Occupied Palestine and Israel: News and Articles
News
Bomb explodes at Israeli checkpoint
Al-Jazeera 8/11/2004
A powerful explosion at the Qalandia checkpoint on the outskirts of Jerusalem has killed two Palestinians and wounded 18 others. Six of the wounded were Israeli soldiers, three of whom were reported to be in critical condition. The director of Aljazeera's Palestine office, Walid al-Umary, said five of the wounded Palestinians were members of one family riding in a vehicle. One of the Palestinians killed was 60-year-old Salah Abu Snainah, a driver who was close to the site of the explosion.
Israeli helicopters, tanks raid Rafah
Al-Jazeera 8/12/2004
Israeli occupation tanks and bulldozers stormed into a Palestinian Gaza Strip refugee camp shortly after it was hit by two missiles fired from Israeli helicopters. But an Israeli military occupation source denied missiles had been fired on Wednesday and said helicopters had only fired light gunfire into open areas around the Rafah refugee camp during a 'routine search' operation...Within hours..Israeli tanks and bulldozers rolled into Rafah and began demolishing houses.
No tangible progress made towards resuming peace process, Security Council told
Electronic Intifada/UN/DPI 8/11/2004
In the past month, there had been no tangible progress towards resuming the peace process in the Middle East; violence had continued to claim innocent lives; neither side had taken adequate steps to protect civilians; and both were in breach of their international legal obligations, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast told the Security Council this morning.
A Girl Critically Wounded In The Eye , Several Arrested Including An Elderly Woman
International Press Center 8/11/2004
GAZA, August 11,2004 (IPC+WAFA)---A five year old child Aya Mohammed Al Qaddi was critically wounded today by the Israeli troops in Rafah, south of Gaza Strip. Palestinian medics at Abu Yousef Al Najar hospital said that the child Aya was shot with a live bullet in the right eye triggered by the Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the illegal Israeli settlement " Morajj"close to Al Shabor refugee camp of Rafah...At al karma crossing with Jordan, the Israeli occupying authorities rounded up the member of the Palestinian National Council Abed Al Nasser Abu aziz,43, while heading off to Jordan, he was led to undisclosed destinations, his family told IPC's.
Photostory: Images of the Kalandia Checkpoint bombing
Electronic Intifada 8/11/2004
Two Palestinians were killed and seven Israeli soldiers and 13 Palestinians were wounded today when a bomb exploded at Kalandia checkpoint, separating Ramallah and northern parts of Jerusalem from the rest of the city. Six Palestinian wounded were taken to Ramallah hospitals. All Israeli casualties were Israeli army officers. They were taken to hospitals in Jerusalem.
Militants apologize for killing Palestinians in attack near J'lem
Ha'aretz 8/12/2004
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades issued an apology Wednesday for a bomb attack at a checkpoint near Jerusalem in which two Palestinians bystanders were killed and 18 people were injured. Six Border Policemen were among those injured at the explosion south of the Qalandiyah checkpoint at the northern entrance to Jerusalem. Two of the border policemen were seriously wounded and a third remains in critical condition. All three were taken to Jerusalem's Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem.
Photo Story: Destruction of Beit Hanoun
Rafah Today 8/7/2004
Beit Hanoun: nothing is there but demolished buildings, demolished trees, demolished cars, streets and so much damage to the infrastructure. The Israeli troops withdrew from that City after 37 days of daily shelling and shooting. Beit Hanoun City was home to various kinds of agricultural products such as strawberry, citrus and flowers, and it is considered Gaza Strip�s most fertile lands. Being destroyed that way by the Israeli occupation forces makes it now difficult for that City to contribute to the already weak Palestinian economy.
Israeli Occupation Re-Shut Down Rafah Terminal
International Press Center 8/11/2004
RAFAH, August 11,2004 (IPC+WAFA)---The Israeli occupying authorities shut Gaza's border terminal with Egypt on Wednesday, Palestinian officials said, five days after reopening it following a three-week closure that stranded 2,500 Palestinian travelers in searing heat and squalor. Witnesses said that the closure came after 3000 traveler demonstrated at the Palestinian part of the terminal in a protest of the slowness of the dealing with the travel documentsat the terminal due to the strict Israeli occupation strict measures.
President Bush woos the Jewish vote
Ha'aretz 8/12/2004
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush appealed directly to the American Jewish community this week, in a glossy booklet sent to American Jewish organizational leaders that highlight his good relations with the community, its leadership, and with Israel. The appeal is considered another step in Republican efforts to win over Jewish votes from the Democratic party. The 26-page booklet, entitled "President George W. Bush - A Friend of the American Jewish Community," outlines the history of Bush's relationship with the American Jewish community, the struggle against anti-Semitism, the war against terror, and assistance to Israel.
Rafah: Days of Shelling and Devastation
Rafah Today 8/7/2004
7 August 04 - Apache warplanes and tanks began shelling Block "J" once again in a new incursion that targeted civilian buildings./ 6 August 04 - The Israeli Army withdrew from Yebna Camp in Rafah leaving 5 dead, 22 injured, and over 21 demolished buildings. "I don�t know what they want exactly from us!" said Yasir Juda who was trying to get out his Mercedes taxi cab that was demolished under the rubble of his house. "If they want us to leave here, then it is no, because death is much easier than leaving our country."
Israeli troops kill Palestinian teenager
Al-Jazeera 8/11/2004
A Palestinian teenager has been shot dead by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank city of Nablus. Salim Kusa was shot in the heart and died immediately on Wednesday after struggling with soldiers in the city centre, according to Aljazeera's correspondent. Seven other Palestinians were also injured when they too objected to troops commandeering a number of civilian homes that overlook the Old City.
EU says no evidence Palestinians misused EU funds
Ha'aretz 8/10/2004
BRUSSELS - The European Union's anti-fraud office said on Tuesday it had found no evidence that EU aid to the Palestinian Authority has been used to finance illegal activities such as terrorism. "To date there is no evidence that funds from the non-targeted EU direct budget assistance to the Palestinian Authorities have been used to finance illegal activities, including terrorism," the European Union's anti-fraud office OLAF said in a statement.
Israel brands EU fraud report on PA a `farce'
Ha'aretz 8/12/2004
Provisional findings of an investigation by the European Anti-Fraud Office into how the Palestinian Authority was using European Union aid money were a "farce," Israel said yesterday. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) had issued a statement Tuesday saying that the investigation, which began in February, had until now found no evidence that the PA was diverting EU budget assistance to illegal activities, including terrorism.
Sharon: No decision on new coalition before Likud meet
Ha'aretz 8/12/2004
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told his associates yesterday he has decided not to conclude a coalition negotiations before next Wednesday's Likud conference, where the party is expected to decide on Labor joining the government. Sources at the Prime Minister's Office said this doesn't mean Sharon intends to side with those opposed to Labor joining, but he wants to listen to them and take their views into account.
Abu Holi Checkpoint: Torture of Palestinians in the Heart of Romantic Landscape
WAFA 8/11/2004
GAZA, August 11, 2004 (WAFA)-Just after leaving the city of Deir al-Balah, south of Gaza City, our eyes were caught by the beautiful neighbourhood of Abu Holi. Palm trees, olive and citrus orchards and green houses along the flanks of the road. A shepherd herding some sheep between the trees where a rust metal low fence surrounded a calf and a cow chewing leaves. In the heart of such a romantic view, thousands of Palestinian civilians face daily torture at the two sides of Abu Holi checkpoint, which divides the Gaza Strip into two parts.
ILA defies HCJ, continues discriminating against Arabs
Maariv 8/11/2004
Prevents Arab doctor from buying home in Karmiel -- The ILA (Israel Land authority), the government-controlled body which owns 90% of all the land in Israel is continuing to flagrantly discriminate against Arabs citizens, in clear and bold faced violation of previous HCJ (High Court of Justice) decisions ordering them to desist from such illegal practices.
Israeli Soldiers Occupy Homes in Nablus; Seven Palestinians Injured
International Solidarity Movement 8/10/2004
[Nablus] Tuesday, August 11, ten International Solidarity Movement activists, one representative of the PMRC and Palestinians investigated a building occupation in the Duwar area of Nablus. They have confirmed that soldiers are on the fifth floor of the Anabta Building and have changed the locks. Confrontations are taking place and seven Palestinians have been injured. One youth has been hit in the head and is in critical but stable condition.
Iran tests Shihab-3 missile that puts Israel within range
Ha'aretz 8/12/2004
Iran yesterday said it has successfully field tested the latest version of its Shihab-3 medium-range ballistic missile, which defense experts say can reach Israel. In a brief statement from the official news agency IRNA, Iran's defense ministry said the new Shihab-3 test "was carried out successfully ... and the pre-determined targets were hit."
Jews who leave Israel for good
Al-Jazeera 8/10/2004
Every Jewish immigrant that enters Israel is taking part in a continual referendum on its chances for survival. But many of the Jews who enter Israel are also choosing to leave it. For many of them, involvement in actively subjugating Palestinian refugees in the Occupied Territories and the pressure of living the Zionist ideology every day is just too much. Igor Dzhadan describes his situation simply. He emigrated to Israel in 1990 but returned home in 2001, blaming what he called the country's "sectarian nature".
Bereaved parents planning anti-recruitment campaign
Maariv 8/11/2004
Accuse country�s leaders of callous and cynical indifference, caring only about their careers and personal ambitions -- A group of bereaved parents has begun organizing an anti-induction campaign, aimed at getting recruits to refuse to join the IDF. The campaign will coincide with the annual August induction, when most high school graduates begin their three-year national service.
Olympics: IOC blocks Greek javelin champion's Olympic comeback for Palestine
Channel NewsAsia 8/10/2004
ATHENS : The International Olympic Committee has barred Greece's Sofia Sakorafa, a 47-year-old former javelin world record holder, from staging a symbolic Olympic comeback for the Palestinian team. "I am very angry, I don't know why they took this decision," Sakorafa, who was javelin world record holder in 1982-1983 and bronze medallist in the 1982 European Athletics Championships, told reporters in the Palestinian diplomatic representation in Athens.
14 Civilians Wounded by Israeli Missiles in Khan Younis
International Press Center 8/11/2004
KHAN YOUNIS, Palestine, August11, 2004 (IPC+ Agencies)-- At least 14 Palestinian civilians, including children, were wounded at dawn in the Gaza Strip refugee camp of Khan Younis, after an Israeli combat helicopter fired missiles at a crowd of local residents while bulldozers began demolishing homes. Local sources and medics told IPC that the local hospital of Nasser received admitted 14 injured including three in a critical condition, one of whom was later transferred to the Gaza City hospital of Alshifa due to the severity of his wounds.
6 Civilians Arrested in West Bank
WAFA 8/11/2004
TUBAS, August 11, 2004 (WAFA)-Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested Tuesday sis Palestinian civilians, icluding three children and an old woman, in two separate attacks in the West Bank cities of Tubas and Hebron, witnesses said. Witnesses revealed that an Israeli military jeep stopped a car, at Wadi al-Far'a area in Tubas, which was carrying the teens Otba Abu Mohsen, Mohammed Awad and Islam Slehat and arrested the boys, leading them to an unknown place.
Miftah Picture of the Week - Destruction in Hebron Old City
Miftah 8/8/2004
Israeli troops demolish historical Palestinian homes, that are over 600-year-old, in the old city of Hebron - West Bank
EU aims to pinpoint goods from Jewish settlements
Financial Times 8/11/2004
European Union customs officers will soon begin checking imports from Israel to identify anything produced in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It is part of an agreement, initialled in Brussels last week, to end a long-running dispute between Israel and the 25-country bloc that threatened to disrupt their free trade agreement.
Labor membership hits an all time low
Maariv 8/11/2004
The party currently has only 49,000 registered members -- The Labor party continues its steady decline, reaching an all time low of forty nine thousand members, less than half it had when Amram Mitzna was elected party chairman two years ago. The only changes are negative ones. �Every day we get calls from people canceling their membership, say party workers.
Israel Eyes Immigration Of Thousands Of Indians
Islam Online 8/11/2004
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, August 11 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - One of Israel's chief rabbis revealed that he had traveled to India to examine the possibility of allowing thousands of members of a tribe which claims to be Jewish to immigrate to the Jewish state. Shlomo Amar, head of the country's Sephardic Jews and the leading authority on conversions, said more information was needed about the Bnei Mannasse tribe before a decision is made on whether to grant them �aliyah�, the right of all Jews to immigrate to Israel , reported Agence France-Presse (AFP) Tuesday, August 11.
Defense cuts to dominate budget debate
Ha'aretz 8/12/2004
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has rejected treasury demands to cut NIS 1.5 billion from the defense budget, but simultaneously turned down a defense establishment bid to add NIS 1.5 billion to its 2005 budget. In a meeting yesterday with the prime minister, senior security chiefs made a wide-ranging presentation of the dangers to be faced by Israel in coming years. They said the defense establishment had become more efficient, making significant reductions in air and ground forces. Any further cuts to their NIS 35 billion budget would harm state security, they contended.
Rising tensions in Shiuni ahead of party conference
Ha'aretz 8/12/2004
Tensions are rising in Shinui ahead of the Thursday party conference which is expected to decide whether the party can join a coalition with United Torah Judaism, (UTJ) a move supported by Justice Minister Yosef Lapid and Interior Minister Avraham Poraz, and which has stirred unprecedented unrest in the party.
Sharon moves to stymie defeat at Likud convention
Ha'aretz 8/11/2004
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has begun energetically lobbying delegates to the upcoming Likud convention to oppose the Likud "rebels'" plans for a vote that would require Likud MKs and ministers to oppose adding the Labor Party to the coalition.
New York Freedom Marcher Arrested
International Solidarity Movement 8/10/2004
At around 6:00pm as the Freedom March arrived at a gate in the fence section of the Apartheid Wall, which also serves as a checkpoint, between the village of Azzun Atmah and Beit Amin, they witnessed 15-20 young Palestinian men being detained by the Israeli Army. Karl was taken to Ariel Police Station where he remained at the time of this report.
Canadian Jews, Arabs decry hate speech
Al-Jazeera 8/12/2004
Several Jewish and Arab groups in Canada are uniting to confront anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hate speech and vandalism. The Canadian Arab Federation (CAF) has teamed up with the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) and the administration of Ryerson University to combat hate grafitti and flyers which recently appeared on the university's Toronto campus.
Articles
Labor's acquiescence
By Amira Hass, Ha'aretz 8/11/2004
The Labor Party is negotiating with the Likud on joining the coalition, backed by the support of many Israelis for the disengagement plan. Supporters explain their backing for Labor's joining the coalition by saying it is an "important precedent" to evacuate settlements, and it means the "creation of a dynamic" for the evacuation of other settlements in the West Bank, especially in light of the widely publicized fact that for Sharon, it's "Gaza and Jenin first, Gaza and Jenin last." The question of Labor's joining the coalition is a matter between its voters and its elected representatives. Let Labor's voters test the extent of the commitment to peace behind the desire to join the government. On the other hand, the promise of a positive dynamic are of interest to all Israelis who still hope for a peaceful solution to the Palestinian conflict, based on the establishment of a real Palestinian state, not a "state" in name only, which is no more than a cluster of disjointed enclaves.
While the media waves are foaming around the coalition talks, on the ground the dynamic of proud Zionist construction goes on, as Israeli bulldozers work tirelessly throughout the West Bank: opposite the village of Hizmeh, south of Pisgat Ze'ev, in the settlement of Betar, at the Za'atra (Tapuah) junction south of Nablus, on the hills west of the settlement of Givat Ze'ev, on the Uzon road and in the northern Jordan Valley near the village of Bardala.
�Jewish� Foundation Through Palestinian Obliteration
Miftah 8/11/2004
Three historic buildings in the Old City of Hebron had to make way for a walkway on Monday. The demolition of the three buildings, which date back to the Mamluk period and comprise eleven housing units, was ordered by the Israeli military, which also confiscated a 700-meter plot belonging to the Islamic Awkaf (trust) just east of the Ibrahimi Mosque.
The planned walkway will be exclusively for settler use, and is meant to provide the settlers with a more direct and convenient connection from the settlement of Kiryat Arba� (located on the outskirts of Hebron�s Old City) to the Ibrahimi Mosque. Large parts of the Old City have also been seized by the Israeli military over the years and turned into 'colonies' accessible exclusively to settlers. Entire market areas in the commercial district have been sealed off by the military as well, all under the usual security pretext, thus effectively destroying the livelihoods of most of the shop-owners in the area.
Writing on the wall
By Shlomo Gazit, Maariv 8/11/2004
Threats from Iran and Jewish extremists require dialogue to resolve the conflict. -- "And this is the writing that was inscribed: mene mene, tekel upharsin�. This verse from the Book of Daniel (5:25) is the source of the _expression_ �the writing on the wall�. It is a metaphorical _expression_ that refers to facts that are visible for all to see but nevertheless ignored together with the necessary conclusions drawn from them.
In recent days, three inscriptions have been �written on the wall�. Each of them alone should worry us. The combination of the three, at the same time, should sound a powerful alarm.
The first inscription is the intelligence estimate that Iran has vigorously restarted its program to develop atomic weapons and that it might produce its first bomb within two or three years. The message that this inscription mandates should be clear: neither Israel nor anyone else has the ability or willingness to prevent a balance of nuclear threats in the region.
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