text:
Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel
For those interested in keeping up with events in Palestine/Israel, there is no better digest than VTJP.
3 September 2008
Prisoners' Ministry in Gaza: Israel detained 3,900
Palestinians so far this year
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an – The Israeli forces carried out more than 250 raids in
the West Bank during July, and detained more than 420 Palestinians,
including children and members of local government councils, statistics
released by the Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs in Gaza show. According
to the ministry, Israel has detained 3,900 Palestinians so far this
year. Forty children under the age of 18 were detained during August.
Nine hundred prisoners from the Gaza Strip have been denied the right
to family visits for more than 15 months on the pretext that Israel
will not coordinate the visits with the de facto government in Gaza.
The International Committee of the Red Cross normally facilitates such
visits. Forty one members of the Palestinian Legislative Council are
still in Israeli prisons.
US 'terror' suspect freed from jail
Al Jazeera 9/3/2008
A US court has ordered the release of an Arab-American former professor
who had been in jail for five years after he was accused of being a
Palestinian terrorist. Sami al-Arian was freed on Tuesday after US
immigration officials failed to explain his continued detention pending
a trial for refusing to testify before a grand jury about a cluster of
Muslim organisations in northern Virginia. "We are obviously relieved
and delighted,'' Jonathan Turley, al-Arian's lawyer, said. But the
former computer engineering professor at the University of South
Florida, in custody since early 2003, is not yet fully free. He must
remain under home detention at his daughter's residence in Virginia,
pending trial. In February 2003, federal prosecutors charged al-Arian
with being a leader of the Palestinian. . .
Palestinian leadership rejects Barak's suggestion of
Palestinian capital in parts of East Jerusalem
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – A top Palestinian negotiator rejected a suggestion
by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Wednesday that Israel might
allow certain parts of East Jerusalem to become the capital of a
Palestinian state. Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the PLO Executive
Committee and a member of the Palestinian negotiating team said that
East Jerusalem is not an entity that can be separated from the rest of
the West Bank. In an interview with Ma'an, he said that Israel must
withdraw from all areas it occupied in 1967. Palestinian negotiators,
he said, would accept nothing less. Barak told Al-Jazeera television in
an interview broadcast on Wednesday, "We can find a formula under which
certain neighborhoods, heavily-populated Arab neighborhoods, could
become, in a peace agreement, part of the Palestinian capital that, of
course, will include also the neighboring villages around Jerusalem.
Security forces 'arrest striking health workers' in Gaza
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Security forces affiliated to the de facto
government in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday arrested a number of doctors
and to other employees of Gaza Strip hospitals because they are on
strike, said Bassam Zakarnah, head of the Palestinian union of civil
servants. Fatah-linked unions voted to extend a major strike against
the Hamas-lead government of Gaza on Tuesday. Speaking from Ramallah,
Zakarnah told Ma'an, "De facto government police on Tuesday arrested
Maysarah Fayyad, a nurse who works at Mubarak Hospital, Dr Kamal
An-Namlah, head of surgeons at Nasser Hospital, Dr Abdul-Halim
Al-Masri, from Ash-Shifa Hospital, Wisam Karim, administration employee
at Muhammad Ad-Durrah Hospital, Usamah As-Sa'idi and Muhammad Lafi from
Muhammad Ad-Durrah Hospital. He added that de facto government security
assaulted the arrestees, beating while them in detention at Al-Mashtal
prison in order to pressure them to end strike.
UN peacekeeper killed by IDF bomb from Second Lebanon War
Reuters, Ha'aretz
A Belgian peacekeeper was killed on Wednesday while clearing cluster
bombs that Israel dropped on southern Lebanon during its 2006 war with
Hezbollah guerrillas, witnesses said. There are some 370 Belgian
soldiers in the UN peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, that is helping
the Lebanese army patrol a border zone in the south under a UN Security
Council resolution mandate that ended the 34-day war. The witnesses
said a second Belgian peacekeeper was lightly wounded. The chief of
public information for UNIFIL, Neeraj Singh, confirmed that a
peacekeeper had died but would not disclose his nationality. "A member
of a UNIFIL explosive ordnance disposal team died from an explosion
around midday today while carrying out an unexploded ordnance clearance
recce mission in the vicinity of Aitaroun," he told.
Israeli warplanes terrorize residents of Tyre
Daily Star 9/4/2008
TYRE: Six Israeli warplanes flew over South Lebanon and broke the sound
barrier twice over the port city of Tyre on Wednesday, a security
official said. "Six Israeli warplanes flew all over southern Lebanon
and the city of Tyre at low altitude for more than an hour and broke
the sound barrier twice over Tyre," the official told AFP. The
overflight prompted scared shoppers to flee Tyre's main market,
witnesses said. Residents also poured on to the streets nervously
watching the skies, little more than two years after the summer 2006
war with Israel devastated much of southern Lebanon, the correspondent
added. There has been a mounting war of words between Hizbullah and
Israel in recent weeks with the resistance leader Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah vowing to "destroy Israel" in any new conflict. For their
part Israeli cabinet ministers have warned that Lebanon's civilian
infrastructure. . .
Government to discuss evacuation-compensation plan for West
Roni Sofer, YNetNews
Prime minister's office confirms cabinet to debate initiative put
forward by Vice Premier Ramon proposing compensation for settlers who
voluntarily leave West Bank. No vote scheduled to be held on proposal
at present time - The government will discuss an initiative put forward
Vice Premier Haim Ramon on Sunday, proposing the voluntary evacuation
and compensation of Israeli settlers living in the West Bank. The
matter will be debated but not brought to a vote. Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert's office said in regards to the upcoming meeting that Olmert
would allow cabinet ministers to sound off on the proposal before
legislation advances. However two Kadima ministers said they doubted
the current government could pass such a divisive proposal. " This
government's days are numbered, and so long as the negotiations (with
the Palestinian Authority). . .
Israeli forces seize ten Palestinians during West Bank raids
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israeli forces on Wednesday morning seized ten
Palestinians during raids in the West Bank. According to Israeli
sources, the arrestees were from Nablus and Qabatiya in the northern
West Bank as well as Halhul in the southern West Bank. Palestinian
security sources said that Israeli military vehicles invaded the old
city of Nablus and forcibly searched several homes before they arrested
6 young men. The sources identified the arrestees as, 16-year-old Ra'id
Hamdan, 17-year-old Nasr Mabroukah, 21-year-old Ramiz Jum'ah,
20-year-old Eyhab Al-Arboudi, his brother 23-year-old Tha'ir and
19-year-old Zahi Fatayir. [end]
Israeli forces steal cash and jewelry from elderly
Palestinian's house near Hebron
Ma'an News Agency
Hebron – Ma'an – Israeli forces on Wednesday morning ransacked the home
of an elderly Palestinian man, 80-year-old Muhammad Abu Rayyan, in the
West Bank town of Halhul, near the city of Hebron. According to a
family member, Bilal Abu Rayyan, Israeli soldiers stole jewelry and
cash worth estimated at 3000 Jordanian Dinars (4300 US dollars) while
searching the house. He added that Israeli forces damaged parts of the
family's blacksmith workshop near the house before leaving. Witnesses
said the interior of the house was largely destroyed. [end]
Israeli army threatens and physically abuses Kafr ad Dik
Womens' Peace Service 9/3/2008
August 30th 2008 - 2:30-3am - Kafr ad Dik - Witness/es: Residents of
Kafr ad Dik - On August 30th at 2:30am, Israeli soldiers are reported
to have forcibly demanded entrance to a family residence in Kafr ad
Dik, Salfit district. One resident of the home reports that first all
of his family members' identity cards were reviewed; next, he was
forced to exit the house while the rest of the family was locked
inside. Three soldiers demanded from him to give information about a
resident of Kafr ad Dik. Refusing to answer, the soldiers beat the man
on the back, shoulders and face, and held him at gunpoint; he then
revealed the other's residence. The soldiers eventually left, next
forcing entry into the wanted man's home who was not to be found. Since
the evening of August 30th, the Israeli army returned almost every
evening at around prayer time, patrolling the streets and using sound
bombs to intimidate residents and thereby preventing them from leaving
their homes.
Israeli violations
increase during August in spite of ''˜official truce'
Saed Bannoura &
Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 9/3/2008
The National and International Department in the Palestinian Liberation
Organization (PLO) issued a press release documenting the Israeli
violations during the month of August. It stated that the Israeli army
killed 2 Palestinians, shot and wounded 131, including 26 children,
demolished 5 homes in addition to 22 patients that died in Gaza due to
the ongoing Israeli siege. In its report, the department stated that
soldiers shot and killed 18 year old Ahmad Younis Amira from Nil'in, a
village near the central West Bank city of Ramallah. Amira was killed
by a live round fired by an Israeli soldier while she joined hundreds
of residents and peace activists in a protest against the Annexation
Wall. Also, an Israeli contractor shot and killed a Palestinian youth
working for him. Furthermore, soldiers shot and wounded 131
Palestinians, including 26 children, all in the month of August.
Armed resistance in Gaza prepares for Israeli onslaught
PNN, Palestine News
Network 9/3/2008
Gaza -- Recent Israeli threats against the Gaza Strip are intensifying.
With the siege and random invasions ongoing, Israeli Defense Minister
Ehud Barak is now making statements about further attacks. In light of
this latest development, the Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, the armed
resistance wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, announced on
Wednesday that they would be ready. Preparations are underway in the
Strip to confront any increase in Israeli aggression. They carried out
maneuvers in the streets of Gaza City, practicing and reviewing
fighting skills. Away from the crowds they fired weapons, hoping to not
have a repeat of the deaths in both the northern Strip and Khan Younis
caused by the stray bullets of training resistance groups. The
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights has issued numerous reports
regarding deaths and injuries due to maneuvers such as this. . .
IOF troops kidnapped 70 Palestinians from Nablus in August
Information Center 9/3/2008
NABLUS, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation forces kidnapped 70 Palestinians
from Nablus city during the past month of August, Tadamun institute for
human rights said on Wednesday. It noted that among the abductees was
municipal council member Majda Fidda, who was kidnapped from her home
after IOF troops ransacked it in a violent search operation. Tadamun
condemned the escalating IOF arrest campaign in lines of Nablus
inhabitants, and urged the international community and human rights
organizations to assume their responsibilities in this regard. IOF
soldiers at dawn Wednesday rounded up six citizens in Nablus suburbs
including two brothers after wreaking havoc in their homes. In another
atrocity, the Palestinian child Ismail Ulayan, who was kidnapped by IOF
troops on 19/6/2008, said that soldiers beat him up after arresting him
and throwing him under their feet in the army jeep.
Israeli military forces
kidnap 7 civilians from several West Bank cities
Marina Ayyoub,
International Middle East Media Center News 9/3/2008
Israeli troops invaded the West Bank cities of Nablus, Jenin, Tubas and
Tulkarem at dawn, kidnapping 7 civilians on Wednesday, as reported by
local sources. A number of Israeli military vehicles invaded the city
of Nablus, positioning themselves in the streets and surrounding
several houses. Troops searched and ransacked several houses before
kidnapping 6 civilians, taking them to an unknown detention camp for
investigation. The Israeli military claims that the 6 detainees are
wanted for allegedly being members of the Palestinian armed resistance.
In addition, Israeli troops invaded the West Bank city of Jenin and 3
nearby cities, kidnapping one civilian. Troops were centered in several
streets in the area and shot sound bombs and heavy gun fire at random
before surrounding a number of houses and kidnapping one civilian.
Israeli forces seize Islamic Jihad fighter in Qabatiya
Ma'an News Agency
Jenin – Ma'an Israeli forces on Wednesday arrested an Islamic Jihad
activist in the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya, Islamic Jihad
sources said. "Dozens of Israeli military vehicles raided the town and
launched a search campaign allegedly looking for wanted activists
affiliated to the Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades. Then, the invading
forces apprehended ShadiZakarnah after they ransacked his family home,"
the forces said. "Israeli forces also stormed several Islamic leaders'
homes, damaging their contents," the sources added. They explained that
armed confrontations broke out between Israeli forces and Al-Quds
Brigades sections in different parts of Qabatiya. [end]
Shooting reported near governor's home in Salfit
Ma'an News Agency
Nablus – Ma'an – Gunmen opened fire near the home of the governor of
the West Bank district of Salfit on Wednesday, witnesses said. Governor
Munir Al-Abboushi said, "A gunman opened fire 500 meters away from my
house near an Israeli watchtower without any casualties. "He said
earlier reports that his house had come under direct attack were false.
He added that that Palestinian security forces searched the area and
found ammunition cartridges and opened an investigation. [end]
Palestine Today 090308
IMEMC News - Audio
Dept, International Middle East Media Center News 9/3/2008
Click on Link to download or play MP3 file|| 3 m 30s || 3. 20 MB ||
Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East
Media Center www. imemc. org for Tuesday September 3, 2008. Israeli
troops storm a number of West Bank cities, rounding up 7 Palestinians
while in Gaza, Israeli authorities deny International activists passage
out of the Gaza Strip, these stories and more are coming up, stay
tuned. The News Cast
The frequent Israeli military offensives against Palestinian cities,
towns, villages and refugee camps in the occupied West Bank today,
resulted in the detention of seven Palestinians from Jenin, Nablus and
Tulkarem. Witnesses said that scores of Israeli military vehicles swept
into the said areas earlier at dawn and that the soldiers ransacked and
searched residents' homes, rounding up and taking the seven residents
to unknown destinations.
Alkhudari: internationals
denied exit, have a chance to live the Israeli siege
Rami Almeghari &
Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 9/3/2008
Jamal Alkhudari, chairman of the local popular committee to break the
Israeli blockade on Gaza, believed on Wednesday that the internationals
who have been denied exit from Gaza by the Israeli occupation
authorities, have a chance to live the Israeli siege on Gaza. In a
press release, emailed to media outlets, "denying 9 internationals exit
out of the Gaza Strip, can be a chance for those people to live the
Israeli siege of Gaza, in a way that might lead to the reopening of
border crossings". Israel has prevented entry of 9 international
activists through the Eritz checkpoint in northern Gaza, in their way
back to their destinations after they have spent several days in Gaza.
The internationals , including British journalist Lauren Booth and
sister-in-law of Mr. Tony Blair, envoy of the Quartet Committee for
Middle East peace, have been part of the Free Gaza boat, which arrived
in Gaza in August23.
Blair's relative 'stuck in Gaza'
BBC Online 9/3/2008
Lauren Booth, human rights activist and sister-in-law of the former
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, has said she is being prevented from
leaving Gaza. Ms Booth arrived in the Gaza Strip on a "peace boat" to
publicise Israel's blockade of the Palestinian territory. But she said
the Egyptian and Israeli authorities had prevented her from leaving
Gaza three times. Mr Blair, now an international envoy to the Middle
East, is currently in the region meeting senior Israeli leaders.
'Non-violent resistance project' Israel tightened an economic blockade
on Gaza after Hamas forces violently seized control from Fatah in June
2007. The borders between Gaza and Egypt and Israel are closed to
people most of the time. About 45 people - including Americans,
Palestinians and Israelis - took part in the "peace boat" mission last
Israel traps Blair's sister-in-law in Gaza
Middle East Online
GAZA - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's sister-in-law says
she is trapped in the Gaza Strip as Israel refuses to let her leave the
Palestinian territory she entered aboard a humanitarian boat. "They
have made it clear I won't be admitted to Israel," said Lauren Booth, a
British journalist and peace campaigner. Israeli authorities have
rejected Lauren Booth's request to leave Gaza, arguing she did not
enter legally when she and another 43 humanitarian activists travelled
by boat to the impoverished coastal strip in defiance of an Israeli
blockade. "This is a real Palestinian experience of being between the
devil and the deep blue sea," Booth said. Booth asked over the weekend
for authorisation to leave Gaza through the Erez crossing with Israel.
She was also prevented from crossing into Egypt through the Rafah
Blair's sister-in-law stranded in Gaza
Associated Press,
Jerusalem Post 9/3/2008
The sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said
Wednesday that Israel and Egypt have prevented her from leaving the
Gaza Strip, more than a week after she entered the territory in
defiance of the blockade. Lauren Booth said she has been trying to
leave Gaza since Friday, but was turned away at Israeli and Egyptian
border crossings. Booth was among 46 pro-Palestinian international
activists with the Free Gaza Movement who sailed into Gaza waters on
August 23 to draw attention to Israel's blockade, which has prevented
the area's 1. 4 million Palestinians from traveling abroad and crippled
the local economy. Most of the protesters left Gaza on the same boats
last Thursday and sailed to Cyprus, but Booth and several other
activists chose to remain behind to do human rights work.
Tony Blair sister-in-law 'trapped in Gaza'
David Batty, The
Guardian 9/3/2008
he sister-in-law of the former prime minister Tony Blair said today she
has been barred from leaving the Gaza Strip, more than a week after she
entered the territory in defiance of an Israeli blockade. Lauren Booth,
the half-sister of Cherie Blair, said she has been trying to leave Gaza
since last Friday, but has been prevented at both Israeli and Egyptian
border crossings. Booth was among 46 pro-Palestinian international
activists with the Free Gaza Movement who sailed into Gaza waters on
August 23 to draw attention to Israel's blockade. The blockade has
prevented the area's 1. 4 million Palestinians from travelling abroad
and crippled the local economy. [end]
Scottish activists intend to stage two trips to break
Israel's siege on Gaza
Information Center 9/2/2008
BRUSSELS, (PIC)-- Scottish human rights activists announced their
intention to organize two trips soon by land and sea to break the
Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip with the participation of a number of
Scottish lawmakers. At a joint press conference with human rights
activist Janet Legget, Dr. Khalil Al-Neiss, the deputy head of the
Scottish national party and the coordinator of the anti-siege campaign,
said that the campaign organizers intend to organize a land trip from
Scotland to Rafah in mid-November, pointing out that six Scottish
lawmakers and 34 human rights activists will participate in this
journey. Dr. Neiss added that the organizers of the land trip, which
started 50 days ago from outside the Scottish parliament building, will
organize another trip by sea to Gaza within two weeks. The head of the
campaign also noted that he and the organizers of this anti-siege
campaign. . .
Anti-siege boats to return to Gaza with a bigger third one,
more relief material
Information Center 9/3/2008
BRUSSELS, (PIC)-- The two boats that broke the sea blockade on the Gaza
Strip are to return to the Strip along with a bigger third boat that
would carry more solidarity activists and more medical aid. The foreign
activists, who remained in Gaza after departure of the two boats, said
that the boats are expected back in the Strip within the few coming
days and would bring more relief material. The international
sympathizers said that their continued presence in Gaza would unmask
the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people, charging that
regional parties were participating in besieging Gaza along with
Israel. The foreign activists asked the Egyptian authorities to open
the Rafah border terminal with Gaza and allow them to return home to
their families. They lashed out at both Israel and Egypt for not
allowing them to leave the Strip via Rafah and Erez crossings,
charging. . .
Gaza committee against siege: activists now trapped as we are
PNN, Palestine News
Network 9/3/2008
Gaza -- The head of the Popular Committee against the Siege, Jamal Al
Khudari, said today that it was a good thing when Israeli forces at
Erez Checkpoint refused to allow foreigner supporters to exit. The
activists were among the group that arrived on the Free Gaza boats two
weeks ago in a symbolic action "to break the siege. "Although most of
the activists and seven Gaza residents left, nine stayed behind to
document Israeli breaches of Palestinian human rights and to try to aid
in anyway possible. The activists joined Palestinian fishermen in their
boats hoping to stop Israeli forces from opening fire or arresting the
working men. Al Khudari said that it is important for the foreign
activists to get a feel for real life under siege and occupation, and
by not being allowed to travel through the northern crossing in Beit
Hanoun, they got just that.
Israel and Egypt do not
allow Blair's sister-in-law out of Gaza by land
Rami Almeghari &
Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 9/3/2008
Israel and Egypt continue to deny entry to some Free Gaza Movement
members into Israel en route to their destinations abroad, after having
spent several days in Gaza. Laurn Booth, who is the sister-in-law to
British envoy for the Middle East Quartet Committee, Tony Blair, along
with two other activists, have until now been denied access to leave
Gaza. They have been denied both through the Rafah crossing terminal
controlled by Egypt in southern Gaza and the northern Gaza Strip
checkpoint in Eritz controlled by Israel. Booth has been one of 44
international human rights activists, aid workers and journalists who
arrived in Gaza by sea last month in a bid to break the 14-month-old
Israeli blockade of Gaza. Booth was quoted as saying, "I tried through
the proper channels, through the United Kingdoms' embassy, but I was
told I was not allowed to come through.
Palestinian rights group accuses PA of judicial abuse
Reuters, Ha'aretz
The Palestinian human rights group al-Haq accused the Palestinian
Authority on Wednesday of undermining judicial independence in the
occupied West Bank and appealed to Western donors to intervene. Al-Haq
director Shahwan Jabbarin said Palestinian security services in the
West Bank, where President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction holds sway,
and in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip were functioning illegally and "are
running the country". "I tell the donors it's high time they pressured
theAuthority to implement its commitments towards the independence of
the judiciary," Jabbarin told reporters. Jabbarin said military courts
were issuing arrest warrants against civilians and undermining a
civilian judiciary that had undergone reform and improvement in the
West Bank.
Al-Haq: PA Military Courts might lead to ''authoritarian
Ma'an News Agency
Ramallah – Ma'an – The Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq
urged the Palestinian Authority (PA) on Wednesday to end the use of
military courts in trials of civilians in order to stop a dangerous
slide towards authoritarianism. In a statement sent to journalists, the
organization said these uses of the Military Judiciary "might lead
towards an authoritarian regime, at the expenses of the fundamental
rights and freedoms of Palestinians, the rule of law and the
independency of the judiciary. ""Several calls and statements have been
sent to the Palestinian president and prime minister as well as the
Ministry of Justice and general prosecution, to stop military judiciary
intervention in the civil judiciary. Despite this, the military
judiciary still violates and intervene in civil judiciary
jurisdiction," said Al-Haq Director Sha'wan Jabarin during a press
conference at Ramattan News Agency in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Canaan Center slams
settlers attack against a female legislator
IMEMC News,
International Middle East Media Center News 9/3/2008
Ghassan Al Masry, head of the Canaan Center for Media and Studies
issued a press release slamming an attack carried by a group of
extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian legislator, Najat Abu
Baker. Abu Baker was in her vehicle on the road between Nablus and
Jenin. The settlers also uttered threats against the life of Abu Baker
while the Israeli army did not even attempt to stop them. Al Masry
stated that the last three months marked a "new settler war" against
the Palestinian people, as the settlers fired missiles at Nablus
villages adjacent to Israeli settlements, repeatedly attacked the
villages and repeatedly set farmlands and orchards on fire. The
settlers also attacked dozens of villagers and attempted to bar them
from working in their orchards while the army remained idle and in many
cases Israeli soldiers protected the settlers and allowed them to
wander in Palestinian orchards, cut and burn the trees.
Prison conditions deteriorate
PNN, Palestine News
Network 9/3/2008
Nablus -- Solitary confinement and the use of military dogs in Israeli
prisons were prevalent in Israeli prisons during the month of August.
Raids and arbitrary punishments both work to crush spirits and deprive
Palestinians of the most basic of rights, the Prisoner Support Society
wrote in the latest report. Abdullah Barghouthi is serving a life
sentence. Prison guards at Askelon beat severely during a random
attack. Bruises now cover his body, his muscles are torn and he is in
solitary confinement. A 36 year old woman from Askar Refugee Camp in
Nablus revealed that she suffered cancer in her uterus, finding out
from a medical exam inside the prison. Megiddo Prison within the
boundaries of northern Israel is holding 850 Palestinians. The report
states that they suffer from a shortage of drinking water as part of
the Prison Administration's policy.
Rights group: Gazan man held in ''secret location'' since
Hamas-Fatah shootout in early August
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an – The Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens'
Rights (PICCR) said on Wednesday that de facto government security
forces in Gaza have been detaining Zaki As-Sakani without disclosing
his location or allowing him to see a lawyer. Thirty-Three-year-old
As-Sakani has been held since 2 August. According to his family,
As-Sakani was detained after he was wounded in fighting in the
Ash-Shuja'iyyah neighborhood of Gaza City. Hamas-allied security forces
fought a battle with Fatah-linked gunmen that day, leaving nine
Palestinians dead. The de facto government in Gaza previously claimed
to have released all detainees jailed during the events in
Ash-Shuja'iyyah. As-Sakani was reportedly taken to the intensive care
unit at Ash-Shifa Hospital. His mother tried to visit him at hospital,
but she was not allowed to go enter the ICU.
Ramallah - PLC members issue statement of support for
striking workers in Gaza
Ma'an News Agency
Ramallah – Ma'an – Fatah-allied members of the Palestinian Legislative
Council (PLC) in Ramallah released a statement on Wednesday supporting
the right of workers in the Gaza Strip to strike against the Hamas-led
government there. "The strike that was carried out in the education and
health sectors of Gaza Strip is within the normal practices of and
rights. Hamas' practices against strike are illegitimate and go against
legal and humanitarian values," the statement said. The lawmakers
blamed Hamas for its "repressive and aggressive practices" against the
striking workers. [end]
Palestinian university workers continue strike, rejecting
offer from three schools
Ma'an News Agency
Nablus – Ma'an – University workers in the West Bank and Gaza are still
on strike for increased pay on Wednesday after the union rejected a
public offer from three universities for a 50% increase in salaries.
The presidents of three Palestinian universities, An-Najah, Birzeit and
Palestine Technical, called on their workers to end their strike in
exchange for the 50% pay increase, short of the 80% the union is
demanding. Nine Palestinian universities in the West Bank and Gaza went
on strike on Tuesday demanding better pay in a labor action they unions
say is not related to partisan politics. Employeest at the universities
of An-Najah, Hebron, Bethlehem, Al-Quds, Arab American,
Al-Azhar,Al-Quds Open University, Islamic University and the
Polytechnic University all stoped work on Tuesday, said Mousa Ajwah, a
spokesperson for the General Union of university workers.
PRC leader rejects proposal for Arab peacekeepers in Gaza
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an – A leader of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), an
armed group in the Gaza Strip, added his voice to a chorus of rejection
of a proposal to bring Arab or international forces to police the
Strip. "All indications refer to the fact that bringing such forces is
against Palestinian people's interests," said PRC leader Ayman
Shishniyya. The proposal had been floated at the Palestinian unity
negotiations in Cairo as a step towards restoring unified political
control to the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas and the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) have already rejected the idea. "We will
deal with any forces which enter the Gaza Strip for any purpose except
freeing Palestinian lands, as enemies. We will not replace occupation
with another occupation," he added. He added that Arab forces must
rather head to Jerusalem to liberate it, despite the fact that they
would be" 40 years late.
Khudari calls on Arab ministers to visit Gaza
Information Center 9/3/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head of the anti siege
committee, has called for the formation of an Arab ministerial
committee to visit the Gaza Strip during the holy month of Ramadan to
inspect the catastrophic results of the Israeli siege. Khudari in a
press release on Tuesday said that the visit could be prepared during
Ramadan to brief the delegation members on all details of the siege.
The MP noted that the arrival of the anti-siege boats to Gaza and the
opening of the Rafah crossing for two days before thousands of patients
and stranded citizens facilitate the proposed visit of such a
committee. The Arab foreign ministers decided to break the siege on the
Palestinian people during a meeting on 12/11/2006. Khudari said that
the Arab ministerial decision taken two years ago was not implemented,
warning that all aspects of life in Gaza suffered from the blockade.
Palestinians to propose Arab military force for Gaza
Rory McCarthy in
Jerusalem, The Guardian 9/3/2008
The Palestinian government in Ramallah will propose that Arab nations
deploy a joint military force in Gaza once a coalition government has
been formed between the rival factions Fatah and Hamas, the Palestinian
foreign minister, Riad Malki, said today. Malki said he would be taking
the idea to a meeting next week of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo,
which opens on Monday. He said the proposal came from the Palestinians
though Egypt's foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, also raised the
prospect of sending a pan-Arab force to Gaza last week. Gaza is now
under the control of the Islamist Hamas movement, which won Palestinian
elections in 2006 and then seized full control of the strip last year
after a near civil war with its rival Fatah. The Hamas government was
then sacked and the Palestinian president and Fatah leader, Mahmoud. .
PRC refuses deployment of
Arab forces in Gaza
Rami Almeghari &
Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 9/3/2008
The Popular Resistance Committees in Gaza (PRC) refused on Wednesday an
Egyptian suggestion to deploy Arab forces in Gaza as 'contradicting
with the higher national interests of the Palestinian people. '
Political leader of the PRC, Ayman Al-Shishniya, was quoted by media
sources as saying "the idea to bring in Arab or foreign troops to Gaza
is totally rejected by our faction, as it is in stark contradiction
with the interests of our Palestinian people and their resistance. "
Al-Shishniya added that "any troops that enter Gaza not for the sake of
liberating the lands, will be dealt with as hostile forces and
therefore won't be welcomed with flowers. "He further made clear that
'any Arab troops should head for the occupied East Jerusalem to
liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which has been under captivity for the
past four decades.
Analysis: Increasingly, Hamas is gaining acceptance in the
Arab world
Jonathan Spyer,
Jerusalem Post 9/3/2008
A series of recent developments point to Hamas's increasingly solid
position in the Palestinian and broader Arab political constellations.
This process is of significance both for Arab politics itself, and for
the likely direction of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the coming
period. In the past week, it was announced that Jordan's Intelligence
Department, led by Gen. Muhammad Dahabi, has opened a dialogue with
Hamas. The renewal of contacts between Amman and Hamas reverses a
decade of Jordanian policy since the Hamas leadership were expelled
from Jordan in 1999. The fraught nature of Jordan's relations with
Hamas was compounded in April 2006 with the arrest of 20 men suspected
of being Hamas operatives. Three of the detainees were charged with
maintaining a Hamas cell that surveilled Israeli targets in the kingdom
in order to carry out terror attacks.
Terror cells scope El Al crew in Toronto with attack in mind
Zohar Blumenkrantz,
Ha'aretz 9/4/2008
Terror cells have recently been seen observing El Al crew members in
Toronto, apparently in preparation for a terror attack targeting
airline personnel. This appears to be the first time Israeli airline
crews have been specifically targeted by terrorists, although Israeli
businessmen abroad have already been warned that Hezbollah may attempt
to abduct them. The suspected terrorists were seen at the Sheraton
Centre Toronto Hotel, one of the hotels where the pilots and crew of
the Boeing 767s that fly El Al's direct Tel Aviv-Toronto route stay
between flights. The sighting has triggered a higher alert level, and
the Shin Bet security service has ordered El Al procedures altered. U.
S. television stations, basing their information on American
intelligence sources, reported in mid-June that a Hezbollah cell had
been caught collecting. . .
Shin Bet warns El Al about terror abroad
Yaakov Katz,
Jerusalem Post 9/3/2008
Fearing a Hizbullah attack and after a terrorist squad was spotted
tracking an El Al flight crew in Toronto, the Shin Bet (Israel Security
Agency) has issued new orders to Israeli airline companies to take
extra precautions when operating overseas. In a recent meeting with
airline chiefs, representatives from the Shin Bet Security Division
asked El Al Israel Airways, Arkia Israel Airlines and Israir Airlines
to ensure that their crew members remove company uniforms with Israeli
markings when on stopovers abroad. The crews were also asked to try not
to stand out as Israelis, to blend in with their surroundings and to
raise their level of vigilance when overseas. The new orders came after
a flight crew in Toronto was tracked by a terrorist cell that Israeli
security services fear was planning to either kidnap or attack the
UNIFIL soldier killed by cluster bomb
Reuters, YNetNews
Belgian peacekeeper clearing bomblets in southern Lebanon dies after
charge explodes, another lightly wounded - A Belgian peacekeeper was
killed on Wednesday while clearing cluster bombs that Israel dropped on
southern Lebanon during the Second Lebanon War in 2006. There are some
370 Belgian soldiers in the UN peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL,
which is helping the Lebanese army patrol a border zone in the south
under UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The witnesses said a second
Belgian peacekeeper was lightly wounded. The chief of public
information for UNIFIL, Neeraj Singh, confirmed that a peacekeeper had
died but would not disclose his nationality. "A member of a UNIFIL
explosive ordnance disposal team died from an explosion around midday
today while carrying out an unexploded ordnance clearance mission in
the vicinity of Aitaroun," he told.
Biden backs Israel, criticizes AIPAC
Hilary Leila
Krieger, Minneapolis, Jerusalem Post 9/3/2008
Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden said Wednesday that
Israel should be able to take whatever action it feels necessary to
defend itself from Iran, pressing his Israel credentials even as he
lashed out at AIPAC and those who have criticized his record toward the
Jewish state. "Israel has an absolute right to defend itself. It
doesn't have to ask us," Biden, a Delaware senator and Barack Obama's
running mate, said in response to a question from The Jerusalem Post
during a conference call with Jewish media. Biden was in Florida
stumping for Jewish votes while the Republican National Convention took
place in this Midwestern city. Meanwhile, Sarah Palin, who was set to
accept the nomination to be the GOP vice presidential candidate after
press time Wednesday, visited with AIPAC members here to reassure them
of her commitment to Israel.
Biden: Israel will be more protected with Obama
Yitzhak Benhorin,
YNetNews 9/3/2008
Democratic vice presidential candidate addresses Jewish pensioners near
Miami, declares Jewish state's security to improve if Obama is elected
president - WASHINGTON - Senator Joe Biden, the Democratic vice
presidential candidate,
appeared Tuesday evening before Jewish voters in south Florida and
declared that Israel's security would be improved if Barack Obama is
elected US president. He further stated that there is no doubt that
Obama supportsIsrael,
despite rumors spread by his rivals. Israel is not as safe today in the
world as it was eight years ago, Biden said, promising that the
Democrats will make it more protected. Speaking at a home for the
elderly in Deerfield Beach, north of Miami, the senator noted that
Hamas and Hizbullah have grown stronger and that Iran is working to
attain a nuclear weapon.
'Palin told AIPAC she wants stronger Israel ties'
Haaretz Service and
Reuters, Ha'aretz 9/4/2008
U. S. Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin told the pro-Israel lobby
AIPAC on Tuesday that she would "work to expand and deepen the
strategic partnership between U. S. and Israel," the group's spokesman
told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. According to the Wall Street
Journal, Palin spent Tuesday in her hotel suite with campaign aides
working on her speech at the Republican Convention scheduled for
Wednesday. Sources familiar with her schedule said that she also had a
private session with Jewish Senator Joe Lieberman. Lieberman, a
democrat and former vice presidential nominee, has come out in support
of the Republican ticket, saying in his speech Tuesday "Governor Palin,
like [presidential candidate] John McCain, is a reformer, that's why I
sincerely believe the real ticket for change is the McCain-Palin
Biden: Israel's decisions must be made in Jerusalem, not D.C.
Natasha Mozgovaya,
Ha'aretz 9/4/2008
Delaware Senator and Democratic Party Vice Presidential nominee Joseph
Biden said that Israel must remain a strong ally of the United States,
however its decisions "must be made in Jerusalem", during a
teleconference held with members of the Jewish press on Wednesday.
Biden also expressed his support of Israel's right to defend itself,
saying "Israel has the right to defend itself and it doesn't have to
ask, just as any other free and independent country. The Vice
Presidential nominee vowed that the United States will "always standby
Israel, without telling Israelis what they can and cannot do. "Biden
dismissed the prominent role played by the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC,
saying the group "doesn't speak for the entire Jewish community," and
it "doesn't speak for the state of Israel, no matter what it insists on
any occasion.
Both US vice-presidential
candidates vow to back Israel
Saed Bannoura,
International Middle East Media Center News 9/3/2008
Both Sarah Palin, the Republican candidate for US Vice-President, and
Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate, have both met with pro-Israel
groups in the US within days of their respective nominations, and have
promised complete and unconditional support for the Jewish state. Their
positions on the issue are in line with both major Presidential
candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, who both spoke earlier this
summer at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)
Conference to pledge support for Israel. The only US presidential
candidates that have expressed support for Palestinian human rights are
from minor parties, and unlikely to win. Cynthia McKinney, a former
Congresswoman from Georgia, is running for US President on the Green
Party ticket, and has taken a position that supports the human rights
of the Palestinian people for self-determination and equality.
Palin expresses support for Israel
Yitzhak Benhorin,
YNetNews 9/3/2008
Republican VP hopeful meets with AIPAC to put Jewish community at ease
over her views on US-Mideast relations, says she would like to visit
Israel soon. Lobby spokesman: 'VP nominee believes in the special
friendship between two democracies' - WASHINGTON- Senator McCain's
running mate in the US presidential election, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin,
met with the board of directors of the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee on Wednesday and expressed her admiration for Israel. The
meeting took place inside Palin's hotel, sources said. A campaign
official would not say who asked for the meeting, but said it was
geared towards putting the American Jewish community at ease over her
understanding of US-Middle East relations. "That's obviously going to
be an issue," the aide said. "It's not like being the senator from New
York, obviously.
Sarah Palin and the Jewish community
Marc R. Stanley,
Jerusalem Post 9/3/2008
Upon returning from the Democratic Convention in Denver we find a
political landscape that has drastically changed. In the course of just
one week Sen. Barack Obama picked Sen. Joseph Biden as his vice
presidential nominee while Sen. John McCain picked Gov. Sarah Palin of
Alaska as his running mate. These two picks say a great deal about the
judgment of each presidential candidate and about their understanding
of the American Jewish community. Biden, of course, was the more
conventional pick - especially for the Jewish community. The senior
senator from Delaware is one of the most well-known and respected
politicians among American Jewish leadership. He may be unique for a
non-Jewish senator in that he loudly exclaims that he is a Zionist.
Even his adversaries admit that there is no more knowledgeable senator
when it comes to Middle East policy.
MK draws criticism for screening ''racist'' Dutch film
Ma'an News Agency
Jerusalem – Ma'an – Right-wing Knesset member Arieh Eldad staged the
first public screening of an intensely controversial Dutch film blaming
Islam for terrorism in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Eldad showed parts of
the film "Fitna" by right-wing Dutch MP Geert Wilders at a press
conference in Jerusalem, drawing criticism from the left. Mohammed
Barakeh, a Palestinian member of the Knesset and the head of the
leftist Hadash party criticized the film, calling it racist. The
conflict that Israel and the Arabs are involved in during the last
hundred years is not a local disease, but it's a kind of symptom of a
global disease," Eldad told a small group of reporters. "The issue here
is not a territorial conflict between us and the Palestinians, but
Israel is only the front fortress of Western civilisation in the Middle
Director of controversial film on Islam to speak in Jerusalem
The Associated
Press, Ha'aretz 9/4/2008
National Union MK Aryeh Eldad said Wednesday that a controversial Dutch
legislator and filmmaker will speak at an upcoming Jerusalem conference
on combating radical Islam. Geert Wilders' film Fitna linked attacks by
Islamic militants to texts from the Koran, Islam's holy book. It
sparked angry street protests in Muslim countries earlier this year and
Jordan has informed Interpol he is wanted to face charges there. The
conference in December will be tailored to European legislators seeking
to unite in opposition to militant Islam. Eldad told a news conference
Wednesday that the Europeans who would attend the gathering would
represent the political mainstream in their countries and not the
far-right. Eldad said Fitna would be screened and the visiting
politicians, "acting as a defensive coalition in the European
Parliament,. . .
'Fitna' filmmaker to attend J'lem parley
Brenda Gazzar,
Jerusalem Post 9/3/2008
Selected European lawmakers, along with Dutch parliamentarian Geert
Wilders, whose controversial 15-minute film Fitna has sparked
world-wide Muslim outrage, will gather in Jerusalem in December to
"plan practical steps in the struggle against the spread of Islam in
Europe," MK Aryeh Eldad (NU/NRP) said Wednesday. Eldad: Knesset must
hold 'Fitna' summit Wilders is scheduled to speak and screen his film
atthe two-day conference titled "Facing Jihad: a Lawmakers' Summit,"
which is drawing criticism from Muslim MKs in Israel, who argue the
summit will encourage racism. The film, which first appeared on the
Internet in March, linked attacks by Islamic militants around the world
to verses from the Quran. Eldad, who is chairing the December 14th-15th
summit, said that the legislators attending the summit will discuss
draft proposals that would better "regulate" immigration. . .
'Anti-Zionism a type of anti-Semitism'
Benjamin Weinthal,
Jerusalem Post 9/3/2008
A Cologne regional court ruling on Wednesday resulted in a partial
legal victory for Henryk M. Broder, a prominent Jewish journalist who
had asked the court to vacate a temporary restraining order barring him
from labeling statements from fellow Jew Evelyn Hecht-Galinski as
anti-Semitic. Hecht-Galinski, whose late father served as the head of
Berlin's first post-Holocaust Jewish community and president of the
Central Council of Jews in Germany, equates Israeli policies with those
of Nazi Germany, and argues that a "Jewish-Israel lobby with its active
network is extended over the world and thanks to America its power has
become so great. . . " The court largely waived the injunction against
Broder. Nathan Gelbart, Broder's attorney, told The Jerusalem Post that
"the ruling says that Mr. Broder is not supposed to call Ms.
Gov't could put $100m. into 'birthright'
Haviv Rettig,
Jerusalem Post 9/3/2008
The plan to bring thousands of Diaspora Jewish educators to Israel on
free trips could receive over $100 million in state funding, according
to initiatives being developed in the Prime Minister's Office, The
Jerusalem Post has learned. The government plan to develop a "teachers'
birthright," modeled on the free birthright-Israel trips taken by some
180,000 college-age Jews from the Diaspora, was first revealed in the
Post last month. At the time, an internal meeting of advisers in the
PMO chaired by Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel had discussed developing
a new track for Masa, a government agency which brings Diaspora Jewish
youth for five- and ten-month programs in Israel. Planning work within
Masa over the past month has confirmed the initial perception that
"something like this [program] is needed, it is possible, and there's
an identifiable target audience for it.
Israeli concert in
Scotland disrupted by pro-Palestine activists
Saed Bannoura,
International Middle East Media Center News 9/3/2008
At an international music festival themed "Artists without Borders," a
performance by an Israeli band was interrupted by pro-Palestine
demonstrators who said the musicians were complicit in crimes against
the Palestinian people. The accusation referenced the fact that every
Israeli citizen not only funds the occupation of Palestinian land, but
also serves in the military for at least two years, thus directly
participating in a military occupation that has been condemned by
international human rights groups and violates the Fourth Geneva
Convention. That occupation has been ongoing since 1967. The protesters
who disrupted the August 29th concert were arrested, but it is unknown
what their charges are. The Jerusalem String Quartet was the band
targeted for protest, which included not only the disruption of the
concert but also a peaceful protest outside.
Palestinian lawmaker asks Abbas to negotiate release of
corpses from Israel
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – A Fatah-affiliated Palestinian lawmaker from
Bethlehem appealed to President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday to negotiate
the release of the mortal remains of Palestinians held by Israel. Issa
Qaraqi, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, asked Abbas to
give priority to the bodies of Palestinian "martyrs" in his
negotiations with Israel. He also asked for an increase in the
allowances paidby the Palestinian Authority (PA) to the families of
those killed by Israeli forces. Qaraqi met with the families of the
deceased in the offices of the Fatah parliamentary bloc in Bethlehem on
Tuesday. The families delivered a petition asking the PA and the
international community to pressure Israel into releasing the bodies of
their loved ones. Two hundred corpses from the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip are held by Israel, 18 of which are from Bethlehem.
PA minister: No agreement on any issue
Tovah Lazaroff,
Jerusalem Post 9/3/2008
Not a single word has been set on paper and there is no real agreement
on the smaller points, let alone the core issues, of a peace deal
between Israel and the Palestinians, PA Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki
said on Wednesday. Negotiations between the two sides continue on
almost a daily basis in an effort to reach a deal by the end of 2008,
Malki told the Israel Council on Foreign Relations in Jerusalem. He
struck a pessimistic note when he added that "until this moment," with
four months left to go until that deadline, "they [the Israeli and
Palestinian negotiators] did not start writing one single word on
paper. The reason for this is that they do not really agree on any
issue or sub-issue yet. "But they are trying very hard and they have
exchanged positions, ideas and maps," Malki said. His words were echoed
by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam. . .
Barak: Arab parts of Jerusalem could become Palestinian
Reuters and Haaretz
Service, Ha'aretz 9/4/2008
Some Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem could become the capital of a
future Palestinian state as part of a final peace agreement, Defense
Minister Ehud Barak said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday. Barak
did not say whether these neighborhoods would include all of Arab East
Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and
annexed in a move not recognized internationally. Palestinians want
East Jerusalem as the capital of the state they hope to establish in
the West Bank and Gaza Strip. "We can find a formula under which
certain neighborhoods, heavily-populated Arab neighborhoods, could
become, in a peace agreement, part of the Palestinian capital that, of
course, will include also the neighboring villages around Jerusalem,"
Barak told Al-Jazeera television.
Barak: East Jerusalem could be capital of Palestinian state
Reuters, YNetNews
Defense Minister speaks with Al-Jazeera about Arab neighborhoods in
east Jerusalem, which he claims could be part of new Palestinian
capital once agreement is reached. Mofaz: 'Barak was wrong as PM and
wrong today' -Some Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem could become the
capital of a future Palestinian state as part of a final peace
agreement, Defence Minister Ehud Barak said in an interview broadcast
by Al-Jazeera on Wednesday. He also said that there was still time for
diplomacy to curb Iran's nuclear program but that Israel was serious
about using "any option" if that failed. "We can find a formula under
which certain neighborhoods, heavily-populated Arab neighborhoods,
could become, in a peace agreement, part of the Palestinian capital
that, of course, will include also the neighboring villages around
Jerusalem," Barak said.
Mazuz: Government must tread lightly
Aviad Glickman,
YNetNews 9/3/2008
Attorney general rebuffs motion by Legal Forum for Land of Israel to
have cabinet declared transit government; says Olmert's decision to
step down does not warrant such action -Attorney General Menachem Mazuz
cautioned the government Wednesday, saying that while Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert's announcement that
he would be stepping down did not turn it into a transit one, it should
still exercise due caution in any decisions it makes. Mazuz's call
followed a request made by the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel
(LFLI) and Knesset Members Zevulun Orlev (National Religious Party),
Yuval Steinitz (Likud) and Limor Livnat (Likud), which was seeking a
ruling stating thatOlmert's resignation
did, in fact, turn the government into a transit government.
TurmoilBarak: Kadima heads incapable of making decisions/ Attila
Somfalvi Labor chairman continues to slam. . .
Mazuz: Gov't must show restraint in negotiations
Jerusalem Post
The government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert must be careful about
using its powers since it is about to resign, Attorney-General Menahem
Mazuz said Wednesday. Mazuz was replying to queries from MKs Zevulun
Orlev (NU/NRP), Yuval Steinitz and Limor Livnat (Likud), Attorney
Yitzhak Bam of the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel and former Third
Way Party MK Yehuda Harel. The five had asked Mazuz whether the current
government should be considered a transitional government because
Olmert has already announced his intention to resign, and whether or
not this period should be considered "before elections. " "The
government must take a cautious approach in applying the powers of the
government and the ministers since the situation has certain
characteristics in common with a transitional government,"
Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz told them.
Hamas: Abbas's absence from dialogue meant to obstruct
Egyptian mediation effort
Information Center 9/3/2008
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement has charged that the announcement that
PA chief Mahmoud Abbas would not attend the Palestinian national dialog
talks in Cairo had reflected his insincerity in ending the internal
rift. Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, said that Abbas's absence is
meant to foil the Egyptian effort to mediate between Palestinian
factions. He noted that the announcement coincided with a feverish
campaign on the part of Abbas and his advisors against Hamas and its
supporters in the West Bank along with the ongoing campaign of arrests
against those supporters. "This clearly indicates that Abbas is not
interested in the dialog or in ensuring success of the Egyptian effort
but targets foiling any Palestinian or Arab effort that might
re-arrange the internal home and strengthen the internal front,"
Barhoum elaborated.
Erekat meets Saudi foreign minister in Jedda, discusses talks
with Israel
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The chief negotiator of the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO), Saeb Erekat, met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince
Saud Al-Faisal in Jedda Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to discuss ongoing
Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. Erekat informed the prince with the
latest news about the outcome of the meeting tbetween Mahmoud Abbas and
Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and after the visit of US Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice in August. Erekat stressed that the continuous
Israeli invasions, settlement construction, and checkpoints are
obstacles to the peace process. The prince assured Erekat that Saudi
Arabia will support the Palestinian leadership, saying that achieving
peace requires "stamina and time" in order to see the creation of a
liberated Palestinian state.
Finnish foreign minister meets Palestinian counterpart
Ma'an News Agency
Ramallah – Ma'an – Palestinian minister of foreign affairs Riyad
Al-Maliki met on Wednesday morning with Finish Foreign Minister
Alexander Stubb in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Al-Maliki briefed
the Finish minister on the latest political developments, the results
of the last round of high-level Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and
Israel's attempts to sully the peace process. Al-Maliki mentioned
Israeli settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank and the separation
wall. Stubb also met with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. This was Stubb's
first visit to Palestine. He said he hoped the Israeli-Palestinian
talks result in a peace agreement. The two also discussed bilateral
relations, and educational and economic projects.
Hamas leader in Gaza says Shalit talks frozen, Israel to blame
Amos Harel and Avi
Issacharoff, and AP, Ha'aretz 9/4/2008
Hamas' senior leader in the Gaza Strip says talks on exchanging
captured Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit for Palestinian
prisoners have frozen, and blames Israel. Mahmoud Zahar says the
Egyptian-mediated negotiations have broken down because Israel won't
meet Hamas demands to release prisoners convicted of murdering
Israelis. Zahar also said Wednesday that the talks have stalled because
Israel and Egypt won't open their border crossings with Gaza. Both
countries sealed the border after Hamas seized power in Gaza in June
2007. Hamas wants Israel to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in
exchange for the soldier. Israel has balked at Hamas' demand to release
convicted murderers. Hamas-led militants captured Sgt. Gilad Schalit in
a cross-border raid two years ago.
'Schalit talks frozen because of Israel'
Ap And Tovah
Lazaroff, Jerusalem Post 9/3/2008
A senior Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip said on Wednesday that talks on
exchanging kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Schalit for Palestinian
prisoners had been frozen. Mahmoud Zahar said that the
Egyptian-mediated negotiations had broken down because Israel wouldn't
meet Hamas demands to release prisoners convicted of murdering
Israelis. Zahar also said that the talks had stalled because Israel and
Egypt wouldn't open their border crossings with Gaza. Both countries
sealed the border after Hamas seized power in Gaza in June 2007. There
was no response from Jerusalem to Zahar's comments, but the Ramon
Committee is set to convene on Sunday to resume discussions on
detainees to be traded for Schalit. On Tuesday, Aviva Schalit took to
the airwaves and publicly apologized to her son Gilad for failing to
secure his release from Gaza, where Hamas has been holding him captive
for more than two years.
Hamas: Talks to free Shalit frozen
Associated Press,
YNetNews 9/3/2008
Senior Hamas leader says prisoner exchange negotiations at standstill
over Israeli, Egyptian refusal to open Rafah crossing - Hamas'
senior leader in the Gaza Strip says talks on exchanging captured
soldier Gilad Shalit
for Palestinian prisoners have frozen. Mahmoud al-Zahar says the
Egyptian-mediated negotiations have broken down because Israel
won't meet Hamas demands to release prisoners convicted of murdering
Israelis. Zahar also said Wednesday that the talks have stalled because
Israel andEgypt
won't open their border crossings with Gaza. Both countries sealed the
border after Hamas seized power in Gaza in June 2007. Hamas wants
Israel to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the
soldier. Israel has balked at Hamas' demand to release convicted
Zahhar: Talks on prisoner deal with Israel frozen
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Talks have broken down between Israel and Hamas
regarding a possible prisoner exchange, senior Hamas leader Mahmoud
Zahhar said on Wednesday. Zahhar told AP that the Egyptian-brokered
negotiations have frozen because Israel will not meet Hamas' demands to
release prisoners accused of violent attacks on Israelis. He added that
Israel and Egypt's refusal to open their borders with the Gaza Strip
have contributed to the breakdown of negotiations. Israel is seeking
the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured by
Gaza-based Palestinian fighters in the summer of 2006. Hamas wants some
1,000 Palestinian prisoners freed in exchange.
Israeli cabinet to consider compensation for settlers who
leave the West Bank
Ma'an News Agency
Jerusalem – Ma'an – The Israeli cabinet will discuss a proposal to
compensate Israelis who voluntarily leave West Bank settlements during
its weekly meeting on Sunday. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office
confirmed on Wednesday evening that the proposal, by Vice Premier Haim
Ramon, will be discussed but not voted on. On the
evacuation-compensation issue Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faces
opposition from Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who is the frontrunner to
succeed Olmert as chair of the Kadima party. Livni told Israeli media
it was too soon to discuss the initiative. [end]
Israeli government to
discuss evacuation-compensation bill for settlers east of the Wall
Saed Bannoura &
Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 9/3/2008
Israeli media sources reported on Wednesday that the Israeli cabinet is
set to discuss on Sunday a possible "Evacuation and Compensation Bill".
The bill proposes offering compensation for settlers living in some
West Bank isolated settlements, located east of the Annexation Wall.
Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported that the proposal was
authorized by Israel's Vice Prime Minister, Haim Ramon. The proposal
offers financial compensation to the settlers in exchange for
relocating into Israel. Ramon added that the proposal will not be voted
on as it will only be presented because the Israeli Prime Minister,
Ehud Olmert, is interested in knowing the opinions of his ministers on
the issue. According to the proposal, the settlers who live in
settlements east of the Wall will be relocated and compensated as
Israel will eventually end its control over these areas in the coming
Mofaz slams proposed evacuation-compensation bill for settlers
Barak Ravid,
Ha'aretz 9/4/2008
Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) on Wednesday slammed a
proposed evacuation-compensation bill for settlers in the West Bank,
saying that it would "weaken Israel and its standing in future
negotiations with the Palestinians. " Sources close to Mofaz added that
holding talks on such an initiative at this point is "surprising". The
government will discuss a possible evacuation-compensation bill for
settlers in the West Bank during its next cabinet meeting this coming
Sunday. The proposal, which was authored by Vice Premier Haim Ramon,
would give Israeli residents of the territories the option of
relocating to Israel proper in exchange for financial compensation. The
Prime Minister's Bureau announced that the government would not hold a
vote on the matter, but rather that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is
interested in. . .
Attack victim returns to Jerusalem yeshiva
Kobi Nahshoni,
YNetNews 9/3/2008
Naftali Sheetrit, who was critically injured in Mercaz Harav shooting,
greeted in moving ceremony half a year after bloody attack. 'This is
our greatest revenge,' says yeshiva source - Six months after the
in Mercaz Harav yeshiva's library, the last attack victim returned
Tuesday to a nearby seminary for juveniles. Naftali Sheetrit,
14, who was critically injured in the bloody attack, was hospitalized
for months at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, and is now
in the midst of a long rehabilitation process. The yeshiva's staff, the
rabbis and Naftali's fellow students greeted him at the seminary in a
moving ceremony attended by his parents, the paramedic who attended to
him that night, Yitzhak Dadon who killed the terrorist, and ZAKA
Chairman Yehuda Meshi Zahav, who identified the bodies of the eight
students killed in the attack.
State prohibits right-wing procession in Umm al-Fahm
Aviad Glickman,
YNetNews 9/3/2008
Prosecutor's Office claims before High Court that Itamar Ben-Gvir's
request to parade Israeli flags through Arab city would almost
certainly lead to violent riots police would not be able to prevent;
activists offered alternate venue for protest -The State Prosecutor's
Office appealed to the High Court of Justice on Wednesday against
right-wing activist Itamar Ben-Gvir's demand to hold a right-wing
procession in which Israeli flags would be paraded through Umm al-Fahm.
According to the prosecution the event could deteriorate into violent
riots. The State had been asked to respond to the petition filed by
Ben-Gvir against Northern District Commander Shimon Koren and Israel
Police after being denied the right to parade in the Arab city. The
State responded by stating that previous experience and the level of
preparation of police and Shin Bet raised concerns. . .
Egyptians claim compensation from Israel for killing of POWs
The Media Line News
Agency, Jerusalem Post 9/3/2008
Egyptian families of prisoners of war (POWs), who were killed in the
1967 War, have filed a lawsuit demanding over $100 million from the
Israeli government, the Egyptian Daily Star reported. The Compensations
Department at a Cairo Civil Court has postponed to November 1 the
hearing of the lawsuit, which was initiated by Sayyid Abu Raya's family
following the broadcast of an Israeli documentary film last year. The
soldier's family is suing Israel's prime minister, the minister of
defense, the chairman of the Israel Broadcasting Authority and the
Israeli ambassador in Egypt for the alleged torture to which Abu Raya
was subjected before his death. "This is a very important case, as
Israel has completely violated international law and the Geneva
Convention regarding POWs," 'Abd Al-'Alim Muhammad, an expert on
Israeli studies at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies,
told the Daily Star.
Bethlehem Governor reaches out to farmers at market
PNN, Palestine News
Network 9/3/2008
Bethlehem -- Bethlehem Governor Salah Tamari is keeping his promise to
combat price gouging and the sale of expired food during the month of
Ramadan. He has taken to the streets. Yesterday, Tuesday, several
officials joined the district's governor including Bethlehem Police
Colonel Daoud Abu Ghaith, the Director of National Economy Taher
Danoun, the Veterinary Service Director, and the Bethlehem Health
Director Dr. Mohammad Sobh. The governor and crew toured the Cinema
neighborhood in the center of the city and into the Old City to check
the marketplace there. They stopped and listened to residents'
complaints about lack of money and poor living conditions. Farmers at
the market spoke of the difficulty reaching their farms due to
closures, the Wall, settlements and land confiscation. Tamari made it
clear that he is eager to communicate with people throughout the
Bethlehem Governorate and to follow-up on their concerns.
Palestinian leftist party
offers plan to end internal divisions
Saed Bannoura,
International Middle East Media Center News 9/3/2008
As tensions remain high in Gaza between the two major Palestinian
parties, Fateh and Hamas, the leftist Palestinian party, Democratic
Front for the Liberation of Palestine, offers to intervene and help
resolve the conflict. The DFLP Secretary-General Nayif Hawatmah
presented a proposal in a meeting with Egyptian Minister Omar Suleiman,
who is currently responsible and engaged in talks with Palestinian
factions to try resolve the internal crisis. The current crisis between
the rival Palestinian parties began in 2006 after Hamas was
democratically elected to lead the Palestinian caretaker government,
which had been subject to the martial law of the Israeli military
occupation that rules in the Palestinian Territories. Since Israel
refused to recognize the Hamas government after it was elected, Israeli
and US authorities began to pressure the democratically-elected
government by imposing. . .
Hawatmeh: we need simultaneous legislative and presidential
Palestine News
Network 9/3/2008
PNN -- With the two governments mired in conflict the leftists drew a
new trajectory for the near future which includes simultaneous
legislative and presidential elections. The Secretary General of the
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Nayef Hawatmeh,
called for the formation of a transitional government comprised of
independent national figures as a substitute for the governments of
Salam Fayyad, representing Fateh in Ramallah, and Ismail Haniyeh of
Hamas in Gaza. The proposed the transitional government would take on
work and responsibilities in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East
Jerusalem. Members would take steps to guarantee the security of the
Palestinian people in terms of the internal conflict and enforce the
law. This government would also prepare for new elections. Hawatmeh's
proposal comes at the same time as the meeting with Egyptian
Intelligence. . .
MK Eldad forms anti-Islam coalition
Ronen Medzini,
YNetNews 9/3/2008
Right-wing MK announces some 30 European lawmakers to take part in
anti-jihad conference in Jerusalem, says 'the spread of Islam threatens
the foundations of the Western civilization. ' MK El-Sana: Eldad
joining school which produced Nazis - A new front being formed by
representatives of the Israeli Right and European lawmakers is
threatening to ignite flames of hatred. Knesset Member Arieh Eldad
(National Union-National Religious Party) announced Wednesday that he
would be hosting a convention in Jerusalem under the banner, "Standing
Up to Jihad. ""The spread of Islam threatens the foundations of Western
civilization," he explained, and screened a scene from a film produced
by Dutch politician Geert Wilders, which sparked a row
in the Arab world several months ago and was banned in many places in
Possible Mofaz coalition taking shape
Haviv Rettig,
Jerusalem Post 9/3/2008
Preliminary discussions among possible coalition partners have
informally begun for the two front-runners in the September 17 Kadima
primary, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Transportation Minister Shaul
Mofaz, The Jerusalem Post has learned. According to insiders close to
Mofaz, the coalition he would put together if he was chosen to replace
outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as Kadima chairman would almost
certainly include the Labor Party, and possibly also the National
Religious Party. Labor would likely abandon the Education Ministry as a
way to dismiss Education Minister Yuli Tamir, an ally of deposed Labor
Party chairman Amir Peretz. Instead, Labor would receive the Justice
Ministry from Kadima, replacing controversial minister Daniel Friedman
with a Labor appointee. To cement its loyalty to the coalition, the NRP
would receive the portfolio at the top of its wishlist - the
now-available Education Ministry.
Dichter: Cops joining crime organizations after leaving force
Jerusalem Post
Former policemen who served in sensitive positions in the Intelligence
and Investigations branch of the police are taking jobs with underworld
organizations after they leave the force, Public Security Minister Avi
Dichter said in a letter released this week. Dichter was replying to a
letter from MK Ophir Paz-Pines, head of the Knesset Internal Affairs
and Environment Committee, who had called on the state prosecution and
the Ministry of Public Security to introduce a cooling-off period
before police officers could start working with criminal lawyers in the
private sector. Pines expressed concern that police officers who had
held sensitive positions in the police force and were in possession of
information on what the police did and didn't know about underworld
figures had been known to start playing for the other side after they
left the force.
Will Olmert be indicted? Police to begin consolidating
Jpost.com Staff And
Dan Izenberg, Jerusalem Post 9/4/2008
The heads of the police team investigating affairs allegedly involving
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet on Thursday and Sunday in order to
consolidate the Police's position and to hand over materials to the
State Attorney's Office. Both the matter of envelopes of cash allegedly
given to the prime minister in the period before he held his current
position and the "Rishontours" case will be discussed. The aim of the
discussion will be to examine and consolidate all evidence in the
affairs in which Olmert is suspected, and to determine whether an
indictment will be issued in any of the matters. At the meetings'
conclusion police will decide whether they have enough evidence for the
State Attorney's Office to issue an indictment against the prime
minister. The prime minister is being investigated in a total of six
cases of alleged corruption.
Porush campaign vies for secular vote
Ronen Medzini,
YNetNews 9/4/2008
Jerusalem's religious mayoral candidate hires PR firm to attempt to
improve his radical Orthodox image, help him appeal to all sectors of
society -In the wake of reports of former Shas Party Chairman Aryeh
Deri's intentions to run for mayor of Jerusalem, MK Meir Porush (United
Torah Judaism), who has already announced his candidacy, is attempting
to enlist secular voters with a new campaign. Porush has hired the
services of 'Spin Public Opinion' in order to assist him with this aim.
One of the reasons for the decision to hire the public relations firm,
which formerly led the Pensioner's Party campaign, is Porush's shaky
status in recent polls, which have been seen to reflect public anxiety
over Porush's radical opinions, considered even more extremist than
that of the current mayor, Uri Lupolianski.
Income tax employees again threaten strike
Hadas Magen, Globes
Online 9/3/2008
The workers claim the system is not ready for the negative income tax.
- "The Israel Tax Authority wants to please the minister of finance and
begin applying the negative income plan event though the system isn't
ready," claims Income Tax workers committee chairman Talchum Fridlov.
He made the comment in response to the decision by Tax Authority
director general Yehuda Nasradishi to activate the plan on September 9.
The workers intend to go on strike on Monday in protest and hold a
council meeting to decide on their measures. Fridlov said, "We're
negotiating with the Ministry of Finance. Until now, we've acted with
restraint and out of a sense of duty, and we asked to exhaust the
negotiations. But the Tax Authority director general unilaterally, and
without consulting us, announced the launch of the negative income tax
without us having the manpower or adequate time to prepare to implement
Mazuz: Israel's government may soon be declared 'transitional'
Tomer Zarchin,
Ha'aretz 9/3/2008
The country's uncertain political situation requires the government to
use caution in exercising its authority, the attorney general said on
Wednesday. Attorney General Menachem Mazuz said on Wednesday that while
the current government is not a transition government, Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert's imminent resignation following the Kadima primaries will
soon make it such. These unusual circumstances thus obligate the
government at this stage to carefully weigh the forcefulness with which
it implements its policies, since the cabinet currently is beginning to
operate as a transition government. A Mazuz aide issued the statement
on his boss' behalf after members of Knesset and a pro-settler legal
group demanded the attorney general instruct Olmert to refrain from
making any diplomatic or political moves on the peace front, whether it
be signing. . .
Livni: Centrist position is most difficult
Attila Somfalvi,
YNetNews 9/3/2008
During election rally foreign minister says 'it's easy to be rightist,
slamming everything, or leftist, not facing realities, but hardest to
be centrist'; answers Mofaz's criticism by calling for evacuation only
after Palestinian boundaries are set -Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told
supporters at an election rally in Tel Aviv that "it's easy to be a
rightist and criticize everything without offering alternatives. It's
also easy to be a leftist and ignore realities. It's harder to be a
centrist, and the fact that we are centrists is not a coincidence. It's
an ideology. Kadima will not divide the people. "
Livni criticized minority groups in Israel and said: "There are certain
people who exploit what separates between these groups. There are
minority groups here that are certain that a Jewish state clashes with
Ports reel as protests intensify
Sharon Wrobel,
Jerusalem Post 9/3/2008
The crisis at Israel's ports escalated Tuesday afternoon when employees
stopped all work ahead of a hearing at the National Labor Court to
solve the dispute. "The situation at the Haifa and Ashdod ports
intensified on Tuesday. For the past week, the ports have been
operating at 20 to 30 percent capacity, bringing activity at the ports
to a near standstill," Reuven Zuk, president of the Israel Shipping
Chamber, told The Jerusalem Post. "Tuesday afternoon, the situation
escalated as the ports' workers stopped working to go to Jerusalem and
protest in front of the National Labor Court during late-night
hearings. " On Monday, the Manufacturers Association of Israel and the
Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce (FICC) submitted a request
to the National Labor Court against the Histadrut Labor Federation and
the government to enforce an injunction and order the port workers to
return to work at full capacity.
Port workers win round
Shay Niv, Globes
Online 9/3/2008
Judge Steve Adler orders ports reform removed from the budget talks,
for now. - National Labor Court Judge Steve Adler last night ordered
the Ministry of Finance not to include new port reforms in the 2009
economics arrangements bill that it will distribute to the ministries
tomorrow, at least until the next hearing on the subject on September
21. He also ordered the port workers to return to regular work, after a
week of disruptions, which included hundreds of workers abandoning
their posts last night to hold a demonstration outside the courthouse.
Until the date of the next hearing, Minister of Finance Ronnie Bar-On,
Minister of Transport Shaul Mofaz, and Histadrut chairman Ofer Eini
will negotiate. Eini has the advantage in these talks, because Mofaz
has already said that he wants the reform removed from the economics
arrangements bill.
Consumer confidence falls to 4-year low
Noga Shavit-Raz and
Avi Temkin, Globes Online 9/3/2008
The index dropped to 69. 2 points in August. The Israel Consumer
Confidence Index fell below 70 points for the first time in four years.
The index dropped to 69. 2 points in August, its lowest point since
February 2004. The Consumer Confidence Index has been falling since the
third quarter of 2007, even before there were signs that the economy
was entering a slowdown. The index indicates that the public has sensed
the economic trends for a long time, even as official macroeconomic
data only now shows declines in private consumption and slower growth.
The drop in the Consumer Confidence Index in August follows the 3.
4-point drop in July. Most of the decline is due to worsening public
assessments about the current and future economic conditions. The
decline in assessments about people's personal economic situation in
six months was more moderate.
Wall of Second Temple-era Jerusalem found in Mt. Zion
Reuters, Ha'aretz
Archaeologists on Wednesday unveiled a 2,100-year-old Jerusalem
perimeter wall - along with beer bottles left behind by 19th century
researchers who first discovered the stone defenses. The wall, on Mount
Zion at the southern edge of Jerusalem's Old City, dates back to the
Second Jewish Temple, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C. E.
Yehiel Zelinger, who headed the excavation for the Israel Antiquities
Authority, said the location of the wall indicated that Jerusalem had
expanded to the south at the time, reaching its largest size in
biblical times. The 10. 5-foot high wall was not supported by any
mortar or other bonding material and formed part of a 3. 5-mile-long
fortification around the city, he said. The present wall around
Jerusalem's Old City is 2.
Wall dating to Second Temple unearthed
Jerusalem Post
The remains of the southern wall of Jerusalem that was built by the
Hasmonean kings during the time of the Second Temple have been
uncovered on Mount Zion, the Antiquities Authority announced Wednesday.
The 2,100-year-old wall, which was destroyed during the Great Revolt
against the Romans that began in 66 CE, is located just outside the
present-day walls of the Old City and abuts the Catholic cemetery built
in the last century where Righteous Gentile Oskar Schindler is buried.
The sturdy wall, which is believed to have run 6 km. around Jerusalem,
was previously exposed by an American archeologist at the end of the
19th century, the state run archeological body said. The Israeli
archeologist who started the ongoing excavation a year-and-a-half ago
also uncovered the remains of a city wall from the Byzantine Period
(324-640 CE) that was built on top of the Second. . .
Modern Orthodox protest haredi 'discrimination' in capital
Jerusalem Post
A few dozen modern Orthodox residents of the capital's Katamonim
neighborhood protested on Tuesday, saying the only religious elementary
school in their neighborhood is predominantly haredi even though the
area's residents are a mix of modern Orthodox and secular. The dispute
is the latest in a series triggered by the growing haredi presence in
non-haredi Jerusalem neighborhoods. "In a neighborhood that is a mix of
secular and modern Orthodox residents, there is not one state religious
school, and instead there is a school that for all intents and purposes
is haredi, for pupils who do not even live in the neighborhood," said
local resident Rachel Azaria, who is running at the head of the joint
secular-modern Orthodox "Yerushalmim" list in the November 11 municipal
election. She said the gender-segregated elementary school Darchei Noam
operated as a haredi institution even though. . .
Don't touch our eruv
Neta Sela, YNetNews
Posts installed in Jerusalem marking Shabbat-friendly areas vandalized,
making area "˜non-kosher'. Religious women unable to walk children in
strollers, men unable to carry prayer books to synagogue - A religious
war has been ensuing in Jerusalem for several months now over the
placing of eruv posts (physical or symbolical fences around Jewish
areas allowing children, parcels to be carried within its confines on
Shabbat) in the city's various neighborhoods. In the last three weeks,
the situation has reached new levels, and every Shabbat a group of
anonymous people arrive at the eruv posts and vandalize it by cutting
its wires. The "Eruv HaMehudar Committee" (adorned eruv) filed a
complaint on the issue at the Jerusalem police department. Sanctifying
SabbathPetition: Soldiers serving in Army Radio must not work on
Shabbat / Kobi Nahshoni
Legal. . .
Arab youth attacked by family for wearing Star of David
Fawzi Abu Toama,
YNetNews 9/3/2008
Ar'ara resident tells police his father, brothers beat him for wearing
Jewish symbol on his neck, befriending Jews - A 15-year-old resident of
the Israeli Arab local council of Ar'ara filed a complaint with the
police, claiming that his father and brother beat him for wearing a
Star of David on his neck and having Jewish friends. The father was
detained for questioning and a court extended his remand. The youth
arrived at a local police station over the weekend and asked to file a
complaint against his father and brothers, claiming that they had
attacked him. The father and brothers were questioned, but released
immediately afterwards. According to the police, the teen was beaten
again after retuning home, causing him to return to the police station
and file a second complaint. A police official said that visible signs
of injuries were found on the minor's body.
Syria pledges help on Iran dispute
Al Jazeera 9/3/2008
Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, has pledged to help find a
peaceful solution to the nuclear dispute between the West and Iran,
warning that any attack on Tehran would be a disaster. The Syrian
leader's comments came on Wednesday, after a meeting with Nicolas
Sarkozy, the French president, who is visiting Damascus - a move seen
as improving ties between the two countries. "Nobody in the world will
be able to bear the consequences of any action that is not peaceful
because it would not result in a solution but in a disaster," al-Assad
said after meeting. "Obviously there is a lack of confidence between
Iran and the countries involved in this issue," he said. "We will
continue our efforts for dialogue. " Sarkozy had called on al-Assad to
urge Iran, which has ties with Syria, to. . .
Assad: Any attack on Iran would be a global 'disaster'
Yoav Stern , and
News Agencies, Ha'aretz 9/4/2008
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that any attack on
Iran would be a disaster and he pledged to help find a peaceful
solution to the nuclear dispute between the West and Tehran. "Nobody in
the world will be able to bear the consequences of any action that is
not peaceful because it would not result in a solution but in a
disaster," Assad said after meeting French President Nicolas Sarkozy in
the Syrian capital. "Obviously there is a lack of confidence between
Iran and the countries involved in this issue. We will continue our
efforts for dialogue," he said. Sarkozy had asked Assad to use Syria's
ties with its ally Iran to urge the Islamic Republic to cooperate with
Western powers over its nuclear program, which they say could be used
to develop nuclear weapons.
Report: Israeli, Syrian representatives to meet next week
Roee Nahmias,
YNetNews 9/3/2008
French source tells al-Hayat newspaper countries' delegates to meet
again in Turkey on Sunday for fifth round of unofficial talks. Source
adds President Sarkozy interested in acting as mediator in direct
negotiations - The fifth round of Turkish-mediated talks between Israel
is expected to begin Sunday, following a visit by French President
Nicolas Sarokozy to Damascus, the London-based Arabic-language
newspaper al-Hayat reported Wednesday, quoting a French source.
According to the source, the upcoming round of talks will be "of
decisive importance," as it will deal with the demarcation of the
border and will determine whether a future peace agreement would be
based on the international borderline from 1923 or on the June 4, 1967
lines. The source told al-Hayat that Sarkozy is very interested in
playing a role in future direct negotiations between Israel and Syria.
Sarkozy reaches out to Syria on peace
Tovah Lazaroff And
Ap, Jerusalem Post 9/3/2008
French President Nicolas Sarkozy reached out to Syria in his first
visit to the Arab nation Wednesday, seeking to peel Damascus away from
Teheran's influence and offering France's support for face-to-face
peace talks between Syria and Israel. After discussions with President
Bashar Assad, the French leader said Paris was ready to sponsor direct
talks between the two "when the time comes" and would help in any way
it could, if asked. He also stressed that Syria could play a role in
persuading its ally Iran to cooperate with the West rather than
continue its nuclear standoff. A fifth round of indirect peace talks
between Israel and Syria is scheduled to begin on September 7 in
Istanbul, according to reports in the London-based Arabic dailies on
Wednesday. Israeli officials said that no date had been set for the
resumption of talks, although they expect them to take place in the
near future.
Sarkozy holds talks with Assad
Middle East Online
DAMASCUS - French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Syria on
Wednesday for a two-day visit aimed at sealing a rapprochement with the
former colony and giving a push to its renewed peace talks with Israel.
Sarkozy went straight to the presidential palace for talks with his
Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad ahead of a four-way summit on the
peace process to be joined by Turkish and Qatari leaders on Thursday.
Sarkozy was to dine with Assad at a restaurant in Old Damascus. The
French president is the first Western head of state to visit since the
murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri in a 2005 bombing in Beirut
that was widely blamed on Damascus. Syria has hailed the trip as an
acknowledgement of its central role in the Middle East peace process.
"Today there is a new era between Syria and France based on France's
new policy, a realistic, pragmatic policy that. . .
Israel urges EU to be cautious in dealing with Syria
Middle East Online
TEL AVIV - Israel on Wednesday urged Europe to exercise utmost caution
in dealing with Syria, as French President Nicolas Sarkozy headed to
Damascus on the first visit by a Western head of state since 2005.
"Europe must be very careful in its relationship with Syria as that
country opens up," foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said. He did
not refer directly to the visit to Damascus by Sarkozy, whose country
currently holds the European Union presidency. "Except for a slight
change in tone, Syrian policies have not changed," Palmor said.
Damascus, he said, "continues to support terrorist organisations" -- a
reference to the Palestinian democratically elected Hamas movement and
the Lebanese Hezbollah. Both Hamas and Hezbollah consider Israel a
terrorist state. The spokesman also accused Syria of "exacerbating the
diplomatic tension between Russia and Europe.
Foreign Ministry warns Europe against Syria
Roni Sofer, YNetNews
On eve of French president's visit to Damascus, Israeli official
cautions EU against restoring ties with Syria, says country's major
policies remain unaltered -Foreign Ministry Deputy Director-General
Yigal Palmor warned Wednesday that "the Europeans should be very
careful when they consider restoring their ties with Syria. " Ahead of
French President Nicolas Sarkozy's upcoming visit to Damascus, Palmor
said that "the Syrian policies have remained unchanged - whether in
terms of its support for terror groups, the violent oppression of its
dissidents in Lebanon and
the exploitation of the tensions between Russia and the West. " Sarkozy
is expected to arrive in Damascus in favor of a summit focusing on the
in indirect pease talks between Israel and
Syria. The French president is scheduled to meet with Syrian President
Iran and the left in Latin America
Kaveh L Afrasiabi,
Asia Times 9/4/2008
Bolivian President Evo Morales is in Tehran this week, ushering in a
new chapter in his country's economic and strategic cooperation with
the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has promised a hefty investment in
Bolivia's energy sector and other joint ventures, some involving other
Latin and Central American countries, such as Venezuela and Nicaragua,
not to overlook Cuba. In a joint communique, Morales and President
Mahmud Ahmadinejad have signed off on the need for "concrete political
steps against every type of imperialism", while also condemning the
intervention of the United Nations Security Council in Iran's nuclear
program as "lacking any legal or technical justification". Bolivia may
be a poor country, but it is strategically located and represents an
important ally for Iran that can act as a catalyst in enhancing Iran's
growing cooperation with other Latin nations, especially those
considered leftist or populist.
IRAQ: Health Ministry confirms cholera cases
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 9/3/2008
BAGHDAD, 3 September 2008 () - At least five cholera cases have been
confirmed in Baghdad and the southern province of Maysan, due to
soaring temperatures and rundown water plants, the Health Ministry said
on 2 September. "Four cases have been confirmed in Baghdad and the
fifth one has been confirmed in Maysan province. Of those, three are
children younger than 10 years and the others are adults," Ihssan
Jaafar, general director of the Health Ministry's general health
directorate, told. "Only one death has been registered among these
cases so far and that was a three-year-old boy in Maysan, while the
rest of the cases are still under treatment," Jaafar added. Maysan is
about 350km south of Baghdad. Jaafar blamed the drinking water, which
is often contaminated by sewage due to rundown sewage systems and water
treatment plants, forcing poor residents to rely on rivers or stagnant
US troops 'mistakenly' kill six Iraqi forces
Middle East Online
BAGHDAD - US forces killed six Iraqi security personnel north of
Baghdad on Wednesday, Iraqi officials said, in an incident which the
American military said was a case of "mistaken fire". The shooting
erupted at a joint Iraqi police and army checkpoint in the town of
Tarmiyah at around 5:00 am (0200 GMT) Wednesday, interior and defence
ministry officials said. The US military confirmed the incident and
said there was an exchange of fire between the coalition and Iraqi
forces when its troops were conducting operations against Al-Qaeda. It
gave no immediate confirmation of the death toll. "It is always
regrettable when incidents of mistaken fire occur on the battlefield,"
the military said in a statement. "A review of the circumstances is
under way. "Print
Rights Committee approves provisional work programme for December
meeting to be held in Chile; approves Nicaragua's membership request
United Nations
General Assembly, ReliefWeb 9/2/2008
Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People 311th
Meeting - The Palestinian Rights Committee, hearing a briefing on the
situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, today approved the
provisional programme for a United Nations meeting in support of
Israeli-Palestinian peace, to be held in Santiago, Chile, in December.
It also agreed to forward to the General Assembly a request by
Nicaragua for membership in that body, formally known as the Committee
on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
Providing an update of the Committee's activities since its last
meeting, on 14 July, Chairman Paul Badji of Senegal drew attention to a
22 July debate in the Security Council in which he expressed the
Committee's serious concern about Israel's continuing settlement
activities and plans to build more than 3,000 apartments in and around
East Jerusalem.
17 Georgians wounded in Caucasus war to be treated in Israel
Meital Yasur-Beit
Or, YNetNews 9/3/2008
Israel's humanitarian aid to war-ridden Georgia continues, as it flies
seriously injured men, women in for medical treatment in leading
hospitals -Seventeen Georgian citizens, who suffered severe injuries in
the recent armed conflict between
Russia and Georgia arrived inIsrael on
Tuesday night, in order to receive medical treatment. The wounded are
categorized as suffering serious injuries, with most presenting sever
head, chest and abdomen wounds. More than 10 ambulances were waiting in
the Ben-Gurion International Airport on Tuesday, as the wounded
arrived. Five were taken to Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer,
and the rest were admitted to Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Medical Center,
Kfar Saba's Meir Hospital, the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva,
Rehovot's Kaplan Medical, Haemek Medical Center in Afula and the Soroka
University Medical Center in Beersheba.
Jordan 'honour killings' cover for other crimes
Middle East Online
AMMAN - When 18-year-old Maha decided that she wanted to quit her
family's prostitution ring, her brother killed her and alleged it was
to "cleanse" the family's honour. Maha is one of hundreds of women in
Jordan and other conservative societies who rights groups say are
killed every year by their male relatives in so-called honour crimes
for "sullying" the reputation of their families. The United Nations has
reported such crimes in Brazil, Britain, Ecuador, India, Israel, Italy,
Sweden and Uganda as well as in nations such as Morocco, Pakistan and
Turkey. Accurate figures on such killings are hard to come by because
they often go unreported. In Jordan, between 15 and 20 women are
murdered annually in the name of "honour" and at least eight such
killings have been reported so far this year, according to Jordanian
Village Faces Army Reign of Terror
Jonathan Cook,
Middle East Online 9/3/2008
The window
through which Salam Amira, 16, filmed the moment when an Israeli
soldier shot from close range a handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian
detainee has a large hole at its centre with cracks running in every
"Since my video was shown, the soldiers shoot at
our house all the time," she said. The shattered and cracked windows at
the front of the building confirm her story. "When we leave the windows
open, they fire tear gas inside too."
Her home looks out over the Israeli road block guarding the only
entrance to the village of Nilin, located just inside the West Bank
midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It was here that a bound Ashraf
Abu Rahma, 27, was shot in the foot in July with a rubber bullet under
orders from an Israeli regiment commander.
The treatment of the family stands in stark contrast to the
leniency shown to the soldier and his commander involved in that
B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, has accused the Israeli
army of seeking "revenge" for the girl's role in exposing the actions
of its armed forces in the West Bank.
hinder academic pursuits
Osama Dawoud,
Palestine Think Tank 9/3/2008
Not many
people in the Gaza Strip spend their time thinking about Utah's Great
Salt Lake. I have been dreaming of it for months. This year, I was
awarded a Fulbright scholarship to the University of Utah to study in
the department of civil and environmental engineering. Palestinians in
Gaza suffer from critical water and environmental contamination
problems. I planned to focus my Utah education on water resources and
environmental engineering so that I could return home and help to
alleviate these problems. But I will not be attending this fall. On the
basis of secret evidence conveyed by the Israeli government, my
American visa was canceled.
I am a scientist dedicated to
advancing the well-being of the Palestinian people. Yet despite playing
by the educational rules and excelling in the academic arena, I am
being hurt by an Israeli government that has bottled Palestinians up in
Gaza rather than allowing them to pursue opportunities abroad. Hundreds
of students in Gaza have been accepted to foreign universities but are
nonetheless prevented from attending by Israel.
Attallah Hanna: a Palestinian Christian Hero
Iqbal Tamimi,
Palestine Think Tank 9/3/2008
I met a
teacher on the train during one of my trips from Bristol to London; she
was very kind and she encouraged me to start a conversation. This I can
assure you does not happen much. We started to talk about different
issues to break the silence and the dull and cold atmosphere that was
wrapping the two-hour trip.
I found out that she was a music
teacher, and that she was working on compiling an international album
about children's lullabies in different countries. She asked me about
my country and where I came from and what kind of lullabies we have. I
dare not tell her that maybe my generation was the last to hear
lullabies, Palestinian children got used to being awakened by the
Israeli bombing most nights.
I talked about traditional
Palestinian music and songs. And without noticing, I found myself
telling her about the top Arab Lebanese singer Fayrooz, and the songs
she has contributed for Palestine and the Palestinian children.
The Taste
of Occupation
Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, Stop The Wall 9/1/2008
youth from Aida Camp have subverted advertisements for Strauss in the
West Bank.
Strauss, an Israeli company that manufactures sweets, coffee and
other food products has spread its advertising campaign into the West
Bank. Strauss has been pushing its brand of ice cream this summer,
using a particular billboard that has become ubiquitous along main
streets in major Palestinian cities.
Palestinian youth for the Aida Camp near Bethlehem have creatively
changed the wording of the advertisement of Strauss billboards in
Bethlehem. Billboards formally reading, "Mmm...ice cream" now promote
the message, "Mmm...ice cream with the taste of occupation." A number
of billboards in the Bethlehem area have been changed in this manner.
Through movement restrictions and military control of all borders,
the Occupation maintains full control over the Palestinian economy.
Israeli companies often take advantage of this situation to dump excess
products into what have essentially become captive markets. This
lucrative practice is especially damaging to Palestinian farmers and
small businessmen, who are not only barred from transporting their
goods but are also undercut by cheap Israeli products.
and Politics Overshadow the Joy of Ramadan
Joharah Baker,
Every year
Palestinians along with the wider Muslim world, observe the Islamic
month of fasting, Ramadan. This year, according to the lunar calendar,
Ramadan began on September 1, the same day as the new school year.
While Ramadan is designed to primarily be a month of fasting, prayer
and meditation, it is also a time when families get together to enjoy
elaborate meals and desserts, and ironically when food becomes the main
focus of the day.
This would be fine if it were not for the
economic slump Palestinians are in today. With the extra expenses of
Ramadan coupled with all the necessities of the new school year, most
Palestinian families are feeling the financial crunch. For many,
instead of being a month of family bonding, good food and enjoyment,
Ramadan this year is a financial burden. And for those who have somehow
overcome the financial load of the month, the political situation is
sure to put a damper on their festivities.
While Ramadan
usually means families spend more money on food, especially since there
are more communal dinners with elaborate and meat-laden dishes, this
year the burden is even heavier with the rise in prices. Palestinians
everywhere are complaining that the price of basic foods such as meat,
bread and rice have shot up astronomically. At the same time, salaries
are either the same or amount to less with the devaluation of the US
dollar. In some instances, they have not been paid at all like in the
case of Palestinian Authority civil servants.
Calculating Next Move: Coexistence with Occupation Not an Option
Sam Bahour, MIFTAH
have been historically outmaneuvered, politically neutralized, and made
totally dependent on international handouts. Or have they?A newly
released Palestinian strategy document which outlines strategic
political options gives witness to a renewed breath of fresh air in the
Palestinians' struggle for freedom and independence.
After 60
years of dispossession and 40 years of a brutal Israeli military
occupation, many of the world's power brokers are convinced that the
Palestinians are successfully being forced into submission and
acceptance of the colossal injustices that have been carried out
against them.
Leading the choir is the U.S. and its Israeli ally, along with
several undemocratic Arab regimes.
On the political front, they continue to take great pride in a
never-ending "peace process" that has created a peace industry in
Palestine, all underwritten by taxpayers from around the world. This
peace process has no intention of realizing peace with justice, but
rather looks to fragment Palestinians' national aspirations into
bite-sized pieces with state-like trappings -- the antithesis of a
state with real sovereignty, let alone self-determination.
Evolving Facts of Life
Yossi Alpher,
A brief
perusal of headlines in the regional media would appear to confirm
that, of the two main Palestinian movements, Fateh and Hamas, the
latter has recently been the object of the most attention from Israel's
neighbors, particularly Egypt and Jordan.
To be sure,
Palestinian Authority/Fateh leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen)
periodically makes the rounds of regional capitals to update leaders
about the peace process with Israel. And in Cairo, Riyadh, Doha and
Sanaa he discusses possible mediation for renewed unity talks with
Hamas. No one refuses to see him and he is treated with respect. But
then nothing happens.
On the other hand, Jordan recently
renewed its relations with Hamas after nearly a decade of alienation
and despite its charges of out-and-out sedition against Hamas two years
ago. And Egypt persists in mediating first ceasefire and then
prisoner-exchange talks between Hamas and Israel. One is left with the
impression that Arab recognition of PLO leadership of the Palestinian
people is increasingly pro-forma and ritualistic.
Atzmon - ''The Wandering Who?''
Gilad Atzmon,
Palestine Think Tank 9/2/2008
Tel Aviv
University historian, Professor Shlomo Sand, opens his remarkable study
of Jewish nationalism quoting Karl W. Deutsch:
"A nation is
a group of people united by a common mistake regarding its origin and a
collective hostility towards its neighbours" [1]
As simple
or even simplistic as it may sound, the quote above eloquently
summarises the figment of reality entangled with modern Jewish
nationalism and especially within the concept of Jewish identity. It
obviously points the finger at the collective mistake Jews tend to make
whenever referring to their "˜illusionary collective past' and
"˜collective origin'. Yet, in the same breath, Deutsch's reading of
nationalism throws light upon the hostility that is unfortunately
coupled with almost every Jewish group towards its surrounding reality,
whether it is human or takes the shape of land. While the brutality of
the Israelis towards the Palestinians has already become rather common
knowledge, the rough treatment Israelis reserve for their "˜promised
soil' and landscape is just starting to reveal itself. The ecological
disaster the Israelis are going to leave behind them will be the cause
of suffering for many generations to come. Leave aside the megalomaniac
wall that shreds the Holy land into enclaves of depravation and
starvation, Israel has managed to pollute its main rivers and streams
with nuclear and chemical waste.
the Lebanese Press: Syria and the Salafis
Hicham Safieddine,
Electronic Lebanon, Electronic Intifada 9/2/2008
Lebanese-Syrian relations witnessed a turnaround this month. The visit
by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman to Damascus culminated in a
declaration to establish full diplomatic relations between the two
countries for the first time. Promises were made to intensify efforts
to resolve long-standing disputes around delineating the borders and
uncovering the fate of dozens of Lebanese who disappeared during the
civil war and are believed to be imprisoned in Syria.
Relations are far from returning to what they were prior to the 2005
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, but stronger ties
with Lebanon could further break attempts at isolating Syria by the US,
Israel and the "moderate" Arab regimes, in particular Saudi Arabia.
Mending fences with the Lebanese political elites coincided with Syrian
efforts to strengthen military ties with Russia in the wake of the
Georgian conflict and revelations that.
Israel made a major contribution to the training and arming of
Georgian forces.
Zionist Wannabe Veep
Robert Weitzel -
Madison, WI, Palestine Chronicle 9/2/2008
Joseph Biden: 'I am a Zionist.' (Photo: AP) "If I were a Jew, I would
be a Zionist. I am a Zionist. You don't have to be a Jew to be a
Zionist." - Senator Joseph Biden Considering the last eight years and
the current (viable) options, I'll admit to wanting Barak Obama in the
White House in January. Undoubtedly, more people around the world will
have a better chance of surviving the next four years with his finger
on—or rather off—the button. However . . .
For all of Obama's
campaign promises of "change," his choice of Joseph Biden as his
running mate sends a clear signal to Israel's lobby in Washington and
its right-wing government in Jerusalem that for the next four years
there will be no change in the United States' unconditional support or
its annual $6 billion in direct and indirect aid.
neither will there be a change in the hopelessness and the impotent
rage of the Arabs suffering under a U.S.-supported Zionist ideology in