The Times:
'The Israeli military is preparing itself to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government.
Among the steps taken to ready Israeli forces for what would be a risky raid requiring pinpoint aerial strikes are the acquisition of three Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft and regional missions to simulate the attack.
Two nationwide civil defence drills will help to prepare the public for the retaliation that Israel could face.
“Israel wants to know that if its forces were given the green light they could strike at Iran in a matter of days, even hours. They are making preparations on every level for this eventuality. The message to Iran is that the threat is not just words,” one senior defence official told The Times.
[...]
“We would not make the threat [against Iran] without the force to back it. There has been a recent move, a number of on-the-ground preparations, that indicate Israel's willingness to act,” said another official from Israel's intelligence community.
He added that it was unlikely that Israel would carry out the attack without receiving at least tacit approval from America, which has struck a more reconciliatory tone in dealing with Iran under its new administration.
[...]
Among recent preparations by the airforce was the Israeli attack of a weapons convoy in Sudan bound for militants in the Gaza Strip.
“Sudan was practice for the Israeli forces on a long-range attack,” Ronen Bergman, the author of The Secret War with Iran, said. “They wanted to see how they handled the transfer of information, hitting a moving target ... In that sense it was a rehearsal.”
[...]'
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Israel snubs UN Gaza war inquiry
Al Jazeera:
'An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson has confirmed to Al Jazeera that it will not co-operate with a United Nations investigation into alleged war crimes during the 22-day assault on the Gaza Strip.
[...]
The UN Human Rights Council has appointed Richard Goldstone, a South African judge and former UN war crimes prosecutor, to examine claims of human rights violations by both Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters during the conflict.
Israel has previously complained that the UN body is biased against it.
"The investigation has no moral ground since it decided even before it started who is guilty and of what," Yigal Palmor, a foreign ministry spokesman, said earlier this month.
Human rights groups have called for the UN investigation to look into allegations that the Israeli fired imprecise artillery and controversial white phosphorus shells in built-up neighbourhoods.
It is also expected to examine the indiscriminate firing of rockets into southern Israel by Palestinian fighters, Israel's stated reason for launching the offensive last December.
Sporadic rocket fire into Israel has continued since the war, and on Thursday Israel bombed a house in a Gaza refugee camp. No casualties were reported.
Goldstone's four-member team is expected to travel to the region in a few weeks' time and will issue a report to the council in July.
But Israel's refusal to work with the investigators raises questions about whether an adequate investigation can be completed.
However, Israel said that Goldstone, who is Jewish and has close ties to Israel, was not the problem.
[...]'
'An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson has confirmed to Al Jazeera that it will not co-operate with a United Nations investigation into alleged war crimes during the 22-day assault on the Gaza Strip.
[...]
The UN Human Rights Council has appointed Richard Goldstone, a South African judge and former UN war crimes prosecutor, to examine claims of human rights violations by both Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters during the conflict.
Israel has previously complained that the UN body is biased against it.
"The investigation has no moral ground since it decided even before it started who is guilty and of what," Yigal Palmor, a foreign ministry spokesman, said earlier this month.
Human rights groups have called for the UN investigation to look into allegations that the Israeli fired imprecise artillery and controversial white phosphorus shells in built-up neighbourhoods.
It is also expected to examine the indiscriminate firing of rockets into southern Israel by Palestinian fighters, Israel's stated reason for launching the offensive last December.
Sporadic rocket fire into Israel has continued since the war, and on Thursday Israel bombed a house in a Gaza refugee camp. No casualties were reported.
Goldstone's four-member team is expected to travel to the region in a few weeks' time and will issue a report to the council in July.
But Israel's refusal to work with the investigators raises questions about whether an adequate investigation can be completed.
However, Israel said that Goldstone, who is Jewish and has close ties to Israel, was not the problem.
[...]'
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Israeli air force shells a home in central Gaza
IMEMC:
Palestinian sources reported on Thursday at night that the Israeli Air Force fired a home east of Dir Al Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, completely destroying it.
The home belongs to resident Hasan Abu Safiyya, the sources added.
Medical sources reported no injuries, and added that the shelled home was empty.
After the shelling, the Israeli Air Force flew over Gaza causing panic among the residents who feared further strikes.
Palestinian sources reported on Thursday at night that the Israeli Air Force fired a home east of Dir Al Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, completely destroying it.
The home belongs to resident Hasan Abu Safiyya, the sources added.
Medical sources reported no injuries, and added that the shelled home was empty.
After the shelling, the Israeli Air Force flew over Gaza causing panic among the residents who feared further strikes.
The Israeli military kidnaps four civilians and attack kindergarten near Hebron
IMEMC:
The Israeli military kidnapped four Palestinian teenagers and attacked a kindergarten during invasions targeting villages near the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Thursday.
Local sources said Israeli troops invaded the village of Beit Ruosh, near Hebron, and searched homes. Troops left the village after kidnapping four teenagers. Another force attacked the village of Saffa, where troops searched homes, storming and ransacking a local kindergarten. The villagers said Israeli troops removed a Palestinian flag on the roof of the kindergarten before leaving.
The Israeli military kidnapped four Palestinian teenagers and attacked a kindergarten during invasions targeting villages near the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Thursday.
Local sources said Israeli troops invaded the village of Beit Ruosh, near Hebron, and searched homes. Troops left the village after kidnapping four teenagers. Another force attacked the village of Saffa, where troops searched homes, storming and ransacking a local kindergarten. The villagers said Israeli troops removed a Palestinian flag on the roof of the kindergarten before leaving.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Mossad, Foreign Intelligence Behind Egypt’s Incitement against Hezbollah
Al-Manar:
'At a time Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were still suffering from a shortage of humanitarian aids due to the Israeli siege along with the closure of the Rafah crossing that connects Gaza to the outer world through Egypt, Cairo is engaged in a late campaign against Hezbollah and its Secretary General who had called on the Egyptian regime to open the Rafah crossing for the stricken Palestinians.
Egypt continued its campaign against Hezbollah on the political, security and media levels amid expectations of a more aggressive tone in the coming days. So far, “confessions” made in the framework of investigations and interrogations with the Hezbollah operative in Egypt have been frivolous.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah revealed that the man arrested in Sinai was a Hezbollah member and that he was engaged in provide logistical support to the Palestinian resistance in Gaza. However Hezbollah firmly denied Egyptian regime allegations about a Hezbollah cell seeking to destabilize Egypt.
The timing of the Egyptian regime’s campaign is questionable especially that the detention of the Hezbollah operative had taken place even before the Israeli war on Gaza last year. Cairo had negatively reacted to Sayyed Nasrallah’s calls to open the Rafah crossing for Palestinians during the war that changed part of the political map in the Middle East.
Ever since the war ended, the Egyptian regime had begun to sense isolation within its Arab milieu. This notion was established in the most recent Arab Summit in Doha, where Egypt’s low representation did little to disrupt a reconciliation trend amongst Arab leaders.
On the wider scale, the Egyptian regime’s stature as a leading player and mediator to solve inter Arab differences seems to be fading, particularly after US President Barack Obama’s chose Turkey, not Egypt, to be the link between Washington and the Arab and Islamic worlds. Turkey had also played as a host for indirect talks between Israel and Syria before Damascus announced these talks over in the wake of the Israeli war on Gaza.
The recent hours have revealed an Israeli role in the Egyptian regime’s allegations and incitement against Hezbollah. In occupied Palestine, news emerged this week that foreign intelligence services - including Israel's Mossad - provided Egyptian authorities with intelligence and the claims against the Lebanese resistance movement, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz. Egypt's chief of intelligence, General Omar Suleiman, is a frequent visitor to Israel and the doors of his counterparts in Tel Aviv are always open, as are those of the Israeli Prime Minister's bureau.
Israeli President Shimon Peres has connected between the Egyptian allegations against Hezbollah and Iran and launched his personal attack against Sayyed Nasrallah.
Haaretz expressed Israel’s relief to the current situation and latest developments between Cairo and Hezbollah saying that Egyptian intelligence was constantly informing the Israeli intelligence on the course of investigations with the “Hezbollah cell”, adding that “Israel is profiting from Egypt-Hezbollah quarrel.”
Haaretz also said that “It is true that (Sayyed) Nasrallah is proving again that he is not afraid of confronting the leaders of big and strong countries but this conflict might also impact the upcoming elections in Lebanon. It is unlikely all voters will be happy about the affair, which highlights Iran's control over Hezbollah and creates tension between Beirut and Cairo.”
According to reports, Sayyed Nasrallah’s transparency and acknowledgment of supporting the Palestinians resistance as an obligation every Arab and Muslim should observe, will certainly raise Hezbollah’s popularity and admiration whether by his allies or his foes. On the international level, reactions from leading western powers have further confirmed the Egyptian regime’s politically motivated campaign against Hezbollah. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times Monday, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said “in recent years, the Western perception of Hezbollah has changed. Even governments have started to look for reasons to communicate and have relations with Hezbollah ... This indicates that the Islamic resistance has convinced the West it is a popular, authentic and important movement that cannot be ignored.”'
'At a time Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were still suffering from a shortage of humanitarian aids due to the Israeli siege along with the closure of the Rafah crossing that connects Gaza to the outer world through Egypt, Cairo is engaged in a late campaign against Hezbollah and its Secretary General who had called on the Egyptian regime to open the Rafah crossing for the stricken Palestinians.
Egypt continued its campaign against Hezbollah on the political, security and media levels amid expectations of a more aggressive tone in the coming days. So far, “confessions” made in the framework of investigations and interrogations with the Hezbollah operative in Egypt have been frivolous.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah revealed that the man arrested in Sinai was a Hezbollah member and that he was engaged in provide logistical support to the Palestinian resistance in Gaza. However Hezbollah firmly denied Egyptian regime allegations about a Hezbollah cell seeking to destabilize Egypt.
The timing of the Egyptian regime’s campaign is questionable especially that the detention of the Hezbollah operative had taken place even before the Israeli war on Gaza last year. Cairo had negatively reacted to Sayyed Nasrallah’s calls to open the Rafah crossing for Palestinians during the war that changed part of the political map in the Middle East.
Ever since the war ended, the Egyptian regime had begun to sense isolation within its Arab milieu. This notion was established in the most recent Arab Summit in Doha, where Egypt’s low representation did little to disrupt a reconciliation trend amongst Arab leaders.
On the wider scale, the Egyptian regime’s stature as a leading player and mediator to solve inter Arab differences seems to be fading, particularly after US President Barack Obama’s chose Turkey, not Egypt, to be the link between Washington and the Arab and Islamic worlds. Turkey had also played as a host for indirect talks between Israel and Syria before Damascus announced these talks over in the wake of the Israeli war on Gaza.
The recent hours have revealed an Israeli role in the Egyptian regime’s allegations and incitement against Hezbollah. In occupied Palestine, news emerged this week that foreign intelligence services - including Israel's Mossad - provided Egyptian authorities with intelligence and the claims against the Lebanese resistance movement, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz. Egypt's chief of intelligence, General Omar Suleiman, is a frequent visitor to Israel and the doors of his counterparts in Tel Aviv are always open, as are those of the Israeli Prime Minister's bureau.
Israeli President Shimon Peres has connected between the Egyptian allegations against Hezbollah and Iran and launched his personal attack against Sayyed Nasrallah.
Haaretz expressed Israel’s relief to the current situation and latest developments between Cairo and Hezbollah saying that Egyptian intelligence was constantly informing the Israeli intelligence on the course of investigations with the “Hezbollah cell”, adding that “Israel is profiting from Egypt-Hezbollah quarrel.”
Haaretz also said that “It is true that (Sayyed) Nasrallah is proving again that he is not afraid of confronting the leaders of big and strong countries but this conflict might also impact the upcoming elections in Lebanon. It is unlikely all voters will be happy about the affair, which highlights Iran's control over Hezbollah and creates tension between Beirut and Cairo.”
According to reports, Sayyed Nasrallah’s transparency and acknowledgment of supporting the Palestinians resistance as an obligation every Arab and Muslim should observe, will certainly raise Hezbollah’s popularity and admiration whether by his allies or his foes. On the international level, reactions from leading western powers have further confirmed the Egyptian regime’s politically motivated campaign against Hezbollah. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times Monday, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said “in recent years, the Western perception of Hezbollah has changed. Even governments have started to look for reasons to communicate and have relations with Hezbollah ... This indicates that the Islamic resistance has convinced the West it is a popular, authentic and important movement that cannot be ignored.”'
Sunday, April 12, 2009
The dark religious side of Israel
Gideon Levy:
'A few days after tens of thousands of Israelis raised their eyes to the heavens at dawn to honor "the return of the sun to the place it stood at creation," and millions of Israelis joyfully read out praise in the Passover Hagaddah for genocide - jihad by means of horrific plagues and drowning infants - it's time to admit it: We live in a religious country.
That's the case during this holiday, when in some places it's impossible to find leavened products, when the rabbinate seeks to install special computer programs at supermarkets to prevent the sale of leavened foods, when Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger asks Rabbi Yaakov Israel Ifergan to get his follower Nochi Dankner to install the program at his supermarkets, and when the cows of our country are on a leaven-free diet.
We must admit that this society has rather dark religious aspects. Foreigners landing in Israel might ask themselves what country they're in: Iran, Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia? In any case, it's not the liberal, secular and enlightened society it purports to be. Thieves' hands do not have to be hacked off or women's faces covered to be a religious country. Just as an occupying state, which controls 3.5 million people lacking basic civil rights, cannot call itself "the only democracy in the Middle East," so a country that has no bread for a week because of its religion cannot call itself secular and liberal.
[...]'
'A few days after tens of thousands of Israelis raised their eyes to the heavens at dawn to honor "the return of the sun to the place it stood at creation," and millions of Israelis joyfully read out praise in the Passover Hagaddah for genocide - jihad by means of horrific plagues and drowning infants - it's time to admit it: We live in a religious country.
That's the case during this holiday, when in some places it's impossible to find leavened products, when the rabbinate seeks to install special computer programs at supermarkets to prevent the sale of leavened foods, when Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger asks Rabbi Yaakov Israel Ifergan to get his follower Nochi Dankner to install the program at his supermarkets, and when the cows of our country are on a leaven-free diet.
We must admit that this society has rather dark religious aspects. Foreigners landing in Israel might ask themselves what country they're in: Iran, Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia? In any case, it's not the liberal, secular and enlightened society it purports to be. Thieves' hands do not have to be hacked off or women's faces covered to be a religious country. Just as an occupying state, which controls 3.5 million people lacking basic civil rights, cannot call itself "the only democracy in the Middle East," so a country that has no bread for a week because of its religion cannot call itself secular and liberal.
[...]'
Israel calls for assassination of Nasrallah
Press TV:
Israeli Transport Minister Yisrael Katz calls for the assassination of the chief of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah.
"Nasrallah deserves death and I hope that those who know what to do with him will act and give him what he deserves," AFP quoted the Israeli minister as saying on Sunday.
Kaztz is a close aide of hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahou.
Nasrallah's popularity in the world especially Muslim countries hit record high after a 33-day war between Israel and Hezbollah. Hezbollah managed to successfully resist against the well-equipped Israeli military.
Israeli military offensive killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly women and children.
The remarks by the Israeli minister is indicative of how Israel is panicked by the Hezbollah leader's political clout and the movement's military might.
Recently a top Israeli official Major-General Amos Yadlin said that Hezbollah has not given up plans to avenge the assassination of its military commander Imad Mughniyeh.
Mughniyeh was killed in a February 2008 car bombing in Damascus. While Israel denies any involvement in the attack, Hezbollah says it has evidence of Israel's role in the assassination.
Elaborating on how the new Israeli government is to deal with Hamas resistance group in the Gaza Strip, Kaztz also said that "rules of the game must change".
"We will soon set out a new policy. We should erect a wall between the Gaza Strip and Israel and we should no longer exercise the slightest responsibility for civil affairs in the Gaza Strip, such as allowing the passage of merchandise." He added.
"All responsibility for civil affairs must be exercised by Egypt," which controlled Gaza before Israel captured the tiny territory in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, Katz said.
Israeli Transport Minister Yisrael Katz calls for the assassination of the chief of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah.
"Nasrallah deserves death and I hope that those who know what to do with him will act and give him what he deserves," AFP quoted the Israeli minister as saying on Sunday.
Kaztz is a close aide of hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahou.
Nasrallah's popularity in the world especially Muslim countries hit record high after a 33-day war between Israel and Hezbollah. Hezbollah managed to successfully resist against the well-equipped Israeli military.
Israeli military offensive killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly women and children.
The remarks by the Israeli minister is indicative of how Israel is panicked by the Hezbollah leader's political clout and the movement's military might.
Recently a top Israeli official Major-General Amos Yadlin said that Hezbollah has not given up plans to avenge the assassination of its military commander Imad Mughniyeh.
Mughniyeh was killed in a February 2008 car bombing in Damascus. While Israel denies any involvement in the attack, Hezbollah says it has evidence of Israel's role in the assassination.
Elaborating on how the new Israeli government is to deal with Hamas resistance group in the Gaza Strip, Kaztz also said that "rules of the game must change".
"We will soon set out a new policy. We should erect a wall between the Gaza Strip and Israel and we should no longer exercise the slightest responsibility for civil affairs in the Gaza Strip, such as allowing the passage of merchandise." He added.
"All responsibility for civil affairs must be exercised by Egypt," which controlled Gaza before Israel captured the tiny territory in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, Katz said.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Egypt arrests 'Hezbollah agents'
Al Jazeera:
About 50 people are being interrogated by Egyptian prosecutors for allegedly being agents of Hezbollah, the Lebanese political movement, it has been revealed.
The group of Egyptians, Palestinians and Lebanese, who were arrested in mid-December, are being held on suspicion of supplying Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, with money, legal sources told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.
One Lebanese man is also accused of acting as a go-between for Hamas and Hezbollah.
[...]
If made official, it would also be the first time that individuals have been charged with belonging to Hezbollah, the Shia group that effectively controls parts of southern Lebanon and Beirut, the capital.
Cairo is keen to appear unwilling to condone money or aid reaching Hamas, which is the de-facto ruler of the occupied Palestinian Gaza Strip which borders Egypt.
Belonging to any external or regional organisation is considered a crime under Egyptian law, which is under a state of emergency - in place since 1981.
About 50 people are being interrogated by Egyptian prosecutors for allegedly being agents of Hezbollah, the Lebanese political movement, it has been revealed.
The group of Egyptians, Palestinians and Lebanese, who were arrested in mid-December, are being held on suspicion of supplying Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, with money, legal sources told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.
One Lebanese man is also accused of acting as a go-between for Hamas and Hezbollah.
[...]
If made official, it would also be the first time that individuals have been charged with belonging to Hezbollah, the Shia group that effectively controls parts of southern Lebanon and Beirut, the capital.
Cairo is keen to appear unwilling to condone money or aid reaching Hamas, which is the de-facto ruler of the occupied Palestinian Gaza Strip which borders Egypt.
Belonging to any external or regional organisation is considered a crime under Egyptian law, which is under a state of emergency - in place since 1981.
Armed settlers attack, injure 38 Palestinians; Teenager in critical condition
Maan News:
'Thirty-eight Palestinians were injured when armed Israeli settlers, backed by soldiers, rampaged through the West Bank village of Safa, north of Hebron on Wednesday morning.
According to medics at Al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron 11 Palestinians were shot with live bullets, five with rubber-coated metal bullets and another 15 were treated for the effects of teargas.
One Palestinian, 18-year-old Tha’er Aadi, is in critical condition after being shot in the neck. After undergoing surgery at Al-Ahli, he was transferred to the public hospital in the city of Ramallah.
One eyewitness said that some 25 settlers from the nearby settlement Bat Ayin approached Palestinian houses and began shooting randomly. He said that Israeli military patrols were present, and watched the settlers shooting without stopping them.
Soldiers fired gunshots and tear gas canisters in order to prevent local youths from confronting the settlers, one witness said.
Neighboring villages called on for help
Calls were heard through mosque loudspeakers in the neighboring Palestinian towns of Beit Ummar and Surif asking residents to head to Safa and help protect its people from the rampaging settlers. Hundreds of youths responded to the call.
When the youth arrived Israeli troops intervened and restrained the settlers, making sure they returned their settlement unharmed. Local sources said that the settlers stole cattle as they left Safa.
Medics at Al-Ahli Hospital named some of the injured:
31-year-old Ammar Abu Dayya who was shot in the thigh,
26-year-old Suheil Abu Dayya, shot in the foot,
26-year-old Muhammad Khlayyil, also shot in the thigh,
35-year-old Walid Khlayyil, shot in the foot, and
24-year-old Muhammad Khlayyil
[...]'
'Thirty-eight Palestinians were injured when armed Israeli settlers, backed by soldiers, rampaged through the West Bank village of Safa, north of Hebron on Wednesday morning.
According to medics at Al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron 11 Palestinians were shot with live bullets, five with rubber-coated metal bullets and another 15 were treated for the effects of teargas.
One Palestinian, 18-year-old Tha’er Aadi, is in critical condition after being shot in the neck. After undergoing surgery at Al-Ahli, he was transferred to the public hospital in the city of Ramallah.
One eyewitness said that some 25 settlers from the nearby settlement Bat Ayin approached Palestinian houses and began shooting randomly. He said that Israeli military patrols were present, and watched the settlers shooting without stopping them.
Soldiers fired gunshots and tear gas canisters in order to prevent local youths from confronting the settlers, one witness said.
Neighboring villages called on for help
Calls were heard through mosque loudspeakers in the neighboring Palestinian towns of Beit Ummar and Surif asking residents to head to Safa and help protect its people from the rampaging settlers. Hundreds of youths responded to the call.
When the youth arrived Israeli troops intervened and restrained the settlers, making sure they returned their settlement unharmed. Local sources said that the settlers stole cattle as they left Safa.
Medics at Al-Ahli Hospital named some of the injured:
31-year-old Ammar Abu Dayya who was shot in the thigh,
26-year-old Suheil Abu Dayya, shot in the foot,
26-year-old Muhammad Khlayyil, also shot in the thigh,
35-year-old Walid Khlayyil, shot in the foot, and
24-year-old Muhammad Khlayyil
[...]'
Settler violence on the rise in Hebron
ISM Palestine:
Violence from illegal Israeli settlers directed at Palestinian residents in Hebron is an almost everyday occurrence. Recently however, several incidents indicate that settler violence in the city is increasing. On the 4th of April at around 3pm, Shah Aiwa, a 7-year-old Palestinian boy, was injured in his head after having stones thrown at him by settler children. The stoning occurred near the boy’s home in the old city, next to Beit Romano settlement. Shah was playing with another child when two settler boys started throwing stones at them from a nearby roof. According to both Shah and eyewitnesses who gathered at the scene, incidents like this are very common, happening 5 to 6 times a week. The stone that hit Shah on the head weighed over a kilo, and the injury he received required attention by medical staff from Hebron hospital.
In a separate incident that same day, 17 Palestinian cars were damaged from stones thrown by settlers from Kiryat Arba. Israeli soldiers were present and witnessed the vandalism, but did nothing to prevent it. Recently, some Palestinian residences in that area have also had windows smashed from settler stones. Testimonials from residents suggest that the violence from Kiryat Arba settlers has risen in recent weeks.
Additionally, in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of the city, several houses have been attacked by settlers at night. The residents of these houses say that 20 masked settlers descended on their homes at around 10pm on the 4th of April. Settlers threw stones at the windows, breaking at least three of them. At around 8pm that same night, a 28-year-old Palestinian resident was beaten by settlers in front of his house. The man sustained two broken bones in his wrist and a large cut near his eye as a result of the beating. A civilian observer with TIPH (Temporary International Presence in Hebron) was also attacked by settlers while he was walking in al-Shuhada street on the 4th of April.
Violence from illegal Israeli settlers directed at Palestinian residents in Hebron is an almost everyday occurrence. Recently however, several incidents indicate that settler violence in the city is increasing. On the 4th of April at around 3pm, Shah Aiwa, a 7-year-old Palestinian boy, was injured in his head after having stones thrown at him by settler children. The stoning occurred near the boy’s home in the old city, next to Beit Romano settlement. Shah was playing with another child when two settler boys started throwing stones at them from a nearby roof. According to both Shah and eyewitnesses who gathered at the scene, incidents like this are very common, happening 5 to 6 times a week. The stone that hit Shah on the head weighed over a kilo, and the injury he received required attention by medical staff from Hebron hospital.
In a separate incident that same day, 17 Palestinian cars were damaged from stones thrown by settlers from Kiryat Arba. Israeli soldiers were present and witnessed the vandalism, but did nothing to prevent it. Recently, some Palestinian residences in that area have also had windows smashed from settler stones. Testimonials from residents suggest that the violence from Kiryat Arba settlers has risen in recent weeks.
Additionally, in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of the city, several houses have been attacked by settlers at night. The residents of these houses say that 20 masked settlers descended on their homes at around 10pm on the 4th of April. Settlers threw stones at the windows, breaking at least three of them. At around 8pm that same night, a 28-year-old Palestinian resident was beaten by settlers in front of his house. The man sustained two broken bones in his wrist and a large cut near his eye as a result of the beating. A civilian observer with TIPH (Temporary International Presence in Hebron) was also attacked by settlers while he was walking in al-Shuhada street on the 4th of April.
Israeli Army Planning Largest-Ever Drill to Prepare Israel for War
Paltoday:
Occupied Jerusalem - paltoday - The Home Front Command is preparing to hold the largest exercise ever in Israeli history, scheduled to take place in about two months, in hopes of priming the populace and raising awareness of the possibility of war breaking out.
Should there be a war, Israel would have insufficient emergency and rescue response units, according to a senior Home Front Command officer.
Speaking with Israeli daily Haaretz, Col. Hilik Sofer, who is in charge of the Department for Population at the Home Front Command, said that "in wartime there will be insufficient Magen David Adom, rescue and chemical and biological warfare units. Even if we call up the reserves of the Home Front Command, we will have to rely on the population itself."
"We need to train for a reality in which during war missiles can fall on any part of the country without warning," he said.
The Home Front Command is hoping to convince the population that in a future war the entire country can become a front without warning.
The aim of the nationwide drill, Sofer said, "is to transform the population from a passive to an active one. We want the citizens to understand that war can happen tomorrow morning."
The exercise is scheduled to last an entire week and test a series of scenarios that include missile strikes with conventional and non-conventional warheads, fired by Hezbollah, Syria or Hamas.
Sofer emphasized that in time of war the settlers will be required to mostly rely on themselves. In emergency situations, the policy of the Israeli occupation army and the Israeli war Ministry is not to carry out mass evacuations of settlers, even in areas that are close to the border with territory controlled by Hezbollah and Hamas.
Officers in the Home Front Command insist that they are not trying to scare anyone beyond a "healthy sense of fear," according to Sofer. In an effort to blunt the severity of the message, the command has prepared an information campaign that is based on questions of children. For the ultra-Orthodox who do not watch television, CDs with information will be distributed, and instructions will also come in Yiddish.
"The entire population will participate in the exercise, not only the schools - everyone," Sofer said. "We will all need to practice for the short warning that we will have to seek shelter from the moment missiles begin falling."
Each area will be given a listing with the warning time available to it, and magnets will be printed with the information that can be put it on fridge doors. Knowing that Tel Aviv settlers have two minutes to prepare for impact will, the command hopes, encourage people to prepare a family emergency pack with a flashlight, bottled water, a radio and batteries.
Occupied Jerusalem - paltoday - The Home Front Command is preparing to hold the largest exercise ever in Israeli history, scheduled to take place in about two months, in hopes of priming the populace and raising awareness of the possibility of war breaking out.
Should there be a war, Israel would have insufficient emergency and rescue response units, according to a senior Home Front Command officer.
Speaking with Israeli daily Haaretz, Col. Hilik Sofer, who is in charge of the Department for Population at the Home Front Command, said that "in wartime there will be insufficient Magen David Adom, rescue and chemical and biological warfare units. Even if we call up the reserves of the Home Front Command, we will have to rely on the population itself."
"We need to train for a reality in which during war missiles can fall on any part of the country without warning," he said.
The Home Front Command is hoping to convince the population that in a future war the entire country can become a front without warning.
The aim of the nationwide drill, Sofer said, "is to transform the population from a passive to an active one. We want the citizens to understand that war can happen tomorrow morning."
The exercise is scheduled to last an entire week and test a series of scenarios that include missile strikes with conventional and non-conventional warheads, fired by Hezbollah, Syria or Hamas.
Sofer emphasized that in time of war the settlers will be required to mostly rely on themselves. In emergency situations, the policy of the Israeli occupation army and the Israeli war Ministry is not to carry out mass evacuations of settlers, even in areas that are close to the border with territory controlled by Hezbollah and Hamas.
Officers in the Home Front Command insist that they are not trying to scare anyone beyond a "healthy sense of fear," according to Sofer. In an effort to blunt the severity of the message, the command has prepared an information campaign that is based on questions of children. For the ultra-Orthodox who do not watch television, CDs with information will be distributed, and instructions will also come in Yiddish.
"The entire population will participate in the exercise, not only the schools - everyone," Sofer said. "We will all need to practice for the short warning that we will have to seek shelter from the moment missiles begin falling."
Each area will be given a listing with the warning time available to it, and magnets will be printed with the information that can be put it on fridge doors. Knowing that Tel Aviv settlers have two minutes to prepare for impact will, the command hopes, encourage people to prepare a family emergency pack with a flashlight, bottled water, a radio and batteries.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The Israeli army kidnaps 12 civilians from Hebron
IMEMC:
At least 12 Palestinian men where kidnapped on Tuesday during pre dawn Israeli military invasions targeting the southern West Bank city of Hebron and nearby villages.
Local sources said that Israeli troops invaded and searched homes in the old city of Hebron, Dura and Yatta villages and the nearby Al Fouar refugee camp.
Witnesses said troops took those men to Atzion military base for interrogation, the army said all kidnapped are on the "Wanted List".
At least 12 Palestinian men where kidnapped on Tuesday during pre dawn Israeli military invasions targeting the southern West Bank city of Hebron and nearby villages.
Local sources said that Israeli troops invaded and searched homes in the old city of Hebron, Dura and Yatta villages and the nearby Al Fouar refugee camp.
Witnesses said troops took those men to Atzion military base for interrogation, the army said all kidnapped are on the "Wanted List".
IRAQ: Whither the Palestinian minority?
IRIN:
BAGHDAD, 7 April 2009 (IRIN) - The remaining estimated 14,000 Palestinians in Iraq or holed up in camps on the Iraqi-Syrian border still face a precarious existence, despite a slowly improving security situation, say observers.
During a recent visit to Iraq in a bid to improve their plight, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked the Iraqi government to issue Palestinian refugees with internationally recognised passports rather than Iraqi travel documents, a Palestinian diplomat told IRIN on 5 April.
Iraq has been issuing travel documents to Palestinians since 1948 “when they were exiled from Palestine”, said the Palestinian chargé d’affaires in Baghdad, Dalil al-Qasous.
According to al-Qasous, the options proposed were: an Iraqi passport; an Iraqi passport with a specific mark or number to indicate Palestinian origin; a Palestinian passport issued by the Palestinian Authority.
During his visit, Abbas also called for the release of 49 Palestinian refugees in Iraqi custody who had been arrested for various reasons since 2003, al-Qasous said.
“Our Iraqi brothers have promised they will mull these demands and offer all necessary help to all Palestinian refugees in Iraq,” al-Qasous said.
The Palestinians in question he said, comprised some 3,000 stranded in two makeshift camps on the Iraqi-Syrian border, and about 11,000 living in Baghdad and the provinces of Mosul and Basra.
Sceptical
News of Abbas’s efforts were welcomed by O.A., a 24-year-old Palestinian refugee in Baghdad’s eastern Baladiyat neighbourhood who preferred anonymity, but he was not optimistic of rapid improvements.
“We’ve been hearing such statements and promises since 2003 and nothing has happened. Instead, our life and situation have deteriorated.”
[...]
Some 35,000 stateless Palestinians were living in Iraq before 2003, but many were intimidated or attacked by armed groups who accused them of loyalty to the Saddam Hussein regime. Killings, abductions and persecution have forced thousands to flee to Jordan and Syria, while others fled to makeshift refugee camps. A few have managed to get resettled abroad.
BAGHDAD, 7 April 2009 (IRIN) - The remaining estimated 14,000 Palestinians in Iraq or holed up in camps on the Iraqi-Syrian border still face a precarious existence, despite a slowly improving security situation, say observers.
During a recent visit to Iraq in a bid to improve their plight, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked the Iraqi government to issue Palestinian refugees with internationally recognised passports rather than Iraqi travel documents, a Palestinian diplomat told IRIN on 5 April.
Iraq has been issuing travel documents to Palestinians since 1948 “when they were exiled from Palestine”, said the Palestinian chargé d’affaires in Baghdad, Dalil al-Qasous.
According to al-Qasous, the options proposed were: an Iraqi passport; an Iraqi passport with a specific mark or number to indicate Palestinian origin; a Palestinian passport issued by the Palestinian Authority.
During his visit, Abbas also called for the release of 49 Palestinian refugees in Iraqi custody who had been arrested for various reasons since 2003, al-Qasous said.
“Our Iraqi brothers have promised they will mull these demands and offer all necessary help to all Palestinian refugees in Iraq,” al-Qasous said.
The Palestinians in question he said, comprised some 3,000 stranded in two makeshift camps on the Iraqi-Syrian border, and about 11,000 living in Baghdad and the provinces of Mosul and Basra.
Sceptical
News of Abbas’s efforts were welcomed by O.A., a 24-year-old Palestinian refugee in Baghdad’s eastern Baladiyat neighbourhood who preferred anonymity, but he was not optimistic of rapid improvements.
“We’ve been hearing such statements and promises since 2003 and nothing has happened. Instead, our life and situation have deteriorated.”
[...]
Some 35,000 stateless Palestinians were living in Iraq before 2003, but many were intimidated or attacked by armed groups who accused them of loyalty to the Saddam Hussein regime. Killings, abductions and persecution have forced thousands to flee to Jordan and Syria, while others fled to makeshift refugee camps. A few have managed to get resettled abroad.
Israel created 'terror without mercy' in Gaza
The Guardian:
The Israeli military attacked civilians and medics and delayed - sometimes for hours - the evacuation of the injured during the January war in Gaza, according to an independent fact-finding mission commissioned by Israeli and Palestinian medical human rights groups.
The Israeli military attacked civilians and medics and delayed - sometimes for hours - the evacuation of the injured during the January war in Gaza, according to an independent fact-finding mission commissioned by Israeli and Palestinian medical human rights groups.
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel and the Palestinian Medical Relief Society yesterday said their findings showed Israel's military committed serious violations of international humanitarian law. In their 92-page report, compiled by five senior health experts from across the world, they documented several specific attacks, with interviews from 44 separate witnesses.
Human rights groups have accused Israel's military, as well as Palestinian militants in Gaza, of war crimes. "The underlying meaning of the attack on the Gaza Strip, or at least its final consequence, appears to be one of creating terror without mercy to anyone," the report said.
In one incident, the researchers found a Palestinian, Muhammad Shurrab, 64, and his sons Qassab, 28, and Ibrahim, 18, were shot by Israeli troops at close range without warning on 16 January during a ceasefire. Qassab was hit in the face and died soon after. Ibrahim was hit in the leg. The soldiers refused to give medical aid, and only after 23 hours was an ambulance allowed to approach, by which time Ibrahim was also dead.
Yohanna Lerman, a lawyer with the medical rights groups, said although their report was a preliminary investigation this one case alone was enough to indict Israel's political and military leaders.
The Israeli military has said it does not target civilians and is conducting its own investigations into some cases arising from the war.
Palestinian shot dead after demolition of home of Jerusalem ‘bulldozer attacker’
Maan News:
A Palestinian man was shot dead on Tuesday by Israeli border guards at a checkpoint near the now-demolished East Jerusalem family home of a slain construction worker who went on a deadly bulldozer rampage last summer.
A man identified as 20-year-old Iyad Azmi Uweisat was killed while driving near the checkpoint. Israeli soldiers and police officers were deployed in the area where Israeli forces were demolishing the Dwayat family home in the East Jerusalem town of Sur Bahir Tuesday afternoon.
The Israeli police said they shot Uweisat when he intentionally ploughed his car into the officers, lightly injuring three of them in the legs.
Police later raided Uweisat's home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal Mukkabir. Uweisat was a cleaning worker at Hadassa Hospital.
Local sources in Sur Bahir said it was likely the man was provoked, noting that soldiers had been assaulting and goading residents throughout the morning.
Earlier in the day soldiers forcibly evacuated the family of the first Jerusalem “bulldozer attacker” Husam Taysir Dwayat following the signing of an eviction and demolition order last month.
Uweisat reportedly drove his small car into the area, lightly injuring three Israeli soldiers, who answered the attack with several direct shots to the young man. He died shortly after receiving the injuries, and was not evacuated to hospital.
Uweisat died in the same way as Dwayat, who was behind the wheel of the bulldozer that ran into a bus and civilian car near Yaffa Street in Jerusalem on 2 July. The 30-year-old construction worker from East Jerusalem was shot by three different passersby on sight. His family maintained that the incident must have been an accident. A second “bulldozer attack” occurred on 22 July, and a third incident involving a tractor occurred on 6 March 2009.
[...]
Israel is justifying the “deterrent demolition” under the British mandate law number 119 (1945) which allows the demolition of the homes of those acting aggressively against the state.
A Palestinian man was shot dead on Tuesday by Israeli border guards at a checkpoint near the now-demolished East Jerusalem family home of a slain construction worker who went on a deadly bulldozer rampage last summer.
A man identified as 20-year-old Iyad Azmi Uweisat was killed while driving near the checkpoint. Israeli soldiers and police officers were deployed in the area where Israeli forces were demolishing the Dwayat family home in the East Jerusalem town of Sur Bahir Tuesday afternoon.
The Israeli police said they shot Uweisat when he intentionally ploughed his car into the officers, lightly injuring three of them in the legs.
Police later raided Uweisat's home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal Mukkabir. Uweisat was a cleaning worker at Hadassa Hospital.
Local sources in Sur Bahir said it was likely the man was provoked, noting that soldiers had been assaulting and goading residents throughout the morning.
Earlier in the day soldiers forcibly evacuated the family of the first Jerusalem “bulldozer attacker” Husam Taysir Dwayat following the signing of an eviction and demolition order last month.
Uweisat reportedly drove his small car into the area, lightly injuring three Israeli soldiers, who answered the attack with several direct shots to the young man. He died shortly after receiving the injuries, and was not evacuated to hospital.
Uweisat died in the same way as Dwayat, who was behind the wheel of the bulldozer that ran into a bus and civilian car near Yaffa Street in Jerusalem on 2 July. The 30-year-old construction worker from East Jerusalem was shot by three different passersby on sight. His family maintained that the incident must have been an accident. A second “bulldozer attack” occurred on 22 July, and a third incident involving a tractor occurred on 6 March 2009.
[...]
Israel is justifying the “deterrent demolition” under the British mandate law number 119 (1945) which allows the demolition of the homes of those acting aggressively against the state.
Netanyahu invited to Egypt
IMEMC:
Israeli sources reported late on Monday at night that Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, received an invitation from the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, to visit the country and hold talks.
The report on the invitation comes while the relations between Israel and Egypt experienced a rift following the new Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, publicly cursed the Egyptian President for not visiting Israel.
Netanyahu’s office reported that Netanyahu and Mubarak held a phone conversation, and Mubarak invited Netanyahu for talks at the Egyptian resort of Sharm Al Sheik. The two leaders did not set a date for the visit.
Meanwhile, the official Egyptian news agency stated that the conversation between the two leaders did not include an invitation, adding that the two leaders claimed to be determined to work for peace despite the recent tension caused by the statements of Lieberman, who also said that Israel should not be committed to previously signed peace deals.
Egypt is still boycotting Lieberman for cursing Mubarak. The offensive remarks of Lieberman were made last year.
The Israeli elections were held February 17 this year, and brought to power an extremist right-wing government.
Israel and Egypt are said to be determined to strengthen their ties.
It is worth mentioning that Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel. The treaty was signed in Washington DC on March 26, 1979.
Israeli sources reported late on Monday at night that Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, received an invitation from the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, to visit the country and hold talks.
The report on the invitation comes while the relations between Israel and Egypt experienced a rift following the new Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, publicly cursed the Egyptian President for not visiting Israel.
Netanyahu’s office reported that Netanyahu and Mubarak held a phone conversation, and Mubarak invited Netanyahu for talks at the Egyptian resort of Sharm Al Sheik. The two leaders did not set a date for the visit.
Meanwhile, the official Egyptian news agency stated that the conversation between the two leaders did not include an invitation, adding that the two leaders claimed to be determined to work for peace despite the recent tension caused by the statements of Lieberman, who also said that Israel should not be committed to previously signed peace deals.
Egypt is still boycotting Lieberman for cursing Mubarak. The offensive remarks of Lieberman were made last year.
The Israeli elections were held February 17 this year, and brought to power an extremist right-wing government.
Israel and Egypt are said to be determined to strengthen their ties.
It is worth mentioning that Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel. The treaty was signed in Washington DC on March 26, 1979.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Israeli MANIACS Attack Palestinian Civilians
Palestine Telegraph:
Jerusalem, April 6, 2009 (Pal Telegraph) - As part of the ongoing Israeli measures in Jerusalem, hundreds of Israeli settlers attacked Al-Sadya neighborhood in east Jerusalem. The attackers tried to storm houses of the Al Jabir family.
Bloody clashes erupted in the area as the settlers, backed by the Israeli army, surprisingly came into the area on Sunday evening. Hundreds of Palestinians gathered to challenge the settlers who tried to advance into the area.
Israel escalated its repressive bloody actions as the new fundamentalist mayor, Nir Barka, recently took office.
The settlers attacks resulted in 10 Palestinians wounded and 4 Palestinians captured by the Israeli army.
The mayor has requested the demolition of tens of Palestinian houses in Kafir Silwad to minimize the Palestinian polulation of occupied Jerusalem.
More than 150 Israeli settlers armed with guns and heavy military equiptment attacked Hebron city. Many houses were stormed in towns of Jabir, Wadi Nasara and Wadi Ehsan near the holy mosque of Abarahm.
Four Palestinian shops were occupied by maniac settlers in the old market of Hebron City. Dogs, animals and other means are being used by Israeli settlers to force Palestinians into leaving their houses.
Thousands of Hectares of Palestinian land were confiscated as successive Israeli governments implemented plans of Judaizing Jerusalem. Thousands of houses were occupied and tens of Israeli settlers forcibly dwelled in the occupied houses.
Haaretz said that new rightist Israeli government plans to encourage settlement expansion across the West Bank and Jerusalem. It's expected that a new big plan will be set into practice. It's an effort to tie the Malli Admim settlement and occupied Jerusalem. The plan which included more than 3600 housing units was frozen after strong pressure from the U.S. government.
Jerusalem, April 6, 2009 (Pal Telegraph) - As part of the ongoing Israeli measures in Jerusalem, hundreds of Israeli settlers attacked Al-Sadya neighborhood in east Jerusalem. The attackers tried to storm houses of the Al Jabir family.
Bloody clashes erupted in the area as the settlers, backed by the Israeli army, surprisingly came into the area on Sunday evening. Hundreds of Palestinians gathered to challenge the settlers who tried to advance into the area.
Israel escalated its repressive bloody actions as the new fundamentalist mayor, Nir Barka, recently took office.
The settlers attacks resulted in 10 Palestinians wounded and 4 Palestinians captured by the Israeli army.
The mayor has requested the demolition of tens of Palestinian houses in Kafir Silwad to minimize the Palestinian polulation of occupied Jerusalem.
More than 150 Israeli settlers armed with guns and heavy military equiptment attacked Hebron city. Many houses were stormed in towns of Jabir, Wadi Nasara and Wadi Ehsan near the holy mosque of Abarahm.
Four Palestinian shops were occupied by maniac settlers in the old market of Hebron City. Dogs, animals and other means are being used by Israeli settlers to force Palestinians into leaving their houses.
Thousands of Hectares of Palestinian land were confiscated as successive Israeli governments implemented plans of Judaizing Jerusalem. Thousands of houses were occupied and tens of Israeli settlers forcibly dwelled in the occupied houses.
Haaretz said that new rightist Israeli government plans to encourage settlement expansion across the West Bank and Jerusalem. It's expected that a new big plan will be set into practice. It's an effort to tie the Malli Admim settlement and occupied Jerusalem. The plan which included more than 3600 housing units was frozen after strong pressure from the U.S. government.
Zionist propaganda
Angry Arab:
"The Palestine Arabs enjoyed the support of the vast hinterland of Arab states, who, though in niggardly fashion, sent arms, money and, between December 1947 and February 1948, a 4,000-strong force of relatively well-equipped volunteers, most of them Syrians and Iraqis, known as the Arab Liberation Army (ALA). The ALA had medium and heavy mortars, armored cars, and, by April, half a dozen field pieces. In addition, hundreds of lightly armed Muslim Brotherhood volunteers arrived in southern Palestine from North Africa." Zionist propaganda needs to be updated. They never stop talking about the "seven Arab armies" and the "volunteers" when in reality, at the height of the conflict the ratio of armed men was 3 to 1 to the advantage of the Zionists who were superior in weapons and training. And the rag tag Arab armies were so poorly prepared and (dis)organized that they often shot at one other for lack of coordination.
"The Palestine Arabs enjoyed the support of the vast hinterland of Arab states, who, though in niggardly fashion, sent arms, money and, between December 1947 and February 1948, a 4,000-strong force of relatively well-equipped volunteers, most of them Syrians and Iraqis, known as the Arab Liberation Army (ALA). The ALA had medium and heavy mortars, armored cars, and, by April, half a dozen field pieces. In addition, hundreds of lightly armed Muslim Brotherhood volunteers arrived in southern Palestine from North Africa." Zionist propaganda needs to be updated. They never stop talking about the "seven Arab armies" and the "volunteers" when in reality, at the height of the conflict the ratio of armed men was 3 to 1 to the advantage of the Zionists who were superior in weapons and training. And the rag tag Arab armies were so poorly prepared and (dis)organized that they often shot at one other for lack of coordination.
Israeli high court upholds eviction of Palestinians from Jerusalem homes
Maan News:
The Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition by two Palestinian families challenging their eviction from their houses in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Sunday.
The Hanoun and Al-Ghawi families had appealed a decision by the Israeli Central Court which also denied their right to remain in their homes. The families’ lawyer, Husni Abu Hussein presented Ottoman-era documents proving the family’s ownership of the land.
The court rejected the Palestinians’ claims, siding with Israeli settlers who also claim the land.
A top Palestinian Authority official on Jerusalem Affairs, Hatem Abdul Qader, said that the ruling marked a “black day” for the high court, proving that the court is controlled by the Israeli state. He said the Palestinian authorities would approach international courts with the case.
The Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition by two Palestinian families challenging their eviction from their houses in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Sunday.
The Hanoun and Al-Ghawi families had appealed a decision by the Israeli Central Court which also denied their right to remain in their homes. The families’ lawyer, Husni Abu Hussein presented Ottoman-era documents proving the family’s ownership of the land.
The court rejected the Palestinians’ claims, siding with Israeli settlers who also claim the land.
A top Palestinian Authority official on Jerusalem Affairs, Hatem Abdul Qader, said that the ruling marked a “black day” for the high court, proving that the court is controlled by the Israeli state. He said the Palestinian authorities would approach international courts with the case.
Focus on Gaza - Legacy of war
Al Jazeera:
Focus on Gaza takes a closer look at one deadly legacy of the war on Gaza - unexploded munitions. Plus, we examine the obstacles facing young Gazans as they attempt to pursue an education.
Focus on Gaza takes a closer look at one deadly legacy of the war on Gaza - unexploded munitions. Plus, we examine the obstacles facing young Gazans as they attempt to pursue an education.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
PFLP slams Fateh and Hamas for their inability to achieve reconciliation
Paltoday News:
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) slammed on Thursday Fateh and Hamas movements for failing to achieve reconciliation, and demanded the two factions achieve a deal that ends the internal rifts and restores unity.
The PFLP’s statement came in a speech by Qasim Hassanen, a political leader of the front, who addressed thousands of Palestinians marching in Gaza for unity, and said that Hamas and Fateh must achieve a deal in their ongoing Cairo talks.
Political figures, civil society figures, men and women, marched towards the Salah Ed Deen Gate area, which separates between the Palestinian and Egyptian sides of Rafah.
Hassanen added that “there is no winner in internal conflicts”, and that Palestine needs unity and struggle against the occupation, not rifts and internal divisions.
The PFLP stated that the Palestinian people are the ones who are steadfast, living under siege in Gaza without medicine, fuels and food supplies, and under ongoing Israel attacks.
“They are watching you; they are following your news, they want you to achieve unity”, the Hassanen said, “In spite of Israeli attacks against civilians, the detention of thousands of civilians by Israel, they are steadfast and want unity”.
He added that the PFLP will continue pressuring Hamas and Fateh in order to end their rifts and to regain unity.
Hassanen called on the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to stop all sorts of coordination with Israel and to build professional security devices, and demanded Fateh and Hamas to stop the arrest campaigns in Gaza and the West Bank, and called for the release of all political prisoners.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) slammed on Thursday Fateh and Hamas movements for failing to achieve reconciliation, and demanded the two factions achieve a deal that ends the internal rifts and restores unity.
The PFLP’s statement came in a speech by Qasim Hassanen, a political leader of the front, who addressed thousands of Palestinians marching in Gaza for unity, and said that Hamas and Fateh must achieve a deal in their ongoing Cairo talks.
Political figures, civil society figures, men and women, marched towards the Salah Ed Deen Gate area, which separates between the Palestinian and Egyptian sides of Rafah.
Hassanen added that “there is no winner in internal conflicts”, and that Palestine needs unity and struggle against the occupation, not rifts and internal divisions.
The PFLP stated that the Palestinian people are the ones who are steadfast, living under siege in Gaza without medicine, fuels and food supplies, and under ongoing Israel attacks.
“They are watching you; they are following your news, they want you to achieve unity”, the Hassanen said, “In spite of Israeli attacks against civilians, the detention of thousands of civilians by Israel, they are steadfast and want unity”.
He added that the PFLP will continue pressuring Hamas and Fateh in order to end their rifts and to regain unity.
Hassanen called on the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to stop all sorts of coordination with Israel and to build professional security devices, and demanded Fateh and Hamas to stop the arrest campaigns in Gaza and the West Bank, and called for the release of all political prisoners.
Sixteen year old girl shot dead in Be’er Shiva
IMEMC:
Israeli army sources reported on Saturday that a 16-year Bedouin old girl was shot and killed by the soldiers when she opened fire at a military post in southern Israel.
The sources added that Basma Awwad Al Nabary, 16, from Hora town, near Be’er Shiva, approached the gate of a military based with a gun and opened fire at soldiers. Soldiers fired back and she then ran away and took cover.
Army sources claimed that an officer ordered her to surrender but she opened fire once again and the officer shot her dead.
The army reported no injuries among the soldiers, and added that Al Nabary fired four to five rounds from a FN-type handgun, Israeli Ynet said.
The Ynet added that the Israeli police believe that the girl was sent by the Islamic Jihad in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
After the incident, soldiers closed the area and initiated a search campaign as they believe that the young woman had accomplices.
On Saturday morning, Israeli soldiers shot and killed two Palestinian gunmen who attempted to infiltrate into Kfar Azza Kibbutz, near the electronic fence in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
The army said that Mohammad Al Hamaida, 23, and Jamil Qaffa, 26, from Khan Younis refugee camp, were killed in the ensuing gun battle and that the army found an explosive device near them.
Israeli army sources reported on Saturday that a 16-year Bedouin old girl was shot and killed by the soldiers when she opened fire at a military post in southern Israel.
The sources added that Basma Awwad Al Nabary, 16, from Hora town, near Be’er Shiva, approached the gate of a military based with a gun and opened fire at soldiers. Soldiers fired back and she then ran away and took cover.
Army sources claimed that an officer ordered her to surrender but she opened fire once again and the officer shot her dead.
The army reported no injuries among the soldiers, and added that Al Nabary fired four to five rounds from a FN-type handgun, Israeli Ynet said.
The Ynet added that the Israeli police believe that the girl was sent by the Islamic Jihad in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
After the incident, soldiers closed the area and initiated a search campaign as they believe that the young woman had accomplices.
On Saturday morning, Israeli soldiers shot and killed two Palestinian gunmen who attempted to infiltrate into Kfar Azza Kibbutz, near the electronic fence in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
The army said that Mohammad Al Hamaida, 23, and Jamil Qaffa, 26, from Khan Younis refugee camp, were killed in the ensuing gun battle and that the army found an explosive device near them.
Boy in critical condition after shot in head by Israeli troops
Maan News:
A Palestinian teenager was seriously injured by a rubber-coated bullet fired by Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Qalqiliya on Saturday.
The boy, 14-year-old Imad Ash-Shanti, was reportedly struck in the head.
Palestinian security sources told Ma'an that three Israeli armored vehicles invaded the southeastern section of Qalqiliya on Saturday, after which Palestinian youth threw stones and empty bottles at soldiers, who fired on them.
Ash-Shanti was evacuated to a UN hospital nearby, where his condition was described as serious.
A Palestinian teenager was seriously injured by a rubber-coated bullet fired by Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Qalqiliya on Saturday.
The boy, 14-year-old Imad Ash-Shanti, was reportedly struck in the head.
Palestinian security sources told Ma'an that three Israeli armored vehicles invaded the southeastern section of Qalqiliya on Saturday, after which Palestinian youth threw stones and empty bottles at soldiers, who fired on them.
Ash-Shanti was evacuated to a UN hospital nearby, where his condition was described as serious.
Israeli reprisals fail to blackmail Palestinian resistance (Report)
PIC:
The Israeli government was not satisfied with merely scuttling the negotiations to exchange Palestinian prisoners for their captured soldier, Gilad Shalit, which Egypt had been mediating. Nor did it stop at blaming Hamas for the failure of the talks. Rather, it embarked upon a series of steps to take vengeance on Hamas and on the Palestinian prisoners in its jails.
Observers have seen these acts as evidence of the extent of the Zionists’ frustration over their impotence. The occupation forces have failed, despite the passing of 1,000 days since Shalit was captured, in forcing Hamas to compromise on its demand that 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails should be released in exchange for Shalit’s release.
Fresh detentions of representatives and political leaders
On March 19th the Zionist occupation forces mounted extensive pre-dawn raids in the West Bank with the goal of seizing representatives and political leaders, including government ministers, belonging to Hamas in an attempt to step up the pressure on Hamas to close the file of Gilad Shalit.
[...]
Responding to the policies set in place by the Israeli occupation authority and what it may intend to do in the future against Hamas and the Palestinian prisoners, Hamas made it clear that it is more firmly committed to the conditions it set for Shalit’s release than it has ever been.
Hamas leader Mushir al-Masri, Secretary of the Hamas contingent in the PLC, said, “The prisoner issue is too important for haggling; and experience has shown that seizing elected representatives and trying to make examples of them in order to apply pressure on Hamas never succeeded in compelling it to back down from its position. In fact, it will only push it to hold more firmly to the conditions it has set for the prisoners' exchange.”
Masri emphasized in a press release, “The soldier held captive by Hamas will never see the light of day as long as our brave prisoners do not see it.” He made it clear that the conditions put forward by Hamas represent the minimal aspirations of the Palestinian people.
In fact the list of names of prisoners whose release is demanded consists of a mere one-tenth of those being held in Zionist detention centers, and “the life of one Zionist soldier is not more valuable than the life of one of our brave prisoners.”
He pointed out that the Zionist enemy fully realizes that by using those lowly, cheap methods to apply pressure on Hamas they are recklessly endangering Shalit.
Masri added in his press release, “These savage attacks drive home to what extent the enemy has run out of means for tracking down its captive soldier. The enemy has basically run out of ideas, which is why it is resorting to such despicable tactics.”
[...]
Even in the Zionist camp, the Israeli press has begun to speak openly about the lies of Olmert and his party in blaming Hamas for the failure of the prisoners' exchange talks. They demanded that he stop what they called “bogus heroic posturing at Shalit’s expense.”
Israeli writer Gideon Levy, in an article published in the Hebrew-language newspaper, Haaretz, under the headline: “Olmert’s Defeat at the Hands of Hamas” clarified that since Hamas announced its demands for the release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners it has never budged an inch from its position and has refused to enter the auction house of haggling, bidding and counter-bidding.
He emphasized that the price demanded by Hamas is a fixed price, not open to discounts or end-of-season sales, as he expressed it.
Levy compared that with the position of the outgoing government: “As for our side, they said that Hamas had stiffened its demands. The truth is that Hamas has not changed its position for a thousand days.” He hints that the claim that Israeli public opinion pins the blame on Hamas is also a fatuous lie, if one reads between the lines of his article.
Levy also responded to Olmert’s claims that Hamas is being cruel for not releasing Shalit by saying, “The truth is that Hamas is struggling to secure the release of its followers; and it has no realistic hope of doing so except by a deal to exchange prisoners. This is a humanitarian issue without compare.” At the same time he makes fun of the propaganda about the “price” to Israelis, the claim that releasing 450 Palestinian prisoners infringes Israeli security while eventually agreeing to release 325 prisoners does not.
Levy wondered out loud, “No one can seriously hope to convince us that releasing 325 “saboteurs” will not pose a threat to Israeli security but releasing 450 will. Will 125 persons with Shabak trailing them be able to change the situation? On top of that, who said that releasing the prisoners would be a form of surrender and submission while Shalit remaining in captivity would be an Israeli victory?”
In line with what Levy wrote in Haaretz, Yediot Ahronot, another Hebrew daily, demanded in an editorial on Thursday, March 19th that the Israeli government release Palestinians in the Zionist prisons and avoid misleading Israeli public opinion, indicating that the losses the occupation forces will suffer from the collapse of prisoners' exchange negotiations will be greater than the losses suffered by Hamas.
The newspaper insisted that the Israeli government should admit the loss of the war on Gaza and stop feeding illusions to its army, saying, “Israel will never be able to free its captured soldier, Gilad Shalit, neither by applying pressure on Hamas nor by a military operation by Special Forces in Gaza.”
The newspaper concluded its editorial by saying, “Israel, the loser, has to bow its head and turn over the Palestinian prisoners to Hamas, and the Israeli authorities need to stop posturing as heroes at Shalit’s expense.”
The Israeli government was not satisfied with merely scuttling the negotiations to exchange Palestinian prisoners for their captured soldier, Gilad Shalit, which Egypt had been mediating. Nor did it stop at blaming Hamas for the failure of the talks. Rather, it embarked upon a series of steps to take vengeance on Hamas and on the Palestinian prisoners in its jails.
Observers have seen these acts as evidence of the extent of the Zionists’ frustration over their impotence. The occupation forces have failed, despite the passing of 1,000 days since Shalit was captured, in forcing Hamas to compromise on its demand that 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails should be released in exchange for Shalit’s release.
Fresh detentions of representatives and political leaders
On March 19th the Zionist occupation forces mounted extensive pre-dawn raids in the West Bank with the goal of seizing representatives and political leaders, including government ministers, belonging to Hamas in an attempt to step up the pressure on Hamas to close the file of Gilad Shalit.
[...]
Responding to the policies set in place by the Israeli occupation authority and what it may intend to do in the future against Hamas and the Palestinian prisoners, Hamas made it clear that it is more firmly committed to the conditions it set for Shalit’s release than it has ever been.
Hamas leader Mushir al-Masri, Secretary of the Hamas contingent in the PLC, said, “The prisoner issue is too important for haggling; and experience has shown that seizing elected representatives and trying to make examples of them in order to apply pressure on Hamas never succeeded in compelling it to back down from its position. In fact, it will only push it to hold more firmly to the conditions it has set for the prisoners' exchange.”
Masri emphasized in a press release, “The soldier held captive by Hamas will never see the light of day as long as our brave prisoners do not see it.” He made it clear that the conditions put forward by Hamas represent the minimal aspirations of the Palestinian people.
In fact the list of names of prisoners whose release is demanded consists of a mere one-tenth of those being held in Zionist detention centers, and “the life of one Zionist soldier is not more valuable than the life of one of our brave prisoners.”
He pointed out that the Zionist enemy fully realizes that by using those lowly, cheap methods to apply pressure on Hamas they are recklessly endangering Shalit.
Masri added in his press release, “These savage attacks drive home to what extent the enemy has run out of means for tracking down its captive soldier. The enemy has basically run out of ideas, which is why it is resorting to such despicable tactics.”
[...]
Even in the Zionist camp, the Israeli press has begun to speak openly about the lies of Olmert and his party in blaming Hamas for the failure of the prisoners' exchange talks. They demanded that he stop what they called “bogus heroic posturing at Shalit’s expense.”
Israeli writer Gideon Levy, in an article published in the Hebrew-language newspaper, Haaretz, under the headline: “Olmert’s Defeat at the Hands of Hamas” clarified that since Hamas announced its demands for the release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners it has never budged an inch from its position and has refused to enter the auction house of haggling, bidding and counter-bidding.
He emphasized that the price demanded by Hamas is a fixed price, not open to discounts or end-of-season sales, as he expressed it.
Levy compared that with the position of the outgoing government: “As for our side, they said that Hamas had stiffened its demands. The truth is that Hamas has not changed its position for a thousand days.” He hints that the claim that Israeli public opinion pins the blame on Hamas is also a fatuous lie, if one reads between the lines of his article.
Levy also responded to Olmert’s claims that Hamas is being cruel for not releasing Shalit by saying, “The truth is that Hamas is struggling to secure the release of its followers; and it has no realistic hope of doing so except by a deal to exchange prisoners. This is a humanitarian issue without compare.” At the same time he makes fun of the propaganda about the “price” to Israelis, the claim that releasing 450 Palestinian prisoners infringes Israeli security while eventually agreeing to release 325 prisoners does not.
Levy wondered out loud, “No one can seriously hope to convince us that releasing 325 “saboteurs” will not pose a threat to Israeli security but releasing 450 will. Will 125 persons with Shabak trailing them be able to change the situation? On top of that, who said that releasing the prisoners would be a form of surrender and submission while Shalit remaining in captivity would be an Israeli victory?”
In line with what Levy wrote in Haaretz, Yediot Ahronot, another Hebrew daily, demanded in an editorial on Thursday, March 19th that the Israeli government release Palestinians in the Zionist prisons and avoid misleading Israeli public opinion, indicating that the losses the occupation forces will suffer from the collapse of prisoners' exchange negotiations will be greater than the losses suffered by Hamas.
The newspaper insisted that the Israeli government should admit the loss of the war on Gaza and stop feeding illusions to its army, saying, “Israel will never be able to free its captured soldier, Gilad Shalit, neither by applying pressure on Hamas nor by a military operation by Special Forces in Gaza.”
The newspaper concluded its editorial by saying, “Israel, the loser, has to bow its head and turn over the Palestinian prisoners to Hamas, and the Israeli authorities need to stop posturing as heroes at Shalit’s expense.”
Police kill gunwoman in southern Israel
Maan News:
A woman [teenage girl] was shot dead after opening fire on an Israeli Border Guard post at the Shoket Junction in southern Israel on Saturday afternoon, according to news reports.
The woman was Palestinian, Reuters quoted a security source as saying.
Israeli police said the attack occurred around 2pm when the woman arrived at the Border Guard post and opened fire toward officers, leading them to return fire. No other injuries or damage were reported.
Israeli police have set up roadblocks on highways in the area and are searching for anyone else who may have been involved in the attack, news reports said.
A woman [teenage girl] was shot dead after opening fire on an Israeli Border Guard post at the Shoket Junction in southern Israel on Saturday afternoon, according to news reports.
The woman was Palestinian, Reuters quoted a security source as saying.
Israeli police said the attack occurred around 2pm when the woman arrived at the Border Guard post and opened fire toward officers, leading them to return fire. No other injuries or damage were reported.
Israeli police have set up roadblocks on highways in the area and are searching for anyone else who may have been involved in the attack, news reports said.
Army kills two Palestinians in northern Gaza
IMEMC:
Israeli Army radio reported on Saturday morning that soldiers shot and killed two Palestinian gunmen who approached the border fence in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Army officials told the radio that the two gunmen exchanged fire with the army east of the Jabalia refugee camp after they attempted to infiltrate into Kfar Azza Kibbutz.
Soldiers said that automatic rifles and an explosive charge were found in the possession of the two slain fighters.
An Israeli army spokesperson told the Ramattan news agency that the soldiers spotted two gunmen approaching the kibbutz and opened fire at them.
Palestinian medics said they were not allowed to evacuate the bodies of the men as the army barred them from entering the area.
After the attack, Israeli soldiers fired a number of artillery shells near the attack site; no injuries were reported.
Israeli Army radio reported on Saturday morning that soldiers shot and killed two Palestinian gunmen who approached the border fence in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Army officials told the radio that the two gunmen exchanged fire with the army east of the Jabalia refugee camp after they attempted to infiltrate into Kfar Azza Kibbutz.
Soldiers said that automatic rifles and an explosive charge were found in the possession of the two slain fighters.
An Israeli army spokesperson told the Ramattan news agency that the soldiers spotted two gunmen approaching the kibbutz and opened fire at them.
Palestinian medics said they were not allowed to evacuate the bodies of the men as the army barred them from entering the area.
After the attack, Israeli soldiers fired a number of artillery shells near the attack site; no injuries were reported.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Syria offers Israel chance to avoid war
Press TV:
'Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says all Israeli governments have pursued hawkish policies only to give rise to the philosophy of resistance.
In an interview with the al-Sharq newspaper on Thursday, Assad said there is enough evidence to assume that Tel Aviv will never seek peace.
"All Israeli governments are the same: Ariel Sharon carried out a massacre in Palestine, and [Ehud] Barak aided the war in Gaza in that there is no difference between the right and the left in Israel," he explained. "This enemy does not want peace."
Assad described how normal citizens have grown tired of the sixty years of Israeli efforts to grab more land and occupy other territories.
"From the war of Palestine (in 1948) to the occupation of the Golan (in the Six Day War in 1967) people are becoming more hostile towards Israel. There may come a generation that is unwilling to talk peace," he said.
His remarks are considered a reaction to a Thursday announcement by Israel's new foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman -- who ruled out the possibility of Israel withdrawing from the Golan Heights.
"There is no cabinet resolution regarding negotiations with Syria, and we have already said that we will not agree to withdraw from the Golan Heights," said Lieberman in an interview with Israeli daily Ha'aretz.
"Whoever thinks that he will achieve something by way of concessions - no, he will only invite more pressure and more wars. If you want peace, prepare for war," he added.
[...]
"There is no escaping the fact that the day will come when we will free the Golan, through peace or through war," [Assad] explained.'
'Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says all Israeli governments have pursued hawkish policies only to give rise to the philosophy of resistance.
In an interview with the al-Sharq newspaper on Thursday, Assad said there is enough evidence to assume that Tel Aviv will never seek peace.
"All Israeli governments are the same: Ariel Sharon carried out a massacre in Palestine, and [Ehud] Barak aided the war in Gaza in that there is no difference between the right and the left in Israel," he explained. "This enemy does not want peace."
Assad described how normal citizens have grown tired of the sixty years of Israeli efforts to grab more land and occupy other territories.
"From the war of Palestine (in 1948) to the occupation of the Golan (in the Six Day War in 1967) people are becoming more hostile towards Israel. There may come a generation that is unwilling to talk peace," he said.
His remarks are considered a reaction to a Thursday announcement by Israel's new foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman -- who ruled out the possibility of Israel withdrawing from the Golan Heights.
"There is no cabinet resolution regarding negotiations with Syria, and we have already said that we will not agree to withdraw from the Golan Heights," said Lieberman in an interview with Israeli daily Ha'aretz.
"Whoever thinks that he will achieve something by way of concessions - no, he will only invite more pressure and more wars. If you want peace, prepare for war," he added.
[...]
"There is no escaping the fact that the day will come when we will free the Golan, through peace or through war," [Assad] explained.'
Hamas and Lieberman agree: Annapolis a waste of time
Maan News:
The Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip downplayed recent statements by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman over not recognizing decisions made at a 2007, US-sponsored peace summit near Washington.
The Annapolis agreement was a US-sponsored initiative that saw parties meet in Maryland to revive the Road Map plan in 2007.
Hamas has "objected to this conference from the beginning," said spokesperson Salah Al-Bardaweel, adding that it was "sacrificing the right of return and a recipe to damage the resistance, increasing the rift among Palestinians."
The Hamas spokesperson called on Fatah to "review all of the agreements signed with Israel," noting that Hamas was pressured to recognize Israel and previously signed agreements during the Cairo talks, something Israel's own foreign minister is refusing to do now.
"Lieberman's and Netanyahu's statements should be reviewed by the Fatah movement, which should recognize that the enemy did not commit to these agreements and that they [Israelis] are using this detail to split the Palestinians apart," he added.
"What is needed today is a serious move to stop the negotiations and security coordination, and the abiding by security arrangements [with Israel]," he insisted, adding that such a rejection would serve to unify the Palestinian people.
Meanwhile, senior Palestinian negotiator Ahmad Qurei said on Thursday that "Israel's rejection of Annapolis and a two-state settlement is a return to the zero point, and a plan to eliminate the peace process."
He added that "the ignorance of the new Israeli government to what has been achieved in Annapolis" amounted to "imposing arrangements and procedures on the ground trying to create an economic and security road map without linking it to the political road map."
He added that Palestinians are losing hope for any political solution to the decades-long struggle for self-determination. Lieberman and Netanyahu have offered plans that "eliminate the Palestinian cause and the Palestinians' national rights," he added.
During a Wednesday news conference Lieberman stressed that Israel was not bound by the agreement, which called for a cessation of settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and aimed at building a separate state for Palestinians alongside Israel.
"There is one document that obligates us - and that's not the Annapolis conference, it has no validity," Lieberman said.
The Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip downplayed recent statements by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman over not recognizing decisions made at a 2007, US-sponsored peace summit near Washington.
The Annapolis agreement was a US-sponsored initiative that saw parties meet in Maryland to revive the Road Map plan in 2007.
Hamas has "objected to this conference from the beginning," said spokesperson Salah Al-Bardaweel, adding that it was "sacrificing the right of return and a recipe to damage the resistance, increasing the rift among Palestinians."
The Hamas spokesperson called on Fatah to "review all of the agreements signed with Israel," noting that Hamas was pressured to recognize Israel and previously signed agreements during the Cairo talks, something Israel's own foreign minister is refusing to do now.
"Lieberman's and Netanyahu's statements should be reviewed by the Fatah movement, which should recognize that the enemy did not commit to these agreements and that they [Israelis] are using this detail to split the Palestinians apart," he added.
"What is needed today is a serious move to stop the negotiations and security coordination, and the abiding by security arrangements [with Israel]," he insisted, adding that such a rejection would serve to unify the Palestinian people.
Meanwhile, senior Palestinian negotiator Ahmad Qurei said on Thursday that "Israel's rejection of Annapolis and a two-state settlement is a return to the zero point, and a plan to eliminate the peace process."
He added that "the ignorance of the new Israeli government to what has been achieved in Annapolis" amounted to "imposing arrangements and procedures on the ground trying to create an economic and security road map without linking it to the political road map."
He added that Palestinians are losing hope for any political solution to the decades-long struggle for self-determination. Lieberman and Netanyahu have offered plans that "eliminate the Palestinian cause and the Palestinians' national rights," he added.
During a Wednesday news conference Lieberman stressed that Israel was not bound by the agreement, which called for a cessation of settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and aimed at building a separate state for Palestinians alongside Israel.
"There is one document that obligates us - and that's not the Annapolis conference, it has no validity," Lieberman said.
Israel decides to annex 1000 Dunams near Nablus
IMEMC:
Ghassan Daghlas, in charge of the Affairs of villages and city council in the Nablus district, in the northern part of the West Bank, stated Friday that the Israeli authorities decided to annex more than 1000 Dunams of orchards belonging to the village of Qaryout, south of Nablus.
He added that this decision was made to enable paving a 3-lkilomter settler-only road linking between Hayuval and Shilo settlements.
Daghlas said that Israeli bulldozers already started uprooting trees in the area and are preparing for pave a 1600-meter road linking between Alia and Hayuval settlements.
Recently, settlers and soldiers stepped up their attacks against the area and illegally annexed more Palestinian lands in order to pave roads connecting illegal outpost with several settlements in the area.
Abdul-Nasser Badawi, head of the Qaryout village council, said that settlers and soldiers have closed the southern entrance of the village and started annexing Palestinian lands west of the village.
Qaryout is a small Palestinian village inhibited by 2700 Palestinians and surrounded by settlements.
Ghassan Daghlas, in charge of the Affairs of villages and city council in the Nablus district, in the northern part of the West Bank, stated Friday that the Israeli authorities decided to annex more than 1000 Dunams of orchards belonging to the village of Qaryout, south of Nablus.
He added that this decision was made to enable paving a 3-lkilomter settler-only road linking between Hayuval and Shilo settlements.
Daghlas said that Israeli bulldozers already started uprooting trees in the area and are preparing for pave a 1600-meter road linking between Alia and Hayuval settlements.
Recently, settlers and soldiers stepped up their attacks against the area and illegally annexed more Palestinian lands in order to pave roads connecting illegal outpost with several settlements in the area.
Abdul-Nasser Badawi, head of the Qaryout village council, said that settlers and soldiers have closed the southern entrance of the village and started annexing Palestinian lands west of the village.
Qaryout is a small Palestinian village inhibited by 2700 Palestinians and surrounded by settlements.
The Israeli army kidnaps 27 Palestinian civilian from the West Bank
IMEMC:
The Israeli military kidnapped 27 civilians during pre-dawn invasions targeting a number of Palestinian communities in the west Bank on Thursday.
The Palestine News and Information Center, WAFA, reported that the invasions were carried out throughout the night and at dawn.
Local sources said that soldiers broke into and searched homes and interrogated several residents in their homes and the streets before kidnapping 27 residents.
Eleven were kidnapped from a village near Jenin, three from Qalqlia city, seven from Jericho, while three from Al Izriyah town near Jerusalem, and two from Bethlehem city
The Israeli military kidnapped 27 civilians during pre-dawn invasions targeting a number of Palestinian communities in the west Bank on Thursday.
The Palestine News and Information Center, WAFA, reported that the invasions were carried out throughout the night and at dawn.
Local sources said that soldiers broke into and searched homes and interrogated several residents in their homes and the streets before kidnapping 27 residents.
Eleven were kidnapped from a village near Jenin, three from Qalqlia city, seven from Jericho, while three from Al Izriyah town near Jerusalem, and two from Bethlehem city
Netanyahu to Obama: Stop Iran—Or I Will
The Atlantic:
'In an interview conducted shortly before he was sworn in today as prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu laid down a challenge for Barack Obama. The American president, he said, must stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons—and quickly—or an imperiled Israel may be forced to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities itself.
“The Obama presidency has two great missions: fixing the economy, and preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu told me. He said the Iranian nuclear challenge represents a “hinge of history” and added that “Western civilization” will have failed if Iran is allowed to develop nuclear weapons.
In unusually blunt language, Netanyahu said of the Iranian leadership, “You don’t want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs. When the wide-eyed believer gets hold of the reins of power and the weapons of mass death, then the entire world should start worrying, and that is what is happening in Iran.”
[...]'
'In an interview conducted shortly before he was sworn in today as prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu laid down a challenge for Barack Obama. The American president, he said, must stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons—and quickly—or an imperiled Israel may be forced to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities itself.
“The Obama presidency has two great missions: fixing the economy, and preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu told me. He said the Iranian nuclear challenge represents a “hinge of history” and added that “Western civilization” will have failed if Iran is allowed to develop nuclear weapons.
In unusually blunt language, Netanyahu said of the Iranian leadership, “You don’t want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs. When the wide-eyed believer gets hold of the reins of power and the weapons of mass death, then the entire world should start worrying, and that is what is happening in Iran.”
[...]'
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Israel sentences PFLP leader to life for planning suicide attack
Maan News:
An Israeli court in Jerusalem sentenced the head of the militant wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) to life in prison on Sunday.
Saed Abu Hnish, 29, was accused of planning a suicide attack at an illegal Israeli settlement in the West Bank that killed an Israeli woman and three of her children in 2002.
The court also ordered the Palestinian, who served as the head of the PFLP's Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, to pay 60 million shekels in compensation to the Israeli family residing in the settlement of Itmar, near the city of Nablus.
Hnish was sentenced to life at the Ramon prison in the Israeli town of Nafha.
A spokesperson for defendant, who is from Beit Dajan in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that Hnish holds a bachelor's in political science from An-Najah National University in Nablus.
The attack on the settlement occurred on 20 June 2002, when a Palestinian entered the area and hid in one of the houses before clashing with Israeli troops and settlers, which lead to the deaths of four Israelis and the attacker.
Hnish was also accused of participating in and planning other attacks against Israeli targets.
Hnish had recently fled an assassination attempt that left him moderately injured. Israeli troops also demolished his three-floor home and arrested his two brothers, George, 19, and Foad, 22.
An Israeli court in Jerusalem sentenced the head of the militant wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) to life in prison on Sunday.
Saed Abu Hnish, 29, was accused of planning a suicide attack at an illegal Israeli settlement in the West Bank that killed an Israeli woman and three of her children in 2002.
The court also ordered the Palestinian, who served as the head of the PFLP's Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, to pay 60 million shekels in compensation to the Israeli family residing in the settlement of Itmar, near the city of Nablus.
Hnish was sentenced to life at the Ramon prison in the Israeli town of Nafha.
A spokesperson for defendant, who is from Beit Dajan in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that Hnish holds a bachelor's in political science from An-Najah National University in Nablus.
The attack on the settlement occurred on 20 June 2002, when a Palestinian entered the area and hid in one of the houses before clashing with Israeli troops and settlers, which lead to the deaths of four Israelis and the attacker.
Hnish was also accused of participating in and planning other attacks against Israeli targets.
Hnish had recently fled an assassination attempt that left him moderately injured. Israeli troops also demolished his three-floor home and arrested his two brothers, George, 19, and Foad, 22.
Israel planned to kill Erdogan: Report
Press TV:
"Turkish media sources detail information implicating the Israeli Mossad in a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
An e-mail found on a personal computer belonging to one of the members of the underground Ergenekon organization exposed Mossad's role in the failed assassination efforts against Erdogan, Turkish media outlets reported on Friday.
The organization has been accused of orchestrating a coup plot against the current Turkish administration.
The indictment list tabled by the Turkish prosecution against the organization says that an Israeli journalist had sent the e-mail to a number of Ergenekon figures to inform them of Israeli readiness to assassinate the Turkish premier.
According to sources in the Turkish press, the e-mail promised support for Mr. Dugo -- whose identity has not been revealed -- against Erdogan after coordination with Mossad chief Meir Dagan.
The e-mail explained that the Mossad would wait for a green light from Mr. Dugo to carry on with the assassination plans.
Turkish sources have claimed Mr. Dugo to be Turkish Labor Party head Dugo Prinitchek -- who is suspected of leading the secret organization.
The news of an alleged Israeli role in the plot comes after a report last month suggested that Tel Aviv sought to stage regime change in Turkey in response to Ankara's condemnation of Israeli crimes in the Gaza Strip.
[...]"
"Turkish media sources detail information implicating the Israeli Mossad in a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
An e-mail found on a personal computer belonging to one of the members of the underground Ergenekon organization exposed Mossad's role in the failed assassination efforts against Erdogan, Turkish media outlets reported on Friday.
The organization has been accused of orchestrating a coup plot against the current Turkish administration.
The indictment list tabled by the Turkish prosecution against the organization says that an Israeli journalist had sent the e-mail to a number of Ergenekon figures to inform them of Israeli readiness to assassinate the Turkish premier.
According to sources in the Turkish press, the e-mail promised support for Mr. Dugo -- whose identity has not been revealed -- against Erdogan after coordination with Mossad chief Meir Dagan.
The e-mail explained that the Mossad would wait for a green light from Mr. Dugo to carry on with the assassination plans.
Turkish sources have claimed Mr. Dugo to be Turkish Labor Party head Dugo Prinitchek -- who is suspected of leading the secret organization.
The news of an alleged Israeli role in the plot comes after a report last month suggested that Tel Aviv sought to stage regime change in Turkey in response to Ankara's condemnation of Israeli crimes in the Gaza Strip.
[...]"
Assad: Olmert agreed on withdrawal, worried from rising of Israeli right wing
Al Bawaba:
Syrian president Bashar Assad is quoted Wednesday as saying that his country and Israel were very close to reach a peace agreement before the Israeli invasion to the Gaza Strip. According to the Syrian leader, Israeli premier Ehud Olmert has already agreed to return the occupied Golan Heights to Syria.
"We were so close to peace before the Israeli invasion to Gaza. This was when Olmert told Turkish Premier Erdogan he is ready to return the Golan Heights to Syria. We were negotiating and the only thing needed to be defined were the details about the 1967 border," Assad told the Italian La Repubblica newspaper.
Assad said the two sides made significant progress in their indirect talks in Turkey. "One night," explained Assad, he spoke over the phone with Erdogan and "Olmert was sitting in Erdogan’s office. Erdogan conveyed to Assad that the only thing they need to clarify was the 1967 border with six geographical points. "The conversation was very long," disclosed Assad and it was decided to give Olmert some time to talk about this with his government. After four days Israel launched its attack in Gaza. "At that point Turkey felt betrayed by Israel", Assad said.
Asked if he still sees it is possible to re-start of negotiations with the state of Israel, Assad answered "theoretically yes."
[...]
So far, the Syrian president is impressed by the initial steps taken by US President Barack Obama. "The disengagement from Iraq, the closure of Guantanamo are showing us that Obama is keeping his words so far," elaborated Assad. Following a question of what is needed in order to reestablish normal ties between the US and Syria, Assad said that "the US and Syrian interests coincide by 80%." According to Assad, with the American disengagement from Iraq a major obstacle between Washington and Damascus will be abolished. "Syria," continued Assad, "will work with the US towards the stabilization of Iraq."
As far the Iranian influence in Iraq is concerned, Assad said he was ready to mediate Between Washington and Tehran. "Syria will also intervene vis-à-vis Hizbullah and Hamas since it is already committed with the inter-Palestinian dialogue," he added
Assad stressed he is not looking for political rewards for mediating between Iran and the USA. "I am expecting some good results from the cooperation," he added. "Stability stops terrorism and extremism. US fed terrorism for the past eight years. Now, America has to understand that power does not have to be gained with weapons but with responsibility. If the new administration will understand this we can reach a turning-point," concluded the Syrian president.
Syrian president Bashar Assad is quoted Wednesday as saying that his country and Israel were very close to reach a peace agreement before the Israeli invasion to the Gaza Strip. According to the Syrian leader, Israeli premier Ehud Olmert has already agreed to return the occupied Golan Heights to Syria.
"We were so close to peace before the Israeli invasion to Gaza. This was when Olmert told Turkish Premier Erdogan he is ready to return the Golan Heights to Syria. We were negotiating and the only thing needed to be defined were the details about the 1967 border," Assad told the Italian La Repubblica newspaper.
Assad said the two sides made significant progress in their indirect talks in Turkey. "One night," explained Assad, he spoke over the phone with Erdogan and "Olmert was sitting in Erdogan’s office. Erdogan conveyed to Assad that the only thing they need to clarify was the 1967 border with six geographical points. "The conversation was very long," disclosed Assad and it was decided to give Olmert some time to talk about this with his government. After four days Israel launched its attack in Gaza. "At that point Turkey felt betrayed by Israel", Assad said.
Asked if he still sees it is possible to re-start of negotiations with the state of Israel, Assad answered "theoretically yes."
[...]
So far, the Syrian president is impressed by the initial steps taken by US President Barack Obama. "The disengagement from Iraq, the closure of Guantanamo are showing us that Obama is keeping his words so far," elaborated Assad. Following a question of what is needed in order to reestablish normal ties between the US and Syria, Assad said that "the US and Syrian interests coincide by 80%." According to Assad, with the American disengagement from Iraq a major obstacle between Washington and Damascus will be abolished. "Syria," continued Assad, "will work with the US towards the stabilization of Iraq."
As far the Iranian influence in Iraq is concerned, Assad said he was ready to mediate Between Washington and Tehran. "Syria will also intervene vis-à-vis Hizbullah and Hamas since it is already committed with the inter-Palestinian dialogue," he added
Assad stressed he is not looking for political rewards for mediating between Iran and the USA. "I am expecting some good results from the cooperation," he added. "Stability stops terrorism and extremism. US fed terrorism for the past eight years. Now, America has to understand that power does not have to be gained with weapons but with responsibility. If the new administration will understand this we can reach a turning-point," concluded the Syrian president.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Soldiers beat Knesset member at Hebron demonstration
Maan News:
'A Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset was beaten by soldiers in the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday, witnesses said.
The Hadash Party-affiliated Knesset member, Mohammad Baraka, said soldiers attacked him during a demonstration in the area's Old City, pushing him violently and spraying him and the crowd with teargas and stun grenades.
Witnesses said that upon word that the soldiers were ordering the crowd to leave, Baraka insisted that the only people able to make such a request were the Palestinian owners, at which point soldiers beat him.
A spokesperson for the Israeli military, however, denied the claims, saying that videotaped evidence shows that the parliament member was not attacked. But Israel did not immediately make the supposed video available for the press.
[...]'
'A Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset was beaten by soldiers in the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday, witnesses said.
The Hadash Party-affiliated Knesset member, Mohammad Baraka, said soldiers attacked him during a demonstration in the area's Old City, pushing him violently and spraying him and the crowd with teargas and stun grenades.
Witnesses said that upon word that the soldiers were ordering the crowd to leave, Baraka insisted that the only people able to make such a request were the Palestinian owners, at which point soldiers beat him.
A spokesperson for the Israeli military, however, denied the claims, saying that videotaped evidence shows that the parliament member was not attacked. But Israel did not immediately make the supposed video available for the press.
[...]'
Friday, March 27, 2009
U.S. Officials Say Israel Struck in Sudan
New York Times:
Israeli warplanes bombed a convoy of trucks in Sudan in January that was believed to be carrying arms to be smuggled into Gaza, according to American officials.
Israeli officials refused to confirm or deny the attack, but intelligence analysts noted that the strike was consistent with other measures Israel had taken to secure its borders.
American officials said the airstrike took place as Israel sought to stop the flow of weapons to Gaza during the weeks it was fighting a war with Hamas there.
Two American officials who are privy to classified intelligence assessments said that Iran had been involved in the effort to smuggle weapons to Gaza. They also noted that there had been intelligence reports that an operative with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps had gone to Sudan to coordinate the effort.
But one former official said that the exact provenance of the arms that were being smuggled via Sudan was unclear.
The official, Rabie A. Atti, a government spokesman, also gave a death toll in the attack that was higher than the 39 reported in other secondhand accounts. Mr. Rabie said by telephone from Khartoum, the capital, that “more than 100 people” had been killed in the air raid. He said the trucks that were bombed were not carrying weapons. “I’ve heard this allegation, but it’s not true,” he said. “It was a genocide, committed by U.S. forces.”
When asked how he knew the forces were American, Mr. Rabie said: “We don’t differentiate between the U.S. and Israel. They are all one.”
[...]
Israel is no stranger to daring military operations when it concludes its security is threatened. It has a history of attacking enemies far from its territory. Israeli Air Force planes destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981, and in 2007 they destroyed a site in Syria that Israeli and American intelligence analysts said was a partly constructed nuclear reactor. Israel never officially acknowledged that it was responsible for the Syrian strike.
[...]'
Israeli warplanes bombed a convoy of trucks in Sudan in January that was believed to be carrying arms to be smuggled into Gaza, according to American officials.
Israeli officials refused to confirm or deny the attack, but intelligence analysts noted that the strike was consistent with other measures Israel had taken to secure its borders.
American officials said the airstrike took place as Israel sought to stop the flow of weapons to Gaza during the weeks it was fighting a war with Hamas there.
Two American officials who are privy to classified intelligence assessments said that Iran had been involved in the effort to smuggle weapons to Gaza. They also noted that there had been intelligence reports that an operative with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps had gone to Sudan to coordinate the effort.
But one former official said that the exact provenance of the arms that were being smuggled via Sudan was unclear.
The official, Rabie A. Atti, a government spokesman, also gave a death toll in the attack that was higher than the 39 reported in other secondhand accounts. Mr. Rabie said by telephone from Khartoum, the capital, that “more than 100 people” had been killed in the air raid. He said the trucks that were bombed were not carrying weapons. “I’ve heard this allegation, but it’s not true,” he said. “It was a genocide, committed by U.S. forces.”
When asked how he knew the forces were American, Mr. Rabie said: “We don’t differentiate between the U.S. and Israel. They are all one.”
[...]
Israel is no stranger to daring military operations when it concludes its security is threatened. It has a history of attacking enemies far from its territory. Israeli Air Force planes destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981, and in 2007 they destroyed a site in Syria that Israeli and American intelligence analysts said was a partly constructed nuclear reactor. Israel never officially acknowledged that it was responsible for the Syrian strike.
[...]'
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Israeli troops 'enter Gaza Strip'
Press TV:
'Palestinian fighters in Gaza say they have wounded several Israeli soldiers southeast of the strip after they violated the shaky ceasefire.
Fighters from the Islamic Jihad exchanged fire with 10 Israeli soldiers east of the city of Khan Yunis, the group's military wing, the al-Quds Brigades, said on Thursday.
There have been no comments from the Israeli army but reports indicate that the fifteen minute shootout wounded five Israeli soldiers.
[...]'
'Palestinian fighters in Gaza say they have wounded several Israeli soldiers southeast of the strip after they violated the shaky ceasefire.
Fighters from the Islamic Jihad exchanged fire with 10 Israeli soldiers east of the city of Khan Yunis, the group's military wing, the al-Quds Brigades, said on Thursday.
There have been no comments from the Israeli army but reports indicate that the fifteen minute shootout wounded five Israeli soldiers.
[...]'
IAF Sudan strike / Olmert: Israel will target threats near and far
Haaretz:
'Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hinted on Thursday at Israel's suspected role in an air-strike that reportedly hit a convoy of arms smugglers as it drove through Sudan toward Egypt in January.
"We operate everywhere where we can hit terror infrastructure - in close places, in places further away, everywhere where we can hit terror infrastructure, we hit them and we hit them in a way that increases deterrence," said Olmert. He made the comments at a conference in Herzliya.
[...]'
'Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hinted on Thursday at Israel's suspected role in an air-strike that reportedly hit a convoy of arms smugglers as it drove through Sudan toward Egypt in January.
"We operate everywhere where we can hit terror infrastructure - in close places, in places further away, everywhere where we can hit terror infrastructure, we hit them and we hit them in a way that increases deterrence," said Olmert. He made the comments at a conference in Herzliya.
[...]'
Who said nearly 50 years ago that Israel was an Apartheid State?
Ronnie Kasrils:
He was irked by the criticism of apartheid policy and Harold Macmillan’s “Winds of Change” speech , in contrast to the West’s unconditional support for Zionist Israel.
To be sure Verwoerd was correct. Both states preached and implemented a policy based on racial ethnicity; the sole claim of Jews in Israel and whites in South Africa to exclusive citizenship; monopolised rights in law regarding the ownership of land, property, business; superior access to education, health, social, sporting and cultural amenities, pensions and municipal services at the expense of the original indigenous population; the virtual monopoly membership of military and security forces, and privileged development along their own racial supremacist lines - even both countries marriage laws designed to safeguard racial “purity”.
[...]
Whilst he did not live to see the division of Palestinian territory after the Six Day War, and the subsequent creation of miniscule Bantustans in the West Bank and Gaza, he would have greatly admired and approved of the machinations that enclosed the Palestinians in their own ghettoised prisons. This after all was the Verwoerdian grand plan, and the reason why Jimmy Carter could so readily identify the Occupied Palestinian Territories as being akin to apartheid. In fact the Bantustans consisted of 13% of apartheid South Africa, uncannily comparable to the derisory, ever shrinking pieces of ground Israel is consigning to the Palestinians.
A further comment about the Bantustans. When I visited Yasser Arafat in his virtually demolished headquarters in Ramallah as part of a South African delegation in 2004, he pointed around him and said “See this is nothing but a Bantustan!” No, we responded, pointing out that no Bantustan, in fact not even our townships, had been bombed by warplanes, pulverised by tanks.
[...]
For the liberation movements of southern Africa, Israel and apartheid South Africa represented a racist, colonial axis. It was noted that people like Vorster had been nazi sympathisers, interned during World War II - yet feted as heroes in Israel and incidentally never again referred to by South African Zionists as an anti-semite!. This did not surprise those that came to understand the true racist nature and character of Zionist Israel.
Time and space does not allow further elaboration, but it is instructive to add that in its conduct and methods of repression, Israel came to resemble more and more apartheid South Africa at its zenith - even surpassing its brutality, house demolitions, removal of communities, targeted assassinations, massacres, imprisonment and torture of its opponents, collective punishment and the aggression against neighbouring states.
Certainly we South Africans can identify the pathological cause, fuelling the hate, of Israel’s political-military elite and public in general. Neither is this difficult for anyone acquainted with colonial history to understand the way in which deliberately cultivated race hate inculcates a justification for the most atrocious and inhumane actions against even defenceless civilians - women, children, the elderly amongst them. In fact was this not the pathological racist ideology that fuelled Hitler’s war lust and implementation of the Holocaust?
I will state clearly, without exaggeration, that any South African, whether involved in the freedom struggle, or motivated by basic human decency, who visits the Occupied Palestinian Territories are shocked to the core at the situation they encounter and agree with Archbishop Tutu’s comment that what the Palestinians are experiencing is far worse than what happened in South Africa, where the Sharpeville massacre of 69 civilians in 1960 became international symbol of apartheid cruelty.
[...]
In South Africa the mass struggle became the primary way, with sabotage actions and limited guerrilla operations inspiring our people. It all depends on the conditions and the situation.
But unquestioningly, what helped tip the balance, in Vietnam and South Africa, was the force and power of international solidarity action. It took some 30 years but the worldwide Anti-Apartheid Movements campaigns - launched in London in 1959 - for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions - not only provided international activists with a practical role, but became an incalculable factor in (a) isolating and weakening the apartheid regime (b) inspiring the struggling people (c) undermining the resolve of those states that supported and benefited from relations with apartheid South Africa, (d) generated a change of attitude amongst the South African white public generally, and political, business, professional, academic, religious and sporting associations in particular. Boycott made them feel the pinch in their pocket and their polecat status everywhere - whether on the sporting fields, at academic or business conventions, in the world of theatre and the arts they were totally shunned like biblical lepers. There was literally no place to hide from universal condemnation backed by decisive and relentless action which in time became more and more creatve.
To conclude: we must spare no effort in building a world-wide solidarity movement to emulate the success of the Anti-Apartheid Movement which played such a crucial role in toppling the apartheid regime in South Africa. Nelson Mandela stated after South Africa attained democratic rule that “ we South Africans cannot feel free until the Palestinians are free.” A slogan of South Africa’s liberation struggle and our trade union movement is “An injury to one is an injury to all!“ That goes for the whole of humanity. Every act of solidarity demonstrates to the Palestinians and those courageous Jews who stand by them in Israel - that they are not alone.
Israel has lost in Gaza. Whilst many Palestinians have lost their lives the Palestinians have not been conquered or cowed. Repression generates resistance and that will grow. Israeli aggression stands exposed. A turning point has been reached in humanity‘s perception of this issue. The time is ripe for us to drive home the advantage.
[...]
BDS represents three words that will help bring about the defeat of Zionist Israel and victory for Palestine. Like South Africa this can mean, must mean: freedom, peace, security, equality and justice for all - Muslim, Christian and Jew. That is well worth struggling for!
This is the address by Ronnie Kasrils, veteran South African communist and anti-apartheid activist, on the occasion of Israel Apartheid Week.
He was irked by the criticism of apartheid policy and Harold Macmillan’s “Winds of Change” speech , in contrast to the West’s unconditional support for Zionist Israel.
To be sure Verwoerd was correct. Both states preached and implemented a policy based on racial ethnicity; the sole claim of Jews in Israel and whites in South Africa to exclusive citizenship; monopolised rights in law regarding the ownership of land, property, business; superior access to education, health, social, sporting and cultural amenities, pensions and municipal services at the expense of the original indigenous population; the virtual monopoly membership of military and security forces, and privileged development along their own racial supremacist lines - even both countries marriage laws designed to safeguard racial “purity”.
[...]
Whilst he did not live to see the division of Palestinian territory after the Six Day War, and the subsequent creation of miniscule Bantustans in the West Bank and Gaza, he would have greatly admired and approved of the machinations that enclosed the Palestinians in their own ghettoised prisons. This after all was the Verwoerdian grand plan, and the reason why Jimmy Carter could so readily identify the Occupied Palestinian Territories as being akin to apartheid. In fact the Bantustans consisted of 13% of apartheid South Africa, uncannily comparable to the derisory, ever shrinking pieces of ground Israel is consigning to the Palestinians.
A further comment about the Bantustans. When I visited Yasser Arafat in his virtually demolished headquarters in Ramallah as part of a South African delegation in 2004, he pointed around him and said “See this is nothing but a Bantustan!” No, we responded, pointing out that no Bantustan, in fact not even our townships, had been bombed by warplanes, pulverised by tanks.
[...]
For the liberation movements of southern Africa, Israel and apartheid South Africa represented a racist, colonial axis. It was noted that people like Vorster had been nazi sympathisers, interned during World War II - yet feted as heroes in Israel and incidentally never again referred to by South African Zionists as an anti-semite!. This did not surprise those that came to understand the true racist nature and character of Zionist Israel.
Time and space does not allow further elaboration, but it is instructive to add that in its conduct and methods of repression, Israel came to resemble more and more apartheid South Africa at its zenith - even surpassing its brutality, house demolitions, removal of communities, targeted assassinations, massacres, imprisonment and torture of its opponents, collective punishment and the aggression against neighbouring states.
Certainly we South Africans can identify the pathological cause, fuelling the hate, of Israel’s political-military elite and public in general. Neither is this difficult for anyone acquainted with colonial history to understand the way in which deliberately cultivated race hate inculcates a justification for the most atrocious and inhumane actions against even defenceless civilians - women, children, the elderly amongst them. In fact was this not the pathological racist ideology that fuelled Hitler’s war lust and implementation of the Holocaust?
I will state clearly, without exaggeration, that any South African, whether involved in the freedom struggle, or motivated by basic human decency, who visits the Occupied Palestinian Territories are shocked to the core at the situation they encounter and agree with Archbishop Tutu’s comment that what the Palestinians are experiencing is far worse than what happened in South Africa, where the Sharpeville massacre of 69 civilians in 1960 became international symbol of apartheid cruelty.
[...]
In South Africa the mass struggle became the primary way, with sabotage actions and limited guerrilla operations inspiring our people. It all depends on the conditions and the situation.
But unquestioningly, what helped tip the balance, in Vietnam and South Africa, was the force and power of international solidarity action. It took some 30 years but the worldwide Anti-Apartheid Movements campaigns - launched in London in 1959 - for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions - not only provided international activists with a practical role, but became an incalculable factor in (a) isolating and weakening the apartheid regime (b) inspiring the struggling people (c) undermining the resolve of those states that supported and benefited from relations with apartheid South Africa, (d) generated a change of attitude amongst the South African white public generally, and political, business, professional, academic, religious and sporting associations in particular. Boycott made them feel the pinch in their pocket and their polecat status everywhere - whether on the sporting fields, at academic or business conventions, in the world of theatre and the arts they were totally shunned like biblical lepers. There was literally no place to hide from universal condemnation backed by decisive and relentless action which in time became more and more creatve.
To conclude: we must spare no effort in building a world-wide solidarity movement to emulate the success of the Anti-Apartheid Movement which played such a crucial role in toppling the apartheid regime in South Africa. Nelson Mandela stated after South Africa attained democratic rule that “ we South Africans cannot feel free until the Palestinians are free.” A slogan of South Africa’s liberation struggle and our trade union movement is “An injury to one is an injury to all!“ That goes for the whole of humanity. Every act of solidarity demonstrates to the Palestinians and those courageous Jews who stand by them in Israel - that they are not alone.
Israel has lost in Gaza. Whilst many Palestinians have lost their lives the Palestinians have not been conquered or cowed. Repression generates resistance and that will grow. Israeli aggression stands exposed. A turning point has been reached in humanity‘s perception of this issue. The time is ripe for us to drive home the advantage.
[...]
BDS represents three words that will help bring about the defeat of Zionist Israel and victory for Palestine. Like South Africa this can mean, must mean: freedom, peace, security, equality and justice for all - Muslim, Christian and Jew. That is well worth struggling for!
Israeli forces herd 150 Haris youth into school, cover heads with sacs
Maan News:
Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli forces herded village youth into local school, stormed and searched several houses and imposed a curfew on the village of Haris north of Salfit Thursday morning.
Eyewitnesses saw at least 150 youth taken from their homes and herded into a middle school with their heads covered with sacs. The youth later reported being ‘roughed up’ and questioned.
Nablus – Ma’an – Israeli forces herded village youth into local school, stormed and searched several houses and imposed a curfew on the village of Haris north of Salfit Thursday morning.
Eyewitnesses saw at least 150 youth taken from their homes and herded into a middle school with their heads covered with sacs. The youth later reported being ‘roughed up’ and questioned.
Netanyahu 'plans to expand settlement'
9News:
Israeli prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has struck a secret deal with one of his coalition partners, pledging to expand settlements in a highly-contentious area of the West Bank, army radio said.
The agreement is not included in the official coalition deal between Netanyahu's right-wing Likud and the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party of firebrand Avigdor Lieberman but the two men struck the understanding during their coalition talks, the radio said.
According to the plan, some 3,000 housing units are to be constructed in the so-called E1 Sector in the occupied West Bank which runs between annexed east Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement.
There was no immediate comment on the report from either party.
Israel had pledged to freeze the E1 project as part of its commitments under the international roadmap for peace which was launched in 2005 but has made little progress since then.
Palestinians bitterly oppose the project as it effectively cuts the occupied West Bank in two, making the creation of a viable Palestinian state highly problematic.
Israeli prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has struck a secret deal with one of his coalition partners, pledging to expand settlements in a highly-contentious area of the West Bank, army radio said.
The agreement is not included in the official coalition deal between Netanyahu's right-wing Likud and the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party of firebrand Avigdor Lieberman but the two men struck the understanding during their coalition talks, the radio said.
According to the plan, some 3,000 housing units are to be constructed in the so-called E1 Sector in the occupied West Bank which runs between annexed east Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement.
There was no immediate comment on the report from either party.
Israel had pledged to freeze the E1 project as part of its commitments under the international roadmap for peace which was launched in 2005 but has made little progress since then.
Palestinians bitterly oppose the project as it effectively cuts the occupied West Bank in two, making the creation of a viable Palestinian state highly problematic.
Israel treated its soldiers as guinea pigs
Press TV:
'Israel has admitted to developing an anthrax vaccine through a secret research project involving tests on unaware army soldiers.
The Israeli Defense Ministry revealed on Wednesday that the vaccine was tested on 716 soldiers while they had not been fully informed about the study, Ynet reported.
The project, codenamed "Omer 2", was held during the first part of the 1990s and the subjects were picked out of a pool of 4,000.
Some of the soldiers, who say that the experiment has had life-threatening side effects for them, are now filing a lawsuit against the Israeli Army, Haaretz reported.
[...]'
'Israel has admitted to developing an anthrax vaccine through a secret research project involving tests on unaware army soldiers.
The Israeli Defense Ministry revealed on Wednesday that the vaccine was tested on 716 soldiers while they had not been fully informed about the study, Ynet reported.
The project, codenamed "Omer 2", was held during the first part of the 1990s and the subjects were picked out of a pool of 4,000.
Some of the soldiers, who say that the experiment has had life-threatening side effects for them, are now filing a lawsuit against the Israeli Army, Haaretz reported.
[...]'
Mezan Condemns Israeli escalation against Palestinian fishermen
IMEMC:
The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights slammed the Israeli escalation against Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip, called on civil society, and the international community to intensify their solidarity campaigns with the Palestinians.
The Center added that Israeli soldiers kidnapped four fishermen, shot and injured a fifth fisherman.
The attack took place on Wednesday around 8 in the morning when the Israeli Navy opened fire at a small fishing boat which was in the sea west of the Fishers Port.
The boat was in Palestinian territorial waters, and was even close to the shore when the attack took place.
“According to fishermen who where near the area, three Israeli gunboats surrounded the Palestinian fishing boat and ordered the fishermen to take off their clothes, jump in the water and swim towards one of the gunboats.” Al Mezan reported.
“They took the fishermen and their boat to an unknown destination. According to information collected by Al Mezan field workers, the fishermen were identified as Mohammed Abdullah Khalil An-Najar, 27; his brother Khalil, 22; Yousef Abdullah An-Najar, 19; and Hasan Khalil An-Najar, 19”, Al Mezan added.
On March 23, Israeli gunboats opened heavy gunfire at Palestinian boats close to the Gaza beach injuring one fisherman, identified as Mohammad Mahmoud Al Louh, 19.
The Al Mezan Center denounced the ongoing violations and attacks carried out by the Israeli army against the fishermen in the Gaza Strip, and added that the attacks constitute grave and systematic violations to the internationally guaranteed rights, and the international humanitarian law.
The Center called on the international community to intervene and stop the ongoing Israeli violations in the Palestinian territories.
It also said that the silence of the International Community is unacceptable especially since Israel significantly increased its attacks against Palestinian civilians, and that the Israeli attacks constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially the Israeli violations carried out by the army during the recent war on Gaza.
The Al Mezan called on civil society organizations throughout the world to increase their solidarity campaigns and to practice pressures of their governments to take action to halt the ongoing war crimes carried out by Israel against the Palestinian civilians.
The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights slammed the Israeli escalation against Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip, called on civil society, and the international community to intensify their solidarity campaigns with the Palestinians.
The Center added that Israeli soldiers kidnapped four fishermen, shot and injured a fifth fisherman.
The attack took place on Wednesday around 8 in the morning when the Israeli Navy opened fire at a small fishing boat which was in the sea west of the Fishers Port.
The boat was in Palestinian territorial waters, and was even close to the shore when the attack took place.
“According to fishermen who where near the area, three Israeli gunboats surrounded the Palestinian fishing boat and ordered the fishermen to take off their clothes, jump in the water and swim towards one of the gunboats.” Al Mezan reported.
“They took the fishermen and their boat to an unknown destination. According to information collected by Al Mezan field workers, the fishermen were identified as Mohammed Abdullah Khalil An-Najar, 27; his brother Khalil, 22; Yousef Abdullah An-Najar, 19; and Hasan Khalil An-Najar, 19”, Al Mezan added.
On March 23, Israeli gunboats opened heavy gunfire at Palestinian boats close to the Gaza beach injuring one fisherman, identified as Mohammad Mahmoud Al Louh, 19.
The Al Mezan Center denounced the ongoing violations and attacks carried out by the Israeli army against the fishermen in the Gaza Strip, and added that the attacks constitute grave and systematic violations to the internationally guaranteed rights, and the international humanitarian law.
The Center called on the international community to intervene and stop the ongoing Israeli violations in the Palestinian territories.
It also said that the silence of the International Community is unacceptable especially since Israel significantly increased its attacks against Palestinian civilians, and that the Israeli attacks constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially the Israeli violations carried out by the army during the recent war on Gaza.
The Al Mezan called on civil society organizations throughout the world to increase their solidarity campaigns and to practice pressures of their governments to take action to halt the ongoing war crimes carried out by Israel against the Palestinian civilians.
U.S. [and Israel] Accused Of Killing 39 In Sudan Strike
Dan Raviv, CBS News:
A government minister in Sudan is accusing the United States Air Force of killing dozens of people in that north African country this past January – but the semi-official American version of the story is very different.
CBS News national security correspondent David Martin has been told that Israeli aircraft carried out the attack. Israeli intelligence is said to have discovered that weapons were being trucked through Sudan, heading north toward Egypt, whereupon they would cross the Sinai Desert and be smuggled into Hamas-held territory in Gaza.
In January, the U.S. signed an agreement with Israel that calls for an international effort to stop arms smuggling into Gaza. Hamas was showering rockets on Israeli towns, and Israel had responded by invading Gaza. More than 1,000 Palestinians were reportedly killed in the December-January war, and 13 Israelis lost their lives.
In the airstrike in Sudan – said to have been "in a desert area northwest of Port Sudan city, near Mount al-Sha’anoon," according to SudanTribune.com – 39 people riding in 17 trucks were reportedly killed.
The first government official in Sudan to talk about it was the state minister for highways, Mabrouk Mubarak Saleem, who said: "A major power bombed small trucks carrying arms – burning all of them. It killed Sudanese, Eritreans, and Ethiopians and injured others."
According to SudanTribune.com, the airstrike was an "embarrassment" to Sudan’s government, and it discussed the matter with Egypt’s government – allied with the U.S. on most issues – "to gather more information to formulate a response."
The Web site added: "American and Israeli diplomats said the [January] agreement includes intelligence coordination to prevent arms from Iran from entering Gaza, maritime efforts to identify ships carrying weaponry, and the sharing of U.S. and European technologies to discover and prevent the use of weapons-smuggling tunnels."
If Israeli airplanes carried out the attack in Sudan, it would suggest that there is a shadow war against Hamas and its weapons sources that is wider than the Israeli or U.S. government has revealed.
A government minister in Sudan is accusing the United States Air Force of killing dozens of people in that north African country this past January – but the semi-official American version of the story is very different.
CBS News national security correspondent David Martin has been told that Israeli aircraft carried out the attack. Israeli intelligence is said to have discovered that weapons were being trucked through Sudan, heading north toward Egypt, whereupon they would cross the Sinai Desert and be smuggled into Hamas-held territory in Gaza.
In January, the U.S. signed an agreement with Israel that calls for an international effort to stop arms smuggling into Gaza. Hamas was showering rockets on Israeli towns, and Israel had responded by invading Gaza. More than 1,000 Palestinians were reportedly killed in the December-January war, and 13 Israelis lost their lives.
In the airstrike in Sudan – said to have been "in a desert area northwest of Port Sudan city, near Mount al-Sha’anoon," according to SudanTribune.com – 39 people riding in 17 trucks were reportedly killed.
The first government official in Sudan to talk about it was the state minister for highways, Mabrouk Mubarak Saleem, who said: "A major power bombed small trucks carrying arms – burning all of them. It killed Sudanese, Eritreans, and Ethiopians and injured others."
According to SudanTribune.com, the airstrike was an "embarrassment" to Sudan’s government, and it discussed the matter with Egypt’s government – allied with the U.S. on most issues – "to gather more information to formulate a response."
The Web site added: "American and Israeli diplomats said the [January] agreement includes intelligence coordination to prevent arms from Iran from entering Gaza, maritime efforts to identify ships carrying weaponry, and the sharing of U.S. and European technologies to discover and prevent the use of weapons-smuggling tunnels."
If Israeli airplanes carried out the attack in Sudan, it would suggest that there is a shadow war against Hamas and its weapons sources that is wider than the Israeli or U.S. government has revealed.
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