The people of Israel are allowed to make foolish decisions, says outgoing Binyamin Regional Council head Pinchas Wallerstein on the eve of the Annapolis peace conference. One of the prominent members of the Yesha Council over the past 30 years, Wallerstein believes that the council today "is more than relevant," but adds that nothing is guaranteed. "The council must know that that if the people of Israel are not with us, we will lose the battle, regardless of which stage we are talking about. Eventually the people of Israel will decided, and they are allowed to make foolish decisions as well. more..
’Olmert lubricating wheels of terror with his bare hands’
Amnon Meranda, YNetNews 11/21/2007
Prime minister slammed over agreement to supply armored vehicles, ammunition to Palestinian security organizations despite defense establishment’s objection. ’Olmert is making dangerous gestures on a daily basis for the Annapolis photo-ops,’ Likud MK says - - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is lubricating the wheels of terror with his bear hands and selling the Israeli citizens’ security for nothing, Knesset Member Zevulun Orlev, chairman of the National Religious Party, said Wednesday. Orlev made the remarks in response to the prime minister’s decision to supply the Palestinians with 25 armored vehicles from Russia and 2 million bullets from Jordan, despite the defense establishment’s objection to the move. "The armored vehicles and the ammunition will be directed at the citizens of Israel. The fact that the prime minister is showing contempt for the warnings of the defense establishment... more..
Olmert approves supply of 25 armored vehicles to PA
Hanan Greenberg, YNetNews 11/21/2007
Despite IDF, Shin Bet’s warning that equipment could reach terror organizations, prime minister agrees to hand over to Palestinians armored vehicles from Russia, 2 million bullets as goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Abbas ahead of Annapolis summit - - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has approved the supply of 25 armored vehicles to the Palestinian security organizations in the West Bank, as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of the Annapolis peace conference. The move was approved despite the defense establishment’s strong objection. The Palestinians will also receive from Israel 2 million bullets supplied by Jordan. "We are asking the Palestinians to fight terror. How are they supposed to do that, with stolen Israeli cars?" a senior official at the Prime Minister’s Office said in response to the criticism over the planned move, which was approved a week ago. more..
Feature: Victims on both sides sceptical of Mideast peace push
Reuters Foundation, ReliefWeb 11/21/2007
By Rebecca Harrison and Haitham Tamimi JERUSALEM/HEBRON, West Bank, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Israeli Yfat Alon and Palestinian Radi Abu Eisha both view themselves as victims of hatred. And both scoff at talk of peace. Alon’s mother and niece were killed by a Palestinian suicide bomber. Abu Eisha watched his sick brother die when an ambulance was blocked by Israeli soldiers running just the sort of security controls Alon says are vital to prevent more attackers reaching Israel. As their leaders prepare for a conference next week that is meant to help end 60 years of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Alon and Abu Eisha are still coming to terms with their losses, and neither harbours much hope for a more tranquil future. Mutual security will be key issue in any peace deal. One evening in June 2002, Alon’s mother Noa, sister and 5-year-old niece Gal stopped in Jerusalem to change buses. more..
Secretary-General to attend Middle East peace conference next week
United Nations News Service, ReliefWeb 11/21/2007
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced plans to attend next week’s Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, United States, voicing hope that the talks will provide the impetus for final status negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians. But in a briefing to an informal meeting of the General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Ban said he remained concerned by the prevailing humanitarian situation inside the Gaza Strip, where the economy has deteriorated since many border crossings into Israel were closed earlier this year in response to intra-Palestinian fighting. The Secretary-General also plans to participate in a meeting in Washington on Monday of the Middle East Quartet, the diplomatic grouping that comprises the UN as well as the European Union, Russia and the US, his spokesperson Michele Montas said. Mr. more..
Bush to host key Mideast peace conference Nov 27
Middle East Online 10/11/2007
WASHINGTON- US President George W. Bush will host a key conference on November 27 aiming to revive the Middle East peace process and pave the way towards a separate Palestinian state, US officials said. Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will open the conference involving more than 40 countries from around the world Tuesday next week in Annapolis, Maryland, State Department officials said. "We feel this is a really important moment," said US Middle East envoy David Welch. "There is a common understanding that this is the moment in which they can change the picture and get serious negotiations started." The peace process has been frozen for seven years since former US president Bill Clinton tried to broker a final settlement near the end of his presidency in 2000. Years of violence followed the collapse of the Clinton-led negotiations, but Welch said there was now "critical mass" to revive the peace process. more..
Barak approves export of flowers and strawberries from Gaza Strip
Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2007
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak has approved exports of strawberries and flowers from the Gaza Strip to the Gulf States and Europe, Israeli radio reported on Wednesday Exports from the Gaza Strip have stopped since the Israeli cabinet declared the Gaza Strip "an enemy entity" a month ago. [end]
Egypt to coordinate stance with PA, Jordan, Blair in advance of Annapolis summit
Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2007
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is planning to call a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Quartet Envoy Tony Blair to coordinate a united Arab stance ahead of the peace conference in the US city of Annapolis next week, Israeli sources reported. The "Annapolis meeting," as Israeli and US officials are calling it, is scheduled to begin on November 27th. The limited Arab meeting apparently not include other prominent Arab states such as Syria or Saudi Arabia. The United States sent invitations to 49 states, individuals, and international organizations on Tuesday night. The schedule for the conference is still to be determined. more..
Palestinian foreign minister meets with Canadian representative
Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2007
Ramallah- Ma’an – Riyad Al-Maliki, the Palestinian Minister of Information and Foreign Affairs, met on Tuesday evening with the Canadian Representative to the Palestinian Authority (PA), David Vivach. Al-Maliki updated Vivach on the latest developments in the Palestinian arena and the last meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. He also explained to his guest about the efforts exerted by the PA to improve living conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Al-Maliki and Vivach also discussed the preparations ahead of Annapolis conference. Vivach told Al-Maliki that the Canadian government is "impressed" by the accomplishments of the Fatah-led government in the West Bank and supports all its efforts to improve the lives of the Palestinian people. more..
Cabinet ministers call for increased penalties for perpetrators of violence against women
Ma’an News Agency 11/21/2007
Ramallah – Ma’an – Palestinian Tourism Minister Khouloud Daibes and Justice Minister Ali Al-Khashan announced a new plan on Tuesday combat the phenomenon of killing women for reasons of so-called "family honor." Daibes and Al-Khashan have proposed a presidential decree modify articles of the Palestinian Basic Law that are unjust towards women. Specifically, they will ask to increase sentences for men who kill their female relatives for reasons of so-called "honor." The ministers made the announcement during a meeting of the Palestinian Working Women Society for Development (PWWSD) in Ramallah. More than a hundred women attended the meeting. PWWSD is organizing a campaign marking the United Nations-sponsored International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25th. Some attribute an apparent increase in attacks against women to ongoing security chaos and difficulty asserting the rule of law in stateless Palestine. more..
POLITICS-US: The Nuclear Cowboys
Analysis by Khody Akhavi, Inter Press Service 11/21/2007
WASHINGTON, Nov 21(IPS) - What do the current Pakistani political crisis, Israel’s September air strike against Syria, and Iran’s continued pursuit of nuclear enrichment all have in common? All three events reflect the aggressive policies adopted by the George W. Bush administration to deal with the growing threat of nuclear proliferation. As U.S. soft power in the region diminishes and its disdain grows for the transnational bodies meant to monitor the nuclear threat, the stakes could not be higher. The nuclear peril, a 70-year-old problem of mutual concern for most of the world, has been couched as an integral target for the architects of the "war on terror". The Bush administration carefully outlined the threat -- found at the "the crossroads of radicalism and technology" -- in the 2002 National Security Strategy for the United States, a document that many Washington-Beltway insiders referred to as the "Bush Doctrine". more..
Jerusalem’s Israeli mayor announces plan for annexation of East Jerusalem
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 11/22/2007
The Israeli mayor of Jerusalem (the city has two mayors: one Israeli, one Palestinian) Uri Lupolianski announced Wednesday that his municipal government would engage in a ’development plan’ for East Jerusalem, a plan which Palestinian residents of Jerusalem claim is actually annexation of Palestinian land for Israel. Lupolianski presented the plan at a City Hall news conference Wednesday, stating that it is a ’way to keep Jerusalem united’. His statement conveniently left out the fact that Jerusalem is, in fact, a city under Israeli military occupation since 1967. "Today, unfortunately, people are busy talking about Jerusalem," Lupolianski said. "Through our actions, we will unify and strengthen Jerusalem." His plan will involve developing a commercial center, creating new parks, and building more hotels, homes and businesses in east Jerusalem -- the last part of the city from which the Palestinian population has not yet been expelled. more..
Washington sends out invitations to the Annapolis summit
Rami Almeghari - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 11/21/2007
Washington sent out on Wednesday invitations to 45 countries and international organizations for attending its due Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, United States, in November27. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, received the invitations, as Egypt said it would dispatch its foreign minister, Ahmad Abu Elgheit. Syria, a party of the Israeli-Arab conflict, voiced willingness to take part in the summit meeting unless participants tackle the Syrian Golan Hieghts, Israel has been occupying since 1967. U. S President Gorge. W. Bush, has advised the monarch of Saudi Arabia, to participate, in a time Saudi Arabia has never met face to face with Israel. The Hamas-dominated government in Gaza has not been invited to the conference, while Israel has been besieging Gaza since June, when Hamas took over the coastal region. more..
A number of Gaza-based resistance factions carry out attacks on Israeli targets
Rami Almeghari - IMEMC&Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/21/2007
In a series of Palestinian resistance attacks on Israeli targets, a number of resistance factions claimed today their responsibilities for targeting Israeli areas and soldiers. The aL-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party, said in a statement, faxed to press, that their fighters fired two homemade shells onto the nearby Israeli towns of Sderot and Kfar Azza The aL-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamist governing Hamas party in Gaza, declared shelling a number of Israeli army jeeps near the Nahel Auz and Qarmeesh checkpoints, to the east of Gaza City. In the meantime, the National Resistance Brigades, the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, announced that their men, jointly with the Ayman Jouda group’s men, an offshoot of the aL-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, shelled the Kissufim checkpoint in southern Gaza Strip. more..
Israel steps up a state of alert ahead of Annapolis summit
Rami Almeghari - IMEMC&Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/21/2007
Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, revealed that the Israeli army has recently increased the state of alert, ahead of the Washington-sponsored peace summit, slated for late November in Annapolis, Maryland, United States. Barak also declared halt of the Israeli army actions against the West Bank city of Nablus, which has been attacked frequently over the past several weeks. Barak added that any such an attack, if occurs, should not influence the Annapolis peace conference. In a related news, Ghabi Ashkenazi, the Israeli army staff of chief, told a Keneset (Israeli parliament) committee for security and external affairs, that the Monday Palestinian attack near Qalqilia, was carried out by what he called ’Fatah dissidents’, in reference to some Fatah party members, who Askenazi says disobey orders by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. more..
Israeli Prime Minister says no peace with Hamas in control of Gaza
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agency, International Middle East Media Center 11/21/2007
The Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Tuesday that Israel would not have peace with the Palestinian Authority as long as the democratically-elected Hamas government holds power in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government, along with the U.S. government, supports the other, unelected government of the Palestinians, led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. That unelected government is currently in power in the second of the two Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, the West Bank. Olmert made the declaration after meeting with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday, in preparation for a peace summit with Mahmoud Abbas next week. Mubarak verified that Egypt would not support a separation between the two Palestinian territories." Hamas and Fatah have some problems," Mubarak said. "We can’t say how there can be a Palestinian state with a separate Gaza. more..
Jon Wilks, British Government Spokesman visits IMEMC
IMEMC Staff, International Middle East Media Center 11/21/2007
The regional Arabic Spokesman for the British Government, Mr. Jon Wilks visited the headquarters of the International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC) and met with its staff members and volunteers in Beit Sahour, Palestine on Tuesday at noon. Mr. Wilks was briefed about the history of, The Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement between People (PCR), the mother organization of IMEMC, and about the projects IMEMC and PCR are currently planning to hold. George N. Rishmawi, the director of PCR and the General Manager of IMEMC spoke to the guest about the important role of independent media, especially in covering conflict areas. The Guest, the highest official, who visits IMEMC, spoke about the International plan to support the Palestinian economy after the upcoming Annapolis conference in late November. IMEMC staff member Ghassan Bannoura briefed Mr. more..
Palestine Today 112007
IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 11/20/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file File 2. 75 MB || Time 3m 0s|| Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Tuesday, November 20th, 2007. The Israeli army kills three Palestinians in Gaza and injures three boys in the northern part of the West Bank, these stories and more coming up stay tuned. The Gaza strip Three Palestinians were killed in two separate Israeli attacks in several parts of the Gaza strip on Tuesday. Palestinian medical sources in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis announced that one Palestinian civilian was killed and another three injured, one seriously after Israeli forces opened fire randomly on civilian homes in Al-Khaza’a town, east of Khan Younis on Tuesday morning. Eyewitnesses reported that armed clashes broke out between Al Qassam resistance and an Israeli special force who invaded the town overnight on Monday. more..
The road that divides two peoples
BEN LYNFIELD IN ANATA, WEST BANK - scotsman.com, International Middle East Media Center 11/20/2007
IN THE valley beneath an impoverished town in the Judean desert hills near Jerusalem lies the latest innovation in Israel’s 40-year occupation of the West Bank: a motorway with a 16ft-high wall in the middle to separate Israeli and Palestinian traffic. The road, built on land expropriated by Israel from Anata residents, is nearing completion at a sensitive time in Middle East diplomacy, with Israeli and Palestinian leaders readying for a US-brokered peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, later this month. It is situated on a crucial piece of land, adjoining an area known as E1 in which Israel hopes to build a huge expansion to the sprawling Maale Adumim settlement. Doing so will cut the West Bank in half and deprive the Palestinians of territorial contiguity for their future state. "I don’t see anything positive coming from Annapolis, I see settlements expanding at the expense of the non-expansion... more..
Rice sets Mid-East peace target
BBC Online 11/21/2007
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said the United States will try to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians over the next year. Ms Rice said both sides had agreed to work towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state before US President George W Bush leaves office. She also said Washington hoped such negotiations would be launched at next week’s peace conference in Annapolis. Invitations have been issued to Israel, the Palestinians and key Arab states. President Bush will have separate talks with both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders at the White House before the conference begins on Tuesday. ’Launch of negotiations’ Speaking to reporters in Washington ahead of the peace conference, Ms Rice said the US would attempt to broker a permanent settlement between Israel and the Palestinians before Mr Bush leaves office. more..
Q&A: Annapolis meeting
BBC Online 11/21/2007
The main talks will be held the US Naval Academy in Annapolis For the BBC News website, Tarik Kafalalooks at the key questions surrounding the meeting on the Middle East conflict at Annapolis in the United States. What are the aims of the meeting? According to its American hosts, the meeting aims to build international support for a Palestinian state. This has been widely criticised as unambitious, since all sides agree on this, in principle. Bush administration officials say they hope the gathering at the US Naval Academy on the 27 November will be the beginning of intensive negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis. Negotiators from both sides have been meeting for months to prepare for the conference. Palestinians had hoped to come up with a joint declaration of principles with the Israelis on the key issues. Th more..
Norway to give US $31 million in aid to PA
Ma’an News Agency 11/19/2007
Ramallah – Ma’an – Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad signed an agreement with the Norwegian inister of international development on Sunday in his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah. According to the agreement, the Norwegian government will pay US $31 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority. [end]
Israeli killed in West Bank terror attack
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 11/19/2007
Israeli citizen shot at around 11:30 pm near Arab village by the West Bank settlement of Kedumim dies of his wounds short while later. IDF forces scouring area for the terrorists. Barak: Heighten alert level ahead of Annapolis - - A 29-year-old Israeli citizen was murdered Monday in a late night shooting attack near thePalestinian village of Funduk in the area of the Kedumim settlement in the northern West Bank. The terrorists opened fire at the Israeli from a passing car at around 11:30 pm. Magen David Adom paramedics who were called to the site attempted to revive the man, but pronounced him dead a short while later. In an attempt to locate the terrorists, the IDF has begun combing the area. During a Labor party meeting earlier in the day, Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned that as the Annapolis conference approaches, Israel must ready itself for all scenarios, whether the emerging danger is from Hamas or Hizbullah. more..
UN deputy chief: Women will bring peace
Dana Zimmerman, YNetNews 11/19/2007
In exclusive interview, Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, tells Ynet peace will bring better chances for equality between sexes - - The integration of women in leadership roles is not a question of will, but an obligation, according to Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, the Deputy Secretary General of the UN. Migiro, who is responsible for the organization’s policy on sustainable development and the status of women, spoke with Ynet in an exclusive interview on Monday during an official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. According to Migiro, more women leaders are a necessity, as they bring to the table a different leadership style and represent more than half of the world’s population. The position of the deputy secretary general is a relatively new one, and Migiro is only the third person to fill it. Migiro, who visited Israel in 2005 as the foreign minister of Tanzania, was touring Israel for... more..
Chief of staff opposed to release of Fatah militants
Ronny Sofer, YNetNews 11/19/2007
Ashkenazi says release of Fatah members who are expected to return to their Gaza Strip homes ’will not bolster Abbas or Fayyad’. Sources in PM’s office say gesture will show Hamas it can gain concessions only through negotiations - - IDF Chief of Staff Lt. -Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi expressed his opposition on Monday to the inclusion of 16 Fatah members from Gaza on Israel’s list of prisoners who are slated for release as a gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of the Annapolis conference. However, Ashkenazi remained silent during the Cabinet meeting in which the release of 441 Palestinian prisoners, including the Fatah members, was approved. Ministers Avigdor Lieberman and Shaul Mofaz, as well as ministers from the religious Shas party, voted against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s proposal to release the prisoners. Sources in the PM’s Office said the move would not hinder efforts to... more..
Government causing damage, says Netanyahu
Attila Somfalvi, YNetNews 11/19/2007
Opposition leader slams Prime Minister Olmert ahead of US-sponsored peace conference. ’The problem is not whether to go or not to go to Annapolis, but what to do there,’ he says, warning that Israel has failed to meet any of goals set ahead of summit. Likud MK Sa’ar: Drying out settlements is an anti-Zionist act - - We will have to do a lot in order to fix the damage this government is causing, opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday during a Likud faction meeting. Addressing the upcoming US-sponsored Mideast peace conference, Netanyahu noted, "The problem is not whether to go or not to go to Annapolis, but rather what to do there. "We don’t have a partner, we want reciprocity, we want security. None of these conditions is being implemented in Annapolis, but these are the conditions that will guide us, just like they guided (former Prime Minister) Menachem Begin 30 years ago," the Likud chairman added. more..
Olmert, Mubarak to meet in Sharm el-Sheik
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 11/19/2007
Prime minister to meet Egyptian president for last-minute prep session before Annapolis peace conference. Mubarak expected to use his pull on Syria, Saudi Arabia to convince them to attend Washington meet - - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak have scheduled a meeting for Tuesday, Ynet has learned. The two will meet in Sharm el-Sheik as part of some last-minute preparations for the Annapolis peace conference. Olmert and Mubarak are expected to discuss the regional expectations from Annapolis, as well as the following negotiations with the Palestinians and the upcoming Arab League foreign ministers’ meet, scheduled for Friday, in Cairo. The Arab League has scheduled a special session on the nearing peach conference in an attempt to create a unified Arab front for Annapolis. According to the London bases Arab newspaper Al-Hayat, the Arab League’s... more..
Olmert: Real negotiations after Annapolis
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 11/19/2007
In bid to lower expectations ahead of US peace summit, prime minister says at start of weekly cabinet meeting, ’The importance of the international gathering organized by the US president is great, but nonetheless, we must not read too much into it’. Foreign Minister Livni: The day after is the important thing - - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that "the importance of the international gathering organized by the US president is great, but we must not read too much into it. "The meeting will naturally be accompanied by disagreements and arguments, but the real negotiations will be held after Annapolis in order to bring an end to the conflict and to two states for two people." The prime minister spoke at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, just before the government was set to approve the release of Palestinian prisoners and several hours before a meeting between Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. more..
Lieberman and Ahmadinejad’s common denominator
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 11/19/2007
Peace Now plasters dozens of posters showing both minister for strategic affairs, Iranian president as leading opposition to Annapolis peace conference. ’The whole world supports conference but Israeli right, radical Islam,’ says movement - - Peace Now has decided to step up their fight against those objecting to the Annapolis peace conference. Members of the left-wing movement plastered dozens of posters depicting Minister for Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad under a caption reading "Objecting to Annapolis - the anti-peace coalition". The posters were hung in the early hours of Monday morning in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the West Bank settlement of Nokdim, where Lieberman resides. According to Peace Now, the campaign is meant to show that "the whole world is supporting Annapolis, besides the Israeli more..
Behind the headlines: Israeli confidence building measures towards the Palestinians
Government of Israel, ReliefWeb 11/18/2007
Israel believes that the new Palestinian Government provides a renewed opportunity to move forward in the peace process toward the realization of the two-state vision. It is in this spirit that Israel has recently taken practical steps to assist the Palestinian government in creating a better environment for progress Israel believes that the new Palestinian Government - established after the takeover of Gaza by Hamas terrorists in June 2007 - provides a renewed opportunity to move forward in the peace process toward the realization of the two-state vision. It is in this spirit that Israel has recently taken practical steps to assist the Palestinian government, led by President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, in creating a better environment for progress. The following is a brief list of some of the confidence building measure recently taken by Israel towards this end: more..
Second Committee approves text calling on Israel not to exploit, damage or endanger natural resources in occupied Arab lands
United Nations General Assembly, ReliefWeb 11/16/2007
GA/EF/3202 Sixty-second General Assembly Second Committee 28th Meeting (PM) The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved four draft resolutions today, including a text that would have the General Assembly call upon Israel not to exploit, damage, deplete or endanger the natural resources in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the occupied Syrian Golan. By other terms of that text -– approved by a recorded vote of 143 in favour to 7 against (Australia, Canada, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Palau, United States), with 5 abstentions (Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti, Nauru, Tonga) -– the Assembly would call upon Israel to comply strictly with its obligations under international law with respect to altering the character and status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It would call on Israel also to cease dumping waste materials in the occupied Palestinian... more..
Olmert vows to halt new settlements
Agence France-Presse - AFP, ReliefWeb 11/19/2007
JERUSALEM, Nov 19, 2007 (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed on Monday ahead of a US-sponsored peace meet that Israel would freeze construction of new settlements and dismantle unauthorised ones in the occupied West Bank. "We have committed ourselves under the roadmap not to build new settlements in the West Bank and we will not build any," a senior government official quoted Olmert as telling a cabinet meeting. "We have committed not to expropriate land and we will not expropriate any. We have committed ourselves to dismantling illegal outposts and we will remove them." Under the so-called roadmap for Middle East peace, which has made next to no progress since its launching in 2003, Israel undertook to freeze settlement construction and expansion in the occupied West Bank. Despite the commitment, the Jewish state has continued to expand existing settlements and has turned a blind... more..
The Vital Need for National Unity of Fatah and Hamas .
Rami G. Khouri, Middle East Online 10/11/2007
BOSTON - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s call on November 15, for the Hamas “gang” to be ousted from Gaza is understandable, but misguided. Hamas are no angels, and their police’s shooting of seven Palestinian demonstrators from Abbas’ Fatah faction earlier last week during a pro-Fatah rally in Gaza is the sort of act that blackens their name. Yet for Abbas to refer to Hamas as a “gang” and ask for their ouster is only going to worsen the tensions between Palestinians, at a time when precisely the opposite is required. The Fatah-Hamas discord is a distinctly Palestinian problem, but also a reflection of a trend throughout the contemporary Arab world, where single states or societies are increasingly being governed by multiple authorities. These multiple authorities are often proxies for the regional and global powers that face off in the Middle East, especially the United States, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Israel. more..
Palestinians to press Israel on four key issues at Annapolis
Ma’an News Agency 11/19/2007
Ramallah – Ma’an – The West Bank-based Palestinian government announced on Monday that it would request Israel’s formal commitment to four components of the international Road Map peace plan at the peace summit in the United States next week. Speaking at a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday, Palestinian Information Minister Riyad Al-Maliki said the Palestinian cabinet would ask Israel to halt settlement construction including so-called "natural growth,"dismantle West Bank outposts, reopen Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem and lift restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement. He also said that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators had "almost" reached agreement on the "core issues." Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pledged to halt settlement construction on Monday, but it was unclear from his statement whether this would include expansion of existing settlements. more..
Poll: Hamas losing popularity; Palestinians expect Annapolis conference to fail
Ma’an News Agency 11/19/2007
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Among Palestinians who plan to vote in a future legislative election, 50% would vote for Fatah, and only 14. 6% would vote for Hamas, a new poll from An-Najah National University shows. The survey shows that Hamas’ popularity has dropped since it took control of the Gaza Strip in June, deposing Fatah’s security forces. 30. 8% of respondents believe that the Annapolis peace conference will succeed, while 54. 9% believe it will fail. Nonetheless, 61. 3% of respondents support the participation of the Palestinian Authority in the conference. Only 29. 2% oppose it. 61. 6% believe that the security campaign that the Palestinian Authority has begun in the West Bank city of Nablus will succeed; 24. 6% believe it will fail. 57. 6% of respondents expressed fear for their lives under the present circumstances. The poll included 1360 Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and was conducted between November 15th and November 17th. more..
POLITICS: Israel’s Syrian Airstrike Was Aimed at Iran
Analysis by Gareth Porter, Inter Press Service 11/19/2007
WASHINGTON, Nov 19(IPS) - Until late October, the accepted explanation about the Sep. 6 Israeli airstrike in Syria, constructed in a series of press leaks from U.S. officials, was that it was prompted by dramatic satellite intelligence that Syria was building a nuclear facility with help from North Korea. But new satellite evidence has discredited that narrative, suggesting a more plausible explanation for the strike: that it was a calculated effort by Israel and the United States to convince Iran that its nuclear facilities could be attacked as well. The narrative promoted by neoconservatives in the George W. Bush administration began to unravel in late October with the release by a private company of a series of satellite images showing that the same square, multi-storey building that was hit by Israeli planes Sep. 6 had been present on the site four years earlier. Al more..
MIDEAST: Olmert Begins to Rival Abbas in Weakness
Analysis by Peter Hirschberg, Inter Press Service 11/19/2007
JERUSALEM, Nov 19(IPS) - An oft-repeated argument in Israel against signing a peace deal with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is that he is a weak leader who lacks the political clout to implement an agreement. But anyone observing Ehud Olmert over the last few weeks might well be making similar assertions about the Israeli prime minister. This past week he was embarrassed in parliament when an opposition- sponsored bill stipulating that any changes to the boundaries of Jerusalem must be supported by a special majority (80 out of the 120 lawmakers in parliament) passed without any problem. The bill, which was intended to embarrass Olmert ahead of a U.S. -sponsored peace summit aimed at reviving the long-dormant Mideast peace process, passed with the support of lawmakers in his own ruling coalition. Israel and the Palestinians have been struggling to agree on a declaration of principles for the summit, and U.S. more..
Palestinian Authority demands Israel allow reopening of Palestinian institutions
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 11/19/2007
On Monday afternoon, the Palestinian Minister of Information Riad El Malki stated that one of the demands that the Palestinian people would be presenting at the Annapolis summit with Israel next week would be the reopening of Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem. The Interim Agreement ("Oslo 2"), which was signed on September 28, 1995, set limits on the Palestinian Authority’s jurisdiction, stating that the agreement did not include "issues that will be negotiated in the permanent status negotiations: Jerusalem, settlements, specified military locations, Palestinian refugees, borders, foreign relations". Since that time, Palestinians have been forbidden from maintaining any institutions in Israeli-occupied Jerusalem. But the ’road map’ plan developed in 2000 was supposed to allow the reopening of the Palestinian Chamber of Commerce "and other closed Palestinian institutions in east Jerusalem... more..
Blair to announce Palestinian economic development plan
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/19/2007
Tony Blair, the special Envoy for the Quartet group, will announce his plan for the economic development of the Palestinian territories during a three-way meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad later this week, British media sources reported on Monday. The plan comes as part of ongoing efforts to increase the likelihood of success at the Annapolis conference, scheduled for the end of November, and is thought to include proposals for a Jericho trade park, through which Palestinian products can be exported abroad without going through Israeli checkpoints, a new sewage system in the Gaza Strip. It is hoped that the projects will create thousands of job opportunities for unemployed Palestinians, in addition to instilling a sense of the ’on the ground’ situation improving. more..
American Peace activist holds hunger strike
Maisa Abu Ghazaleh - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/19/2007
Allene Rusers, a seventy-one year old American Peace activist, on Monday announced that she intended to go on hunger strike for the next two weeks in protest against infighting amongst the Palestinian people and the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories. Of the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip, Rusers expressed her concern for residents of the region, calling on the Hamas movement to relinquish control in Gaza, and warning that the region was facing an Israeli attack in which only the civilian population would be harmed. Despite calling for Hamas to relinquish control, the woman acknowledged that the movement had won fair, free, and democratic elections and criticized the negative media coverage of the organization. Speaking on the subject of the future status of |Jerusalem, Rusers acknowledge that the city held special significance for all and, as such, should be jointly controlled by Islamic, Christian and Jewish religious figures. more..
Israel and Palestine fail to agree before conference
Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem and Julian Borger in Cairo, The Guardian 11/20/2007
A meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders has failed to produce a joint declaration for a Middle East summit due next week in the United States, after they could not resolve key differences. Although Israel announced the release of 441 Palestinian prisoners, and despite more than two hours of talks in Jerusalem between the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, there appeared to remain serious differences between the two sides ahead of the meeting in Annapolis. Their aides will hold more meetings today. The declaration that diplomats originally expected Israel and the Palestinians to agree on, so that it could be read at Annapolis, has yet to be agreed. Palestinian sources said they rejected earlier drafts, which failed to mention key UN Security Council resolutions that are principles to ending the conflict. Eh more..
Buildings not blocks
Leader, The Guardian 11/20/2007
The pace of diplomatic activity in the Middle East quickened yesterday in the run-up to next week’s talks in Annapolis. Tony Blair announced economic projects aimed at generating jobs for tens of thousands of Palestinians in his first initiative since becoming the international community’s envoy in the region. Israel meanwhile approved the release of 441 Palestinian prisoners and Ehud Olmert, the Israeli premier, pledged not to build any new settlements in the West Bank. But all a traveller on the road to the West Bank town of Jericho would have seen yesterday was the furious pace of construction of Israel’s existing settlement blocks, which effectively cut the West Bank into two. Every time a big international push gets under way to establish a future Palestinian state, life on the ground gets worse for Palestinians and the contours of a future state visibly shrink. Wh more..
The Middle East has had a secretive nuclear power in its midst for years
The Guardian 10/11/2007
George Bush and Gordon Brown are right: there should be no nuclear weapons in the Middle East. The risk of a nuclear conflagration could be greater there than anywhere else. Any nation developing them should expect a firm diplomatic response. So when will they impose sanctions on Israel? Like them, I believe that Iran is trying to acquire the bomb. I also believe it should be discouraged, by a combination of economic pressure and bribery, from doing so (a military response would, of course, be disastrous). I believe that Bush and Brown - who maintain their nuclear arsenals in defiance of the non-proliferation treaty - are in no position to lecture anyone else. But if, as Bush claims, the proliferation of such weapons "would be a dangerous threat to world peace", why does neither man mention the fact that Israel, according to a secret briefing by the US Defence Intelligence Agency, possesses between 60 and 80 of them? ... more..
Omert pledges to freeze settlements, free prisoners
Compiled by Daily Star staff, Daily Star 11/20/2007
Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert sought wide Arab support on Monday for a US-led peace conference by agreeing to release 441 Palestinian prisoners and reaffirming a pledge not to build new Jewish settlements. However, Olmert, speaking before a two-hour meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, did not say whether he would agree to US and Palestinian demands to halt construction in existing settlements in the Occupied West Bank. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, latching onto the uncertainty, described Olmert’s comments as "nonsense" unless they included halting new construction in established settlements. A week before the conference in Annapolis, Maryland, both sides said that they would continue efforts to draft before the meeting a document addressing in general terms core issues such as borders and the future of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees. more..
Jordan’s struggle with Islamism
Crispin Thorold, BBC Online 11/19/2007
BBC News, Jordan IAF rallies have been well attended by supporters The Jordanian government’s relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood has always been a difficult one - and in the closing days of the current parliamentary election campaign, the movement appears as strong as ever. The main campaign rally of the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), was an impressive event. There were thousands of people there. Men grouped at the front waved the green IAF flags which show crossed swords and a copy of the Koran. The speeches were fiery, criticising corruption in Jordan and the US and Israeli policies in the region. Real democratic elections will produce a majority of Islamists ruling the country and the elite will not accept this Hamza Mansour IAF candidate Q&A: Jordanian elections IAF supporters had travelled to the rally from many areas in Jordan, like Zarqa. more..
Abbas ’pessimistic’ about Annapolis
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 11/17/2007
Palestinian envoy to Saudi Arabia says Abbas disappointed by Israel’s lack of helpful overtures. Meanwhile in Israel hopes are still running high, government to authorize release of 500 Palestinian prisoners as goodwill gesture ahead of US-led conference - - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas voiced pessimism about the prospects of the upcoming US-led peace conference in a visit with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Friday, a Palestinian diplomat said. During talks at the king’s ranch near Riyadh, Abbas said the Palestinians "are so far unhappy with the Israeli position, because the Israelis have not offered something that could ensure the success of the conference," the Palestinian ambassador in Riyadh, Jamal al-Shobaki said. Abbas told Abdullah that "the United States must step in and put pressure on Israel, obliging it to comply with the terms of reference of the peace process, namely the... more..
Russia readies nuclear fuel bound for Iran
Reuters, YNetNews 11/17/2007
Moscow pushes ahead with plans to supply Tehran with uranium after release of IAEA report, Iran welcomes move, says Russian commitment to its nuclear program ’a matter of principle’ - - Russia on Friday gave the clearest indication yet that it was ready to send uranium to fuel Iran’s first atomic power station, upping the stakes in a diplomatic crisis surrounding Tehran’s nuclear program. Russia’s state-run nuclear fuel producer said inspectors from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog would later this month start sealing nuclear fuel bound for the Bushehr plant, a major step to shipping the fuel to the Bushehr plant in Iran. In a report on Iran issued on Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had "made arrangements to verify and seal the fresh fuel foreseen (for Bushehr) on Nov. 26, before shipment of the fuel from Russia to Iran". more..
Vatican: Ties with Israel worsening
Associated Press, YNetNews 11/17/2007
Pope’s ambassador to Washington blames Israel for deterioration of relations with Catholic Church, says Israel cannot be trusted and laments that ties were better ’when there were none at all’ - - A senior Vatican diplomat who served as papal envoy to Israel has described Vatican-Israeli relations as worsening, blaming the Jewish state for failing to keep promises related to church land, taxes and travel restrictions on Arab clergy. Archbishop Pietro Sambi lashed out at Israel in an interview posted Friday on Terrasanta. net, an online publication about the Holy Land. ’’If I must be frank, the relations between the Catholic Church and the state of Israel were better when there were no diplomatic ties,’’ said Sambi, interviewed earlier in the week in Washington, where he now serves as Pope Benedict XVI’s envoy to the United States. more..
Hamas threatens Abbas against concessions to Israel
Reuters, YNetNews 11/17/2007
Mass rally in Gaza warns PA President that ceding any ground on Jerusalem, right of return will end in ’an explosion that will know no borders’ - - Hamas supporters rallied outside the official Gaza residence of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday to lobby against giving ground to Israel at a meeting planned for Annapolis, Maryland at the end of the month. Abbas has not set foot in the coastal enclave since Hamas Islamists routed his Western-backed forces in June, restricting Abbas’ authority to the West Bank and posing a major complication to efforts to negotiate a peace with Israel Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas leader, warned in a speech to the Gaza crowd of "an explosion that will know no borders" if Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, softens positions on the status of Jerusalem and the right of Palestinian refugees to return home. more..
Iran touts IAEA report, demands West apologize
Roee Nahmias, YNetNews 11/17/2007
World powers cancel meeting on tightening sanctions on Iran following positive UN report on Tehran’s nuclear transparency, sending Israeli diplomats scrambling to keep unified momentum alive - - Iran called on its Western foes on Friday to apologize to the Islamic Republic after the release of a UN nuclear agency report which Tehran said showed it had been telling the truth about its atomic plans. The IAEA said in its report on Thursday that Iran had made important strides towards clarifying past nuclear activities but was forced to admit Tehran continued to enrich uranium at an industrial level, in defiance of the UN Security Council. The United States said the report only served to show that Iran was still defying the international community and that Washington would proceed with allies to draft broader United Nations sanctions against it. more..
Everyone waiting for invitation to Annapolis
Roni Sofer, YNetNews 11/17/2007
Israeli, Palestinian negotiations teams working on draft of joint statement to be presented at upcoming US-sponsored Mideast conference. US Secretary of State Rice due to visit region next week to observe progress in talks, may bring official invitations to summit - - The Israeli negotiations team, headed by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, is expected to meet Saturday evening with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at his residence ahead of the upcoming US-sponsored Mideast peace conference. Four members of the Israeli delegation to Washington - including the prime minister’s chief of staff Yoram Turbowicz, Foreign Ministry Director-General Aharon Abramovich, and the prime minister’s diplomatic advisor Shalom Turgeman - are scheduled to return to Israel on Friday from meetings with representatives of the Bush administration in Washington. more..
Prince Charles’ aides try to thwart Israel visit
Modi Kreitman, YNetNews 11/17/2007
Jewish Chronicle reports British royal’s associates told Israeli ambassador invitation to visit Jewish state ’hugely appreciated’, but expressed somewhat different opinion in leaked email exchange: ’Acceptance would make it hard to avoid the many ways in which Israel would want HRH to help burnish its international image’ - - LONDON - Diplomacy is known to entail using half-truths and sometimes even lies, but Prince Charles’ associates seem to have set a new record in this field, with the victim being the State of Israel. The affair began at the beginning of July, when Knesset Chairman Dalia Itzik visited London and met with the British royal. Itzik and Prince Charles exchanged jokes and discussed politics and environmental issues. At the end of the meeting, the Israeli official invited the Prince of Wales to visit the Jewish state for its 60th anniversary celebrations. more..
Experts convene to discuss terrorist’s use of Internet
Associated Press, YNetNews 11/17/2007
Israeli communications professor warns authorities must adopt more sophisticated means of monitoring terror groups online - - International efforts to target terrorist misuse of the Internet must be better coordinated, experts said Thursday. The experts made their comments on the sidelines of a closed-door meeting at the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The meeting was intended to identify new approaches for fighting the use of the Web for terrorist purposes. About 100 specialists from 40 countries are expected to attend the two-day gathering, which began Thursday afternoon. ’’Unfortunately, there is not a coherent strategy in Europe, especially among the 27 European Union member nations, as to what to do,’’ said Sajjan Gohel, director for international security at the London-based Asia-Pacific Foundation. more..
Assad uninterested in peace talks without Golan
Ynet, YNetNews 11/17/2007
In a meeting with Secretary-General of League of Arab States, Syrian President Bashar Assad says that any peace plan without Golan Heights will not bring about just peace. Barak: We should reexamine question of peace with Syria - - "Any peace initiative that does not include the Syrian Golan Heights is not serious and will not achieve a comprehensive, just peace in the region," said Syrian President Bashar Assad to Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa in a meeting between the two on Wednesday. This according to a report by the Syrian Arab New Agency (SANA). The two leaders discussed numerous regional issues such as the situation in Iraq, the Palestinian Authority and Lebanon as well as the preparations for the upcoming Arab League summit set to take place in Damascus. Deputy Syrian President Farouk al-Shara, Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem and his deputy Faisal Maqdad also participated in the meeting. more..
Israel braces for Iran bomb despite vow to prevent
Reuters, YNetNews 11/17/2007
State sources say Olmert orders top cabinet officials to draft proposals for dealing with potential nuclear Iran. Minister Ayalon: ’We must prepare for scenario where all alternatives fail’ - - Israel is quietly preparing for the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran despite public pledges to deny its arch-foe the means to pose an "existential threat", political and defense sources said on Thursday. They said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has instructed cabinet officials to draft proposals on how Israel, which according to foreign media reports retains the only atomic arsenal in the Middle East, might deal with losing that monopoly. Israel predicts that Iran’s nuclear program could produce warheads by 2009. Western intelligence services say it may take several more years. Olmert has endorsed US-led efforts to curb Iran’s atomic ambitions through sanctions. He has a more..
Israeli-Palestinian teams talk after checkpoint stop
Reuters Foundation, ReliefWeb 11/12/2007
JERUSALEM, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Israeli and Palestinian officials resumed preparatory talks on Monday for a U.S. -hosted conference, a day after Palestinian negotiators were stopped at an Israeli checkpoint and a session was called off. An Israeli government official gave no details of the talks, other to say that they had ended for the day. A planned meeting on Sunday was scrapped after chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurie and other members of his team, travelling from the occupied West Bank, were stopped at an Israeli checkpoint on their way to the venue inside Israel. An aide to Qurie said the Palestinian negotiators subsequently informed Israel they wanted to transfer the talks to another country. An Israeli spokesman said on Sunday that Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni had telephoned Qurie, promising an investigation into the checkpoint incident. more..
Israel ’to freeze West Bank settlement expansion’
Agence France-Presse - AFP, ReliefWeb 11/15/2007
I TEL AVIV, Nov 15, 2007 (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will announce a freeze in West Bank settlement expansion as a gesture towards the Palestinians at a US peace meeting this month, a senior official said Thursday. The move is one of several gestures towards Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas that the Israeli premier plans to make during the one-day meeting expected to take place in Annapolis, Maryland on November 27. "The prime minister will declare a freeze to settlement expansion at Annapolis. In reality, we haven’t touched the settlements for over 18 months," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Israeli and Palestinian teams are currently engaged in intensive talks in a bid to hammer out a joint declaration outlining a solution to the Middle East conflict which they hope to present at the Annapolis meeting. more..
OPT: PLO - no solution without Jerusalem as Palestinian capital
Xinhua News Agency, ReliefWeb 11/15/2007
RAMALLAH, Nov 15, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) - - Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) stated on Thursday that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can never be resolved without Jerusalem as a capital for the Palestinian statehood. "Jerusalem is a united capital and is not subject for concessions," Yasser Abed Rabbo, member of PLO’s executive committee, told Voice of Palestine radio. His remarks were in response to Israeli demands that the Palestinian should made concessions in Jerusalem issue, one of the final-status issues that Israel and the Palestinians trying to negotiate. Abed Rabbo did not reveal the Israeli demands. However, he asserted that the Israeli requests would never be obligatory. " Since the early agreements we signed, Jerusalem and end of the occupation were the main headlines." "Without Jerusalem, there will be no capital for the Palestinian statehood and there will be no solution. more..
OPT: Britain offers aid if Mideast talks make progress
Reuters Foundation, ReliefWeb 11/14/2007
LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday he would offer a $500 million aid package to the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip if U.S. -led talks this month make progress towards Middle East peace. Describing the upcoming conference on Palestinian statehood, due to be held in Annapolis, Maryland in late November, as a "unique opportunity", Brown said he hoped a framework document could be drawn up as a basis for talks over the next year. "If we can see tangible progress on security, then we, the United Kingdom, would be prepared to put a $500 million package of aid into the area, so that economic reconstruction can take place," he said. "And we will call on the rest of the European Union and America to join us in making it possible for us to show that prosperity can result from abandoning the violence of the past." more..
Interview: Israeli-Palestinian deal ’doable’ in 9 months - EU
Reuters Foundation, ReliefWeb 11/13/2007
By Adam Entous JERICHO, West Bank, Nov 13 (Reuters) - The EU’s top diplomat said on Tuesday an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal was "doable" within nine months and that the issue of the Golan Heights should be addressed by a planned peace conference this month. Syria has made its attendance conditional on the conference agenda including the Golan Heights, captured from it by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. The talks on Palestinian statehood are slated for the last week of November in Annapolis, Maryland. U.S. President George W. Bush called for the conference to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the long-stalled peace process after Hamas Islamists seized the Gaza Strip in June, and Israel has resisted adding Golan to the agenda. The conference may also be a chance for the Bush administration to turn its legacy around from the unpopular war in Iraq. more..
Liban: Reconstruction du camp, « plus important projet humanitaire »
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Integrated, ReliefWeb 11/15/2007
BEYROUTH, 15 novembre 2007 (IRIN) - La reconstruction du camp de réfugiés palestiniens de Nahr al-Bared, détruit pendant les trois mois de conflit entre l’armée libanaise et un groupe de militants islamistes, sera l’un des plus importants projets humanitaires jamais réalisés par l’Office de secours et de travaux des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés de Palestine (UNRWA). « Depuis plus de 10 ans que je suis au service des Nations Unies, je n’ai jamais rien vu de pareil », a affirmé Karen AbuZayd, la commissaire générale de l’UNRWA, au cours d’une conférence de presse à Beyrouth le 13 novembre. « Soyons clairs. La reconstruction du camp de Nahr al-Bared sera un des plus importants projets humanitaires de mon agence ». Mme AbuZayd faisait référence à la reconstruction de « l’ancien camp », - un espace d’une superficie d’un kilomètre carré à l’intérieur de la zone affectée à l’UNRWA -, et non pas à l’extension... more..
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel Gaza Update 10 Nov 2007
Physicians for Human Rights - PHR, ReliefWeb 11/10/2007
High Court of Justice Hearing scheduled for Monday, 12. 11. 07, at 11. 30 regarding eleven patients in life-threatening condition who are refused exit from Gaza. PHR-Israel and eleven patients from Gaza have appealed to the Israeli High Court of Justice, demanding their immediate passage into Israel, the West Bank or Jordan for urgent lifesaving care. The petition was submitted after only four out of 16 cases submitted for review by PHR-Israel last week were granted permits. Following are the details of the patients in the petition: M. A-A, 40, heart patient, in need of urgent bypass surgery. referred to Nablus in the West Bank. R. M. T, 40, cancer patient, in need of urgent diagnostic services due to a suspicion of secondary tumors. Referred to Jordan. A. Q, 38, cancer patient (prostate), needs urgent diagnostic services due to non-response to current care. more..
Sadat and Annapolis .
Mona Eltahawy, Middle East Online 10/11/2007
NEW YORK – Is there a statute of limitations for saying “I told you so”? And can the dead say it? I can imagine the late Egyptian president Anwar Sadat whispering those very words into the ears of Arabs and Israelis called to Annapolis later this month by the U.S. administration for yet another round of peace talks. The Annapolis gathering will take place -- albeit unintentionally -- almost exactly 30 years after Sadat shocked his countrymen and Israelis alike by boarding a plane on Nov. 19, 1977, to Israel. There he told its parliament, the Knesset, he wanted peace. The two countries had already fought four wars. It was typical Sadat in its dramatic flair. After taking office in 1970, he reversed Egypt’s alliances, scrapping his predecessor Gamal Abdel-Nasser’s close ties with the Soviet Union in favor of the United States. And it was typical of an Arab dictator in its unilateralism. more..
Sufa Crossing to open for Israeli products to enter Gaza Strip
Ma’an News Agency 11/16/2007
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli defence ministry officials announced on Thursday that the Sufa crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip will be open for the delivery of Israeli-produced agricultural goods into the beseiged coastal region from Sunday. Israeli radio quoted Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai as saying that 26 truckloads of agricultural goods will be transported into the Gaza Strip every day through the Sufa crossing. [end]
UK foreign secretary to meet Abbas and Olmert
Ma’an News Agency 11/15/2007
Bethlehem - Ma’an - The British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, David Miliband will visit Israel and the Palestinian National Authority on Saturday, 17 November 2007. The Foreign Secretary is due to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, as well as Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and members of the Palestinian Cabinet, including Foreign Minister Riyadh Al-Malki. He is also scheduled to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak. [end]
Hamas activists injured in ambiguous explosion in Rafah
Ma’an News Agency 11/15/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinian medical sources announced on Thursday that two activists from Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades were injured when an ambiguous explosive device detonated in the area which used to be known as "Atzmona" before the Israeli disengagement, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Both victims lost their feet in the explosion. Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Ubayda said the devices were very small and that there was still no accurate information about their nature. [end]
Israel fears Syrian attack on Israeli airliners
Ma’an News Agency 11/15/2007
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli security are worried that Syria might retaliate for the recent Israeli airstrike on its territory, the Israeli daily newspaper Maariv reported on Wednesday. Israeli security fears that Syria may attack Israeli civilian airliners and so have increased the number of security guards on airliners and changed take off and landing time for the most important flights. Israeli security are taking the Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s threats to respond to the Israeli raid seriously, the newspaper report added. Maariv also said they learned that Israeli airlines have cancelled flights to Istanbul, Marmas and Anatolia in Turkey as these trips need intensive security measures. more..
EUROPE: Trade Rope Around Mediterranean Nears
David Cronin, Inter Press Service 11/16/2007
BRUSSELS, Nov 16(IPS) - Judging by some of their statements lately, European Union officials are hoping to chalk up a new entry in the Guinness Book of Records: the creation of the world’s largest free trade area. Benita Ferrero-Walner, the European commissioner for external relations, celebrated earlier this month the progress that has been made in talks on liberalising commerce between the EU and its ’partners’ in the Mediterranean. If these talks are successful, she noted, a free trade area involving over 740 million consumers would be formed. This goal, which the EU hopes to reach by 2010, has been on the table since a 1995 summit between EU and Mediterranean leaders in Barcelona. The state of play in the negotiations was recently discussed at a ministerial conference that the EU held with 12 Mediterranean governments: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Albania and Mauritania. more..
Vatican spokesman criticizes Israeli policies
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 11/17/2007
An envoy from the Holy See visiting Jerusalem on Friday stated that Israel has failed to live up to its promises since diplomatic relations were established in 1993. The envoy from the Pope, the highest authority in the Catholic church, added that relations between the Vatican and Israel were better before diplomatic ties were officially established in 1993. "The Holy See decided to establish diplomatic relations (in 1993) with Israel as an act of faith, leaving it to the latter to carry out its promises to regulate concrete aspects of the life of the Catholic community and the Church in Israel," said Monsignor Pietro Sambi, who is the Papal Nunci to the United States, and was visiting Jerusalem Friday. Christians inside Israel and in Palestine have faced oppression from the Jewish state, due to the military occupation of Palestinian land and the discrimination against Palestinians. more..
Russian officials claim Syria will attend Annapolis
John Smith - IMEMC & agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/16/2007
Syria will attend and participate in the upcoming Annapolis peace summit, Russian governmental officials told Israeli representatives on Thursday. The comments were made by two Russian officials, Deputy Foreign Minister for Middle Eastern Affairs Alexander Sultanov and special envoy Sergei Yakovlev, who are currently visiting Israel. An unnamed official told the Israeli daily Haaretz that Syria wishes to attend the conference and hopes that it can negotiate with a willing Israel. "Syria does not want to be left outside "¦ [Syria] only wants Israel to be a little more flexible," the official stated. The news follows earlier reports that Syria had agreed to attend the summit after receiving guarantees that it would be sent a direct invitation. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had previously indicated that Syria would only attend the conference if the issue of the annexed Golan Heights was on the agenda. more..
British Monarchy: "no chance" of visiting Israel
John Smith - IMEMC & agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/16/2007
The British monarchy has stated there is "no chance" it would visit Israel in the current climate, emails published by the London-based Jewish Chronicle have claimed. The emails, published on Friday, detail the responses of senior aides to Prince Charles to an invitation to visit Israel, with the emails indicating that such a visit would be incredibly unlikely due to fears that Israel would use the occasion to boost its international reputation. The publication has already drawn criticism from many sources, with many prominent British Jewish leaders castigating the Prince and his aides for their outright refusal. In response to such accusations, a spokesman for the prince told the newspaper "This is simply an internal e-mail about a possible visit by Clarence House officials to Israel. Any potential visit "¦ would be undertaken at the recommendation of the government. more..
Members of French Parliament to join Bil’in protest
http://www.bilin-village.org, International Middle East Media Center 11/16/2007
36 members of the French parliament are scheduled to attend this week’s demonstration against the illegal Israeli wall in the central West Bank village of Bil’in, located near Ramallah, the popular committee of the village has announced. The popular committee of Bil’in has been organizing weekly protests for almost three years now; protests that recently culminated in an Israeli Supreme Court decision to reroute the illegal wall further and return 250 acres of Bil’in’s land. The protest, however, continues and plans to construct a further Israeli settlement west of Bil’in remain in motion. Weekly protests at the village of Bil’in began in December 2004, when the Israeli army began bulldozing village land for the construction of the illegal wall. This aggression was met with a series of non-violent weekly protests in which Palestinians, Internationals and Israeli participated in, despite regular attacks... more..
Don’t play Fatah off against Hamas
Rami G. Khouri Commentary by, Daily Star 11/17/2007
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ call Thursday for the Hamas "gang" to be ousted from Gaza is understandable, but misguided. Hamas are no angels, and their police’s shooting of seven Palestinian demonstrators from Abbas’ Fatah faction earlier this week during a pro-Fatah rally in Gaza is the sort of act that blackens their name. Yet for Abbas to refer to Hamas as a "gang" and ask for their ouster is only going to worsen the tensions between Palestinians, at a time when precisely the opposite is required. The Fatah-Hamas discord is a distinctly Palestinian problem, but also a reflection of a trend throughout the contemporary Arab world, where single states or societies are increasingly being governed by multiple authorities. These multiple authorities are often proxies for the regional and global powers that face off in the Middle East, especially the United States, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Israel. more..
Peres relays to Turkey secret info on Iran
Aviram Zino, YNetNews 11/13/2007
During Ankara visit, Peres delivers to his hosts intelligence on Iran’s terrorists activities and nuclear program, aimed at swaying Turkey into taking firmer stance against Islamic republic - - ISTANBUL – President Shimon Peres has relayed to Turkey confidential information about Iran’s terrorist activities during his visit to Ankara, Ynet has learned Tuesday. Officials on Peres’ delegation said that the intelligence given to Turkey included proof that Iran’s long-range missiles have been designed for nuclear war purposes, as well as evidence indicating that Iran’s nuclear program was not peaceful and documents related to terror funding by Iran. The information, as well as recommendations for assistance in the war against terror, were delivered to the Turks by Peres’ military secretary Brigadier-General Shimon Hefetz. more..
Report: Iran summons 5 Argentines to court over 1994 Jewish center bombing
Associated Press, YNetNews 11/13/2007
Tehran holds court hearing for the five, accuses them of orchestrating bombing in order to implicate Iran in eyes of international community - - Iran has summoned five Argentine nationals to appear in court over accusations by Tehran that they orchestrated a scenario to implicate Iran in the 1994 terrorist bombing of a Jewish Community center in Argentina, state IRNA news agency said. The five include a former Argentine interior minister, a judge, a prosecutor, the head of the Jewish Community Center and a fifth man who IRNA said have been "notified by the Argentine justice system to attend a hearing in Tehran to hear the charges against them." The report cited Iranian Deputy Prosecutor General, Yadollah Alizadeh, as saying the five are charged with making a case against Iran and hiring individuals of "anti-government affiliations" to testify against Iran. more..
Israel has no jurisdiction on Temple Mount, says culture minister
Amnon Meranda, YNetNews 11/13/2007
Raleb Majadele, Arieh Eldad polemicize over question of Israel’s legal pull on Temple Mount. ’In keeping with the status-quo al-Aqsa cannot be under Israel’s legal control,’ says Majadele - - Does the State of Israel have any jurisdiction on Temple Mount? Not according to Science, Culture and Sport Minister Raleb Majadele. Majadele was called Tuesday to answer a parliamentary question regarding Israel’s jurisdiction on the Temple Mount in regards to the digs performed on the site by the Waqf (Muslim administrative body in Jerusalem), which was brought to the Knesset by MK Arieh Eldad (National Union). "I recently received a series of photographs of the digs near and around Temple Mount. The police is monitoring the digs, but there is no one from the Israel Antiquities Authority overseeing them and there is a real concern that any archeological finding discovered there might be destroyed by the Waqf," said Eldad. more..
Rice: Israel will have to make sacrifices in peace talks
Associated Press, YNetNews 11/13/2007
Speaking before United Jewish Communities General Assembly, US secretary of state says Israelis and Palestinians should be prepared for painful concessions during upcoming negotiations - - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that Israelis must be prepared for "difficult and painful sacrifices to some of their longest-held aspirations" during upcoming talks with Palestinian leaders. Rice did not specify what sacrifices might be needed but added that the Palestinians must also be prepared for sacrifices. The threat from violent extremists means that failure of the talks is not an option, she said. "What is at stake is nothing less than the future of the Middle East," Rice said. Speaking before the United Jewish Communities, a North American humanitarian group, Rice said the conditions for peace are right because Israel now has a legitimate negotiating partner in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. more..
7 rockets hit Sderot, western Negev
Shmulik Hadad, YNetNews 11/13/2007
Three Qassams, four mortar shells land in open fileds in Sderot, western Negev, causing no damage or injuries. One Qassam lands near Sderot Mayor’s house. ’We were lucky no one got hurt’ he says - - Three Qassam rockets and four mortar shells were fired from northern Gaza towards Sderot and the western Negev Tuesday. All of the rockets landed in open fields; no injuries or damage were reported in any of the incidents. One of the rockets landed near Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal’s house, who was in the middle of a meeting regarding his possible participation in Sderot’s next municipal elections. Moyal has often said he would not seek another term in office, but sources close to him told Ynet that since many of the city’s resident have told Moyal they wish him to stay in office, he is currently reconsidering his previous decision. more..
Olmert ends ’difficult’ meeting with Yesha leaders
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 11/13/2007
Yesha Council’s first meeting with PM since he took office ends stridently, as Olmert announces some concessions are inevitable. ’We definitely have something to worry about,’ says Yesha chief - - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met Tuesday with the heads of the Yesha Council, for what was described by those attending as a difficult meeting. This was Olmert’s first meeting with members of the Yesha Council since he took office. A source at the Yesha Council told Ynet that the Council felt Olmert had already made up his mind against them and that the Council will meet later Tuesday night to decide on their future actions against the government. "When it comes to Israel and its lands, I feel as you do… I have no doubt that every grain of sand, from the Jordan River to the sea, is part of Eretz Israel and has a direct link to our heritage and history, but I more..
Peres in Turkey: I am here to advance peace
Aviram Zino, YNetNews 11/13/2007
In first-ever speech by Israeli leader before Turkish Parliament, president says, ’I am here to examine the chances for peace in the entire region, from Syria to Yemen. ’ Complimenting Ankara over its part in the Annapolis peace conference, Peres notes, ’This is a historic opportunity which must not turn into a historic failure’ - - ANKARA – It is a true honor to appear before the Turkish Parliament, which made history in the past and continues to make the history of the future, President Shimon Peres said Tuesday afternoon in a historic speech. Peres was the first Israeli leader to speak before the Turkish Parliament, and his speech was delivered in Hebrew. The president began his speech with a quote by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Turkish Republic and its first president, and complimented the Turkish culture. more..
Olmert meets with Yesha Council heads
Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 11/13/2007
In prime minister’s first meeting with settler leaders since taking office, settlers seek to discuss what will be put on the table in Annapolis conference; since disengagement there has been virtually no communication between two sides - - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met Tuesday with representatives of the Yesha council in order to discuss the upcoming US-sponsored Mideast peace conference scheduled to take place at the end of the month in Annapolis, Maryland. The meeting attendees included Yesha Council Chairman Danny Dayan, his deputy Sara Eliash, and former Yesha Council chairman Bentzi Liberman. The head of the Amana organization, Ze’ev (Zambish) Hever, and Tzviki Bar-Chai from southern Mount Hebron were also present. Since the few meetings that were held between former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and settler leaders following the disengagement from Gaza in 2005, there have been no meetings between Yesha leaders and the current prime minister. more..
Business as usual in the Golan
Hagai Einav, YNetNews 11/13/2007
With ’Syrian channel’ again on the agenda, residents choose to ignore rumors of possible evacuation - - All is well: Golan Heights residents find no cause for concern in reports that Israel will withdraw from the Heights in the event of a peace deal with Syria. On the ground, the population of the Golan continues to grow; the last three months have seen an influx of 300 new residents, bringing the total number of Jewish residents in the area to 20,000. A new campaign for settling the Golan attracted the interest of around 1,150 Israelis in the last week alone. Forty percent of those interested currently reside in the center of the country. Industry in the area has also experienced a significant boost in recent months. Alongside the region’s dairy farms, wineries, oil presses, tourist attractions, and bottled water plants- the more..
Barak: Palestinian channel is main concern
Rona Tal, YNetNews 11/13/2007
Defense minister elucidates his position on Syrian attendance at Annapolis, clarifies there is no disagreement between him and Prime Minister Olmert. Foreign Minister Livni says Israel must ’join hands’ with other nations to stop Iran’s nuclear program - - Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday that Syria’s participation in the US-sponsored Mideast peace conference this month could be positive and could lead to the renewal of peace talks. Barak made the comments at forum on terrorism at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. Barak said that Syrian attendance at the upcoming peace summit "needs to be based on the premise that the Syrians recognize that the main topic for discussion is the Palestinian issue. To the best of my knowledge, the prime minister, I and the Americans see completely eye-to-eye on this issue." Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter also weighed in on the more..
Abbas to Peres: Israel can live in sea of peace
Aviram Zino, YNetNews 11/13/2007
Palestinian, Israeli presidents, along with Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, sign deal for establishment of industrial parks in West Bank to provide 5,000 new jobs for Palestinians. Abbas promises peace if Israel ends occupation - - ANKRA - "If peace comes and the occupation comes to an end, Israel will live in a sea of peace," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas promised the citizens of Israel in anticipation of the US-sponsored Mideast peace conference scheduled to take place in Annapolis, Maryland at the end of the month. Abbas spoke at a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart, Shimon Peres, in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Tuesday. Peres also sounded optimistic regarding the prospects for peace, stating his belief that peace with the Palestinians and al interested countries was a definite possibility, but warned that peacemaking is a slow, cautious process. more..
Attorney Moshe Lador named new state prosecutor
Neta Sela, YNetNews 11/13/2007
Pending government approval, former Jerusalem district attorney to replace Eran Shendar, decide whether to indict Prime Minister Olmert in Bank Leumi affair - - The selection committee for the position of state prosecutor decided Monday night to recommend Attorney Moshe Lador as Eran Shendar’s replacement. The committee picked Lador, who served as the Jerusalem district attorney until 2003, over five other candidates. Lador’s appointment requires the government’s approval. One of the immediate issues he will have deal with is whether to indict Prime Minister Ehud Olmert over the tender for sale of the controlling interest in Bank Leumi. Lador, 63, specializes in the civil and economic fields. He worked at the State Prosecutor’s Office for 25 years, and has been working in the private sector since his retirement in 2003. more..
Defying borders
Merav Yudilovitch, YNetNews 11/13/2007
Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial to launch new Arabic-language version of its website in January. ’The power of the internet is that it enables users to circumvent the authorities,’ museum officials say, pointing to warm responses from Iranians using the year-old Farsi site - - In January Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust museum will add an Arabic-language section to its website. Exactly a year after a conference of Holocaust deniers in Tehran, which led the organization to launch a Farsi section, the administration of Israel’s official institute for the commemoration of the Holocaust has decided that the time was ripe to open its doors to the Arabic-speaking public as well. It’s no secret that the Holocaust is not taught in schools in Muslim countries and that the absence of relations with Israel renders the relevant information inaccessible. more..
Interview: Israeli-Palestinian deal ’doable’ in 9 months - EU
Reuters Foundation, ReliefWeb 11/13/2007
By Adam Entous JERICHO, West Bank, Nov 13 (Reuters) - The EU’s top diplomat said on Tuesday an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal was "doable" within nine months and that the issue of the Golan Heights should be addressed by a planned peace conference this month. Syria has made its attendance conditional on the conference agenda including the Golan Heights, captured from it by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. The talks on Palestinian statehood are slated for the last week of November in Annapolis, Maryland. U.S. President George W. Bush called for the conference to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the long-stalled peace process after Hamas Islamists seized the Gaza Strip in June, and Israel has resisted adding Golan to the agenda. The conference may also be a chance for the Bush administration to turn its legacy around from the unpopular war in Iraq. more..
Senior Hamas member says Hamas has ideas to end conflict with with Israel peacefully
Xinhua News Agency, ReliefWeb 11/13/2007
GAZA, Nov 13, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) - - Ahmed Yousef, a political aide to deposed prime minister of Hamas Ismail Haneya, said Tuesday that Hamas has ideas and proposals on resolving the conflict with Israel peacefully. Yousef told the press that Hamas has attempted to present ideas for a peaceful solution to the conflict, "but unfortunately Israel and United States work on thwarting these attempts. " Yousef didn’t reveal details of the Hamas ideas. Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip since mid June after defeating security forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas of rival Fatah movement, is listed by the United States and Europe as a terrorist organization, while President Abbas outlawed its militias. "Israel and United States had thwarted our attempts to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict. We tell the world that we are a moderate Islamic movement that doesn’t seek escalation of conflict with the West," stressed Yousef. more..
De facto government dismiss Palestinian UN representative
Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2007
Gaza – Ma’an – The Hamas-run de facto government in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday dismissed the Palestinian representative to the United Nations, Riyadh Mansour, accusing him of pushing for a UN resolution condemning Hamas and other resistance movements as outlawed militias, Tahir Al-Nunu, the spokesperson of the de facto government said. At a press conference Al- Nunu said that his government has discussed Mansour’s numerous "misuses of powers" which constituted "insults against the Palestinian people" and that was the reason they decided to dismiss him. [end]
Abbas: Israel will enjoy peace if it ends its occupation of Arab lands
Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2007
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday that Israel will enjoy peace if it signs a peace agreement with the Palestinians and end its occupation of "Arab lands." "If that is achieved, there will be no more wars and antagonism will come to an end and the people of the region will have security and stability," Abbas added. His statements came during a joint press conference with Israeli President Shimon Peres and the Turkish president Abdullah Gul during the seventh Ankara economic forum in the presidential palace in the Turkish capital. Abbas is on a tour of Middle Eastern countries to drum up support for the forthcoming Annapolis peace summit. For his part, Shimon Peres praised Abbas describing him as a man of peace and a friend. He also affirmed that the Ankara Forum supports the Annapolis peace summit. The three presidents signed an agreement to establish a joint industrial zone in the West Bank. more..
Hanan Ashrawi: Palestinian people in unprecedented poverty
Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2007
Ramallah – Ma’an – Palestinian Legislative Council member Dr Hanan Ashrawi said on Tuesday that the Palestinian people are suffering a state of unprecedented desperation, unemployment and poverty. Ashrawi added that any progress made in the peace process will help relieve the current crisis. She described the current Palestinian situation as the worst in the history of the Palestinian question. She was speaking during a lecture at Emery University in the USA. She explained that about 75% of the Palestinians in Gaza Strip live on foreign aid and that the unemployment rate has risen to 50%. "Peace and negotiations can’t be suspended until all the Palestinian people believe in peace," she said. Ashrawi is a member of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s Third Way party. more..
Hamas government in Gaza ’dismisses’ Palestinian UN Representative
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 11/14/2007
The democratically-elected Hamas government, currently in power in the Gaza Strip, has ‘dismissed’ the United Nations representative for the Palestinian people, Riyadh Mansour, after he pushed forward a resolution declaring Hamas to be an illegal militia. The dismissal, however, is likely to be largely symbolic, as the Hamas government is not recognized by Israel or the US, and their decisions as a government are not considered legitimate, despite the fact that the party was democratically-elected to power in the Palestinian territories last year. Instead, the U.S. and Israel recognize the government of Mahmoud Abbas, which was not elected. The move comes after Riyadh Mansour introduced a resolution to the United Nations that calls Hamas and other resistance groups in Palestine “illegal militias”. Tahir al-Nunu, a spokesman for the Hamas movement, made the announcement during a press conference in Gaza. more..
Palestinian President: An end to occupation will bring peace to Israel
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 11/14/2007
In a press conference in Turkey on Tuesday, the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, stated that Israel will have peace if the state signs a peace agreement with the Palestinian people, and ends the occupation of Palestinian land. "If that is achieved, there will be no more wars and antagonism will come to an end and the people of the region will have security and stability," said Abbas, during the joint press conference with the Israeli President Shimon Peres and the Turkish President Abdullah Gul. The three met during the seventh Ankara Economic Forum, held in the Turkish city of Ankara. Abbas’ statements come in the midst of a series of statements from both the Palestinian and Israeli sides downplaying the importance of the upcoming summit in Annapolis, in the U.S. The three presidents agreed during the weekend’s economic summit more..
Israeli Interior Minister: Arabs must enlist in the Israeli Army
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2007
The Israeli Minister of the Interior, Meir Sheetrit, on Tuesday called for a military draft to be imposed on all Arab citizens of Israel. Palestinian-Israelis, also known as Israeli Arabs, consist of 20% of the population of Israel – many of whom are related to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza, although they are completely cut off from those relatives due to the Israeli policy of seperation. The Interior Minister’s recommendation would require Arab Israelis to serve as part of Israel's occupying army in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. "We all live in one country, we're all in the same boat. Israeli citizens need to be equal in every aspect, in their rights and their obligations," Sheetrit said in his address to the annual conference of the Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development. more..
Palestine Today 111307
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC - Audio Dept, International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2007
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || File 3. 67 MB || Time 4m 0s || Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www. imemc. org, for Tuesday, November 13th, 2007. In the Gaza strip, several political parties condemn the Monday violence that left seven Palestinians dead and scores more inured. In the West Bank meanwhile, Israeli forces kidnap eight civilians in the north of the region. These stories and more coming up. Stay tuned. The Gaza Strip Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday declared three days mourning for those killed in clashes that left seven dead and at least 150 injured. In a statement faxed to the press, the office of the President condemned the violence and announced three days of mourning for the victims. Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad also castigated the Hamas movement for the attacks, stating that their punishment was now a "national duty." more..
Erekat asks Quartet to implement road map timetable
IMEMC staff - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2007
Chief negotiator for the Palestine Liberation Organization Sa’eb Erekat on Tuesday requested that the Quartet group to implement a timetable for the U.S. -sponsored Road Map peace plan. The demand was made during a meeting between Dr. Erekat and Javier Solana, EU Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, in the West Bank city of Jericho on Tuesday. The Palestinian official also stated that the Quartet should mediate and adjudicate between the Palestinians and the Israelis, arguing that it must be unbiased in its treatment of either side. Erekat also reiterated the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to the Road Map plan, adding that Israel’s obligations, such as the halting of all settlement activity, the removal of illegal outposts built since 2001, and the reopening of Aplestinian organizations forcibly closed by the Israeli army, have remained unfulfilled. Translated by Ghassan Bannoura IMEMC News Room more..
Qureia brands ongoing negotiations ’difficult’
Rasheed Hilal - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2007
Chief Palestinian negotiator for the Annapolis summit Ahmad Qureia on Tuesday confirmed that limited progress had been made in ongoing Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, adding that such negotiations were both difficult and complex. Speaking after a meeting with EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Javier Solana in Ramallah, Qureia emphasized the importance of the imposition of a timetable for implementation after the conference, stating that such an obligation was the only means by which implementation of the first phase of the road map plan could be assured. "We are keen to have serious negotiations over different issues with a fixed timetable after the conference. We are also keen to implement the first article of the Road Map peace plan without excuses," Qureia stated. Regarding comments made by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that the Palestinians should more..
Abbas declares three days mourning for Gaza dead
Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News, International Middle East Media Center 11/13/2007
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday declared three days mourning for those killed in clashes that left seven dead and at least 150 injured. In a statement faxed to the press, the office of the Palestinian President condemned the attacks and announced three days of mourning for the victims of the violence. The Palestinian Premier, Salaam Fayyad, castigated the Hamas movement for the attacks, stating that "Hamas leaders ordered those attacks, which were carried out by the Hamas militia in order to terrify the people, now their punishment is a national duty. " The Islamic Jihad movement on Tuesday also issued a statement condemning the internal clashes, indicating that the movement condemns any use of force against Palestinian civilians, and calling for a return to the principle of national unity. more..
Abbas, Peres hail US summit as ’historic opportunity’
Compiled by Daily Star staff, Daily Star 11/14/2007
Israeli and Palestinian presidents Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday hailed an upcoming Middle East peace conference as an historic opportunity while warning that failure could spell fresh trouble for the region. The conference to be held in Annapolis, Maryland, "is an historic opportunity that should not turn into an historic failure," Peres said in a landmark address to the Turkish Parliament, the first by an Israeli leader in a Muslim-majority country. The conference will allow Palestinians and Israelis to "work in depth on a peace agreement," giving it "a direction, a framework and acceleration," Peres said. "Let me underline that Israel is determined to end this disagreement," he added. Abbas, who took the rostrum after Peres, warned that missing the chance presented by the US-sponsored meeting could lead to "dangerous consequences." "We must without fail seize this exceptional opportunity," said Abbas, the first Palestinian leader to speak before the Turkish Parliament. more..
The bumpy road to Annapolis
Nizar Abdel-Kader Commentary by, Daily Star 11/14/2007
Another Middle East peace summit is coming up in Annapolis. This is President George W. Bush’s first proper diplomatic initiative toward peace since he took office in 2001. The summit will focus on the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. Some Western policymakers think the conference comes at the most favorable moment since the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada in 2000 for both Palestinians and Israelis to engage in serious peace talks. This assumption is based, first of all, on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who seems prepared for the first time to invest her efforts p