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IDF kills 3 civilians, 1 al-Aqsa operative in Qabatiya
YNet News 9/7/2006
During IDF operations, house of al-Aqsa operative surrounded. Ensuing
exchanges of fired leave 3 dead, 9 wounded. Palestinians threaten
revenge -- Palestinian witnesses in the village of Qabatiya, adjacent
to Jenin, reported Thursday afternoon that four people were killed in
exchanges of fire with the IDF. According to the witnesses, three of
them were civilians and the fourth was Rashid Zakarna, a senior
operative in the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah's military wing.
Palestinians reported that a large IDF force operating in the area
surrounded Zakarna's residence. During ensuing exchanges of fire,
Zakarna was severely injured and later died of his wounds.
Additionally, they said, at least nine other individuals arrived at the
hospital in Jenin.
West Bank fragmented by occupation
By Patrick Cockburn,
The Independent 9/8/2006
The Israeli pressure on Palestinian cities, towns and villages on the
West Bank is now so heavy that their inhabitants doubt their own
ability to survive. The 540 Israeli checkpoints and barriers so
fragment this small piece of territory that they are destroying the
Palestinian economy. Nablus, once the heart of the West Bank, is like a
ghost town. Ten years ago this was a bustling commercial centre but
today there are few cars in the streets and half of the shops have
closed." Every day I get up at 6. 30am and then wait three hours at the
Israeli checkpoint before I can go to Awarta village 10km from Nablus
where I teach in a school," said Iman Iskander. "Often I am so late
that I miss the first three classes. It is hell. By the time I get home
I am so tired and angry that sometimes I want to hit my children."
Israel keeps blockade of Lebanon ports
Yahoo! News Middle
East 9/7/2006
BEIRUT, Lebanon - With a low-flying passenger jet circling the capital,
Lebanon put on a boisterous show Thursday to celebrate the end of
Israel's air blockade. But Israel said its closure of Lebanon's ports
will remain in force until international forces arrive to watch the
seas. Lebanon's prime minister and Israeli officials said they expected
the naval blockade to end within days, once French, Italian and Greek
navy vessels start patrolling to prevent weapons shipments to
Hezbollah. The opening of the airport will be the first test for the U.
N. peacekeeping force's ability to keep out weapons. Hezbollah is
widely believed to have received weapons and other support from its
backers Syria and Iran. The land route to neighboring Syria has already
been reopened, with the Lebanese government posting thousands of troops
along the rugged frontier...
Gov't workers join Palestinian strike
Yahoo! News Middle
East 9/7/2006
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Unpaid employees in the Palestinian prime
minister's office on Wednesday joined a widespread strike that is
challenging the survival of the Hamas-led government. While Prime
Minister Ismail Haniyeh struggled with the embarrassing assault on his
authority, Israeli attacks in Gaza's south killed six people and
wounded at least 21. Hamas accused the rival Fatah party of
orchestrating the strike, which has emerged as a formidable challenge
to a government already embattled by international sanctions and
widespread anarchy. The Palestinian government has been in a financial
crisis since Hamas took over in March after winning parliamentary
elections.... A work stoppage launched last weekend by teachers and
civil servants escalated into a full-scale general strike this week.
Families challenge Israel's newly-imposed policy of expulsion
of foreign passport holders
Zajel Youth Exchange
Program 9/7/2006
IMEMC & Agencies -- At a press conference on Wednesday, foreign
passport holders, human rights organizations, and representatives of
the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem charged Israel with separating families
that have long lived together in the West Bank and Gaza by expelling
and refusing entry to foreign passport holders. "This is one of the
more blatantly unjust and blatantly stupid things the government has
ever done," said Gershon Baskin, an Israeli who co-directs the
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI). "This is
a policy that cannot be sustained or continue." ... The B'Tselem human
rights organization presented a report at Wednesday's event which
estimated that since the year 2000, Israel has refused 120,000 family
reunification requests of Palestinians... -- See also: Israel's
freeze policy on family unification in the Occupied Territories splits
tens of thousands of Palestinian families
No criminal charges for air force soldiers who slept with
girl, 12
Ha'aretz 9/8/2006
The four-month investigation into the serial statutory rape of a
12-year-old girl living on the Israel Air Force base at Nevatim has
ended in a whimper. The office of the Military Advocate General
announced on Thursday that none of the suspects in the case would be
brought up on criminal charges. Out of more than 200 individuals
interrogated, 30 soldiers who had sex with the girl will be charged
with conduct unbecoming and tried by an officer of the rank of colonel.
Two non-commissioned officers who confessed to sexual relations with
the child will be discharged from the career army. Another career-army
NCO and a first lieutenant will also be tried for hearing about the
sexual actions and not reporting the matter to their superiors.
Abbas Might Dissolve Hamas-led Gov't by September
Palestine Chronicle
9/7/2006
Our patience is running out. I expect most probably that President
Abbas would go for such a decision by the end of this month. ' --
RAMALLAH - The chief of the Fatah movement's bloc in the Palestinian
Legislative Council (PLC) said on Monday that President Mahmoud Abbas
would dissolve the Hamas-led government by September. In case the
current government continues with such a manner in running Palestinian
affairs, "President Abbas has a competence to practice his
constitutional right to break up the government," Azzam al-Ahmad told
reporters." Our patience is running out. I expect most probably that
President Abbas would go for such a decision by the end of this month.
The situation has not changed and it became unbearable," he said.
Ministry of Education says a deal was reached to postpone the
strike for one month
Zajel Youth Exchange
Program 9/7/2006
IMEMC & Agencies -- After mediation talks between the teachers
Union and the Palestinian Ministry of Education, the ministry issued a
statement saying that an agreement has been reached to postpone the
teachers strike for one month, and hold talks with the Legislative
Council, the Government and the President office in order to solve the
issue achieve the demands of the teacher who have not been paid in
months. The ministry said that its is also holding talks with schools
and educational facilities in order to maintain positive talks with
them. Also, the ministry confirmed that no salary deductions and
punishment measures will be conducted against the strikers who were
practicing their right.
Israel to continue ban on Palestinian students from Gaza
Ha'aretz 9/8/2006
The defense establishment said on Thursday it would continue banning
Palestinian students from the Gaza Strip from studying in the West
Bank. Hundreds of Palestinian students, whom Israel has prevented from
continuing studies in West Bank universities for the past six years,
have recently petitioned the High Court of Justice to instruct the
state to allow them to complete their studies. The petition was
supported by Israeli professors, who protested the infringement on the
students' freedom to study. The defense establishment is preparing its
response to the petition. Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet officials
told Defense Minister Amir Peretz on Thursday that they could not agree
to the students' demand, because of intelligence indicating that "terrorist" groups in the West Bank contacted individuals who moved
freely between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank...
Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, 31 August - 06 September 2006
Palestinian Centre
for Human Rights 9/7/2006
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate Attacks on Palestinian
Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) * 11
Palestinians, including a child and a man and his on, were killed by
IOF. * 5 of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF in Rafah
and Jenin. * 67 Palestinian civilians, including 16 children and a
woman, were wounded by the IOF gunfire. * IOF launched a series of air
strikes on a number of houses in the Gaza Strip. * Two houses were
destroyed in the northern Gaza Strip. * IOF conducted 33 incursions
into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and 4 others into the
Gaza Strip. * IOF arrested 36 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank,
and 3 others in the Gaza Strip. * 10 houses were destroyed by IOF in
the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun... -- See also: Full
Report (PDF)
Female prisoners suffer in Telmond prison
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
Bethlehem -- Bethlehem - Ma'an – The lawyer from the Mandela Society
for Prisoners' Care, Buthaynah Doqmaq, said that the society has
noticed a recent trend, where the numbers of prisoners who are mothers
is dramatically increasing. The lawyer confirmed that conditions for
these women are deteriorating in several different Israeli jails. In a
statement issued by the society, Doqmaq said that in Telmond prison,
the authorities are overcrowding prisoners, leading to their suffering.
Each section of the prison is overloaded, which has had a major impact
on the level of medical care available. The prisoners also complain of
the heat in the rooms. The statement also said that there are two
infants currently in the jail.
Schools not running in Qalqilia, some due to the strike and
others due to Israeli policy
Palestine News
Network 9/7/2006
Director of Education in Qalqilia, Yousef Al Awda, told PNN Thursday
that 691 out of 1,303 teachers are on strike. The nearly half who do
wish to attend schools in the northwestern West Bank district cannot
reach them. Israeli
soldiers occupying the passage at the Wall in Qalqilia will not allow
teachers or students to reach their school on the other side. The pretext is not having the required permits. Al Awda said today, “After regional local councils intervened Israeli forces still did not
put the names of non-striking teachers at the gate near Ras Atiya. So
they are all prevented from entering unless they have a different
permit. ”Israeli authorities will not grant permits for teachers and
students to reach 66 Qalqilia area schools, according to Qalqilia’s
Director of Education.
Soldiers severely abuse young Palestinian and take a picture
of themselves on his cell phone
B'tselem 9/6/2006
On 26 August 2006, soldiers detained Tha'ir Muhsen, 18, from a-Neqora,
a village near Nablus , while he was on his way home after registering
at a-Najah University , in Nablus. The soldiers sat him down next to
another Palestinian who had been detained. The other fellow told Muhsen
that the soldiers had beaten him. When one of the soldiers threw a
stick to another soldier present, the other detainee fled. The soldiers
chased him but returned empty- handed. They then began to abuse Muhsen.
The maltreatment lasted for about two hours, during which time the
soldiers beat him over his whole body with their hands, sticks, and
stones, kicked him, pulled his hair, and threw him to the ground.
Muhsen lost consciousness. When he regained consciousness, the abuse
continued.
Israeli army announces killing of three Palestinian fighters,
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
Jenin -- The Israeli army has said on Thursday evening that soldiers
killed three Palestinians from the West Bank town of Qabatia who were
fortified inside a house in the village. The army alleged that the men
had thrown an explosive device at an Israeli military jeep without
causing casualties. At the same time, local sources said that the local
leader of the al-Aqsa Brigades, the main military wing of Fatah, Rashid
Zakarna, was arrested. Ma'an's correspondent reported that over 40
Israeli military vehicles invaded Qabatia under cover of a helicopter
and clashed with Palestinian resistance fighters, injuring five, one of
which seriously. In addition, medical sources said that the Israeli
army detained an ambulance which was transferring a seriously injured
Palestinian. The injured Palestinian has since died. [end]
West Bank violence: Palestinian man gets caught in crossfire
in Nablus, female activist is seized by Israeli soldiers
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
Bethlehem -- Ma'an - Palestinian gunmen shoot at an Israeli jeep near
Bethlehem and mistakenly kill a fellow citizen in Nablus. Meanwhile,
Israeli soldiers seize a female political activist in a refugee camp
near Nablus. Palestinian armed men shot at an Israeli military jeep
patrolling the West Bank village of Al Khadir, west of Bethlehem, early
on Thursday. The Israeli forces combed the area after the shooting but
no casualties or arrests were reported. In the north of the occupied
West Bank, Israeli forces broke into Askar refugee camp in Nablus on
Thursday morning and conducted a thorough search of many houses. The
soldiers seized a Palestinian woman who is allegedly a Fatah activist.
Also in Nablus, a Palestinian citizen was killed after shooting erupted
among masked gunmen in the streets of the city on Thursday.
Lebanese soldiers killed in explosion
AlJazeera 9/6/2006
Unexploded Israeli shells are spread across southern Lebanon -- Two
Lebanese soldiers have been killed and a third wounded whilst trying to
defuse unexploded Israeli ordnance in southern Lebanon, security
officials said. The ordnance exploded as the soldiers tried to
dismantle it near the village of Aita al-Jabal near the border with
Israel on Wednesday. One of the soldiers was killed immediately and
another was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died. The third
casualty was reported in critical condition in the same hospital, the
security officials said. The United Nations has confirmed that Israeli
dropped nearly 400 cluster bombs across south Lebanon and says the
bomblets have killed 14 people and wounded at least 50 since the truce.
Olmert: Without soldiers, no implementation of 1701
YNet News 9/8/2006
Prime Minister meets with Russian Foreign Minister regarding Syria,
blockade on Lebanon, importance of releasing Israeli soldiers. Lavrov:
Soldiers should be released as soon as possible -- Thursday evening, in
a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is visiting
in Israel, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that "until the kidnapped
soldiers are released, there will not be full implementation of UN
Security Council resolution 1701. Israel is implementing its side of
the resolution, and thus, Lebanon must do the same and release the two
kidnapped soldiers immediately." Lavrov arrived in Israel at the end of
his tour in the Middle East. During his meeting with the prime
minister, the two discussed Olmert's anticipated visit to Moscow on
Oct. 18th, pursuant to an invitation from Russian President Vladimir
Putin.
Syria disrupting Shalit negotiations
Jerusalem Post
9/7/2006
Negotiations over the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad
Shalit have stalled because of the intervention of Syria, which is
exerting pressure on the Hamas leadership not to accept proposals made
by the Egyptian mediators for a prisoner swap with Israel, Palestinian
Authority officials here told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. "Syria is
playing a very negative role," said one official. "[Hamas leader]
Khaled Mashaal, who is based in Damascus, is refusing to approve an
Egyptian-brokered deal because the Syrians are inciting him." Another
senior PA official told the Post that the Syrians were clearly unhappy
with the involvement of the Egyptian government in the negotiations. "The Syrians believe that Egypt is representing the interests of Israel
and the US in the region... '
2 Arab MKs visit Damascus
YNet News 9/7/2006
Delegation comprised of current, former MKs from National Democratic
Assembly visit Syria, meet with Syrian leaders to discuss state of
Middle East -- Members of Knesset Jamal Zahalka and Wasil Taha, of the
National Democratic Assembly, arrived Thursday for a visit to Damascus.
The delegation, also comprised of former MKs Mohammad Knaan and
Mihammad Miyaari, will meet with leaders in the Syrian government,
members of Parliament, authors and spiritual leaders. This is the first
meeting in Syria for members of the party in five years. According to
the delegation, the visit is intended to discuss the state of the
region, particularly following "the war of aggression against Lebanon
and pursuant to threats of a second round of war."
German FM in Beirut to work out monitoring of Lebanese ports
Ha'aretz 9/7/2006
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Germany's foreign minister flew into Beirut on
Thursday to work out plans for German help in monitoring at Lebanon's
airport and seaports to prevent weapons shipments to Hezbollah as
required under the United Nations cease-fire resolution. Frank-Walter
Steinmeier arrived about two hours before Israel lifted the air
blockade of Lebanon. Calling the lifting of the blockade a first step,
Steinmeyer told reporters at the airport there will be "accurate
monitoring" of traffic through entry points into Lebanon. Germany will
send customs and police officers to act as advisers to Lebanese
authorities at Beirut's airport, as well as x-ray equipment to
reinforce control, government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said in Berlin.
It was unclear how many would be deployed.
Palestinian elite tells British PM Blair not to visit
territories
Ha'aretz 9/7/2006
RAMALLAH - Hundreds of Palestinians including politicians and
intellectuals on Thursday called on British Prime Minister Tony Blair
not to visit Palestinian areas, accusing him of excessive support for
Israel. Blair will meet Palestinian officials in Ramallah on Sunday
during a visit to the region, an aide to Palestinian Authority Chairman
Mahmoud Abbas said. Blair is expected to also hold talks in Israel and
Lebanon, though there has been no confirmation from his office." He is
coming here in order to wash his hands, that are dripping with Lebanese
blood, with Palestinian water," the group of Palestinians wrote in an
ad placed in the al-Ayyam newspaper." We, the signatories... notables,
intellectuals and political figures declare that Tony Blair is persona
non-grata in our country."
Tony Blair to tell Olmert: Progress in PA talks vital
Ha'aretz 9/8/2006
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to raise the Palestinian
issue and the aftermath of the Lebanon war when he meets Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert after he arrives in Jerusalem on Saturday night. Olmert is
expected to discuss the efforts to block Iran's nuclear program. Blair
visited Israel several times during his nine-year term of office and
hosted Olmert in London at the beginning of June this year. Their
meeting centered on Olmert's realignment plan, which has meanwhile been
removed from the agenda. Blair is expected to ask Olmert how he intends
to proceed in the political process with the Palestinians now that the
alignment is not on the agenda. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
met Olmert on Thursday and urged him to call an international
conference "with the participation of all the parties."
Livni calls for direct talks with Abbas
Zajel Youth Exchange
Program 9/7/2006
IMEMC & Agencies -- Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, said
during a press conference in Haifa that Israel should hold direct talks
with the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, adding that direct talks
will enable Israel “ to know what is going on, what is possible and
what's not possible”. The statements of Livni came several days after a
statement by the Israeli Prime Minister , Ehud Olmert, saying that he
will be willing to meet Abbas “only after the Abducted Israeli soldier
in Gaza, Gilad Shalit, is freed”. Israel still rejects any talks with
the Hamas-led Palestinian government since it considers Hamas a
terrorist organization. Eight ministers of the new government and 29
legislators were abducted by Israel and taken prisoners since the
abduction of Shalit.
Peretz: Hizbullah now realizes kidnapping price tag
YNet News 9/7/2006
Defense Minister tells fellow Labor members ‘any rational person
understands that Lebanon war failures originate from previous
governments’ policies; if Israel would have struck with force after
2000 kidnapping, incident would not have repeated itself’ -- Defense
Minister Amir Peretz said during a speech at the Labor Party offices
Thursday that “I am not claiming that the failures (of the Lebanon war)
should be covered up; I realize mistakes were made and they must be
revealed. “We must draw lessons; I am in favor of an in-depth
investigation of all the ranks that will look into the failures and
their origin,” Peretz said...." Now Hizbullah understands that the
price tag for kidnapping Israeli soldiers and attacking our communities
is high. The accomplishments of the war in Lebanon are made more
apparent with each passing day. ”
PLC Speaker issues call from Israeli prison to end strike and
implement coalition government
Palestine News
Network 9/7/2006
Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr. Azziz Dweik, is
among the elected officials from the Hamas party now in Israeli jails.
From his prison cell on Thursday Dr. Dweik called to end the strike and
implement a national unity government. If many Palestinian leaders are
correct in their thinking, forming a coalition government is the only
recourse to end the blockade as the US and Israel refuse to speak with
Hamas or President Abbas while the Hamas Government is in office,
regardless of the democratic elections that put it there. If the
political and economic siege is lifted, Israel will be forced to pay
the funds it owes and the new government will then be able to pay
public sector employees.... The Legislative Council Speaker expressed
his deep concern at the disruption of the educational process...
Fatah spokesperson calls on government to stop accusations
and rumours over security service members
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
Gaza -- The spokesperson of the Fatah movement, Tawfiq Abu Khoussa,
has, on Thursday, called upon the Hamas government members, and some
writers, to stop the incitement campaign against the Palestinian
security and military service members. He also condemned the
unprecedented accusations against the Palestinian gunmen which had
never been directed to serve any cause other than Palestine. Abu
Khoussa called on the Palestinian government to protect the Palestinian
militants from the people spreading rumours, the accusations of which
are considered life threatening. "Therefore, those irresponsible people
must be dealt with," he stated. [end]
Hamas is acting like the Israeli occupation, a Fatah
spokesman declares
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
Ramallah -- In another round of vicious internal political attacks
amongst the Palestinian political parties, a Fatah spokesman accused
Hamas of acting like the Israeli occupation on Thursday. Fatah
spokesperson Dr Jamal Nazzal declared that the degree of
non-cooperation being displayed by Hamas matches Israel. He revealed
that all the Palestinian factions that make up the Palestine Liberation
Organisation (PLO) warned Hamas during the early sessions of the
national dialogue held in the West Bank city of Ramallah in June about
their policies of "rejection and abstention" which he said give the
Israelis justification to allege that there is no Palestinian partner.
Palestinian government is unable to end the general strike,
or pay the salaries
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
Bethlehem -- The Palestinian government is helpless in the face of the
widespread public sector strike, according to news reports by AFP
disseminated in many local, Arab and international media on Thursday.
The report said that tens of thousands of Palestinian employees were
participating in this strike calling for the payment of their salaries,
now six months' delayed, and the government appears unable to bring it
to an end, or to pay the salaries. Dozens of employees in the prime
ministry also participated in the strike in the Gaza Strip on
Wednesday. Dozens of public sector employees also held sit-in strikes
outside various government ministries in the occupied Palestinian
territories and also in front of the doctors' syndicate in Gaza.
Employees of the president's office strike, tell the
government to stop acting like a faction
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
Gaza -- Dozens of presidential employees held a sit-in strike in their
offices in Gaza protesting the non-payment of their salaries. They
shouted slogans and held placards calling for the government to secure
their salaries and meet the needs of the people, or to leave. Ismael
Nofal, an employee, said that it is the right of the employees to
express their opinion and the government should leave. He said that
they will be stepping up their protests against the government in this
regard. Sabah Aklouk, another employee, said that the government is
dealing with the Palestinian citizens as if they were still a faction,
not a government. He told them they should "act responsibly". [end]
Illiteracy rates drop as PCBS celebrates International
Literacy Day
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
Bethlehem – Ma'an - Marking the occasion of the International Literacy
Day, September 8th, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics has
issued the following report: Despite of the decrease in the illiteracy
rate by 58. 6% over the past eleven years, there are still 137 thousand
illiterate adults in the Palestinian Territories, of which 78% are
females. The illiteracy rates among individuals 15 years and over in
the Palestinian Territory decreased in the period 1995-2006 from 15. 7%
to 6. 5%. It decreased among males from 8. 5% in 1995 to 2. 9% in 2006,
and among females it decreased from 23. 0% to 10. 2% for the same
period. The illiteracy rates among individuals 15 years and over in
urban localities decreased from 12. 8% in 1995 to 5. 3% in the year
2006. In rural localities, it decreased from 18. 4% to 8. 9%...
Hundreds of millions spent on 'virtual fences' for settlements
Jerusalem Post
9/8/2006
The government is considering creating an unprecedented security system
for the Jewish community of Hebron, including never-before-used hi-tech
laser radars, as part of a new NIS 400 million allocation for security
systems at settlements, The Jerusalem Post has learned. The
state-of-the-art Hebron defense system would be part of a second phase
hi-tech settlement security project carried out by the IDF; NIS 300m.
was spent on phase one over the past year and a half. The governmental
body that creates security systems for settlements in the West Bank is
a branch of the IDF Home Front Command called the Shabam
Administration. Shabam is an acronym for "Special Security Zone." Set
up in December 2004... the Shabam Administration was given the mandate
and the funding to create hi-tech security systems for West Bank
settlements.
Electronic fence to be built on Egyptian border
YNet News 9/7/2006
Good years of drug and weapon smugglers to soon end; IDF preparing to
build electronic protective fence on Israel-Egypt border replacing
shorter, more simple fence that was on border until now -- Is this what
will prevent infiltration of "terror" cells into Negev? In recent days,
the Israel Defense Forces has been working on creating plan that will
prevent numerous smuggling operations on the Israel-Egypt border, first
and foremost in the section of the border that is most often used by
smugglers – 12 kilometers (7. 44 miles) next to Eilat, from Netafim
until Gesharon. The border between Israel and Egypt stretches over 400
kilometers (248 miles), and the only thing that separates the two
countries is a short fence with no electronic security devices. The
fence cannot prevent the hundreds of illegal drug and weapon
smugglings.
"Terror" leader: Gaza preparing for war'
YNet
News/WorldNetDaily 9/7/2006
Hizbullah aiding Palestinians in 'turning Strip into southern Lebanon';
'We learned from Hizbullah's victory that Israel can be defeated,' says
Abu Ahmed -- Local "terror" groups are working with Hizbullah to turn
the Gaza Strip into the Palestinian version of southern Lebanon by
smuggling in heavy weaponry and rockets, building war bunkers and
preparing for a large-scale confrontation with Israel , a senior "terror" leader in Gaza told WorldNetDaily. "We learned from
Hizbullah's victory that Israel can be defeated if we know how to hit
them and if we are well prepared," said Abu Ahmed, northern Gaza leader
of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades "terror" group. "We are importing
rockets and the knowledge to launch them and we are also making many
plans for battle."
Naval blockade to remain in effect
YNet News 9/7/2006
Sources in PM’s Office says lifting of naval blockade on Lebanon
delayed until arrival of international troops tasked with implementing
weapons embargo on Hizbullah, prevent weapons smuggling. Lebanese PM: I
expect Israel to lift sea blockade Friday -- The office of Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert reported Thursday that while the aerial blockade
on Lebanon has ended, the naval blockade imposed in the past eight
weeks will remain in effect for the time being. Sources from Olmert's
office explained that it was decided to postpone the lifting of the
naval blockade because Israel is still waiting for the arrival of the
international forces, so that it may implement the weapons embargo on
Hizbullah and prevent weapons smuggling along the border.
UNRWA school kids throw stones during Israeli military
invasion of Bethlehem
Palestine News
Network 9/7/2006
From all entrances to Bethlehem, residents stood on the sides of the
road as Israeli military vehicles plowed through Thursday afternoon.
That was the scene as the jeeps came from the settler road that runs
past Al Khader in the southwest, Beit Jala up the hill to the west and
from the Wall in the north. All was quiet for the Israeli forces until
they reached Deheisha Refugee Camp. Young people poured onto the
Jerusalem – Hebron Road that runs in front of the camp and began
pelting the military machines with stones, empty bottles, anything they
could find. Students were just being let out of the United Nations
Relief Works Agency School for the day. UNRWA and private schools are
not among the government schools that are on their sixth day of closure
due to strikes.
U.S. blocks funds of two companies it links to Hezbollah
Ha'aretz 9/8/2006
The United States on Thursday froze the assets of two Lebanese
financial companies it said were the "unofficial treasury" of the
militant group Hezbollah. A Treasury Department statement said Bayt
al-Mal served as a bank, creditor and investment arm for Hezbollah, and
used the Yousser Company for Finance and Investment to secure loans and
finance business deals for Hezbollah's companies." Bayt al-Mal and the
Yousser Company function as Hezbollah's unofficial treasury, holding
and investing its assets and serving as intermediaries between the
terrorist group and mainstream banks," said Stuart Levey, the
Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. The
statement said the Treasury had also blocked the assets of Husayn
al-Shami, who it said was the head of Bayt al-Mal and a senior
Hezbollah leader.
Tank system may be ready in months
Jerusalem Post
9/7/2006
A tank missile defense system, developed by the Rafael Armament
Development Authority will be ready for installation on IDF tanks in "several months" if the Treasury decides to fund the purchase of the
system, The Jerusalem Post has learned. In addition, Rafael is
currently hoping to gain from a Senate decision ordering US Secretary
of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to bring outside experts to assess the need
for and use of tank defense systems for the US Army. The order from the
Senate came following an NBC in-depth investigation into why the US
Army had decided to purchase Raytheon's active protection system, which
would only be ready in five years while the Trophy was already
operational and ready to be purchased. NBC claimed that there was too
close an alliance between the US Army and Raytheon...
Annan to meet Spanish king, PM to discuss Lebanon and Iran
Ha'aretz 9/7/2006
MADRID - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday met
with leaders in Spain before its parliament was to vote on contributing
Spanish soldiers to an expanded UN peace mission in Lebanon. Annan was
scheduled to hold talks with King Juan Carlos and Prime Minister Jose
Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to discuss details of Spain's contribution to
the force. Before the talks, Annan met Thursday morning with former
prime minister Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez. The Spanish parliament
was expected on Thursday afternoon to approve sending up to 1,100
troops to Lebanon. Annan arrived Wednesday night for talks following a
tour of the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.
Azzam Al-Ahmad meets with the American consul general
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
Ramallah -- The head of the Fatah parliamentary bloc, Azzam Al-Ahmad,
has, on Thursday, updated the American consul general in Jerusalem,
Jack Walles, with the developments in the Palestinian Territories. He
referred to the continuation of the Israeli killing of Palestinians,
destruction of houses, erosion of lands and abductions. Al-Ahmad called
upon the United States to play its role and stick to its
responsibilities as a sponsor of the peace process in the Middle East.
The American consul general stated that the USA is committed to the
peace process in the region. [end]
Meshal: Israel won't admit it can't free Shalit without a
price
Ha'aretz 9/7/2006
Hamas' exiled political leader has blamed Israel for the delay in
negotiations on the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier
Gilad Shalit, in an interview published Thursday in Lebanon's al-Akhbar
daily newspaper"There is no other way except negotiations, which have
not started yet because Israel refuses to admit that its attempts to
free the soldier without a price have failed," said exiled leader
Khaled Meshal. Israel has pursued a military offensive in the Gaza
Strip to free Shalit, who was seized by Hamas militants on June 25 in a
cross-border. At least 209 Palestinians, around half of them civilians,
have been killed during IDF attacks since June 28. Meshal told
al-Akhbar that there has been no advance in negotiations, despite the
interest of international delegates.
U.S. 'rebukes' Israel for fresh bid to build 690 settlement
homes
Ha'aretz 9/7/2006
The United States gently rebuked Israel on Thursday for plans to build
690 new homes in two Jewish settlements in the West Bank despite an
obligation under the U.S. -backed "roadmap" peace plan to halt such
construction." The policy is the same. .... There should not be
expansion of the settlements," State Department spokesman Sean
McCormack said in response to a question at his daily briefing.
McCormack said that the U.S. government raises the issue with Israel
but typically does so in private." This is an issue that we do talk to
the Israeli government about," he said, adding, "Often times those
discussions are done quietly and they are done privately - and you may
not hear about them - but we do talk about the issue."
Abducted troops' families: Twice disappointed
YNet News 9/7/2006
Families of kidnapped IDF soldiers meet with Olmert, express
disappointment in PM's empty promises, specifically lifting of blockade
on Lebanon -- Thursday afternoon, families of the IDF's kidnapped
soldiers gave a press conference following their meeting with Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert. Benny Regev, brother of Eldad Regev, said that
the Israeli government was once again acting against the interests of
the state and of the captive soldiers. The families had met with Olmert
in Tel Aviv pursuant to his decision to lift the aerial and naval
blockade on Lebanon as of Thursday evening at 6 p. m. "Since last night
(Wednesday), when we heard on the news that the blockade would be
lifted, we have had a very hard time. In the meeting with the PM, we
expressed our strong disapprobation of lifting the blockade," Regev
said.
PM calls for speedy deployment of UN naval forces to Lebanon
Ha'aretz 9/7/2006
Israel lifts Lebanon air embargo, delays end to sea blockade -- Hours
after Israel ended its eight-week embargo on flights in and out of
Lebanon, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called Thursday for a speedy
deployment of United Nations naval forces to Lebanese waters, and said
he hopes their quick arrival would allow Israel to lift its sea
blockade. Israel lifted its blockade of Lebanese airports on Thursday
at 6 P. M. , but delayed the planned end to a seige on sea ports for 48
hours." We decided today in coordination with the commander of the UN
troops in the Middle East... not to lift the naval blockade in Lebanon
at this stage until the naval forces that are slated to continue this
closure in our place arrive," Olmert said in a statement issued by his
office.
PM meets Peretz, Hirchson in effort to tie up budgetary loose
ends
Ha'aretz 9/8/2006
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet with Defense Minister Amir Peretz
and Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson on Sunday, two days before the
final cabinet meeting on the state budget, to discuss defense spending
and the Labor Party's demands. Hirchson and Peretz on Thursday
continued a marathon of meetings they began last Wednesday. Finance
Ministry officials believe the cabinet will approve the 2007 state
budget by a big majority in Tuesday's vote. This is based on the
feeling that some Labor ministers, such as Shalom Simhon and Benjamin
Ben-Eliezer, may back the treasury budget proposal even if Peretz
instructs party members to veto the budget. Hirchson's office believes
the other two coalition partners, Shas and the Pensioners' Party, will
support the budget.
UN's World Food Program says sees end to Lebanon aid in
October
Ha'aretz 9/7/2006
The UN World Food Program said on Thursday it would probably conclude
its emergency operation in Lebanon by the end of next month. The WFP
has said the number of those in immediate need of food, shelter and
other aid appears to have fallen since a UN truce between Israel and
Hezbollah guerrillas began on Aug. 14." And it would be my sense given
the government's capacity and given our assessment of the food security
within the country that by the end of October the kind of emergency
support that we provide will no longer be needed," WFP's Executive
Director James Morris told reporters in the Lebanese capital. Almost a
quarter of Lebanon's population returned to their homes within four
days of the guns falling silent.
Conference to debate 'axis of truth'
Jerusalem Post
9/7/2006
Strategies for dealing with the growing threat of global terrorism will
be the focus of the sixth annual international conference at the
Institute for Counterterrorism at the Interdisciplinary Center in
Herzliya next week. The conference, which has become a meeting place
for experts in the field, is expected to attract more than 700
participants from more than 50 countries. The ICT stresses the
importance of applied research and not merely theoretical studies.
Therefore, one of the goals of the conference is to bring together
academics and practitioners, creating a practical synthesis and working
relationship between the often separate fields. A significant aspect of
the conference will focus on countering the motivation of terrorists.
Israel lifts Lebanon air blockade - but not naval embargo
The Independent
9/8/2006
Israel began lifting a two-month-old blockade of Lebanon against the
wishes of the Israeli army. It was imposed the day after Hizbollah
Islamic fighters abducted two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid
into Israel on 12 July. A Middle East Airlines plane circled
ceremonially three times over central Beirut before landing at the
airport yesterday, officially ending the air blockade. But Israel said
that the naval embargo would continue until an international naval
force is in place. The blockade failed to achieve any of its aims. The
Israeli army objected to ending it because it saw the measure as one of
the few means of obtaining the release of its soldiers. Stopping ships
and planes reaching Lebanon was never likely to cause any inconvenience
to Hizbollah since the organisation does not move its men and arms by
air and sea.
Knesset legal adviser urges president to declare himself
unfit for position
Ha'aretz 9/8/2006
President Moshe Katsav announced he would not participate in the
swearing in of Supreme Court president-designate Dorit Beinisch.
However, the announcement by the President's Residence created a legal
complication and it is not clear if the ceremony can even be held
without Katsav. Attorney General Menachem Mazuz may have to settle the
matter, although his office stated he has not been asked to address the
matter. Katsav's announcement that he would not attend Beinisch's
swearing in marks the first time since he has been under criminal
investigation that he has decided not to fulfill a state function. The
residence stated "despite the difficult times for him and his family,
he will not allow this malicious and lowly plot to achieve its
despicable goals."
Kiryat Shmona residents fed up with 'empty promises'
YNet News 9/7/2006
Council member: Shelters weren’t set up, many were helpless under
constant rocket fire -- Under the title "We've been neglected" and "You've lost the North", 100 people gathered at IDF Square in Kiryat
Shmona Thursday to protest against the government's decision not to
establish a State inquiry of commission to probe the Lebanon war. The
gathering was a joint effort by the Movement for Quality Government,
the Civilian's Front for Kiryat Shmona and IDF reserve soldiers. The
area's residents harshly criticized the governments functioning during
the war. According to Kiryat Shmona council member, Yigal Buzaglo, "The
town's residents have been neglected by the government and local
authorities. Only relatives were evicted. The shelters weren’t set up
and many were helpless under the constant rocket fire."
Palestinian interior ministry fights collaboration,
corruption and theft
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
Ma'an - The Palestinian interior minister, Said Siyam, has revealed
that ten Palestinian collaborators are now in Palestinian custody and
being interrogated by security officers in Gaza. Siyam said, "Some of
these were in the hands of the factions and we convinced them to hand
them over so that legal steps can be taken against them". Speaking to
the media centre, the minister said, "We have been calling for a file
to be opened on the subject of collaborators for a long time, and since
I received this post I have concentrated on two points - collaborators
and fighting corruption". In his comments about Tuesday's demonstration
by members of the Palestinian security bodies, he said, "All laws in
the world say that security members are not allowed to take part in
demonstrations or marches that may disrupt law and order".
Campaign: Politicians to suffer divine punishment
YNet News 9/7/2006
New campaign will send out flyers featuring photos of key figures in
country's leadership during disengagement stating 'this is sin (the
disengagement) and this is its punishment' -- A campaign titled "There's the judgment and there's the judge" will be broadcast across
the country through media outlets, on the streets, in flyers, and in
synagogues by an organization called SOS Israel. The leaflets feature
photos of key figures in the country's leadership during the time of
the disengagement and during these days. The organization told Ynet: "This is the sin (the disengagement) and this is its punishment. Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert, former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon with his son
Omri, President Moshe Katsav, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Dan
Halutz..... all appear in the leaflet.
Criminal kingpin arrested in Gaza
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
Gaza -- Gaza - Ma'an – The media bureau of the Executive Force in Gaza
has revealed that the Palestinian police have arrested the ringleader
of a car theft and money forging gang in Gaza on Thursday morning.
According to the statement issued by the force, the man was arrested in
the Zaitoun area while in his car. The car had been stolen earlier
while from the car park of Ash Shifaa hospital. When captured, a huge
amount of forged money was found in his possession. After he was
interrogated by the Executive Force police, he confessed about a
network of thieves and money forger gangs in the strip. The statement
said that the other gang members will be hunted down and arrested.
[end]
Israel condemned for cluster bomb use
Jerusalem Post
9/7/2006
While international bodies are looking into the use of cluster bombs by
Israel during the Lebanon war, an effort in the US Senate to curb the
use of these munitions was defeated Wednesday by a 70 to 30 vote. The
initiative to prohibit the use and sale of cluster bombs by the US was
put forward by Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein of California and
Patrick Leahy from Vermont. They attempted to attach a provision to the
Pentagon budget, which would require the US, and the countries that it
sells arms to, including Israel, to avoid using cluster bombs "in or
near" civilian areas. According to the suggestion, the Pentagon would
have to freeze all use or sale of cluster bombs until new rules are put
in place regarding the use of these munitions in civilian areas.
Rafah crossing to be open next Sunday
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
Khan Younis -- Palestinian security sources stated on Thursday that
Rafah border crossing will be opened next Sunday. Negotiations are
ongoing through mediators in Europe, Egypt and Israel, to reopen this
crossing, which is the only entrance to Gaza for Gazans, more
permanently. Salim Abu Safieh, the director of crossings in the Gaza
Strip, told the press that the crossing should not be closed while
hundreds of people are stuck on both sides. He added that the European
monitors plan to make changes to the crossing agreement in order to
avoid absolute Israeli control over its functioning. [end]
Palestinians in Gaza largely cut off from outside world
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
RAFAH, 6 September (IRIN) - Israel's continued closure of the Gaza
Strip's only international border crossing is isolating Gaza's 1. 4
million residents. As Gaza's only international border crossing, Rafah
is the only route for ordinary Palestinians to cross from Gaza to Egypt
to go back to their jobs and universities across the world - and to get
back in to see their families. All other crossings into Israel have
been closed since the start of a second intifada in 2000. Meaning
'uprising' in Arabic, an intifada is a campaign directed at ending
Israeli military occupation. Many stuck in Gaza face losing their jobs
if they cannot travel when they planned to. Palestinians unable to
cross into Egypt risk losing money spent on airline tickets from Cairo
to countries in the Gulf and elsewhere.
Visa applicants asked about sex-trade
Jerusalem Post
9/8/2006
When Devorah Leah Bandorenko went with her three-year-old son to the
Israeli Embassy here earlier this year to apply for a tourist visa to
visit her ailing 85-year-old grandmother in Karmiel, she did not expect
to be asked whether she was a prostitute." I couldn't believe it," said
the Orthodox Bandorenko, who covers her hair with a wig and works
full-time at the Chabad-Lubavitch Center in Volgograd." The official at
the Israeli Consulate told me I need to bring proof that I will not
sell my child in Israel, and that I do not plan to work there as a
prostitute," she said in an interview in fluent Hebrew, with tears
welling up in her eyes. "They told me that I was young and attractive,
so they suspected that I was planning to go to Israel to make some
money in a sordid and disgusting way. How can they treat people like
this?..."
Peace cyclists stopped at Israeli checkpoint after cycling
2,500km
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
Bethlehem -- The Peace Cycle 2006, a group of some 24 peace activists
on bicycles, having cycled from London, UK, were today prevented from
entering the north of the West Bank by the Israeli military stationed
at the Al Jalama checkpoint, north of Jenin. Having travelled through a
dozen countries, and been warmly welcomed wherever they have gone, they
are finding the welcome from the Israeli authorities somewhat frosty in
comparison. The cyclists were due to be attending a special performance
by the Freedom Theatre group, based in Jenin, where the children of the
group had prepared a one-off, unique performance for the travellers.
Both the cyclists and the children are understandably upset at the
postponement of the performance.
An anti-war protest concert, without protesters
Ha'aretz 8/21/2006
If the rappers weren't there to save the day, the event might have been
a sad and awkward one. No more than 50 people climbed up to the South
Tel Aviv roof where the "Emergency Festival" against the war was being
held, and most of them did not look particularly upset by the Israel
Defense Forces activity in Lebanon. One of the performers noticed this
indifferent mood and provokingly asked the crowd: "Is there anyone here
from the left at all? " Silence. "I mean, really, does anyone here
attend the leftists demonstrations? No? So I don't really see what
we're doing here." Until the rappers grabbed hold of the mics, the
anger and protest did not manifest itself in the performances...
Beinish unanimously
approved as new Supreme Court president
Ha'aretz 9/8/2006
The Judicial Appointments Committee on Thursday unanimously voted to
appoint Justice Dorit Beinish the next Supreme Court president. Beinish
will be sworn in as president next Thursday, immediately after Supreme
Court President Aharon Barak's retirement ceremony. Justice Eliezer
Rivlin, who is also a member of the Judicial Appointments Committee, is
expected to be appointed deputy president of the Supreme Court in about
two weeks. President Moshe Katsav, who is under investigation for
alleged rape and sexual harassment, said Thursday that he would attend
Beinish's swearing in ceremony. -- From our Archives, a review of
Justice Beinisch's rulings:
High
Court allows Gaza demolitions
High
Court: IDF must secure olive harvest
High
Court allows construction of fence to resume around Ariel
High
Court rejects petition against closure of Gaza Strip
Shinui
election ads disqualified as insulting to ultra-Orthodox
Court
orders section of separation fence torn down
High
Court orders IDF to protect Palestinian farmers from settlers
Court
denies Druze request to allow for visits to Syria, Lebanon
Israel 26th business-friendly country
Jerusalem Post
9/7/2006
Israel has been ranked as the easiest country with which to do and
start business in the Middle East and North Africa according to the
'Doing Business 2007: How to reform' survey conducted by the World Bank
Group. In the report, which benchmarks regulatory performance and
reforms in 175 nations, Israel at the top, followed by Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Oman and United Arab Emirates were ranked in the top five of
the Middle Eastern countries surveyed. On the global comparison, Israel
ranked number 26 as last time, while Singapore took first place as the
most business-friendly economy. New Zealand moved to second place after
two years at the top spot. Statistics for Israel showed that it takes
five procedures and 34 days to open a business in Israel, compared to
the OECD average of 6. 2 procedures and 16. 6 days.
Ethiopian immigrants, U.S. Jews join forces to protest new
Falashmura policy
Ha'aretz 9/8/2006
The United Jewish Communities of North America yesterday issued an
unusual statement accusing the Israeli government of reneging on its
promises, in view of the Finance Ministry's intention to reduce the
monthly quota of Ethiopian immigrants from 300 to 150. In Israel,
recent immigrants from Ethiopia are threatening to begin a strike on
Sunday at absorption centers across the country to protest the Finance
Ministry's plans. A large demonstration is scheduled for Tuesday
outside the Prime Minister's Office. About 18 months ago, the
government decided to increase the monthly quota of Falashmura
immigrants from 300 to 600, and asked American Jewry for urgent
assistance. The prime minister at the time, Ariel Sharon, even made a
personal appeal to Jewish community leaders in the U.S. when he visited
New York last year.
Football result: Iraq 2 - Palestine 2 in Asian Cup qualifier
Ma'an News 9/7/2006
The Palestinian team limbers upin a training exercise
(Ma'anArchive)Bethlehem -- The Palestinian national football team has
tied with the Iraqi national team with two goals apiece in an exciting
match in the city of Al-'in in the United Arab Emirates in the
qualifying rounds for the Asian Cup finals. The Palestinian team first
scored after 13 minutes with a cracking shot by Tayseer 'Amir. The
plucky Palestinians held off the blistering pace of the Iraqi team for
another hour, before Salih Sdeir managed to equalise the score for the
Iraqis in the 70th minute. Eight minutes later, Hawwar Hilla Muhammad
netted the second goal for Iraq. The celebrations of the Iraqis were
shortlived, as they only held onto their lead for one minute, when
Isma'il Umor was able to bring the scores level with a face-saving 80th
minute goal.
Iraq deaths multiply in new August count
Yahoo! News Middle
East 9/7/2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Updated figures from Iraq's Health Ministry show there
was no significant decline in violent deaths in Baghdad last month, but
the U.S. military insisted Thursday the murder rate in the capital had
fallen by 52 percent. Baghdad recorded more than 1,500 violent deaths
in August, according to final figures released this week by the Health
Ministry. The final count was roughly the same as the figure the
ministry released for July, before the U.S. -led security crackdown
began in the Baghdad area. The final figure also was nearly three times
the preliminary count released by the same ministry last week. If
accurate, the final figures cast doubt on U.S. and Iraqi claims of a
significant reduction in the level of violence here since the crackdown
was launched Aug. 7.
Al-Arabiya: Told to close Baghdad office
Yahoo! News Middle
East 9/7/2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraqi government on Thursday ordered Arabic
satellite network Al-Arabiya to shut down its Baghdad operations for
one month, state television reported. Al-Arabiya said Iraqi police
later arrived at its offices to enforce the order. The other pan-Arab
satellite network, Al-Jazeera, had its office in the capital closed two
years ago. Al-Arabiya, which is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,
at first said its headquarters had not yet been informed of a ban, but
later said on live television that police had arrived at its Baghdad
offices to close its operations down. The order apparently was issued
by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Cabinet. "We have not officially
been informed about the banning and we do not know the causes. Only the
cabinet knows the causes," said Jawad Hatab, the Al-Arabiya bureau
chief in Baghdad.
US: Iran moves step closer to U.N. sanctions
Yahoo! News Middle
East 9/7/2006
BERLIN - Iran moved a step closer to U. N. sanctions Thursday, with a
meeting of the five Security Council permanent members plus Germany
making a "lot of progress" on ways of punishing Tehran for its nuclear
defiance, a senior State Department official said. Undersecretary of
State Nicholas Burns said further discussions were needed on how
harshly to penalize Tehran for its refusal to freeze uranium
enrichment, as demanded by the Security Council. But "we've made a lot
of progress... to push this along toward a sanctions resolution," Burns
said, speaking at the end of the six-nation talks. The meeting came
amid broad moves by key European nations to enlist world support in
pressuring Iran to give up uranium enrichment.
UN counsel in Beirut to shape tribunal for Hariri murder
suspects
Ha'aretz 9/7/2006
A United Nations legal counsel began talks with Lebanese authorities on
Thursday to discuss the establishment of an international tribunal to
try suspects in the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
Nicolas Michel, under-secretary-general for legal affairs and the legal
counsel, will discuss the nature and scope of the tribunal, which the
Lebanese government plans to authorize in the next few weeks to try
those suspected behind the attack in February 2005. Michel met Prime
Minister Fuad Siniora and Justice Minister Charles Rizk, Lebanese
officials said. He is expected to hold further talks before leaving
Lebanon on Friday. An initial UN report said Syrian security officials
and their allies in Lebanese security agencies were involved in the
blast that killed Hariri and 22 others.
Iraq takes over command of one of 10 army divisions
Yahoo! News Middle
East 9/7/2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. -led forces turned over control of Iraq's military
command to the Shiite-led government Thursday, a key step toward the
eventual withdrawal of foreign troops. But the ceremony in the heavily
fortified Green Zone only transferred authority for one of Iraq's 10
divisions and its small air force and navy, and it remained unclear how
quickly Iraqi forces would be prepared to take over security. A
legislative session nearby, meanwhile, degenerated into a shouting
match as Sunni Arabs accused the majority Shiites of seeking to carve
Iraq into sectarian enclaves. Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani
interrupted a session after a draft bill submitted by the largest
Shiite party led to accusations from Sunni Arabs that they were trying
to divide Iraq.
Report: British Jews facing more anti-Semitic sentiment than
ever
Ha'aretz 9/7/2006
LONDON - Britain's Jewish community faces an unprecedented level of
anti-Semitism and feels more threatened than ever, according to the
report of the all-party parliamentary inquiry into anti-Semitism, which
is to be released Thursday. The panel found an increase in "anti-Semitic discourse," particularly among leftist groupings, and
recommends a series of actions to prevent the situation from
deteriorating further. Panel chairman Denis MacShane, who will present
the report's conclusions to Prime Minister Tony Blair Thursday, told
Haaretz Wednesday that the report rings the "alarm bells" for Britain.
The committee was created about a year ago in order "to investigate the
current problem, identify the sources of contemporary anti-Semitism and
make recommendations that we believe will improve the current
situation."
Iran test-fires 2,000-pound guided bomb
YNet News 9/7/2006
Iran ends large-scale military exercises by test-firing guided bomb
designed for penetrating military, economic, strategic targets on enemy
soil -- Iran on Thursday ended its large-scale military exercises by
test-firing a 2,000-pound guided bomb, state-run television reported. "It is a flying bomb and can be used as a guided long-range
air-to-surface missile," Gen. Amir Amini, deputy commander of Iran's
air force, told state TV. Amini added that the bomb was a special
weapon developed for penetrating military, economic and strategic
targets located deep underground on the soil of the enemy. He said the
bomb has an "exceptional" explosive power against its targets either on
the ground or in the sea.
'Cancel Israel’ stickers on London buses
YNet News 9/7/2006
Stickers blame Mideast conflict on ‘kidnapping of Hamas members by
Israel, killing of 8 Palestinians picnicking on the beach’ -- Stickers
have been put on red double-decker buses in London calling on readers
to “cancel Israel” if they want “peace in the Middle East. ” The
stickers accuse the media of “giving a false impression” about the
Middle Eastern conflict. The “current crisis” is blamed on “the kidnap
of some democratically elected Hamas (members) and the killing of 8
Palestinians picnicking on the beach”. The words “cancel Israel” are
written in the middle in a large font. Pictures of the stickers were
originally displayed on the popular American weblog Little Green
Footballs, after they were sent in by an anonymous reader.
Huge fire breaks out next to Beirut port
Yahoo! News Middle
East 9/7/2006
Warehouse run by the U. N. refugee agency afire -- BEIRUT, Lebanon - A
huge fire erupted at a tire dump adjacent to the Beirut seaport
Thursday, sending plumes of black smoke over large areas and burning
relief supplies in a U. N. warehouse, police and a U. N. spokeswoman
said. Firefighters struggled to put out the blaze and prevent it from
reaching one of the docks holding relief aid shipments sent to help
Lebanese after a 34-day fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah
guerrillas. But a warehouse run by the U. N. refugee agency caught
fire, and a large number of blankets, tents and mattresses inside were
burned, a UNHCR spokeswoman said. "We are now assessing what the damage
is," said the spokeswoman, Astrid Van Stort. Van Stort and Lebanese
officials said they did not know yet what sparked the blaze.
Nato calls for more troops to fight Taliban
AlJazeera 9/8/2006
Nato troops have come under increasing attack -- Nato commanders have
said that they have underestimated the level of resistance they are
facing in southern Afghanistan and have asked for more troops to help
quell the Taliban insurgency. James Jones, the top Nato commander in
Europe and a US Marine general, said he wanted about 2,000 to 2,500
more alliance troops to expand the roughly 18,500 troops currently
deployed in Afghanistan, as well as attack helicopters and transport
aircrafts. After a three day visit to Afghanistan, Jones said on
Thursday that some of the 26 nation that make up the alliance have not
contributed enough resources, but he did not single out any. Jaap de
Hoop Scheffer, Nato's secretary general, also urged alliance members to
come to the support of the British, Canadian and Dutch troops...
European watchdog calls for clampdown on CIA
The Guardian 9/8/2006
UK is urged to take lead in monitoring agents · Scathing attack on
Bush, 'the King John of USA' -- The head of Europe's human rights
watchdog yesterday called for monitoring of CIA agents operating in
Britain and other European countries, after President George Bush's
admission that the US had detained terrorist suspects in secret
prisons. Terry Davis, secretary general of the Council of Europe, said
CIA agents operating in Europe should be subject to the same rules as
British agents working for MI5 and MI6. "There is a need to deal with
the conduct of allied foreign security services agents active on the
territory of a council member state," Terry Davis said. "In the UK
there is parliamentary scrutiny of the intelligence services but there
is no parliamentary scrutiny of friendly foreign services. The UK
should be in the lead on this issue."
Al-Qaida in Iraq releases audiotape
Yahoo! News Middle
East 9/7/2006
CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida in Iraq released on Thursday what was purported
to be the first audiotape by its new leader, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, in
which he vowed victory was coming and condemned Sunni Muslims
cooperating with the Iraqi government. Muhajer was named leader of
Iraq's most feared terror group after his predecessor, Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi, was killed in a June 7 airstrike north of Baghdad. The U.S.
military has put a $5 million bounty on al-Muhajer's head. Until now,
al-Muhajer has kept a low profile, issuing no statements in his name
since a written message released soon after he became al-Qaida in
Iraq's leader. His silence has been in sharp contrast with al-Zarqawi,
who put himself forward as a hero of the mujahedeen.... -- See also: Who
is behind "Al Qaeda in Iraq"? Pentagon 'acknowledges' fabricating a "Zarqawi Legend"
Saudis consider banning women from Mecca
Yahoo! News Middle
East 9/7/2006
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Officials are considering an unprecedented
proposal to ban women from performing the five Muslim prayers in the
immediate vicinity of Islam's most sacred shrine in Mecca. Some say
women are already being kept away. The issue has raised a storm of
protest across the kingdom, with some women saying they fear the move
is meant to restrict women's roles in Saudi society even further. But
the religious authorities behind the proposal insist its real purpose
is to lessen the chronic problem of overcrowding, which has led to
deadly riots during pilgrimages at Mecca in the past. It was unclear
why the step was being considered now, but officials say they have
growing concerns about overcrowding, particularly at Mecca's Grand
Mosque.
Video claims to show Bin Laden with 9/11 plotters
The Guardian 9/7/2006
Al-Jazeera screens footage of masked men in training · Testament in
'will' speaks of reprisal against west -- Al-Qaida released a videotape
yesterday purporting to show some of the September 11 hijackers
training in Afghanistan and meeting Osama bin Laden shortly before the
2001 attacks on the US. The tape, which was broadcast by the Arabic
satellite channel al-Jazeera, showed masked men practising martial arts
and concealing knives. A procession of men, whose faces could not be
clearly seen, also appeared descending a steep mountain path to a rocky
gully, where they are greeted by Bin Laden, smiling in a white
headdress and dark robe.... The Royal Institute of International
Affairs issued a report yesterday.... The report said al-Qaida was
being eclipsed in some parts of the Arab world by non-violent Islamic
groups. Bin
Laden Confession Tape: a fake?
False Flag Operations: Declassified Military Documents Show
How US Government Planned Terrorist Attacks Against its Own Citizens
Yahoo! News 9/7/2006
New York, NY (PRWEB) September 7th, 2006 – As reported by ABC News,
stunning military documents codenamed "Operation Northwoods" were
declassified in recent years and show how in 1962, the top US military
leaders planned an operation to create terror attacks against its own
cities and kill US citizens. In his newly published book "Towers of
Deception – The Media Cover-Up of 9/11," Barrie Zwicker, writes about
Operation Northwoods and many other such operations that the military
and intelligence community refer to as "false flag operations." ....
His book explains that these covert operations are designed to appear
as if they are being carried out by other entities, such as other
countries or terrorist groups, to help demonize them and justify wars
for geopolitical reasons and for financial gains.
Osama bin Laden: A dead nemesis perpetuated by the US
government
What Really
Happened? 9/7/2006
"Osama bin Laden is dead. The news first came from sources in
Afghanistan and Pakistan almost six months ago: the fugitive died in
December [2001] and was buried in the mountains of southeast
Afghanistan. Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, echoed the
information. The remnants of Osama's gang, however, have mostly stayed
silent, either to keep Osama's ghost alive or because they have no
means of communication. With an ego the size of Mount Everest, Osama
bin Laden would not have, could not have, remained silent for so long
if he were still alive..." [New York Times 7/11/02]...." The CIA has
closed a unit that for a decade had the mission of hunting Osama bin
Laden and his top lieutenants, intelligence officials confirmed Monday.
The unit, known as Alec Station, was disbanded late last year..." .
[New York Times 07/03/06]
Colombian troops may have bombed capital
AlJazeera 9/8/2006
Colombian officials are investigating whether two soldiers carried out
a deadly car bombing that had been blamed on leftist rebels.
Authorities were investigating two army officers suspected of setting
up false rebel bomb finds and the remote-controlled bomb in Bogota in
August, officials said on Thursday. The Bogota bombing killed one
civilian and wounded 15 troops before Uribe was sworn in for a second
term last month. The probe is the latest scandal to hit President
Alvaro Uribe's security forces as they step up their fight against
Marxist guerrillas and the drug trade that finances their
insurgency.... Officials gave no reason for the soldiers' possible
involvement in organizing the attacks.... A UN rights report this year
said Colombian forces had killed civilians and covered it up by
dressing the bodies as rebels to count them as part of the security
success.
Poll Finds Waning Faith
in Military Interventions
Inter Press Service
9/7/2006
WASHINGTON, Sep 7 (IPS) - Five years after "9/11", the U.S. public is
considerably less enthusiastic about projecting military power abroad,
according to a major new survey, the first of a spate of polls that are
likely to released in the run-up to Monday's fifth anniversary of the
attacks on New York and the Pentagon. The survey, conducted by the Pew
Research Centre for the People and the Press here, found that
Republicans remained substantially more supportive of military
deployments overseas than both Democrats and independents who also
believe -- by a three to one margin -- that the U.S. has lost respect
in the world over the last few years. The survey of more than 1,500
randomly selected adults also found that nearly half (46 percent) of
the respondents consider U.S. support for Israel a "major reason" for
the rise in anti-U.S. sentiment around the world...
Articles
'Gaza is a jail. Nobody is allowed to leave. We are all starving now'
By Patrick Cockburn, The Independent 9/8/2006
Gaza is dying. The Israeli siege of the Palestinian enclave is so tight that its people are on the edge of starvation. Here on the shores of the Mediterranean a great tragedy is taking place that is being ignored because the world's attention has been diverted by wars in Lebanon and Iraq.
A whole society is being destroyed. There are 1.5 million Palestinians imprisoned in the most heavily populated area in the world. Israel has stopped all trade. It has even forbidden fishermen to go far from the shore so they wade into the surf to try vainly to catch fish with hand-thrown nets.
Many people are being killed by Israeli incursions that occur every day by land and air. A total of 262 people have been killed and 1,200 wounded, of whom 60 had arms or legs amputated, since 25 June, says Dr Juma al-Saqa, the director of the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City which is fast running out of medicine. Of these, 64 were children and 26 women. This bloody conflict in Gaza has so far received only a fraction of the attention given by the international media to the war in Lebanon. -- See also: West Bank fragmented by occupation
Let My People in
By Rima Merriman, Palestine Chronicle 9/7/2006
Israel is arbitrarily turning away scores of people on a daily basis at the Israeli unilaterally declared and controlled international border crossings.
An undeclared Israeli policy is currently in effect. The policy denies entry at Israeli borders to nationals of foreign countries, even those seeking to enter for a short period of time, but especially if they live with their Palestinian spouses and families or are Palestinian expatriate nationals or are working in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt).
Israel is arbitrarily turning away scores of such people on a daily basis at the Israeli unilaterally declared and controlled international border crossings to the oPt, separating families, causing unjustified hardships, and impeding development. The following facts tell the story of how and why:
* Since 1967, Israel has maintained complete control over the registration of Palestinians in the population registry of the oPt, and over the granting of permits to visit the occupied territories. This control continued to extend to the Rafah border crossing on the Gaza Strip even after Israel's "disengagement".
* Israel considers over 60,000 Palestinians residing in the occupied territories as illegal residents according to Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC). Many such people are detained and deported if they are caught at Israeli checkpoints.
* In the past few months Israel has, without prior warning, denied re-entry to people who have been legally residing in the oPt on their own or with their spouses and children for years on the basis of tourist or other kinds of visas that had been renewed at frequent intervals through their leaving and re-entering the country, as had been required by Israel. These people are now stranded in Jordan or back in their countries of citizenship, separated from families, work and property. Others are afraid to leave for fear of facing the same fate.
Not only stones… lives, dreams and memories
By Mira Nabulsi, Zajel Youth Exchange Program 8/27/2006
In Palestine the first thing you do in the early morning is turn on local TV’s, radios, websites and newspapers…. What’s the latest news? Any invasions? Is it safe to go to work? Another ordinary day or another ordinary day?! The first common event is to have an Israeli invasion in the city, while the second is to wake up quietly and anticipate an invasion later in the afternoon or evening!
Today it was the house of a dear friend of mine that was targeted. I woke up to hear the news reported everywhere. I felt a bit different as I knew the building well. Perhaps the fact that I knew it and its people made the usual Israeli excuse together with the expected conclusion of this day, a bit harder to digest this time.
The story started on Saturday at dawn. Inhabitants of the Lubaddeh building woke up in a panic, as many others in Nablus often do, at 2:15 am. The Israeli occupation forces invaded the area and started their activities; no body knew what the target was this time, they could only hear the loudspeakers as Israeli soldiers shouted at them, ordering them to evacuate the building. In less than five minutes all the inhabitants, families, lots of kids, women and old people had come down.
When the families had all appeared, the soldiers started calling two names over the loudspeaker: “Sufyan and Ameen.. Come down, you are surrounded.” Sufyan Qandeel and Ameen Lubadeh, the two young men the occupation forces claim they want, were according to them hiding inside the residential building. The soldiers didn’t enter it to conduct a house-to-house search as was expected. Instead a huge bulldozer showed up on the spot and started to destroy one of the walls of the building. The inhabitants who were held there started yelling desperately in protest: “Criminals … stop this…Allahu Akbar…Allahu Akbar (Allah is the mightiest)“, but the bulldozers continued their work under the cover of heavy shooting.
In Hamas schools, every child has a computer
By Avi Issacharoff, Ha'aretz 9/8/2006
GAZA - The bell rang at 10 A.M. and the hundreds of children who were on break in the Dar al-Arkam school yard ran like crazy to their classrooms, but in a perfectly orderly manner, with hardly any shouting. Despite the remarkable discipline at the school identified with Hamas, kids will be kids: Every few seconds a blast was heard - not of an Israeli mortar shell or Palestinian rocket; just empty sandwich bags the kids fill with air and then burst.
This school in the northern Gaza Strip has no pictures of its founder, Hamas' spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Only Mickey Mouse's image adorns the second story. The spotless walls are painted pink and white, bare of any reference to Hamas or the war with Israel. Only the green flag of Islam at the entrance to the building reveals the political affiliation of the school's management.
The U-shaped school has a lavish, almost sterile feel to it compared to other schools in the Strip. It has several hundred boys and girls in grades 1 to 11, who are dressed in an unusual school uniform: boys in navy blue button-down shirts reminiscent of cocktail party attire; girls in head scarves and navy blue skirts for the younger ones, long dresses for the older set.
The school permit from the Palestinian Authority dates from the days of Fatah's rule. It is considered an experimental project, which in its three years of operation has acquired many admirers in Gaza, especially among parents. The number of pupils wishing to enroll continues to grow. Funding comes from the Gulf states and charities associated with Hamas, but unlike in previous years, parents now have to pay tuition.
Gaza doctors encounter 'unexplained injuries'
By Donald Macintyre, Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel / The Independent 9/7/2006
Gaza - Published: 04 September 2006 by The Independent
Doctors in Gaza are reporting what they say are unexplained injuries among the dead and wounded in operations by the Israeli military, which have killed more than 200 Palestinians in the past nine weeks.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is considering whether there is a case for an investigation into the injuries amid suspicions by the medics that the injuries were inflicted by what they claim may have been unidentified "non-conventional" weapons.
Beside especially severe burning "down to the bones", the doctors say that, in other cases, internal organs have been ruptured without any obvious sign of shrapnel wounds.
While a report from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health said the injuries raised the possibility Israel could be using "unprecedented" projectiles with "radiant" substances, the medics acknowledge that there is no proof so far of their claims. They also admit that the difficulty of establishing the exact cause of death is greatly exacerbated by the reluctance of most bereaved Palestinian families to allow autopsies.
Dr Juma al Saqqa, the director of public relations at Shifa Hospital, said the type of injuries presented by some victims were "very strange" and added: "We think this should be studied. In some cases we have opened the abdomen and found very fragmented organs." He said this was despite X-rays showing no shrapnel lodged in the patients' bodies. He said one, unsubstantiated suggestion by sympathetic doctors consulted in Italy was that some injuries might have been caused by phosphorus.
The concerns were aired at the weekend by a group of Palestinian medics during a visit to Gaza by a delegation from Physicians for Human Rights - Israel (PHR). The delegation agreed to take away fragments of tissue from the bodies of Palestinians killed during the recent military operations in Gaza for possible analysis in Israel but urged the medics to seek an international investigation.
Israeli-US Strategy: Lebanon and Iran
By James Petras, Palestine Chronicle 9/7/2006
Failing to secure a US attack on Iran, Israel constantly accelerates its plans for war with Iran and Syria.
The War Debate on Iran
....Even as the US was at war with Iraq, even as it suffered over 20,000 dead and wounded, even as its war spending rose to over $430 billion dollars, even as the bulk of its ground troops were stretched thin, Israel’s representatives in the Executive and Congress and through the Lobby pushed for a US pre-emptive attack on Iran.
Within the US government, Israeli representatives faced several objections from the State Department and active military officers to a pre-emptive military attack on Iran....
....In response, Israel’s representatives in the US formulated a series of policies to get around these objections.
In the first place, they, along with the Israeli secret police and their Lebanese collaborators, and with the approval of the US-dominated United Nations Security Council, successfully implicated Syria as the author of the February 14, 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Baha’eddin Al-Hariri, on the basis of recanted testimony from a single perjured 'witness’. On that basis, the US-UN forced Syria to withdraw its forces from Lebanon, thus hoping to isolate Hezbollah and other anti-colonial and anti-imperialist movements. Once Syria was out of Lebanon, the US with Israeli approval secured a client regime in Beirut, a regime nonetheless that only had influence in the center-north of the country. Hezbollah remained the most influential force in Southern Lebanon and much of South Beirut and impregnable from any military machinations emanating from Beirut.
In 2004 the US and France co-sponsored UN Resolution 1559 which called for "the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias." This extraordinary interference by the Security Council in Lebanon’s internal politics was clearly a set-up for Israel’s 2006 invasion.
Left, But…
By Uri Avnery, Palestine Chronicle 9/7/2006
How could writers with a conscience, and even more so "leftists" with a humane outlook, keep quiet while these atrocities were being committed?
I ONCE saw a nice sketch in a political cabaret: on the stage several people were speaking in unconnected sentences, all of which ended with the word "but". For example: "Some of my best friends are Jews, but…", "I have nothing against blacks, but…", "I really detest racism, but…"
During the recent war, I frequently heard similar phrases: "I am a leftist, but…" These words were invariably - but invariably! - followed by a rightist statement.
It seems that we have a whole community of "leftists-but", who propose the annihilation of entire Lebanese villages, the turning of Lebanon into a heap of ruins, the destruction over the heads of its inhabitants of any building where Hassan Nasrallah may (or may not) be staying. And, while we are at it, also to wipe Gaza from the face of the earth.
Encountering such sentences on TV, on the radio and in the papers, I am sometimes tempted to pray: Dear God, give me honest to goodness fascists instead of these leftists-but.
WHILE ANALYZING the Second Lebanon War, it is impossible to ignore the role played by the Leftists, with or without quotation marks, during the fighting.
The day before yesterday I saw on TV an interview with the playwright Joshua Sobol, a likeable person known as a regular leftist. He explained that this war has brought us important benefits, and sang the praises of the Minister of Defense, Amir Peretz.
Sobol is not alone. When the government started this war, an impressive line-up of writers supported it. Amos Oz, A.B.Yehoshua and David Grossman, who regularly appear as a political trio, were united again in their support of the government and used all their considerable verbal talents to justify the war. They were not satisfied with that: some days after the beginning of the war, the three published a joint ad in the papers, expressing their enthusiastic backing for the operation.
EU and Iran Find Their Roles Reversed
By Trita Parsi, Inter Press Service 9/7/2006
WASHINGTON, Sep 7 (IPS) - Scheduled talks between Javier Solana, high representative for the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy, and Iran's National Security Advisor Ali Larijani were postponed Wednesday over disagreements on the nature of the exchange -- would the parties discuss or negotiate?
During much of the summer, the Europeans were seeking Iran's approval of the Jun. 6 P5+1 package in order to swiftly initiate negotiations. Acceptance of the package devised by the five Permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany required Tehran to also immediately suspend all enrichment activities -- an activity that all concerned parties consider the prize of the negotiations.
At the time, the Iranians were less interested in negotiations than in discussions to clarify what Tehran described as ambiguities in the package.
Now, the roles have reversed. On Aug. 22, the Iranians presented the P5+1 with a counter-proposal that included an offer to suspend enrichment activities in the course of the negotiations, once the modalities and durability of the suspension had been agreed upon. A categorical and open-ended suspension was simply unacceptable, the Iranians insisted.
Tehran says it is eager to begin negotiations on this basis. From its perspective, this formula will enable the parties to build trust in the course of the negotiations while at the same time make specified suspension -- but not permanent suspension -- a plausible outcome. This would allow Iran to avoid making an agreement to suspend the basis to permanently deny Iran the right to enrichment.
Insider Describes US ME Policy as Disaster
By Kevin Zeese, Palestine Chronicle 9/7/2006
When Leverett went to the White House he was optimistic that he would be implementing the strategy that had been developed at the State Department with his participation.
A Bush Administration insider, Flint Leverett, who served in the CIA, State Department and Bush White House, had some harsh things to say about the direction of foreign policy in the Middle East on September 5 at the New America Foundation in Washington, DC.
In a virtual indictment of Mid-East policy, Leverett described how America’s standing is in decline in the region, not only US popularity but how America is perceived. The United States is more and more seen as ineffective and unable to accomplish its objectives. The decline of the United States is occurring at a disturbing pace.
While he noted competition for China, which is in need of fossil fuels to continue its economic expansion as one cause, the real reason for the decline is because of policy choices made by the Bush administration and approved by both parties in Congress. None of these choices were inevitable, there were always competing alternatives. But President Bush made choices that were “not rooted in reality” but rather in “ideology” and “experimentation.” The results he describes as “devastating.” While he says “recovery is possible” it will require shifts in policy based on an accurate assessment of what is occurring in the region.
Leverett describes himself as someone who wanted to see President Bush succeed. He voted for him in 2000 and especially after 9/11 he wanted to make sure the Bush administration foreign policy was a success. But, by the Spring of 2003 he felt compelled to leave the administration because of the choices it had made overturning a diplomatic blueprint he and others had developed in the State Department before the Iraq attack. They had developed a four point diplomatic strategy. |