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.
Israel to step up assault on Hamas
Chris McGreal in
Jerusalem, The Guardian 1/10/2009
The Israeli military appeared to be preparing for a major new ground
assault against Gaza City and other towns tonight after dropping
leaflets warning residents it was about to "escalate" its offensive
against Hamas. The tens of thousands of leaflets, dropped on parts of
Gaza City, the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya and the south of the
territory, warned residents: "The Israeli Defence Force will soon
escalate its operations against tunnels, weapons warehouses, terrorist
infrastructure and terrorists all over the Gaza Strip. To keep yourself
and your families safe, you are ordered not to be close to terrorists,
weapons warehouses and the places where the terrorists operate. "
Israeli troops were seen on the outskirts of Gaza City as the military
kept up its bombardment by air, sea and land for the 15th day. At least
eight Palestinians were killed by an Israeli tank shell in Jabaliya
refugee camp, north of Gaza City.
Report: US hiring merchant ship for massive arms shipment to
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an/Agencies – The US is seeking to hire a merchant ship
to deliver some 300 tons of weapons to Israel from Greece later this
month, Rueters news agency reported on Friday. Tender documents seen by
Reuters show that the US Navy sought to ship 325 20-foot containers of
what is listed as "ammunition" in two separate voyages from the Greek
port of Astakos to the Israeli port of Ashdod. A "hazardous material"
designation on the manifest mentions explosive substances and
detonators. "Shipping 3,000-odd tons of ammunition in one go is a lot,"
one broker told Rueters, speaking on condition of anonymity. The US
Defense Department had no immediate comment. The tender for the vessel
follows the hiring of a commercial ship to carry a much larger shipment
of arms in December from the United States to Israel ahead of the first
wave of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
EU said readying plan to restore Fatah-led PA rule over Gaza
Haaretz Service and
Reuters, Ha'aretz 1/10/2009
In an attempt to break an impasse that has stalled cease-fire talks
aimed at ending the fighting in the Gaza Strip, European diplomats are
mulling a proposal which would restore control of the Gaza Strip border
crossings to the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, the Times of London
newspaper reported in Saturday editions. According to the proposal,
Palestinian security personnel loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas would
govern the border crossings with assistance from Turkish and French
soldiers who would be stationed as monitors, the Times reported. Fatah
had ruled Gaza until a Hamas-led coup ousted the secular faction, which
has long dominated the Palestine Liberation Organization, in June 2007.
Egyptian efforts to broker a Gaza cease-fire appeared on Friday to have
to run into trouble because of disagreements with Israel over how. . .
Gaza officials: Massive
sewage flood imminent
Saed Bannoura,
International Middle East Media Center News 1/10/2009
Due to the ongoing Israeli invasion of Gaza, nearly 700,000
Palestinians have gone without water for days, and sewage pumping
systems have stopped. In many places, raw sewage is running through the
streets, and officials have warned that a massive sewage flood, like
the one in 2007 that killed 5 people, could occur at any time. One
million people in Gaza remain without electricity for nearly two full
weeks. The deputy director of the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility,
Maher Najjar, told Israeli reporter Amira Hass that between 40 and 50
percent of the Gazan population are now without access to water. There
are 37 sewage pumping stations in Gaza. Due to the lack of electricity,
5 of them are completely out of operation, and the remaining 32 are
only partially operational. In March 2007, Um Al Nasser village in
northern Gaza was completely flooded with sewage when a 6.
Palestinian Press Syndicate condemns Israeli targeting of
press in Gaza
Ma'an News Agency
Salfit – Ma'an – Media organizations spoke out against the recent
Israeli policy of targeting press members and buildings, calling it a
policy of frightening the media into silence. The Palestinian Press
Syndicate condemned Saturday the Israeli decision to target journalists
working in Gaza strip and putting them in danger. The syndicate
expressed grave concern over the Israeli bombing of the Jawwhara media
tower. In a statement the syndicate noted that symbols representing the
local and international press were covering the building and it could
not have been mistaken for a separate target. "The aim of such acts is
to frighten the press and reporters into halting coverage of what is
happening in Gaza," the syndicate statement said. The International
Federation of Journalists (IFA), the Commission for Journalists'
Protection, international press organizations, demanded the protection
of the Palestinian press working in Gaza.
IDF uses live ammunition to break up West Bank demonstrations
Nir Hasson and Yoav
Stern, Ha'aretz 1/11/2009
Palestinians and Israeli left-wing activists claim that in the wake of
Operation Cast Lead, the Israel Defense Forces has reintroduced the use
of a semiautomatic rifle that uses live ammunition to disperse crowds
that was banned after the second Intifada. The Ruger. 22 rifle was
banned following the Al-Aqsa Intifada, in which it was used to break up
protests and caused the deaths of a number of Palestinians, including
youths and children. In 2001, the IDF's then-Military Advocate General
Menahem Finkelstein ruled that the rifle, used against protesters and
stone-throwers, be viewed as a lethal weapon in all senses. The rifle
has been used by snipers to shoot at protesters from the waist down,
and last Friday it was used to fire on activists, eight of whom
sustained light wounds to the leg.
Dozens of people injured
in Jayyous demonstration for Gaza and against the Wall
Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, Stop The Wall 1/9/2009
Another mass demonstration was held in Jayyous on January 9th, with
protesters coming out to denounce the Occupation's strategy of
annihilation in Gaza, as well as its ongoing theft of village land with
the Apartheid Wall. Over 700 people came to make their voices heard in
Jayyous, which was designated as the main venue for protest for the
entire Qalqilya district. This week, the Occupation forces stepped
their brutality up to a new level, as five people had to be taken to
hospital as a result of injuries from live bullets, and over twenty
others suffered injuries from rubber bullets and tear gas. The
demonstration began at 1:00, after the midday prayer. Participants
gathered at the centre of the village, and marched to the south gate of
the Wall. As they marched, the protestors chanted slogans demanding
that the Occupation end its slaughter in Gaza, and denouncing the
ongoing construction of the Wall.
Death toll in Gaza exceeds 850
Al Jazeera 1/11/2009
The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 854 and more
than 3,350 injured as the Israeli offensive entered its third week. The
air and ground attacks continued on Sunday with Israeli aircraft
bombarding different targets in the strip and ground forces advancing
further into the outskirts of Gaza City. Medics in the embattled Strip
said three Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by heavy Israeli
tank fire and air strikes early on Sunday, some allegedly by banned
white phosphorous shells that Israel denied using. Earlier, eight
members of one family were among the fatalities, killed by an Israeli
tank shell in Jabalya. "We were at home when the bombing started," Umm
Mohammed, one of the survivors of the attack, said.
Norwegian People's Aid car hit by Israeli missile
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Norwegian aid agency (NPA) reported Saturday
that an Israeli drone fired a missile at the car of its aid workers,
causing severe damage to surrounding buildings and totaling the
vehicle. According to the report the car was "clearly marked with the
NPA logo" and officials said it would have been "impossible for the
personnel in control of the drone to miss that this was a humanitarian
vehicle. "The car was parked near the Ash-Shati Refugee Camp north of
Gaza city when the attack occurred, and according to NPA spokesperson
Petter Eide there are" no military targets in the area. "Raymond
Johansen in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the
incident a "clear violation of international law," and said the
ministry was already in contact with the Israeli authorities over the
Gaza official toll rises to 854 as airstrikes continue,
bodies recovered
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an – Since midnight on Saturday morning Israeli fire killed
33 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on the 15th day of the Israeli
offensive in Gaza. Most were civilians killed in or near their homes.
According to Mu'awiyah Hassanain, the director of Ambulance and
Emergency Services in the Palestinian Health Ministry, another 18
corpses were recovered in various locations of the Gaza Strip, raising
the overall death toll to 854. The vast majority of deaths from
Saturday were in the northern areas of the Gaza Strip, in the Zaytoun
neighborhood of Gaza City and Jabaliya to the north. In southern Gaza
Israeli strikes targeted factories and industrial buildings, while
homes were left relatively safe. Medical officials put the overall toll
in Gaza at 821 killed and more than 3500 injured. North of Gaza
CityHospital officials said two children, brothers Ali. . .
As night falls on the
15th day of offensive; 854, including 230 children, 90 women killed
Saed Bannoura &
Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 1/10/2009
As night fell on Gaza on Saturday, the army continued its illegal
offensive for the fifteenth day killing 854 Palestinians, including 230
children, 93 women, 92 elderly, 14 medics and three journalists. At
least 3681 Palestinians, 50% of them children and women, were wounded,
500 seriously, Dr. Moawiya Hassanen of the Palestinian Ministry of
Health reported. On Saturday, Israeli shells killed eleven
Palestinians, including several children, after the soldiers continued
to pound several areas in the Gaza Strip. The latest three casualties
were killed when the army shelled a house in Beit Lahia, in the
northern part of the Gaza Strip; ten residents were wounded. Medical
sources reported that among the slain residents were the following
children; Salman Salman, and his brothers Rami and Abdul-Mo'ty. Two
more children identified as Ali and Amer Al Nather, were killed, their
father. . .
Incoming secretary of state Clinton to name Dennis Ross as
top adviser on Mideast, Iran
The Associated
Press, Ha'aretz 1/11/2009
Dennis Ross, a former Middle East peace envoy who served under
Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, will in all likelihood
be appointed a special adviser for the Middle East and Iran under
incoming secreatry of state Hillary Rodham Clinton. Clinton is quietly
building a new State Department team with seasoned diplomats as she
prepares for her confirmation hearings next week, according to
Democratic sources and officials familiar with the transition. The
incoming secretary of state also plans to name former UN ambassador
Richard Holbrooke to be special adviser for Pakistan and Afghanistan,
they said. Clinton has settled on choices for a number of top
positions, including high-profile special envoys who played prominent
roles in her husband's administration for South Asia, and pointmen for
East Asia and Europe, they said.
Report: 8 killed by IDF shell in Gaza
Reuters, YNetNews
Medical sources in Gaza report that eight people killed by IDF tank
shell in Jabalya refugee camp; fatalities believed to of the same
family -Palestinian medical sources reported Saturday that eight
Palestinians were killed by an Israeli tank shell in Jabalya, a refugee
camp in the north of the Gaza Strip. The fatalities are believed to be
members of the same family. The IDF has yet to comment on the report.
According to medical sources in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli offensive
claimed the lives of some 800 Palestinians, half of whom are believed
to be civilians. The IDF announced Saturday, as in the three previous
days, that there will be a three-hour humanitarian pause in the Gaza
fighting. The military will hold its fire between 1 pm and 4 pm, in
order to allow the Strip's residents to stock up on essential
provisions; unless imminent danger is detected.
No end in site as
offensnive continues, more civilians continue to fall
Saed Bannoura &
Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 1/10/2009
As the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip continued for the
second week, the Israeli Army killed more than 804 Palestinians and
wounded at least 3,300. On Friday night, the Palestinian resistance
continued its clashes with the invading forces; fierce battles were
reported on Friday night and early Saturday morning in Beit Lahia and
al-Atatra. Doctor Moawiya Hassanen of the Palestinian Ministry of
Health, reported Saturday that 804 Palestinians, including 230
children, 92 women, and 92 elderly were killed, and more than 3,300
were wounded; 400 seriously. Dr. Hassanen added that two reporters and
three international women were among the casualties. He also said that
the Israeli Army damaged 14 ambulances and killed 12 medics. On
Saturday, twelve Arab physicians made it into Gaza; nine Egyptian, one
Moroccan and one Jordanian.
Israel intensifies its raids on many areas of Gaza
Information Center 1/10/2009
GAZA, (PIC)-- In the early hours of Saturday morning, three
Palestinians were killed, dozens were wounded and several civilian
houses were destroyed during intensive Israeli raids on different areas
in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli warplanes and navy bombed several
civilian areas in the western areas of Khan Younis today, while other
air raids on the Rafah city, south Gaza, led to the destruction of the
house of an Islamic figure called Is'id Abu Jeledan. For his part, Dr.
Muawiya Hassanein, the director of emergency services in the health
ministry, stated that the death toll of the Israeli military aggression
rose to 820 Palestinian including 230 children and 93 women in addition
to a number of paramedics and journalists. He added that the number of
Palestinians wounded rose to 3,350 400 of them are in serious
IDF kills Gaza City rocket chief
Hanan Greenberg,
YNetNews 1/10/2009
Amir Mansi killed in aerial assault while firing mortar shells at IDF
forces in Strip - Senior terror commander killed: The IDF killed Amir
Mansi, who was the commander of Hamas rocket cells operating in the
Gaza City area. The army said Mansi played a major role in Grad rocket
attacks on Israeli communitiesMansi was killed in an aerial assault
while attempting to fire mortar shells at IDF ground forces. Two other
Hamas members were hurt in the strike; their condition is unknown at
this time. The attack that killed Mansi was carried out a short while
after yet another IDF "leaflet bombardment" in the Gaza Strip. The Air
Force dropped leaflets on the Strip warning residents that it plans to
escalate its two-week-old offensive. The army said it has dropped the
fliers throughout Gaza.
IDF warns Gaza residents: Strikes to intensify
Hanan Greenberg and
AP, YNetNews 1/10/2009
Air Force drops leaflets in Gaza, instructing residents to stay away
from terrorists - Army warns Gaza residents: The Air Force has dropped
leaflets on the Gaza Strip warning residents that it plans to escalate
its two-week-old offensive. The army said it has dropped the fliers
throughout Gaza. It said the notices are meant as a "general warning.
"The notice said Israel is about to begin a "new phase in the war on
terror," and that it will "escalate" an operation that already has
killed more than 800 Palestinians. Israel launched the offensive two
weeks ago to halt years of Palestinian rocket attacks. "Strip
residents: Two days ago, the IDF dropped leaflets in Rafah, warning
residents and instructing them to leave their homes for their safety,"
the leaflet read.
Human Rights Watch: Israel using white phosphorus munitions
in Gaza
Reuters, Ha'aretz
A leading human rights group on Saturday accused Israel of using
white-phosphorus munitions during its offensive in the Gaza Strip and
warned of the risk to Palestinian civilians who live near the fighting.
Human Rights Watch said in a statement that its researchers in Israel
observed multiple air-bursts on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10 of artillery-fired
white phosphorus near the city of Gaza and the Jabalya refugee camp.
The group said Israel appeared to be using the munitions to make smoke
screens to hide military operations - "a permissible use in principle
under international humanitarian law. " But Human Rights Watch said the
practice should be stopped in Gaza's densely populated areas. "White
phosphorus can burn down houses and cause horrific burns when it
touches the skin," said Marc Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human
Rights Watch.
Human Rights Watch:
'Israel is using white-phosphorus against Gaza'
Saed Bannoura &
Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 1/10/2009
The 1980 Convention on Conventional Weapons clearly states that armies
are not allowed to use inflammatory weapons even against military
targets that are amongst civilian population. - Human Rights Watch
(HRW) stated that the Israeli Army is using White Phosphorus in its
artillery shells against the Gaza Strip. Researchers of HRW said that
they observed on January 9 and 10 several artillery shells fired by the
army near Gaza and Jabalia, and that these shells apparently included
white-phosphorus. Using this type of shells is banned by the
international humanitarian law, the group added. The shells can
severely burn people and are capable of setting structures, fields and
other civilian facilities on fire. The group added that using this kind
of shells against the most populated area in the world, Gaza, causes
magnified harm, and called on Israel to stop firing these shells.
Israel 'using white phosphorus'
Al Jazeera 1/10/2009
Human Rights Watch has called on Israel to stop using white phosphorus
which it says has been used in military operations in the densely
populated Gaza Strip. The US-based group said that its researchers
observed the use of the chemical, which can burn away human flesh to
the bone, over Gaza City and Jabalya on Friday and Saturday. "We went
by Israeli artillery units that had white phosphorus rounds with the
fuses in them," Marc Garlasco, a senior military analyst at Human
Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera. "Clearly it is [white phosphorus], we
can tell by the explosions and the tendrils that go down [and] the
fires that were burning," he said. "Today there were massive attacks in
Jabalya when we were there. We saw that there were numerous fires once
the white phosphorus had gone in. "International law permits the use of
white phopshorus as an "obscurant" to cover troop movements and prevent
enemies from using certain guided weapons, but its use is controversial
as it can injure people through painful chemical burns.
Report: Israel tests US weapons in its war on Gaza
Information Center 1/10/2009
WASHINGTON, (PIC)-- American press reports revealed that Israel, in its
aggression on the Gaza Strip, tests part of a huge arsenal of weapons
provided by the US during the past few years, adding that the US arms
supplies encouraged the Israeli intervention in Gaza. The inter press
service news agency quoted Mou'in Rabbani, an editor of the middle east
report in Washington, as saying that the nature of the strong
Israeli-American military relations and Israel's persistence in making
wars mean that its military establishment tests new weapons in real
wars in the interest of the US. Rabbani added that the less effective
style of the same weapons is sold at huge prices to Arab countries
which in fact finance the US arms industry and its military grants to
Israel. The Bush administration alone had provided Israel with security
aid valued at more than 21 billion dollars in the last eight years
including 19 billion dollars as a grant.
Dr. Barghouthi: 'Israel
is executing civilians in Gaza, committing war crimes'
Saed Bannoura &
Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 1/10/2009
Palestinian Legislator, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, secretary-general of
the Palestinian National Initiative, stated in a press conference on
Saturday at the Watan Media Center in Ramallah that Israel continues
its crimes in Gaza for the fifteenth day, and is committing war crimes
by shelling civilian homes and killing children, women and elderly. Dr.
Barghouthi added that the large number of civilian casualties proves
that Israel's claims of targeting the fighters are false and
outrageous. He demanded all statistics and cases be documented in
preparation for an international criminal investigation, and he also
demanded the formation of an international committee which would be in
charge of prosecuting Israeli officials responsible for war crimes. The
Palestinian Legislator also said that Israel is not only targeting
civilians, but is also targeting medical personnel, as 13 medics. . .
UN probes raid on sheltering Gazans
Al Jazeera 1/10/2009
The United Nations says it has received reports that the Israeli
military shelled a house it had moved Palestinians into, killing about
30 people. The incident allegedly took place on Monday in the Zeitun
neighbourhood of Gaza City, a UN report said on Friday. About 110
civilians had allegedly been moved into the home by Israeli foot
soldiers on January 4, and told to stay indoors, only for the building
to be repeatedly shelled 24 hours later, the report said. The UN Office
for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) called it "one of
the gravest incidents since the beginning of operations" by Israeli
forces in Gaza on December 27. "Those who survived and were able walked
two kilometres to Salah Ed Din road before being transported to
hospital in civilian vehicles," OCHA said.
Israel Fighting Also the
Mel Frykberg, Inter
Press Service 1/11/2009
RAMALLAH, Jan 10(IPS) - A United Nations report that Israel ordered
civilians into a building and then shelled it marks yet more evidence
of widespread targeting of civilians in the Gaza assault. The UN report
calls for a war crimes investigation into Israel's shelling of a
civilian building in Gaza city Jan. 4. It described the shelling as
"one of the gravest incidents" since Israeli infantry and armoured
troops entered Gaza. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) cited eyewitnesses to report that on Jan. 4 Israeli
ground troops ordered more than 100 Palestinian civilians into a house
in Gaza city. Allegre Pachecho, deputy chief of OCHA, said that the
following day the building was hit by Israeli shells. Israeli human
rights groups say at least 30 people were killed in the shelling.
Investigation shows 'errant mortar' hit UN building
Amos Harel, Ha'aretz
A preliminary investigation into the fatal shooting by the Israel
Defense Forces into a United Nations building in northern Gaza on
Tuesday reveals the Israeli troops firing on the building missed their
targets by some 30 meters. Hamas is claiming the mortar fire killed 42
people and left dozens wounded, but senior IDF officers say the figures
are dubious and that Hamas is inflating the numbers. The probe, which
was conducted by the Paratrooper Brigade whose troops were responsible
for the area, found that the army's location system to pinpoint launch
sites indicated that militants had launched a Qassam rocket into Israel
from within a yard adjacent to the courtyard of the UN building. The
troops had intended to launch a smart missile to take out the
Palestinian launch team but a technical malfunction made this
impossible, according to the probe.
PA forces break up Gaza protest
Amira Hass, Ha'aretz
Ramallah residents were shocked on Friday when a protest against the
Israeli offensive in Gaza was forcibly dispersed by Palestinian
Authority security forces using tear gas and clubs. Youth from the
Fatah movement assisted security forces in breaking up a rally of
solidarity with the Palestinian faction's rival Hamas in the Gaza
Strip. Fatah said the protest was dispersed because Hamas supporters
waved flags identified with the Islamic group, violating an agreement
to only display symbols not affiliated with any party. Witnesses who
are not members of either Palestinian faction said Fatah youth provoked
the clash by shouting slogans supporting Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas as the protesters left a mosque. Demonstrators
responded by shouting Hamas slogans, prompting security forces to
West Bank protests grow
as the massacre in Gaza continues
Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, Stop The Wall 1/10/2009
The entire West Bank was once again mobilized on Friday, with tens of
thousands of people coming out to protest the Occupation's ongoing
slaughter of the people of Gaza. Many of the demonstrations were met
with intense violence and repression from Occupation forces, resulting
in several injuries. In Ni'lin, some 300 people participated in the
village's weekly demonstration. The rally began in the centre of the
village, and then moved towards the Apartheid Wall, where protestors
held their midday prayer on the land. Occupation forces disrupted the
prayer, however, by firing tear gas, sound bombs and rubber bullets
into the crowd. Clashes between villagers and Occupation forces
continued into the evening, with five villagers being injured by rubber
bullets. Similar events occurred in the village of Bil'in, where five
more people were injured by rubber bullets during the weekly
demonstration. One of the people who was injured was a cameraman for Al
Palestinian leaders affirm the right to demonstrate in
reaction to PA police repressing some rallies
Ma'an News Agency
Ramallah - Ma'an - Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and
several members of Palestinian political parties held a joint press
conference Saturday at the Watan Center for Media in Ramallah,
asserting the rights of the Palestinian people to freedom of speech and
expression. The comments came following several incidents of
Palestinian Authority police repressing demonstrations in Palestinians
cities against the Israeli atrocities in Gaza. The repression is seen
as an attempt to ensure calm throughout the West Bank as Gaza continues
to be bombarded. The Palestinian leaders said in a statement read aloud
by PLC member Hanan Ashrawi that national unity in the face of
aggression is essential and Palestinians have the right to continue to
protest, and organize activities in unity. The statement also noted
that it was the responsibility of political factions to ensure. . .
Statement issued by Parliamentary Lists' Representatives and
PLC Members
Palestine Monitor
We, the PLC members and Parliamentary Lists' representatives, affirm
the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to express themselves
including protesting and demonstrating in solidarity with our people in
Gaza Strip in confrontation with the aggression, respecting freedoms
and rights and not to violate them for any reason. We emphasize on the
national unity and unity of our people in confronting the Israeli
aggression and our determination to continue popular activities and
events and uniting under the Palestinian flag and unified slogans. We
reject the interference of the Palestinian security apparatuses in the
west Bank in the demonstrations and their friction with the
demonstrators, assaulting them and arresting some of them as has
happened in some West Bank cities, last of which took place in the
central demonstration on Friday 9 January in Ramallah.
Palestinian boy dies after being unable to travel for
Information Center 1/10/2009
RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Palestinian medical sources told the PIC that an
eight-year-old Palestinian boy called Mohamed Za'rab died after he
suffered from a heart disease, adding that he was supposed to travel
for medical treatment in the 1948 occupied lands. Hundreds of children
were killed lately by Israel while many others are waiting to be
transferred for medical treatment outside Gaza. In another context, the
IOF troops stormed amid intensive gunfire at dawn Saturday the Burqa
village in north of Nablus without any reported kidnappings. In the
same context, the IOF troops invaded the Azmut village, east of Nablus
and roamed the village streets causing a lot of panic among citizens.
Israeli settlers had opened fire at noon Friday at a Palestinian
teenager in the Qaryut village, south of Nablus.
Israeli soldiers open fire on stone-throwing demonstrators
near Tulkarem
Ma'an News Agency
Tulkarem – Ma'an – Stone-throwing Palestinian demonstrators clashed
with Israeli soldiers at an Isreali electric fence in the village of
Qiffin, north of the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Head of the village
council, Sa'eed Hersha, told Ma'an that Israeli forces fired tear gas
and live ammunition. He said five young Palestinians suffocated on the
gas and were treated by medics in the field. The demonstration was one
of dozens taking place across the West Bank in response to the Israeli
war on Gaza. More than 800 Palestinians, many of them children, have
been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza over two weeks. [end]
Two Palestinians injured in clashes with the Israeli army in
Hebron area
Ma'an News Agency
Hebron – Ma'an – Two Palestinians were injured when clashed erupted
between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli forces in and around the
southern West Bank city of Hebron. One demonstrator was shot by a live
bullet in theRas-A'rud neighborhood in the town of Su'ir. Local sources
said that a group ofstone-throwing youth clashed with Israeli forces
that tried to invade the town. Israeli soldiers responded by firing
live ammunition. In the town of Beit Awwa, medical sources said
14-year-old Ahmad Abed Al-Qader Masalmah was shot in the neck by a live
round after clashes erupted near the Israeli separation wall. [end]
US Senate Endorses Israel's War on Gaza
Jeremy R. Hammond,
Palestine Chronicle 1/9/2009
Kucinich was a lone voice in the Congress: 'Wake up America. ' - The US
Senate on Thursday passed a non-binding resolution promoted by the
influential Israeli lobby AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs
Committee), effectively endorsing Israel's war on Gaza. The resolution,
entitled "A resolution expressing solidarity with Israel in Israel's
defense against terrorism in the Gaza Strip" recognizes "the right of
Israel to defend itself against attacks from Gaza" and reaffirms "the
United States' strong support for Israel in its battle with Hamas". The
resolution does not recognize the right to self-defense of the
Palestinian people. The resolution criticizes Hamas for refusing "to
comply with the requirements of the Quartet", which include to
"recognize Israel's right to exist" and to "renounce violence". It
makes no mention of Israel's continuing settlement expansion in the
West Bank, also in violation of the Quartet requirements. -- See also: Senate resolution and House resolution passed 1-9-2009
Livni: Israel will not show restraint
YNetNews 1/10/2009
Foreign minister speaks with Washington Post, says Israel will not back
down from Gaza offensive until operational objectives are met. 'We
don't ask the international community to fight with us. We ask it to
give us some understanding and time' - Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni
reiterated over the weekend that Israel will not tolerate rocket fire
emanating form the Gaza Strip. Israel, she told the Washington Post,
has no intention of reoccupying the Strip, but the international
community would have to be patient and allow it to achieve the
objectives set for Operation Cast Lead. When asked about the pressure
placed on Israel by the international community to end the Gaza
campaign, Livni said that she "doesn't like the term ceasefire since it
looks like an agreement between two legitimate sides. "At the end of
the day, this is not a conflict between two states but a fight against
Israel Rejects UN Truce Resolution, Widens Gaza Ground OP
Barak Ravid and
Shlomo Shamir, MIFTAH 1/10/2009
The diplomatic-security cabinet rejected on Friday a United Nations
Security Council cease-fire resolution and ordered the Israel Defense
Forces to expand its current ground operation against Hamas targets in
the Gaza Strip. In a communique released immediately after the cabinet
session on Friday, the government stated it would not accept the UN
resolution, declaring that "the IDF will continue to act in order to
attain the objectives of the operation - to bring about a change in the
security situation in the south of the country - this in accordance
with the plans that have been approved upon embarking on the operation.
" "Efforts to prevent the smuggling of weapons into the Gaza Strip will
continue," the cabinet statement added. As such, the cabinet also said
Israel would continue to provide humanitarian relief to the local
population in Gaza. The army will maintain its policy of declaring a
temporary cease-fire so as to allow the supply of food and medicine to
reach Gazans in need, the cabinet said.
Journalists see pattern in attacks on Gaza reporters
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Journalists working in the Gaza Strip are seeing a
pattern of attacks on media professionals they think may be a
deliberate attempt by Israel to muzzle independent reports of the
onslaught in Gaza. In addition to an Israeli ban on international
journalists entering Gaza in effect since November, there has been a
rash of attacks on media in Gaza in the last 24 hours. Late on Friday
afternoon, an Israeli drone fired a missile at the roof of the Jawwhara
media tower, where journalists were broadcasting live. Two people were
injured in the attack. Witnesses in and near the building said the
missile crashed through the roof of the building, into a stairwell,
missing the camera crews by a few meters. Journalist Ala Mortaji died
Friday evening from wounds he sustained earlier in the day when Israeli
tank shells hit his home in the Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City.
Barghouthi: Israel is stifling Arab press action in Gaza,
West Bank and Israel
Ma'an News Agency
Ramallah - Ma'an - Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC)
and Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative Mustafa
Barghouthi condemned the Israeli attacks on the Jawwhara media towers.
The attack injured one reporter and destroyed the offices of more than
20 media outlets including local Arabic and satellite channels. "Israel
forbade the foreign press from coming in [to Gaza] to cover the events
[in order] to conceal its crimes," Barghuthi said in a statement. He
accused Israel of trying to suppress the voice of the Arab press as
well by shelling the homes of journalists and destroying communications
equipment that allow images of the Israeli crimes in the Gaza Strip to
reach the world. The death of a photojournalist with the Algerian news
earlier this week and the cameraman of the National Palestine
Television Friday night as well as the arrest. . .
Gaza journalists protest Israeli targeting of media personnel
and broadcasting centers
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an – Dozens of Palestinian journalists held a sit-in in front
the Gaza City press quarter buildings, one of which was almost totally
destroyed Friday night during an Israeli airstrike. The Saturday
morning protest condemned the deliberate Israeli attack on press
buildings, and the earlier killings of three media personnel in strikes
on their homes. "Every drop of journalist-blood on this land," said BBC
correspondent in Gaza Shuhdi Al-Kashef "is testimony to the efforts of
Palestinian reporters working to ensure a free Palestinian press. "He
affirmed that journalists would not "drop their cameras" and would
continue revealing Israeli crimes against civilians despite being
targeted by the Israeli military. "Israel is crossing all the red
lines," said the director of the Ad-Dameer Human Rights organization
Khalil Abu Shamalah.
Palestinian journalists condemn IOF targeting of journalists
Information Center 1/10/2009
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Forum of Palestinian Media Workers (FPMW) condemned
on Friday the IOF attacks on Palestinian journalists, calling for these
aggressions to be investigated. The FPMW said in a statement on Friday
that there was an escalation of attacks on Journalists, adding that on
Thursday an Israeli occupation rocket hit the flat of Palestinian
photo-journalist Ihab al-Whidi, 34 years, killing him and his mother in
law and wounding his wife and children. On Friday evening an Israeli
occupation drone, fired a rocket at al-Jawhara tower which houses media
offices and journalists were on its rooftop reporting what is happening
in Gaza. The attack resulted in the wounding one of the journalists.
The statement also said that the Abu Dhabi television cameraman was
wounded on Wednesday while covering events in Rafah.
Mass protests held against Gaza war
Al Jazeera 1/10/2009
Protesters have staged rallies around the world to voice their anger as
the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip entered a third week. Thousands
of protesters marched on the Israeli embassy in Britain, while others
took to the streets ofGermany, France, Lebanon, Australia and the West
Bank. Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull, reporting from London, said that the
number of protesters in London was far bigger than at previous
demonstrations in the UK capital. "That is an indication of how far
things have moved on in the last week, deteriorating quite rapidly in
the Gaza Strip with the Israeli ground offensive," he said. "That has
filtered through to public opinion with far more people coming out onto
the streets in London and capital cities across Europe.
Leading British Jews call on Israel to halt 'horror' of Gaza
Peter Beaumont,
David Smith, and Ben Quinn, The Observer, The Guardian 1/11/2009
A group of Britain's most prominent Jews has called on Israel to cease
its military operations in Gaza immediately, warning that its actions,
far from improving the country's security, will "strengthen extremism,
destabilise the region, and exacerbate tensions inside Israel".
Describing themselves, as "profound and passionate supporters" of
Israel - and supporting its right to defend itself against the "war
crime" of Hamas rocket attacks - they added that the current tactics
threatened to undermine international support for Israel. The
intervention, in a letter published in today's Observer, came as fears
grew that Israel was to launch a "new phase" of its military offensive
inside the Gaza strip. Yesterday warplanes dropped leaflets warning
Gazans "not to be close to terrorists, weapons warehouses and the
places where the terrorists operate".
Ten thousands march against Israel in France
Middle East Online
PARIS - Tens of thousands of protesters marched through central Paris
and other French cities Saturday to denounce Israeli's offensive in
Gaza and express support for the Palestinian cause. Thousands of French
men and women carried Palestinian banners, amid cries of "Israel
murderer. "
As the various groups gathered, portraits of slain Hamas chief Sheikh
Ahmed Yassin and Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah were
carried behind those of revolutionary Che Guevara and Venezuela's
President Hugo Chavez. A banner strung along a truck carrying a sound
system declared: "Support for Hamas," as all the chants laid the blame
for the fighting at Israel's door. "We are all Palestinians. We are all
children of Gaza," the cortege chanted as it set off down a treelined
boulevard separating eastern Paris' districts from the Marais, the
city's oldest Jewish quarter.
63 injured in Algiers protest over Israeli Gaza raids
Middle East Online
ALGIERS - Algeria's interior minister blamed "trouble-makers" for
clashes at a protest against Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip that
left 63 injured in the capital, including 23 police officers. "In
Algiers, the marches have been infiltrated by troublemakers, who
committed acts of violence notably by throwing stones causing injuries
to 23 police officers and 40 other people, including two journalists,"
said a statement. Shops were sacked, cars damaged and windows broken
during the unrest causing panic, said the ministry statement, quoted by
the APS agency. The security forces arrested those responsible, it
said. The ministry statement said that marches in the capital continue
to be banned but added that several demonstrations organised the same
day in other towns protesting Israel's Gaza offensive passed off
Criticism of Israel's War Crimes Mounts
Jonathan Cook -
Nazareth, Palestine Chronicle 1/9/2009
Criticism by international watchdog groups over the increasing death
toll in Gaza mounted this week as the first legal actions inside Israel
were launched accusing the army of intentionally harming the enclave's
civilian population. The petitions -- over attacks on medical personnel
and the shelling of United Nations schools in Gaza -- follow statements
by senior Israeli commanders that they have been using heavy firepower
to protect soldiers during their advance on built-up areas. "We are
very violent," one told Israeli media. There is also growing evidence
that Israeli forces have been firing phosphorus shells over densely
populated areas in a move that risks violating international law by
inflicting burns on civilians. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad,
meanwhile, called the events in Gaza a "new Nakba", referring to the
catastrophe that dispossessed the Palestinians in 1948. The Palestinian
Authority revealed that it was planning to seek the prosecution of
Israel's leaders for war crimes in the international courts.
Jordan withdraws its
ambassador from Israel
Saed Bannoura &
Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 1/10/2009
Israeli sources reported on Saturday that Jordan withdrew its
ambassador from Israel in protest to the ongoing Israel aggression in
the Gaza Strip. The Jordanian move is a temporary measure, and the
ambassador was informed to remain in Jordan until the offensive is
over. The ambassador, Ali Abed, will be heading to Jordan immediately.
Yet, political analysts say that the decision could be ignored by
Israel, especially since this move does not necessarily mean permanent
cutting of ties with Israel. The decision apparently came after
thousands of residents protested in Jordan against the ongoing Israel
offensive in Gaza. The Friday protest in Amman transformed into clashes
with Jordanian policemen. King Abdullah of Jordan said that he is
concerned regarding the offensive, and added that this attack "is a
conspiracy against the Palestinian people, and an attempt to harm
Jordan", the Arabs48 news website reported.
Status of diplomatic ties between Jordan and Israel unclear
as Al-Ayad decides to remain in Amman
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Controversy over whether Jordan has called home its
Ambassador to Israel has left the diplomatic status between the
countries unclear. According to the Israeli daily paper Yediot Ahronoth
Ambassador Ali Al-Ayad was pulled from his office in Tel Aviv on the
orders of the Jordanian Foreign Ministry and asked to stay in Amman for
the time being. According to a report by the Chinese agency Xinhua,
however, the Jordanian ambassadorleft Israel for Amman before Israel
launched its operation in the Gaza Strip. The agency reported Israeli
Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levy as confirming, however, that
Al-Ayad has extended his stay in Amman and has not indicated when he
will return to Israel. There have been dozens of protests on the
streets of the Jordanian capital condemning the Israeli attacks on
Gaza, and the Jordanian leadership has expressed deep concern over the
Israeli violence over the past two weeks.
Egypt, Jordan resist calls to recall ambassadors
Yoav Stern, Ha'aretz
Egypt and Jordan resisted calls over the weekend to follow Venezuela
and Mauritania, which have recalled their ambassadors to Israel to
protest its operation in the Gaza Strip. "Our stand is firm and well
known," an Egyptian official said Saturday. Since the start of the
fighting, Cairo has gained importance as a mediator between Israel and
the Palestinians. "We'll expel the ambassador and then what? We have to
hold talks with everyone," Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was
recorded as telling officials in the past, regarding the ambassador to
Israel. Israel's ambassador to Venezuela left the country Friday,
expelled by President Hugo Chavez in rejection of Israel's attacks on
Gaza. Chavez had given Ambassador Shlomo Cohen and some embassy
personnel until Friday to leave the country.
Israel to extend Gaza operation despite int'l pressure
Roni Sofer, YNetNews
PM, senior ministers determined to continue with ground offensive
despite international efforts to promote ceasefire. Military sources
say IDF seeks to step up pressure on Hamas, send more units into Gaza -
The IDF must extend its operation inside the Gaza Strip in order to
meet the objectives set for the ground offensive by the political
echelon, senior IDF officials said on Saturday. Following a security
discussion held Saturday night Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the
military to broaden its activity in the Strip. The reserve units that
were called up last week have completed their training and are
currently awaiting orders in their bases. "Hamas suffered a substantial
blow, has lost many men and its infrastructure sustained grave damages
- and the IDF should carry on doing so," a high-ranking officer told
'This is a new NATO'
Amir Oren, Ha'aretz
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the amiable and effective Dutch
politician-diplomat, is stepping down as NATO's Secretary-General this
summer after almost five years on the job. While in Jerusalem and Tel
Aviv Sunday and Monday, Scheffer will meet with the political and
military leadership for talks on the Middle East, NATO and Israel's
role in both. On the eve of his arrival, he laid out his views in an
exclusive interview with Haaretz. Your visit to Israel happens to
coincide with the latest round in the confrontation between Israel and
Hamas in Gaza. Though you take care to insist that no NATO
peace-keeping forces should be expected in the Israeli-Palestinian
context without a political breakthrough (an agreement between the
parties, a mutual appeal to NATO and a UN mandate), the timing could
renew interest in such a deployment to monitor or enforce a new
cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
European Jews planning counter-protests in response to
anti-Israel, anti-Semitic actions
Cnaan Liphshiz,
Ha'aretz 1/11/2009
In response to anti-Semitic incidents, threats and anti-Israel
protests, European Jewish communities have decided to stage support
rallies for Israel and its operation in Gaza. Rallies will take place
in several cities in Holland and Belgium, as well as Rome, London,
Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin and Vienna this week. At an Amsterdam
demonstration last week against Israel's actions, a Dutch legislator,
the Socialist Harry van Bommel, was filmed calling for "intifada" in
order to "free Palestine. " Dutch Jews held a pro-Israel rally in Hague
on Friday. The Jewish community in Antwerp is planning a similar event
today, in a park in the city's center. Last week, 500 Jews showed up to
protest outside the Iranian embassy in Brussels. Belgian and Dutch
Jewish leaders conceded that while the demonstrations may contribute to
the rising tension, they "cannot afford" to remain silent, as one
community leader from Holland said.
'Shock' and 'distress' at cardinal's likening of Gaza to
death camp
Associated Press,
Jerusalem Post 1/10/2009
Israel said Saturday it was shocked and distressed by Cardinal Renato
Martino's likening of Gaza under Israel's military offensive to a
concentration camp. A spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry said the
cardinal, whose remarks appeared in an interview Wednesday, adopted the
kind of language that Hamas and other Islamic militant groups have used
to demonize Israel and equate it with Nazi Germany. "It was shocking to
hear the same kind of terminology from such a high-ranking member of
the church," Israeli spokesman Yigal Palmor said Saturday. "Using this
excessive language is not doing justice and is not bringing peace any
nearer and he should know better," Palmor said. "This kind of speech is
deeply distressing. "
EU party to Israel's crimes against humanity - NGOs
Daily Star 1/9/2009
BEIRUT: A coalition of Lebanese and Palestinian NGOs have accused the
European Union of being party to crimes against humanity by supporting
Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Protesters gathered
outside the EU's offices in Beirut on Thursday to deliver a letter
slamming the 27-member bloc's response to the "crimes" in Gaza. The
letter, addressed to EU Ambassador to Lebanon Patrick Laurent, said the
bloc "not only justifies these crimes, but has become party to them, by
providing them legitimacy. " The organizations say the EU is taking no
action to end the current military operation in Gaza by Israel, which
they describe as a "massacre" and a "violation of human rights and
crimes against humanity. "But EU officials have dismissed the
accusations as being based on "misinformation. " Kamel Mohanna,
coordinator of the Lebanese NGOs involved, said: "We ask [the EU] to
take a fair position on the situation in Gaza.
Wives of Muslim country leaders condemn Gaza onslaught
Middle East Online
ISTANBUL - The wives of the leaders of seven Muslim countries Saturday
condemned the Israeli attack on Gaza and called on the international
community to end the suffering of women and children there. They were
joined by the daughter of the Libyan leader Moamer Gathafi after a
meeting in the city of "Women for peace in Palestine. "
The meeting was organised by Emine Erdogan, wife of Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to a news agency report. Among
those attending were Queen Rania of Jordan, Asma al-Assad, wife of the
Syrian leader, Aicha Gathafi, daughter of the Libyan leader, and Wafa
Sleimane, wife of the president of Lebanon. "I hope our meeting will be
an instrument of pressure on Israel for the immediate halt of the
attacks" on Gaza, Erdogan told participants in the meeting in an
address carried live on Turkish television.
The blame game
Gamal Essam El-Din,
Al-Ahram Weekly 1/8/2009
When Arab parliamentarians met in Cairo on Sunday to discuss Israel's
attacks on Cairo the result was a predictable hurling of abuse - The
Israeli attack on Gaza caused divisions among Arab parliamentarians on
Sunday. During a meeting hosted by the Arab League in Cairo Arab
parliamentarians indulged in attacks and verbal clashes while some
states, such as Syria, refused to send delegates at all. Jassem
El-Sakr, chairman of the Arab Parliament, urged Arab countries to mend
rifts and close ranks in the face of Israeli attacks on Arab
territories, arguing that the Treaty of Mutual Arab Defence, defunct
for more than four decades, should be re- invoked in the face of
Israel's repeated aggression against Arab land. A statement by the Arab
Parliament urged Arab countries to collect more than $35 million in
economic assistance for besieged Palestinians and said an Arab
parliamentary committee would be formed to help reconstruct Gaza.
All eyes on Rafah
Amira Howeidy,
Al-Ahram Weekly 1/8/2009
Egypt is under pressure to open the only exit from Gaza not under
Israeli control. - The Israeli siege on Gaza continues to torment
civiliansThe Egyptian government has adopted a defensive posture since
its decision to keep the Rafah border crossing closed came under attack
as Israel's war on Gaza, begun on 27 December, escalated. In the course
of a week President Hosni Mubarak addressed the issue twice. He said
that Egypt will not open the border because Gaza is an occupied
territory and remains, therefore, the responsibility of Israel, the
occupying force. A few days later he said that Egypt would not open the
border "in the absence of the Palestinian Authority and European
monitors", a reference to the 2005 border agreement formulated between
the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel a year before the 2006
Palestinian parliamentary elections brought Hamas to power. The
agreement expired a year after it went into effect and has not been
renewed since.
Gazans under fire, under nourished
IRIN - UN Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 1/11/2009
TEL AVIV, 10 January 2009 (IRIN) - The World Food Programme continued
to report an acute shortage of food in the Gaza Strip on 9 January,
including fish, frozen meat, fruit and vegetables, bread and milk.
Residents also said they could not find eggs. Gazans said farmers were
afraid to go to their fields to collect produce, while the Israeli
military's ground troops, which were still present in Gaza, were
dividing the enclave into sections and preventing transport between
different areas. This was making it even harder to get fresh goods from
agricultural areas to the urban centres. Two Gaza City residents told
IRIN they were largely surviving on small quantities of food, mainly
canned beans and other dry food. Getting the full picture of the
humanitarian situation in Gaza remained difficult, as for the 15th day
Israel prevented journalists from entering the enclave.
The UNRWA resumes work in
Ghassan Bannoura,
International Middle East Media Center News 1/10/2009
The United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) announced on Saturday
that it will resume its operations in the Gaza Strip. Adnan Abu Hassna,
the spokesman of the UNRWA in Gaza, told reporters that the Israeli
Army has given assurances to the UN that they will not attack the UNRWA
facilities or staff. Last Tuesday, a UN run school was attacked. At
least 43 civilians were killed and 100 others wounded, when the Israeli
troops launched an attack on a school run by UNRWA in the northern Gaza
town of Jabaliya. On Thursday of the same week, the military attacked
an aid convey for the UNRWA, killing a driver and injuring another. In
response, UNRWA announced on Thursday evening that the agency would
halt all of its aid operation in Gaza.
UNRWA to resume aid distribution after Israel promises of
safety for workers
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem - Ma'an - After suspending the delivery of aid in Gaza on
Thursday, UNRWA will resume its humanitarian work in the Strip after an
Israeli assurance that attacks on its staff will not be repeated. On
Thursday a UN truck driver was killed and another employee injured when
Israeli troops fired on an UNRWA convoy en route to Gaza City from the
Kerem Shalom border crossing where it had picked up humanitarian
supplies. The UN agency had made prior arrangements with Israeli forces
to ensure the safety of their staff during the mission. According to
UNRWA, new promises from the Israeli military, from "the very highest
levels" have satisfied the group that it is now safe to send staff into
the field to collect and distribute emergency food and medical aid to
Gazans. The UN agency said the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv
expressed deep regret over the incident that. . .
UAE raises 86 million dollars for Gaza in one day
Middle East Online
ABU DHABI - A collection in the United Arab Emirates for funds to help
Gazan civilians in the face of the two-week-old Israeli offensive
raised nearly 86 million dollars in its first day, organisers said on
Saturday. The fund-raising campaign, which began on Friday with a
telethon, is due to continue until the first week of February, said
Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed al-Nahayan, who is also
head of the Emirati Red Crescent. UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin
Zayed al-Nahayan and Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
al-Maktoum have also each offered to pay for the construction of 600
houses in Gaza to accommodate families left homeless by the Israeli
onslaught, officials said. Gaza solidarity demonstrations were held on
Friday in four of the seven emirates that make up the UAE, after the
interior ministry granted authorisation, a rarity in the Gulf
federation where street protests are generally outlawed.
Danish Church working to ensure Gaza hospitals maintain power
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem - Ma'an- The aid unity with the Danish Church is collecting
blood, fuel and medical supplies for Gaza hospitals to ensure the
facilities can continue to run despite the Israeli offensive on the
area. Head of the Church's Gaza program Omer Majdalawi announced that
the church had provided the program with 7000 US dollars to purchase
necessary equipment, particularly to buy fuel and generators so Gaza
hospitals can continue to be powered. The group also provided daily
meals for 1,300 in the Jabalia refugee camp for six days in cooperation
with the World Food Programme. [end]
Israel Attacks UN Aid Convoys to Gaza
Jeremy R. Hammond,
Palestine Chronicle 1/9/2009
Inability of UNRWA to deliver relief exacerbates the humanitarian
situation. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has
suspended operations in Gaza since coming under attack by Israeli
military forces on Friday. A statement from the UNRWA said its
temporary suspension "was compelled by incidents in which UNRWA staff,
convoys and installations have come under attack. " The statement said,
"On numerous occasions in recent days, humanitarian convoys have come
under Israeli fire even though their safe passage through clearly
designated routes at specifically agreed times, had been confirmed by
the Israeli liaison office. " The suspension of operations was
necessary due to "the nature, severity and frequency of these
incidents". The suspension includes movement of staff throughout the
Gaza Strip and vehicle movement, such as the delivery of aid into the
Israel disappointed by UN resolution that avoids key demands
on Gaza
Barak Ravid,
Ha'aretz 1/11/2009
Israel was disappointed by the UN's resolution passed early Friday
morning calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
Officials expressed additional disappointment with U. S. President
George Bush's refusal to veto the decision as well as by French
President Nicolas Sarkozy's broken promise to prevent the proposal from
being finalized. In addition, Jerusalem was not happy with the
resolution's failure to incorporate the release of abducted Israel
Defense Forces Gilad Shalit from his captors in the Gaza Strip.
Officials in Israel estimated over a week ago that the UN's Security
Council's decision on Gaza is a matter of time. Foreign Minister Tzipi
Livni told the cabinet during the meeting in which it decided to go
ahead with the ground operation in Gaza that Israel will have one week
before the Security Council calls for a cease-fire.
Bush ordered ceasefire retreat at UN
David Usborne in New
York, The Independent 1/10/2009
Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, was forced to step back
from voting in favour of the Gaza ceasefire resolution at the UN
Security Council after orders from Washington, diplomatic sources said
yesterday. The US abstention on the resolution vote early yesterday,
which clearly weakened its impact, was the final twist in a tumultuous
three-day marathon of negotiations in New York. For the UN to do
nothing in the face of the mounting civilian casualties was becoming
increasingly untenable. But when three of the world's top diplomats --
Ms Rice, David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, and his French
counterpart, Bernard Kouchner -- descended on New York on Tuesday to
take action there was plenty of reason to believe that their efforts
would end in tears. Most alarming was the prospect of a vote on a
ceasefire text tabled by Libya.
Italy willing to send troops to patrol Gaza-Israel border
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Intending to support the recent UN
resolution on the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, Italy pledged to send
troops to patrol the Gaza-Israel border of both sides agree to abide by
the resolution. UN resolution #1850 calls for international troops to
monitor the border between Israel and Gaza, as well as the Gaza-Egypt
border in order to ensure neither side breaches the terms of a
ceasefire. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Friday that
Italy was interested in supporting the resolution, and confirmed that
he believed Italian troops could help ensure "weapons smuggling" from
Egypt was halted in the interests of maintaining any ceasefire that is
established. Italy joins the calls of both Denmark and the Netherlands,
who urged the European Union Wednesday to send patrols to the area.
Abbas: Israel must accept truce initiative
Associated Press,
YNetNews 1/10/2009
Palestinian, Egyptian presidents, German foreign minister meet in Cairo
in yet another attempt to end Gaza fighting. Abbas urges Israel to
agree to armistice; asks for international force to be deployed in Gaza
- Diplomatic efforts to end the fighting in the Gaza Strip were
underway in Cairo Saturday, as German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter
Steinmeier, met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the Egypt-sponsored initiative to
end the Gaza conflict. Separately, Hamas officials are slated to meet
with Egyptian officials as well. Israeli officials were in Cairo
earlier this week to discuss a way to end the fighting, which began on
December 27. Israel has said its offensive in Gaza is designed to stop
rocket fire into its south.
Taher warns of attempts to abort resistance's victory in Gaza
Information Center 1/10/2009
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Maher Al-Taher, the politburo member of the popular
front for the liberation of Palestine, has warned that attempts were
being made to abort the Palestinian resistance's victory in the Gaza
Strip. Taher, who is the representative of the PFLP abroad, said that
the attempts were made by the UN Security Council and through the
Egyptian initiative, which, he said, included "ambiguous articles that
should be clarified". All regional and international efforts have
failed so far to pressure the Israelis to end their aggression on Gaza,
he elaborated. Taher said that all efforts should focus on ending the
aggression on Gaza as a first step prior to any other move. The PFLP
official lauded the UNSC resolution 1860 that called for a ceasefire,
but pointed out that it should not be exploited to foil the
resistance's victory.
Mashaal rejects int'l presence in Gaza
Ali Waked, YNetNews
Hamas politburo chief slams door on Egyptian ceasefire proposal, says
group will treat any peacekeeping force as occupying entity -Hamas'
Politburo Chief, Khaled Mashaal, slammed the door on all Gaza ceasefire
proposals Saturday, saying his organization would treat any
international peacekeeping force in Gaza as an occupying entity.
Speaking after Hamas representatives met with international officials
in Cairo to discuss ceasefire proposals, Mashaal added that Hamas would
not accept the inspection of the numerous smuggling tunnels in Gaza by
international observers. "The objective of the war in Gaza is to subdue
the Palestinian people and to dictate its political concessions,"
Mashaal said. " The resistance organizations are still at full strength
- they took a beating during the first two days, but have since taken
the initiative,". . .
New Truce proposal faces
new obstacles
Saed Bannoura &
Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 1/10/2009
On Friday, Israel rejected a UN resolution for a potential ceasefire,
and soon after, Hamas also rejected it, saying it doesn't distinguish
between the occupier and the occupied. On Saturday, the Times newspaper
in the UK reported a new attempt by international diplomats who are
proposing the deployment of Turkish and French observers at the Rafah
and Kerem Shalom crossing. The new offer states that security forces
loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah party would control the
crossing under international supervision. It also calls for an
immediate ceasefire which would be followed by talks on opening all
border crossings and restoring calm. The borders would be monitored by
Turkish and international observers. This initiative is based on the
Egyptian-French initiative, but still faces several obstacles as Hamas
has rejected the deployment of international forces at the. . .
Abbas presses Hamas to accept Gaza truce plan
Middle East Online
CAIRO - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas pressed his rivals Hamas on
Saturday to accept an Egyptian plan to end Israel's war in the Gaza
Strip, as a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo to discuss the proposal.
"We hope that the (Hamas delegation) will reach an agreement without
hesitation," Abbas told journalists after meeting Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak who floated his plan on Tuesday. "The situation does not
allow us to lose time," Abbas said as Israel's offensive on the Gaza
Strip entered its third week. Hopes for peace are increasingly focussed
on Egypt's mediation efforts since both Israel and Hamas brushed off a
UN Security Council resolution on Friday calling for an immediate truce
in the fighting. The Egyptian plan seeks to meet Israel's requirement
of preventing weapons going to Gaza through Egyptian tunnels and
Hamas's demand for a reopening of Gaza's borders to normal traffic.
New initiative calls for PA control over Gaza-Egypt border
Ynet, YNetNews
UK's London Times reports of new diplomatic plan meant to help
Palestinian Authority regain control of Gaza, Rafah crossing. Plan also
proposes international force deploys at Kerem Shalom crossing -A new
initiative meant to create a new foothold in Gaza for the Palestinian
Authority and bring in international monitors, has apparently been
drawn up by diplomats on Friday, as the UN ceasefire call was
dismissed by both sides. According to a Saturday report in the UK's
London Times, the plan would allow for the PA, led by the secular Fatah
faction, to reclaim the territory; 18 months after it was expelled by
the Islamist Hamas. Diplomats are considering taking a triangle at the
southern end of Gaza, including the Rafah crossing leading into. Egypt
and the Kerem Shalom crossing leading into Israel, to be policed by
Turkish and French military monitors, who would be tasked with
thwarting arms smuggling into the Gaza Strip.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1860
United Nations News
Service, MIFTAH 1/10/2009
Resolution 1860 (2009) Adopted by 14 in Favour, Abstention by United
States;Also Calls for Unimpeded Humanitarian Assistance, Welcomes
Egyptian Initiative Gravely concerned by the deepening humanitarian
crisis in the Gaza Strip and the resulting heavy civilian casualties
"since the refusal to extend the period of calm" between Israel and
Hamas, the Security Council this evening stressed the urgency of and
called for an "immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire,
leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza". Adopting
resolution 1860 (2009) by a vote of 14 in favour with the United States
abstaining, the Council also expressed its grave concern at the
escalation of violence and emphasized that Palestinian and Israeli
civilian populations
Security cabinet: Israel to continue Gaza op to pressure Egypt
Amos Harel, Avi
Issacharoff, Barak Ravid, and Yoav Stern, Ha'aretz 1/11/2009
The security cabinet decided Friday to continue Operation Cast Lead in
the Gaza Strip, but not expand it at this stage. In the coming days
Israel will focus its military and diplomatic efforts on pressuring
Egypt to work toward the Israeli and international demand to deploy an
international force to combat smuggling from Egypt to Gaza. Palestinian
sources told Haaretz that Cairo demanded Saturday morning that the
militant group respond to its cease-fire proposal within 48 hours.
Egypt warned that if Hamas rejects its offer, Egypt would be unable to
stop Israel from continuing its ground offensive. Senior officers in
the Israel Defense Forces told Haaretz that for further achievements,
the army will have to expand the operation by at least 20 days and
include reserve units in the fighting. A senior officer in Gaza said
Hamas' capabilities were gradually eroding and that the group had lost
more than 300 militants from its armed wing since the ground operation
Egypt pushes Gaza peace plan
Al Jazeera 1/10/2009
Egypt has called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as it
leads efforts to end the Israeli bombardment of the territory. Cairo is
also calling for talks aimed at ending smuggling across the Rafah
border and reopening the crossings with Israel. Mahmoud Abbas, the
Palestinian president, and delegates from Hamas were in the Egyptian
capital on Saturday to discuss the proposals. "The Egyptian proposal is
the only mechanism. It is very clear-cut and once it is accepted, the
aggression should end," Abbas said after meeting Hosni Mubarak, his
Egyptian counterpart. "If any party does not accept it, regrettably it
will be the one bearing the responsibility, and if Israel doesn't want
to accept, it will take the responsibility of perpetuating a waterfall
of blood," he said.
Ban Ki-Moon calls Olmert to express disappointment over
Israel's non-compliance with UN resolution
Ma'an News Agency
Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Friday, expressing his
disappointment over the continued Israeli violence in the Gaza Strip.
According to Ki-Moon's spokesperson Michele Montas, the UN head is
"working right now on those diplomatic channels," to ensure that the UN
Security Council Resolution, passed Friday morning local time, is
implemented in Gaza. [end]
Jews, Arabs hold peace rally
Hagai Einav
Published, YNetNews 1/10/2009
Hundreds of Israelis form human chain along Highway 65 with sign
reading 'Hand in hand - neighbors for peace' -Hundreds of Jews and
Arabs from the north and center of Israel gathered near Kfar Kara'a on
Highway 65 Saturday in a rally for peace. The only sign present at the
demonstration read "Hand in hand - neighbors for peace". Guy, a
resident of Maccabim who participated in the rally, told Ynet he had
learned of the event through a widely distributed email. "It's an
Arab-Jewish initiative intended to boost coexistence between us in
Israel, these days especially," he said. Those present stressed that
they were not for or against the military operation in Gaza. They wore
white and held hands to create a human chain along the road for one
hour, without disrupting traffic.
Peace Now, Meretz hold Left's first anti-war protest
Gil Hoffman,
Jerusalem Post 1/10/2009
Peace Now organized the first demonstration of the Zionist Left since
Operation Defensive Shield began two weeks ago on Saturday night
outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. The event marked a change in
direction for the organization, which had previously limited itself to
calling for a cease-fire via an on-line campaign. Peace Now expressed
understanding for the operation when it began, but started calling for
a cease-fire six days into the fighting. "Calls for a cease-fire are
not anti-IDF," Peace Now secretary-general Yariv Oppenheimer said at
the rally. "We just don't want the soldiers to lose their lives in an
operation that should not be continuing. The Left was divided at the
start of the fighting. But when the choice is between staying in Gaza
for years or leaving now, it is clear what we support.
New Meretz leftist party launches campaign against IDF
operation in Gaza
Roni Singer-Heruti,
Ha'aretz 1/11/2009
The new left-wing party spearheaded by Meretz is launching a campaign
against the Israel Defense Forces' operation in the Gaza Strip. This
reverses the party's decision to suspend its election campaign until
the fighting ends. The new drive makes it clear that Israel must
negotiate with the Palestinians, particularly in light of the recent
fighting against Hamas in Gaza. "No compromises - we need a political
solution," is the slogan chosen by the party's campaign strategist,
Dror Sternschuss. Days before the operation started in late December,
Meretz called for military action against Palestinian militants firing
rockets and mortar shells at Israel. This stance was unusual for the
party - its officials supported air strikes on Gaza, but they opposed
the army's ground offensive. "The time has come to act without
compromise and without narrow political considerations to protect. . .
Chavez praises Israeli anti-war protestors
Israel News,
YNetNews 1/10/2009
Venezuelan leader sends message of support to participants at northern
Israel rally - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez offered words of
support for the Palestinians in a message read during an anti-war rally
in northern Israel Saturday. Thousands of Hadash party activists took
part in the rally against the IDF operation in the Gaza Strip, while
dozens of right-wing activists demonstrated outside the venue in
Nazareth Ilit. In his message to the protestors, which was read to the
crowd during the event, Chavez said: "We are not united by one
nationality; rather, what unites us is"¦The blood shed in Gaza is the
blood of humanity. Venezuela kisses each and every one of you and
stresses that it supports the Palestinian people and all those who
suffer from the occupation.
Israelis protest Gaza offensive: Our Zionism does not make us
crave blood and war
Ofri Ilani, Ha'aretz
Some one thousand Israeli activists from Peace Now and the left-wing
Meretz party protested Saturday against the offensive in Gaza, opposite
the Defense Ministry compound in Tel Aviv. "We have assembled to call
on Israel to think twice before expanding the [Gaza] operation, we are
here because we care about the IDF soldiers," said Peace Now chief
Yariv Oppenheimer. Israel indicated Saturday that it would begin a
third phase of its two-week operation aimed at halting rocket fire on
its southern communities, dropping leaflets in Gaza warning civilians
that it plans to step up its military campaign. "This is a
demonstration that includes many true Zionists who fear for peace in
the country, but our Zionism does not make us crave blood and war,"
Oppenheimer said.
Time to decide
Avi Issacharoff and
Amos Harel, Ha'aretz 1/11/2009
Israel Defense Forces officers refrained from criticizing the executive
branch yesterday over its lack of decision concerning the future of the
ground operation in the Gaza Strip. This silence was a direct lesson
learned from the Second Lebanon War. Yet senior army officials could
not entirely conceal their concern that the indecisiveness may cost
Israel dearly. "The army cannot go on like this forever," former
National Security Council head, Maj. Gen. (Res. ) Giora Eiland, said.
"We need to reach a decision: Either reach a cease-fire in two to three
days, or start a big military operation that will take at least two
weeks. We've been beating around the bush for a week, and we need to
make a decision now. "Eiland's anger and directness stems from his
realization that the military and the government are out of synch.
The next move
Amir Oren, Ha'aretz
Colonel A. , a GOC Southern Command intelligence officer, is one of the
central figures responsible for the professional successes of Operation
Cast Lead, and one of the youngest. When GOC Southern Command Yoav
Gallant was appointed commander of the southern operational arena, A. ,
an avid bicyclist, was selected as head of the intelligence team
preparing for the "Tour de Gaza. " The group included various units of
Military Intelligence, including Unit 8200 (responsible for deciphering
signals and code), an operational brigade, the Shin Bet security
service, Southern Command and Gaza Division intelligence collection
units, field intelligence and the air force and navy. All of these have
been vested with the responsibility of collecting data and creating a
target bank for units operating in Gaza in recent weeks.
IDF: Whole Hamas battalions wiped out
Hanan Greenberg,
YNetNews 1/10/2009
Is Hamas falling apart? Senior IDF officer says roughly 300 Hamas men
killed since army launched ground incursion, whole Hamas battalions
wiped out in dozens of clashes with troops over weekend; terror group
also hit by wave of desertions, official says - Is Hamas falling apart?
A senior IDF officer estimated Saturday that roughly 300 Hamas men have
been killed since the army launched its ground incursion in the Gaza
Strip. The military official said IDF troops were able to wipe out
whole battalions belonging to the Gaza terror group. "Hundreds of
people were killed in the various combat sectors," the officer said.
"Some Hamas companies and battalions were simply wiped out. We also see
cases of desertions and unauthorized leaves, while some terror
activists are scared to undertake moves that would jeopardize them
vis-Ã -vis IDF troops.
IDF says Hamas showing signs of tiring
Amos Harel and Avi
Issacharoff, Ha'aretz 1/11/2009
On the 15th day of Operation Cast Lead, a senior Israeli military
commander involved in the Gaza invasion told Haaretz that Hamas
militants are suffering from exhaustion and are, for the first time,
beginning to desert their battle stations. Further, the commander told
reporters that Amir Mansi, the commander of Hamas's rocket-launching
program in the Gaza City area, was killed yesterday by the Israel
Defense Forces while himself firing mortars. The officer said that
Mansi went outside after junior Hamas operatives refused to expose
themselves, fearing an Israeli strike. Mansi, according to the IDF,
fired mortars at a force of combat soldiers from the Golani infantry
brigade. Mansi was killed along with two other combatants who did
venture outside with him, according to the Israeli army. The number of
Palestinian casualties yesterday reached 860, after some 100 additional
casualties, many of who were civilians, died over the weekend.
Hamas: Gaza war an end to peace bid
Al Jazeera 1/11/2009
Hamas has said that the Gaza war has put an end to chances of
negotiations with Israel, calling on Arabs to pressure Tel Aviv to
seize its attacks on the Gaza Strip. In a televised speech on Saturday,
Khaled Meshaal, the exiled-Hamas political leader, said Israel's
offensive on Gaza, which have killed over 800 Palestinians, had failed
because Hamas was still firing rockets at Israel. "You have finished
off the last chance and breath for settlement and negotiations,"
Meshaal said. "In all modesty. . . I can say with full confidence that
on the military level the enemy has totally failed, it has not achieved
anything. Has it stopped the rockets? "he asked of Israel's declared
aim in launching the offensive. Meshaal called on Arabs to pressure
their leaders and the international community through protests. "We are
living the hardest moments of the resistance now, we want another
intifada in Palestine and on the Arab street," he said, calling on the
Arabs to continue protesting.
Jibril: Israel failed to achieve its objective of eliminating
Information Center 1/10/2009
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Ahmed Jibril, the secretary-general of the popular
front for the liberation of Palestine-the general command (PFLP-GC),
stated that Israel failed to achieve its stated objectives of stopping
rocket attacks and eliminating the resistance. In an exclusive press
statement to the PIC, Jibril said the Palestinian resistance achieved a
victory over the Israeli aggression, but not a complete one because
there are still political decoys which were entrusted to Egypt to place
in the way of the resistance in Gaza, warning the resistance of falling
into these traps. The Palestinian leader also underlined that the first
part of the security council's resolution which demanded Israel to stop
its military aggression, withdraw from Gaza and open all crossings
before humanitarian aid is a victory for the Palestinian resistance.
In Washington, All Roads
Lead to Tehran
Daniel Luban, Inter
Press Service 1/11/2009
WASHINGTON, Jan 9(IPS) - As the war in Gaza approaches its third week,
a chorus of influential voices in the U. S. media has cast the conflict
as a proxy war in which the real enemy is not Hamas but Iran. The
result has been a growing tendency in the U. S. to view Gaza as simply
one battleground in a larger war between Iran and the West, and to
dismiss the stated concerns of the Palestinians as a mere smokescreen
for Iranian influence. But critics charge that this way of framing the
conflict is both overly simplistic and agenda-driven. By overstating
the importance of Iran's operational aid to Hamas, they claim, these
opinion-makers aim to increase hostilities with Iran, to bolster an
increasingly shaky Israeli rationale for war, and to curtail any
inclination to reach a peace settlement with the Palestinians. For
years, it has been a commonplace among neoconservatives that Iran is
the real source of opposition to the U.
7 soldiers wounded in Gaza
Ynet, YNetNews
Meanwhile, Four Gazans killed by tank shell, one killed in strike on
vehicle as Air Force bombs dozens of targets - Seven IDF soldiers were
lightly wounded in various clashes in northern Gaza throughout the day.
The troops were evacuated to hospitals in Israel but only one was
hospitalized. Fourteen soldiers are currently hospitalized due to
injuries sustained in the fighting. Three of them are seriously
wounded, three moderately, and the rest lightly. Meanwhile, the Air
Force bombed more than 60 targets in Gaza Saturday, including rocket
launchers, and Palestinian sources reported that at least five people
were killed in the strikes. Among the targets bombed were the rocket
launchers used by terrorists to fire at Ashdod in the afternoon.
Al-Aqsa Brigades say projectiles launched from Gaza
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza - Ma'an – The Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, claimed
responsibility for launching two homemade projectiles at the Israeli
town of Kfar Aza, east of the Gaza Strip on Saturday night. The
Brigades said this attack was a response to the "ongoing massacre"
committed by Israel in Gaza. [end]
Israeli shells hit home of Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza - Ma'an - Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades announced the death of
field commander Shams Omar as Israeli shells targeted his home in the
Ash-Shati refugee camp on the northern Gaza coast. The Al-Quds Brigades
said Omer had participated in battles with the Israeli army. [end]
Al-Qassam Brigades says missiles now have range of 50km
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an – Hamas' military wing said on Saturday evening that its
missiles now have a range of 50 kilometers, claiming to have launched a
Grad missile at an Israeli military base. In a statement the Al-Qassam
Brigades said that it launched the missile at a military base that is
used as a storehouse for Patriot missiles and other weaponry. "This
shelling came within the battles carried out by the Brigades in the war
waged by Israel on Gaza," the group said. [end]
Palestinian Water Authority: Israeli bombing could cause
repeat of massive sewage flood
Ma'an News Agency
Ramalah – Ma'an – The Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) based in
Ramallah warned on Saturday that damage caused by Israeli bombs could
cause a massive, deadly, wastewater tsunami in the northern Gaza Strip.
The PWA raised the specter of a catastrophic sewage flood in the Gaza
Strip town of Umm Nasser, where massive cesspits overflowed their
banks, inundating an entire town and killing six people and displacing
2,000 others. The PWA is now saying that the 4 million cubic meters of
sewage stored in the cesspools could overflow again, threatening 15,000
people and large swaths of farmland. According to the Authority, water,
sanitation, and electricity infrastructure in Gaza have all been
shelled by invading Israeli forces. Seven wells were destroyed by
airstrikes, the water authority said, including two in Jabaliya and
Gaza residents: IDF troops posing as Hamas men
Amira Hass, Ha'aretz
The testimonies of Gaza Strip residents are revealing new details about
the Israel Defense Forces' mode of operation there. In the past two
days, Beit Lahia residents forced from their homes said soldiers were
posing as members of Hamas' armed wing while advancing on the ground.
The daily pauses in bombing allow Gazans to meet with the displaced -
most of whom are housed in an UNRWA school - and hear their stories.
Gaza resident S. told Haaretz he heard several people say they saw
armed men wearing the uniforms and symbols of the Iz al-Din al-Qassam
Brigades, who "called out to each other in Arabic, as if they had
caught a collaborator, and then, with the element of surprise, went
into the houses. "A Gaza radio station warned that troops posing as
locals were driving a vehicle normally used by paramedics.
Welcome to Hell: Gaza's unending misery
Ibrahim Barzak, Kim
Sengupta, Geoffrey Lean and David Randall, The Independent 1/11/2009
A family of nine is among the latest Palestinian civilian casualties as
the fighting continues - Israeli forces yesterday pounded dozens of
targets in the Gaza Strip and dropped leaflets warning of an escalation
in attacks, as southern Israel came under renewed Palestinian rocket
fire. Last night, as flames and smoke rose over Gaza City, speculation
grew that Israel was about to launch the so-called third stage of its
offensive: the forcible entry into Gaza City by thousands of troops. In
response, Hamas said that the Gaza offensive had "killed the last
chance for settlement and negotiation with Israel". Earlier yesterday,
Israeli aircraft attacked more than 40 targets throughout Gaza,
striking 10 rocket-launching sites, weapons-storage facilities,
smuggling tunnels, an anti-aircraft missile launcher and gunmen. And
civilians. In the day's bloodiest incident, an Israeli tank shell
landed outside a home in the northern Gaza town of Jabaliya, killing
nine people as they sat in their garden.
Palestinian fighters clash with Israeli troops in northern
Gaza; five soldiers dead - projectle fire continues
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an – Gaza's armed factions launched projectiles at the
western Negev Saturday, and continued to clash with Israeli ground
troops in Gaza, reportedly injuring five soldiers near the borders of
the Strip. Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds fighters attacked Special Forces as
they rested in a home in the northern Gaza Strip near the American
school. The Brigades statement said fighters used Rocket Propelled
Grenades and medium grade weaponry to surprise the soldiers, saying a
number were killed during the operation. All Al-Quds fighters were able
to flee the scene safely, according to a statement from the group.
Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades said they detonated two explosive devices
near Israeli soldiers and shot an Israeli soldier with sniper fire on
Mount Kashef east of Gaza City. The group said they also targeted a
configuration of soldiers east of Jabaliya with RPGs and shot at
soldiers near the Gaza Strip borders.
Hamas: The IOF targets civilians, avoids confrontation with
Information Center 1/10/2009
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas said on Friday that most of the targets attacked by
the Israeli occupation airforce ad ground forces have been civilian
targets and that the resistance has lost very little so far. Mushir
al-Masri, a Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, said that the targeting by
Israelis of civilian installations indicates a grave military and
political failure on the part of the Israeli occupation. "The more than
1000 targets struck by the Zionist enemy were civilian, including
universities, hospitals, mosques and houses. This sort of targeting
indicates a failure on the part of the enemy which has so far not
confronted the resistance on the ground. "He pointed out that the
Israeli occupation ground forces remained close to borders and in open
areas to avoid confrontations with the resistance. Meanwhile, the
Qassam Brigades announced that in addition to the 8 IOF troops killed.
. .
Islamic Jihad seizes IDF rocket, hotdogs
Ali Waked, YNetNews
Palestinian group boasts loot taken from IDF soldiers, including
uniforms, hotdog packages - Islamic Jihad' published Saturday evening
photos of IDF weapons and equipment allegedly seized by its military
wing. The group claims its members collected the loot following heavy
exchanges of fire between gunmen and IDF troops barricaded in a house
east of Khan Younis. A statement published by Islamic Jihad's military
wing said group members were able to seize a LAW rocket, two-way
radios, medicine, and clothes. Photos published by the group also
feature empty packages of Israeli hotdogs left behind by IDF troops.
Weapons, medicine, and hotdog packagesIslamic Jihad said the equipment
seized included blood-soaked IDF uniforms. The group said the incident
in question took place Friday yet the details were only being published
at this time due to security considerations.
Islamic Jihad releases photos showing seized Israeli weapons
Ma'an News Agency
Gaza – Ma'an – The armed wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades,
released photos on Saturday that they say show weapons seized from the
Israeli military during a surprise attack on Israeli troops north of
Gaza City. The photos, posted on the group's website, show masked
Islamic Jihad fighters displaying what appears to be a rocket launcher
stamped with Hebrew writing and a variety of bullets. The Israeli
military, contacted by Ma'an, has yet to respond to the photos. The
Al-Quds Brigade salso claimed to have caused casualties among the
Israeli soldiers while attacking them with RPGs and rifles. They said
the attack took place near the ruins of the American international
school in northern Gaza. They claimed to have shot an Israeli soldier
in the Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza. The Al-Quds Brigades claimed joint
responsibility with the Al-Aqsa Brigades for. . .
IDF: 300 Hamas operatives killed in Gaza
Yaakov Katz,
Jerusalem Post 1/10/2009
IDF troops in the Gaza Strip on Saturday targeted Hamas operative Amir
Mansi, a senior member of Izzadin Kassam, the group's military wing. A
senior commander of IDF operations in the Strip said that Mansi was the
head of the Gaza Strip rocket division, and was previously involved in
dozens of rocket attacks against Israel in recent weeks. He was also
known to be a close associate of Hizbullah, and received information
from the group on a regular basis. Mansi was killed while attempting to
fire mortars at Givati troops at Jabal Rice, in the northern Gaza
Strip. Two other combatants were also hit. The IDF commander said the
fact that Mansi was personally involved in attacking Israeli troops
showed that the Hamas military wing was in a serious state of distress,
as senior Hamas operatives would not ordinarily venture out into
15th day under attack:
death toll in Gaza reaches 811, journalists attacked by the Israeli Army
Ghassan Bannoura,
International Middle East Media Center News 1/10/2009
On Saturday afternoon, an Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip killed seven
civilians from the same family, sources in Gaza reported. Doctors
reported that an Israeli missile was fired from an unmanned Israeli
drone at a grocery store in the northern Gaza Strip, killing seven
people from the same family. Doctors added that those killed were from
the Abed Rabo family, including Randa Abed Rabo, age 45, and her son
Soufyian, age 27. Earlier, Palestinian sources reported that Israeli
forces shelled on Saturday at dawn residential areas located in Kahn
Younis, Rafah in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and Gaza city,
along with nearby refugee camps in the central coastal Region. The
Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the death toll in
Gaza due to the continued Israeli attacks on Gaza now stands at 811,
with 3,300 injured.
Israeli artillery shell kills entire family
Information Center 1/10/2009
GAZA, (PIC)-- An Israeli artillery shell fired at the home of a
Palestinian family in eastern Jabalia refugee camp north of the Gaza
Strip on Saturday killed the entire family members. Local sources
reported that eight members of the Abed Rabbo family were killed in the
explosion of that bomb while a Palestinian from the Baba family was
killed in a nearby home. The sources said that the bodies of all
members of the family were shredded in the bombing. The Israeli
occupation forces ever since their invasion of the Gaza Strip two weeks
ago have killed a number of entire families and are still committing
massacres in the Strip on daily basis. In retaliation to the IOF
ongoing crimes, Palestinian resistance factions fired three Grad
missiles at Ashkelon city wounding four Israelis and damaging three
Unidentified gunmen kill 13-year-old schoolboy near Nablus
Ma'an News Agency
Nablus - Ma'an - Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a 13-year-old boy
south of Nablus Saturday afternoon. Security sources confirmed the
death of 13-year-old Jamal Khairy Mussalam as he walked home after
school. Medical sources at the Rafidia hospital in Nablus reported that
the boy was seriously injured when he arrived in the hospital, and died
a few hours after. Palestinian police are investigating the incident.
Gaza rocket strikes Ashkelon, injuring '14' Israelis
Yanir Yagna, and
Haaretz Service, Ha'aretz 1/11/2009
After a relatively quiet night, Palestinians in Gaza resumed rocket
fire on Israel's southern communities on Saturday. At around 4:30 P. M.
, a rocket struck the city of Ashkelon, moderately wounding one person
and lightly hurting 13 more. Twenty-three people were treated for
shock. Two more rockets hit open areas near Ashkelon, causing no
casualties or damage. Two Grad rockets struck Ashdod and another rocket
hit an open area in Gan Yavneh. No injuries or damage were reported.
Four Palestinian rockets struck Ashkelon Saturday morning, according to
Israel Radio. Three Israelis were injured lightly in the attack. One of
the injured sustained shrapnel wounds while the other two were wounded
by the impact of the rocket explosions. One rocket directly struck a
four-story home while another hit near a residential building, Israel
Radio reported.
Yemen begins trial of 3 men accused of spying for Israel
News Agencies,
Ha'aretz 1/10/2009
A Yemeni state security court on Saturday began the trial of three
young countrymen accused of spying for Israel. The prosecution charged
the three young men, aged between 23 and 26, with "establishing
contacts with the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and offering to
work as agents for the Mossad intelligence agency. "They are also
accused of operating under a fake organization called the "Islamic
Jihad of Yemen" and spreading false statements and news and claims of
responsibility for attacks on embassies and foreign interests in Yemen
between last year. Prosecutors said the group's leader Bassam Abdullah
al-Haidari,26, had sent letters by email to Olmert, offering to work
for the Mossad. They said the defendants had received a positive reply
fromIsraeli officials, who allegedly welcomed the offer for
Yemen tries Islamists for alleged contact with Olmert
AFP Published,
YNetNews 1/10/2009
Prosecution claims members of Yemeni Islamic Jihad sent email to PM
offering to collaborate in attacks on government buildings - Olmert's
terrorist buddies? A Yemeni court began on Saturday the trial of three
Islamists accused of establishing contact with Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert and offering to collaborate with the Jewish state. The three men
are accused of operating under the name of Yemen's Islamic Jihad and
spreading false news of attacks on government buildings, embassies and
foreign interests in Yemen between May and September 2008. The
prosecution charged the main defendant, Bassam al-Haidari, 26, of
writing directly to the prime minister of Israel by email, offering to
work for the Jewish state. "We are the Organization of Islamic Jihad
and you are Jews, but you are honest, and we are ready to do anything,"
Haidari said in the email sent to Olmert, the prosecution charged.
Tehran Opts for 'Moral
Support' in Gaza War
Analysis by Kaveh
Afrasiabi, Inter Press Service 1/11/2009
WASHINGTON, Jan 10(IPS) - Although the administration of U. S.
President George W. Bush and Israeli leaders have depicted the ongoing
crisis in Gaza as part of a larger struggle against Iran and its
"proxies", Tehran's involvement with the Palestinians is rather
limited. Despite their condemnation of Israel's actions and the waves
of pro-Hamas demonstrations across Iran, its rulers have no intention
of escalating the crisis, let alone becoming directly engaged. Instead,
their main intention is to utilise their regional influence in favour
of an "honourable truce" that would give the Islamist group a
face-saving exit from the war. While Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei, has spoken favourably about martyrdom in defence of the
Palestinian cause, and tens of thousands of Iranians have reportedly
signed up as volunteers to fight Israel, nevertheless Tehran has made
it clear that no one will be sent with the sanction of the state.
New York Times: U.S. spurned Israel plan for Iran reactor
Reuters, Ha'aretz
U. S. President George W. Bush deflected Israel's secret request last
year for bunker-busting bombs it wanted for an attack on Iran's main
nuclear complex, saying he had authorized covert action to sabotage
Tehran's suspected atomic weapons development, The New York Times said.
Citing U. S. and foreign officials, the Times reported on Saturday the
White House was unable to determine whether Israel had decided to carry
out the strike before Washington objected or whether Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert was trying to get Bush to act more decisively before he
leaves office this month. Israel, widely believed to have the only
nuclear arsenal in the Middle East, bombed the site of a suspected
atomic reactor in Syria in 2007. Details of the expanded U. S. covert
program and the Bush administration's efforts to talk Israel out of
attacking. . .
Iran: Egypt partner to Gaza crimes
Reuters Published,
YNetNews 1/10/2009
Ahmadinejad urges Egypt to announce whether it is Israel's 'partner' -
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on Egypt on Saturday to
clarify whether it is a "partner" with Israel in efforts to break Hamas
resistance in the Gaza Strip, a news agency reported. Iran has
condemned Israel for its attacks in Gaza and expressed support for
Hamas, criticizing what Tehran says is the silence of some Arab states.
Ahmadinejad said they should cut ties with Israel. Egypt, the only Arab
state to border Gaza, has been a focus for protests by hardline
Iranians who say Cairo has not done enough to help the Palestinians.
Egypt has partly blamed Hamas for the violence because it failed to
renew a truce with Israel. " Today it has been heard in some of the
West's political meetings that the Egyptian government is a partner in
crimes in Gaza and they are after breaking. . .
11 Arab doctors cross into Gaza
Information Center 1/10/2009
GAZA, (PIC)-- PA spokesman of the borders and crossings in Rafah Adel
Za'rab said that 11 Arab doctors were able Friday to enter the Gaza
Strip through the Rafah border crossing to treat Palestinians wounded
in the Israeli military aggression. Za'rab told the PIC reporter that
nine Egyptian doctors and two others from Yemen and Morocco crossed
into Gaza having great enthusiasm to help the wounded. The spokesman
pointed out that three ambulances given by Jordan and 14 trucks loaded
with medicines were allowed into Gaza through the crossing. Dozens of
Arab doctors have been trying to enter Gaza for many days, but their
entry was denied by the Egyptian authorities at the pretext that there
were no safe routes into Gaza despite the doctors' pledge they would be
fully responsible for their own lives. For its part, the government
committee to break the siege reported that the Egyptian. . .
Study: South to recover more quickly from war than north
after Lebanon
Eli Ashkenazi,
Ha'aretz 1/11/2009
Southern residents are likely to recover more quickly from the current
conflict than their northern counterparts did after the Second Lebanon
War, a new study has found. The study, conducted by Dr. Shaul Kimche
and Prof. Yohanan Eshel, members of the Psychology Department at the
Tel Hai Academic College, found that a combination of individual and
communal strengths have long-term effects on civilians who experience
war. The subject of individual strength in times of crisis has been
examined extensively. However, the effects of public and communal
strength have attracted less attention. The study evaluated the degree
to which the link between personal and societal strength can foretell
positive or negative impacts of a war. A positive impact would be
citizens quickly returning to their routine, and a negative impact
would be manifested in post-traumatic stress and anxiety.
PA Chief of Staff: Abbas remains legitimate Palestinian
leader; talks in Cairo show progress
Ma'an News Agency
Ramallah – Ma'an - Chief of Staff for the Palestinian Authority Dr
Rafiq Al-Husseini announced Saturday that Mahmoud Abbas will remain in
his role as Palestinian President until legislative and presidential
elections are held. Those with complaints about the situation, said
Al-Huseini, can challenge the decision in the Palestinian High Court of
Justice and file a complaint. He added that under the current situation
in Gaza, now was not an appropriate time to address the issue of the
legitimacy of Abbas' term. The comments came during a press conference
in the Presidential compound in Ramallah, where Al-Husseini also
announced the postponement of the start of the "Al-Quds Capital of Arab
Culture" celebrations. The events, due to start in January, are now set
for March. Several factions have contested the legitimacy of Abbas to
remain in his role as President after 9 January, which is when his
official four year term ended.
Lebanese media show united front on Gaza atrocities
Special to The Daily
Star, Daily Star 1/10/2009
BEIRUT: The Lebanese broadcast media are unapologetic for their
flagrant political factionalism. And, why wouldn't they be? They have
been kept alive by benefactors with deep pockets and even deeper ties
bound within the country's dense political landscape. Both within
Lebanon and abroad, any household with a vested interest in Lebanese
affairs has retained a staunch loyalty to the station airing their
particular brand of rhetoric. These differences have now been brushed
over with new strokes of solidarity prompted by the ongoing coverage of
Israel's war on Gaza. As domestic propaganda gets cast aside, for once,
Lebanese broadcasters have taken to the airwaves to denounce what they
believe to be a common villain. New TV deputy news and
political-program manager Karma Khayat throws objectivity by the
wayside, declaring: "We have one enemy and that is Israel. . . "
Gaza war echoes much of Lebanon in 2006
Michael Bluhm, Daily
Star 1/10/2009
BEIRUT: Israel's unrelenting assault on Gaza resounds with parallels to
the Jewish state's summer 2006 war on Lebanon, with the common
denominator that both conflicts could result in strengthening the
domestic political positions of nonstate actors which held out against
overwhelming and disproportionate Israeli military might, a number of
analysts told The Daily Star on Friday. The two wars reflect the
structural pattern of recent decades of Middle East conflict, namely
that smaller armed groups such as Hizbullah and Hamas have replaced
Arab states' armies as Israel's primary military opponents, said Amr
Hamzawy, senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center. "There
are definitely parallels between what happened in Lebanon in 2006 and
what's happening in Gaza," Hamzawy said. "Number one, we have Israel
fighting a nonstate actor. . . "
Hizbullah didn't launch rockets, but didn't stop them either
- analysts
Rana Moussaoui,
Daily Star 1/10/2009
Agence France Presse - BEIRUT: This week's rocket attack from southern
Lebanon on northern Israel is an isolated incident likely carried out
by a radical Palestinian faction but with the tacit approval of
Hizbullah, analysts say. "For sure this is not the work of a Lebanese
group," Osama Safa, head of the Lebanese Centre for Policy Studies,
told AFP. "All the Lebanese factions, including Hizbullah, want to
maintain a minimum of stability, especially ahead of the June
legislative elections. " He noted that Hizbullah's style was not to
fire "rusty rockets" just to provoke Israel. "Either they launch a
major operation or they do nothing," he said. Still, Safa and several
other analysts said Thursday's attack could not have taken place
without the indirect backing of Hizbullah, which controls much of
southern Lebanon.
Israeli envoy to Venezuela departs after being expelled by
Chavez over Gaza op
The Associated
Press, Ha'aretz 1/11/2009
Israel's ambassador to Venezuela left the country Friday, expelled by
President Hugo Chavez in rejection of Israel's attacks on Gaza. Chavez
had given Ambassador Shlomo Cohen and some embassy personnel until
Friday to leave the country. "We are harboring the hope that this will
be resolved quickly and relations will improve," Cohen toldbefore
boarding a flight to Frankfurt, Germany. On Thursday, Cohen called the
expulsion "the most difficult moment in the more than 50-year history
of relations between Venezuela and Israel. " Chavez called Cohen's
expulsion a "gesture of dignity" in response to Israeli air and ground
strikes on Gaza, which have killed at least 777 Palestinians since Dec.
27 - many of them civilians. The Israeli offensive aims to stop the
Palestinian militant group Hamas from firing rockets into southern
Life in the Gaza war zone
Amira Hass, Ha'aretz
Access to Gaza's new cemetery near the Israeli border has been cut off,
forcing Palestinians to bury the increasing number of dead in old
graves near the city center, Palestinians told Haaretz yesterday.
Gaza's morgues are filled with bodies not yet identified by relatives,
many of whom cannot travel to claim and bury their dead. Elsewhere,
relatives have complained of difficulties in reaching the many
mourners' tents erected by families around the Gaza Strip. Also,
because of the collapse of the phone system many families are not
informed of the death of a relative for days. In the past three days
the Israel Defense Forces has held a three hour unilateral ceasefire
each day allowing rescue forces to clear dead bodies buried beneath
rubble. Dozens of bodies were evacuated from the Zeitoun neighborhood
on Wednesday and Thursday. For five days, nearly 120 civilians were not
allowed by the IDF to leave the area.
11th- and 12th-graders in south going back to class
Or Kashti, Ha'aretz
After two weeks of canceled classes, 12th and 11th graders in almost
all the towns in the south are expected to return to their desks this
week. Education Ministry Director General Shlomit Amichai said that at
least half of all 11th- and 12th-graders would return to school as
early as today. She added that the ministry is looking into bringing
back students in younger grades and will decide how to proceed based on
the security situation. The Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command
decided to allow school to be held in towns within seven kilometers of
the Gaza Strip, as long as class is held in properly protected
structures. In towns within seven to 40 kilometers, only 11th graders
and 12th graders may attend school, and only in designated facilities.
Army officers visited area schools last week in order to compile the
Protesters turn violent, clash with police at anti-Israel
rallies in Europe
News Agencies,
Ha'aretz 1/11/2009
Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in cities across Europe and
the Middle East on Saturday to protest against Israel's offensive in
Gaza, with sporadic clashes with police as some rallies turned violent.
Police in riot gear confronted around 20,000 protesters waving banners
and Palestinian flags outside the Israeli embassy in central London,
while Oslo police used tear gas as they fought activists on the streets
of the Norwegian capital. About 30,000 took to the streets of Paris to
call for an end to Israeli attacks in Gaza, with many demonstrators
wearing Palestinian keffiyah headscarves and chanting "We are all
Palestinians," "Israel murderer" or "peace. ""We are here to demand the
end to this unacceptable war. There are more than 800 victims including
numerous children and civilians. . . "
Violence erupts at embassy protest
Ben Quinn and David
Smith, The Observer, The Guardian 1/11/2009
Violent clashes broke out near the Israeli embassy in London yesterday
as tens of thousands marched in protest against the military action in
Gaza. Shop windows were smashed and police pelted with missiles by
masked youths near the embassy during the largest demonstration in
Britain against the Israeli offensive. Last night, broken glass and
debris littered the scene of the disturbances on Kensington High
Street, where ranks of riot police waited behind locked gates near the
embassy entrance. Earlier in the evening, a number of demonstrators
attacked a branch of Starbucks, smashing its front windows and
ransacking it before shattering the facade of a clothes shop. Panic
rippled through the crowd as riot police advanced repeatedly with
batons drawn before being later backed up by dozens of mounted police.
Tens of thousands join London Gaza protest
Ben Quinn and David
Smith, The Guardian 1/10/2009
Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of
London today in the biggest public protest yet in Britain against the
Israeli offensive in Gaza. The march began in Hyde Park, where
Speakers' Corner was turned into a sea of Palestinian flags and banners
condemning Israel, before making its way to Kensington Gardens. There
were scuffles outside the Israeli embassy as the march passed by the
gates leading to its entrance. Missiles were thrown at police guarding
the way and a number of loud bangs – believed to be firecrackers – were
heard as riot police drew batons and attempted to push the crowd back
from the gates. A number of younger masked demonstrators attempted to
climb on to the gates, near Kensingon High Street, and hurled pieces of
placards and other items at police lines. Panic rippled through the
crowd, which included young children, and a number of people fell to
the ground amid the scuffles.
Thousands march in London protesting Israeli attacks in Gaza
Ben Quinn, The
Guardian 1/10/2009
Thousands of demonstrators poured into Hyde Park today for a mass rally
against the Israelimilitary offensive in Gaza - As a thick frost
covered the ground on one of the coldest days of the year, Speakers'
Corner was turned into a sea of Palestinian flags and banners
condemning Israel. The crowd, which included young British Muslimsand
members of political parties from the left , listened to speakers
including trade unionists and representatives of Palestinian exiles.
Organiserswere expecting more than 100,000 people to join the massive
march through the capital in protest at Israel's attack on the Gaza
Strip. The Stop The War coalition, which organised today's
demonstration, said that it believed as many as 100,000 people were
taking part in the rallies at Hyde Park and also in Kensington Park
Gardens, close to the Israeli embassy.
An Open Letter From
Anti-Zionist Jewish Youth in Canada
Aaron Lakoff,
International Middle East Media Center News 1/10/2009
Like much of the world, we have spent the last week watching in shock
and disgust as Israel continues its assault on the Gaza Strip. With the
body count rising and a new tragedy in full bloom, we feel that it is
important to speak out as Jewish youth in Canada and to denounce what
Israel is doing in our name. The Jewish diaspora is diverse and divided
on its positions on the state of Israel's policies. At this juncture in
history, as Israel has committed its worst massacre in Gaza since it
began its illegal occupation in 1967, we feel that it is crucial that
Jews speak outand denounce Israel's actions that amount to no less than
war crimes committed by an apartheid state. As Jewish youth, we are
diverse, but we are unified in our solidarity with our Palestinian
brothers and sisters in Gaza. Some of us are students.
Demonstrating support
Reem Leila, Al-Ahram
Weekly 1/8/2009
"Off to Gaza we go, martyrs by the million. " "Boycott Israel. " Since
Israeli air strikes, and now a ground offensive, against Gaza began on
27 December banner-waving demonstrators throughout Egypt have chanted
such phrases as they took to the streets to protest against Israel's
military offensive that has already cost hundreds of Palestinian lives
and injured thousands more. Protesters continued to pour onto the
streets to voice their anger at Israel's actions as well as the
response to the crisis by Egypt's government. An estimated 400 people
gathered near Al-Fath Mosque in Ramses Square in Cairo to demand Egypt
open the border between Gaza and Egypt. Security forces violently broke
up pro-Gaza demonstrations in Downtown Cairo for the second consecutive
day on Friday, arresting more than 40 protesters. Protesters have taken
to the streets in Assiut, Minya, Daqahliya, Fayoum and Alexandria.
Where have our friends gone?
Zvi Ba'rel, Ha'aretz
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked to speak with his
Israeli counterpart Ehud Olmert just before the start of Israel's
offensive in Gaza. Olmert avoided Erdogan because he did not want to
tell the Turkish premier about the coming attack. He did not want to be
in Menachem Begin's situation when Begin spoke to Egyptian president
Anwar Sadat one time in 1981 and did not tell him Israel was about to
attack Iraq's nuclear reactor. As a result, Erdogan was enraged and
insulted. Turkish sources say Erdogan's campaign of insults against
Israel in recent weeks is a reaction to this. "Israel is the biggest
provoker of terror in the world," the Turkish justice minister accused.
Erdogan no longer wants to talk to Olmert, ties between Ankara and the
Israeli ambassador have been cut off, an Israeli basketball team was
attacked by fans. . .
Fischer bows out of NY Fed race
News Agencies,
Ha'aretz 1/11/2009
Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer took himself out of the running
to replace Timothy Geithner as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of
New York, according to a report published Thursday by the Wall Street
Journal. Last month, the New York financial daily reported that Fischer
was considered one of the frontrunners. Geithner has been tapped by
President-elect Barack Obama to become the next Treasury Department
secretary. According to WSJ, the new leading candidate is Kevin Warsh,
a Federal Reserve governor the newspaper described as having "played a
key role in managing the Fed's market interventions from the Federal
Reserve Board in Washington" and as being close to Federal Reserve
Chairman Ben Bernanke.
Drawing the line between editorial and cartooning
Daily Star 1/10/2009
Interview - BEIRUT: Following the opening of the first Middle Eastern
stop of "Lighting Lamps," a collection of cartoons from the region, at
Lebanese American University Thursday night, Steve Bell of England's
Guardian newspaper and Armand Homsi of Lebanon's An-Nahar sat down with
The Daily Star to talk about funny-looking politicians, freedom of
expression, and how to make a good cartoon. DS: Mr. Homsi, do you feel
you have more in common with Mr. Bell's work or with your fellow
cartoonists from the region? AH: I feel I have more in common with
Steve. Maybe it's the style, the way of thinking - I don't know. My
work, as per the feedback I get from my work, they all say there's a
Western touch in it. I don't know if it's something that you get, or
something that you do, what I do know is that you don't do it on
purpose, it just evolves in that way.
Israel's 'other voices' go unheard
Rachel Shabi in
Israel, Al Jazeera 1/10/2009
"It is very difficult to add a different voice, because the public and
media discourse is so monochrome and so militaristic," said Nomika
Zion, an Israeli member of the peace collective, Another Voice. This
group, which comprises residents of both Gaza and neighbouring Israeli
towns like Sderot, is seeking to present an alternative to the majority
of Israeli pro-war opinions that currently dominate the media. It is a
tough task. Zion, herself from Sderot, recalled one occasion when a
colleague was verbally attacked in the middle of a TV interview by a
group of passers-by who tried to pull the mike away from him. "I really
feel that our democracy is in trouble sometimes," she says. "If you
can't raise your voice and say things aloud without being scared that
someone will attack you, it is very dangerous for our society. "
Some Shiites shed blood to mark Ashura while others opt to
donate it for Gaza
Daily Star 1/9/2009
NABATIEH: Thousands of Shiite Muslims gathered in central Nabatieh on
Wednesday to take part in a centuries-old blood-letting ritual to mark
the climax of Ashura. The ceremony commemorates the martyrdom of Imam
Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad and one of Shiite Islam's
most revered figures. Every year, devotees cut themselves on the head
in a symbolic gesture of sorrow at Hussein's death. The event is held
on the 10th day of a period of mourning for Hussein, at the beginning
of the Islamic year. The bloodshed is a symbolic sacrifice aimed at
acknowledging Hussein's suffering before he was killed. But the
practice has been frowned upon by some Shiite religious authorities,
who say it portrays followers in a bad light and that they should
instead donate blood for medical use. Both Sayyed Mohammad Hussein
Fadlallah and Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah have urged their
followers. . .
the Fundamentalists
Dr. Ahmed Yousef –
Gaza, Palestine Chronicle 1/10/2009
"...In war,
when our forces storm the enemy, they are allowed and even enjoined by
the Halakah to kill even good civilians..." - from training manual of
the Israeli army's Central Region Command
Perhaps it is indeed time to bomb religious groups given their
belief that heaven is their destination.
Regardless of whether their aim is peaceful coexistence or
aggressive accession, spiritually-motivated activists such as Irish
Republicans, Muslim Brethren, and Christian Democrats attract
controversy at best, and often violent suppression. The most extreme
groups, those that justify the unprovoked killing of others,
understandably incur the wrath of the international community and are
sanctioned, arrested or obliterated.
Except, of course, when
it comes to Jewish fundamentalists, who have rarely been ostracized.
Faith-based Israeli groups are as astounding in number as they are in
opinion. There are anti-Zionists such as Edah Ha Chareidis, Satmar and
Neurei Karta International; and Zioinist proponents such as Tsomet,
Shas, Morasha, Shinui Ometz, Gush Emunim (Ne'emanei Eretz Yisrael), the
Jewish National Front (Hayil), and the National Movement (Herut) among
others. Some are defunct, such as Kach, Kahane Chai and Tehiya (Banai),
though their members formed other groups, with the usual aim of
building Greater Israel.
Even the most belligerent of these
have enjoyed the Israeli government's protection and encouragement; so
much so that their beliefs are incorporated into official literature.
For example, the training manual of the Israeli army's Central Region
Command contains the following injunction...
Facts about Hamas and the War on Gaza
Norman Finkelstein,
Middle East Online 1/10/2009
Hamas was
signaling that it wanted a diplomatic settlement of the conflict along
the June 1967 border. In order to defeat the peace offensive, Israel
sought to dismantle Hamas. The blockade was implemented before Hamas
came to power. It doesn't even have anything to do with Hamas.
The record is fairly clear. You can find it on the Israeli
website, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. The record is clear:
Israel broke the ceasefire by going into the Gaza and killing six or
seven Palestinian militants. At that point—and now I'm quoting the
official Israeli website—Hamas retaliated or, in retaliation for the
Israeli attack, then launched the missiles.
Now, as to the
reason why, the record is fairly clear as well. According to Ha'aretz,
Defense Minister Barak began plans for this invasion before the
ceasefire even began. In fact, according to yesterday's Ha'aretz, the
plans for the invasion began in March. And the main reasons for the
invasion, I think, are twofold. Number one; to enhance what Israel
calls its deterrence capacity, which in layman's language basically
means Israel's capacity to terrorize the region into submission. After
their defeat in July 2006 in Lebanon, they felt it important to
transmit the message that Israel is still a fighting force, still
capable of terrorizing those who dare defy its word.
Gaza, the schools are dying too
Ameer Ahmad in Gaza
and Ed Vulliamy, The Guardian 1/10/2009
A new word
emerged from the carnage in Gaza this week: "scholasticide" - the
systematic destruction by Israeli forces of centres of education dear
to Palestinian society, as the ministry of education was bombed, the
infrastructure of teaching destroyed, and schools across the Gaza strip
targeted for attack by the air, sea and ground offensives.
"Learn, baby, learn" was a slogan of the black rights movement in
America's ghettoes a generation ago, but it also epitomises the idea of
education as the central pillar of Palestinian identity - a traditional
premium on schooling steeled by occupation, and something the Israelis
"cannot abide" - and seek to destroy",according to Dr Karma Nabulsi,
who teaches politics at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. "We knew before, and
see more clearly now than ever, that Israel is seeking to annihilate an
educated Palestine," she says. The Palestinians are among the most
thoroughly educated people in the world. For decades, Palestinian
society - both at home in the West Bank and Gaza, and scattered in the
diaspora - has put a singular emphasis on learning. After the
expulsions of 1948 and after the 1967 occupation, waves of refugees
created an influential Palestinian intelligentsia and a marked presence
in the disciplines of medicine and engineering across the Arab world,
Europe and the Americas.
against Ourselves; How Many Divisions?
Uri Avnery –
Israel, Palestine Chronicle 1/10/2009
'In the end,
this war is a crime against the State of Israel.' (Aljazeera) Nearly
seventy years ago, in the course of World War II, a heinous crime was
committed in the city of Leningrad. For more than a thousand days, a
gang of extremists called "the Red Army" held the millions of the
town's inhabitants hostage and provoked retaliation from the German
Wehrmacht from inside the population centers. The Germans had no
alternative but to bomb and shell the population and to impose a total
blockade, which caused the death of hundreds of thousands.
Some time before that, a similar crime was committed in England. The
Churchill gang hid among the population of London, misusing the
millions of citizens as a human shield. The Germans were compelled to
send their Luftwaffe and reluctantly reduce the city to ruins. They
called it the Blitz.
This is the description that would now appear in the history books
-- if the Germans had won the war.
Absurd? No more than the daily descriptions in our media, which
are being repeated ad nauseam: the Hamas terrorists use the inhabitants
of Gaza as "hostages" and exploit the women and children as "human
shields", they leave us no alternative but to carry out massive
bombardments, in which, to our deep sorrow, thousands of women,
children and unarmed men are killed and injured.
We Were Palestinians, How Would We React?
Jenka Soderberg,
Palestine Chronicle 1/10/2009
'How would
we, as a people, react if we were in a similar situation?'
US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, in introducing a bill
supporting the Israeli attack on Gaza, which passed unanimously by
voice vote in the US Senate Thursday, "I ask any of my colleagues to
imagine that happening here in the United States. Rockets and mortars
coming from Toronto in Canada, into Buffalo New York. How would we as a
country react?"
I have heard similar statements by other US
supporters of the Israeli occupation, and I have to address it from the
other perspective -- what if we, in the US, were the Palestinians? I
remembered something I wrote in 2005, when the sniper attacks were
going on in the DC area, and some Zionist commentators said, 'Now we
know how Israel feels'.
In order to experience the reality of
the daily life of Palestinians, the following scenario would have to
occur: our land would have to be invaded by an army, the fourth-largest
army in the world, and militarily occupied. Checkpoints would be set up
throughout the area, and all movement between cities and towns would
cease. Anyone who was employed would be unable to work, and would be
prevented even from going outside of their home for fear of being shot
by one of the tanks, armed personnel carriers, or humvees that now line
the streets.
Israel's war is driven by fear
Chris McGreal, The
Observer, The Guardian 1/11/2009
Outrage at
Israeli actions has mounted across the world as the Gaza conflict goes
on. But as Israel expands its military action, support for the
aggressive strategy is growing, while sympathy for Palestinians is
receding. And, with an election looming, political attitudes are
Yeela Raanan says she would prefer not to know
about the war in Gaza. She doesn't want to see the pictures of dead
children cut down by Israeli shells or read of the allegations of war
crimes by her country's army as it kills Palestinians by the hundreds.
But there is no escape. Raanan can hear the relentless Israeli
bombardment by air, sea and land from her home, just three miles from
the Gaza border. Hamas rockets keep hitting her community. And
somewhere in the maelstrom of Gaza, her 20-year-old son is serving as
an Israeli soldier.
"I'd rather not know. I can't do
anything about it. We didn't see the pictures of the Palestinian kids
who were killed. It's easier not to feel," she said. "I just turn on
the news for five minutes a day and that's it, just to see if anybody
says anything about my kid."
But when Raanan thinks about her
son - whom she prefers not to name - she also thinks about Palestinian
mothers and their sons in Gaza. And that's when she finds her herself
out of sync with the neighbours. "I don't talk to the neighbours about
it any more," she said. "Hamas is violent. Hamas is stupid. I don't
like what they are. But I don't feel angry towards them. I understand
why they were elected, I understand why they act as they do."
View from Arish: Tunnel Vision
Kathy Kelly –
Arish, Egypt, Palestine Chronicle 1/10/2009
expect Egyptians to stop the tunnel industry.'
Note: Kathy Kelly, a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence,
is writing from Arish, a town near the Rafah border between Egypt and
Gaza. Bill Quigley, a human rights lawyer and law professor at Loyola
New Orleans and Audrey Stewart are also in Egypt and contributed to
this article.]
As I write, we can hear the dull thud of
explosions in the distance. Israeli airstrikes continue to blast
targets in southern Gaza. Merciless bombing of the small Gaza Strip
continues into a third week. I heard some people here in Egypt wonder
if the Israeli Air Force must be running out of places and people to
target. But perhaps the surveillance drones we heard and saw flying
over the Rafah border crossing today hunted down more spots on which
bombers could fix their cross-hairs. Perhaps they spotted underground
tunnels. The Israeli government has, reportedly, already destroyed 80%
of the tunnels that connect Gaza with the outside world. It's common
knowledge that a vast network of tunnels, some say as many as 1700,
were constructed, many from outside Gaza's territorial borders, leading
into the Territory. Israel claims the tunnels are legitimate targets
because the Hamas government can use them to import weapons. But the
buildup of the tunnel industry was fueled by desperation for needed
goods, within Gaza, a desperation caused by Israel's decision, over the
past 16 months, to tighten the thumbscrews of its blockade on Gaza. If
the blockade continues, and if the tunnels are completely destroyed,
besieged Gazans will be cut off from secure supplies of food, medicine
and fuel, yet another terrifying prospect for people who are desperate
to protect their children from any greater harm.
the wall
Laurie King writing
from Washington, DC, Electronic Intifada 1/10/2009
About a year
ago, I had a vivid dream. Somewhere in the West Bank, on a hot and
dusty day, I was standing with a news team filming a story at the
Separation Wall. A correspondent with a microphone in his hand was
watching in astonishment as a long line of young Palestinian men ran up
and forcefully threw their bodies against the towering concrete
barrier, followed by dull thud after dull thud.
The reporter turned to me in the dream, pushed the microphone into
my face, and asked, "Can you tell us what on earth they are doing? This
is senseless! No one can break a wall with his body!"
Just as I was about to respond, a young man hit the wall and it
cracked open. Everyone shouted for joy and began pouring through the
fissure like a rush of water.
For exactly half my life, I've been angry and outspoken about the
tragedy of Palestine. It seems like I've been shouting at a wall for
the better part of three decades. Like others Americans who call
attention to the illegality, immorality, and illogic of unconditional
US support for Israel's treatment of the people displaced by its
national project, I am familiar with "hitting the wall." Perhaps it's
more accurate to say walls -- concentric walls.
ignores UN Security Council resolution
Haider Rizvi,
Electronic Intifada 1/10/2009
NATIONS (IPS) - International aid organizations, including the United
Nations humanitarian agency in Palestine, are calling for the immediate
implementation of the Security Council resolution passed late Thursday
demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.
"The Council must ensure that the words in the resolution must
quickly translate into meaningful change," said Nicole Widdersheim of
Oxfam International, the London-based charity that runs humanitarian
operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Thursday night, the Security Council passed a resolution calling
for unimpeded provision throughout Gaza of food, fuel and medical
treatment, as well as intensified international arrangements to prevent
arms and ammunition smuggling.
Fourteen of the Council's 15 members voted in favor of the
resolution, with only the United States, a staunch ally of Israel,
As a result of the Israeli military assault on Gaza, which started
on 27 December, at least 800 Palestinians have been killed and more
than 3,000 injured -- about half of them women and children.
deliberately targeted: 194 of Gaza's 830 killed are children
Press release, Al
Mezan, Electronic Intifada 1/10/2009
2:30pm Gaza
Time (+2hrs GMT) The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continued its
destruction of the Gaza Strip, systematically targeting civilians and
civilian objects. Air raids and artillery attacks particularly targeted
homes. Several families were killed under the rubble of their homes
across the Gaza Strip.
The IOF also raided a tower used by journalists and broadcast
technicians in Gaza City. IOF's unilateral ceasefire, which lasts for
three hours every day, is not being observed by the IOF as attacks were
launched during it in several areas in the Gaza Strip.
Tens of thousands of civilians whose areas had been threatened
with bombardment have left their homes seeking safety; however, little
can be offered to them by the United Nations and other international
humanitarian agencies, as a result of the tight closure and the IOF's
attacks on humanitarian workers.
The following sections provide accounts of the consequences of
IOF's attacks on the Gaza Strip's five districts between 1pm on 8
January 2009 and 2:30pm today, 10 January 2009.
of war crimes will be held accountable
Adri Nieuwhof and
Daniel Machover, Electronic Intifada 1/10/2009
military offensive in Gaza is being perpetrated with enormous disregard
for civilian life in violation of fundamental principles of
international humanitarian law (IHL). The appallingly high number of
civilian deaths and injuries and widespread damage to civilian
buildings reflects unlawfully excessive, indiscriminate and
disproportionate use of force by Israel.
Two weeks into the Israeli offensive, many international lawyers
are raising their voices to condemn Israeli actions from every
perspective, challenging Israeli claims to be acting in lawful
self-defense. That is, even before examining the unlawful way Israel
has deployed its military might, lawyers assessing the self-defense
arguments of Israel have found as many holes as in the Gazan ground:
Israeli actions were not taken as a last resort, as a necessary
response to attacks. Before using force in self-defense a state must
need to do so in response to an armed attack, having found no other
realistic method of redress or resistance.
Promotes Israeli Genocide
Francis A. Boyle,
Palestine Chronicle 1/9/2009
anticipate no fundamental change in US support for Israeli campaign of
As long ago as October 19, 2000, the then United Nations Human
Rights Commission (now Council) condemned Israel for inflicting "war
crimes" and "crimes against humanity" upon the Palestinian people, most
of whom are Muslims. The reader has a general idea of what a war crime
is, so I am not going to elaborate upon that term here. But there are
different degrees of heinousness for war crimes. In particular are the
more serious war crimes denominated "grave breaches" of the Fourth
Geneva Convention. Since the outbreak of the first Intifada in 1987,
the world has seen those heinous war crimes inflicted every day by
Israel against the Palestinian people living in occupied Palestine:
e.g., willful killing of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army and
by Israel's illegal paramilitary settlers. These Israeli "grave
breaches" of the Fourth Geneva Convention mandate universal prosecution
for the perpetrators and their commanders, whether military or
civilian, including and especially Israel's political leaders.
But I want to focus for a moment on Israel's "crimes against humanity"
against the Palestinian people—as determined by the U.N. Human Rights
Commission itself, set up pursuant to the requirements of the United
Nations Charter. What are "crimes against humanity"? This concept goes
all the way back to the Nuremberg Charter of 1945 for the trial of the
major Nazi war criminals in Europe. In the Nuremberg Charter of 1945,
drafted by the United States Government, there was created and inserted
a new type of international crime specifically intended to deal with
the Nazi persecution of the Jewish people.
to hide from the bombing
Laila El-Haddad
writing from Durham, the United States, Electronic Intifada 1/9/2009
"You don't
know anymore; you don't know who is alive, you feel you are in a trap,
you don't know who is a target," said my friend and neighbor in Gaza
City, journalist Taghreed El-Khodary. The fear resonated in her voice
while she was on the phone to Al-Jazeera. Taghreed lives on a street
near my parents.
"Where to? Where can I go seek refuge to?" she continued. "I live
next to the parliament which was destroyed; next to the police station,
which was destroyed; next to the hospitals, which were bombed; and the
Israeli navy is shelling from the sea, the F-16s from the sky, the
tanks from the ground ... where to?" she repeated again and again.
"First your house shakes, and the windows break, and the fear ...
the fear. And when you see all these children around you in the
hospital. Some can draw, and what they drawing is unbelievable. A
six-year-old boy in my house drew a picture of boy who was alive, and
another who was dead. He said the dead boy was his friend, whom the
Israelis killed. And the father is unable to protect his child. And the
mothers are trying to hide their fear from their kids."
you don't know about Gaza
Rashid Khalidi,
Palestine Think Tank 1/9/2009
art by Carlos
Nearly everything you've been led to believe about Gaza is wrong.
Below are a few essential points that seem to be missing from the
conversation, much of which has taken place in the press, about
Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip.
THE GAZANS Most of the
people living in Gaza are not there by choice. The majority of the 1.5
million people crammed into the roughly 140 square miles of the Gaza
Strip belong to families that came from towns and villages outside Gaza
like Ashkelon and Beersheba. They were driven to Gaza by the Israeli
Army in 1948.
THE OCCUPATION The Gazans have lived under
Israeli occupation since the Six-Day War in 1967. Israel is still
widely considered to be an occupying power, even though it removed its
troops and settlers from the strip in 2005.
Israel still
controls access to the area, imports and exports, and the movement of
people in and out. Israel has control over Gaza's air space and sea
coast, and its forces enter the area at will.
under fire
Saleh Al-Naami,
Al-Ahram Weekly 1/8/2009
Aside from
its direct killings, Israel's continued siege on Gaza and the
psychological trauma of its war offensive are destroying life,
especially children.
A Palestinian medic carries a wounded boy
after an Israeli bombardment hit a UN school where hundreds of
Palestinians had sought refuge The three cousins convinced their
parents last Friday afternoon to let them play in the vineyard next to
their house in Al-Qarara village in the southern Gaza Strip. The
parents of Abdel-Sattar and Abed Rabbo Al-Ustul, both 10, and Mohamed
Al-Ustul, eight, thought that there was no reason to fear for their
children. There are no government agencies, military training sites or
resistance figures nearby that might be targeted by Israeli warplanes,
and so they let the children go outside to play. But as the three
children's frolicking voices rose, an unmanned Israeli jet shot a
missile directly at them, killing them all instantly. Their shattered
bodies were thrown into the air, some of their parts getting caught on
tree branches. The Israeli army's intentional killing of these three
children has shocked and angered neighbours and everyone familiar with
the scene of the crime, an area that is considered calm in comparison
to the rest of the Gaza Strip.
The killing and injuring of
children in air raids is one of the most significant features of the
horrific military campaign Israel is currently conducting against Hamas
in the Gaza Strip, the most densely populated area on earth. A total of
1.5 million people living in an area of only 365 square kilometres
means that Israel's use of bombs that weigh up to one tonne is a
certain recipe for the killing and injuring of civilians, including
women and children. According to the statistics of the Palestinian
Ministry of Health, 26 per cent of those killed and 45 per cent of
those injured have been children.