http://www.vtjp.org HPP4 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:06:50 -0500 http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162386-switzerland-adds-more-syrians-to-travel-ban-list.ashx http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162386-switzerland-adds-more-syrians-to-travel-ban-list.ashx Switzerland on Monday added 34 top Syrian military and interior ministry officials as well as pro-regime organisations to a travel ban list, as the United States closed its embassy in Damascus. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:57:00 GMT +0000 Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162382-moussa-vision-for-egypt-could-upset-military.ashx http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162382-moussa-vision-for-egypt-could-upset-military.ashx An Egypt run by Amr Moussa would be a civilian state with an army that enjoys respect but not "a life of its own" Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:22:00 GMT +0000 Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162385-russia-blasts-western-hysteria-over-syria-veto.ashx http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162385-russia-blasts-western-hysteria-over-syria-veto.ashx Russia condemned as hysterical the angry Western reaction to its veto of a UN resolution condemning Syria's crackdown on protestors, as its top diplomat prepared for a mission to Damascus. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:17:00 GMT +0000 Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Sports/Motor-Sports/2012/Feb-06/162384-motor-racing-f1-teams-seek-guidance-on-bahrain-situation.ashx http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Sports/Motor-Sports/2012/Feb-06/162384-motor-racing-f1-teams-seek-guidance-on-bahrain-situation.ashx F1 teams are concerned about the situation in Bahrain but will leave the decision on whether to race there in April to the sport's governing body and commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:14:00 GMT +0000 Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Feb-06/162383-militants-attack-police-station-in-nigerias-kano.ashx http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Feb-06/162383-militants-attack-police-station-in-nigerias-kano.ashx Gunmen attacked a police station with explosives and automatic weapons in Nigeria's northern city of Kano on Monday. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:57:00 GMT +0000 Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162357-hale-blair-discuss-mideast-peace-in-jordan.ashx http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162357-hale-blair-discuss-mideast-peace-in-jordan.ashx Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh held talks with US envoy David Hale and Middle East peace Quartet envoy Tony Blair to seek "a suitable climate" for direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:22:00 GMT +0000 Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162361-sudans-currency-hits-low-as-oil-row-hits-economy.ashx http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162361-sudans-currency-hits-low-as-oil-row-hits-economy.ashx Sudan's currency fell to a record low on the black market on Monday as people rushed to convert their savings into dollars. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:12:00 GMT +0000 Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162373-iran-upholds-life-sentence-for-men-linked-to-uk-spy.ashx http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162373-iran-upholds-life-sentence-for-men-linked-to-uk-spy.ashx Iran's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence for two men convicted of killing three Sunnis with the help of a British spy, a news agency reported on Monday. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:06:00 GMT +0000 Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162367-netanyahu-cant-fly-solo-in-israel-to-attack-iran.ashx http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162367-netanyahu-cant-fly-solo-in-israel-to-attack-iran.ashx Three decades ago, an Israeli prime minister faced his cabinet and invoked the Holocaust in an emotional appeal to approve an air strike against an Arab atomic reactor. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:30:00 GMT +0000 Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Feb-06/162365-nigeria-names-seven-behind-eni-pipeline-blast.ashx http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Feb-06/162365-nigeria-names-seven-behind-eni-pipeline-blast.ashx Nigeria's military has named seven people it says were behind an attack on an oil pipeline belonging to Italy's Eni on Saturday. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:27:00 GMT +0000 Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162362-egypt-telecom-tycoon-sawiris-eyes-new-horizons.ashx http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162362-egypt-telecom-tycoon-sawiris-eyes-new-horizons.ashx Egyptian telecoms magnate Naguib Sawiris wants to get back on the acquisition trail, eyeing businesses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa after selling a chunk of assets to Russia's Vimpelcom. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:23:00 GMT +0000 Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162364-us-levies-tougher-sanctions-on-irans-central-bank.ashx http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162364-us-levies-tougher-sanctions-on-irans-central-bank.ashx President Barack Obama levied tough new sanctions on Iran's Central Bank Monday amid increased tensions over Tehran's nuclear program. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:41:00 GMT +0000 Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162363-jordan-treating-20000-libyan-patients.ashx http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Feb-06/162363-jordan-treating-20000-libyan-patients.ashx Health Minister Abdullatif Wreikat said that more than 20,000 Libyans are receiving medical treatment in Jordan's hospitals, mostly casualties from last year's uprising. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:40:00 GMT +0000 Daily Star http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Feb-06/162358-norway-mass-killer-demands-medal-at-court-hearing.ashx http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Feb-06/162358-norway-mass-killer-demands-medal-at-court-hearing.ashx The right-wing extremist who has admitted killing 77 people in Norway's worst peacetime massacre told a court that he deserves a medal of honor for the bloodshed and demanded to be set free. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:33:00 GMT +0000 Daily Star http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186235,00.html http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186235,00.html Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:04:23 GMT -0200 YNet News 2 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186232,00.html http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186232,00.html Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:26:34 GMT -0200 YNet News 2 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186229,00.html http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186229,00.html Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:57:32 GMT -0200 YNet News 2 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186224,00.html http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186224,00.html Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:32:47 GMT -0200 YNet News 2 http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8115:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-26-jan--01-feb-2012&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8115:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-26-jan--01-feb-2012&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:00:30 GMT +0000 PCHR Weekly Report http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8092:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-12-18-january-2012&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8092:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-12-18-january-2012&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:00:30 GMT +0000 PCHR Weekly Report http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8020:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-29-dec-2011-04-jan-2012&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8020:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-29-dec-2011-04-jan-2012&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:00:30 GMT +0000 PCHR Weekly Report http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7972:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-15-21-december-2011&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7972:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-15-21-december-2011&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:00:30 GMT +0000 PCHR Weekly Report http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7919:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-01-07-december-2011&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7919:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-01-07-december-2011&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:00:30 GMT +0000 PCHR Weekly Report http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7877:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-17-23-nov-2011&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7877:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-17-23-nov-2011&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:00:30 GMT +0000 PCHR Weekly Report http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7834:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-27-oct-02-nov-2011&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7834:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-27-oct-02-nov-2011&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:00:30 GMT +0000 PCHR Weekly Report http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7797:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-13--19-october-2011&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7797:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-13--19-october-2011&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:00:30 GMT +0000 PCHR Weekly Report http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106665 http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106665 Following a failed bid to pass a U.N. Security Council Resolution calling for regime change in Syria, Washington is considering other means to influence events on the ground, as the country slips ever closer toward civil war. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:35:00 GMT +0000 Inter Press Service http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106664 http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106664 Since Russia and China vetoed a key resolution critical of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's violent repression of the ongoing 11-month old civilian uprising, there has been plenty of public outrage directed at the two permanent members of the Security Council who stood defiant against an overwhelming majority. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:22:00 GMT +0000 Inter Press Service http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106657 http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106657 Will Israel attack Iran's nuclear facilities this spring? That is a question dominating the international agenda. Meanwhile, the grand project of a nuclear weapon-free Middle East is relegated to the utopian "day after" a solution is found to the Islamic republic's atomic programme. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:30:00 GMT +0000 Inter Press Service http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186223,00.html http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186223,00.html IDF soldier buying cigarettes in violation of military protocol forgets case with night vision equipment in store. Owner returns equipment to local DCO Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:27:35 GMT -0200 YNet News http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186202,00.html http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186202,00.html As tensions continue to rise on Egyptian border, Sinai Peninsula IDF's new border fortification plan is coming to fruition with fence, elite infantry force and sophisticated weapons systems Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:52:24 GMT -0200 YNet News http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186114,00.html http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186114,00.html Dvir Mor, who was taking part of one of the IDF elite units' training programs, dies of acute infection resulting in multi-system failure syndrome. Family blames military; IDF investigating Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:27:53 GMT -0200 YNet News http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186104,00.html http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186104,00.html Outgoing Chief Justice Dorit Beinisch urges pubic to thwart attempts to undermine judicial system's authority Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:38:42 GMT -0200 YNet News http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186115,00.html http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186115,00.html Prime Minister's bureau chief to be interrogated by Civil Service Commission on Tuesday, will be confronted with the testimonies alleging that he sexually harassed employee R. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:32:05 GMT -0200 YNet News http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186093,00.html http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186093,00.html Israel Prison Service cites 'humane considerations' for decision to pay for two convicted killers' fertility treatments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:53:40 GMT -0200 YNet News http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186088,00.html http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4186088,00.html Ministry recommends that parents forbid children under 13 from using social networks, stress importance of parental supervision, keeping children aware of consequences of cyber communication Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:33:05 GMT -0200 YNet News http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/2012272264242438.html 2012272264242438 Reports of dozens killed in heavy shelling as Russian foreign minister heads to Damascus to push for reforms. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:21:42 GMT +0000 Aljazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/20122610416298264.html 20122610416298264 Hamas endorses proposal in which Palestinian president will assume PM role in interim body to prepare for upcoming poll. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:43:58 GMT +0000 Aljazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/02/201226214510962947.html 201226214510962947 City was the scene of the deadliest attack by the Islamist Boko Haram, in which 186 people were killed last month. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:03:16 GMT +0000 Aljazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/02/20122622397129438.html 20122622397129438 Killings at a Tripoli refugee camp highlight ongoing persecution of black Libyans. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:20:58 GMT +0000 Aljazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/02/20122623827930552.html 20122623827930552 More than 1,000 soldiers and police surround legislative assembly occupied by hundreds of strikers and their families. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:03:03 GMT +0000 Aljazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/20122616342323385.html 20122616342323385 Institutions in US given power to block and freeze all property and interests of Iran's government and central bank. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:01:49 GMT +0000 Aljazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/02/201226222612228935.html 201226222612228935 Mihai Razvan Ungueranu nominated after Emil Boc resigns after pressure from own party and protests against austerity. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:20:15 GMT +0000 Aljazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/02/201226134823327476.html 201226134823327476 Move to eliminate 15,000 civil service jobs signals major shift in policy in run-up to crucial coalition meeting. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:20:24 GMT +0000 Aljazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/2012261597916259.html 2012261597916259 Justice ministry calls 19 US and 14 Egyptian civil society workers to trial after investigation into foreign funding. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:06:47 GMT +0000 Aljazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/02/201226105719229443.html 201226105719229443 A 6.7 magnitude earthquake strikes island of Negros, killing at least 13 people and leaving dozens missing. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:11:10 GMT +0000 Aljazeera http://reliefweb.int/node/475031 475031 at http://reliefweb.int Source: UN General Assembly Country: occupied Palestinian territory GA/PAL/1217 Secretary-General, in Message, Says Occupation Measures that Stifle Palestinians ‘Must Be Rolled Back’, While Speakers Explore Ways to Ease Burden (Received from a UN Information Officer.) CAIRO, 6 February — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a message today to the opening of the United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People, said that occupation measures that stifled Palestinian life must be rolled back, as the status quo was unacceptable and only guaranteed continued conflict and suffering. Speaking on Mr. Ban’s behalf, Maxwell Gaylard, United Nations Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and United Nations Coordinator for Humanitarian and Development Activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said he remained hopeful that the momentum created by the start of direct talks in 2012 between the parties to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would ultimately lead to serious negotiations based on comprehensive proposals on territory and security, and an agreement for a two-State solution by the end of the year. Addressing the two-day gathering in the capital of Egypt which brought together dignitaries, lawmakers, academicians, and civil society representatives in order to assess economic costs of the decades-old occupation, Mr. Ban said neither the parties nor the international community could afford to let the present opportunity slip away. Deeming the current situation “unacceptable”, he urged the parties, “at this crucial moment”, to refrain from provocative action and do their utmost to resolve all permanent status issues by the end of the year, leading to the end of the conflict and the establishment of an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace with a secure Israel, and with Jerusalem as the capital of two States. Drawing attention to the Egyptian revolution of 25 January, the First Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt said the “New Egypt” was an integral part of the Arab popular movement. It was a model for other popular movements to advocate fundamental principles and values, namely, “bread, freedom and social justice”. “It set the pace of our path to democracy, progress, the respect of human rights and laid the very foundation of our relationships with the rest of the world.” Israel should be aware of, and should respond to and not resist that change, he said. All parties need to fully adapt to the transformation of the political map in the region, and act in acceptance of that change. The old policies would not be appropriate, and words without acts would soon prove useless. “We strongly hope that this change would eventually be in favour of the Palestinian people and its legitimate cause, since the alternative is the worst scenario that no country has any interest in opting for,” he said. In order to avoid that worst scenario, he said, the international community had to take a crucial decision this year: reaching a final settlement. Rather than duplicating efforts, and wasting opportunities in individual frameworks and initiatives, it was necessary to integrate all those efforts in an overarching approach, in an international meeting or conference that would lead to a specific outcome, a final solution for the Palestinian people, backed by the peoples of the Arab region, and accepted by any other parties, not only for the individual, but rather for the collective interest. He said that amid the developments in the region, Egypt was unwavering in its support of the Palestinian people. It reaffirmed its solid commitment to building its historical role in that regard and striving to restore the Palestinian people’s rights aimed at achieving a just peace, ending occupation and restoring unity. Speaking on behalf of the Egyptian presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement, he reaffirmed the Movement’s support to the Meeting and considered it a priority to restore the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. The Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Abdou Salam Diallo, urged a change in “the cost-benefit calculus for the occupation”. Palestine had the distinction, he said, of being among the world’s top aid recipients, solely because for decades the Israeli occupation had been starving the Palestinian economy of land, investments, natural resources, markets and opportunities. More than 40 per cent of the West Bank was off-limits to Palestinians, serving the needs of half a million Israeli settlers, he said. The separation wall was poised to swallow up a further 9 per cent of the territory. Housing demolitions and evictions had doubled; settler crimes and vandalism were up 40 per cent. Israel was blocking Gaza exports and vital imports, preventing the rebuilding of its devastated economy, and fragmentation and restrictions plagued the West Bank. The occupation, he said, caused vast economic damage, including lost output, the plundering of natural resources and environmental degradation, which ran into billions of dollars annually. Without the occupation, the Palestinian economy would double its size, and there would be no need for assistance. International assistance was expected to bolster the peace process and prepare the Palestinian economy for independence, but in reality, the aid all too often went to mitigate the humanitarian crisis, plug budget gaps, and undo the damage caused by the occupation, he said. Just recently, Israel blew up the Karni goods crossing into Gaza, built with European Union aid. A vicious cycle had emerged, whereby the occupation, which was in its forty-fifth year, aggravated the Palestinian economic plight and deepened their aid dependency, he said. The economic vulnerability was handicapping Palestinians in the diplomatic arena, making it more difficult to break free of the occupation. Israel, meanwhile, was reaping all the benefits of the occupation: a captive market, cheap labour, natural resources, and land, to further its colonial project. However, Israel was insulated from the economic costs, which were borne by the Palestinians and the donor community. The good news was that the Palestinian leadership, aware of the pitfalls, was doing something about it. Recent initiatives to boost domestic revenues were a step towards eliminating the need for external budgetary assistance. That was not to say assistance to the Palestinians was becoming less important; on the contrary, the need was becoming greater, he said. What was needed was “smarter assistance”, which promoted self-reliance, stimulated rather than crowded out private investment, and empowered Palestinians. Robust engagement on the part of the donor community would be key. In other moves, the Gaza blockade must be lifted completely, and measures of the occupation in the West Bank must be reversed, including a complete stop to all settlement activity. The Palestinian revenues should be safeguarded against politicized manipulation by Israel. At the same time, he urged the donor community to maintain its focus and respond generously to the 2012 Humanitarian Appeal launched by Mr. Gaylard, and to the emergency appeal by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Speaking on behalf of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Ali Al-Jarbawi, Minister for Planning and Administrative Development, Palestinian Authority, asked how the economic costs for usurping a nation from its people could be calculated; how could one calculate the economic cost of the humanitarian plight for a victim living under occupation for 44 years? As a Palestinian citizen living under occupation since age 13, how could he calculate the cost? Every Palestinian needed to make that calculation, but the matter surpassed economic and all other costs. More than affirming the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, the international community should practice that right and not just keep talking about it, he said. It must take effective steps to end the occupation. It was regrettable and shameful that, at the start of the twenty-first century, the domination and occupation persisted. The world must deal with and discuss that occupation and the ways and means to end it promptly to enable the Palestinian people to practice their simple humanitarian, political and natural rights — to live in freedom and dignity in an independent and sovereign State. Then, in a keynote address, Minister Al-Jarbawi summarized the main developments in the Arab world over the past year, which, he said, would define the region’s politics for years to come. The Arab people “have spoken”, demanding their freedom and self-determination; the Palestinian people had too. He described the steps they had taken last year towards full United Nations membership, but said that, sadly, those had not translated into an endorsement by the United Nations Security Council as the State of Palestine. Recognition of statehood was fundamentally a political process and not a technical one, and ending an occupation did not even require a certain level of development, but the quest did not mean much if occupying forces “do not want to let go”. At the same time, however, recognition of Palestinian statehood was not just a symbolic act; it would cease all violations of human rights and international law that were part of daily life in the Occupied Territory, including in the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem. Israel did not want that. Palestine’s admission to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was a clear display of the world’s support for Palestine’s bid for freedom; out of 194 member States, only 14 had voted against it. Despite that broad support, however, Palestinians were still suffering from the political fallout from that vote. Nevertheless, that setback would not prevent them from re-launching the endeavour for statehood in 2012 through either the Security Council or other United Nations organs. In parallel with those efforts, the Palestinians had continued to build strong institutions as the foundation for statehood, but it was close to the limit of what could be achieved while living under a hostile occupation regime. Palestinians “cannot continue sharpening a sharpened pencil,” he said. Meanwhile, he said, the Israeli-imposed fragmentation and seizure of Palestinian land had escalated. Israel did not hide its plan to expand settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Although the international community condemned that, stating that the settlements undermined peace, nothing was done to prevent their construction. In Jerusalem, for example, new housing units had reached new highs, and in the West Bank, east of the separation wall, there had been an increase in construction by 20 per cent as compared to 2010. In short, the Israeli Government was promoting settlement plans in strategic areas, which would prevent the formation of a viable Palestinian State. Turning to the economic cost of Israeli occupation and efforts towards mitigating it, he said that Israeli measures had cost the Palestinian economy $7 billion in 2010, an amount close to its annual gross domestic product. That was the result of heavy restrictions imposed on Palestinians in accessing their own natural resources, including their water, land, minerals and natural gas reserves. “It is pure theft,” he said. The siege of Gaza represented another major cost, as well as a cruel assault on the civilian population; it also created a “black” economy. Other losses stemmed from the inflated costs of water and electrical supplies by Israeli companies. The Israelis wanted land and to squeeze the Palestinians into cantons, and then call that a Palestinian State or even a Palestinian empire, he said. They want the land and the resources, “but they don’t want us”. That was “the game in town, in the Occupied Territory”. However, limited Palestinian self-government in 40 per cent of the West Bank, under whatever name, would never be an acceptable substitute for statehood. While the international community might be forced by Israel, Israel would never get Palestinian approval for “having a State of leftovers”. If everyone was serious about a two-State solution, then the fragmentation of Palestinian lands into areas A, B and C needed to be overcome. That situation was “apartheid reborn”; Palestinian children should never know about areas A, B and C, but only about the State of Palestine. An ensuing discussion heard interventions by representatives of Governments, intergovernmental organizations and the United Nations system. Among them was a representative of Palestine’s Embassy in Cairo, who discussed the basic elements required for economic growth, which included full control by the Palestinians over their natural resources, as well as freedom of movement of both people and goods, including imports and exports. That would make the climate conducive for investment. Political stability was also required for any sustainable social and economic growth. He noted that settlers were using water and land resources that belonged to the Palestinian people. The representative of Turkey said the international community could not fail to support the legitimate call for Palestinian statehood and continue to empower Palestinian institutions and mechanisms for statehood. The representative of the League of Arab States recalled that Israel had been established by a decision of the United Nations, yet it did not heed the Organization’s resolutions. Thus, the international community had a responsibility to urge the texts’ implementation and stop the vicious cycle of demolitions and destruction. He noted that Palestinians were forced to buy water and electricity from Israelis at exorbitant prices. A representative of Indonesia highlighted the “unbearable” economic and humanitarian predicament. The blockade, he said, made it impossible for the massive reconstruction required in Gaza, where hospitals, businesses and schools remained in ruins. The separation wall was part of Israel’s deployment of physical obstacles, as was the use of complicated permit requirements, especially in and around East Jerusalem. Together, those developments had not only worsened the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Territory, but had sown the seeds of deeper misery. Private businesses had continued to shut down at a fast pace, leading to greater unemployment and disillusionment. Despite all that, Palestinians had continued their historical State-building programme, for which they should be heartily commended. A representative of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation pointed to Israel’s continued intransigence of international norms, saying its Government obstructed all efforts to achieve the two-State solution by continuing its settlement construction. The occupation forces attacked holy sites and attempted to Judaize Jerusalem and isolate it from the rest of the Occupied Territory. He called on the international community to pressure Israel to lift the Gaza blockade and allow construction and medical supplies through, and on donors to help the beleaguered enclave. The situation had become more urgent than ever, and the international community should assume direct responsibility for finding a just and permanent solution. Lack of a solution would destabilize the region and jeopardize international peace and security. The United Nations Seminar will meet again at 3 p.m. today in a plenary session to consider “Israeli occupation as the paramount obstacle to socio-economic development in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip”. For information media • not an official record Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:49:42 GMT +0000 Relief Web http://reliefweb.int/node/474977 474977 at http://reliefweb.int Source: ICRC Country: occupied Palestinian territory , Israel The ICRC continues to monitor the humanitarian consequences of Israeli policies and practices in the occupied territories. It shares its findings confidentially with the Israeli authorities. This is an update on ICRC activities carried out in Israel and the occupied territories in 2011. The Gaza closure, now in its fifth year, continued to affect all aspects of life in the coastal enclave and to remove any prospect of economic recovery despite some concessions made by the Israeli authorities. The lengthy permit process and the rigorous security checks required to exit Gaza, whether for treatment, education or training, remained a cause of particular concern. Indiscriminate rocket attacks continued to be launched from Gaza into civilian areas in Israel, where people lived in constant fear of further rocket fire. The continued building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem prevented many more Palestinian farmers from being able to reach their lands. Because of the scarcity of building permits, many Palestinians living in areas under Israeli control built houses without permission, despite the risk of seeing their homes destroyed. The ICRC documented several cases of destroyed Palestinian property and uprooted olive trees. Gaza health-care facilities somehow managed to function in 2011 despite facing chronic shortages of drugs and disposables and lacking reliable sources of electricity and fuel. The recent financial crisis and insufficient cooperation between the health ministry in Ramallah and the authorities in Gaza had an impact on the supply of drugs and disposables. In both Gaza and the West Bank, the ICRC carried out water and sanitation projects, provided economic support to the most needy, and visited detainees and migrants. Supporting Gaza's health-care services An average of between 20 and 30 per cent of essential drugs and disposables were out of stock in Gaza in 2011. Although basic services were available, the chronic shortages forced patients to be referred abroad. For instance, a cancer patient in Gaza can only expect to find half of the drugs required by chemotherapy protocols. "The ICRC will continue to provide support for the ministry of health, but a sustainable pipeline needs to be put in place," said Kirrily Clarke, an ICRC health-programme manager in Gaza. "It is not acceptable to endanger patients' lives." In 2011, in the absence of a reliable source of fuel, electricity blackouts lasting an average of eight hours per day forced hospitals to use generators and turn to local donors for fuel. The ICRC provided the Artificial Limb and Polio Centre with supplies and training expertise, which enabled the centre to make available better-fitted devices, and carried out extensive renovations of the facilities. Visiting detainees and helping families keep in touch with their loved ones In 2011, the ICRC regularly visited detainees both in Israeli and in Palestinian places of detention to monitor the conditions in which they were being held and the treatment they received. In Israeli places of detention, it monitored the overall situation of some 8,000 Palestinian detainees, especially those who were under interrogation, in prolonged solitary confinement or minors. The ICRC also monitored the situation of approximately 2,500 migrants detained in Israel. In addition, it provided travel documents for three African migrants and helped 40 migrants obtain identity documents in order to facilitate their release. Since 2007, Gazans have been prevented by Israel from visiting relatives held in Israeli prisons. The ICRC has expressed its concerns, both publicly and directly to the Israeli authorities. On rare occasions during 2011, the ICRC managed to arrange for elderly individuals from Jordan or Jerusalem, or handicapped children originally from Gaza, to be reunited with their families in Gaza. In its capacity as a neutral intermediary, the ICRC made arrangements for 170 students, some 530 Druze pilgrims and a small number of other people given special consideration for humanitarian reasons to cross from the occupied Golan through the UN-controlled demilitarized zone to Damascus and back again. Promoting economic security in Gaza and the West Bank In the West Bank, the ICRC endeavours to enhance the access of thousands of people to their lands located near settlements or the West Bank barrier. In addition to restrictions on movement, Palestinians were also affected by settler violence resulting in economic loss, serious physical injury or even loss of life. In 2011, the ICRC continued to express its concerns and report its findings to the authorities bilaterally and confidentially. In cooperation with the agriculture ministry, the ICRC supported a livestock vaccination campaign aimed at preserving the livelihood of the herder community south of Hebron by improving the health of their livestock. Over 250,000 head of livestock belonging to some 5,500 households were immunized against endemic diseases. The ICRC was also involved in a number of other activities promoting economic security. It tackled an insect infestation affecting tomato production. Damaged mesh was prepared in 190 greenhouses, and tomato seedlings, mesh and wire were distributed to 100 farmers. In addition, seeds and seedlings were made available, and orchards were pruned and cleared of weeds. Providing water and sanitation services Hundreds of thousands of residents of Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Yunis, Beit Hanoun, Jabalia and surrounding areas benefited from the upgrading of wastewater treatment plants, the construction of sewage and storm-water networks and pipelines, and the renovation of pumping stations carried out by the ICRC in partnership with local water boards. The ICRC also upgraded laundries and water and power supplies in eight hospitals. and provided spare parts. In the West Bank, the ICRC completed projects in Nablus and Hebron that improved water supply for more than 87,000 people. Working in partnership with the Palestine Red Crescent Society and Magen David Adom in Israel The ICRC and the Norwegian Red Cross provided financial and technical support for the Palestine Red Crescent Society's emergency medical services. In addition, the ICRC helped create a much-needed Palestine Red Crescent ambulance station in the restricted area of Hebron, which led to an expansion of services. The Palestine Red Crescent also opened four operating theatres as a disaster-preparedness measure. The ICRC provided support for the first-ever earthquake disaster simulation exercise undertaken jointly by Israel’s Magen David Adom and the Jordan National Red Crescent Society. The ICRC also gave its backing to information sessions on the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and on international humanitarian law attended by 2,850 Magen David Adom staff and volunteers, and to refresher training provided for 30 trainers. Promoting compliance with international humanitarian law In an effort to enhance respect for international humanitarian law and protection for civilians in conflict, the ICRC pressed ahead with the confidential dialogue on the conduct of hostilities initiated with the Israeli authorities following the military operation in Gaza in December 2008/January 2009. In 2011, the ICRC organized 75 information sessions on international humanitarian law and ICRC activities attended by 1,600 participants from the Israel Defense Forces, Israeli prison services and the police. The ICRC co-organized conferences with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on applying international humanitarian law in a new technological age, and with the Institute for National Security Studies on "Challenges of warfare in densely populated areas," both of which included sessions for journalists and civil society. In addition, it held a competition on international humanitarian law in which six teams of students from Israeli universities took part. Together with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the ICRC co-organized a six-day training course on international humanitarian law for 30 lawyers with various backgrounds. In the West Bank, the ICRC organized over 60 presentations, attended by more than 1,400 Palestinian police officers, on its role and mandate and on compliance with human rights standards applicable to law enforcement. In the Gaza Strip, it held 22 workshops on similar topics that were attended by almost 900 Palestinians from the civil-defence services and the police. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:57:00 GMT +0000 Relief Web http://reliefweb.int/node/474933 474933 at http://reliefweb.int Source: UN News Service Country: occupied Palestinian territory 6 February 2012 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today renewed his call for progress in the Middle East peace process, citing the toll taken on the economy and lives of the Palestinians by the ongoing Israeli occupation. “Economic progress cannot be reached and sustained absent a credible political solution on the horizon,” Mr. Ban told participants at the UN Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People, which is taking place in Cairo and organized by the General Assembly’s Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. Mr. Ban got a first-hand look at the situation on the ground and challenges on the road to peace during his trip to the region last week that included stops in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. “During my visit, I clearly saw the high economic cost of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory. I reiterated my long-standing call for an end to the occupation that began in 1967 and an end to the conflict,” he said in his message, which was delivered by Deputy UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Maxwell Gaylard, who is also Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory. “The issue of settlements, which are illegal and hurt prospects for a negotiated solution, clearly has an economic dimension. Settlements and their infrastructure severely restrict access to land and natural resources by the Palestinian people,” he said. This is further compounded by settler violence, he said, adding that Israeli restrictions on free movement remain another vast impediment to Palestinian economic viability in the West Bank. “This situation is unacceptable,” stated Mr. Ban. “As I said during my visit, notwithstanding Israeli steps to facilitate economic growth, occupation measures which stifle Palestinian life must be rolled back.” This is especially important, he noted, as the Palestinian Authority has built the institutions essential for a functioning democracy and a future Palestinian State. “Now is the time to build on that progress. Israel can make a critical contribution to consolidating these achievements, preparing the ground for a negotiated, two-State solution.” The Secretary-General also voiced concern about the “fragile” financial situation of the Palestinian Authority, warning that continued shortfalls could challenge the “impressive” progress in institution-building. He called on donors to deliver their 2012 contributions to the Authority as soon as possible. He also called once again for immediate action on the closure of the Gaza Strip, stressing that the full opening of legitimate crossings for the import of construction materials is critical for Gaza’s economic recovery, and would enable badly needed reconstruction activities. “Exports, a critical component of any economy, should be allowed to resume at scale, including transfers to the West Bank and Israel,” he stated. “All these policy changes can be implemented with due consideration for Israel’s legitimate security concerns, while making a significant difference in the lives of many ordinary Gazans.” Mr. Ban voiced the hope that the direct talks begun last month between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will soon lead to substantive negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement for a two-State solution by the end of this year, as envisaged by the Middle East Quartet – the diplomatic grouping consisting of the UN, European Union, United States and Russia. “Both Israeli and Palestinian leaders must show the vision, courage and determination necessary to overcome the current mistrust and reach an historic peace agreement that meets the legitimate aspirations of both sides,” said the Secretary-General. “A two-State solution is long overdue. The status quo is unacceptable; it only guarantees continued conflict and suffering. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:39:57 GMT +0000 Relief Web http://reliefweb.int/node/474925 474925 at http://reliefweb.int Source: Agence France-Presse Country: occupied Palestinian territory by Faisal Baatout DOHA, February 6, 2012 (AFP) - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is to head an interim consensus government under a deal signed with Hamas on Monday, ending a long-running disagreement over the post that stalled Palestinian reconciliation. The accord signed in Qatar was welcomed by officials from both rival Palestinian movements Hamas and Fatah, but Israel warned Abbas to choose between reconciliation with Hamas and making peace with the Jewish state. The full line-up of the interim national consensus government, which will supervise the run-up to long-delayed presidential and legislative elections, is to be announced in Cairo next week at a meeting of all the Palestinian factions. The deal was sealed by Fatah head Abbas and Khaled Meshaal, head of the Islamist movement Hamas, at a ceremony in Doha in the presence of Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. The so-called "Doha Declaration" is the latest attempt by the rival movements to implement a reconciliation deal signed last April. The declaration calls for a government of "independent technocrats" to oversee reconstruction efforts in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and to "facilitate the implementation of presidential and parliamentary elections." Speaking to reporters after signing the declaration, Abbas said his Fatah movement "did not sign this agreement for show... but because we plan to implement it." "Reconciliation is in the Palestinian and Arab national interest," he said, pledging to implement all terms of the agreement "as fast as possible." Meshaal said the two factions were "very serious about closing the chapter of division and strengthening" their national unity. The Palestinians now need to "devote all our power to confronting the occupying enemy," he said in a reference to Israel. A senior Fatah official told AFP the new government would be announced in Cairo on February 18 at a meeting between the Palestine Liberation Organisation leadership and all Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad. "On the 18th of this month in Cairo, there will be a final declaration on the formation of the new government to be headed by president Mahmud Abbas," Azzam al-Ahmad said. The deal on Monday comes after months of deadlock over the formation of an interim government, with Abbas reportedly insistent that his current prime minister Salam Fayyad keep the top post, despite fierce Hamas opposition. After the announcement, both Fayyad and the Hamas prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniya, welcomed the agreement. "This achievement is a response to our people’s aspirations and ambition to reunify the homeland and its institutions," Fayyad said in a statement. Haniya "blessed the Doha declaration and confirmed that his government was ready to apply it," a statement said. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the deal. "I say to Abu Mazen (Abbas), you cannot grasp the stick at both ends. It is either peace with Hamas or peace with Israel, you cannot have both," he told a meeting of his Likud party's ministers, according to a statement from his office. The United States was more nuanced in its reponse. "As we've said many times, questions of Palestinian reconciliation are an internal matter for Palestinians," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. But she renewed the longstanding demands of the so-called Quartet of Middle East diplomatic players -- the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States -- for dealings with a government involving Hamas. "Any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to non-violence. It must recognise the state of Israel and it must accept the previous agreements and obligations between the parties," she said. Under the terms of the original accord, presidential and parliamentary elections were to be held by May of this year. But speaking to AFP before the Doha deal was signed, a Palestinian official said that a final date for the polls would likely be set during the Cairo meeting. The last Palestinian elections were held in 2006 when Hamas beat the previously dominant secular Fatah to secure more than half the seats in parliament. Hamas expelled Fatah from Gaza after a week of deadly clashes in June 2007, cleaving the Palestinian territories into rival hostile camps. burs/kir © 1994-2012 Agence France-Presse Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:40:05 GMT +0000 Relief Web http://reliefweb.int/node/474822 474822 at http://reliefweb.int Source: Agence France-Presse Country: occupied Palestinian territory DOHA — Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah agreed at a meeting in the Qatari capital on Sunday that presidential and legislative elections must be held "quickly," a top official told AFP. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal met to explore the formation of an interim Palestinian government to oversee the preparations for the polls and discuss the implementation of a reconciliation deal. "We agreed on the importance of holding the elections quickly... and removing any obstacles that might delay the polls," said Fatah spokesman Azzam al-Ahmad, who is accompanying Abbas in Doha. He said the talks, which are being hosted by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, were "positive" and that both sides reached "agreement on all the major issues" regarding the reconciliation agreement, including the formation of a transitional government made up of independents. According to a statement released on Qatar's official QNA news agency, the two parties also discussed the stalled peace talks with Israel. Ahmad said the Hamas and Fatah leaders would resume their talks on Monday. Speaking to AFP earlier this week, Ahmad said Sunday's discussions would also address a planned Cairo meeting bringing together all Palestinian leaders, which had originally been set for February 2 but was delayed indefinitely. Ismail Haniya, Meshaal's rival who heads the Hamas government in Gaza, was in Qatar earlier this week and is currently in Bahrain on the second leg of a Gulf tour that will also take him to Iran. Meshaal has decided not to run again this summer for the leadership of Hamas amid signs of strain within the Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip. Under the terms of a reconciliation deal signed by Hamas and Abbas's secular Fatah movement in April 2011, parliamentary and presidential elections are to be held by May. However, implementation of the deal has been delayed on several occasions despite repeated meetings between the parties involved. The last Palestinian elections were held in 2006. Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:26:10 GMT +0000 Relief Web http://reliefweb.int/node/474772 474772 at http://reliefweb.int Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: occupied Palestinian territory , Libya , Oman , Yemen In this issue: P.2 UN Humanitarian Chief encourages strong Partnership with Oman P.2 Food Aid continues in Libya P.2 UNRWA helps poor Refugees in oPt meet basic nutritional Needs ERC Amos speaks up for People with Disabilities in Emergencies Humanitarian aid workers must do more to care for the needs of people with disabilities during emergencies, the UN humanitarian chief, Valerie Amos, said in her keynote address to the fifth International Shafallah Forum in Doha, Qatar, on 22 January. Ms. Amos stressed that while “the challenges facing people with disabilities in conflict and natural disaster rarely make the headlines... we must find ways to meet everyone’s needs.” During crises, people with disabilities often find themselves left aside as others receive help. Ms. Amos warned that in the Horn of Africa, children and women with disabilities were particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, and could be neglected as families made difficult decisions on the use of scarce food resources. Ms. Amos said that in one area of the Philippines, after December’s flash flood only 10 per cent of people with disabilities found shelter in the evacuation centres, and those who got there were often pushed aside by the crowd. “If that was the case of any other community, there would be outrage,” said Ms. Amos. In both emergencies, however, she pointed to increasing recognition of the issues facing people with disabilities, and a shift in thinking among aid workers. “Whereas organizations might once have resisted special treatment for specific groups, today they recognize the need for more tailored solutions and are seeking advice on how to provide them,” she said. She cited the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which states that “States’ Parties shall take ... all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in... humanitarian emergencies and the occurrence of natural disasters.” (excerpt) Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:31:19 GMT +0000 Relief Web http://reliefweb.int/node/474388 474388 at http://reliefweb.int Source: Human Rights Watch Country: occupied Palestinian territory , Egypt End restrictions on Palestinian residency Military Control Over Population Registry Splits Families (Jerusalem, February 5, 2012) – Israeli policies on Palestinian residency have arbitrarily denied thousands of Palestinians the ability to live in, and travel to and from, the West Bank and Gaza, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Israel should immediately stop denying or cancelling the residency of Palestinians and close family members with deep ties to the West Bank and Gaza, and end blanket bans on processing their applications for residency. The 90-page report, “Forget about Him, He’s Not Here,” describes the arbitrary exclusion by the Israeli military of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians since 1967 and documents the impact that exclusion continues to have on individuals and families. The way Israel’s military has exercised its control over the Palestinian population registry – the list of Palestinians whom it considers to be lawful residents of the West Bank and Gaza territories – has separated families, caused people to lose jobs and educational opportunities, barred people from entering the Palestinian territories, and trapped others inside them, Human Rights Watch said. Egypt also has problematic policies on Palestinians trying to enter Gaza that are based on the Israeli-controlled population registry. “Israel has never put forth any concrete security rationale for blanket policies that have made life a nightmare for Palestinians whom it considers unlawful residents in their own homes,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The current policies leave families divided and people trapped on the wrong side of the border in Gaza and the West Bank. Israel should revise these policies and process requests for families to reunite, so that Palestinians can live with their families where they want.” Israel requires Palestinians to be included in the population registry in order to be considered lawful residents and obtain Israeli-approved identification cards and passports. In the West Bank, Palestinians need the ID cards to travel internally, including to schools, jobs, hospitals, and to visit family, because Israeli security forces manning checkpoints require these cards before allowing passage. Israeli officials, who control all West Bank borders, also require Palestinians entering or leaving the territory to present an identification card or passport. In many cases, arbitrary policy changes have divided families: Israeli border officials have denied entry to the West Bank to Palestinians from Gaza, even if they had previously lived there or are close relatives of West Bank Palestinians, and to foreign-born spouses, and have denied re-entry to people living in the West Bank who have traveled abroad. In Gaza, where Egypt controls the southern border, Egyptian officials also continue to demand that Palestinians present such documents in order to leave and enter Gaza. In September 1967, Israel conducted a census in the West Bank and Gaza three months after it occupied these territories, counting 954,898 Palestinians who were physically present. The census excluded at least 270,000 Palestinians who had been living there before the 1967 war but were absent during the census, either because they had fled during the 1967 war or were abroad for study, work, or other reasons. Israel did not include these Palestinians in the population registry and shortly afterwards prevented many of them, including all men aged 16 to 60, from returning, stating that they were ineligible to apply for residency. Israel also struck from the registry thousands of Palestinians who traveled and stayed abroad for long periods; from 1967 to 1994, it did this to 130,000 West Bank Palestinians, thereby preventing them from living in the territory as legal permanent residents. A survey conducted in 2005, on behalf of the Israeli rights group B’Tselem, estimated that more than 640,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza had a parent, sibling, child, or spouse who was unregistered. Israel further tightened its restrictions on Palestinian residency in September 2000, at the beginning of the second Palestinian “intifada,” or uprising. It barred Palestinians whom it had not registered as West Bank residents from entry there, and similarly barred unregistered Palestinians from entering Gaza, where it completely controlled all border crossings, to both Israel and Egypt, until 2005. Also beginning in 2000, Israel refused to process applications for registration and residency by unregistered Palestinians, their spouses, and close relatives, even if they had lived in the West Bank or Gaza for years and had families, homes, jobs, or other ties there. Israel also barred entry to the West Bank to virtually all Palestinians whom it had registered as residents of the Gaza Strip and refused to allow Palestinians living in the West Bank, but registered in Gaza, to change their registered addresses to the West Bank. Around 35,000 of these “Gazans” had entered and resided in the West Bank using temporary permits that have expired, according to Israeli military records. Under Israeli military orders, they are now considered unlawful “infiltrators” in their own homes. Since 1967, thousands of spouses or close relatives of registered Palestinians had moved to the West Bank and applied for residency status through a process known as family reunification. However, Israel processed such applications slowly, often imposing low annual quotas and using arbitrary criteria that failed to take into account genuine familial or historical ties, until it stopped processing such applications altogether in 2000. Since 2000, unregistered Palestinians who traveled abroad have been systematically denied re-entry when they tried to return to the West Bank; those who remained inside the West Bank are at the mercy of soldiers at checkpoints, who have in some cases detained them for residing there “unlawfully.” Israeli authorities have justified these policy changes by arguing that the second Palestinian intifada resulted in a “breakdown” in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority (PA), which in 1995 took on the role of transferring the applications for registration to the Israeli side for approval. In fact, the PA continued to send the applications, but the Israeli side refused to process them. Israel received as many as 120,000 such applications from 2000 to 2005 that it did not process. Israel’s policy of refusing to process applications for family reunification has continued long after the ending of the second intifada. From 2007 to 2009, Israel processed some 33,000 registration applications as what it called a political gesture during peace talks with the PA, and in 2011, it allowed around 2,800 Palestinians registered as residents of Gaza to change their addresses to the West Bank. These steps have not cleared the backlog. Israel has argued that it has no obligation to process Palestinian applications related to the population registry, but may do so at its discretion. In cases where Israeli rights groups have petitioned against these policies, the Israeli authorities have argued, and the courts have accepted, that since the blanket restrictions are a political matter tied to Israel’s relations with the PA, Israeli courts are not competent to adjudicate them. “Israel should allow Palestinians to live in their homes with their families, and to travel freely, not treat its control over where Palestinians can live as a political bargaining chip,” Whitson said. Israel has also cited the general security situation during the second intifada as a rationale for refusing to process residency and address-change applications. Attacks by Palestinian armed groups killed hundreds of Israeli civilians during that intifada – attacks that Human Rights Watch has repeatedly condemned. However, after the outbreak of the intifada in September 2000, Israeli authorities rejected many Palestinians’ applications for residency without claiming that the individual applicant presented a security threat, and without providing any individual grounds for the denial. Israel has never explained why its blanket refusal to process address changes and family reunification applications is necessary for security reasons, or why it does not screen applicants individually for security risks. The Israeli policy of indiscriminately rejecting applications by Palestinians for legal residency vastly exceeds what could be justified under international law as necessary to address legitimate security concerns, Human Rights Watch said. Israel’s control over the population registry has significantly reduced the registered Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza, probably by hundreds of thousands of people. This reduction has occurred while Israel has simultaneously increased the number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank, in violation of international humanitarian law on transferring one’s population to occupied territory. Israel also continues to control the population registry for residents of the Gaza Strip, years after it withdrew its ground forces and settlements there. From 2000 onward, for instance, Israel denied unregistered Palestinians entry to Gaza, which it completely controlled until 2005 and which remained largely sealed off even after Hamas took over the territory in 2007. During this period, thousands of unregistered Palestinians, as well as Gaza residents’ foreign-born spouses, bypassed Israeli border controls without Israeli military permits – often by using tunnels beneath the Egyptian border – in order to be reunited with their families. Unregistered Palestinians cannot obtain ID cards or passports required to travel abroad; at least 12,000 are estimated to be in Gaza. In addition, Egyptian policies have the effect of nearly trapping unregistered Palestinians in Gaza. At its border with Gaza, Egypt denies entry and exit to unregistered Palestinians, who do not have Israeli-approved ID cards or passports, even if they have foreign passports. In addition, in the vast majority of cases, Israel systematically denies even registered Gaza residents permission to enter the West Bank, regardless of their family or other ties there. Human Rights Watch identified numerous cases where family members in the West Bank have been separated for years from their close relatives in Gaza. As noted, since it stopped accepting residency and address-change applications after 2000, Israel has processed a certain number of applications as a “political gesture.” However, Israel is not processing Palestinian applications on an ongoing basis, and the small quotas do not address Israel’s refusal to acknowledge its obligation to respect Palestinians’ rights to live with their families and to move within and travel abroad from occupied Palestinian territory. “Israel should create an efficient, rights-based, and transparent process based on individual decisions to ensure that Palestinians, including those who have been unfairly stripped of legal residency, can gain that status and the rights that flow from it,” Whitson said. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:01:00 GMT +0000 Relief Web http://www.imemc.org/article/62964 http://www.imemc.org/article/62964 Israeli Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas, slammed Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, to the reconciliation agreement with Hamas, singed on Monday at the Qatari Capital, Doha, between Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and Hamas head, Khaled Mashaal. The agreement states that Abbas would become the Prime Minister of the Unity Government until new elections are held. ... Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:32:08 GMT -0200 IMEMC http://www.imemc.org/article/62963 http://www.imemc.org/article/62963 Lawyer of the Ad-Dameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Samer Samaan, managed to visit the ailing hunger-striking detainee, Adnan Khader, who has been on hunger strike since 51 days despite the sharp deterioration in his health condition. Khader is currently at an Israeli Hospital in Safad. ... Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:57:08 GMT -0200 IMEMC http://www.imemc.org/article/62962 http://www.imemc.org/article/62962 Palestinian sources reported Monday that the “Miles Of Smiles 9” aid and solidarity convoy made it into the coastal region through the Rafah Border Terminal, between Gaza and Egypt. ... Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:08:40 GMT -0200 IMEMC http://www.imemc.org/article/62960 http://www.imemc.org/article/62960 After recent meetings in Qatar, mediated by Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas Chief Khaled Mashaal announced that Abbas should serve as the Prime Minister of the Interim-Government, until elections can take place later this year. The two met in Doha, the Qatari capital, despite recent tensions between the parties, particularly in light of the rejection of a Fatah visit to the Gaza Strip by Hamas last month. ... Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:39:32 GMT -0200 IMEMC http://www.imemc.org/article/62959 http://www.imemc.org/article/62959 On Sunday, villagers from al-Walaja and international supporters went to the area where Israeli authorities are in the midst of destroying lands to build the Annexation wall. They held a non-violent march and rally, until a group of Israeli soldiers attacked the marchers. ... Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:33:17 GMT -0200 IMEMC http://www.imemc.org/article/62958 http://www.imemc.org/article/62958 The last member of the leadership of the Hamas party left Syria on Sunday, in an attempt to separate the party from the Syrian government’s crackdown on protesters. ... Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:40:57 GMT -0200 IMEMC http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DefenseAndDiplomacy/~3/hZtON-LnQqE/story01.htm 1.411414 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:58:00 GMT +0000 Ha'aretz Diplomacy Defense http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DefenseAndDiplomacy/~3/wXI7h92i0u8/story01.htm 1.411231 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:45:00 GMT +0000 Ha'aretz Diplomacy Defense http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DefenseAndDiplomacy/~3/HQiPVsQOpro/story01.htm 1.411202 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:30:00 GMT +0000 Ha'aretz Diplomacy Defense http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DefenseAndDiplomacy/~3/fODrQ6Juv0M/story01.htm 1.411165 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:10:00 GMT +0000 Ha'aretz Diplomacy Defense http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DefenseAndDiplomacy/~3/TnGDylF8kYQ/story01.htm 1.411154 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:07:00 GMT +0000 Ha'aretz Diplomacy Defense http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=9b175c7b05d479f00c1ac3a08a138628 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/world/middleeast/palestinian-factions-reach-unity-deal.html Palestinians cautiously embraced reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah, but much remains to be done, and the effect on a bid for Palestinian statehood remains unknown. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:34:02 GMT +0000 NY Times http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=48452e390c171c59cdc6203f36a04276 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/world/middleeast/violence-in-syria-continues-after-diplomacy-fails.html The United States withdrew all staff from its embassy in Syria on Monday, blaming President Bashar al-Assad for escalating violence and mayhem in the country. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:36:34 GMT +0000 NY Times http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=b90efd7ba859ae2eb6b2561d9029ff20 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/world/middleeast/in-egypt-a-history-of-distrust-of-us-aided-groups.html Authoritarian rulers have long viewed pro-democracy groups financed by the United States with deep suspicion, but never has a government gone as far as Egypt’s. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:10:52 GMT +0000 NY Times http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=52160c353cbce78bd627ba12bc0b6376 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/world/middleeast/irans-middle-class-on-edge-as-international-tensions-rise.html Though nothing has outwardly changed, there is growing concern about Iran’s encirclement, the possibility of war and the prospect of more economic pain to come. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:28:48 GMT +0000 NY Times http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=0826f1b4e0936c90b51e1d0695806d99 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/world/middleeast/white-house-moves-to-tighten-sanctions-on-iran.html The actions include freezing all property of the Central Bank of Iran, other Iranian financial institutions and the Iranian government in the United States. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:10:04 GMT +0000 NY Times http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=7c3fd170260203d41cb6d07e061792a0 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/world/europe/merkel-and-sarkozy-address-syria-greece-and-french-election.html The two leaders said in a joint news conference that Russia and China’s veto at a United Nations Security Council meeting would not be the final say on the violence in Syria. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:20:25 GMT +0000 NY Times http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=3b43198329b0217ab8dec03482e50a6a http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/world/europe/britain-judge-orders-release-on-bail-of-militant-accused-of-qaeda-role.html An immigration appeals judge ordered the government on Monday to release on bail a militant Islamic preacher who is considered a leader of Al Qaeda in Europe. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:20:41 GMT +0000 NY Times http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=ad1d1bb9da778d0c82455a7d6b55021c http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/world/middleeast/in-israel-talk-of-attacking-iran-transcends-idle-chatter.html Few who have spent time with Israel’s decision makers recently have come away believing that the talk of a military assault on Iran is merely a scripted act of public diplomacy. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:30:07 GMT +0000 NY Times http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=a713eb456b1c98689e66eeabfab9cc5b http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/world/middleeast/syria-steps-up-crackdown-after-failed-un-motion.html With efforts in the United Nations failing, the Syrian government pressed on with its crackdown as some opposition leaders said force was their only option. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:40:08 GMT +0000 NY Times http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=b806802974a6d3fe1c2ffce93bd3014b http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/world/middleeast/egypt-will-try-19-americans-on-criminal-charges.html The move is part of a politically charged investigation into the foreign financing of nonprofit groups that has shaken the 30-year alliance between the United States and Egypt. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:50:06 GMT +0000 NY Times http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=489a3c8aa50e55ec059b8184318ba203 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/world/middleeast/palestinians-consider-abbas-to-lead-interim-body.html According to Palestinian reports, an interim unity government would be led, at least at first, by Mahmoud Abbas, the current president of the Palestinian Authority. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:00:42 GMT +0000 NY Times http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=b71b427d9728a2e26b32655ba40e5d84 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/world/middleeast/egyptian-forces-appear-to-end-siege-of-ministry.html Security forces erected two walls bisecting streets that had been central battlegrounds between security forces and protesters calling for the end of military rule. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:57:16 GMT +0000 NY Times http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=6a76da759d2a2ce716792b6f9b0fc114 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/world/middleeast/obama-administration-continues-push-for-change-in-syria.html Officials are looking for a way to remove President Bashar al-Assad from power, but to do so the United States may have to move beyond diplomatic efforts. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:54:40 GMT +0000 NY Times http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=5c3e8ea72e89a7c0132d6d1d41ba1316 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/world/middleeast/no-israeli-decision-on-iran-attack-obama-says.html President Obama also said he didn’t see any evidence that Iran intended to attack the United States. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:30:06 GMT +0000 NY Times http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/yoHG6kee-8s/la-fg-jerusalem-barrier-20120207,0,337882.story http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/yoHG6kee-8s/la-fg-jerusalem-barrier-20120207,0,337882.story Residents of Kafr Aqab are cut off from most public services, even though they live within Jerusalem's city limits. The once-upscale area is now a slum. With a fire extinguisher in his hand and a cellphone pressed to his ear, principal Sameeh abu Rameelh battled an electrical fire in his Jerusalem high school's computer lab while pleading with the fire department to come to his aid. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT +0800 LA Times http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/ot1yBPFeXXQ/la-fg-syria-village-20120207,0,5571698.story http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/ot1yBPFeXXQ/la-fg-syria-village-20120207,0,5571698.story Anadan, in the shadow of Syria's second-largest city, has expelled Bashar Assad's forces. It's another tug on the tightrope the president is walking. Off the main highway leading from the city of Aleppo, a handful of Kalashnikov-toting young men, some with their faces covered in scarves, stand at a checkpoint near the entrance to this small village. Close by flutters the green, white and black flag of Syria's opposition. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT +0800 LA Times http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/AeEOfr0I2-w/la-fg-syria-violence-20120207,0,1695872.story http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/AeEOfr0I2-w/la-fg-syria-violence-20120207,0,1695872.story A makeshift clinic that was treating the wounded was among the targets, activists say. The U.S. suspends embassy operations in Damascus. Syrian government forces pressing a ferocious crackdown shelled the central city of Homs on Monday, opposition activists said, destroying a makeshift clinic and leaving dozens dead in a town that has been a hotbed of antigovernment resistance. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT +0800 LA Times http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/L5o-0MGwCqc/la-fg-egypt-americans-20120207,0,5768288.story http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/L5o-0MGwCqc/la-fg-egypt-americans-20120207,0,5768288.story Sam LaHood, son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and 18 other Americans are among those to be prosecuted on charges of violating foreign funding laws. Egyptian state media Monday published the names of 43 people accused in a politically explosive investigation of pro-democracy groups, saying they are suspected of receiving illegal funding with the aim of destabilizing the country's national security. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT +0800 LA Times http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/uWFwjP58jKE/la-fg-syria-violence-20120206,0,1630335.story http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/uWFwjP58jKE/la-fg-syria-violence-20120206,0,1630335.story The U.S. secretary of State's warning comes after the collapse of a U.N. plan for Syria. The Arab League vows to continue to work toward a peaceful resolution. A day after the collapse of a United Nations plan for Syria, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned that the situation on the ground could degenerate into "a brutal civil war." The head of the Arab League, meanwhile, said Arab states would continue to work toward a peaceful resolution of the crisis. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:11:00 GMT +0800 LA Times http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/SqMlbYJ17MM/la-fg-israel-iran-20120206,0,3741290.story http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/SqMlbYJ17MM/la-fg-israel-iran-20120206,0,3741290.story Analysts differ on whether Israel's threat of a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities is a bluff to spur tougher sanctions, or a real warning. By ramping up its threat to attack Iran's nuclear development program, Israel appears to have galvanized international attention on an issue it has long sought to bring to the top of the global agenda. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:24:00 GMT +0800 LA Times http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/Hsh07ugBRRE/la-fg-egypt-american-arrests-20120206,0,3588123.story http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/middleeast/~3/Hsh07ugBRRE/la-fg-egypt-american-arrests-20120206,0,3588123.story The workers for U.S. based pro-democracy groups, including Sam LaHood, son of Cabinet official Ray LaHood, are accused of violating foreign funding laws. Relations between Washington and Cairo plummeted further Sunday when Egypt's military-controlled government announced that 19 Americans working for pro-democracy groups, including the son of a Cabinet official, would be ordered to stand trial on licensing and financial charges. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:31:00 GMT +0800 LA Times