"The Tumult And The Shouting Dies…"
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Uri Avnery's Column: 01/12/07
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SHERLOCK HOLMES said in one of his cases that the solution could be
found in "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time." When it
was pointed out to him that the dog did nothing, he explained: "That
was the curious incident."
Anyone who wants to understand what has (or has not) happened at
Annapolis will find the answer in this fact: the dog did not bark. The
settlers and their friends were keeping quiet, did not panic, did not
get excited, did not distribute posters of Olmert in SS uniform (as
they had done with Rabin after Oslo). All in all, they contented
themselves with the obligatory prayer at the Western Wall and a
smallish demonstration near the Prime Minister's residence.
This means that they were not worried. They knew that nothing would
come out of it, that there would be no agreement on the dismantling of
even one measly settlement outpost. And on the forecast of the
settlers' leaders one can rely in such matters. If there had been the
slightest danger that peace would result from this conference, they
would have mobilized their followers en masse.
THE HAMAS movement, on the other hand, did organize mass
demonstrations in Gaza and the West Bank towns. The Hamas leaders were
very worried indeed.
Not because they were afraid that peace would be concluded at the
meeting. They were apprehensive of another danger: that the only real
aim of the meeting was to prepare the ground for an Israeli invasion of
the Gaza Strip.
Ami Ayalon, a former admiral who once posed as a man of peace, and
who is now a Labor member of the cabinet, appeared during the
conference on Israeli TV to say so quite openly: he was in favor of the
conference because it legitimizes this operation.
The line of thought goes like this: In order to fulfill his
obligation under the Road Map, Abbas must "destroy the terrorist
infrastructure" in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. "Terrorism" means
Hamas. Since Abbas is unable to conquer the Gaza Strip himself, the
Israeli army will do it for him.
True, it may be costly. In the last few months, a lot of arms have
been flowing into Gaza through the tunnels under the border with Egypt.
Many people on both sides will lose their lives. But "What can you do?
There is no alternative."
It may be that in retrospect, the main (if not the only) outcome of
Annapolis will be this: the conquest of the Gaza Strip in order to
"strengthen Abbas".
Hamas, in any case, is worried. And not without reason.
In preparation for such a confrontation, the Hamas leaders have
become even more shrill in their opposition to the meeting, to which
they were not invited. They denounced Abbas as a collaborator and a
traitor, reiterating that Hamas would never recognize Israel nor accept
a peace agreement with it. <http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1196557518>
Israeli tanks push deep into Gaza
Israeli tanks severed the main north-south route through Gaza
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Israeli tanks and bulldozers have moved deep into the southern Gaza
Strip in the biggest incursion into the territory in months.
Three Palestinian militants were killed early in the fighting, local medical officials said.
Israeli military officials say two soldiers were wounded. Reports speak of 30 or more tanks being involved.
Gaza is run by the Hamas militant group which took over the territory in June after a violent struggle with Fatah.
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Ramallah says it is the
largest military incursion of Gaza for months, coming exactly two weeks
after the Annapolis meeting that heralded a new round of peace
negotiations.
We
do believe that [with] these sort of surgical incursions where we go
in, we deal with the infrastructure of the extremists, of the
terrorists, we keep them on the run
Mark Regev, Israeli government spokesman
On Wednesday, Israel and a Fatah-led Palestinian
delegation are to hold a first round of talks aimed at relaunching the
peace process.
Since that meeting nearly 40 Palestinians, mainly militants, have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces.
The incursion was launched not far from the Sufa
crossing point into Gaza, an area regularly used by militants to launch
rocket and mortar attacks at Israel. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7138076.stm>
Mid-East sides begin peace talks
Ex-Palestinian PM Ahmed Qurei will meet the Israeli foreign minister
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Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have started the first formal peace talks in seven years.
The meeting comes two weeks after pledges by the two
sides' leaders at Annapolis to seek a deal on a Palestinian state by
the end of 2008.
A BBC correspondent says today's talks are likely to be procedural.
However, the Palestinians are likely to raise Israel's
plans for new building on occupied territory in East Jerusalem after
tenders went out for 300 houses.
The plans to expand the Har Homa settlement have been
criticised by the American and British governments, and by the European
Union. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7139808.stm>
Israel keeps up pressure on Iran
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By Paul Wood
BBC Middle East correspondent, Jerusalem
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Israel and the US have different assessments of the same data
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Similar to the White House, the Israeli government does not like the
US National Intelligence Estimate on Iran - and for the most part, is
not buying it.
According to the Israeli press, Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert told his cabinet: "Israel will make a powerful effort... to
expose Iran's secret military nuclear programme."
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak acknowledged that
Iran had indeed stopped trying to build a nuclear weapon in 2003, as
the NIE said.
But, he went on, Israel believed the weapons programme had resumed two years later.
"We cannot allow ourselves to rest just because of an
intelligence report from the other side of the Earth, even if it is
from our greatest friend," he added.
Israel and the US seem to be working off the same intelligence sources.
The Israeli view, therefore, represents a different assessment of the same data.
"Only time will tell who is right," Mr Barak said. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7138506.stm>
Red Cross demands Mid-East action
Red Cross workers negotiate access for an injured Palestinian in Gaza
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The International Committee of the Red Cross has called for
immediate political action to contain the "deep crisis" in the West
Bank and Gaza.
The statement was an unusual departure from its normally non-political stance.
The ICRC said the measures imposed by Israel had denied
the Palestinian population the right to live a normal and dignified
life.
The organisation says humanitarian assistance cannot possibly be the solution in Gaza and the West Bank.
The statement comes just days before a major donor conference in Paris.
BBC Geneva correspondent Imogen Foulkes says politics is
not usually a word which features in the language of the international
Red Cross: the famously neutral organisation tends to work quietly in
conflict zones, and when it does speak, it speaks of numbers of injured
treated, or numbers of detainees visited.
But the ICRC now says that life in the West bank and
Gaza Strip has become so dreadful that no amount of humanitarian aid
can really help. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7141875.stm>
Israeli raid kills three in Gaza
An Israeli air strike has killed three people in Gaza City, according to Palestinian officials.
They say several people were also injured when an Israeli aircraft targeted a vehicle in the eastern district of the city.
The Israeli army confirmed the raid, saying it had targeted a militant cell.
Israel frequently carries out strikes against militants
in the Gaza Strip, in an effort to stop the frequent rocket fire on
towns in southern Israel.
At least one militant from the Islamic Jihad was reportedly among the three people killed in the attack.
The vehicle was completely destroyed by the strike late on Thursday, Palestinian officials said.
The raid came a few hours after an Israeli woman was wounded in a rocket attack on the southern Israeli town of Sderot. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7143179.stm>
Olmert says Iran still dangerous
Israel is said to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East
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Israeli PM Ehud Olmert has insisted Iran's nuclear programme remains
dangerous, and called on world powers to prevent it acquiring atomic
weapons.
Mr Olmert said Iran had no need to "act with frenzied haste" to enrich uranium unless it wanted to develop weapons.
His comments came a week after a US intelligence report said Iran halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003.
Tehran, which has always insisted its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes, welcomed the report.
Earlier, an Iranian opposition group based in Paris said
Iran had halted its nuclear weapons programme four years ago, but then
restarted it in 2004 after moving equipment to several sites to avoid
detection.
I trust and am confident that the United States
will continue to lead the international campaign to stop the
development of a nuclear Iran
Ehud Olmert
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which
first exposed Iran's nuclear programme in 2002, said its sources
reported that Tehran was leaking false information to Western
intelligence services through double agents.
"We announce vehemently that the clerical regime is
currently continuing its drive to obtain nuclear weapons," NCRI
spokesman Mohammad Mohaddessin told a news conference in Brussels.
The France-based group is the political wing of the
Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation (MKO), an Iranian armed resistance group
which has been labelled as "terrorist" by the US and European Union. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7139526.stm>
Hamas ready for talks with rival
The Palestinian Islamist movement, Hamas, has said it has agreed to
hold reconciliation talks with the rival Fatah group of President
Mahmoud Abbas.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniya suggested it might be willing to relinquish
control of Gaza, which it seized from Fatah in June, in a statement on
its website.
Mr Haniya said his group's control of the coastal territory was
"temporary". <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7038808.stm>
Israel lets Gazans leave for Hajj
Able-bodied Muslims are expected to make the pilgrimage once
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Almost 500 Palestinians have been allowed to leave the Gaza Strip to
make the Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Israel has
confirmed.
The Palestinians left Gaza on Sunday by the Erez checkpoint, controlled by Israel and usually closed to civilians.
The 491 pilgrims were taken by bus to the West Bank, before heading to Jordan and then a flight to Saudi Arabia.
Israel described the decision to allow the group to make the pilgrimage as a goodwill gesture to the Palestinians.
A second group of roughly the same number is due to leave Gaza on Monday, said Ashraf al-Ajrami, Palestinian Minister for Prisoners' Affairs.
Israel's move follows Egypt's decision to allow 700 pilgrims out of Gaza through the Rafah crossing last week.
In another move described as a goodwill gesture Israel also recently freed hundreds of Palestinian held prisoner in Israel.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7146932.stm>
Israeli raids kill Gaza militants
Israeli missiles hit a number of cars in Gaza's crowded streets overnight
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Israeli air strikes have killed at least 10 Palestinian militants in
Gaza, including a top military commander of the Islamic Jihad group.
Israel accused Majed Harazin of leading rocket and
mortar attacks against its territory. Reports say he is the most senior
militant to be killed in a year.
The attack on his car killed an Islamic Jihad associate, while three more raids killed at least eight other militants.
Israel's deputy defence minister said he was "very pleased" with the results.
The important thing is not the number of them who are hit, but their place in the organisation's hierarchy
Israel's deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai
Islamic Jihad described the deaths as a "big loss" and threatened "a wave of martyrdom operations" in return.
Thousands of people took to the streets in funeral
processions on Tuesday for the dead militants, whose bodies were
wrapped in black Islamic Jihad flags.
In other violence, an Islamic Jihad military commander
was killed in what appeared to be an Israeli commando raid in the
northern West Bank. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7149066.stm>
Israeli army crimes 'unpunished'
Israel insists dozens of roadblock checkpoints are needed for security
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An Israeli human rights group says the overwhelming majority of
Israeli troops suspected of criminal offences against Palestinians are
never indicted.
The small number of investigations and even fewer
indictments showed Israel's army was ignoring its duty to protect
Palestinian civilians, Yesh Din says.
It said soldiers felt they had immunity from investigation and prosecution, which inevitably led to more offences.
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said no-one was above the law.
The spokesman, Mark Regev, added that any complaints would be taken seriously by the Israeli legal authorities.
Yesh Din's report said offences included "illegal
shooting causing the death and injury of civilians, violence and abuse,
intentional damage to property, looting, taking bribes".
Between 2000 and 2007, it says, 239 investigations into
the killing and wounding of non-combatant Palestinian civilians by
Israeli forces had led to just 16 convictions.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7150604.stm>
Analysis: Palestinian aid and politics
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By Jeremy Bowen
Middle East editor, BBC News
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If delegates to the Palestinian donors' conference in
Paris felt like a little light shopping after their work was done it
was a mere step from their meeting hall to the Champs Elysees.
If they had worked up an appetite, there are restaurants
where a modest piece of grilled fish can cost more than 60 Euros (US
$86).
The trees that run along either side of the Champs
Elysees were dripping with Christmas lights, and down in the Place de
la Concorde an elegantly lit Ferris wheel turned slowly, giving its
passengers an excellent view of the Eiffel Tower, and the roof tops of
the French capital.
In other words, it is hard to think of
anywhere in the world that felt so far away from the miserable
realities of life in Gaza and the West Bank as Paris did in the week
before Christmas.
Life is not just hard for Palestinians. It is getting worse. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7152143.stm>
Israel examining Hamas truce proposal
12/21/2007 | 07:06 PM
JERUSALEM
Israel is examining a Hamas truce proposal delivered by
Egypt, defense officials said, but violence persisted Friday as a Hamas
militant was killed in what the group said was a clash with Israeli
troops near the Israel-Gaza border.
Israeli calls for cease-fire talks with the militant group that rules
the Gaza Strip grew Friday as an Israeli Cabinet minister said he
supported such negotiations under certain conditions.
A Hamas official said the offer was part of the Islamic group's efforts
to reach out not only to Israel, but also to Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas, who has controlled only the West Bank since June when
Hamas ousted his Fatah party's security forces from Gaza.
Since the Hamas takeover, Abbas has rejected offers by the group to
talk, insisting Hamas must first step down in Gaza. Israel has also
refused to do business with the militant group, and has virtually
closed all crossings with the impoverished area where 1.5 million
Palestinians live, allowing in only food and humanitarian aid. <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/73784/Israel-examining-Hamas-truce-proposal>
Better times return to Bethlehem
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By Martin Patience
BBC News, Bethlehem
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Hundreds of thousands more visitors have come to Bethlehem
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As a flock of tourists strode up to the entrance of the Church of
the Nativity - the reputed site of Jesus Christ's birth - a Palestinian
tour guide moved in for the hard sell.
"Do you need a guide?" asked Adil Dweib as the visitors marched by him without saying a word.
In previous years, Mr Dweib would have pursued the
group, but this time he shrugged his shoulders and rejoined a couple of
colleagues leaning against a wall.
"This year is like 2000," says Mr Dweib - a slight exaggeration
perhaps, as the millennium year was a bumper time for tourism in
Bethlehem.
"Business is good and next year there will be hopefully even more tourists," he adds.
Community and business leaders, shopkeepers and tour
guides, all tell you the same thing: the economy is getting better in
this Christian pilgrimage centre in the rolling West Bank hills.
During the second Palestinian uprising, which started in September 2000, tourism collapsed.
Israeli military incursions were a regular occurrence
and in 2002 there was the siege of the Church of the Nativity in which
39 Palestinian gunmen holed up in the church for more than five weeks.
Worshippers in the Church of the Nativity - in 2002 the scene of violent siege
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The work of church leaders across the world has helped in selling Bethlehem as a safe city for pilgrimage
Mayor Victor Batarseh
Most visitors stayed away during this period and some of the shops still bear scars - their signage pocked by bullet holes.
But with relative stability of the last two years,
tourists and pilgrims are returning to the town - located 6 miles (10
km) from Jerusalem - in large numbers. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7146980.stm>
Israel confirms settlement plans
Israel recently put out a tender for new homes in Har Homa
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Israel plans to build 740 new homes in settlements in occupied East
Jerusalem, a minister said, despite its commitment to freeze all
settlement activity.
Rafi Eitan, minister for Jerusalem affairs, said Israel
had never promised to stop building within Jerusalem and had a duty to
house its citizens.
It is budgeting to build 500 new homes in Har Homa and 240 in Maaleh Adumim.
A Palestinian spokesman condemned the plans, accusing Israel of seeking to destroy renewed peace talks.
Every day we hear a new settlement expansion plan - this cannot be tolerated
Saeb Erekat, Palestinian negotiator
The two sides agreed at a peace conference in Annapolis
in the US in late November to revive the 2003 peace plan known as the
roadmap.
According to the plan, Israel must halt all settlement activity and the Palestinians must rein in militants.
But soon after the conference, Israel announced a tender for 300 homes in Har Homa. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7158072.stm>
Olmert rules out truce with Hamas
Hamas, which controls Gaza, has refused to recognise Israel
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Israeli PM Ehud Olmert has ruled out a ceasefire with Palestinian
Islamist movement Hamas unless it recognises Israel and renounces
violence.
He was speaking after two Israeli ministers said it
should consider a truce after reports, denied by Hamas, that the group
was exploring the idea.
But Mr Olmert said the Israeli army was involved in a "real war" in Gaza.
And he told his cabinet the military was making progress in its efforts to stop rocket attacks on Israel.
Israel says over 1,000 missiles and mortar bombs have been fired at it from Gaza since Hamas took over the strip in June.
More than 20 Palestinian militants, both from Hamas and
the smaller Islamic Jihad group, have been killed by Israeli forces in
the past week.
Israel has been negotiating with Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas's West Bank administration despite sharp
differences over issues such as Jewish settlements in the Palestinian
territories. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7158127.stm>
Middle East conflict toll 'falls'
Though deaths fell the human rights also declined, B'Tselem said
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Israeli human rights group B'Tselem says that the number of deaths
in Israeli-Palestinian violence fell sharply in 2007 as compared to
2006.
But the group's annual report says that Israeli security
forces killed 373 Palestinians, and 131 of these were not involved in
hostilities.
There was a deterioration in the general situation, notably Gaza's humanitarian crisis.
Palestinians killed 13 Israelis in 2007 - seven of them civilians.
Of these, three died in a suicide attack in Eilat, two in Qassam rocket attacks on Sderot, and two were killed in the West Bank.
This is the lowest annual figure for Israeli deaths since 2000 and compares to 17 Israeli civilians killed in 2006.
Six Israeli soldiers were killed in 2007 by Palestinians.
General deterioration
There was little improvement in Palestinians' freedom on movement in the West Bank, B'Tselem says.
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2007 TOLL
Israeli forces kill 373 Palestinians - 290 in Gaza , 83 in the West Bank. (In 2006 657 Palestinians were killed)
53 of the Palestinians killed were minors
131 of these were civilians who were not taking part in the hostilities when killed
Seven Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians
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There were on average 66 checkpoints manned by soldiers and 459 physical roadblocks across the West Bank, through the year.
Other key points:
- 2007 saw an increase of
13% in the number of Palestinians held in administrative detention
without trial or charge, to 830 people.
- The Jewish settler population grew by 4.5% -
compared with 1.5% population growth inside Israel . This was a fall
compared to the growth rate in 2006.
- Sixty-nine Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel since 1967, were demolished, a 38% rise compared to 2006.
- Palestinians continued to face severe
discrimination in the allocation of water in the West Bank , causing
serious hardship in the summer.
- The number of Palestinians killed in
intra-Palestinian clashes, 344, was the highest since the start of the
Palestinian intifada in September 2000. Of these, 73 were not involved
in hostilities.
"There is no doubt that Israel faces serious security
threats, and is entitled and even obligated to do its utmost to protect
its population. However, far too often, Israel fails to appropriately
balance its security needs with equally important values, including
protecting the rights of Palestinians under its control," the report
says.
"In addition, Israeli authorities often exploit security
threats in order to advance prohibited political interests, such as
perpetuating settlements and effectively annexing them to Israel ."
B'Tselem also notes a lack of accountability of Israeli security forces, in all matters relating to human rights.
"This can be seen clearly in the reluctance of the state
to thoroughly investigate violations and to prosecute those responsible
for them," the report said. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7165652.stm>
Hamas militants die in Gaza raid
The funerals for the Hamas militants were held on Wednesday
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Israel has carried out a helicopter attack on the north of the Gaza
Strip in which six militants were killed, Palestinian hospital sources
say.
Three of the dead were believed to be members of the Hamas Islamist group.
An Israeli army spokesman says the attack was launched after militants fired missiles at Israeli troops operating in the area.
Israel has carried out numerous raids which it says are aimed at stopping the firing of rockets into Israel.
Eleven others were injured in the Israeli strike, Palestinian medics say.
Palestinian eyewitnesses say the Israeli forces that
came under attack from the militants was 400m from the northern border
of the strip. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7167421.stm>
Israeli anger over Gaza crossing
Palestinian pilgrims celebrated after crossing into the Gaza Strip
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Israel has criticised Egypt's decision to allow 2,150 Palestinian
pilgrims who had been stranded in the country to cross back into the
Gaza Strip.
The pilgrims, including senior Hamas members, were returning from Mecca.
Egypt originally denied them permission to travel
through its main border crossing with Gaza at Rafah, insisting they use
an Israeli-run post instead.
Israeli officials expressed concern that some of the group could be trying to smuggle money to Hamas.
The pilgrims had been stuck in Egypt for five days
before it was decided to allow them directly into Gaza through Rafah,
bypassing Israel.
"It is very important for Israel to insist - and stand
firm on its right to do so - that the border between Egypt-Sinai and
the Strip be closed and that neither terrorists nor weapons get
through," Israel's Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter told Channel
Ten television.
An aide to Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said
Egypt's decision went against a previous agreement that the pilgrims
would enter Gaza through Israel's Kerem Shalom terminal. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7168189.stm>
Spy case still makes waves in Israel
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By Martin Patience
BBC News, Jerusalem
|
Pollard supporters lump Bush with Haniya and Nasrallah
|
On buses and billboards across Jerusalem, a poster depicts three men
not commonly associated with each other - US President George Bush,
Hamas leader Ismail Haniya and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
But what does George Bush have in common with two men he must regard as arch enemies?
The tagline of the poster makes it clear - "Bush, free your captive!"
Hamas has been holding an Israeli soldier captive in Gaza since 2006, while Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers.
The "captive" that Mr Bush is being asked to set free is Jonathan Pollard.
The case of Pollard, a US Navy
intelligence analyst who gave classified material to Israel, is a sore
point in otherwise excellent relations between Israel and the US. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7181277.stm>
Bush uses strong language in Mid-East
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By Jeremy Bowen
BBC Middle East Editor
|
Mr Bush wants a peace deal signed by the time he leaves office in 2009
|
In Jerusalem, US President George W Bush has used some of his
strongest language so far to describe the vision he says he has of a
Palestinian state alongside Israel.
At a news conference Mr Bush said there should be "an end to the occupation that began in 1967".
"The agreement must establish Palestine as a homeland
for the Palestinian people, just as Israel is a homeland for the Jewish
people," he added.
Statement made, Mr Bush went to have dinner with the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert.
The Israelis say they would not have chosen some of the
language Mr Bush used - the word "occupation" is something with which
Israeli governments have always had difficulties.
But they say the president's statement is for them a
positive basis on which to continue their dialogue with the
Palestinians. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7182363.stm>
Mid-East talks on 'core issues'
There have been a series of meetings since the Annapolis talks
|
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have begun talks in Jerusalem on
what are seen as the most intractable issues in the peace process.
These include the status of Jerusalem, the borders of a
Palestinian state, Jewish settlements in the West Bank, refugees,
security and water resources.
The talks are being led by Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei.
Three Palestinian militants died in an Israeli strike in Gaza on Sunday.
The vehicle in which the men were travelling through the
Shati refugee camp near Gaza City was struck by an Israeli Air Force
missile.
If we reach an agreement on all these issues, then we can say that we have reached a final agreement
Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority President
The raid had targeted militants involved in attacks on Israel, the Israeli military said.
One of the men has been named as Nidal Amudi, who was a
senior member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group linked
to the Fatah movement of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Another was identified as Mahir Mabhuh, who belonged to
another group, while the identity of the third militant was unknown.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7186232.stm>
2008: The year of Palestine?
|
By Roger Hardy
BBC Middle East analyst
|
Will 2008 see the creation of a Palestinian state, or will November's Annapolis peace conference prove another false dawn?
For a first, there is trust among Israeli and Palestinian leaders
|
US President George W Bush shows no inclination to become a lame duck, pledging no let-up during his last year in office.
He is due to visit the Middle East early in 2008, a sign of his personal commitment to advancing the peace process there.
But he will not find it easy to cut through the scepticism that is widespread in the region.
With the problems of Iran, Iraq and Lebanon unresolved,
few believe the Middle East is going to become more stable any time
soon. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7148445.stm>
Israeli Gaza City raid kills 16
Up to 40 Palestinians were wounded in a morning of fierce clashes
|
At least 16 Palestinians, including at least 13 militants, have died
in an Israeli raid in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, reports say.
Medical sources and witnesses said the deaths came after Israeli tanks pushed into eastern suburbs of Gaza City.
A farm worker in southern Israel was also killed by sniper fire from Gaza.
It is one of the deadliest days of violence in Gaza in
months. Israel launches frequent raids which it says are aimed at
preventing rocket fire.
The dead militants included a son of Mahmoud Zahhar,
senior leader of the militant Islamist Hamas group in Gaza, the group
said.
Reports say 48 people were also injured.
The violence comes a day after Israeli and Palestinian
Authority negotiators began talks on core issues in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict - borders, Jewish settlements, Jerusalem
and Palestinian refugees.
Hamas, which is excluded from - and rejects - the talks,
ousted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement
from Gaza by force six months ago. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7188807.stm>
Fresh strikes fuel Gaza conflict
Two Palestinians were killed in an air strike targeting militants
|
Palestinian militants have escalated rocket fire from Gaza and
Israel says it will keep up military and economic pressure, after two
days of bloodshed.
More than 22 Palestinians, including some civilians,
have been killed in Israeli raids on the territory which is controlled
by the militant group Hamas.
Hamas has fired salvoes of unguided rockets causing injuries in Israel.
The sharp rise in violence in the Gaza Strip comes after a recent US-led push for progress in peace talks.
On Wednesday Israel carried out air attacks on Gaza
which killed five people, including at least three civilians who Israel
said had been killed by mistake.
The military and economic pressure as well as the international isolation of the Gaza Strip will end up producing results
Israeli deputy PM Haim Ramon
Two people later died when an Israeli missile hit a vehicle near al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
The Israeli army said the vehicle had been transporting weapons. The identities of those killed was not immediately known.
Israel says its military action is intended to stamp out daily rocket and mortar fire into Israel by Palestinian militants.
In recent months, Hamas has been observing an informal
moratorium on attacking Israel, but it claimed on Thursday to have
fired 14 Qassam rockets, after launching 79 rockets and mortars on
Wednesday.
No casualties were reported in the latest salvoes, after
10 people in the Israeli town of Sderot were lightly wounded on
Wednesday.
Shops, businesses and government offices have been
closed across Gaza and the West Bank in protest at the latest Israeli
military action. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7193559.stm>
Israel closes crossings with Gaza
Gaza receives humanitarian and fuel supplies through Israel
|
Israel has temporarily shut its crossings with Gaza, after a series
of rocket attacks on nearby Israeli towns from the Hamas-run territory.
The UN relief agency providing for Palestinian refugees
in Gaza said it was unable to deliver humanitarian aid as a result of
the closure.
The measure came as at least one militant was killed and several others injured in an Israeli air strike.
They had just launched rockets into Israel, officials on both sides said.
A militant from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a group
linked to the Fatah faction of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud
Abbas, was also killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank town of
Nablus.
Gaza is completely shut down - this will only add to an already dire situation
Christopher Gunness, UNRWA
Ahmed Senakreh was killed in a gun battle with soldiers
who had surrounded a house in the Balata refugee camp where he was
hiding.
The Israeli military has intensified operations in Gaza
this week, killing at least 32 Palestinians, most of them militants, in
air strikes.
Hamas, the militant Islamist group, has fired salvoes of
unguided rockets for the first time in months, causing injuries in
Israel.
The sharp rise in violence in the Gaza Strip comes after a recent US-led push for progress in peace talks. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7195459.stm>
UN chief warns on Gaza violence
The rise in violence comes after US-led push for progress on peace
|
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on the Israelis and
Palestinians to take urgent measures to try to end escalating violence
in the Gaza Strip.
More than 30 people have been killed there in the past week.
He urged Israel to re-open crossings into the Strip and the Palestinians to halt rocket and sniper attacks.
On Friday a woman died in an Israeli missile strike on
the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza City, following rocket attacks
on Israel.
Mr Ban appealed to the Palestinians for "an immediate
cessation" of sniper and rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel, and for
"maximum restraint" on the part of the Israeli military.
He said closures cut off the people in the Gaza Strip
from much-needed fuel supplies used to pump water and generate
electricity to homes and hospitals.
"We all understand the security problems and the need to
respond... but collective punishment of the people of Gaza is not, we
believe, the appropriate way to do that," said John Holmes,
undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7197492.stm>
Hezbollah has Israel 'body parts'
Sheik Hassan Nasrallah has defied Israeli threats to kill him
|
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah says his armed group has
body parts of Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon during the 2006
conflict.
He said they had the "heads, the hands, the feet and
even a nearly intact cadaver" in a speech marking his first public
appearance in more than a year.
He addressed Shia Muslim supporters at a rally in southern Beirut to celebrate the holy Shia commemoration of Ashura.
Israel launched a major campaign against Hezbollah in July 2006.
The 34-day war started with a border incursion by
Lebanon-based Hezbollah, who killed eight Israeli soldiers and snatched
two more.
About 1,200 people - including civilians and Hezbollah
fighters - died in Lebanon during the conflict and about 160 Israelis -
mainly soldiers - were killed during the conflict.
Body parts of Israeli soldiers have previously been used in prisoner exchanges between the two sides. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7197679.stm>
Egypt adds voice to Gaza outcry
Generators are supplying critical power to hospitals
|
Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak has telephoned the Israeli prime
minister to warn him of the humanitarian effects of Israel's blockade
of the Gaza Strip.
In the call, Mr Mubarak "stressed the need to stop the
Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people", the official Mena
news agency reported.
The Arab League is holding an emergency session, and the EU has condemned the "collective punishment" in Gaza.
The territory went dark on Sunday when the only power plant was shut down.
Factory managers said they had no fuel left after Israel
cut off supplies of some types of fuel and closed border crossings to
Gaza on Friday.
But Israel, which is continuing to provide 60% of Gaza's
power, says the Strip still has sufficient fuel stocks and has accused
Hamas of closing the plant as a "ploy" to attract sympathy.
It says if Hamas stops rocket attacks on Israel, the situation will return to normal. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7200037.stm>
Israel to ease blockade of Gaza
Gaza's only power plant depends on Israeli fuel
|
The Israelis have said they will allow power plant fuel and
medicines into the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, easing a blockade imposed
after rocket attacks.
Defence Minister Ehud Barak agreed to ease the curbs for
one day, hours after the territory's sole power plant shut down,
plunging Gaza City into darkness.
But he later warned that Gaza remained a stronghold of "terrorists".
The UN has warned food aid to about 860,000 Gaza people could be halted within days because of the blockade.
The EU says Israel is "collectively punishing" the Hamas-run territory.
I have made clear that I am against this collective punishment of the people of Gaza
Benita Ferrero-Waldner,EU External Relations Commissioner
The BBC's Paul Wood reports from Gaza that the Israelis
seem to have been stung into easing the blockade by the UN warning of a
food shortage.
However, our correspondent adds, Gaza's underlying
problem, its exclusion from the peace process under Hamas rule,
remains. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7201061.stm>
Gunfire at Egypt's Gaza crossing
|
Rafah has been mainly shut since June at Israel's insistenc
|
Egyptian security guards have fired into the air and used water
cannon to drive back Palestinian women who tried to surge across the
border from Gaza.
Hundreds of Palestinians demanded the Rafah crossing to
Egypt be reopened for vital supplies that are scarce because of
Israel's blockade of Gaza.
A number of people were injured, mostly in scuffles, but several were seriously hurt, according to reports.
It came as Israel eased a four-day Gaza lockdown by allowing fuel deliveries.
The UN Security Council met in an emergency session on Tuesday to discuss the Gaza crisis. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7202797.stm>
Gaza embargo 'will not be crisis'
Gazans scrambled through the debris at the Rafah crossing
|
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he will not let his
country's blockade of the Gaza Strip turn into a humanitarian crisis.
But he said he could not allow Gazans to live normal lives while people in southern Israel were under rocket fire.
He was speaking hours after tens of thousands of
Palestinians surged into Egypt to buy supplies as the border wall was
partly destroyed.
Egypt has said it will not use force to send them back.
Foreign ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said the border would be closed again when all the Palestinians had returned.
The blockade imposed last week eased slightly on Tuesday
to allow some fuel and medicines through, but Israel has now re-imposed
the fuel restrictions. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7206044.stm>
Pressure on Gaza's border mounts
Gazans scrambled through the debris at the Rafah crossing
Thousands of Palestinians have crossed from Gaza into Egypt via the ruined border fence at Rafah for a second day.
Hundreds of Egyptian security personnel have moved into the area but are so far making no attempt to stem the traffic.
Thousands of people streamed across the border on
Wednesday to buy food and supplies after militants destroyed long
stretches of the border fence.
In recent days Israel had tightened its blockade on Gaza, which is run by the Islamist Hamas movement.
|
GAZA BLOCKADE
17 January: Israel seals border following rise in rocket attacks
20 January: Gaza's only power plant shuts down
22 January: Israel eases restrictions
22 January: Egyptian border guards disperse Palestinian protest against closure
23 January: Border wall breached
|
The BBC's Ian Pannell, reporting from the Egyptian
border town of Rafah, says it is if anything even busier than
Wednesday, when at least 50,000 Gazans packed into cars and donkey
carts or crossed the Egyptian border to buy supplies, seek medical
attention, or to meet family members.
He says there are so many Palestinians in Rafah that it is almost as if the town has been annexed by Gaza.
|
The Palestinians left us with nothing. It's true, they are dear to us, but today, they were like locusts
|
The main street has become an enormous open-air market,
selling all kinds of goods, including fuel, goats and other livestock,
and cigarettes.
Reports from Gaza say the price of cigarettes has halved.
Our reporter says some complaints are now emerging that
prices have risen so much that some items are available more cheaply in
Gaza.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he would not let the Gaza blockade turn into a humanitarian crisis.
But he said he could not allow Gazans to live normal lives while people in southern Israel were under rocket fire.
Israel closed most crossing points into Gaza in June after Hamas seized control of Gaza.
Israel tightened the measures last week, complaining about rockets being fired from Gaza into Israeli territory. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7206217.stm>
US presses Egypt on Gaza border
Gazans have been returning with everything from fuel to camels
|
The US has urged the Egyptian government to secure its border with
Gaza after thousands of people crossed from the Israeli-blockaded
territory.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she understood it was "difficult" but the border "needs to be protected".
Militants destroyed parts of the fence on Wednesday, sparking an exodus.
Hundreds of Egyptian security personnel have moved into
the area but have not yet tried to stop the traffic, BBC correspondent
Ian Pannell said.
Reporting from the border town of Rafah, our
correspondent said reinforcements have gathered on roads leading to
Rafah, and police are now stopping and questioning some Palestinians.
It is an international border, it needs to be protected
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Israel has recently tightened its blockade on Gaza, which is run by the
Islamist Hamas movement and used by militants to fire rockets into the
Jewish state.
He said Thursday may have seen even more Palestinians cross the border on top of the 50,000 who crossed on Wednesday.
Ms Rice, arriving for talks in Colombia, said she
understood Egypt's position, but said: "It is an international border,
it needs to be protected and I believe that the Egyptians understand
the importance of doing that
|
EGYPT-GAZA BORDER
12km (7.4 miles) long
Egyptian side patrolled by 750 soldiers under 2005 agreement with Israel
Border crossing terminal south of town of Rafah
PA control of terminal under EU supervision collapsed after Hamas takeover of Gaza in June 2007
Border closed almost continuously since
|
The United Nations has calculated that as much as half of the 1.5
million population of the territory has crossed the border, according
to the AFP news agency.
Our correspondent says there are so many Palestinians in Rafah that it is almost as if the town has been annexed by Gaza.
The main street has become an enormous open-air market,
selling all kinds of goods, including fuel, goats and other livestock,
and cigarettes.
'Temporary'
The Israelis are worried weapons may be smuggled into Gaza amid the confusion.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7208252.stm>
Egypt moves to seal Gaza border
Egyptian security forces have blocked almost all
illegal entry points along the border with Gaza to try to stem the flow
of Palestinians wanting to leave.
Riot police used water cannons against those
still attempting to cross the border into Egypt, and announced it would
be closed from 1500 (1300 GMT).
Hundreds of thousands have surged into Egypt to buy supplies since militants blew holes in the border on Wednesday.
Israel has demanded Egypt take action, as it is worried about arms smuggling.
The UN has estimated that as much as half of Gaza's
1.5 million population has crossed the border in defiance of the
Israeli blockade imposed in retaliation for rocket attacks.
'Difficult' situation
After standing by and watching for two
days, Egyptian security forces began to stop Palestinians from entering
their country early on Friday morning, while at the same time allowing
people back into Gaza.
Riot police formed human chains along the
frontier in attempt to seal the breach, but thousands of Palestinians
still managed to get through.
Later, hundreds of extra police armed
with electric batons were deployed, and water cannons were aimed above
the heads of the jostling crowd after some Palestinians threw stones.
Live shots were also fired from both sides.
Egyptian border guards meanwhile began
placing piles of barbed wire and chain-link fences along the border in
an attempt to re-seal it.
Those returning from Egypt said police
had been using loudspeakers to announce in several nearby towns that
the border would be resealed later in the afternoon.
The BBC's Ian Pannell in Rafah say Hamas,
the Islamist movement which seized control of Gaza in June, has said it
supports Egypt's decision to close the border.
But unless the group agrees to help police the border, it will be very difficult to keep it closed, our correspondent says.
The move by the Egyptian authorities came
only hours after the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, urged
them to secure the border with Gaza.
On Thursday evening, Ms Rice said she
understood Egypt's position was "difficult", but said: "It is an
international border, it needs to be protected and I believe that the
Egyptians understand the importance of doing that."
Later, Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki promised the border would "go back as normal". <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7208252.stm>
Egypt watches Gaza traffic go on
Vehicles are now commonly crossing the border
|
Thousands of Palestinians from Gaza are pouring into Egypt for a
fourth day, after Egyptian attempts to reseal the border failed on
Friday.
For the first time many Palestinians were using cars to cross, rather than going on foot.
Gazans are going to Egypt to stock up on supplies because of an Israeli blockade of their territory.
Israel has said the blockade is necessary to try to halt rocket fire into Israel from Gaza.
But it had faced accusations of imposing illegal
"collective punishment" on residents of Gaza, which is controlled by
the Islamist group Hamas. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7210311.stm>
Egypt asks Hamas to crisis talks
Hamas used a bulldozer against the border wall on Saturday
|
Egypt has invited the Palestinian group Hamas to attend talks in
Cairo "promptly" on resolving the crisis at Gaza's breeched border.
Egypt's foreign minister was speaking after President
Hosni Mubarak invited Hamas and its bitter rival Fatah to talks on
ending their differences.
It is five days since Hamas blew up the Gaza border wall at Rafah and Egyptian guards were forced to stand back.
Blockaded by Israel, Gaza residents have been flocking into Egypt.
An attempt by Egyptian riot police to reseal the border
on Saturday collapsed when Hamas fighters responded to water cannon and
electric batons with gunfire.
Thousands of people poured across, many using cars rather than going on foot.
The Gaza crisis began 10 days ago, when Israel cut off supply routes in response to rocket attacks on its territory.
Egyptian warning
Egypt has been reluctant to talk to Hamas since June
when the Islamist group seized control of Gaza, ousting the Palestinian
Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas, the BBC's Heba Saleh reports from
Cairo.
But now Cairo finds that there is no alternative to
discussions with Hamas if it is to restore its control over the border,
our Middle East analyst says.
"There will be an invitation to several Hamas leaders to come to Cairo promptly," said Foreign Minister Ahmad Ali Abu-al-Ghayt.
At the same time, he added, a separate invitation would
be sent to "the Palestinian leadership", meaning Mr Abbas's
administration in the West Bank.
He said Cairo wanted to restore arrangements on the border to their state before Hamas took control of Gaza. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7211496.stm>
Mr Olmert could have faced elections if Mr Barak had quit
|
Barak 'will not quit' over report
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has said he will not quit Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert's government over its handling of the 2006 Lebanon
war.
His decision comes after an official inquiry called the war a failure, but spared Mr Olmert serious criticism.
Mr Barak had threatened - depending on the report's findings - to demand Mr Olmert's resignation or early polls.
If Mr Barak had pulled Labor's 19 members from the coalition, Mr Olmert looked set to face new elections.
"Why am I staying? I'm staying in the post of defence
minister because I know what kind of challenges face Israel," Mr Barak
told reporters, before entering Sunday's weekly Cabinet meeting. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7224754.stm>
|
Egypt reseals Gaza border breach
A single open crossing point allowed Palestinians to return to Gaza
|
Egyptian troops have sealed the border with the Gaza Strip, ending 12 days of freedom of movement for Palestinians.
The troops are still allowing Palestinians and Egyptians
to return home, but have stopped allowing any new cross-border
movement.
The border was breached when Hamas militants blew up sections of the wall to break Israel's seven-month blockade.
An estimated half of Gaza's 1.5m population took the opportunity to cross into Egypt and buy supplies.
Egyptian forces came early on Sunday morning with metal
barriers and rolls of barbed wire to close the only remaining gap in
their side of the border.
Troops patrolled in armoured cars and stood on rooftops as the border was resealed.
Meanwhile, dozens of armed and helmeted Hamas militants
wielded batons at crowds seeking opportunities to cross over from the
Gazan side of the border.
"It is closed. Go home," said one of the Hamas fighters, as the crowd gradually dwindled.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7224734.stm>
Rare suicide bombing hits Israel
A suicide bomber has killed a woman in the southern Israeli town of Dimona, the first such attack in over a year.
Israeli investigators were checking whether
the attacker came via Egypt after Palestinian militants breached the
Gaza-Egypt border last month.
Police said a second suicide attacker was shot dead before he was able to detonate his explosives belt.
A violent offshoot of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hours later Israel's air
force attacked the northern Gaza Strip, killing a Palestinian militant
commander from the Popular Resistance Committees group.
The Dimona explosion happened in a
commercial centre a few kilometres from the base which houses Israel's
top-secret nuclear reactor.
"We heard a large explosion and people started to run. I saw pieces of flesh flying in the air," a witness told army radio.
Thousands of Palestinians poured out of
the Gaza Strip unchecked when the Egypt-Gaza border was breached by the
territory's de facto rulers Hamas on 23 January.
The border was resealed on Sunday by Egyptian forces. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7225775.stm>
Israel launches deadly Gaza raid
Israeli forces have killed at least six members of the Palestinian movement, Hamas, during a raid in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas, the militant group which has controlled Gaza since June, said the men belonged to its military wing.
Reports say that in another incident, a teacher was killed and three students injured when a school was hit.
Witnesses said Israeli troops backed by tanks and aircraft launched an incursion near Jabaliya refugee camp.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7232108.stm>
Israel plans Egypt border fence
The border is lightly guarded and in some places entirely unmarked
|
Israel has approved the erection of a reinforced fence
along its border with Egypt to stop Palestinian militants reaching
Israel via the Sinai desert.
The measure was agreed by a security cabinet
meeting following the temporary breach of the Gaza-Egypt border, when
thousands left Gaza unchecked.
Plans for a fence were dropped years ago because the multi-million dollar price tag was deemed too expensive.
Israel was struck by its first suicide bombing for more than a year on Monday.
Initial speculation that the
assailants were Gazans who arrived via the largely unguarded 230km
(150-mile) Egyptian border was quashed on Tuesday when Hamas movement
said the attackers had come from the occupied West Bank.
Israeli officials were quoted saying
that because of the mountainous terrain, the fence would not extend
along the entire border but sensors would protect the gaps.
The budget for the construction has not been decided yet, nor where the money would come from, the officials said.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7230955.stm>
Hezbollah chief threatens Israel
Nasrallah blamed Israel for Imad Mughniyeh's assassination
|
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has warned that the militant group
is ready for "open war" with Israel, after the killing of one of its
leaders in Syria.
Nasrallah made the declaration during a fiery speech at the funeral of Imad Mughniyeh in Lebanon's capital, Beirut.
There is huge tension in the city, where thousands are
attending Mughniyeh's funeral and rivals have held a memorial for ex-PM
Rafik Hariri.
It is three years since Hariri was killed, plunging Lebanon into crisis.
Mughniyeh was killed in a car bombing in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Tuesday.
Correspondents say the events come at a tense time, with no president and no working parliament.
We need to heal our divisions, we need to transcend what divides us
Tarek Mitri, Culture Minister
A huge security operation is under way amid fears of
clashes between the pro-Syrian Hezbollah supporters and the anti-Syrian
Hariri supporters.
About 8,000 army and internal security force troops have been deployed, with the aim of keeping the two factions apart.
The BBC's Mike Sergeant in Beirut says the two events
will separate them naturally, but there are fears that people departing
from mixed neighbourhoods could clash with rival groups on the streets. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7245042.stm>
UN shocked by 'grim' life in Gaza
Mr Holmes was alarmed by the level of unemployment and poverty
|
The UN's top humanitarian affairs official has said he was shocked
by the "grim and miserable" situation he witnessed on a visit to the
Gaza Strip.
Undersecretary General John Holmes said it was the
result of Israel closing its border crossings and the "limited food and
other materials" allowed in.
Mr Holmes said 80% of Gaza's 1.5m population now depended on food aid.
Israeli spokesman Mark Regev said the situation could "very quickly return to where it was" if rocket attacks ceased.
Israel tightened its blockade of Gaza last month after a sharp rise in rocket attacks by militants based there.
The restrictions prompted militants from the Islamist
movement Hamas, which controls Gaza, to blast holes in the border with
Egypt on 23 January.
The breaches were sealed by Egyptian security forces
only on 3 February, by which time hundreds of thousands of Palestinians
had taken the opportunity to cross into Egypt and obtain essential
supplies. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7247786.stm>
Palestinians 'may declare state'
Abed Rabbo's proposal was not supported by other Palestinians
|
A senior Palestinian official has said the Palestinians
ought to unilaterally declare a state if peace talks with Israel do not
succeed.
Yasser Abed Rabbo is a top aide to Palestinian
leader Mahmoud Abbas and a member of the team currently negotiating
with Israeli officials.
He said the Palestinians deserved independence more than Kosovo.
His comments come a day after talks between Mr Abbas and Israeli PM Ehud Olmert closed without visible progress.
Kosovo is not better than us.
We deserve independence even before Kosovo, and we ask for the backing
of the United States and the European Union for our independence
Yasser Abed Rabbo
The meeting is the latest in a series
between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators and leaders, which was set
in motion at a US-sponsored peace conference three months ago.
The aim, declared by US President George W Bush, is to achieve a peace deal by the end of 2008.
Militant activity in Gaza and Israeli
plans to build hundreds more homes for settlers in the West Bank appear
to have hampered the process. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7254434.stm>
W Bank building 'bias' condemned
Peace Now says Israel's actions discriminates against Palestinians
|
Israel passed fewer than 6% of building requests by
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in 2000-07, an Israeli
anti-settlement group says.
Peace Now says 91 permits were granted from 1,624 requests, in contrast to the 18,472 homes built for Jewish settlers.
The group says the data show "clear discrimination" against Palestinians in West Bank areas under Israeli control.
Military officials accused Peace Now of distorting the figures, which were taken from official Israeli statistics.
Peace Now also said, in the
case of illegal buildings, the Israeli army demolished 33% of
structures erected by Palestinians and 7% of the unauthorised
structures built by Jewish settlers.
|
IN THE WEST BANK 2000-2007
91 construction permits issued to Palestinians
18,472 homes built for Jewish settlers
Almost 5,000 demolition orders against Palestinian buildings issued, one third implemented
2,900 demolition orders issued against settler buildings, 7% implemented
Source: Peace Now, citing Central Bureau of Statistics and IDF
|
The Israeli army is in full control of about 60% of the West Bank.
Israel occupied the area, as well as East Jerusalem and Gaza, in the
1967 war.
It has allowed limited Palestinian autonomy in some areas, while settling more than 400,000 Jewish Israelis on occupied land.
These settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7256576.stm>
Iranians spar with Israel at UN
Iran and Israel are the bitterest of foes in a conflict-riven region
|
Iran is urging the UN Security Council to stop Israel threatening military action against its nuclear programme.
The highly unusual request was sent by Iran's UN envoy Mohammad Khazaee, to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Mr Khazaee said Israeli threats were unacceptable and unjustifiable, and flagrantly violated international law.
Israel's UN envoy called the letter "disgusting
dangerous... hypocrisy" in the light of what Iranian leaders have said
about Israel.
Ambassador Dan Gillerman said the secretary general should not even reply to Mr Khazaee's letter.
Mr Khazaee stressed that Iran's nuclear programme was
for peaceful purposes only, and said the UN should respond to Israeli
threats of force by unambiguously condemning them. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7256915.stm>
Hamas discusses Gaza-Egypt border
Former Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahhar is leading the delegation
|
A Hamas delegation has been meeting security officials in Egypt to
discuss future arrangements for the control of the Egypt-Gaza border.
The Palestinians, led by former Foreign Minister Mahmoud
Zahhar, are trying to come to an agreement with Egypt over the
contentious frontier.
It was the third such meeting between the two sides in the past two weeks.
Gazans poured into Egypt last month when the border fence was breached by Palestinian militants.
They streamed across the border in their hundreds of thousands to buy goods before the fence was eventually re-sealed.
For several hours on Saturday, shopkeepers across the
Gaza Strip kept their stores closed as part of a strike protesting
against the continuing Israeli blockade of the territory. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7261151.stm>
Gaza protesters form human chain
Many schools across the Gaza Strip have given pupils the day off
|
Thousands of Palestinians are forming a "human chain" in Gaza in protest at Israel's blockade of the territory.
The protest's organisers say they expect up to 50,000
women and children to join the 40km (25-mile) chain, which is to link
Rafah and Beit Hanoun.
Israel tightened the blockade when Hamas seized control of Gaza in June.
Earlier, Israel's military strengthened its positions
along the border and warned it would hold Hamas responsible if the
demonstration became violent.
We do not have intentions of approaching the fence, either in the north or the south
Jamal Khudari, Popular Anti-Siege Committee
"Israel will not intervene in demonstrations inside the
Gaza Strip but it will ensure the defence of its territory and prevent
any violation of its sovereign borders," said a joint statement
released by Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defence Minister
Ehud Barak.
"Israel will work to avoid a deterioration of the
situation but declares unequivocally that Hamas must assume full
responsibility if that happens," said the statement.
Last month, the barrier separating Gaza from Egypt was
demolished by militants, allowing hundreds of thousands of people to
cross the border and obtain much-needed supplies. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7262089.stm>
Israel warns of disaster in Gaza
03/01/2008 | 03:57 PM
JERUSALEM
Fourteen Palestinians, including at least five civilians,
died late Friday and early Saturday in escalating Israeli-Palestinian
fighting that renewed threats of an Israeli invasion of Gaza and
clouded peace efforts. A baby and two teenagers were among the dead.
Meanwhile, Israel's deputy defense minister warned of disaster in the
Gaza Strip after Palestinian rocket fire grew more ominous with an
assault on an Israeli city. Gaza's Hamas rulers promised to fight on.
In all, 47 people have been killed since clashes between Israel and
extremists affiliated with Hamas spiked Wednesday. At least 20 of the
dead were civilians. An Israeli man was also killed by rocket fire. <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/82908/Israel-warns-of-disaster-in-Gaza>
Ten dead in fresh Israeli raids
Almost 40 Palestinians and an Israeli have died in recent days
|
Israeli forces have carried out further attacks on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 10 Palestinians and injuring 20.
Medical staff said two children aged nine and 10 were among the dead, who included Palestinian militants.
There was also a clash between Palestinian gunmen and
Israeli forces inside Gaza, after tanks entered three areas in the
north of the territory.
The raids came as Israel said it might launch a full-scale attack on Gaza in response to militant rocket attacks.
In pictures
|
Sderot residents give their views on what to do about rocket fire |
The BBC's Katya Adler in Jerusalem says Israel's leaders
have been under pressure from some quarters to launch a ground
invasion.
However, a recent opinion poll has indicated a majority
of Israelis favour a truce with the Islamist movement Hamas, which
controls Gaza. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7272329.stm>
Gaza rocketeers confound Israel
|
By Jonathan Marcus
BBC diplomatic correspondent
|
Hamas and other militants cause terror on southern Israeli streets
|
The low-level war between Israel and the militant Hamas group in the
Gaza Strip has flared into a new upsurge of violence with Israeli
strikes on Palestinian militants being met by a barrage of rockets
fired into southern Israel.
Responding to this latest fighting Israel's Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert, who is on a visit to Japan, offered his citizens
little hope of an early end to the rocket attacks.
"This is a long process and a painful one and we haven't any magic formulas to solve this today," he said.
He repeated his threat against the Hamas leadership,
asserting that "no-one in Hamas, neither among the low ranks nor among
the senior ranks will be immune". The Palestinians, he warned, were
testing Israel's patience to the limit.
While the litany of attacks and apparent reprisals is familiar this is not a static conflict.
|
Hamas's goal appears to be to establish a balance of deterrence they
hope will encourage the Israeli government to restrain its own forces
|
The Palestinian rocket fire is creeping slowly
northwards in Israel, from Sderot just a mile from Gaza's border to
Ashkelon 10km (six miles) away, as militants deploy better-manufactured
and longer-range weapons.
Israeli military planners fear that in due course Ashdod 30km away could come under regular attack. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7268876.stm>
Olmert defiant over Gaza assault
Hamas offices in Gaza City were targeted in overnight air strikes
|
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has vowed to
continue operations against Gaza militants despite international calls
for restraint.
Mr Olmert said he had no intention of stopping the fight "even for a minute".
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on both Israel and Palestinians to halt several days of violence.
Israeli air strikes continued after
Saturday saw one of Gaza's bloodiest days since Israel withdrew in
2005, with at least 61 Palestinians killed.
Two Israeli soldiers also died in the fighting.
Local doctors say at least 13 of the Palestinians were civilians, including eight children.
More than 150 Palestinians, and seven
Israelis, were also injured by Israeli air and ground assaults and by
new rocket attacks on Israel.
Early on Sunday, Israeli planes attacked the offices of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya in Gaza City.
The offices were destroyed and five people killed.
Sporadic gunfire is continuing around Gaza, as funerals are held across the territory.
Israel launched the offensive on Wednesday
in response to militant rocket attacks on the south of the country. One
civilian died in the attacks. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7273520.stm>
Israel pulls troops out of Gaza
Scores have been killed and injured since last Wednesday
|
Most Israeli troops have pulled out of northern Gaza after days of
fighting that has left more than 100 people dead and drawn protest
worldwide.
The Israeli military confirmed that most of the troops sent into the Gaza Strip last week were now back.
Five militants were killed in Israeli air strikes
overnight, while several other Palestinians were found dead as Israeli
forces withdrew.
Israel said the operation was launched to defend itself against rocket attack.
Medical sources say at least 112 Palestinians have been killed since Wednesday, when Israel intensified its campaign in Gaza.
Three Israelis have died - a civilian killed by a rocket on Wednesday, and two soldiers since.
There has been widespread international alarm at the
scale of the Israeli action and West Bank-based Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas has formally suspended contacts with Israel in protest. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7274225.stm>
Rice tries to save Mid-East talks
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Most Israeli forces were withdrawn early on Monday
|
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has held talks
with Egyptian officials, the first stage of a trip aimed at saving
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas broke off
contacts with Israel in protest at its recent offensive in Gaza, which
has left more than 110 Palestinians dead.
Ms Rice said the US was concerned about the toll of innocent life, but blamed Hamas for triggering the bloodshed.
She said talks must not be sabotaged by those rejecting a peace deal.
Ms Rice headed on to Israel and the West Bank for further negotiations with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
Israel has now pulled its troops out of
Gaza, which is under control of the militant Hamas group, but has
warned of fresh action to prevent militants firing rockets at populated
areas in southern Israel.
"There has to be an active peace process
that can withstand the efforts of rejectionists to keep peace from
being made," Mr Rice told reporters in Cairo.
"The people who are firing rockets do not want peace, they sow instability, that is what Hamas is doing," Ms Rice said. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7276250.stm>
Israel launches fresh Gaza raid
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Israel has warned of fresh action to prevent rocket fire from Gaza
|
Israeli forces have briefly re-entered the Gaza Strip
and clashed with Palestinian militants, with two people killed by
gunfire, medics said.
The dead were reported to be a senior militant and a baby girl.
Israel stepped up military raids last week
to counter rocket fire from Gaza. More than 100 Gazans were killed and
Palestinian leaders suspended talks.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said negotiations could only resume after calm was restored.
US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice is winding up a trip to the region on Wednesday in
which getting the Palestinians back to the table without conditions had
been a key demand.
Israel has suggested a truce over Gaza would give Hamas, which opposes peace talks with Israel, a chance to regroup and rearm.
"Certainly the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations must be resumed, but after reaching calm," Mr Abbas told reporters.
Intensive efforts were being expended to achieve a truce, involving US and Egyptian diplomats, he added.
On Tuesday, he urged Israel to end what he
called its "aggression" in Gaza, which is under control of the militant
Hamas movement, rival to his Fatah party. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7278754.stm>
Gaza situation 'worst since 1967'
The groups say a battered, starved Gaza cannot be peace partner
|
Gaza's humanitarian situation is the worst since 1967 when Israel
occupied it, says a coalition of UK-based human rights and development
groups.
They include Amnesty International, Save the Children, Cafod, Care International and Christian Aid.
They criticise Israel's blockade on Gaza as illegal collective punishment which fails to deliver security.
Israel says its military action and other measures are lawful and needed to stop rocket attacks from Gaza.
The groups' report, Gaza Strip: A Humanitarian
Implosion, says the blockade has dramatically worsened levels of
poverty and unemployment, and has led to deterioration in education and
health services. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7280026.stm>
Hamas still looms over Mid-East peace
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By Martin Patience
BBC News, Jerusalem
|
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in the
region to try to rescue the latest US-sponsored peace initiative
between the Israelis and Palestinians.
The US is still confident peace negotiations can be resumed
|
Following a recent Israeli incursion into Gaza, which killed more than
120 Palestinians, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas froze
negotiations with Israel.
At a press conference before Ms Rice's departure on Wednesday she tried to put the best gloss possible on her two-day visit.
"I've been informed by the two parties and they intend
to resume the negotiations and that they are in contact with one
another as to how to bring them about," she said.
But are the negotiations going to resume? And if so, when?
For now, anyway, there appear to be no clear answers. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7280037.stm>
Fierce Gaza clashes break out
Injured Israeli soldier evacuated from Gaza
|
Reports from Gaza say fierce fighting has broken out
between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen near the Kissufim border
crossing.
The Israeli army says one soldier was killed and another three injured when a bomb exploded beside their jeep.
In northern Gaza, a member of a militant group had been killed in an Israeli air strike, medics said.
The clashes come three days after Israel ended a major offensive in which more than 120 Palestinians were killed.
The Israelis say the incursion was aimed at stopping rocket fire into Israel by Palestinian militants.
Two Israeli soldiers and an Israeli civilian were also killed over the same period.
Israeli tanks were rushed to the area in
which the Israeli jeep was attacked and helicopters landed to evacuate
the wounded, eyewitnesses say.
One of the injured was seriously wounded, the Israeli military said.
An official said the jeep was on a patrol in Gaza near the fence that marks the border between the Israel and the strip.
Also on Thursday, a coalition of UK-based
human rights and development groups published a report saying Gaza's
humanitarian situation is at its worst since Israel occupied the
territory in 1967.
The report criticises Israel's blockade on Gaza as illegal collective punishment which fails to deliver security. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7280921.stm>
Israel scales back Gaza operation
Border crossing
