- 20 nov 2011
Gaza warns of devastating floods if Israel opens dams
GAZA, (PIC)-- Gazan agriculture ministry and civil defense have warned of devastating floods if Israel carried out its threat to open Gaza valley dams.
Col. Yousef Al-Zahhar, the head of the civil defense squad in Gaza, told the PIC on Sunday that the resulting floods would damage 100 houses and hundreds of bee hives other than the fact that 100 square kilometers of cultivated land would be inundated in Mighraka in central Gaza.
He said that the livestock in the area would be drowned, noting that most of the people in the area are Bedouins who win their sustenance based on rearing livestock.
The ministry of agriculture, for its part, held the Israeli occupation authority responsible for consequences of such a step, recalling in a statement on Sunday that the IOA last year deliberately opened those dams without prior notice causing millions of dollars in damages.
http://fwd4.me/0h8v
30 oct 2012, 15:08 , Respect -
Maria 30 oct 2012, 15:08 , Respect -
Maria 21 nov 2011
Gantz renews war threats against Gaza
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Commander in chief of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) Benny Gantz reiterated his threat to wage a large-scale war on the Gaza Strip and said it would be very painful if it happened this time.
The Hebrew radio quoted Gantz as saying on Sunday that if there was no escape, the IOF would not hesitate to launch a wide military operation against Gaza to destroy the infrastructure of the Palestinian resistance and stop its rocket counterattacks.
He claimed during a visit to a military recruitment center that the war this time would be well-organized in order to preserve the lives of soldiers and settlers.
http://fwd4.me/0hCu
30 oct 2012, 15:08 , Respect -
Maria 21 nov 2011
Israel: Time has come to deal with Iran
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak refuses to rule out speculations about a military strike on Iran's nuclear sites, again insisting that the "time has come" to deal with Iran.
“I don't think that that is a subject for public discussion. But I can tell you that the (International Atomic Energy Agency) IAEA report has a sobering impact on many in the world, leaders as well as the publics, and people understand that the time has come,” Barak claimed in an interview with CNN on Sunday without being questioned about Tel Aviv's reported possession of nuclear warheads.
On November 8, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano circulated his latest report on Iran's nuclear program among the 35 members of the IAEA Board of Governors, claiming that Iran was engaged in activities aimed at developing nuclear weapons before 2003 and added that these activities “may still be ongoing.”
Iran has firmly rejected Amano's latest report on its nuclear program as "unbalanced, unprofessional and prepared with political motivation and under political pressure by mostly the United States."
“People understand now that Iran is determined to reach nuclear weapons. No other possible or conceivable explanation for what they have been actually doing," Barak claimed.
The Israeli minister stated, "And that should be stopped."
The US, Israel and their allies accuse Iran of pursuing a military nuclear program and have used this allegation as a pretext to convince the UN Security Council to impose a fourth round of sanctions on Iran.
Tehran has categorically refuted Western allegations, saying that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to acquire and develop atomic technology for peaceful purposes.
Barak's remarks came after Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi described anti-Iran threats by the US and the Israeli regime as futile attempts to wage a psychological warfare against the Islamic Republic.
The US and Israeli threats stem from their weakness and incapability and they sound more like psychological operations, Vahidi said on Sunday.
Iranian officials have vowed to deliver a crushing response to any military strike against the country, warning that any such measure could result in a war that would certainly reach far beyond the Middle East.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/211244.html
30 oct 2012, 15:08 , Respect -
Maria 21 nov 2011
The tale of the targeted killing
Op-ed: Operational strategy vis-à-vis Gaza doesn’t work and is unfair, immoral; there must be another way.
A nation is waiting, waiting with bated breath to receive an unequivocal miracle – that of the targeted killing. Like the deus ex machina of the Greek theater, that higher power which is independent of time, space and circumstance; like an axiom – an absolute proposition that needs no proof or explanation; like a celestial element, free of rationale or, heaven forbid, morals, which seems to wreak security and political havoc, but in fact introduces order to a chaotic world. The targeted killing is here again.
Reality as we know it is so convenient. The language is familiar: The “target” is always a “senior member of a military wing.” They have many senior members – apparently it's an army of generals. He is always taken out moments before launching a terror attack (“a ticking bomb”) or moments afterwards (“retaliation”). It always follows an “imminent threat” and an “operational opportunity,” and the consequences be damned.
There is no resisting the temptation of the “targeted killing,” even if the target's focus is a little murky. A “surgical strike” may be executed at the heart of a residential area or on a school's doorstep, and we'll leave the innocent casualties to the surgeons at the Shifa Hospital. Just as long as the IDF “settles the score,” as if this was a dusty noontime western and not the defense force of a sovereign state, which is supposed to consider the overall interests of its citizens.
Ambiguous routine
“High alert in the southern communities” will follow: A million Israeli citizens, who are just as important as those living in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, will be called to stay near “bunkers” and “secure areas.” “Qassams” and “Grads” will follow next, landing in “open areas” for the most part or somewhere within the “Sha'ar Henegev Regional Council limits.” The Military Censor trumps everything – one mustn't help the terrorists with their aim. And the tangible price of the sacred assassination becomes more and more ambiguous along the way.
The defense establishment will declare the fire a “breach of the understandings,” the media will quickly report that “the terror is back” and a “strike” will scramble along. First, a drone will hum, an aerial strike of “terror hubs” or “training facilities” will follow; babies and their parents from the building next door will be rushed to nearby hospitals or cemeteries, and the IDF will “regret” that innocent people were hurt, but will stress that “Hamas is responsible.”
Anyone who dares question the political, strategic, tactical, operational or moral logic of the events will immediately be labeled as a “leftist,” and mostly as a pest. Silence – there's shooting in progress. Meanwhile, another “escalation” will be brewing: More rockets, more strikes, more targets and more victims. Eventually, with Egyptian “mediation”, a “lull” will be achieved. Until the next round.
Where does this cycle of blood draw its strength from? How has an entire nation, the descendants of the wisest people in history, become subjected to its bizarre rules and language? How could it have miraculously hypnotized Israelis, while simultaneously imposing mind-numbing paralysis on their common sense?
And the most important question of all: When will someone in the chain of command – an operations NCO, or a pilot, or a squadron commander, or the Air Force commander, or the IDF chief, or a minister without portfolio, or a defense minister, or the prime minister, ever get up and say – either whisper or shout: “Enough.”
We've been here before. It doesn’t work. It's not beneficial. It's immoral and unfair – to the children and parents in Gaza and to the children and parents in the Gaza vicinity communities. There has to be another way.
http://fwd4.me/0jGD
30 oct 2012, 15:08 , Respect -
Maria 30 oct 2012, 15:09 , Respect -
Maria 22 nov 2011
Aerial and naval assaults and an incursion into the southern Gaza Strip
RAFAH, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces escalated their aggression against the Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening with attacks from the air, the sea, the land reported. No casualties were reported.
PIC correspondent reported that Israeli occupation gunboats opened machinegun fire at Palestinian fishing boats opposite Khan Younis and Rafah shores in the southern Gaza Strip, without any casualties reported at the time of preparing this report, apart from the state of fear this has created amongst fishermen who started to head back to shore.
Meanwhile, the southern Gaza Strip witnessed a limited incursion of IOF troops to the east of Rafah.
Local sources told the PIC correspondent that 3 Israeli occupation tanks and two military bulldozers, crossed the border east of Rafah from the Nahdah gate in the southern Gaza Strip and penetrated the area for a limited distance where some fields were bulldozed while drones buzzed in the skies of southern Gaza.
This incursion was preceded by an Israeli occupation airstrike that targeted a position for the Naser Salahuddin Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees.
Local sources informed the PIC correspondent that occupation aircraft fired one rocket that the Abu Ataya site to the west of Rafah without causing any casualties.
http://fwd4.me/0hKh
Blast at PRC site in southern Gaza; no injuries
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- An explosion was reported late Tuesday at a site operated by the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades reported no injuries following the blast near Rafah, which locals blamed on Israeli aircraft. An Israeli military spokeswoman denied the reports.
Gaza has experienced relative calm over the past week. Israeli aircraft last targeted the coastal enclave on Wednesday, in what the army described as a response to rocket fire.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=438757
30 oct 2012, 15:09 , Respect -
Maria 30 oct 2012, 15:09 , Respect -
Maria 23 nov 2011
Fishermen Hold Sit-In in Protest of Israeli Measures Against them
GAZA, (WAFA) – Hundreds of Palestinian fishermen participated Wednesday in a sit-in organized by the Union of Agricultural Work Committees in front of the United Nations headquarters in Gaza, condemning Israeli policies against them and demanding the end of siege imposed on Gaza, said a statement by union.
Saad Addin Zeyadeh, an activist in the union, said that, “we came to raise our voice in front of the UN in order to end the injustice and suffering of the fishermen…it is time to treat the Israeli government as a government under the law and hold it accountable for its crimes.”
The participants chanted slogans; “in spite of the weather, the siege, the killing and the destruction, fishing will not stop,” condemning the Israeli policies and affirming their right to exercise fishing, stressing that they will not leave the sea, despite the horrors and attacks they face on daily bases, to keep them from the sea and push them towards begging.
They also waved posters such as; “We have the right to practice our right to work without fear or intimidation”, “We call on the international community to stop the Israeli aggressions against the fishermen”, “Long live the steadfastness of the Palestinian fisherman” and “No to the blockade policy and the collective punishment practiced by Israel against Palestinians.”
A committee representing the fishermen and the union delivered a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, calling him to stop the injustice and crimes against the fishermen in Gaza.
The letter also called Ban Ki-Moon to intervene to stop these inhumane and brutal Israeli measures against the Palestinian fishermen, including the killing, shooting, sinking and confiscating of fishermen’s boats as well as depriving them from their right to work by imposing unjust siege, limiting the possible fishing area available for them, which is less than three nautical miles.
It called to force Israel to commit to the international conventions, laws and treaties, to enable them and their families to live decently and practice their right to work without any fear and intimidation.
This solidarity sit-in comes as part of the project Right to Life funded by the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA), and carried out by the Union of Agricultural Work Committees in Gaza.
Israel restricts Palestinians’ access to areas up to 1,500 meters from the fence separating Israel and the Gaza Strip, and fishing areas beyond three nautical miles from the shore, hindering the livelihoods of thousands of people in the Gaza Strip.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18110
30 oct 2012, 15:09 , Respect -
Maria 23 nov 2011
Israeli Forces Raid School, Hand Its Principle Demolition Notice
30 oct 2012, 15:09 , Respect -
Maria 24 nov 2011
IDF preparing for Cast Lead II
The IDF is preparing for a new operation in Gaza according to a report in YNet.
The IDF's Combat Engineering Corps held a drill testing its Caterpillar D9 bulldozers on Tuesday, indicating that while calm has been restored to Israel's southern communities, the army remains on alert.
"Terror groups' capabilities are greater than they were in the past, but we have learned our lesson and improved our capabilities as well," Captain Moshe Yakobovich, who commands the Gaza Northern Brigade's Mechanical Engineering Equipment Company, told Ynet.
This was the first exercise for the company, which became operational over a year ago. The troops used the heavy machinery to practice opening safe routes for infantry and armored infantry units and dealing with land mines, roadside bombs, antitank missiles and mortar shell barrages. The drill took place at the Tzeelim base.
The IDF is bracing for the possibility that the next operation in the Gaza Strip might meet a response more violent than what Operation Cast Lead had seen. To prepare for such a scenario, the bulldozers have been equipped with innovative protective equipment, including antitank missile alert systems.
"On a daily basis we deal with opening safe routes, clearing territories and building defensive posts for our forces," Yakobovich said. "This time we practiced operating at nighttime... while staying in the field for a long period of time."
The exercise was planned a year in advance. I'm hoping that if Hamas attacks us in response to a strike on Iran, we flatten Gaza from the air rather than risking our ground troops.
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/
IDF prepares for possible Gaza op
Gaza Division holds contingency exercise ahead of possible offensive in Strip. Drill tests operational range of Engineering Corps' D9 bulldozers.
The IDF's Combat Engineering Corps held a drill testing its Caterpillar D9 bulldozers on Tuesday, indicating that while calm has been restored to Israel's southern communities, the army remains on alert.
"Terror groups' capabilities are greater than they were in the past, but we have learned our lesson and improved our capabilities as well," Captain Moshe Yakobovich, who commands the Gaza Northern Brigade's Mechanical Engineering Equipment Company, told Ynet.
This was the first exercise for the company, which became operational over a year ago. The troops used the heavy machinery to practice opening safe routes for infantry and armored infantry units and dealing with land mines, roadside bombs, antitank missiles and mortar shell barrages. The drill took place at the Tzeelim base.
The IDF is bracing for the possibility that the next operation in the Gaza Strip might meet a response more violent than what Operation Cast Lead had seen. To prepare for such a scenario, the bulldozers have been equipped with innovative protective equipment, including antitank missile alert systems.
"On a daily basis we deal with opening safe routes, clearing territories and building defensive posts for our forces," Yakobovich said. "This time we practiced operating at nighttime... while staying in the field for a long period of time."
'Shalit capture motivated tunnel construction'
The Gaza Division's engineering officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Yaron Malka, noted that the special exercise has been planned a year in advance.
"The engineering equipment will be the first to enter Gaza and the last to leave, as it has been done in the past," he said. "This is why it's very important to maintain commanders and operators well trained."
Alongside the heavy machinery, the Engineering Corps has also been working on its minor tactics warfare, especially when it comes to one of the primary threats that the Gaza Strip poses – the territory's network of tunnels. Army officials estimate that Hamas, which for years has been using the underground pathways for smuggling purposes, has also dug dozens of tunnels for long-range attacks. These channels could harbor terrorists aiming to ambush IDF troops.
Since technology that detects these tunnels has yet to be developed, the IDF must rely on Sayeret Samur, a commando unit, to do the job.
"Gilad Shalit's abduction, which was done using a tunnel, has motivated (terror) groups to dig more tunnels," an army sources said. "Such a pathway can appear out of the ground at any given moment."
http://fwd4.me/0hLn
30 oct 2012, 15:09 , Respect -
Maria 24 nov 2011
Israel Prepares to Send “Large Force” to Egyptian Border
Vilnai, a former Major General of the Israeli army, told Israeli military radio on Thursday, “In light of the border situation with Egypt, the Israeli army is preparing a very large deployment to block the movement of individuals [across the border].”
“It’s hard to imagine relations [between Egypt and Israel] remaining as they were in the past,” said Vilnai.
Most analysts expect the Muslim Brotherhood party to win out in Egypt’s elections, the first held after the departure of Hosni Mubarak but expected to be delayed because of anti-military regime protests in Cairo and ensuing state violence. Israel’s relations with the Brotherhood are not expected to be favorable, with PM Benjamin Netanyahu calling the group’s popularity part of an “Islamic, anti-western, anti-liberal, anti-Israeli, and anti-democratic” trend of the Arab Spring.
Instead, Vilnai said the Israeli government was putting its hopes in the Egyptian military regime, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), to bring stability to the country. The resignation of the SCAF leader, Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, has been a central demand of recent protests.
"Tantawi is trying to avoid chaos and transfer power in the mostly orderly way possible,” Vilnai said.“We hope that he will succeed. Otherwise we will see general chaos and that will be very bad for Egypt.”
The 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty is not expected to be an immediate casualty of any potential souring of the relationship, but certain terms of the treaty—such as the prohibition of Egyptian armed forces in the Sinai peninsula—are unpopular with Egyptians and will likely be revisited.
http://fwd4.me/0hO0
30 oct 2012, 15:10 , Respect -
Maria 24 nov 2011
URGENT APPEAL (UA 4/10) - Children of the Gravel
Between 26 March 2010 and 3 October 2011, DCI-Palestine has documented 28 cases of children shot whilst collecting building material or working near the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
Please appeal to stop the targeting of unarmed children working near the border in Gaza.
http://fwd4.me/0hOK
Palestinian rights groups call for legal protection for women in war
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Palestinian rights groups spoke out Thursday on the role of women in conflict and peace-building.
Gaza-headquartered Palestinian Center for Human Rights said Israeli forces killed three women and injured 35 in 2011 in the West Bank and Gaza, in a statement to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Friday.
Israel's closure also impacts the human rights, welfare and social life of women "due to which the local community's violence against them has increased," the statement said.
PCHR documented three women killed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip "due to misuse of weapons and security chaos," it added, while applauding President Mahmoud Abbas' removal of legal obstacles to prosecuting so-called 'honor crimes' in May.
Ramallah-based Human Rights and Democracy Media Center SHAMS applauded the struggle of Arab women to restore their rights, and stressed "the important role that women can play in achieving peace and dissemination of its culture," in a statement marking the anniversary of UN resolution 1325, which demands attention to the role of women in conflict and peace.
It called on the international community to implement the resolution in Palestine, noting that "living for decades under the yoke of Israeli occupation has dramatically curtailed development opportunities for the Palestinian people in general and has increased violence and discrimination against Palestinian women in particular."
PCHR added that it "hopes, in view of the Palestinian reconciliation, that the Palestinian Legislative Council will resume its activities and will develop a unified Palestinian penal code that conforms to the spirit and essence of the Palestinian Basic Law and to international human rights standards in order to guarantee public rights and freedoms."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=439081
- 12 nov 2011
IOF troops open machinegun fire at Palestinian farms in southern Gaza
KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) opened their heavy machineguns from military watchtowers at Palestinian farms and homes on Saturday.
Local sources said that the shooting targeted Farahin area and Khuza’a town to the east of Khan Younis but did not cause any casualties.
IOF troops routinely raid eastern and northern Gaza Strip areas.
http://fwd4.me/0geA
30 oct 2012, 15:06 , Respect -
Maria 12 nov 2011
Violent clashes following Israeli violent raid on Silwan
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Violent clashes erupted Friday evening in Silwan district between Jerusalemite young men and Israeli soldiers after the latter kidnapped young man Hamed Jaber from his home in the area.
Local sources said the mother of Jaber sustained shrapnel injuries in her leg when an Israeli soldier threw a stun grenade inside her house.
In a separate incident, the Hebrew radio claimed that two Israeli settlers' cars were attacked with Molotov cocktails near Ariel settlement north of Salfit city, and noted that the attack did no cause any injuries or damage to the vehicles.
http://fwd4.me/0gct
30 oct 2012, 15:06 , Respect -
Maria 30 oct 2012, 15:06 , Respect -
Maria 13 nov 2011
Twitter
@almagdela This morning Israeli soldiers went into Wallajeh to detonate an area for the construction of the wall that will circle the village 360 deg
While residents nonviolently tried to stop the work they were beaten, 2 arrested, pepper sprayed in the eyes and tear gassed
Many residents are suffering injuries and Wallajeh is under closure
An explosion was just heard in Wallajeh. Seems like the army continued their work for construction of the wall
Proceedings in US National’s Civil Suit Over West Bank Injury to Begin on Thursday
(1:24) American, Tristan Anderson, shot in the head by Israeli forces in Nilin
Tristan Anderson, a US National, suffered a life-threatening injury after being shot in the head with a high velocity tear-gasprojectile during an anti-Wall demonstration on March 13th, 2009.
On 13 March 2009, Israeli Border Police officers shot US activist from California,Tristan Anderson, in the head with a high velocity tear-gas projectile during a demonstration in the West Bank Village of Ni’ilin.
He was shot from a distance of about 40 meters away, at a time when no clashes or protesters were in his immediate vicinity. As a result of the shooting, Anderson suffered serious brain damage and the loss of his eye, as well as being paralyzed on half of his body. His injuries prevent him from functioning as an independent adult. A criminal investigation into the incident by the Israeli police is still pending.
Proceedings in the Anderson family’s civil suit against the State of Israel will begin on Thursday at the Jerusalem District Court in Jerusalem. The suit was filed by attorney Ghada Hleihil of the Lea Tzemel Law Office to demand reparations for the unjustified shooting and for damages incurred by Anderson and his loved ones.
The opening hearing will include the testimony of Gabrielle Silverman, Anderson’s partner. Silverman was standing near Anderson when he was shot. She was also inside the ambulance that evacuated Anderson from the scene, which was stopped by the army for long minutes at the Ni’ilin checkpoint despite the clear indications that Anderson was in critical condition with a life threatening head injury.
Proceedings are scheduled to continue on Nov 24th, Nov 27th and Dec 18th.
Background
(1:54) American citizen critically injured after being shot in the head by Israeli forces in Nilin
On 13 March 2009, Israeli Border Police officers shot the US activist from California, Tristan Anderson, in the head with a high velocity tear-gas projectile during a demonstration in the West Bank Village of Ni’ilin. Anderson, 38 at the time, was rushed to the Tel Hashomer hospital in Israel, where he underwent several life-saving surgeries on his brain and eye. Despite many operations, Tristan suffered serious brain damage and the loss of his eye.
Anderson was shot from a distance of about 40 meters, despite the fact that no clashes or protesters were in his immediate vicinity at the time as many protesters had already returned to their homes.
At a press conference following Anderson’s hospitalization in March, his parents, Mike and Nancy Anderson expressed shock at the shooting of their son, and their hope that Israel would take responsibility for its forces’ actions.
(7:32) Press Conference for Tristan Anderson's parents, part 1
(8:32) Press Conference for Tristan Anderson's parents, part 2
(7:25) Press Conference for Tristan Anderson's parents, part 3
In August 2009 before Israel’s investigation was made public, the Israeli Ministry of Defense notified the Anderson’s lawyers that Israel perceives the incident on 13March 2009 as an ”act of war”. This classification was made despite the fact that Anderson’s shooting occurred during a civilian demonstration and that there were no armed hostilities during the event or surrounding it. The consequence of such classification is that according to Israeli law, the state of Israel is not liable for any damage its’ forces have caused, even if unjustified.
Michael Sfard, the attorney representing the family in the criminal proceedings, stated: “If an unarmed civilian demonstration is classified by Israel as an ‘act of war’, then clearly Israel admits that it is at war with civilians. International law identifies the incident as a clear case of human rights abuse.”
Following the conclusion of the Israeli investigation and the decision to close the case without filing any indictments on the grounds of “lack of wrongdoing” in March 2010, the Anderson family filed an appeal. A thorough examination of the police’scase file by Attorney Sfard revealed that the police failed to visit the scene of the shooting, questioned officers who had nothing to do with the case and failed to question the Border Police unit in the area from where Tristan was shot according to all civilian eyewitnesses.
Following an appeal pointing to grave negligence in conducting the investigation, the District Attorney ordered that the investigation into the shooting be reopened.
Tristan Anderson and his family returned to the United States in June, following over a year in the hospital. Currently residing in California, the shooting has left Anderson suffering cognitive damage, paralyzed on the left side and requiring 24 hours care.
Israeli forces began using high velocity tear-gas projectiles and 0.22 caliber live ammunition at West Bank demonstrations in December 2008, in parallel with Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. High-velocity tear-gas projectiles, like the one that was shot at Tristan Anderson are a product of the US company, Combined Systems Inc (CSI).
A similar projectile caused the mortal injury of Bassem Abu Rahmah in the village of Bil’in on April 17th, 2009 – only a month after Anderson’s shooting. The projectile and its misuse by Israeli forces have been highlighted by the Israeli human rights group, B’Tselem, which caused the Judge Advocate General (JAG) to order that the Army investigate their misuse on several occasions.
Eventually the use of the projectile by the Army was banned in the West Bank. According to a CSI subsidiary company’s website, the projectiles, with a velocity of 400 ft/sec (130m/sec), are not meant for use in open-air crowd control situations, but rather as indoor barricade penetrators.
http://fwd4.me/0gha
30 oct 2012, 15:06 , Respect -
Maria 30 oct 2012, 15:06 , Respect -
Maria 14 nov 2011
Airstrike kills police officer, wounds four in Gaza City
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- One police officer was killed and four others injured early Monday morning when Israeli warplanes targeted a naval police building in Gaza City.
Medical sources in Gaza identified the victim as Muhammad Kilani. His body was found amid the rubble.
Four other officers were evacuated to Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Two sustained serious injuries while two were lightly injured, medics said.
Bulldozers removed rubble amid fears that other victims might be trapped under the debris, but there were no further reports of bodies found.
The Israeli army confirmed they had hit a target in the northern Gaza Strip.
The airstrike came hours after a homemade projectile was fired from Gaza, landing in the Shaar Hanegev area. No injuries were reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=436500
Update: Egypt detains 2 from group accused of Eilat attack
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Egyptian authorities on Monday detained two members of a militant Islamist group in Sinai, a day after arresting the movement's leader, security officials told Ma'an.
Security forces detained Abdul Kareem Mohammad Ahmad, 42, and Ahmad Salem Mahmoud Awad, 33, in El-Arish, a town in north Sinai.
They are members of the Jihadists and Takfiris movement, whose leader Muhammad Eid Musleh Hamad -- also known as Muhammad al-Teehi -- was detained on Sunday, Egyptian officials said.
Security officials told Ma'an that Egyptian police were sweeping the Sinai Peninsula to arrest militants, adding that the detainees have been sent to Cairo for interrogation.
Al-Teehi is accused of planning a deadly attack in southern Israel in August which killed eight Israelis, as well as a number of attacks in the Sinai Desert, a Ma'an correspondent reported.
Israel blamed the attack in Eilat on the Gaza-based Popular Resistance Committees and struck back at southern Gaza within hours killing five PRC militants and a two-year-old child. The strike sparked four days of intense cross border violence that killed 15 Palestinians and wounded dozens more.
The Jihadists and Takfiris movement is also suspected of involvement in a series of pipeline bombings in Sinai which have cut off the supply of gas to Jordan and Israel several times this year, the official MENA agency reported.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=436662
Haniyeh: Israel targeted police in airstrike
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh on Monday accused Israel of deliberately targeting a police compound in an airstrike which killed a coastal police officer.
Speaking at the funeral of Muhammad Kilani, Haniyeh called the strike "a treacherous crime that can't be justified."
Hundreds gathered in the northern Gaza Strip to mourn Kilani, killed when Israeli warplanes flattened the naval police base in Gaza City early Monday.
The Israeli army said the strike "hit a terror activity center." It came hours after a projectile fired from Gaza landed in Israel's south, without causing injuries.
Haniyeh said Israel had visualized the area before bombing and knew there were police working at the site.
"This is a crime that illustrated the policy of the Israeli occupation that’s based on treachery and killing of our people," the prime minister said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=436688
30 oct 2012, 15:07 , Respect -
Maria 30 oct 2012, 15:07 , Respect -
Maria 15 nov 2011
Israeli tanks bomb east of Gaza
GAZA, (PIC)-- Israeli tanks on Tuesday morning fired a barrage of artillery shells at the eastern part of Gaza city.
Local sources told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that at least 10 shells were fired by Israeli tanks positioned at Maleka and Nahal Oz military posts near the Israeli border fence east of Gaza city.
The shells landed in the eastern outskirts of Gaza without any reported causalities.
http://fwd4.me/0goP
Witnesses: Israeli army tanks fire at land east of Gaza City
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Israeli army tanks fired several shells at agricultural fields near Gaza City on Tuesday, locals told Ma'an.
The tanks were stationed in the Nahal Oz area east of the al-Shujaiyeh neighborhood of Gaza City. Locals told a Ma'an reporter that 10 shells landed in the area on Tuesday morning.
No injuries were reported.
An Israeli army spokeswoman had no initial reports of the incident.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=436784
Twitter
Solarah Samah two huge explosions NOW Gaza
NOW Gaza Israeli warplanes being clearly heard following two huge explosions rocking north gaza
OsamaShomar BREAKING: EXPLOSION IN GAZA CITY
Confirmed : Israeli bombing North of Gaza,
WalaaGh Walaa i just heard a strange voice of an explosion now North Gaza!
WillOuda I didn't hear the sound of the explosion....just feel the effect of the aftershock Gaza
RichardDufek F-16s are back in the Gaza Strip! Stay safe everyone.
Solarah Samah Reports the israeli warplanes targets site close to Al- Safina north-west Gaza city drones just joined the partyyy!
imNadZ the explosion targeted (again) As-Safina building (prev. intelligence building) in north west Gaza
OsamaShomar Israeli missile not detonated ,
WillOuda Confirmed: the sound was the impact of the rocket with the ground...but it didn't explode Gaza
imNadZ AAAAND A HUGE EXPLOSION
OsamaShomar BREAKING: ANOTHER EXPLOSION NORTH OF GAZA
NalanSarraj some news about an airstrike close to a petrol station ! what the hell
WillOuda The target in the 3rd airstrike (east) was a farm UPDATE: reports about 1 injured
JalalAK_shit is scary... damn you imagination!!
dimaeleiwa i don't want to live here in Gaza anymore
rcesite Shane WalaaGh 1 missile hit an open area east of the juice factory east of Gaza
OsamaShomar 1 injury reported in an israeli airstrike east of Gaza
WillOuda 3 Israeli airstrikes in the past 30 min targeted several sites in east, west and north of Gaza city , 1 injured at least.
NalanSarraj i try not to get emotional when its war time ! but how come! what if i actually lose my life or someone i know!! NO this is not NORMAL
WalaaGh Walaa I really need some sleep , am afraid to wake up on another explosion!
30 oct 2012, 15:07 , Respect -
Maria 15 nov 2011
The French Consul Wounded in an Israeli Attack on a Palestinian Navy Site
On Monday, 14 November 2011, the French Consul in the Gaza Strip, Majdi Jameel Yaseen Shaqqoura, 44, and his two children were wounded in an Israeli attack on the Palestinian Navy site in the southwest of Beit Lahia, located in northern Gaza.
They were in their home when they were injured by shrapnel. Additionally, as a result of the same attack the consul's wife suffered from hemorrhage that led to a miscarriage.
According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) Majdi Shaqqoura was in his home, located behind al-Nawras Resort in al-Soudaniya area, southwest of Beit Lahia, at the time of the attack. Shaqqoura was watching TV in the house’s sitting room which is surrounded by large windows, together with his relative and three children:
Arwa, 9,
Rawan, 13, and
Mohammed, 8.
At 2:00 in the morning they suddenly heard an explosion that rocked the house. In his testimony to PCHR, Shaqqoura said that windows of the sitting room broke in the blast. Him and his relative rushed to protect the children. Then a second explosion took place which broke all the windows, and resulted in shrapnel injuries to Shaqqoura’s leg and Rawan’s hand and back.
Shaqqoura added that, at the same time, his wife Majda Shaqqoura, 42, and her brother were on their way to the home in her car. They were 150 meters away from the bombardment site. As a result, Majda suffered from a hemorrhage injury. Her brother transported her to al-Awda Hospital, where she miscarried, being in the second month of her pregnancy.
At approximately 01:55 on Monday, 14 November 2011, the Israeli warplanes launched four missiles at a Palestinian Navy site located at the beach, in front of al-Nawras Resort, in the al-Soudaniya area. This area is located in the southwest of Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip.
The attack resulted in the killing of first sergeant Mohammed Zaher Zaki al-Kilani, 22, from Beit Lahia, whose body was torn into pieces. The Civil Defense found al-Kilani's body buried under the rubble after approximately one hour of searching for him.
Five other members were wounded, one of whom sustained serious wounds.
The attack resulted in the full destruction of the Navy's site, which is has an approximate surface of 2,000 square meters. The building consists of an operation office, bedroom, place for prayer, administration office, office of the site's chief, and five additional offices for meetings and detention. Besides, a blue Magnum jeep and a motorbike were destroyed.
Additionally, two other civilians were wounded by glass shrapnel throughout their bodies and were transported to the hospital for treatment.
PCHR reiterates its condemnation of these crimes, and:
1. Stresses that these crimes form part of systematic violations perpetrated in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly the Gaza Strip, which reflects Israeli forces’ disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians;
2. Warns of further escalation in hostilities, which may result in the targeting of civilians and their property, in light of statements made by Israeli politicians and military leaders; and
3. Calls upon the international community to immediately take an action to stop such crimes and reiterates its call for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1 which stipulates "the High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances," and their obligations under Article 146 which requires that the Contracting Parties prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention. These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and under Protocol I Additional to Geneva Conventions.
http://fwd4.me/0gnc
30 oct 2012, 15:07 , Respect -
Maria 15 nov 2011
Israeli Official Warns of New Military Action in Gaza
JERUSALEM — Israel’s military chief of staff warned Tuesday that the repeated rounds of escalated violence in the south would eventually require Israel to carry out another large-scale military operation in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
“We cannot continue with one round after another,” the official, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, told a closed meeting of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. He said the point at which a military operation would become necessary was “drawing closer.”
General Gantz’s assessment came during a routine security briefing to the parliamentary committee. The military later released a summary of his remarks.
Any such operation would have to be ordered by the political leadership, not the military. Nevertheless, the comments raised the prospect of another armed conflict in Gaza, where a fierce three-week Israeli military campaign in the winter of 2008-2009 drew international opprobrium.
At that time, Israel, prompted by years of persistent rocket fire on its southern communities, mounted a devastating air and ground offensive that left as many as 1,400 Palestinians dead and many homes and parts of Gaza’s civil infrastructure in ruins. Thirteen Israelis were also killed during the war.
Since then, Israeli security officials say, while an informal cease-fire has largely prevailed, Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza have managed to rebuild their weapons stocks and to acquire more advanced arms.
In late October, Israel killed nine Palestinians belonging to Islamic Jihad in several airstrikes on Gaza as the militants were preparing to fire rockets into Israel, according to the military. Islamic Jihad and other smaller groups fired barrages of rockets at southern Israel, killing a resident of the coastal city of Ashkelon. Schools in southern Israel were closed, and the daily routine of hundreds of thousands of Israelis was severely disrupted.
The relative calm since has been punctuated by a trickle of rocket fire and occasional Israeli air strikes. Two rockets struck Israeli territory on Tuesday. One fell in a community near the Gaza border and the other in open ground. No injuries were reported.
General Gantz said the recent air strikes had succeeded in setting back Islamic Jihad’s rocket production system.
In his comments on Gaza, he said Israel would not be “dragged into” an operation there, but would rather initiate an orderly one.
General Gantz’s remarks came against the background of a brewing argument between the country’s defense minister and finance minister over proposed cuts to the defense budget. The defense minister, Ehud Barak, strongly opposes any cut, as does the military.
General Gantz told the parliamentary committee that Israel is facing a “more complex strategic reality” than before, and uncertainty on many fronts. That, he said, does not allow Israel “to take risks” through budget cuts.
Surveying an environment altered by the revolutions and the Arab Spring, General Gantz said Israel’s border with Egypt had now become susceptible to terrorist activity emanating from the Egyptian Sinai. He added that Palestinian frustration could still lead to an outburst of violence in the West Bank, referring to concerns stirred up by the Palestinian bid for de facto state recognition by the United Nations Security Council.
http://fwd4.me/0gqn
Israeli Chief of Staff: Major Military Action to be Carried Out in Gaza
TEL AVIV, (WAFA) – Israeli Chief of staff, Benny Gantz, Tuesday said, “Recent bouts of violence along Israel's border with Gaza are leading toward significant and offensive military action in the coastal enclave,” according to Haartez.
He said there is still a chance for a flare-up of West Bank violence over the Palestinian disappointment of the statehood bid at the United Nations.
Addressing the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday, Gantz referred to the air strike in Gaza, saying that Israeli Air Force planes targeted a squad experimenting with long-range missiles.
Gantz's comments came just 24 hours following the latest confrontation along the Gaza border, as Israel Air Force planes carried out a strike early Monday after Palestinian militants in Hamas-run Gaza fired a rocket at southern Israel.
Palestinian officials say a Hamas naval policeman has been killed and seven others have been wounded in an Israeli airstrike on their building in the northern Gaza Strip.
'The strike injured and inhibited the advancement of Islamic Jihad's rocket production,' Gantz said, adding that 'recent rounds of escalated violence and the injury of both lives and the daily routine of citizens of Israel's south are leading to a reality in which the IDF will have to take significant, aggressive action in the Gaza Strip.'
He said such a move would have to be 'initiated and orderly.'
He also referred to the relative quiet in the West Bank following the Palestinian Authority's bid at recognition in the UN, saying that 'September isn't a date, it's a process.'
'Israeli forces’ alertness is still in place. Events have been contained thus far, but, despite that, we are still ready and it's possible that the situation could escalate with more events unfolding,' he said. 'As time goes by, in the face of continued Palestinian disappointment, the chance of a violent outburst is still there.'
Gantz also spoke of Israel's changed attitude toward its border with Egypt over increased terror activity in the Sinai, saying that the peninsula housed terror infrastructures tied both to Gaza militants and to Global jihad terror cells, 'in violation of Egyptian sovereignty.'
'That is why the army is reevaluating its entire thinking in the south. Today, 30 contractors are working simultaneously with 400 workers to erect the [border] fence at an accelerated pace, with 70 kilometers already completed,' Grantz said. He expected the barrier to be completed by late 2012.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=18018
Gantz: IDF will be forced to attack Gaza if rockets resume
IDF chief tells Knesset's FADC that Israel must take the initiative in the next round of fighting, says Egypt border fence to be completed by end of 2012.
The IDF will be forced to launch an offensive if rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip continue to be launched into southern Israel, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday. He added that Israel must take the initiative.
In the next round of fighting, Gantz added, "we will need to shorten the length of fighting as much as possible," noting that speed is dependent on quality intelligence and quick action.
The IDF chief also addressed preparations made ahead of the Palestinian UN statehood bid in September, warning that "September is no just a date but a process. The preparations are not behind us yet."
The potential for disappointment over the failure of the statehood bid, Gantz added, means that there is still a danger violence could break out in the West Bank.
Gantz told Knesset committee that along the southern border with Egypt, the army has increased its preparations in light of increased terror threats coming from the Sinai Peninsula.
The IDF's role along the western part of the Israeli-Egyptian border, Gantz said, has changed from being prepared to deal with infiltrators to now being prepared for terrorism.
Discussing the ongoing construction of a fence along the Egyptian border, the IDF chief told committee members that 30 contractors are employing 400 workers to accelerate construction of the fence. Seventy kilometers have already been built, and Gantz said he gave orders that the fence be completed by the end of next year.
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=245648
30 oct 2012, 15:07 , Respect -
Maria 30 oct 2012, 15:07 , Respect -
Maria 16 nov 2011
2 injured in Gaza airstrikes
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli airstrikes injured two people in Gaza City early Wednesday, a Ma'an reporter said.
Israeli F16 jets fired at least one missile in the Tuffah neighborhood, lightly injuring one woman who was taken to Shifa Hospital. Several homes were also damaged in the strike, a Ma'an correspondent reported.
Meanwhile an Israel warplane struck a group of militants west of Gaza City. Medics said one man suffered light wounds in the attack.
Shortly after the strike, a rocket was fired from an open area in western Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip but the projectile failed to explode.
The Israeli army said in a statement that its air force targeted "a terror tunnel and a terror activity site" in response to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.
Earlier, an Israeli military spokeswoman said two rockets were fired into southern Israel. The projectiles caused no injuries but the official said locals were treated for anxiety.
France reminded Israel of the need to avoid civilian harm after a French diplomat and his family were injured by an Israeli airstrike on Sunday.
A French consul and his 13-year-old daughter were injured by shrapnel and his wife miscarried when the Israeli army bombed areas near their home.
"France strongly condemns the consequences of the air raid," French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said Tuesday.
He added: "While we are committed to the security of Israel, France reiterates the necessity of avoiding civilian harm. Israeli authorities have been reminded of this imperative."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=436942
Israel warplanes fire on northern Gaza
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli warplanes fired on the northern Gaza Strip early Wednesday, onlookers said after two rockets were reported to have struck southern Israel.
No injuries were reported in either incident.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said the attack targeted sites in northern Gaza suspected of "terrorist activity" and in response to two rockets which struck southern Israel hours before.
Earlier, Israeli army tanks fired several shells at farmland near Gaza City, locals told Ma'an.
The tanks were stationed in the Nahal Oz area east of the al-Shujaiyeh neighborhood of Gaza City. Locals told a Ma'an reporter that 10 shells landed in the area on Tuesday morning. No injuries were reported.
Israel's army said it was not involved in that incident.
On Monday, an Israeli airstrike killed police officer Muhammad Kilani and injured four of his colleagues. The Israeli army said the strike "hit a terror activity center" in the northern Gaza Strip.
The French consul in Gaza and his family were also wounded in the airstrike.
Majdi Jameel Yaseen Shaqqoura and his daughter were injured by shrapnel and his wife suffered a miscarriage when Israeli warplanes bombed a police building in Beit Lahiya early Monday morning, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said.
"While we are all for Israeli security, France recalls the utmost necessity to avoid civilian harm," said French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero, without specifying the nature of their injuries.
Shaqqoura was injured in the leg and his 13-year-old daughter Rawan in her hand and back. His pregnant wife Majda was on her way home with her brother at the time of the airstrike. Just 150 meters from the site of the bombing, she suffered a hemorrhage and then miscarried.
The PCHR said the attack was "part of systematic violations perpetrated in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly the Gaza Strip, which reflects Israeli forces' disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=436935
Zionist warplanes bombed civilian targets in the Gaza Strip earlier.
According to eyewitnesses, the planes of the Zionist F-16 bombed a government building, ship north of the Gaza Strip and aircraft launched another attack on a group of militants near Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, causing no injuries.
The Zionist warplanes carried out a third raid targeted the vacant land in the area of apples east of Gaza City.
Still Zionist war planes flying over the Gaza Strip who carried out criminal raids from time to time.
http://fwd4.me/0gr8
Explosion heard in northern Gaza Strip
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip said early Wednesday they heard several loud explosions in the area, but the cause of the blasts was not immediately clear.
There were no initial reports of injury or damage.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=436933
France summons Israeli ambassador over Gaza raid
Israeli envoy rebuked over Gaza raid which wounded French consul and family; incident added strains to already tense relationship between Israel and France.
France's Foreign Ministry summoned Israel's ambassador on Wednesday over an air strike in Gaza that injured the French consul and his family on Sunday.
The French consul, his wife and 13-year-old daughter were hit by shrapnel at their residence in Gaza during the strike on Sunday night.
"This morning we reminded the Israeli ambassador how much we deplore the consequences of this raid for the head of our consulate and his family," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said in a regular online briefing.
"While we recognize Israel's need to ensure its security, he [the ambassador] was reminded about the importance of keeping civilians and the French presence in Gaza from being affected," he added.
The raid, which killed one policeman and wounded four others after Palestinian militants from the coastal territory fired a rocket into southern Israel, has added to strains in an already tense relationship between France and Israel.
Journalists overheard French President Nicolas Sarkozy describing Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "a liar" in a conversation with U.S. President Barack Obama at a G20 summit in Cannes earlier this month.
In an apparent effort to clear the air, Sarkozy wrote to Netanyahu reaffirming friendship, despite what he referred to as their "differing views on the Middle East".
http://fwd4.me/0guP
30 oct 2012, 15:07 , Respect -
Maria 16 nov 2011
IOF troops storm southern Nablus village, arrest old man in Al-Khalil
NABLUS, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed Madma village, south of Nablus, and Yatta village, south of Al-Khalil, at dawn Wednesday and detained an old man in the latter.
Local sources said that more than 50 IOF soldiers stormed Madma and searched 20 homes in the village before dawn and confiscated two personal computers and three mobile phones but did not make any arrests.
In Yatta, the soldiers detained a 60-year-old man in Karmal area.
IOF soldiers stormed two other villages in Al-Khalil and searched cars.
http://fwd4.me/0gud
30 oct 2012, 15:07 , Respect -
Maria 16 nov 2011
Gantz: A major attack against Gaza a matter of time
NAZARETH, (PIC)-- The Israeli army's chief of staff Benny Gantz said a new large-scale war against the Gaza Strip to strike the infrastructure of the Palestinian resistance factions is a matter of time.
Grantz made his remarks on Tuesday during a meeting of the Knesset committee on foreign affairs and security.
He added that an all-out war on Gaza should be this time well-planned and sudden to avoid new rounds of escalation and preserve the lives of Israeli soldiers.
The Israeli commander also slammed the Palestinian authority's attempts to gain recognition of an independent state and warned that violent marches could take place if such thing happened.
He noted that in the next war, Israel would need to shorten the duration of the fighting as far as possible through relying on quality intelligence information and rapid moves.
For his part, Shaul Mofaz, a Knesset member and the former Israeli chief of staff, said, during the same meeting, that Israel has been suffering from an intelligence crisis in the Gaza Strip since the past few years.
He pointed this fact should impose on both the Shin Bet and the military intelligence to reset their priorities.
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