- 15 sept 2010
IDF chief: Next wars will not be easier
Ashkenazi tells military academy cadets delegitimization of Israel around the world unjustified because 'our army, more than any other, protects civilians not involved in fighting'
"Whenever peace talks are conducted, there are those who wish to sabotage them," IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Wednesday.
Speaking to hundreds of staffers and cadets at the military yeshiva academy of Bnei David in the West Bank settlement of Eli, Ashkenazi said the security establishment has identified a surge in terror activity originating in Gaza, adding, "I don’t expect the attempts to hurt us to end anytime soon."
Addressing the recent shooting attack near Hebron, which claimed the lives of four Israelis, Ashkenazi said, "We will not rest until we get our hands on the perpetrators."
Asked about Israel's status within the international community following Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, the army chief said, "There is a phenomenon of delegitimization of the State both in Israel and abroad. This trend is unjustified because the IDF, more than any other army in the world, makes every effort to protect civilians who are not involved in the fighting.
"The next wars will not be easier, and we will have to better explain our side of the story. However, we cannot be paralyzed because of our image in the media. It is Hamas that chooses to fight in residential areas, not us," he told the cadets.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3954934,00.html
29 oct 2012, 11:37 , Respect -
Maria 15 sept 2010
Israel admits killing civilians in Gaza
The Israeli army has admitted that three Palestinian men killed in a shelling strike in the northern Gaza Strip over the weekend were civilians.
On Sunday afternoon, Israeli troops fired five tank shells into the coastal sliver's northern city of Beit Hanoun, near the Erez checkpoint.
The attack killed a 91-year-old man identified as Ibrahim Abu Said and his 21-year-old grandson, Ismail. The body of Hosam Khaled Ibrahim Abu Es'ayed, 16, was later found and handed over to hospital officials, according to Ma'an news agency.
The Israeli army initially accused the men of being involved in armed activities and claimed they were preparing to launch rockets at Israeli posts near the separation fence.
But a report on Tuesday acknowledged that the men were attending to their farmland and cattle near what Israel has declared as a "no-go zone" along the de-facto border when they came under Israeli tank fire.
The report claims the 21-year-old Palestinian was seen lifting a loaded rocket-propelled-grenade launcher seemingly aiming it at Israeli forces at the border.
The Israeli commander of the Gaza division, Brigadier General Eyal Eisenberg, told Israel's Army Radio on Tuesday that an initial probe found that the three civilians found a rocket launcher and innocently picked it up.
Israeli tanks opened tank and machine gun fire on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing one Palestinian and wounding four others.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/142597.html
29 oct 2012, 11:37 , Respect -
Maria 15 sept 2010
Nahshon unit storms Ofer prison cells
Knesset committee recommends law set to arm more settlers
IPA raids Hadarim prison cells, places prisoners in confinement
Settlers build near Palestinian villages on eve of peace talks
Settlers announce rally at Nablus tomb 29 oct 2012, 11:37 , Respect -
Maria 16 sept 2010
Israeli warplanes launch airstrikes on targets in Gaza Strip
GAZA, Sept 16 (KUNA) -- Israeli F-16 warplanes launched air strikes on a training site for the Brigades of the Martyr Izz el-Deen al-Qassam, the military wing of Hamas, west of Rafah in Gaza Strip, Palestanian sources said on Thursday.
No casualities or material damage were reported, the sources told KUNA.
Israeli warplanes also launched an airstrike on a farming tools factory in the northeastern city of Khan Yunis, south of Gaza Strip.
The raid destroyed the factory and caused a raging fire, as well as damaged the neighbouring homes of the factory without causing any casualities, the sources noted.
The Israeli warplanes also targetted a vegetation land in the eastern part of Jabalya town in southern Gaza Strip without causing any casualities.
These airstrikes came after hours of an Israeli raid that targetted the borderline between Gaza Strip and Egypt in southern Rafah, which caused the death of a Palestanian and the injury of three others.
An Israeli army spokesman claimed that these airstrikes targetted repositories of combat means and were also a response to Palestanian gunmen who fired rockets towards southern Israel on Wednesday.
http://bit.ly/8Yxiff
Haneyya government warns of further Israeli military escalation
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Palestinian government of Ismail Haneyya has condemned the Israeli military attacks against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, warning of further escalation.
Government spokesman Taher Al-Nunu said in a press release on Thursday that the Israeli shelling and murder in the Strip coincides with media escalation and field tensions in an apparent intention to escalate military aggression.
He said that leaving war criminals on the loose had encouraged Israel to go ahead with aggression and preparation for new war on Gaza, urging a speedy trial of Israeli leaders as war criminals to deter future crimes.
Nunu asked the world community to investigate the Israeli killing of three farmers at the northern Gaza borders, whom Israel had publicly confessed to slaying them in cold blood, and in the murder of a detained Palestinian man in Tel Aviv.
He charged that the negotiations process between the PA in Ramallah and Israel was providing Israel with a political cover to commit more crimes, adding that negotiating while Israeli continued to besiege and attack Gaza was a shame on the Palestinian negotiators.
Nunu asked the Arab countries, especially those which encouraged negotiations, and the Arab League to assume their responsibility toward the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
http://bit.ly/9k7HjM
Security sources report large increase in attacks from Gaza
Security officials on Thursday said that attacks from the Gaza Strip onto Israel soil in recent days marks a large increase in activity, Israel Radio reported.
The attacks have come in the form of phosphorus shells, which are like the ones fired during Operation Cast Lead.
Officials suspect that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are not interested in an escalation of violence in the region, instead see the renewal of peace talks and the holiday period as a window of opportunity for activity.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=188279
Rocket fire prompts IDF strike on Gaza
IAF targets two weapon caches in northern, southern Strip following ongoing rocket fire on Israel's south.
Israel Air Force jets struck two Gaza targets overnight, following yet another day of continuous rocket fire on Israel's south.
Fighter jets targeted two weapons warehouses in southern and northern Gaza in the early hours of Thursday morning. The IDF Spokesman's Unit said the pilots confirmed hitting their targets before safely returning to their base.
No injuries were reported among the Palestinians at this time.
"The IDF will not abide any attempt to harm Israel or its citizens, and will continue to relentlessly pursue any element invoking terror against the State of Israel" a military statement said.
"The IDF holds Hamas solely responsible for occurrences in Gaza and maintaining the peace there."
Thursday's nightly strike was the IDF's second on Gaza, as the IAF struck targets near Rafah on noon Wednesday, following a mortar shell salvo on southern Israel. The IDF confirmed the strike targeted a tunnel under the Philadelphi Route.
According to the Palestinians, one man was killed in the attack.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3955050,00.html
Second strike in 24 hours hits Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- An agricultural tools warehouse and an open area in the Rafah tunnels district were the sites of two airstrikes by the Israeli army on Gaza Thursday morning, witnesses said.
An Israeli military statement on the strikes said the targets were "two weapons storage facilities in the northern and southern Gaza Strip" and added that the "attack is in response to the nine projectiles fired into Israeli territory over the last 24 hours."
The strike was the second in less than 12 hours on the Strip, with a 2 p.m. Wednesday strike on a tunnels area in Rafah killing one tunnels worker and injuring two others.
According to Palestinian military medical services spokesman Adham Abu Salmya, the latest strikes resulted in no injuries.
The Israeli military, in its statement on the airstrike, said 14 projectiles had been fired from the start of the week. One strike has been claimed by factions in Gaza, but that report was denied by Israeli military officials.
In its statement , the Israeli military said it "holds Hamas solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip."
On Tuesday, two Palestinians were injured after Israeli forces fired on a group of shepherds in the central Gaza Strip, medical and security officials said.
One Palestinian was seriously hurt following the incident near Juhor Ad-Dik, east of Al-Bureij refugee camp, medics told Ma'an at the time.
Later investigations of the incident revealed that the men were non-combatants.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=315326
29 oct 2012, 11:37 , Respect -
Maria 16 sept 2010
Israeli police reportedly assault 2 Jerusalem residents
Settlers make renewed attempt on Jlem home
Settlers take more Palestinian land in Nablus
29 oct 2012, 11:37 , Respect -
Maria 17 aug 2010
IDF kills Palestinian suspect in West Bank
A wanted Palestinian suspect was killed by IDF forces during security operations in the West Bank overnight Thursday, IDF spokesperson said in a statement on Friday morning.
The statement said that the suspect had run towards IDF soldiers in a threatening manner, and had ignored the IDF's requests to cease his approach, resulting in the suspect being shot.
The circumstances of the incident are under investigation.
17 sept 2010
Palestinian citizens clash with Israeli police in Jerusalem
Don't question troops' pizza break - or else
29 oct 2012, 11:37 , Respect -
Maria 18 sept 2010
Explosion north of Nablus injures 1
NABLUS (Ma'an) -- A small explosion rocked an open field on the outskirts of Nablus on Friday afternoon, injuring a young cow herder, who was transferred to hospital with burns on his face and limbs.
Police officials said the boy, who was not identified, was seriously injured, and had sustained burns on his eyes which could cause blindness.
A report from police said the explosion was caused by a "suspicious object," which detonated under the young man as he passed with his cattle.
Sapper units collected the debris from the device, police said in a report, and combed the area for other potential hazards, and found none.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=315826 29 oct 2012, 11:37 , Respect -
Maria 18 sept 2010
IOF detains six Jerusalemites after clashes
29 oct 2012, 11:37 , Respect -
Maria 19 sept 2010
IDF dispersing protests with weapon banned by military advocate general
The Israel Defense Forces continues using the Ruger 10/22 rifle to disperse protests even though it has been prohibited by the military advocate general, a hearing at a military court revealed last week. A brigade's former operations officer told the court he wasn't even aware of the prohibition.
Last Wednesday, the Judea Military Court convened for the sentencing hearing of protest organizer Abdullah Abu-Rahma from Bil'in, convicted last month of incitement and organizing illegal demonstrations. The state submitted an expert opinion by Maj. Igor Moiseev, who served as the Binyamin Brigade's operations officer for two years.
The opinion details the cost of ammunition fired in Bil'in and Nial'in from August 2008 to December 2009; it notes that the army used Ruger bullets that cost a total of NIS 1.3 million. Moiseev described the Ruger as a nonlethal weapon.
When Abu-Rahma's attorney Gabi Laski inquired if Moiseev knew that the military advocate general had ruled that Ruger rifles are not to be used to disperse protests because they are potentially lethal, Moiseev said he was not aware of such an instruction. The state objected to the question.
In 2001, the military advocate general at the time, Maj. Gen. (res. ) Menachem Finkelstein, prohibited the use of Ruger bullets as nonlethal ammunition.
Nevertheless, the IDF reverted to using the Ruger against protesters in 2009, killing a teenager in Hebron in February and a protester in Nial'in in June. Human rights group B'Tselem asked the military advocate general to make clear that the weapon was not meant for crowd control.
In July, Brig. Gen. Avichai Mendelblit wrote that "the Ruger is not defined by the IDF as a means for riot control. The rules for using these means in Judea and Samaria are strict and parallel to the rules of engagement for live fire. If the media or organizations were told anything else regarding the definition, this was an error or misunderstanding."
He wrote that "recently, the rules were stressed once again to the relevant operations officers in Central Command. The command in fact expects to hold a review headed by a senior commander, examining the lessons drawn from using such means in recent months."
The IDF Spokesman's Office said in a statement yesterday that rules for firing 0.22 ammunition are part of the general rules of engagement, "and as such are classified and naturally cannot be elaborated on. In general, it can be noted that the rules applying to 0.22 ammunition are strict and are parallel, in general, to rules applying to ordinary live ammunition.
"The operations officer's testimony was given at a sentencing hearing of someone convicted of incitement and organizing and participating in violent riots in the village of Bil'in. The quote used is partial and does not reflect all comments by the officer on the means used by the IDF to disperse such riots. The IDF takes care to act in accordance with the rules of engagement."
http://bit.ly/9ifWpm 29 oct 2012, 11:38 , Respect -
Maria 19 sept 2010
Lawyer: Detainees at Huwara prison suffer malnutrition, food poisoning
29 oct 2012, 11:38 , Respect -
Maria 19 sept 2010
Palestinian worker wounded in IOF shooting
GAZA, (PIC)-- A Palestinian citizen was wounded on Sunday morning when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at him north of Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip.
Adham Abu Salmiya, a spokesman for the military medical services, told the PIC that Nader Ghaban, 23, was working in collecting debris of destroyed buildings when the IOF soldiers shot and wounded him.
He added that Ghaban was in a stable condition, describing his injuries as moderate.
The IOF troops regularly target Palestinian workers in this area where a number of them were killed and others were wounded.
http://bit.ly/bn08iJ
Mizan: Daily IOF incursions aim at expanding army base in northern Gaza
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have been daily advancing in northern Gaza over the past week in a bid to expand a military base in the area, the Mizan center for human rights said in a statement on Saturday.
It added that the IOF soldiers entered the area, east of Jabalia to the north of the Strip, and opened a big gate on the border between Gaza and 1948 occupied Palestine.
It noted that the IOF troops have been doing unknown work behind a cover of sand barricades since last Monday.
Mizan field examination proved that the IOF armored vehicles entered 300 meters into Gaza borders for that purpose.
http://bit.ly/bXKCi9 29 oct 2012, 11:38 , Respect -
Maria 29 oct 2012, 11:38 , Respect -
Maria 20 sept 2010
Israel makes infantry 'more lethal' The Israeli army has introduced several new weapons systems
The Israeli army has finished reviewing the structure of its infantry battalions in an effort to increase their "lethal" power in urban and guerrilla warfare.
The review was ordered by Israeli army Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi after the troops failed to achieve their tactical goals during the December 2008-January 2009 war against the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army has introduced several new weapons systems in its battalions to make them more lethal, particularly in offensives in urban settings like Gaza and villages in southern Lebanon, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The US-made sniper rifle HTR 2000 is one of the new weapons distributed to all infantry battalions. The new rifle enables Israeli soldiers to hit targets up to a distance of 1,000 meters and can accommodate a special night-vision add-on scope.
The Israeli army's ground forces command, which oversaw the review, has also purchased dozens of Polaris all-terrain vehicles. The utility vehicle would enable the infantry to transport up to 700 kilograms of supplies behind enemy lines at a speed close to 80 kilometer per hour.
The battalions have, moreover, been equipped with explosives to knock down doors and walls independent of combat engineer units, while Matador anti-structure shoulder-launched missiles will give them an upper hand in dealing with targets inside fortified positions.
Meanwhile, the Israeli infantry are also undergoing special training to erect camouflaged positions for the battalion when necessary during operations.
Last month, the Israeli forces carried out joint military maneuvers with the US Marines in the Negev desert in southern Israel as part of a series of exercises on the Lebanese and Syrian borders.
Hinging on guerilla warfare, the drills reportedly involved fighting mock street battles with resistance fighters and the invasion of an Israeli military-built mock-up of a typical Palestinian village.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/143191.html
29 oct 2012, 11:38 , Respect -
Maria 20 sept 2010
A Palestinian was injured on Sunday when Israeli forces opened fire
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- A Palestinian was injured on Sunday when Israeli forces opened fire while he collected aggregate near the border area in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, medical sources told Ma'an.
The source said Nader Ghubun, 23, was injured in his right leg during the incident and was transferred to the Kamal Adwan Hospital.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said she would look into the report.
The Israeli imposed buffer zone around Gaza, estimated to annex up to 20 percent of the Strip's arable land, is considered a live combat zone by the Israeli army, which bars Palestinian access to the area.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military is conducting an investigation into the killing of three Gaza shepherds last Sunday in northern Gaza, including a 91-year old, his grandson and a teenager.
Following a Ma'an inquiry, Brig.-Gen. Eyal Eisenberg said in a statement that while the investigations into the incident have not yet concluded "we understand from a re-creation that we undertook that the three casualties were not involved in act of terror."
An Israeli military spokesman said at the time that forces identified a number of suspects attempting to fire an RPG toward an Israeli position in the Beit Hanoun area. He said forces fired on the Palestinians, apparently hitting them. The RPG, the army said, had been left behind "by a terrorist cell."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=315998 29 oct 2012, 11:38 , Respect -
Maria 20 sept 2010
Israel military units attack Ramon prisoners, wound 17 of them
Israeli court imprisons wounded detainee
Israeli jailers force Palestinian prisoners to strip naked for search
IDF to deploy cameras along West Bank highways