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U.S. arming and training PA guard against Hamas
Ha’aretz 10/31/2006
The Bush administration has undertaken efforts to arm and train the
Presidential Guard of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in
order to prepare it for a potential violent confrontation with Hamas
forces in the Gaza Strip. According to information received in
Jerusalem, the American security coordinator in the territories,
General Keith Dayton, appeared before representatives of the Quartet in
London last week and presented them with a program for bolstering the
Palestinian presidential guard. The program calls for Egyptian, British
and perhaps even Jordanian instructors to train the force loyal to
Abbas. However, Palestinian sources say that the training of a "Special
Presidential Guard" started already a month ago, under the guidance of
an American military instructor.
West Bank under lockdown
ReliefWeb/IRIN
10/30/2006
WEST BANK, 28 October (IRIN) - The number of roadblocks and checkpoints
in the West Bank has risen by 40 per cent since the start of 2006, with
528 permanent and temporary checkpoints and physical roadblocks
disrupting all aspects of Palestinian life, according to the United
Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in
Jerusalem. In addition to stifling Palestinians’ ability to work, these
obstacles are causing increasing desperation among the population." My
city is nothing more than a big prison," said Tamer Mohammed, a
26-year-old Nablus Municipality employee. Like every male between the
ages of 16 and 35 carrying a Nablus identification card, Tamer is not
allowed to travel south of Nablus, a city of 191,000 inhabitants in the
north of the West Bank, to the central and southern areas of the West
Bank.
PM Haniya: Resolution to issue of captive Israeli soldier near
Palestine News
Network 10/30/2006
In a press conference today in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian PM Ismail
Haniya announced that the government is close to resolving the issue of
the captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. The Hamas-led government has
been working with Egyptian officials to secure the release of Shalit,
who has been held captive for more than six months. Haniya announced
that meetings with Egyptian officials also addressed the issues of
promoting dialogue among Palestinian factions, ending street violence,
and overturning the Israeli economic blockade. In his statement before
the opening of this year’s Legislative Council session, Haniya stated, "We are continuing out efforts to find a way out of the current crisis
and form a government of national unity agreed to by all Palestinian
factions."
Military official: Gaza operation to be expanded soon
YNet News 10/31/2006
Army chief, defense minister okay plans for several operations in
different areas in Strip. IDF official explains: ’We can’t ignore
what’s happening in Gaza, we have to act at least until we see internal
change there’ -- Pressure rises: Less than a week after leaving the
Khan Younis area following an operation to apprehend wanted suspects
and locate tunnels used for the smuggling of weapons, the IDF is
planning another, broader operation in the Gaza Strip, to be launched
in the coming days. "We can’t hold on to areas in the Strip for an
extended period of time, but we must act all the more forcefully
against the terror infrastructures," army officials told Ynet, adding
that "an expansion of the operation in Gaza is expected soon."
Newly sworn-in Lieberman already set to visit US
Jerusalem Post
10/29/2006
The Knesset approved Israel Beiteinu’s addition to the government late
Monday night, enabling the swearing-in of Israel Beiteinu chairman
Avigdor Lieberman as deputy prime minister in charge of strategic
affairs, with a primary focus on the Iranian nuclear threat. The vote
was 61 in favor, 38 against and 21 abstentions. Lieberman is already
set for his first trip abroad as a minister. He will travel to the
United States on December 8 to take part in the prestigious Saban Forum
at the Saban Center For Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution
in Washington, DC. Lieberman will speak about the future of the Middle
East on a panel with Labor MK Ami Ayalon that will be chaired by former
US secretary of state Henry Kissinger. Lieberman’s event is scheduled
between addresses by former president Bill Clinton and his wife, Sen.
Hillary Clinton.
UN investigates Israel’s ’uranium weapons’
The Independent
10/30/2006
The United Nations Environment Programme is investigating allegations,
first published in The Independent, that Israel may have used
uranium-based weapons during this summer’s war in Lebanon. Twenty UN
experts, working with Lebanese environmentalists, have spent two weeks
assessing various samples. They are planning to report their findings
in December. Butros al-Harb, Unep’s Middle East director, told a
Lebanese radio interviewer at the weekend: "If uranium was used, we
will find out and we will announce it. We cannot confirm anything now,
but we will wait for results." Yesterday Israel issued its most
explicit denial yet. Major Avital Leibovitz, a spokeswoman for the
Israel Defence Forces, said: "We deny using any weapons containing
uranium." One official suggested that if the environmentalists had
indeed found traces of uranium, they would have to look for a different
explanation.
Na’im: "Health sector in
Gaza on the verge of collapse"
International Middle
East Media Center 10/30/2006
Palestinian Minster of Health, Dr. Bassim Na’im, warned on Monday that
the health sector in Gaza is on the verge of collapse as a result of
the Israeli and international siege imposed on the Palestinian people
since the election of Hamas earlier this year. The statements of Dr
Na’im came during a meeting with parliamentarians from the European
Union in Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. “The current situation and the
international siege imposed on the people and the health sector have
greatly increased the suffering of the people”, Dr. Na’im stated, “The
health sector lacks basic tools and equipment, and this siege is
directly harming civilians”. Also, Dr. Na’im added that the Israeli
Authorities are barring patients from travelling abroad or into Israel
for medical treatment, which has caused a further deterioration of
their conditions.
’Racist’ bill delayed in Knesset
Jerusalem Post
10/30/2006
A new bill to revoke membership of anti-Israeli legislators from the
Knesset was delayed Monday, due to the intervention of Knesset Speaker
Dalia Itzik. The bill, sponsored by Israel Beitenu MK Esterina Tartman,
was scheduled for a vote in the Knesset House Committee Monday - the
same day that the Knesset voted in favor of adding Tartman’s party to
the coalition. Itzik asked Tartman to delay her request to next week,
causing many to wonder if it was the first instance of moderation for
the Israel Beitenu Party." It is very unclear why it was delayed, but
it seems clear that Itzik didn’t want the bill making headlines on the
same day as the new coalition," said a Balad Spokesman. "She knew that
the bill represented the racist and fascist nature of the new
government, but by delaying it she has not hidden the truth..."
Spanish aid worker freed unharmed in Gaza
YNet News 10/30/2006
In latest incident in wave of kidnappings of foreigners, gunmen abduct
Roberto Vila near town of Khan Younis; man released 12 later -- A
Spanish aid worker was freed unahrmed by his captors in Gaza on Monday,
hours after he was taken from his car near the southern town of Khan
Younis, a Palestinian internal security official said. The kidnapped
man, Roberto Villa Sexto, 32, of the Spanish charity Cooperative
Assembly for Peace, had been working in the Gaza Strip and the West
Bank for two years, the organisation’s spokeswoman said in Madrid. The
man was forced into a yellow Skoda at the edge of the town of Khan
Younis. Celine Gagne, a fellow worker, said she and Vila were on their
way out of Khan Younis after visiting a project for handicapped
children when three or four men carrying Kalashnikov rifles stopped
them.
Gaza’s medical lifeline cut by border closures
Electronic
Intifada/IRIN 10/30/2006
CAIRO - Hopes that the single border crossing between the Gaza Strip
and Egypt would reopen and bring relief to hundreds of Gazan medical
patients have been dashed after reports of an imminent Israeli attack
on the border were met by the deployment of thousands of Egyptian
troops to the area. Maariv, an Israeli daily newspaper, reported on 27
October that the Israeli government had discovered tunnels allegedly
used by Palestinian militants to smuggle weapons from Egypt to the Gaza
Strip. It said the Israeli government planned to attack the border
region with precision-guided rockets. In response, Egyptian authorities
said they deployed at least 3,000 extra security forces to the border
with Gaza on 28 October to protect what they said were up to 20,000
Egyptian civilians under threat if Israel carried out its strikes.
A divided house, and divided lives, in Jerusalem
ReliefWeb 10/30/2006
JERUSALEM, Oct 30 (Reuters) - If they look out of their windows, Fawzia
al-Kurd and Bryna Segal share the same view from the same house across
the rooftops of East Jerusalem. But that’s where their shared vision
ends. Kurd, a 54-year-old Palestinian, raised her five children in the
house, which sits half-way up a hill in Sheikh Jarrah, one of the
oldest neighbourhoods of Arab East Jerusalem. Segal, a 25-year-old
Jewish settler born in Israel to parents from New York, moved in nearly
four months ago. The large home, built of cream-coloured Jerusalem
stone, has been in Kurd’s family since 1952, when she says her
father-in-law was granted permission by the Jordanian authorities,
which then controlled East Jerusalem, to build it.
IOF, Jewish Colonisers
Ban Farmers, Internationals from Harvesting Olive
WAFA - Palestine
News Agency 10/30/2006
HEBRON, October 30, 2006 (WAFA) - Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and
Jewish colonisers banned Monday scores of farmers and pacifists from
harvesting Olives in the West Bank (WB) city of Hebron. The coordinator
of the activities of (France-Palestine Solidarity) Association, Raed
Abu Yousif, told WAFA that groups of Jewish colonisers gathered and
banned the farmers and international activists from reaching the arable
lands of Sa’eer and al-Shioukh towns, northeast Hebron, that closed to" Asfer " Jewish colony to collect Olive fruit. Sources of the national
campaign of Olives harvesting which started yesterday added that IOF
supported the Jewish colonisers. Abu Yousif added that they will
continue their efforts to help the Palestinian farmers to reach their
arable lands inspite of the Israeli obstacles. [end]
Child detainees facing
unbearable conditions in Israeli prisons
International Middle
East Media Center 10/29/2006
Palestinian child detainees held by Israel are facing harsh and
unbearable conditions. They are subjected to living conditions that
lack the basic rights guaranteed by the International Law and the law
regarding the rights of children. Ahmad Amran Al Sinnawi, 17, was freed
on July 7, 2006, he was taken prison on March 7, 2005 after the army
claimed that he is a member of Fateh movement, and charged him of
attacking soldiers. He said that the soldiers harass the under age
detainees, and threaten them of rape during interrogation. The
under-age detainees are also threatened of being barred from their
visitation rights. Al Sinnawi added that he was forced to undress and
was kept outside, under the rain and cold weather, before he was
attacked, severely beaten and chained...
Israeli air force shells
a Palestinian house in Khan Younis
International Middle
East Media Center 10/31/2006
Israeli air force shelled late on Monday at night a Palestinian house
that belongs to a member of the Executive Force that belongs to the
Ministry of Interior in Bani Soheila area, east of Khan Younis in the
southern part of the Gaza Strip. The Ramattan news agency reported that
the house, that belongs to Mohammad Abu Hayya, was completely destroyed
as a result of the shelling, no injuries were reported. The agency
added that the family received a phone call from the Israeli army
informing them the the air force intends to shell their house, and
demanding them to leave it. Less than ten minutes after the call, the
air force missile several missiles at the house. The family did not
have time to evacuate their furniture and belongings. [end]
One resident killed in
Khan Younis shelling
International Middle
East Media Center 10/30/2006
Dr. Muawiya Hasanen, head of the Emergency Unit at the Palestinian
Ministry of Health, reported on Monday evening that one resident was
killed, two were injured, after the Israeli army fired artillery shells
at Beit Hanoun town, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Dr.
Hasanen stated that Mazin Abu Odeh, 21, was killed after a shell hit
his house; his body was severely mutilated. Two other residents
suffered serious wounds. Abu Odeh is a civilian and not a member of
resistance factions, Dr. Hasanen added. One of the injured residents is
a the cousin of Odeh. An Israeli military spokeswoman denied the report
and said that the army did not operate in the area. She claimed that “the explosion was not caused by Israeli soldiers. [end]
IDF denies using uranium-based warheads during war in Lebanon
Ha’aretz 10/31/2006
Israel did not use uranium-based warheads during the Lebanon war, the
army spokesperson’s office said Saturday. The announcement was made in
response to a report published Saturday on the website of the British
newspaper The Independent. The newspaper reported that studies carried
out by a European Union-affiliated organization suggest the Israel Air
Force used experimental missiles employing uranium against Hezbollah
targets in Lebanon. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Saturday
that "all the arms and ammunition that we use are legal and conform to
international laws." Boutros al-Harb, director of the United Nations
Environment Program for Asia and the Middle East said Saturday that his
organization is unable to confirm or deny the report. -- See also: Chris Bellamy:
An enigma that only the Israelis can fully explain
Beit Hanoun: Palestinian killed, 3 injured
YNet News 10/30/2006
Palestinians report IDF tank hit homes of several Palestinians in Gaza
Strip town, killing 20-year-old Mazen Abu Udah and injuring three other
people. IDF says its forces were not involved in incident -- One person
was killed and another three were injured when a shell hit the northern
Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, Palestinian reported Monday evening.
According to the report, the shell was fired by Israel Defense Forces
soldiers, but IDF officials claimed that the army was not involved in
the incident. According to the Palestinians, an IDF tank fired at least
one shell at the Palestinians’ houses in Beit Hanoun, killing
20-year-old Mazen Abu Udah and injuring another three people, two of
whom sustained critical wounds. Eyewitnesses and doctors at the
hospital reported that Abu Udah’s body arrived completely scorched...
Soldiers abduct eleven
residents in Jericho invasion
International Middle
East Media Center 10/30/2006
Palestinian security sources reported on Monday evening that
under-cover forces, of the Israeli army, and army units invaded the
West Bank city of Jericho and abducted eleven residents, including one
who is charged of killing an Israeli taxi driver. The Ramattan News
Agency reported that several army vehicles and a troop carrier invaded
the city after the infiltration of the under-cover forces. The
under-cover forces used a big local licensed camion. One of the
abducted residents was identified as Ala’ Al Damanhoury. Israeli
security sources said that Al Damanhoury killed an Israeli Taxi driver
several years ago. He was taken prisoner from a Coffee Shop he own in
the center of Jericho. On Sunday night and Monday at dawn, Israeli
soldiers took 37 residents prisoner from several West Bank cities and
villages. [end]
Troops abduct three
fishermen in Gaza
International Middle
East Media Center 10/30/2006
Monday evening, Israeli troops took prisoner three fishermen while they
were fishing in an area that extends between Dir Al Balah, in the
central Gaza Strip, and Khan Younis in the southern part of the Gaza
Strip. Palestinian security sources reported that Israeli Navy boats
fired rounds of live ammunition at several fishing boats, and searched
them before abducting three and taking them to an unknown destination.
The three were identified as Ziad, his brother Abdullah Miqdad, and
Wadee’ Shalhoob. [end]
Army takes a fourth
prisoner from Hebron
International Middle
East Media Center 10/30/2006
The Israeli army has taken a fourth resident prisoner from the city of
Hebron south of the West Bank on Monday afternoon. Izat Al Natsha, 22,
was taken prisoner after troops searched and ransacked his familys’ house in Hebron city, his mother stated. On Monday morning troops
attacked residents houses in the city of Hebron and the nearby Dora
village and took three residents prisoners. [end]
Army takes one resident
prisoner from Jenin
International Middle
East Media Center 10/30/2006
The Israeli soldiers at the Salem Israeli military court attacked with
batons Aymen Qandil, 34, from Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank city
of Jenin, and took him prisoner while attending a hearing session for
hi brother on Monday morning. Qandil who works as a security officer at
the Palestinian authority forces in Jenin, attended teh court session
with his mother. His brother Mohamed said his mom fainted after seeing
here son being attack by the soldiers. Mohamed added that four of his
brothers, including Qandil , are currently impriosoned by Israel, and
one was killed during an invasion to Jenin earlier this year. [end]
Army takes prisoner three
residents in Hebron
International Middle
East Media Center 10/30/2006
The Israeli army attacked and ransacked residents’ houses in Hebron
city, in the southern part of the West Bank, and the nearby village of
Doura, took three resident prisoner, on Monday morning. Tamer Al
Shrawounah, 17, were taken prisoner by the army and was moved to an
unknown destination after troops searched and ransacked his familys’ house located in Doura village near Hebron. Also, troops stormed
residents’ houses in the northern side of Hebron city, and took Amjad
Al Bakri, 33, to an unknown location. His family reported that troops
searched and ransacked the belongings of their house before taking
their son to unknown location. Also, Ghalib Al Sihli, 20, from Doura
village was taken prisoner during an interview with the Israeli
Internal Security Services (Shabak) at Kfar Atzion military camp.
IOF Arrests 7 Citizens,
Including Policeman in WB
WAFA - Palestine
News Agency 10/30/2006
NABLUS, October 30, 2006 (WAFA) - Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
arrested on Monday seven citizens, including policeman and two
brothers, in the West Bank (WB) cities of Jenin, Nablus, Hebron and
Bethlehem, security sources said. In Jenin, Israeli soldiers assaulted
and arrested a policeman from Jenin Refugee Camp as he was heading with
his mother to the Israeli Salem court to hear his arrested brother
trial. In Nablus,witnesses told WAFA that IOF besieged a number of
houses in Balata Refugee Camp, east of Nablus, launched a search
campaign and arrested two brothers of al-Maseemi family. In Hebron,
Israeli soldiers launched a search campaign in Doura and Bani Na’eem
towns and arrested three citizens, Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS)
said.
Army takes one resident
prisoner from Al Obaidiyya village near Bethlehem
International Middle
East Media Center 10/30/2006
The Israeli army invaded Al Obaidiyya village, east of Bethlehem city,
in the southern part of the West Bank and took one resident prisoner,
on Monday morning. Local sources reported that an Israeli force invaded
the village and searched several houses before taking Atta Shanaita,
19, to an unknown location. Also, troops handed military orders to
three residents informing them that they should go for interviews with
the Israeli Internal Security Srvices in Kfar Atzion military base. The
three were identified as Abed and Mahmoud Rabai’a, and Ayid Rabai’a.
[end]
Army attacks shepherds in
Tammoun
International Middle
East Media Center 10/30/2006
Israeli troops attacked and chased Palestinian shepherds in Al Baq’a
valley in Tammoun village, near the West Bank city of Tubas on Monday
morning. Soldiers detained some of the shepherds since early dawn
hours, chased and attacked several others after claiming that this area
(Al Bak’a valley), which close to the illegal settlement of Biki’ot, is
a closed military zone. The Israeli army and settlers are attacking and
forcing shepherds and farmers out of that area on regular basis in
order to annex the land. [end]
Army attacks Palestinian
workers near Hebron
International Middle
East Media Center 10/30/2006
Israeli troops chased and attacked Palestinian workers, south of Al
Thahria town, near the West Bank city of Hebron on Monday morning.
Several army Hummer jeeps chased and attacked scores of Palestinian
workers who were trying to cross into Israeli through the fileds south
of Al Thahriyya, seeking jobs. Palestinian workers were forced to use
those fields to cross into Israeli since the Israeli authorities
stopped giving the Palestinian workers the need permits to work in
Israel since the begging of the Intifada late Septmeber 2000. [end]
Two brothers taken prison
in Nablus’ Balat refugee camp
International Middle
East Media Center 10/30/2006
Mo’ath Al Massimi, 21 and his brother Mahmoud, 24, were taken prisoner
during an Israeli military invasion to Balata refugee camp in the West
Bank city of Nablus, on Monday morning. Eyewitnesses reported that five
military vehicles srtomed the camp surrounded several houses and took
Hassan Dweikat, and Mohammad Zakaria to unknown destination. Troops
searched and ransacked the houses before taking the two to unknown
locations. In the meantime, another force invaded the city of Nablus
and searched a number of houses. During the invasion, a group of
Palestinian resistance fighters from the Al Aqsa brigades, the armed
wing of Fateh, targeted an Israeli army vehicle with a homemade road
side bomb in the city, army reported no injures. [end]
Army helicopters open
fire at residents’ houses north of the Gaza Strip
International Middle
East Media Center 10/30/2006
The Israeli army helicopters opened fire at the residents’ houses and
farmlands in Biet Lahia town and Sheikh Zayid village, in the norther
part of the Gaza strip on Monday morning. The targeted areas, as
reported by local sources, were greenhouses and residential homes,
damage was reported ; several resident, including children, suffered
anxiety attacks. [end]
Olmert boasts of killing 300 Palestinian fighters in Gaza;
Ma’an News 10/30/2006
Bethlehem - The Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, has boasted before
the Knesset foreign and security committee that his army has now killed
over 300 Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip over the last three
months. He added that the Israeli army will intensify their operations
against the Palestinian factions; however, it will not stay in Gaza
much longer. The Palestinian director of ambulances and emergencies, Dr
Mu’awiyah Abu Hassanein has refuted the claims. Dr Abu Hasanein stated
that the Israeli allegations are false, since the Israeli army was
targeting civilians, rather than fighters giving the following as
proof:Of the Palestinian deaths in Gaza over the last three months: **
137 under the age of 16 ** 29 were women ** 12 were old men above the
age of 60 ** 42 were killed inside their homes...
Hamas delegates, minus Meshal, land in Cairo for talks on
Shalit
Ha’aretz 10/31/2006
CAIRO - A delegation of Hamas arrived in Cairo late Monday for talks
with Egyptian officials about a possible prisoner swap in exchange for
the release of a abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, a
senior Hamas leader said. Imad al-Alami, Hamas’ representative in
Syria, and lawmaker Mushir al-Masri, the spokesman for Hamas in the
Gaza Strip, were heading the delegation that landed in Cairo, an
Egyptian airport official said. The delegates were due to meet with
Egyptian chief of intelligence Omar Suleiman to talk about the soldier
and the formation of a Palestinian national unity government, said
Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy leader of Hamas’ political bureau in Syria.
Abu Marzouk said Hamas’ political leader, Khaled Meshal, who lives in
exile in Syria, would not be attending the talks.
Hamas for Prisoner Swap Talks in Cairo
Palestine Chronicle
10/30/2006
One of three Palestinian groups holding the Israeli soldier in the Gaza
Strip said on Saturday it expected a solution to the crisis within
days. -- CAIRO - Senior Hamas members, excluding the movement’s exiled
political leader Khalid Mishaal, will visit Cairo in the next few days
to discuss a prisoner exchange deal with Israel brokered by Egypt.
Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the group’s politburo, said on Sunday that
Hamas wanted the deal to include the release of 1,000 named Palestinian
prisoners in exchange for an Israeli soldier captured in a raid near
Gaza in June involving the Hamas’ military wing. Al-Rishq said: "This
visit is intended to maintain contacts with the brothers in Egypt, who
are doing their best to mediate a deal and talk with the Israeli side.
The elderly, women and children must be set free also."
European Parliament delegation meets with officials in
Ramallah, discusses release of MP Barghouti
Palestine News
Network 10/30/2006
A delegation from the European Parliament met with Palestinian
officials in Ramallah Sunday to discuss the campaign for the release of
captive MP Marwan Barghouti. The delegation, which was headed by Luisa
Morgantini, consisted of representatives from France, Italy, Germany,
Hungary, Portugal, Great Britain, Austria, and Ireland. The
representatives met with Attorney Fadwa Barghouti and Fateh leader
Mohamed Al Hourani. Al Hourani welcomed the guest delegation and
emphasized the importance of their visit to Palestine, specifically in
demonstrating their solidarity with the Palestinian people. He
explained the current political situation and effort to lift the
economic blockade imposed by Israel and the U.S. Palestinian prisoner
specialist Sa’ad Nimr continued the meeting by outlining the situation
of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
Prisoners’ swap deal would be more than humanitarian process
ReliefWeb 10/30/2006
RAMALLAH, Oct 30, 2006 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- A senior Palestinian
official said on Monday the prospective exchange of Palestinian
prisoners for an Israeli soldier would be more than a humanitarian
process. Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs in the Hamas-led government,
Wasfi Qabha, added the swap will include solution to the issue of
Palestinian tax revenues withheld by Israel since Hamas swept into
power last March. Palestinian militant groups captured Israeli Corporal
Gilad Shalit in a cross-border raid last June, sparking Israeli
retaliatory offensive that killed more than 300 Palestinians in Gaza
Strip. Qabha pointed out that a truce with Israel and improving
security and economical conditions were being discussed in the same
context.
Israel mulls Abbas request for PLO’s Badr Brigade to enter
Gaza
Ha’aretz 10/29/2006
Israeli officials on Saturday were deliberating over Palestinian
Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ request to grant Jordan-based
Palestine Liberation Organization troops entry into the Gaza Strip.
Abbas made his request two weeks ago, in hopes of bolstering his
loyalist forces, as rival Palestinian factions bolstered their ranks in
anticipation of a feared civil war. Israel has objected in the past to
letting members of the Jordan-based Badr Brigade enter Palestinian
areas. But with clashes intensifying between Abbas’ Fatah Party and
forces loyal to the Palestinians’ militant Hamas government, Israeli
officials said they would consider allowing them in. The Badr Brigades
are composed of several thousand Palestinians, mostly long-time PLO
activists.
Abbas requests Jordanian PLO forces
Jerusalem Post
10/29/2006
The Defense Ministry is weighing a request by Palestinian Authority
Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to beef up his loyalist forces with Palestine
Liberation Organization troops stationed in Jordan. The move, which
would strengthen Abbas in his power struggle with Hamas, is the latest
sign that rival Palestinian factions are girding up for a possible
civil war. Abbas, a moderate who heads both the PLO and the Fatah
Party, has asked Israel’s permission to let an unspecified number of
troops from the Jordan-based Badr Brigade enter PA areas, Palestinian
officials said. As a PLO force, they would bolster Abbas in his
showdown with the militantly anti-Israel Hamas, which runs the PA but
does not belong to the PLO. In the past, Israel has refused to let Badr
troops enter PA areas.
Haniyya: "Efforts are
ongoing to end the current crisis, and form a unity government"
International Middle
East Media Center 10/30/2006
Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyya, said on Monday during the
thirty-first session of the ministers council in Gaza that there are
continuous efforts to end the current internal crisis, and form a
national unity government in accordance with the Detainees’ Document.
Haniyya added that all parties agreed to intensify the internal
meetings between them in order to determine the nature of the coming
government which will concentrate on serving the Palestinian people and
break the siege imposed on them. He welcomed the Egyptian role and
efforts in serving the people and their cause, and in encouraging
national dialogue between all factions. Also, Haniyya said that efforts
to release the captured Israeli soldier since six month in exchange of
Palestinian detainees, imprisoned by Israel, are in the final stages.
Family: State ignores kidnapping of Israeli-Arab
YNet News 10/30/2006
Riad al-Luah, Israeli citizen, abducted in Gaza last week during family
visit in Strip. Relatives outraged that State does nothing to promote
his release -- Muwafak Mansur, a resident of the Arab town of Tira,
lashed out at the Israeli government Monday for failing to deal with
the kidnapping of his father-in-law Riad al-Luah, who was kidnapped in
Gaza four days ago. No news has been received from al-Luah since his
abduction, and some of his relatives are still in the Strip, making
efforts to press local authorities to resolve the matter. "Where are
all the organizations? Where is the government? Where is the Knesset?
An Israeli citizen has been kidnapped and no one does anything about
it," Mansur charged.
Two Brothers Arrested in Balata Refugee Camp
International
Solidarity Movement/Ma’an News Agency 10/30/2006
About five o’clock this morning, Israeli Special Forces invaded Balata
refugee camp east of Nablus. It was an unusually quiet military
incursion and a large number of Balata inhabitants did not even notice
the Israeli army presence until a few children started throwing stones
at jeeps stationed in key corners of the camp to cut off streets and
alleyways. An Apache helicopter hovered overhead during the entire
operation and other reinforcements in the form of Merkava tanks stood
by outside the camp perimeter in case of widespread resistance. Israeli
forces followed 20-year old Mo’az Maseemi to his home and waited until
he had closed the door behind him. When they knocked on the door, Mo’az
asked who it was, to which one of the Israeli soldiers answered “Me!” in Arabic.
Israeli authorities reject visitation rights for the family
of a Qalqilia prisoner
Palestine News
Network 10/29/2006
Israeli forces have prevented the family of a Qalqilia prisoner from
visiting their loved one, on the pretext that there was no blood
relation. The prisoner’s father, Mohamed Sameh Afaneh, told PNN, "The
Israeli authorities told us that the prisoner, my son, had no
relationship with myself, his mother, and his wife. As a result, they
rejected our request of visitation permits." Afaneh noted, "We tried to
go to the Palestinian Ministry of the Interior to prove to the Israeli
authorities our relationship, but we were unsuccessful because of the
strike at government institutions." Civil service workers across the
West Bank and Gaza have been striking over the nonpayment of salaries,
leading to widespread inactivity across the government sector.
Olive Harvest in Tel Rumeida under Threat from Settlers
International
Solidarity Movement 10/29/2006
Our Palestinian neighbour, H, lives only 2 metres away from the Tel
Rumeida settlement. On Wednesday night he came over to explain to the
internationals living in Tel Rumeida the situation as they had offered
to help him with an olive harvest. H has experienced continual
harassment from the settlers who want to force him out and occupy his
house and land. They have put razor wire across a path so that he
cannot access a safer way to his home and have built their own steps
down onto this land so that they can work it themselves. One of the
main people responsible for this is a woman who recently moved to the
Tel Rumeida settlement after having been evicted from the settlements
in Gaza. Under Israeli law, if a Palestinian does not work his land for
3 years it is forfeited to the state...
Photostory: Each Friday in Bil’in
By Dr. Bill Dienst,
Electronic Intifada 10/29/2006
Coffee with Nir in Tel Aviv, Tuesday 24 October 2006 -- Today in Tel
Aviv I am meeting with Nir Shalev for the first time in person. We’ve
been e-mailing each other for three years now, but have never met.
Because of various time constraints, I haven’t been able get to where
he’s at during my last two trips to Palestine and Israel in spite of my
best intentions. That’s why our meeting is first on my agenda this
time. Nir meets me downstairs at my hotel, and we go for coffee on Ben
Yehuda Street. He explains his upbringing. His mother was born in
Israel/Palestine of eastern European ancestry. His father was born in
Poland, and immigrated to Palestine just before World War II when he
was young boy, just in time to escape the Nazis.
Media Distortion of Palestinian Non-Violent Protest
International
Solidarity Movement 10/30/2006
Every Friday for the past year and a half villagers from Bil’in, a
small West Bank village near Ramallah, march with supporters toward the
triple-layer fence separating them from their olive trees. They are
always blocked by Israeli soldiers and border police, who typically
escalate from tear gas and concussion grenades to water cannons, rubber
bullets, live ammunition, and a variety of apparently experimental
weapons. This weekly interaction gets a lot of important attention in
the alternative press, but is mostly ignored by Western mainstream
media. Israeli media generally provide brief reports that mostly mirror
the official view. Last Friday, though, I was able to see for myself
how inaccurate those reports actually are...
Olive Harvest Faces Obstacles from Israeli Army
International
Solidarity Movement 10/28/2006
Harvest Continues in Salim Despite Occupation - Three Nablus Region
Reports from the 25th and 27th of October -- Wednesday 25th October:
With Eid celebrations complete, the annual olive harvest continued
today in villages across the West bank. In the village of Salim near to
Nablus city, volunteers with the International Solidarity Movement were
invited by local Palestinians to help with the harvesting of their
olives in the groves close to the Israeli settlement of Elon Moreh. On
the approach to the olive groves, villagers were stopped by soldiers of
the Israeli occupation forces. They were controlling the gate through
which Palestinians must go to cross the settler-only roads, which stand
between their village and their land agricultural land. After requiring
the villagers to show their IDs, the Palestinian villagers continued
their journey on to the olive groves.
Tira woman indicted for abetting in Ra’anana cafe attack
attempt
Ha’aretz 10/31/2006
An Israeli Arab was indicted yesterday on charges of assisting
terrorists in the attempted bombing of a Ra’anana restaurant. The
defendant, Warud Qasem, a 20-year-old Tira resident, was arrested on
October 4 and the attack was thwarted, the security services said
yesterday at the Tel Aviv District Court, where she was arraigned.
Qasem was charged with joining the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Fatah’s
military wing, three months ago, and helping it plan a bombing in
Ra’anana’s Spagettim restaurant. The prosecution said Qasem maintained
contacts with militants of the Brigades in Nablus and Tul Karm and
agreed to their request that she smuggle an explosive device into
Israel. At the time the defendant worked in a Ra’anana supermarket, and
the group had planned for her cousin, a Palestinian illegally residing
in Israel, to place the device...
Saraya Al Quds claims responsibility for morning attack on
southern Israel’s Ashkelon
Palestine News
Network 10/30/2006
Saraya Al Quds Brigades, the armed resistance wing of Islamic Jihad,
has accepted responsibility for today’s launch of a locally
manufactured missile at the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon.
Pledging to continue the offensive, Islamic Jihad officials announced, "We have successfully penetrated the Israeli security buffer zone in
the northern Gaza Strip." Ashkelon officials have responded to the
attack by sounding sirens in the city and announcing warnings on local
television and radio stations. A spokesman for Islamic Jihad stated, "This attack is a natural response to the continuing Israeli occupation
crimes against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and throughout
the West Bank. An example of these occupation crimes is the torture
methods being used by Israeli prison authorities against Palestinian
detainees."
Israeli forces arrest 4 Palestinians from the Nablus area
during morning invasions
Palestine News
Network 10/30/2006
Israeli forces arrested brothers 24 year old Mahmoud and 21 year old
Mo’ath Masimi from Balata Refugee Camp east of Nablus at dawn Monday
morning. The arrests occured after Israeli troops stormed the Masimi
house and conducted an investigation lasting longer than an hour. When
finished, the troops set fire to the house, but luckily it was only
partly damaged. According to eyewitnesses, the Israeli forces came
through the northern entrance of the camp and surrounded the home. The
witnesses reported that armored vehicles were stationed at the entrance
and that Israeli forces turned several buildings into temporary control
points. Later on Monday morning, Israeli forces continued their
invasion in the Nablus area, raiding the homes of residents Hassan
Dweikat and Mohamed Zakaria.
Over 300 "injured" by Qassams in 2 years
YNet News 10/30/2006
A large part of those who were evacuated to the hospital suffered from
shock -- Data from Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon indicate that
during 2005, 87 people were rushed to hospital compared to 202 in 2006
so far. Emergency room istill not protected -- New details gathered
from Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon indicate that since January
2005, about 300 people were hurt by Qassam rocket attacks in the city
of Sderot and the communities of the western Negev. Surprisingly, the
hospital which absorbs most of the wounded from Qassam attacks is not
adequately protected from them. The numbers indicate that during the
first nine and a half months of 2006, 202 people were hurt by Qassams,
more than double of the 87 from last year.
Israeli hospital reports 87 injuries caused by Palestinian
homemade projectiles in 2005, 2006
Ma’an News 10/30/2006
Bethlehem - The Israeli hospital of Barzilay has on Monday published a
report which stated that 87 Israelis have been admitted to hospitals as
a result of injuries caused by Palestinian homemade projectiles during
the year 2005 and so far during the current year, 2006. The report did
not distinguish how many "shock" injuries were incurred, which are
widely believed to be used as a means to obtain both personal
compensation and special funds to fortify the hospital in the city of
Ashkelon against further Palestinian projectiles. It has also been
noted that some 280 Palestinians were killed during the IDF’s
Operation: Summer Rains bombardment of the Gaza Strip. A further 800
were injured during this summer’s campaign. [end]
Gaza Under Siege
Rafah Today
10/29/2006
PHOTO ESSAY: After death, a Palestinian woman lamenting the murder of
her son / Funerals of Palestinians killed the first day of Eid in the
north of Gaza / Gaza children looking at the damage in gaza city caused
by an Israeli helicopter / Palestinian children gathering around a car
burned in Burij camp, in the middle of Gaza Strip / The funeral of a
Palestinian man / Palestinian children in Gaza celeberating Eid despite
attacks, incursions and sorrow -- All Arab and Islamic nations are
celebrating Eid Al Adha (feast after the Holy Ramadan month of fasting) – all except in Palestine. Here, the Palestinian children expect to
receive the first day of Eid with joy, happiness, fun and gifts from
adults, but sadly, instead, this Eid began with an Israeli attacking
the north of Gaza killing 9 Palestinians. It was almost as if the
Israeli soldiers planned to give the Palestinians hell for their
holiday.
Police arrest five Israeli Arab terror suspects in Umm al-Fahm
Ha’aretz 10/29/2006
Police arrested on Sunday five Israeli Arabs in the northern city of
Umm al-Fahm suspected of planning to carry out a terrorist attack in
Israel. Earlier, the Wadi Ara region was placed on high alert after
police received information that a suspected terror cell had
infiltrated the Israeli Arab area which borders with the West Bank.
Security forces blocked the main road between Barkai and Megiddo
junctions, causing a heavy traffic jam behind the closed portion. The
road was later opened, but all four entrances to the town of Umm
al-Fahm remained closed. Police checked all vehicles leaving the town,
including ambulances. Also Sunday, a Palestinian man was shot and
killed Sunday as he was trying to steal equipment from the Gaza airport
near Rafah.
Hamas denies rumors that PM Haniya will step down
Palestine News
Network 10/31/2006
Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for the Palestinian government, announced in a
press conference today that Prime Minister Haniya has no intention to
step down, despite reports from local and international newspapers to
the contrary. Hamad labeled the reports, which suggested an agreement
between Fateh and Hamas to replace Haniya with a more independent
figurehead, as nothing more than "mere speculation." Hamad continued, "At this moment, there has been no decision on this matter. Several
parties have submitted proposals, but we have yet to reach a definitive
decision." He added, "A number of parties have raised the issue of the
independence of the Prime Minister. We feel that there should be
prominent Hamas leader in the government..."
Lieberman sworn in as minister
YNet News 10/30/2006
Israel Our Home party becomes part of Olmert’s coalition as 61 Knesset
members vote in favor of Avigdor Lieberman’s addition to government; 38
vote against, others fail to show up for voting -- The Knesset on
Monday evening approved the appointment of Israel Our Home Chairman
Avigdor Lieberman as a minister. The proposal, which was earlier
approved by the government , passed with a majority of 61 in favor and
38 who voted against. Several Knesset members from the Labor Party,
Kadima and the Likud were absent from the voting. After the Knesset’s
approval, Lieberman was sworn in and joined the government table. Two
MKs from the Pensioners Party, Moshe Sharoni and Itshac Galantee, were
the only two coalition members who voted against the motion.
Paz-Pines resigns as cabinet minister
Jerusalem Post
10/30/2006
Labor Party ministers slammed Science, Culture and Sport Minister Ophir
Paz-Pines for announcing on Monday that he intended to resign from the
cabinet and run for the party chairmanship in the primary race set for
May 2007. They said Paz-Pines made a big mistake that would result in
him languishing in the opposition for years while Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert’s government continued to survive. They also said he chose the
wrong issue over which to leave the government. "His decision to resign
over Avigdor Lieberman’s addition to the cabinet looks too political
and too dovish," a minister said. "It would have been smarter for him
to leave over an issue like forming a state commission of inquiry to
investigate the war in Lebanon. That could have been a consensus issue,
not a petty one."
J’lem DA: Netanyahu acted illegally in ’Amedi moving affair’
Ha’aretz 10/31/2006
MK Benjamin Netanyahu acted illegally, was negligent toward the state,
misrepresented the facts, and tried to get the public purse to cover
tens, and even hundreds, of thousands of shekels of private expenses,
according to the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office. The Jerusalem
district attorney has warned Netanyahu that if the court upholds
contractor Avner Amedi’s claim that the state owes him NIS 350,000, the
state will sue the former prime minister for that amount minus NIS
50,000. The latter figure was approved for services provided to
Netanyahu’s family when he served as premier from 1996 to 1999. Amedi
is demanding the state pay him NIS 270,000 (in July 1998 terms) plus
interest and linkage differentials for services provided to Netanyahu
and his wife during his term in office.
Despite failures: Division commanders won’t be dismissed
YNet News 10/30/2006
General Staff decides to allow four commanders of divisions that took
part in Lebanon war to remain in their positions or be appointed to
other roles in army; decision represents vote of confidence on army
chief’s part -- The four commanders of the military divisions that took
part in the recent war in Lebanon will not be dismissed from their
positions, despite the findings of inquiries conducted after the
ceasefire went into force that revealed failures in their conduct. Some
of the generals will continue to serve in their roles, while others
will be appointed to administrative posts after completing serving
their term in office.... It appears that the officers whose names
became linked to a series of deficiencies during the war can be
satisfied with the decision not to reprimand them too heavily, and to
allow them the possibility to continue moving up in the ranks.
Katsav: High Court cannot suspend me
Jerusalem Post
10/30/2006
Talkbacks for this article: 3"The High Court of Justice does not have
the authority to demand of the President of the State to respond to the
petition nor order him to resign or suspend himself," President Moshe
Katsav wrote Monday in response to a petition calling on the High Court
to order him to do one or the other. The petition was submitted by
attorney Yossi Fuchs in the wake of the investigation into allegations
that he had committed rape and other sexual crimes against several
women who worked for him during different periods of time. In his
response, prepared by Yona Sheindorf, the legal advisor of the
President, Katsav quoted Article 13 of the Basic Law: President, which
states that "the President of the State shall not be amenable to any
court or tribunal, and shall be immune from any legal act..."
PM appears before Knesset committee on second Lebanon war
Ha’aretz 10/30/2006
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday appeared before the Knesset
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to give his testimony on the
events of the second Lebanon war. On Sunday, the committee concluded
taking testimonies by Israel Defense Forces officers and soldiers, who
described serious shortcomings in the functioning of the army during
the war. Colonels, majors and captains told the committee that in the
first three weeks of the war the IDF fielded ground forces close to the
border, where Hezbollah was thickly deployed, instead of using them to
counter the short-range rockets hitting northern border communities.
Officers and soldiers said ambiguous orders resulted in forces’ moving
toward targets in daylight along Hezbollah-controlled routes, resulting
in unnecessary casualties.
Bosses can now pay disabled people less than minimum wage
Ha’aretz 10/31/2006
Employers are now allowed by law to pay workers with disabilities half
or even one-third of the minimum wage, based on their work ability. The
new regulations, which will go into effect on Wednesday, were intended
to encourage the employment of disabled people, but leaders of disabled
groups are objecting to the changes." It’s saying we’re worth less than
other people," says the disabled organization’s campaign spokesman,
Yoav Krime. "There are also people without disabilities whose
productivity is low yet nobody suggests reducing their minimum wage." Approved by the Knesset four years ago, the regulations stipulate that
a disabled person may ask the Industry, Trade and Employment Ministry
for a permit to earn less than the legal minimum pay of NIS 19. 28 per
hour.
Destruction and displacement hamper vaccination campaign
Electronic
Intifada/IRIN 10/30/2006
BINT JBEIL - The destruction in villages and displacement of residents
in southern Lebanon from the recent war posed problems for medical
volunteers on the first day of a national emergency polio immunisation
campaign for children on Monday." Usually, we would know exactly where
to go to immunise the children," said nurse Nawal Saab, a member of one
of the teams carrying out door-to-door immunisations in Bint Jbeil, 110
km south of Beirut. "This year, because so many houses have been
destroyed and so many families have had to move in with relatives,
outreach has been rendered more complicated." According to the United
Nations, 1,200 of 1,500 homes in Bint Jbeil were destroyed during the
34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in July and August.
Join the 4th National & International Week Against The
Apartheid Wall!
Stop The Wall
10/29/2006
9th - 16th of November 2006: Join the 4th National & International
Week Against The Apartheid Wall! -- “We Shall StayGeneration after
Generation Defiant and Steadfast until Liberation” -- As the ghetto
walls close around our people, the voice of the Palestinian and Arab
resistance continues to echo within the Bantustans and beyond. -- Let
us know about your action at: global@stopthewall. org! -- Make
Resistance to The Apartheid Wall go Global! -- 5 years after the
Occupation started its destruction of our lands for the Wall, 2 years
after the International Court of Justice called for the dismantling if
the Wall, All over the world mobilization is gearing up for the fourth
time for action during Week against the Apartheid Wall (November 9-16)
to unite with Palestinian communities in struggle against the land grab
and expulsion in mass protests.
Refusenik Omri Evron: "Why I can’t become a soldier in the
IDF"
Electronic Intifada
10/28/2006
Omri Evron, a 19-year-old from Tel-Aviv, is weeks away from earning his
B. A. in ethical philosophy from the Tel-Aviv University (TAU). He
started studying for this degree when he was still a high-school
student. Omri is known around the campus of TAU as a leading social
activist. Last month, for example, he started a petition of university
and high-school students from around the country, protesting the
exploitation of maintenance and cleaning workers in educational
institutions. At least once a week, Omri visits the Palestinian village
of Bili’in, showing his support for the local Palestinian farmers who
are campaigning against the Israeli separation wall that separates them
from about 50 percent of their lands. In Bili’in, just like in
Tel-Aviv, Omri has earned the reputation of a respected human rights
activist.
Bolton: ’Syria, Iran violating UN arms embargo’
Jerusalem Post
10/31/2006
US Ambassador John Bolton expressed concern that Syria and Iran are
trying to destabilize Lebanon’s democratically elected government by
violating a UN arms embargo. Bolton stressed on Monday that Syria’s
obligations to respect a UN arms embargo authorized by the Security
Council resolution that ended the 34-day Israeli-Hizbullah conflict in
August "are particularly important as it is the one country other than
Israel that borders Lebanon." He called on Syrian President Bashar
Assad to abide by the commitment he made to Secretary-General Kofi
Annan to support the resolution and the arms embargo. In a speech to
the UN Security Council, Bolton welcomed the Lebanese government’s
extension of its authority throughout the south of the country...
PM has final word on Iran
Jerusalem Post
10/31/2006
The appointment of Avigdor Lieberman as minister in charge of strategic
threats on Monday is meant to ease Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s task as
he deals with the growing nuclear threat from Iran. Final decisions
regarding Israel’s policy with respect to Iran remain in the hands of
Olmert and his security cabinet of which Lieberman will now be a
member. Lieberman’s new role is to coordinate security, intelligence
and diplomatic initiatives with respect to Iran or any other strategic
threat and to report to on the issue to Olmert, according to Olmert’s
spokeswoman, Miri Eisin. In announcing the appointment on Monday,
Olmert was careful tonote that Lieberman was not replacing any existing
authority but rather was there to augment the ongoing efforts of
existing bodies with respect to strategic threats such as Iran.
Peretz: Report of Egyptian deployment untrue
Jerusalem Post
10/30/2006
Defense Minister Amir Peretz denied in Sunday’s cabinet meeting reports
that several thousand Egyptian state security guards had deployed along
the Philadelphi Route." Beyond the 750 border guards in the area, no
troops have been added," Peretz said. Late Saturday, security officials
announced that as many as 5,000 Egyptian guards had taken up posts near
the Egypt-Gaza border after reports of a possible Israeli "smart bomb" attack on suspected smuggling tunnels. While the reports had indicated
the deploying forces were Egyptian army soldiers, officials stressed
Sunday that was not the case, and the forces consisted of state
security police, a paramilitary-like force often used in Egypt to
maintain order.
Egyptian official: Troop level back to normal at Gaza border
Ha’aretz 10/30/2006
An Egyptian security source said Monday that Cairo had lowered the
security alert at its border with the Gaza Strip, two days after
officials said the area along the Philadelphi Route had been fortified
in case of a possible Israel Defense Forces operation against tunnels
used for arms smuggling." The number of officers has been reduced after
the Israeli threat has lessened," an source in the Egyptian border
police said. "The border area was calm and no abnormal movement has
been seen." An Egyptian source said Saturday that Egypt had stationed
5,000 additional security police along the Gaza border, to join the 750
troops already deployed. But Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak denied
Monday reports from his own government that extra forces had been
deployed.
PM ’sorry’ for German boat incident
Jerusalem Post
10/30/2006
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert apologized on Sunday to German Chancellor
Angela Merkel for an incident that occurred last week between an
Israeli fighter jet and a German naval boat that was patrolling the
waters outside Lebanon. In the conversation Olmert accepted an
invitation by Merkel to visit Germany in the next few weeks. In
addition German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung will travel to Israel
later this week. Jung is also slated to visit Beirut.... Peretz
vehemently denied reports that the Israeli jets had fired on the German
vessel in his talk with Jung. However, on Friday the German Defense
Ministry said that Israeli jets did in fact fire warning shots over one
of its ships as it assisted the German-led UNIFIL maritime force in
international waters 90 kilometers off the Lebanese coast.
’United States rededicating itself to Middle East peace
process’
ReliefWeb/United
States Department of State 10/30/2006
27 Oct 2006 - State Department official says Hamas not responding to
calls to renounce terror -- Washington -- The United States is renewing
its efforts to restart a peace process between Israel and the
Palestinians, seeking to do "practical work on the ground," according
to the top State Department diplomat on the Middle East." Now that the ’Eid [al-Fitr] holiday is finishing up,... we’re going to re-devote
ourselves to making this progress," C. David Welch, assistant secretary
for Near Eastern affairs, told reporters at the State Department
October 27. Asked about the possibility of an international conference
to discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, Welch said the United
States is happy to have discussions and meetings, but "what definitely
counts is what goes on, on the ground."
UN to map disputed Shaba farms area on Israel-Lebanon border
Ha’aretz 10/30/2006
The United Nations will appoint a cartographer to map the precise
location and area of the Shaba Farms, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni
reported to the cabinet on Sunday. The status of the territory on the
slopes of Mount Hermon is disputed by Lebanon, Syria and Israel and its
boundaries have never been precisely defined. Livni said the
cartographer would start working in mid-November from UN headquarters
in New York, and not conduct surveying at the site itself at this
stage. The move was decided on following the periodical report of UN
envoy Terje Larsen about the implementation of Security Council
Resolution 1559. Israel took over the area in 1967 and sees it as part
of the Golan Heights. The UN accepted this position following the IDF’s
pullout from Lebanon in May 2000 but Hezbollah and Lebanon claim that
this is Lebanese territory still under Israeli occupation.
Israel refuses to admit Russian diplomat in spy row
Ma’an News 10/30/2006
Bethlehem - The Hebrew daily newspaper, Ma’ariv, has stated on Monday
that Israel will not let the Russian diplomat Alexander Girkov enter
their territory. Girkov holds the position of first secretary to the
Russian embassy in Tel Aviv, but has been denied entry to Israel as the
general intelligence service (Shabak) have accused the man of being a
Russian intelligence agent who intends to recruit spies inside Israel,
through his diplomatic immunity. [end]
Livni cancels Qatar visit due to Hamas plan to attend summit
Ha’aretz 10/29/2006
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has decided not to attend an international
conference in Qatar Sunday due to the expected participation of a Hamas
delegation in the event. Livni was invited to represent Israel at the
UN-sponsored sixth International Conference on New or Restored
Democracies in Doha. She had hoped to take advantage of her first visit
to a Gulf state to strengthen Israel’s ties with moderate Arab states.
It was to be the most high-profile visit by an Israeli official to the
Gulf state in 10 years. Livni had learned previously that delegations
from both the Palestinian parliament and from Hamas had been invited to
the conference. After the Israeli representation in Qatar was informed
that Hamas officials had accepted the invitation, Livni made the
decision Saturday not to attend, three days after announcing her plans
to travel to the Gulf state.
Iranian FM tells Hamas’ Meshal Palestinians must work for
unity
Ha’aretz 10/29/2006
Iran’s foreign minister told Hamas’ political leaderSunday that the
Palestinian people must solve their problems through national unity and
reconciliation, the official Iranian news agency reported. Iranian
Foreign Minister Manoucheh Mottaki made his remarks during a meeting
with Hamas political chief Khaled Meshal at the Iranian embassy in
Damascus. During the meeting, Meshal, who lives in exile in Syria and
is backed by Iran, said, "Resistance is the only way for the
Palestinian people to regain their rights," according to the IRNA
report. The tensions between the militant Hamas and the moderate Fatah
party have escalated in recent months in the Palestinian territories,
sparking armed street clashes in which scores have been killed or
wounded.
13 percent rise in high-tech financing in Q3 2006
YNet News 10/30/2006
IVC survey indicates 87 Israeli high-tech companies raised USD 381
million in third quarter of 2006. In comparison to previous quarter, it
is a 6 percent drop. Life sciences sector reaches first place with USD
115 million, 30 percent of activity -- A report by the IVC Research
Center indicates that in the third quarter of 2006, 87 Israeli
high-tech companies raised USD 381 million from venture investors – both local and foreign. The quarterly amount was down 6 percent from
the USD 404 million raised in the previous quarter, but was 13 percent
above the USD 336 million raised in the third quarter of 2005.
According to the report, the average company financing round was USD 4.
37 million in third quarter, compared with USD 3. 7 million in the
previous quarter and USD 3. 73 million in the third quarter of 2005.
Motorola plans second R&D center in Israel
YNet News 10/30/2006
American corporation’s CEO visits Israel, decides to set up another
factory in country -- Motorola plans to open another research and
development center in Israel, the company’s Chairman and CEO Ed Zander
said during a visit in Israel. The decision has not been approved by
Motorola’s executive board yet, and Zander stressed that nothing has
been finalized. Nevertheless, during a reception held in Zander’s honor
last Saturday, Vice Premier Shimon Peres lauded the CEO for the
company’s decision to set up an additional R&D center in the
country. Zander, an American Jew from Chicago, arrived in Israel with
Richard N. Nottenburg, Motorola’s executive vice president and chief
strategy officer in charge of the firm’s investments in high-tech
companies across the world.
Kuwait to Transfer Amount
of $30 M to PNA
WAFA - Palestine
News Agency 10/30/2006
RAMALLAH, October 30, 2006 (WAFA) -Spokesman of Presidency, Nabil Abu
Rdaina, announced Monday that the Kuwaiti government officially
informed the Presidency that it will transfer an amount of $30 million
as a support to the Palestinian people. Abu Rdaina expressed President
Mahmoud Abbas’s gratitude to Kuwait and its people for their aid aimed
at easing suffering of the Palestinian people emerged due to the siege
and suspension of international aid. [end]
Aid convoy dispatched to Palestinian territories
ReliefWeb/Government
of Jordan 10/29/2006
AMMAN, October 29 (Petra) — The Jordanian Hashemite Charity
Organization dispatched an eight-truck convoy of humanitarian
assistance to the Palestinian territories on Saturday. The trucks
carried 75 tonnes of canned meat donated by Bahrain. HRH Prince Rashid,
chairman of the organization’s board of trustees, supervised the
dispatch of the assistance. Yesterday’s shipment was the 218th sent to
the Palestinian territories from Jordan since the beginning of Al Aqsa
Intifada in October 2000, bringing the total assistance since that date
to over JD43 million. [end]
PCBS: 1,833 Thousand
Dunum Cultivated in Palestinian Territory
WAFA - Palestine
News Agency 10/30/2006
RAMALLAH, October 30, 2006 (WAFA) - Palestinian Central Bureau of
Statistics (PCBS) reported that that the agricultural area in the
Palestinian Territory amounted to 1,833 thousand dunum, compared with
1,824 thousand Dunum in 20032004. In a statistical report, issued
Monday, about agricultural statistics in the Palestinian Territory
20042005, PCBS revealed that the area cultivated with field crops fruit
trees, vegetables, and cut flowers in the Palestinian Territory
amounted to 1,833 thousand dunum and US$ 408 Million the value added of
the agricultural sector. It added that Fruit trees constituted 62. 6%
from the total cultivated area of the Palestinian Territory, while
field of crops and vegetables comprised 27. 6% and 9. 8% of the
cultivated Palestinian areas respectively...
Committee: Air pollution causing higher illness rates in Haifa
Ha’aretz 10/30/2006
A committee comprised of environmental and medical scientists has found
that a much higher percentage of people fall ill annually in the Haifa
Bay area, despite the fact that the level of pollution in the region
falls within globally accepted levels. The committee, headed by former
Environmental Protection Ministry chief scientist Professor Yoram
Avnimelech, is set to present its air quality findings taken from local
monitoring stations in the coming days. The panel was appointed some
three months ago by Environmental Protection Minister Gideon Ezra. The
panel ruled that in light of its findings, there is a pressing need to
undertake actions to reduce the level of pollution in and around Haifa.
The panel’s major conclusion is that the level of air pollution in
Haifa falls within the strict, conventional global air pollution
standards...
McDonalds to open 24 new branches by 2009
YNet News 10/29/2006
Israeli CEO: War lost us over 10 million NIS; 2006 turnover to total
400 million NIS (USD 93,283,500) -- After launching 10 new branches in
2006 McDonalds plans on expanding its business in Israel even more,
with 12 new branches planned for 2007 and 12 more in 2008. At least two
of these branches will only serve kosher food. According to McDonald’s
Israel CEO Omri Padan, the chain is growing at 8-9 percent per year.
McDonald’s currently operates 125 restaurants in Israel and plans to
operate 150 by the end of 2008. Padan reports that the expected
turnover for McDonald’s Israel in 2006 stands at over 400 million NIS
(USD 93,283,500). In 2005 the turnover stood at only 380 million NIS
(USD 88,619,400).
US agrees to buy poultry from Israel
YNet News 10/30/2006
Poultry export to US expected to resume in light of changes,
improvements in Israeli slaughterhouse standards, facility hygiene --
Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon and the US government agreed to
advance the inspection of slaughterhouses in Israel in preparation for
the coming renewed export of poultry to the US. For the past year, the
US has refused to accept poultry from Israel due to unfit slaughter
procedures that did not meet the American administration’s criteria.
This led to Israeli poultry farmers losing millions of dollars. Simhon:
We have changed the standards, expanded the supervision in the
slaughterhouses, improved the enforcement system of veterinarian
services in the slaughterhouses, and I have now agreed to advance the
inspection by the authorized American officials. ”
Iran: US-led Persian Gulf exercise ’adventurous’
Jerusalem Post
10/29/2006
Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday criticized the United States military
presence in the region and slammed a US-led military exercise due to
begin in the Persian Gulf, urging nations in the area to set up their
own regional security arrangement. Ships from the US and five other
countries are due to interdict a British vessel in the Persian Gulf on
Monday in a mock interception of dangerous weapons technology. For the
first time, an Arab nation, Bahrain, will participate in an exercise
under the three-year-old proliferation security initiative." We do not
consider this exercise appropriate," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Mohammad Ali Hosseini told reporters in Teheran. Iran has a long
coastline on the Gulf, and neighbors Iraq and Afghanistan. The Iranian
spokesman criticized the US military presence along many of the
country’s borders. -- See also: US
naval war games off the Iranian coastline: A provocation which could
lead to War? and Navies
of 6 states to exercise in Persian Gulf against nuclear shipments
Saudi envoy slams US role in Mideast
Jerusalem Post
10/31/2006
The US standing in the Middle East is at an all-time low and can be
helped only by pressing Israel to relinquish all occupied Arab land and
Jerusalem to the Palestinians, says Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the
United States." We want you to remain friends with Israel," Saudi
Ambassador Turki al-Faisal said during a question and answer session. "But that friendship should be used to push Israel" to relinquish the
land the Arabs lost in the 1967 Six-Day War and provide the
Palestinians with a state they have been denied for more than a
half-century, the prince said." The United States is the only one that
can deliver," the ambassador said. "The basic interest of the United
States is for peace to reign in our part of the world."
Lahoud objects to int’l court on Hariri murder
Jerusalem Post
10/31/2006
Lebanon’s pro-Syrian president objected on Monday to the draft document
setting up an international court to try suspects in the assassination
of former Premier Rafik Hariri, and declared no agreement can pass
without his approval. President Emile Lahoud, whose security chiefs are
under arrest in connection with the 2005 assassination, said in a
statement he had multiple objections to the draft. Under the
constitution, Lahoud said, the president in agreement with the prime
minister must approve any deal before it goes to Cabinet for approval. "It ends there" if the president disapproves, he said. A UN
investigation into Hariri’s killing has implicated top Syrian and
Lebanese security officials, a charge Syria denies.
Blair accused of trying to ’privatise’ war in Iraq
The Independent
10/30/2006
The Government has been accused of reneging on pledges to control
private security companies operating in Iraq because it wants to "privatise the war" as part of its exit strategy. The Government has
not only failed to bring in legislation promised four years ago, but
has actively encouraged security firms in Iraq by giving them
multimillion -pound contracts to take over duties which could have been
performed by British forces, says the report published today by the
charity War on Want. Humanitarian groups, MPs and international lawyers
have called for tighter controls on "mercenaries". In Britain both the
Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence are believed to favour such
a move. But, with the clamour for withdrawal from Iraq, Downing Street
is said to view the private firms as a favoured option in expediting
the pullout.
Articles
Mystery of Israel’s secret uranium bomb
By Robert Fisk, The Independent 10/28/2006
Did Israel use a secret new uranium-based weapon in southern Lebanon this summer in the 34-day assault that cost more than 1,300 Lebanese lives, most of them civilians?
We know that the Israelis used American "bunker-buster" bombs on Hizbollah’s Beirut headquarters. We know that they drenched southern Lebanon with cluster bombs in the last 72 hours of the war, leaving tens of thousands of bomblets which are still killing Lebanese civilians every week. And we now know - after it first categorically denied using such munitions - that the Israeli army also used phosphorous bombs, weapons which are supposed to be restricted under the third protocol of the Geneva Conventions, which neither Israel nor the United States have signed.
But scientific evidence gathered from at least two bomb craters in Khiam and At-Tiri, the scene of fierce fighting between Hizbollah guerrillas and Israeli troops last July and August, suggests that uranium-based munitions may now also be included in Israel’s weapons inventory - and were used against targets in Lebanon. According to Dr Chris Busby, the British Scientific Secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk, two soil samples thrown up by Israeli heavy or guided bombs showed "elevated radiation signatures". Both have been forwarded for further examination to the Harwell laboratory in Oxfordshire for mass spectrometry - used by the Ministry of Defence - which has confirmed the concentration of uranium isotopes in the samples.
Dr Busby’s initial report states that there are two possible reasons for the contamination. "The first is that the weapon was some novel small experimental nuclear fission device or other experimental weapon (eg, a thermobaric weapon) based on the high temperature of a uranium oxidation flash ... The second is that the weapon was a bunker-busting conventional uranium penetrator weapon employing enriched uranium rather than depleted uranium." A photograph of the explosion of the first bomb shows large clouds of black smoke that might result from burning uranium.
See also: Alternate link to this story
Chris Bellamy: An enigma that only the Israelis can fully explain
By Chris Bellamy, A Stand for Justice/The Independent 10/27/2006
The initial tests on samples taken from the site of the Israeli strike on Khiam present an enigma which will only be solved when the people who produced and deployed the weapon explain themselves. Speculation that the device was some form of "dirty bomb" or micro-yield nuclear weapon can probably be dismissed. The radiation levels and the amount of Uranium-235 in the sample clearly indicate that it was not a nuclear fission weapon.
Uranium has been widely used in conventional weapons - and on the battlefield - for the past 30 years, for three reasons. Firstly, uranium is very dense - 70 per cent denser than lead. Therefore, a smaller projectile delivers more kinetic energy, making it ideal for armour-piercing shot. Secondly, it is pyrophoric, which means that when slammed into a target at high speed it liquefies and ignites spontaneously. Thirdly, the type of uranium most widely used in weapons, depleted uranium (DU), is plentiful. It is a by-product of uranium enrichment, which produces the fuel for nuclear power stations and nuclear weapons. Because there is so much of it about, it makes sense for those who have it to turn DU into armour-piercing munitions.
The only logical military reason for the presence of traces of uranium, of any kind, would be the use of that element to make a hard, dense penetrator for an armour-piercing or "bunker-busting" device. Natural uranium consists of three isotopes - Uranium-238 (99.27 per cent), U-235 - the crucial component of fissionable material (0.72 per cent) and U-234 (0.0054 per cent). To make the fuel for a nuclear reactor this needs to be enriched to three or four per cent U-235, and the resulting waste product, with only 0.25 per cent U-235 and 99.8 per cent U-238, is DU. To make a bomb you would need up to 90 per cent U-235 - hence the concern about Iran’s uranium enrichment programme.
-- Original source
Online Exhibition: Memorial of the 50th Anniversary of the Kafr Qasem Massacre
By Samia A. Halaby, Electronic Intifada 10/30/2006
With images from the 50th Anniversary exhibition at The Bridge Gallery in New York
Fifty years ago, on October 29, 1956, 49 Palestinian residents of Kafr Qasem were murdered by Israeli border police who at that time were officially attached to the military. Countless more were wounded and left bleeding and unattended. Their families were unable to offer aid because of a 24-hour curfew lasting for some two days and three nights. Violation of the curfew was punishable by death.
In the following two days (while the families were thus imprisoned in their homes) the Israelis unceremoniously buried the victims without permission or the presence of witnesses. On the following morning, the unattended wounded who had helplessly lain in the streets were torn away from their deceased loved ones, thrown into trucks (not ambulances) and hauled off to hospitals. This deliberate massacre had been planned in advance to coincide with the Israeli and Anglo-French attack on the Suez canal.
The townspeople of Kafr Qasem organize an annual memorial event on October 29th which begins with speeches by the town elders followed by a march through the town to additional ceremonies at the martyrs cemetery. Later in the day an open house for the arts is organized at the town council headquarters. Poets, writers, and artists are invited to contribute to these events, thereby aiding the process of healing.
-- Enter the memorial
Israeli barrier and settlement to leave West Bank village with nowhere to go
By Rory McCarthy, The Guardian 10/30/2006
Land confiscation and pollution threaten future of ancient farming community
Wadi Fukin -- From his rooftop, Mohammad Ibrahim can see from one end to the other of the narrow valley that contains the village of Wadi Fukin. Beyond houses bunched around the tall minaret of the mosque is terraced farmland, most of it covered with olive trees or planted deep in cabbage, cucumber, radish, lettuce and squash, irrigated by dozens of small reservoir pools linked to the valley’s 11 ancient springs.
It is this view of Wadi Fukin, a village of 1,200 Palestinians just inside the occupied West Bank, that has long attracted Israeli tourists, who hike and swim in the reservoirs. The ancient farming practices have created a "unique cultural landscape" deserving of world heritage status, says Gidon Bromberg, Israeli director of Friends of the Earth Middle East.
But this is no longer all Mr Ibrahim sees. On the hills to the south and east of the village is a rapidly expanding ultra-orthodox Jewish settlement built on Palestinian land seized by the Israeli government and declared "state land".
On the opposite hills, to the north and west, is the proposed route for the latest stretch of the vast concrete and steel West Bank barrier. The 437-mile barrier is halfway complete and work continues despite a July 2004 advisory opinion from the international court of justice in The Hague, which said it was a violation of international law and should be taken down where it crosses into the West Bank. Israel argues that the barrier is a necessary security measure that has reduced the number of suicide bombings.
Within months, the village will be sandwiched between the growing settlement of Beitar Illit and the barrier, with a large chunk of its farmland gone. Confiscation orders have been issued for land that villagers have cultivated for generations. Mr Ibrahim was told that 12 hectares (30 acres) of his father’s land is to be taken.
Let’s hear it for the Haiders
By Akiva Eldar, Ha’aretz 10/31/2006
The prevalent comparison between Avigdor Lieberman and Joerg Haider does an injustice to the Austrian nationalist whose party joined the government in the winter of 2000. Haider is far from being a righteous man, but even in his most fascist days, he never called on Austria to rid itself of citizens who’d been living in the country for generations. Also, Haider never suggested standing up legislators representing these citizens in front of a firing squad. Natan Meron, at the time Israel’s ambassador to Austria, noted that once the leader of the Freedom Party joined politics, he never uttered a single anti-Semitic statement. Meron emphasized that the leader of the Freedom Party "does not threaten the Jews."
With the entry of his party into the coalition, Haider signed a declaration promising to abide by the European principles of democracy and human rights, and to protect the rights of minorities. Prior to that, he apologized to the Jewish people for his statements that downplayed the Nazi horrors.
What about Lieberman, then? Has he accepted the article in the government’s basic guidelines that includes the commitment to "respect the civil rights of minorities and not accept any expression of racism in the country."
Has anyone heard a word of qualification from the leader of Yisrael Beitenu about his party’s political ideals, on the eve of joining the government?
The New Middle East
By Richard N. Haass, Foreign Affairs 10/31/2006
Summary: The age of U.S. dominance in the Middle East has ended and a new era in the modern history of the region has begun. It will be shaped by new actors and new forces competing for influence, and to master it, Washington will have to rely more on diplomacy than on military might.
THE END OF AN ERA: Just over two centuries since Napoleon’s arrival in Egypt heralded the advent of the modern Middle East -- some 80 years after the demise of the Ottoman Empire, 50 years after the end of colonialism, and less than 20 years after the end of the Cold War -- the American era in the Middle East, the fourth in the region’s modern history, has ended. Visions of a new, Europe-like region -- peaceful, prosperous, democratic -- will not be realized. Much more likely is the emergence of a new Middle East that will cause great harm to itself, the United States, and the world.
All the eras have been defined by the interplay of contending forces, both internal and external to the region. What has varied is the balance between these influences. The Middle East’s next era promises to be one in which outside actors have a relatively modest impact and local forces enjoy the upper hand -- and in which the local actors gaining power are radicals committed to changing the status quo. Shaping the new Middle East from the outside will be exceedingly difficult, but it -- along with managing a dynamic Asia -- will be the primary challenge of U.S. foreign policy for decades to come.
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