InI Needs Your Support!
Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel
www.vtjp.org/
For those interested in keeping up with events in Palestine/Israel, there is no better digest than VTJP.
News
International Middle East Media Center
Palestinian
Wounded In Israeli Shelling In Gaza
IMEMC 9 Jan 2010 -
Sunday January 10, 2010 - 03:52, Palestinian medical sources reported
that a Palestinian resident was seriously wounded on Saturday evening
when the Israeli army fired artillery shells at agricultural areas east
of Al Maghazi refugee camp, in central Gaza.
Hamdan:
“Shalit Talks Ongoing”
IMEMC 9 Jan 2010 -
Sunday January 10, 2010 - 02:31, Osama Hamdan, a political leader of
the Hamas movement, stated Saturday that indirect talks on a
prisoner-swap deal are very tough, but are also still ongoing behind
closed doors.
Israel
Prepares Scenarios For A Possible “Gaza War 2”
IMEMC 9 Jan 2010 -
Sunday January 10, 2010 - 01:46, The Israeli military and political
leaderships are preparing scenarios for a possible “Gaza War 2” that
could last for one week with the heavy participation of artillery
brigades that would be bombarding areas in Gaza, along with extensive
aerial strikes, before invading them.
Amnesty
International calls for immediate release of 3 Palestinian non-violent
organizers
IMEMC 9 Jan 2010 -
Saturday January 09, 2010 - 10:57, The international human rights
organization Amnesty International issued a press release Friday saying
that Israeli authorities must immediately release, or bring before a
fair trial, three Palestinian human rights activists detained in Israel
following their protests against the construction of the West Bank wall.
UN
accepts Gaza payoff by Israeli government
IMEMC 9 Jan 2010 -
Saturday January 09, 2010 - 01:36, The United Nations will accept a ten
million dollar payoff by the Israeli government as compensation for the
bombing of UN facilities in Gaza during Israel’s invasion one year ago.
US,
Jordan, Call On Israel And The P.A To Advance Peace Talks
IMEMC 9 Jan 2010 -
Saturday January 09, 2010 - 00:20, The United States and Jordan
presented a new track for the stalled Middle East Peace Process, and
called on both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to resume the peace
process and tackle sensitive issues such as Jerusalem and borders
before addressing other issues.
BDS
campaign claims new victory against Dexia Israel
1/9/2010 - Bethlehem
-Ma'an - Organizers of the Israel Colonizes - Dexia Finances campaign
for boycott, divestment and sanctions from Israel celebrated the recent
announcement that Dexia banking group that no more loans would be
approved for settlement projects. The announcement appeared in the 3
January edition of the Jerusalem Post, and according to the
campaign,Dexia Israel Public Finance had already begun to inform
clients they would no longer be eligible for loans. The move marked the
"officialization" of an earlier decision by Dexia headquarters in
Belgium. On 13 May 2009, President of the Board of the Dexia group
Jean-Luc Dehaene, announced at the General Assembly that settlement
financing was not in line with the goals of the company. However, the
decision only applies to settlements in the West Bank, and not those in
East Jerusalem.
Palestinian
farmers flee settler mob
1/9/2010 - Hebron -
Ma'an - Three Palestinian farmers fled an attack initiated by 40
settlers from the illegal settlement of Beit Eyin on Saturday, a
spokesman for the Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP) said. "While
Jabher Mohammed Jaber Slieby, 42, his brother Hassan, 37, and their
relative Fathi Ahmad Jaber Sleibi, 42, were working on their lands in
the area of Wad Abu Rish, they were attacked by around 40 settlers from
Beit Eyin who hurled stones at them using sling shots. None of them
were harmed," said Mohammad Awad, the PSP spokesman. An Israeli patrol
was present at the scene, near Beit Ummer to the north of the West Bank
city of Hebron, and tried to prevent the settlers from attacking the
farmers, Awad said, adding that the farmers "fled, fearful they would
be harmed. ""There was an Israeli patrol present at the scene which
tried to prevent the settlers from attacking the farmers, who fled
fearful that they would be harmed," Awad added.
Israeli
media: More settlement building underway in Jerusalem
1/9/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an /Agencies - New plans to build even more settlements in
occupied East Jerusalem, despite international calls for a standstill,
were revealed on Friday by the Israel daily newspaper the Jerusalem
News. The daily reported that a local construction and planning
committee will review blueprints for a new settlement comprising 100
housing units, to be built on the site of the former Israeli police
headquarters in the Palestinian neighborhood of Ras Al-A'moud, east
Jerusalem. The new settlement, Ma'alut David, is to be built on 11
dunums of land on and around the former police site, which was
responsible for the West Bank, Jerusalem News stated. Ma'alut David's
construction was stalled for several months while a new building for
the police department was under construction near the illegal
settlement of Ma'aleh Adummin, opposite the Palestinian town of Abu Dis
in occupied Jerusalem.
One
seriously injured by Israeli tank fire in central Gaza
1/9/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - A Palestinian was seriously injured in a Israeli artillery
shelling on farmlands east of the Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp in the
central Gaza Strip on Saturday. Muawiyah Hassanein, head of ambulance
and emergency department in the ministry of health in Gaza, said
Israeli tanks deployed on the borders shelled the agricultural area
east of the camp," and confirmed that one man was seriously injured. An
Israeli military spokesman said he knew of no artillery fire in the
area. The incident is the latest in an escalating string of
cross-border violence, with two projectiles reportedly launched from
the Gaza Strip and landing in southern Israel Saturday morning. Friday
saw four airstrikes hit locations across the besieged coastal area,
reportedly in retaliation for a series of mortar shell barrages
launched by the An-Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades, the military wing of
the Popular Resistance Committees. "
Egypt:
No more aid convoys through Rafah
1/9/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an/Agencies - Egyptian authorities will set a new mechanism for
shipping international aid to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,
following anger over recent aid convoys for Gaza, Egyptian Foreign
Minister Ahmad Abu Al-Gheit told Egyptian news sources Friday. The new
mechanism requires all aid for delivery to the Gaza Strip to be handed
over to the Egyptian Red Crescent at the Al-Arish terminal. The aid
will be processed by the Red Crescent and handed over to the
Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza following an inventory, Abu Al-Gheit
explained in the Egyptian paper Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat. The decision came
after riots broke out at the Rafah border when a convoy of
international activists staged a demonstration calling on Egyptian
officials to open the Gaza border and allow 500 Gaza supporters and 220
vans of aid into the besieged Strip.
Amnesty
calls for Israel to release anti-wall activists
1/9/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an - Amnesty International launched a letter-writing campaign
aiming to secure the release of three Palestinian activists engaged in
the struggle to bring down Israel's separation wall in Palestinian
areas. The campaign, launched last week, asks Amnesty supporters the
world over to write a letter to Brigadier General Avihai Mendelblit,
Military Advocate General at the Israeli Defense Forces. The website
has an automatic send function and a form letter, which supporters can
fill out and add to, then send directly to the military official. The
letter refers to the three men, Jamal Juma, Abdallah Abu Rahma and
Mohammed Othman, as "human rights activists who have been campaigning
for years against the fence/wall by raising awareness about its
negative impact on Palestinians, organizing grassroots opposition to it
and peacefully demonstrating against it. "
Palestinian
artists call for boycott of Israeli settlement goods
1/9/2010 - Nablus -
Ma'an - The Union of Artists in Nablus called on Palestinians to
boycott all goods manufactured and produced on Israeli settlements on
Saturday, in response to caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's call
to action against settlement goods in the West Bank last week. The
artists' union suggested the establishment of a national boycott
committee in Nablus and stricter punishment for merchants and traders
who do not abide by the Palestinian Authority's (PA) decision to ban
Israeli settlement goods from the Palestinian market. The unionists
further appealed to the prime minister to intervene and decrease the
price of goods in markets which have been marked-up by Palestinian
traders as people find basic necessities, including gas, unaffordable.
The union said that the Palestinian Authority (PA) was taking a bold
step by calling for the boycott, for the sake of Palestinian national
interests.
Hamas:
Soldier killed by Egyptian bullet, not Palestinian
1/9/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Hamas members were not behind the shooting death of an Egyptian
soldier during protests that turned violent earlier int he week, Hamas
spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told Ma'an on Saturday. "Hamas has information
that confirms the Egyptian soldier was shot by the Egyptian forces
opening fire at Palestinian protesting the attack against the Lifeline
[British Member of Parliament George Galloway's] convoy," the official
said. The de facto Ministry of Interior, Abu Zuhri said, has undertaken
investigations into the incident, the results of which will be
announced upon completion. "We shall not forget that 35 Palestinians
were injured during the recent clashes with the Egyptian forces,
including twodeaths," the spokesman said. Abu Zuhri accused the
Egyptian authorities of using the death of the Egyptian solider in the
media to cover up the construction of the US. . .
Day
14: Flour mill targeted ’for the purpose of denying sustenance’
1/9/2010 - Part 14
of a series recounting the findings of South African jurist Richard
Goldstone's UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict. - Bethlehem -
Ma'an - When the Al-Bader flour mill was destroyed on 9 January, the
strike happened without prior warning, raising questions about the
efficacy or seriousness of the warnings system used by Israeli forces
during their devastating assault on Gaza last winter. Odder still was
that in two prior instances, Israel did warn mill owner Rashad Hamada
that its jets intended to strike immanently, leading to two evacuations
of the mill, neither of which ended in strikes. On 30 December 2008, a
recorded warning was left on the flour mill's answering machine by
Israeli forces, indicating that his building should be evacuated
immediately. The approximately 45 workers in the mill at the time were
evacuated. We received a recorded message by telephone on a landline
asking us to evacuate the mill. This call came from Israel," Hamada
said, in testimony to Richard Goldstone's UN inquiry. "
Hamas
organizes march in Dir Al-Balah to commemorate war dead
1/9/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - Hamas organized a march to commemorate those killed in
Operation Cast Lead last winter in the Deir Al-Balah Refugee Camp in
the central Gaza Strip on Friday evening. The march was attended by a
number of Hamas officials and residents of the refugee camp, who
marched from the An-Nour Mosque to the houses of those who lost
relatives in Israel's assault. A Hamas leader in Deir Al-Balah said,
"In such marches we express to the people our solidarity, appreciation
and respect for those who were killed whilst defending their land. "The
Islamic movement distributed gifts to the parents of those who were
killed. Friday was the anniversary of the 13th day of the three week
assault on Gaza, that saw more than 1,400 killed and thousands injured.
. . . .
Deported
BU student to receive degree in Gaza
1/9/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an - Finishing her classes over the phone and e-mail, Berlanty
Azzam, pulled out of a car, handcuffed, blindfolded and deported from
the West Bank to Gaza in October, will be awarded her degree on Sunday,
officials from Bethlehem University announced. In a statement issued
Saturday, the university said a Sunday mass in Gaza's Church of the
Holy Family would be held to honor Berlanty,21, and confer on her a
Bachelor of Arts degree. The student was denied permission by Israeli
courts to return to Bethlehem to complete her degree. A court battle
saw Israeli rights group Gisha defend the young woman. The appeal was
rejected despite the Israeli army's admission that Berlanty posed no
security threat to Israel, that she had no record to speak of, that she
was targeted only because her ID card indicated she was a Gaza resident
and that she was removed from the West Bank without having the
opportunity to consult a lawyer.
Mitchell:
US free to decide how to deal with negotiations
1/10/2010 -
Bethlehem - Ma'an - US Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell
said on Saturday that America will use motivation as well as punishment
to restart stalled negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians,
which were brought to an abrupt halt in December 2008 as Israel
launched a three-week assault on Gaza. During an interview with PBS,
Mitchell stated that the US is at liberty to decide the methods its
uses the tackle the issue of stalled negotiations and called on both
sides to thoroughly consider its options. Washington will continue to
undertake efforts to ensure the progress of negotiations, Mitchell
added. The special envoy's comments came on the eve of his Middle East
tour, which he anticipates could lead to the conclusion of peace talks
within two years of its commencement, or possibly less, Mitchell added.
Canadian
official pledges limited support to PA institution building
1/9/2010 - Ramallah
- Ma'an - President of the Canadian Treasury Board Vic Toews visited
the West Bank on Saturday where he met with Palestinian Minister of
Planning and Administrative Development Ali Al-Jarbawi and
reaffirmedCanada's support for the creation of Palestinian Authority
(PA) institutions. In particular, Toews expressed Canada's interest in
developing the PA judicial sector by funding the construction of courts
in Ramallah, Hebron and Tulkarem, in addition to the Sharakah
Partnership project, which will offer support to the PA Attorney
General's office. UNRWA funding was also discussed during the meeting,
with Al-Jarbawi asking for the resumption of funding to the
organization by Canada. Previously Canadian support for UNRWA reached
10 million Canadian dollars annually, but had recently been slashed.
Funds from the Canadian International Development Agency to Palestine
have also been recently re-evaluated.
Abbas
takes blame for Goldstone delay, commission says
1/9/2010 - Ramallah
- Ma'an - President Mahmoud Abbas gave the directive to change the
Palestinian stance on the Goldstone report at the UN Human Rights
Commission following a September meeting with US and Arab officials, a
report revealed Friday. The report, aired on Al-Watan TV, was the
result of months of research and interviews conducted by a commission
charged with the investigation of Palestinian leaders conduct around
the mishandling of the Goldstone report at the first UN Human Rights
Council meeting on the document in September and October. "We listened
to testimonies of President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad,
Presidential aide Nimir Hammad, chief PLO Negotiator Saeb Erekat,
Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki, PLO leader Yasser Abed Rabbo, Fatah
member Hussein Ash-Sheikh, and Palestinian representative to the UN
Ibrahim Khraisha," Palestinian Lawmaker Dr Azmi Shu'aybi, a member of
the investigation commission said in the broadcast.
Mash’al
meets with Syrian president
1/9/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an/Agencies - A Hamas delegation headed by the Islamist movement's
senior most leader Khalid Mash'al met with Syrian President Bashir
Al-Asad in Damascus on Saturday to discuss the status of the occupied
Palestinian territories. The meeting tackled the latest developments in
the Palestinian territories as reconciliation efforts between rival
factions Hamas and Fatah reached an impasse, according to Hamas
official Izzat Ar-Rashq. The conveners also addressed continuous
Israeli assaults, settlement activity, plans to Judaize Jerusalem and
divide the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in addition to the ongoing crippling siege
on the Gaza Strip. The Syrian president was briefed on the reasons for
stalemate in the reconciliation process and the amendments Hamas would
like addressed before signing the Egyptian-sponsored document.
Minister
of Prisoners’ Affairs demands release of pre-Oslo detainees
1/9/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an - Palestinian Minister of Detainees' and Prisoners' Affairs
Issa Qaraqe demanded the release of 320 prisoners detained before
ratifying the Oslo Accords in 1993, which consecutive Israeli
governments have refused to release, according to a statement issued on
Saturday. "Israeli good will towards a Palestinian prisoner release
deal would reveal the extent to which Israel's intentions are honest in
building a just peace with the Palestinians. The issue of prisoners
cannot be subject to Israeli unilateralism such as imposing conditions
and discriminatory rules," Qaraqe said. The minister noted that the
issue of Palestinian prisoners is a focal and important requirement as
outlined by President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday in his eight points to
return to negotiations with Israel, which include a halt to settlement
construction and policies carried out with the intent to separate
Jerusalem from the occupied Palestinian territories.
Haniyah
signs relief deal with Libya to support 1,000 Gazan families
1/9/2010 - Gaza -
Ma'an - De facto Prmie Minister Ismail Haniyah and a Libyan relief
delegation signed on Thursday an agreement whereby 1,000 Libyan
families will support 1,000 Palestinian families affected by Israel's
war last winter, sponsored by the Gaza Ministry of Social Affairs. "It
is not strange that Libyan people should help and stand by Palestinians
because both nations are like brothers and have real partnership.
Palestinians are still suffering from the blockade but they will be
released from it with the help of the Libyan people," said Haniyah. The
de facto prime minister's comments followed a visit on Thursday with
the Libyan delegation of the International Organization for Peace to
the Rayan family, who erected a tent on the ruins of their home in
northern Gaza, demolished by Israeli soldiers during Operation Cast
Lead.
Erekat
rejects US call to renew talks
1/9/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an/Agencies - The Palestinian Authority rejected US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton's call for the resumption of peace talks without
prerequisites, Agence France Presse and Israeli media reported on
Saturday. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat stressed that peace
talks can only be renewed on the condition that Israel realizes a
settlement standstill across the West Bank and occupied east Jerusalem.
"A resumption of peace talks requires the complete halt of
settlements," Erekat told the AFP. Negotiations, he added, could only
be reinitiated from the point at which they were stopped in December
2008, when Israel launched Operation Cast Lead. It was announced on
Friday that the US and Jordan would urge Palestinians and Israel to
discuss Jerusalem and borders - issues that have been relegated to
final status talks in previous negotiations.
Israeli
TV: Abbas, Fayyad mean to provoke Israel
1/9/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an - Israel called on the US to heed their complaints against
President Mahmoud Abbas and caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad,who
were berated for allegedly glorifying martyrdom on Israel's Channel Two
on Saturday. The complaint was broadcast following the naming of a
street after Dalal Al-Mughrabi, who led a group of Palestinian
combatants and hi-jacked an Israeli bus in Tel Aviv in 1978, which led
to clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters, and in
which 30 Israelis were killed. Al-Mughrabi and the fighters were killed
by Israeli forces. Al-Mughrabi's corpse, which remains in an Israeli
morgue, was sentenced to five life sentences. Additionally, the Israeli
channel broadcast pictures of the prime minister's recent burning of
produce and goods manufactured on illegal Israeli settlements and
calling on a Palestinian boycott of such items.
Dahlan:
Hamas is not interested in reconciliation
1/9/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an - "The interests of Hamas are not in line with reconciliation,"
Fatah member and Gaza native Mohammad Dahlan told the London-based
newspaper Al-Hayat in a report published Friday. A leading member of
the party in Gaza until shortly before the Hamas takeover in 2007, and
elected as a member of Fatah Central Committee in 2009, Dahlan spoke at
length in the report on peace efforts, and a recent move by President
Mahmoud Abbas to rally Arab support for a new round of talks. "Recent
political movements reflect some optimism towards resuming talks [with
Israel]," Dahlan told Al-Hayat, "but we cannot be too optimistic when
it has to do with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. " He
cited recent Egyptian efforts with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the
Palestinian Authority and the Quartet that "aim at forming a
consensusstance thatgoes along with the Palestinian demands. . . "
Hamas:
PA security detained 11 affiliates across West Bank
1/9/2010 - Bethlehem
- Ma'an - Palestinian Authority security services detained 11 Hamas
affiliates across the West Bank and delivered dozens of papers
demanding interviews with other members at the Nablus governorate
security offices, a statement from Hamas said on Saturday. Among those
detained, according to the statement, were Aiman Abu Sir from Nablus
and Abdul Salam Aboul Heija from Jenin. Others included: Nablus - Ayman
Abu Sir, brother of Hamas legislator Daoud Abu Siyr, Nedal Abbas
Dweikat from Balata, previously detained by Israeli forces; Qalqliya -
Bassam Yaseen, detained by PA forces for the fourth time, an
ex-prisoner of Israel, Mahmoud Sa'eed Noufal, AhmadNaseem Al-Je'eidi,
Fouad khader A'kasha, Tareq A'nabi, Mohammad Mardawi, Imad Al-Je'eidi;
Hebron - Mohammad A'yed Abu Jeheisha from Ithna, Ashraf Al- A'dem from
Beit Ula, both arrested after. . .
PA
security forces arrest three charged of robbing house in Nablus
1/9/2010 - Nablus -
Ma'an - Palestinian Authority security forces said they detained three
men charged with breaking and entering as well as theft in a Nablus
home robbery last week. The men, detained Saturday, took 1,900 Shekels
in cash, gold rings and other jewelry, as well astwo mobile phones, a
police statement on the case said. The three were transferred to the
local prosecutor for legal action to be taken against them. [end]
PA
security forces arrest 18 at Allenby bridge
1/9/2010 - Jericho-
Ma'an - Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces detained 18
Palestinians they described as "fugitives" attempting to enter Jordan
via the Allenby Bridge border crossing in Jericho on Saturday, a police
report said. "Among those wanted were people charged with fraud,
financial and criminal charges," a police report said, adding all 18
had warrants issued against them. [end]
PFLP
detainees call on Fatah and Hamas to reconcile
1/9/2010 - Ramallah
- Ma'an - In a statement released from Israeli prison on Saturday, the
leadership of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
called on Fatah and Hamas to immediately sign the Egyptian-backed
reconciliation document and to work on its implementation. "We
categorically reject the resumption of talks with Israel unless they
contain new features and are under the auspices of the UN Security
Council, through convening an international conference that would
discuss implementing the internationally legitimate resolutions
concerning the Palestinian cause. There can be no return to the
bilateral negotiations which proved a failure and useless, after two
decades of its beginning," the statement said. The imprisoned PFLP
leaders added that the Palestinian leadership, at this stage, should
reject any calls to a return to negotiations without secure guarantees,
giving. . .
As
cigarette prices jump in West Bank, smokers cut down
1/9/2010 - Ramallah
- Ma'an - Since the start of 2009, the price of cigarettes in the West
Bank climbed 50%, from an average of 9 Shekels per pack to
approximately 14 by the start of 2010. The most recent hike came
Wednesday, with the average cost of a pack climbing one shekel to 14
(from 2. 50 US dollars last year to 3. 75 this week). For many, the
jump crossed a threshold and consumers are re-evaluating how much they
smoke. Some are buying individual cigarettes rather than packs. "After
the recent rise in prices, some of my clients buy 3 cigarettes in the
morning and three others in the afternoon," one Al-Bireh shop owner
noted. "In the past, I didn't pay attention to the money I spent on
smoking. After the recent rise in prices, I worked it out and
discovered that I spend about one third of my monthly salary," a smoker
in a second shop commented with shock.
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Spokesman: Iron Dome rocket defense system won't stop resistance; 3 Qassams hit southern Israel.
Study: Gaza militants fall short trying for al-Qaida link
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Al-Qaida may be waiting for Gaza terror group to establish itself by attacking a Western target.
Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas must wait until Israel is ready
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Iron Dome defense systems will go a long way to protecting Israel's citizens, but it will take time to get them in place.
Israel to UN: Investigate bomb cache in Lebanon
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - UNIFIL discovered explosives near Israel border last week; thought to belong to Hezbollah.
Will IDF insignia be 'Made in China'?
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Israeli factory: Conflict-area families will lose their livelihoods, national pride is injured.
Israel hits Gaza for second time in 24 hours after mortar barrage
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Explosions rock Gaza City, Khan Younis and Rafah; medics: Three Palestinians killed in the attacks.
Ahmadinejad: Iran and Syria will create a new world order
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Report: Syria President Assad urges Washington to play a stronger role in Mideast peacemaking.
Galloway-led aid convoy enters Gaza following border strife
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Border crossing remains open another day to allow Palestinians stranded on either side to cross.
Are IDF dogs trained to pounce all who say 'God is great' in Arabic?
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Following expose, MK Ahmed Tibi tells Knesset plenum: 'I say here Allah Hu Akbar. Any dogs here to attack me?'
Report: Al-Qaida CIA bomber was furious over Gaza war
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Al-Quds Al-Arabi: Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi made numerous attempts to join Gaza aid group.
UNIFIL peacekeepers find bombs buried near Israel border
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Bombs believed to have been buried in southern Lebanon by Hezbollah to strike at IDF troops.
Iron Dome may be ready, but Gaza front is still in danger
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Defense establishment aces trial of barrage interception; IDF to deploy Gaza rocket interceptor by June.
Israel to deploy Gaza rocket interceptor by June
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Defense establishment aces trial of barrage interception, marking end to Iron Dome development period.
IDF urges Negev residents: Get ready, Gaza quiet may not last
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - GOC Southern Command says IDF prepared to face any tensions, saying calm along border could be temporary.
How did an Al-Qaida double agent dupe the CIA?
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Seven Americans and one Jordanian were killed in a suicide bombing last week on a CIA base.
IDF to seek legal advice during future conflicts
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Policy change comes after international criticism of IDF conduct during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza.
Palestinians: Israeli strike kills Gaza militant
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Medics and a Palestinian militant group said four others were wounded in the strike on central Gaza.
Israel airport now testing 'self-check' security system
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - El Al frequent flyers are first group to use biometric system, meant to replace question-answer security method.
IDF to blanket Israel with gas masks
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Home Front Command to distribute protection kits to all civilians, rather than planned 60%, starting February.
Be'er Sheva police call off terror alert
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Two suspects carrying suspicious bag detained for questioning; shots apparently fired during arrest.
Moshe
Halbertal and the Goldstone Report
Uruknet January 9,
2010 - ...I begin here with Moshe Halbertal's attack on the Goldstone
Commission ("The Goldstone Illusion") in the November 6th issue of New
Republic. Halbertal is a Harvard PhD, a professor of Jewish thought and
philosophy at Hebrew University, the author of a number of books on
those subjects, and a former visiting professor at Harvard Law
School....
Q&A:
Attack on Karrubi Was a "Coordinated Effort" Omid Memarian interviews
HUSSEIN KARRUBI, son of Mehdi Karrubi
Uruknet January 9,
2010 - Hussein Karrubi, the son of Iranian opposition figure Mehdi
Karrubi, whose car was struck by two bullets on Thursday in Qazvin, a
city near Tehran, tells IPS the Islamic Republic is trying to silence
and intimidate his father. Many analysts believe that the escalating
attacks by security forces on opposition figures could push the popular
protests,...
Impressions
of Israeli Executions in the West Bank
Uruknet January 9,
2010 - ...Ala explained that there had been three distinct
"termination" operations conducted by the Israeli Special Forces. The
operations had been well coordinated, taking place between 2:00 and
4:00 AM, in three different houses within 2 kilometers of each other.
Ala had already taken down preliminary testimony from the neighbors. In
accordance with Muslim customs, the funerals...
Video:
IsraHell for you, Ethnic Cleansing Live
Uruknet January 9,
2009 - Israeli TV, a glimpse into Jewish tolerance. Bare in mind that
this is Israel National TV's 5 pm News. The elder Israeli presenter is
Dan Margalit, a leading Israeli Journalist and a devoted servant of
every Israeli government and War Criminal leaders in the last four
decades (Rabin, Peres, Sharon, Netanyahu, Olmert, Livni and Barak)..
Egypt
bans Gaza aid convoys
Uruknet January 9,
2010 - Egyptian authorities have announced that all aid convoys
travelling to Gaza will be banned from travelling across Egypt after a
riot broke out at the Rafah border crossing earlier in the week. Ahmed
Abul Gheit, Egypt's foreign minister, said in remarks published on
Saturday that members of Viva Palestina, the last convoy allowed
through, had "committed...
Gaza:
struggle for freedom
Uruknet January 9,
2010 - On the return to Gaza from visiting families living in tents and
other families whose lives have been dramatically altered by the
Israeli war on Gaza, the taxi driver nonchalantly shares his own
problems. "My son is 18 and deaf. He went to a school for the deaf and,
thankfully, got an education. But after high...
Alternative
Medicine Flourishes in Sealed-off Gaza
Uruknet January 9,
2010 - Spices and herbs section in Gaza city's al-Zaweya (the corner)
market is always crowded with people seeking alternative therapies due
to a suffocating Israeli blockade and its ensuing effects on the
impoverished coastal strip's medical facilities. A hole-in-the-wall
store with tens of bottles standing on wooden shelves, Ali Muhissen's
shop is the destination of many patients...
IOA:
50,000 Palestinian Jerusalemites to remain outside Jerusalem
Uruknet January 9,
2010 - The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has decided that all
Palestinians living outside the separation wall that isolated eastern
Jerusalem from the West Bank would not be considered inhabitants of the
holy city. Hebrew daily Ha'aretz quoted an official responsible for
eastern Jerusalem affairs in the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem
municipality as saying that those people, although owning the...
More
than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners suffering chronic diseases in IOA jails
Uruknet January 9,
2010 - The Ahrar center for prisoners' studies and rights said that the
year 2009 was full of Israeli violations of Palestinian prisoners'
rights especially the patients. Fuad Al-Khafsh, the director of the
center, said in a statement on Friday that the Israeli occupation
authority (IOA) delays the treatment of many prisoners especially those
suffering chronic diseases. He...
Nidal:
A 10-year-old Victime of Israel´s Aggression
Uruknet January 9,
2010 - "Prior to the December 27 to January 18 Israeli massacre of
Gaza--during which Israel used its power as the 4th largest military,
unleashing an arsenal of F-16 bombing, Apache and tank shelling and
machine gun fire, shelling from Israeli warships in Gaza's sea,
bulldozing and explosive-- Nidal was a normal boy of 10 years. He
ran,...
Deported
BU student to receive degree in Gaza
Uruknet January 9,
2010 - Finishing her classes over the phone and e-mail, Berlanty Azzam,
pulled out of a car, handcuffed, blindfolded and deported from the West
Bank to Gaza in October, will be awarded her degree on Sunday,
officials from Bethlehem University announced. In a statement issued
Saturday, the university said a Sunday mass in Gaza's Church of the
Holy...
PFLP
detainees call on Fatah and Hamas to reconcile
Uruknet January 9,
2010 – In a statement released from Israeli prison on Saturday, the
leadership of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
called on Fatah and Hamas to immediately sign the Egyptian-backed
reconciliation document and to work on its implementation. "We
categorically reject the resumption of talks with Israel unless they
contain new features and are under...
Palestine, January 9, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Defence for Children International/Palestine Section (DCI/PS) on Wednesday submitted 13 cases to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture for investigation. The cases relate to the ill-treatment, and in some cases torture, of Palestinian children being held at the notorious Al Jalame Interrogation and Detention Centre near Haifa, in Israel, between February 2008 and...
Children Suffer The Most As A Result Of The Siege On Gaza, by Ayman Quader in Gaza
Gaza, January 9, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - This is the story of Mahi abu Zer, 14 years old, living in a very marginalized area called the Qarah district, Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip. His father was killed leaving the family in dire need of support.
Israeli troops training for new Gaza war
Palestine, January 8, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli forces completed a large-scale military drill in the Negev, the country's Channel 10 news reported, preparing troops for a military offensive against the Gaza Strip. The report, aired Tuesday evening, speculated that the training could even be seen as preparation for a re-occupation of the area. Drills during the training reportedly focused...
Breaking News: 3 civilians killed in Gaza as Israel strikes food-tunnels
South Gaza, January 8, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- Following the extensive Israeli attacks across Gaza Strip, Israeli air force launched a number of air raids against the food tunnels with Egypt. Medical sources reported that 2 civilians killed and a number injured in the heavy bombardment.
Viva Palestina Arrives in Gaza
Gaza, January 7, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Viva Palestina aid convoy entered Gaza Wednesday night, after it received the approval of Egyptian authorities to bring into the besieged, impoverished coastal sliver several tons of humanitarian supplies. More than 500 international activists accompanying the convoy organized by the British-based group Viva Palestina entered Gaza through Rafah border crossing. The Egyptian approval...
The National 8 Jan 2010 - With two thirds of the goods on sale being imports, and the perception that Israeli products are better, encouraging Palestinians to buy local is no easy task.
PLO rejects latest peace effort
The National 9 Jan 2010 - A bid by the US to bring Palestinians and Israelis back to the negotiating table fails on a demand for a full settlement freeze.
AlJazeera 9 Jan 2010 - No convoys to be allowed passage in future following clashes over Viva Palestina.
Iran leader urges action over riots
AlJazeera 9 Jan 2010 - Ayatollah Khamenei calls on security forces to deal firmly with protesters.
Egypt holds Copt killing suspects
AlJazeera 8 Jan 2010 - Three people arrested over shooting outside a church in south of the country.
Israeli air raids kill Gazans
AlJazeera 8 Jan 2010 - Jets hit several targets after rockets from Palestinian territory hit Israel.
Alternative Information Center
Accountability Now! A Symposium on Human Rights and International JusticeAlternative Information Center 9 Jan 2010 - Al-Quds University Al-Quds Human Rights Clinic Cordially invite you to: Accountability Now! A Symposium on Human Rights and International Justice Tuesday, 12th January 2010 2-4pm, Main Theater, Abu Dis Campus, Al-Quds University On occasion of the...
Amnesty International: Israeli Detention of Palestinian Activists Must End
Alternative Information Center 8 Jan 2010 - The Israeli authorities must immediately release, or bring before a fair trial, three Palestinian human rights activists detained in Israel following their protests against the construction of the West Bank fence/wall, Amnesty International said on Friday....
Israeli Soldiers Attack and Injure Palestinian Shepherds; Arrest Musab Raba'i
Alternative Information Center 8 Jan 2010 - At-Tuwani: On the morning of Thursday 7 January, 2010, Israeli soldiers attacked and injured Palestinian shepherds from the Musa Raba'i family, as they grazed their sheep in Humra valley, near the village of At-Tuwani in the...
PNN 9 Jan 2010 - The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged Palestinians and Israelis to resume peace talks as soon as possible and without preconditions. The call comes as the Israeli prime minister held talks in Egypt, and the Saudi foreign minister was in Syria. Mrs Clinton said that if the border issues for a Palestinian state were resolved, that would iron out differences...
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jan 2010 - Barak would have let rebels leave legally had Paz- Pines stayed; rebel's resignation to take effect Sun.
US Consulate sued by former employee
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jan 2010 - Exclusive: Azam Qiq fired in 2006 after employers discovered his father was J'lem Hamas chief.
Hamas: Egypt has declared war on us
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jan 2010 - Cairo demands public apology over last week's violent protests along the Sinai-Gaza border.
IDF may use electric cars to cut costs
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jan 2010 - Better Place, co-led by former dep. chief of staff Moshe Kaplinsky, plans to begin selling in 2011.
Eiland calls to establish 'US of Jordan'
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jan 2010 - Fmr. nat'l security adviser's vision of Jordan would include East Bank, W. Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Hamas dismisses PM's Schalit comments
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jan 2010 - Group sources tell Arab paper Netanyahu's words on 'no further flexibility' are for Israeli ears only.
Egyptian imams launch attack on Hamas
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jan 2010 - Mosques across the nation, reportedly under gov't orders, condemn group over killing of border guard.
'Iran won't genuflect before the world'
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jan 2010 - Ahmadinejad says Teheran will not back down on nuke program; wants reparations for WWII invasion.
'Saudi Arabia wants Abbas to meet Mashaal in Syria'
Jeruslalem Post 9 Jan 2010 - TV report: Riyadh wants to press Palestinians into reconciliation; Syria also looking to reunite Hamas, Fatah; Gazans said to fear new IDF incursion.
IPS RAMALLAH, Jan 8 (IPS) - Israel’s bid to keep occupied East Jerusalem under its sovereignty and prevent its incorporation into a future Palestinian state has been boosted over the years with the acquiescence of the Greek Orthodox Church.
MIDEAST: Route May Open, But Not to Peace
IPS ROUTE 443, Occupied West Bank, Jan 8 (IPS) - Just beyond the main Israeli checkpoint, ten kilometres short of Jerusalem, a white Nissan station wagon is abruptly edging to the side of the road. It comes to a halt on the shoulder.
MIDEAST: 'Prince of Peace' - Obama or Netanyahu?
IPS JERUSALEM, Jan 1 (IPS) - United States President Barack Obama’s intended broad Mideast policies are running into the complexities of peacemaking - especially after the ‘Prince of Peace’ began insisting on the necessity of, sometimes, fighting for peace.
ECONOMY-JORDAN: Dubai Crisis Casts Shadow On 2010
IPS AMMAN, Jan 8 (IPS) - Surrounded by oil-rich nations Jordan has been able to make do with its modest resources over the years. In 2010, however, the country will have to face challenges associated with global economic slowdown and the crisis in Dubai.
PCHR
International Solidarity Movement
Three injuries at weekly demonstration in Bil’in1/10/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - 8 January - Three residents were injured today in Bil'in along with dozens who suffered gas inhalation in a protest against the Wall and settlement building. The demonstration was called by the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Bil'in and was joined by residents of Bil'in, and international and Israeli activists. The protesters carried posters and banners calling to end the occupation, stop settlement building, stop detention and end the siege on Gaza. The protest marched toward the Wall, where an Israeli military unit was located behind blocks of cement. The army had earlier closed the gate in the Wall with razor wire. When the protesters attempted to reach the land confiscated behind the Wall, the army fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Journalist Abbas Al-Momani and Rateb Abu Rahmah, a member of the Popular Committee, were each hit with tear gas canisters in their heads.
Israeli detention of Palestinian activists must end
1/9/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Amnesty International - The Israeli authorities must immediately release, or bring before a fair trial, three Palestinian human rights activists detained in Israel following their protests against the construction of the West Bank fence/wall, Amnesty International said on Friday. In a letter sent to Ehud Barak, Israeli Defence and Deputy Prime Minister on Thursday, Amnesty International expressed concern that Jamal Juma', Abdallah Abu Rahma and Mohammed Othman were prisoners of conscience, held for legitimately voicing their opposition to the fence/wall. "These men have all been involved in campaigning against the building of this construction, much of it on the land of the occupied West Bank, and we fear that this is the real reason for their imprisonment," said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme.
Israeli Apartheid Video Contest
1/9/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Put your ideas and convictions on film! - itISapartheid. org, in partnership with Stop the Wall, announce the first international Israeli Apartheid Video Contest - As part of the colonial conflict in Palestine, Israel has instituted a policy of apartheid that separates Palestinians from Israelis and Palestinians from each other, creating an oppressive and racially discriminatory system. It denies basic Palestinian rights to land, education, movement, and housing while devastating the economy, trying to undermine civil society, and forcing continuous displacement upon the majority of Palestinians. You are invited to submit short [less than 5 minutes] videos on the theme of Israeli Apartheid. Videos should reflect the nature, realities, and/or consequences of the apartheid policy in Israel, in the occupied West Bank and Gaza and against Palestinian refugees in the diaspora. -- Link: Put your ideas and convictions on film!
A message of non-violent resistance from within Israeli prison
1/9/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Majida Abu Rahmah, The Huffington Post - On Tuesday, January 5, I attended the trial of my husband Abdallah Abu Rahmah in an Israeli military detention camp. Ofer Military Base is a dark and dehumanizing place, but I was happy to go there because it meant that I would finally see my husband. I joined my friend Fatima, wife of Adib Abu Rahmah in the crowd of families waiting outside the gates of the base hoping to be admitted. Fatima's husband is another committed nonviolent activist from Bil'in who, like my husband, is being accused of incitement, that is, of encouraging demonstrations against the Wall. Adib and Fatima have nine children. He has been in detention for over six months now. Diplomats from the US, Germany, Sweden and Spain who know Abdallah also came to support him. Just one month ago these diplomats had visited Abdullah in Bil'in and had seen. . .
Your Palestinian Gandhis exist… in graves and prisons
1/10/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Alison Weir, Counterpunch - Dear Bono, In your recent column in the New York Times, " Ten for the Next Ten," you wrote: "I'll place my hopes on the possibility "” however remote at the moment "” that…people in places filled with rage and despair, places like the Palestinian territories, will in the days ahead find among them their Gandhi, their King, their Aung San Suu Kyi. "Your hope has already been fulfilled in the Palestinian territories. Unfortunately, these Palestinian Gandhis and Kings are being killed and imprisoned. On the day that your op-ed appeared hoping for such leaders, three were languishing in Israeli prisons. No one knows how long they will be held, nor under what conditions; torture is common in Israeli prisons. At least 19 Palestinians have been killed in the last six years alone during nonviolent demonstrations against Israel's. . .
ANALYSIS / Egypt-Hamas tension is jeopardizing Shalit deal
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - George Galloway, the British parliamentarian who was declared persona non grata Friday in Egypt and forced to leave the country, is old news from Israel's perspective. Veteran intelligence hands remember a younger version of Galloway visiting the Palestinian territories since the late 1970s, issuing passionate calls of support for the Palestine Liberation Organization and scarcely hiding his antipathy toward Israel. ...
Would limiting Israel's nuclear arsenal help block Iran's atomic aims?
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - In the war on international jihad, both organized and individual, the American security establishment suffered three heavy blows in the course of a few weeks. Twelve soldiers were murdered at the Fort Hood base by Muslim psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, there was the attempted suicide bombing of Northwest-Delta Flight 253 to Detroit, and seven CIA operatives were killed by a double agent run by Jordanian intelligence. In each of the three incidents the attacks' planners penetrated an American target - military bases and an airline. ...
Israeli firm blasted for letting would-be plane bomber slip through
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - The Israeli firm, ICTS, and two of its subsidiaries are at the crux of an international investigation in recent days, as experts try to pinpoint the reasons for the security failure that enabled Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to board Northwest flight 253 and attempt to set alight explosives hidden in his underwear. ...
U.S.-Arab arms deals undermine IDF superiority
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - The Bush administration violated security related agreements with Israel in which the U.S. promised to preserve the IDF's qualitative edge over Arab armies, according to senior officials in the Obama administration and Israel. ...
Israel: Palestinians to blame for stalled peace talks
Ha'aretz 10 Jan 2010 - Senior Jerusalem sources on Saturday said Palestinians are refusing to renew peace talks with Israel, despite gestures Israel has made to lure them back to the negotiating table. ...
The Guardian 8 Jan 2010 - The start of the new year brought reports of the usual incomplete and confusing government messages over Israel and Palestine. On the one hand, our attorney general was lecturing at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem ( Israeli...
'A bunch of dead muscles, thinking'
The Guardian 8 Jan 2010 - Motor neurone disease has left the historian Tony Judt quadriplegic and, he tells Ed Pilkington, has forced him to think about what it really means to be human. The result is an astonishing series of essays...
George Galloway deported from Egypt
The Guardian 8 Jan 2010 - Respect MP has spent past month travelling from London to deliver aid and supplies to Gaza Strip George Galloway was today deported from Egypt after plainclothes police officers refused him re-entry into the Gaza Strip and...
Terror is the price of support for despots and dictators | Seumas Milne
The Guardian 8 Jan 2010 - Egypt's complicity in Gaza's siege underlines the role of western support for such regimes in the spread of war If an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor had gone on hunger strike in support of a besieged people in...
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - In an unusual ruling, the High Court of Justice ordered the state late last week to evaluate the degree to which the life of a young Palestinian is at risk, in part because of his sexual orientation. The Palestinian is asking for permission to remain in Israel because he fears for his life if he is expelled to the Palestinian Authority. ...
Haifa court extends remand for guard suspected of killing friend
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - A Haifa court on Saturday extended the remand by six days for a 23-year-old man accused of fatally shooting his friend on Friday in Kiryat Haim, near Haifa. ...
Israel basks in heatwave as Europe freezes
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Israelis headed for the beach at the weekend to enjoy a winter heatwave, with temperatures rising into the high 20s Celsius (high 70s Fahrenheit) as much of northern Europe shivered in a cold snap. ...
Gaza militants fire 3 Qassam rockets into southern Israel
Ha'aretz 9 Jan 2010 - Three Qassam rockets were fired from the Gaza strip into southern Israel over the weekend. ...
Israel takes hummus world record
Ha'aretz 8 Jan 2010 - Israel has taken the upper hand in a new kind of Mideast conflict, one in which bullets are replaced by chickpeas. ...
Relief Web 9 Jan 2010 - Source: Xinhua
US urges new Mideast peace talks, focus on borders
Relief Web 9 Jan 2010 - Source: Reuters - AlertNet
Aboul Gheit from Washington: Consultations on establishing a new mechanism to regulate the transfer of aid to the Palestinian people
Relief Web 8 Jan 2010 - Source: Government of Egypt
Letter dated 31 December 2009 from the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (A/ES-10/473–S/2010/1)
Relief Web 8 Jan 2010 - Source: UN General Assembly, UN Security Council
OPT - Cast Lead Aggression 1st Anniversary, Day 13: Child Human Shields
Relief Web 8 Jan 2010 - Source: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Israeli detention of Palestinian activists must end
Relief Web 8 Jan 2010 - Source: Amnesty
YNet News 9 Jan 2010 - Community relocation deals finalized, PM's Office says; Bibi lauds progress, says he aims to correct injustice
Assad, Mashaal discuss 'Gaza tragedy'
YNet News 9 Jan 2010 - Syrian president hosts Hamas leader in Damascus Saturday, two leaders discuss Palestinian situation
Report: Hezbollah funded by drug trade
YNet News 9 Jan 2010 - Drug dealers on behalf of Hezbollah transfer millions to Lebanese group via European narcotics transactions, Der Spiegel says; two Lebanese suspects detained in Germany after authorities seize large sums in cash
Iran wants World War II reparations
YNet News 9 Jan 2010 - Team assigned to calculate all damages inflicted on Iran in WWII, Ahmadinejad says
Iran's Ahmadinejad dismisses nuclear sanctions
YNet News 9 Jan 2010 - Islamic Republic's president says it won't back down 'one iota' in face of western pressure over its nuclear program. 'They think Iranians will fall on their knees over these things but they are mistaken,' he says
Hamas downplays Netanyahu remarks on prisoner swap
YNet News 9 Jan 2010 - Islamist group source tells Al-Quds Al-Arabi PM's statement that Israeli offer for Shalit is the last of its kind 'meant for Israeli press'
Egyptian mosques, press berate Hamas
YNet News 9 Jan 2010 - In wake of Egyptian soldier's death at hands of Palestinian sniper during protest against delay of aid convoy's entry to Gaza, imams say Hamas to blame for blockade on Strip, its leaders 'want to stay in power even at cost of their people's starvation'. Op-ed: Killing Egyptians won't liberate Palestine
Islamic Jihad: Israel wants another war
YNet News 9 Jan 2010 - Spokesman for terror group's armed wing says, 'Occupation trying to provoke the resistance,' adding that Israel's Iron Dome rocket-intercepting system 'can't stop our projectiles'
Daily Star 9 Jan 2010 Israel launched a series of air strikes on the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing three Palestinians and wounding another, medical workers said. The Israeli army said it had launched four raids after a dozen mortar bombs and a rocket fired from the territory struck Israel, where no injuries were reported. Explosions rocked Gaza City, Khan Younis and Rafah.
Borders top agenda in new US approach to Mideast peace
Daily Star 9 Jan 2010 The US and Jordan laid out a new tack in Mideast peace efforts on Friday, pressing Israel and the Palestinians to tackle the tough issues of borders for a Palestinian state and the status of Jerusalem before addressing other obstacles. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said that dealing with those matters.
Gunmen open fire at Iranian opposition leader Karroubi
Daily Star 9 Jan 2010 Armed pro-government demonstrators opened fire on the car of an Iranian opposition leader shattering its windows, his website reported Friday. Sahamnews said the shooting happened late Thursday while former presidential candidate Mahdi Karroubi was leaving a building in Qazvin, some 140 kilometers west of Tehran.
Yemen arrests three suspected Al-Qaeda men
Daily Star 9 Jan 2010 Yemeni security forces have arrested three suspected Al-Qaeda militants, including two leading members, in the province of Marib, the Interior Ministry said on Friday. A statement on the ministry website said security forces chasing Al-Qaeda militants in the province on Thursday arrested a 25-year-old man, identified only as WJ, who is suspected of being a member of the group.
China helps Iran to purchase Taiwanese nuclear equipment
Daily Star 9 Jan 2010 A Taiwanese company agreed to a request from a Chinese company to procure sensitive components with nuclear uses, then shipped them to Iran, the firm's head said Friday. Such transactions violate UN sanctions imposed on the Middle Eastern nation.
Amnesty urges Israel to release or try three Palestinians
Daily Star 9 Jan 2010 Human rights group Amnesty International urged Israel on Friday to release or fairly try three Palestinian jailed for protesting against the West Bank separation barrier. The three, two of whom are held without charges, may be "prisoners of conscience, held for legitimately voicing their opposition to the fence/wall," Amnesty said in a letter to Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Egypt arrests Christmas murder suspects
Daily Star 9 Jan 2010 The three suspects in a drive-by shooting on Christmas Eve that killed six Christians in southern Egypt gave themselves up to police Friday after being surrounded by security forces, the state media reported. Egyptian security forces blanketed the areas between the village of Farshout and the town of Naga Hamadi, where the shooting occurred.
Iraqis are finally on the right path
Daily Star 9 Jan 2010 It is clear that Iraq is heading in the right direction. I saw that for myself when I visited Basra, Baghdad and Arbil at the end of December. I saw and heard from Iraqi people how normality is slowly but surely returning to their lives and how day by day the security situation is improving.
'Buck stops with me,' Obama says of airline attack attempt
Daily Star 9 Jan 2010 Hundreds of law enforcement officers are being trained as federal air marshals to ramp up security as the Obama administration tries to prevent a repeat of the near-catastrophic attempt to blow up an airliner bound for Detroit on Christmas Day.
Palestinian Information Center
Khudari invites donor institutions to open offices in GazaPIC 9 Jan 2010 - MP Jamal Al-Khudari has urged donor institutions to open offices in the Gaza Strip to boost the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in face of the Israeli siege.
Palestinian farmer seriously wounded in IOF shelling
PIC 9 Jan 2010 - A Palestinian farmer was seriously wounded on Saturday when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) shelled residential neighborhoods and farms east of Breij refugee camp in central Gaza.
IOA: 50,000 Palestinian Jerusalemites to remain outside Jerusalem
PIC 9 Jan 2010 - The IOA has decided that all Palestinians living outside the separation wall that isolated eastern Jerusalem from the West Bank would not be considered inhabitants of the holy city.
Egypt allows travel of all Lifeline convoy members after holdup
PIC 9 Jan 2010 - The Egyptian authorities allowed the travel of all members of the Lifeline-3 convoy following a last moment hitch at the Cairo international airport, Zaher Al-Beirawi, the convoy's spokesman, said.
Mishaal confers with Assad on Palestinian developments
PIC 9 Jan 2010 - Khaled Mishaal, the head of the political bureau of Hamas Movement, conferred on Saturday with Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad on a number of Palestinian issues.
Israeli court to pass verdict in Sheikh Salah's case
PIC 9 Jan 2010 - Sheikh Raed Salah is to attend a hearing next Wednesday in Jerusalem that would pass a verdict in the case filed against him for his alleged role in the Maghareba gate events in 2007.
Hamas asks Palestinian forces to confront Abbas attempt to return to negotiation
PIC 9 Jan 2010 - Hamas has warned of the seriousness of ideas being circulated by the Ramallah authority topped by former PA chief Mahmoud Abbas on the return to negotiations with the IOA.
Turkish writer: Obstacles in face of aid convoy had positive impact
PIC 9 Jan 2010 - Turkish writer Ahmet Varol has expressed his delight for visiting Gaza as member of the international aid convoy Lifeline-3, adding that obstacles left positive impact on its members.
18 wounded in IOF quelling of five anti wall marches
PIC 9 Jan 2010 - The IOF used force to quell five peaceful marches organized in five villages in the West Bank to protest the IOA construction of the separation wall that confiscated vast areas of Palestinian lands.
Abul Ghait declares new rules for passage of aid convoys to Gaza
PIC 9 Jan 2010 - The Egyptian foreign minister has lashed out at the organizes of the aid convoys to Gaza and set new rules by which those convoys could be allowed to enter Gaza through Egyptian territory.
LA Times 9 Jan 2010 - Israelis and Palestinians point to a weak, fractured Palestinian leadership that has disavowed violence, the tight Israeli control and a budding West Bank economy that discourages a new intifada. Born in a refugee camp in this restive West Bank city, Ammar Arafat threw his first stone at 13. At 15, he was jailed for scaling the fence at an Israeli military camp with explosives under his shirt. Upon release, he took up arms again and landed back in prison.
Iran's supreme leader tells militias not to meddle, but Basiji leader warns protesters
LA Times 9 Jan 2010 - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attempts to ease tensions while Brig. Gen. Mohammad-Reza Naghdi says his forces are prepared to clamp down on the opposition movement. Iran's supreme leader Saturday warned shadowy pro-government militias not to interfere in the nation's postelection unrest even as the head of the notorious Basiji militia warned that his forces would "jump into the fray" if authorities don't act strongly against the opposition movement.
In Iran, opposition appears to spread into heartland
LA Times 9 Jan 2010 - Though organizing opposition to the government is more difficult in smaller locales that don't afford the anonymity of Tehran, activists in the provinces say they're making progress. Mohammad knew he had to be careful in approaching his old classmate Hamed, the one from the conservative Iranian family. They come from a small city, after all, and word gets around.
Palestinian attacks test Israel's quick-retaliation policy
LA Times 9 Jan 2010 - Israeli military planes target Gaza sites in response to mortar and rocket strikes a day earlier. It's unclear whether the strategy will prevent more violence, analysts say. A recent spate of cross- border and mortar attacks by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip -- the worst in a year -- is testing Israel's resolve to strike back hard against such provocation. But it remains to be seen whether the get-tough approach will hinder or escalate violence, analysts and officials said Friday.
Iran opposition leader Karroubi survives shooting, son says
LA Times 9 Jan 2010 - A raucous crowd of Basiji militiamen in Qazvin attacked Mehdi Karroubi's vehicle, firing at it twice, his son Hossein says. The son of Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi on Friday accused hard-line pro-government militiamen and Revolutionary Guard members of trying to assassinate his father a night earlier.
How an Iranian immigrant family's journey of hope ended in heartbreak
LA Times 8 Jan 2010 - A South Pasadena couple whose son, Aydin Salek, died unexpectedly thought of returning to Iran in the aftermath. But they decided to stay to honor his passion for America. They awoke from the nightmare to find things were the same in the light of day.
Clinton urges Israel, Palestinians to plunge into talks
LA Times 9 Jan 2010 - Secretary of State suggests tackling the big issues, such as future borders and the status of Jerusalem, to help resolve the hurdle of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday urged Palestinians and Israelis to plunge into negotiations over the most difficult issues dividing them as a way of breaking an impasse in peace talks.
New York Times 9 Jan 2010 - Sectarian violence in Egypt between Muslims and Christians is rare, but disputes over issues including land or women occasionally erupt.
Shots Fired at Iran Opposition Leader’s Car, Son Says
New York Times 9 Jan 2010 - The reported attack on Mehdi Karroubi, Iran’s most outspoken opposition leader, took place in Qazvin, where he had traveled to attend a funeral for protesters.
World Briefing | Middle East: Egypt: Suspects in Shooting at Coptic Church Surrender
New York Times 9 Jan 2010 - Three suspects in a drive-by shooting that killed six Christians in southern Egypt surrendered to the police on Friday.
World Briefing | Middle East: Gaza: Israeli Airstrikes Kill 3
New York Times 9 Jan 2010 - The strikes came in retaliation for a rocket and mortar barrage launched into Israel on Thursday.
Claim That Attack on Opposition Figure in Iran Was Staged
New York Times 8 Jan 2010 - Opposition supporters claimed that an Iranian news organization with close ties to the Revolutionary Guard had helped to stage an attack on Mehdi Karroubi, an outspoken opposition figure.
World Briefing | Middle East: Israel: New Attacks Traded With Gaza
New York Times 8 Jan 2010 - Israel launched several airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least one Palestinian and wounding another, medical workers and the Islamist group Hamas said.
Palestine Monitor - 9 Jan 2010 - The Palestine Monitor has been following the situation in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, since 2008. As some residents face evictions to make way for Jewish settlers, a solidarity movement originally consisting of a handful of Israeli and international activists has grown into a weekly protest where...
Sailing A Liferaft Into Gaza
Palestine Monitor - 9 Jan 2010 - As I write this, I am still in Cairo. The Gaza Freedom March is officially over…most delegates flew home Jan. 3-5. There are about 30 of us “die-hards” – individuals who have the flexibility to try to wait out the Egyptian government and the dedication/commitment to...
‘Take me back to my homeland, even as a rose’
Mondoweiss - 9 Jan 2010 - Today in Israel, a center for culture and science, medicine and high tech, religious revival and literature, famous nature reserves and gorgeous beaches, I learned how to step across coils of barbed wire. It is critical to walk cautiously, to place your foot firmly at the...
One vision for one state in Israel/Palestine
Mondoweiss - 9 Jan 2010 - As a proponent of the one-state solution for Palestine/Israel, I feel a responsibility for describing my vision of that state. It’s not enough to tell other Palestinians that they will never see their ethnically pure Palestinian state, and to explain to Israelis that their state is...
History and Hebron
Mondoweiss - 9 Jan 2010 - History and Hebron (Hebron photo credit: Michael Ratner) Of course in Germany the stars were placed to discourage if not end commerce to a Jewish shop; in Hebron they are placed to assert the closing of a Palestinian store and its “ownership” by the Jews of...
Henry Siegman: Israel is ‘the only apartheid regime in the Western world’
Mondoweiss - 8 Jan 2010 - This is from Henry Siegman in The Nation . Just a reminder, Siegman was Executive Director of the American Jewish Congress from 1978 to 1994, and is now connected to the Council on Foreign Relations. If there’s ever been a sign the times are changing. Siegman: Israel’s...
Guerrilla ad campaign protests Pacific Gas & Electric’s link to Israeli company
Mondoweiss - 8 Jan 2010 - Pacific Gas & Electric advertisement before (left) and after (right) An ad campaign of sorts ran in Berkeley and San Francisco at the end of 2009 drawing attention to Pacific Gas & Electric’s relationship with the Israeli company Solel and the growing BDS movement . Several of...
Accountability Now! A Symposium on Human Rights and International Justice
Alternative Information Center - 9 Jan 2010 - Al-Quds University Al-Quds Human Rights Clinic Cordially invite you to: Accountability Now! A Symposium on Human Rights and International Justice Tuesday, 12th January 2010 2-4pm, Main Theater, Abu Dis Campus, Al-Quds University On occasion of the one year anniversary of Israel’s 22-day-long offensive on the Gaza...
Amnesty International: Israeli Detention of Palestinian Activists Must End
Alternative Information Center - 8 Jan 2010 - The Israeli authorities must immediately release, or bring before a fair trial, three Palestinian human rights activists detained in Israel following their protests against the construction of the West Bank fence/wall, Amnesty International said on Friday. In a letter sent to Ehud Barak, Israeli Defence and...
Israeli Soldiers Attack and Injure Palestinian Shepherds; Arrest Musab Raba'i
Alternative Information Center - 8 Jan 2010 - At-Tuwani: On the morning of Thursday 7 January, 2010, Israeli soldiers attacked and injured Palestinian shepherds from the Musa Raba'i family, as they grazed their sheep in Humra valley, near the village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills. The soldiers also attacked the internationals accompanying...
Articles
Imposing Middle East Peace
Henry Siegman, The Nation 1/8/2010
January 25, 2010 edition of The Nation
Israel’s relentless drive to establish "facts on the ground" in the occupied West Bank, a drive that continues in violation of even the limited settlement freeze to which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu committed himself, seems finally to have succeeded in locking in the irreversibility of its colonial project. As a result of that "achievement," one that successive Israeli governments have long sought in order to preclude the possibility of a two-state solution, Israel has crossed the threshold from "the only democracy in the Middle East" to the only apartheid regime in the Western world.
The inevitability of such a transformation has been held out not by "Israel bashers" but by the country’s own leaders. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon referred to that danger, as did Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who warned that Israel could not escape turning into an apartheid state if it did not relinquish "almost all the territories, if not all," including the Arab parts of East Jerusalem.
Olmert ridiculed Israeli defense strategists who, he said, had learned nothing from past experiences and were stuck in the mindset of the 1948 war of independence. "With them, it is all about tanks and land and controlling territories and controlled territories and this hilltop and that hilltop," he said. "All these things are worthless. Who thinks seriously that if we sit on another hilltop, on another hundred meters, that this is what will make the difference for the State of Israel’s basic security?"
It is now widely recognized in most Israeli circles--although denied by Israel’s government--that the settlements have become so widespread and so deeply implanted in the West Bank as to rule out the possibility of their removal (except for a few isolated and sparsely populated ones) by this or any future Israeli government unless compelled to do so by international intervention, an eventuality until now considered entirely unlikely. more.. e-mail
A Message of Non-Violent Resistance From Within Israeli Prison
Majida Abu Rahmah, Huffington Post 1/9/2010
On Tuesday, January 5, I attended the trial of my husband Abdallah Abu Rahmah in an Israeli military detention camp. Ofer Military Base is a dark and dehumanizing place, but I was happy to go there because it meant that I would finally see my husband.
I joined my friend Fatima, wife of Adib Abu Rahmah in the crowd of families waiting outside the gates of the base hoping to be admitted. Fatima’s husband is another committed nonviolent activist from Bil’in who, like my husband, is being accused of incitement, that is, of encouraging demonstrations against the Wall. Adib and Fatima have nine children. He has been in detention for over six months now.
Diplomats from the US, Germany, Sweden and Spain who know Abdallah also came to support him.
Just one month ago these diplomats had visited Abdullah in Bil’in and had seen for themselves how Israeli settlements and the Apartheid Wall have stolen over 50% of our village’s land. They promised then that they would do what they could to help our popular struggle and here they were, true to their word. The Spanish consul who represents the new president of the European union tried to shake Abdullah’s hand but the soldiers wouldn’t let him.
We spent most of the day waiting. Finally, When we where allowed into the room they call a "military court" my husband was brought in by the soldiers shackled with chains on his arms and legs. We were not allowed to speak to each other, but he told me everything I needed to know just by looking at me. When I came home I slept well, without bolting awake in terror, for the first time since my husband was taken from our home on December 10th. Abdullah has visibly lost weight but his eyes still smiled when he looked at me. more.. e-mail
The Israel factor
Omayma Abdel-Latif in Beirut, Al-Ahram Weekly 1/9/2010
Will Israel succeed in its efforts to influence Arab-Iranian relations?
The main working paper at a conference held in Beirut, Lebanon, recently to debate Arab-Iranian relations consisted of a newspaper article published in the Saudi- financed newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on 15 December. The article, entitled "An open letter to the Arab world", summed up new factors that have helped fuel the tension between the two in 2009.
"For the first time in years we find ourselves on the same front, seeking to defeat the forces of extremism and destruction in the region. We realise the extent of the threat posed by the extremist regime in Tehran, which seeks to export the ideology of extremism across the region, arms terrorist movements that seek to destabilise moderate Sunni regimes, and aims to impose its hegemony on the Middle East," the article said.
One could be forgiven for thinking that these words were those of a concerned Saudi commentator, or of the paper’s pro-government editor. However, they are the words of Dany Iyalon, the deputy Israeli foreign minister, who chose Asharq Al-Awsat to call for a united front with "the Sunni regimes", as he described them, against Tehran in an attempt to incite Arab public against what he claimed were "Iran’s agents" in the region and the threat of Iranian nuclear weapons.
The article projected Israel as a beacon of peace and cooperation in the region. "The Israeli government has taken large steps to reach out to the Arab world, and it is committed to extending a hand to neighbouring Arab countries; governments and peoples, in order to unite together to face the key challenges of the coming years," Iyalon wrote. more.. e-mail
Imprisonment as political pressure: Addameer's Sahar Francis interviewed
Electronic Intifada: 8 Jan 2010 - The Palestinian nongovernmental organization Addameer was founded in 1992 to promote and protect the rights of political prisoners. The Electronic Intifada interviewed Sahar Francis, a human rights lawyer and the director of Addameer, about the recent repression wave targeting Palestinian human rights activists protesting Israel's wall in the occupied West Bank.
Will Egypt's underground wall end the Gaza tunnel trade?
Electronic Intifada: 8 Jan 2010 - A subterranean wall being built by Egypt along its border with Gaza is meant to hack the tunnel structures, which extend from the Egyptian side of the border to the Gaza's side for distances that range between 400 meters and 1,700 meters. With many prohibitions on the ground, the tunnels have become a lucrative underground alternative. The wall construction portrays the depth of this underground urbanism, bringing the conflict between smugglers and the security to the forefront. Lina Attalah reports.
Miss Palestine's mistaken rebellion
Electronic Intifada: 8 Jan 2010 - One of the travesties of living in a colonized environment is that the inferior, or oppressed, aspire to win admittance to the Western world. There seems to be an emerging trend of this type of appeasement, where submission has replaced the revolution. The introduction to spectacles, like the breaking of a Guinness record for the largest plate of kanafeh and the search for a national beauty queen, are just two examples of absurd practices are coming to be seen as normal in Palestinian cities. Sousan Hammad comments for The Electronic Intifada.
In Gaza: 9 Jan 2010 - With over 90% of Palestinian children in Gaza suffering PTSD, and over 80% severe poverty in the Strip, Nidal Abu Leila is but one of many children dramatically affected by the 23 days of Israeli warfare on Gaza. Prior to the December 27 to January 18 Israeli massacre of Gaza–during which Israel used its power as the 4th largest military, unleashing an arsenal of F-16 bombing, Apache and tank shelling and machine gun fire, shelling from Israeli warships in Gaza’s sea, bulldozing and explosive– Nidal was a normal boy of 10 years. He ran, he played, he studied, he was as mischievous and energetic as life in Gaza under siege...
Palestine Chronicle: 8 Jan 2010 - By Joshua Brollier When I traveled to Cairo to participate in the Gaza Freedom March, I hoped to enter Gaza to contribute toward ending the siege and preventing future air assaults and invasions, such as the 22-day Operation Cast Lead that Israel launched against Gaza at the close of 2008. I was also keenly looking forward to meeting a young Gazan who had greatly assisted my co-workers on a Voices delegation to Gaza during last year’s Operation Cast Lead. At considerable risk to himself, this young man met members of Voices at the border, arranged housing, translated, and assisted in bearing witness to the devastation caused by the Israeli military assault. Due to the callousness of the Egyptian authorities, I was not able to meet this man or deliver much needed material aid to his community. Early this morning, my co-workers and I received an email from our friend in Gaza, saying that the Israeli military is once again bombing near the Rafah border. One Palestinian was killed and others were injured. Given Israel’s continuing siege and bombardment of Gaza, I am eager to learn lessons from our experience in the Gaza Freedom March, regroup and continue in the struggle to end the siege and occupation. Here are several of the lessons which I think are most important to communicate to the wider U.S. public. The first is that the United States and Egyptian governments have been actively colluding with the Israeli government to maintain the siege of Gaza. All...
Israeli Theft of Palestinian Property
Palestine Chronicle: 8 Jan 2010 - By Stephen Lendman Adalah, meaning justice in Arabic, is the legal center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel advocating through Israeli Supreme Court petitions; lawsuits and appeals to the District, Magistrate and Labor Courts; pre-petitions to the Attorney General; and various other ways to serve its constituency in a nation where only Jews have rights. It also prepares publications and reports on vital issues of concern to Palestinians, including two recent ones on the theft of their property, an ongoing international law violation since Israel's "War of Independence" - a six-month atrocity that expelled about 800,000 people, massacred many others, destroyed 531 villages, 11 urban neighborhoods in cities like Tel-Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem, and stole 78% of historic Palestine as the first step toward seizing it all for exclusive Jewish use. For over 60 years, Israel has done it ruthlessly, incrementally, systematically, and illegally, intending at most to leave Palestinians cantonized and surrounded in the least valued portions, the rest being exclusively for Jews. This writer addressed Israel's discriminatory land policies in a previous article, part of which is repeated below as an introduction to what follows. Shortly after its "War of Independence," laws were passed to legitimize Palestinian land seizures for exclusive Jewish use. The June 1948 Abandoned Areas Ordinance referred to "any area or place conquered by or surrendered to armed forces or deserted by all or part of its inhabitants." It gave the Israeli government exclusive jurisdiction rights, including "expropriation and confiscation (authority over) movable and immovable...
Mubarak Creates PR Disaster for Egypt and Himself
Palestine Chronicle: 8 Jan 2010 - By Stuart Littlewood – London Hosni Mubarak, President of Egypt, has plumbed new depths and caused deep offence with his shameful bullying of the Viva Palestina convoy bound for Gaza, which had driven for weeks and thousands of miles from many countries to bring medical aid and other relief to women and children cruelly shut off from the world and under endless lethal bombardment by Israel. The dirty tricks resorted to by Mubarak and his lieutenants, which repeatedly delayed the convoy when only a few hours away from its destination, forced it to retrace its steps and take a dangerous and unnecessary sea voyage menaced by Israeli gunboats, heaped massive extra costs on the mercy mission then confronted it with 2,000 riot police, put him and his rotten regime beyond the pale. In other words, far outside acceptable standards of decency. Mubarak’s misdeeds have shamed the Egyptian people and indeed all Arabs, and will be written indelibly into the history of the Middle East. Who would have thought that a man of his experience would visibly stoop so low as to invite wholesale ridicule and disgust? Faced with all those obstacles the splendid men and women with Viva Palestina rose to the challenge in fine style and gave real meaning to the anthem "We Shall Overcome". They overcame all right. They overcame all the mean-minded chicanery the loathsome vultures of the Middle East could throw at them. And with their generous hearts, human decency and sense of honour, the Viva...
Israel's Iron Kipa
Palestine Chronicle: 8 Jan 2010 - By Gilad Atzmon - London In English they call it the 'Iron Dome' in Hebrew they call it the 'Iron Kipa' which could also be translated as 'Iron Skullcap' or even 'Iron Yarmulka'*. Seemingly the Israelis love to mix iron with God. The Iron Dome, Kipa or Yarmulka is the new Israeli guided missile system. It is there to stop rain of rockets from falling over Sderot, Ashkelon or Tel Aviv. According to Haaretz, “the defense establishment this week successfully intercepted a barrage of rockets for the first time using the newly developed Iron Dome system”. The new Israeli invention uses small guided missiles to blow up Katyusha-style rockets. Israel plans to station the first working unit outside the Gaza Strip next year. I can only praise the Israelis and their scientists for their creative imagination and their survival instincts. The tactic is very simple indeed: while mortar shells cost just a few dollars, guided missiles cost many thousands more. While Palestinian mortar barrages can be launched from every corner in occupied Palestine, Israel will have to deploy its newly invented Iron Kipa over its borders and around its towns. Every home-made Palestinian mortar shell or Qassam Rocket could easily exhaust the Israeli economy and the military's human resources. Moreover, from now on, thanks to the Iron Kipa, the war with the Palestinian resistance can take place in the sky rather than in Palestinian cities and villages. But there is one more hidden implication entangled with the new kosher defense...