- 27 aug 2010
Medics, journalists detained in Ni'lin: Organizers
Jerusalem settlers assault 9 year old, parents say
Settler guards, Silwan youth clash overnight
29 oct 2012, 11:30 , Respect -
Maria 28 aug 2010
Israel preparing to attack Syria: report
Israel is reportedly preparing to strike arms depots and weapons manufacturing plants in Syria, claiming they belong to the Islamic resistance movement Hezbollah, a report says.
Tel Aviv has escalated its military presence in the occupied Golan Heights and the northern part of the Shebaa Farms, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz said, citing a report in the Saturday edition of the Kuwaiti daily Al Rai.
The report quoted European sources as saying that recent Israeli reconnaissance flights, which violated Lebanese and Syrian airspace, are indications that Israel is ready to start a war in the area.
The potential targets are located far inside Syrian territory, the report added.
Israel remains technically at war with both Syria and Lebanon since it refuses to return the lands it occupied alongside vast expanses of other Arab territories during large-scale military operations in 1967.
In September 2007, at least four Israeli fighters crossed into Syrian airspace and launched an attack on an alleged nuclear facility, which caused a significant rise in tension.
Turkey-mediated talks between the two sides fell apart after Israel started the December 2008-January 2009 war on the Gaza Strip, which killed over 1,400 Palestinians.
Israel also started a war against Lebanon in 2006, which killed about 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians.
Israeli President Shimon Peres leveled a whole host of accusations against both countries, saying Damascus had supplied Russian-made scud missiles to Hezbollah, which defended the country during Israel's attacks on Lebanon.
However, the Israeli allegations have been categorically rejected by the governments of Syria and Lebanon as well as by the Hezbollah movement.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/140392.html
US lawmaker urges France not to arm Lebanon army
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the ranking Republican on House Foreign Affairs Committee, says selling missiles to Lebanon could 'jeopardize Mideast security' because influence of Hezbollah and its Iranian and Syrian backers in Lebanese government is rising
A US lawmaker on Friday warned France not to sell anti-tank missiles to Lebanon, saying they could end up being used against Israel amid pro-Iranian influence in the Lebanese government.
US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the warning after the Arabic-language newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported the planned sale.
"The influence of Hezbollah militants and their Iranian and Syrian backers in the Lebanese government is rising," Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement.
"Therefore, to sell weapons to Lebanon at this time would be very irresponsible, and could jeopardize security and stability in the region," she said.
"France should do the responsible thing and cancel this sale unless and until the Lebanese government takes the steps necessary to root out extremists from its own ranks and disarm Hezbollah," she said.
Asharq Al-Awsat, quoting a top French official, said French Defense Minister Herve Morin had sent a letter to his Lebanese counterpart Elias Murr in May informing him that Paris was "ready" to deliver 100 HOT missiles to Beirut.
The paper said Lebanon wants to arm its French-designed Gazelle army helicopters with the HOT (High Subsonic Optical Remote-Guided Fired from Tube) missile, a long-range, anti-tank missile system designed by Euromissile.
The French official quoted by the newspaper on its website acknowledged that Israel "protested" the French decision to provide Lebanon with arms and that Washington raised "question marks" over the missile deal.
However, he also "categorically denied" that Paris had "given in to pressure" and that this was why the sale had not been completed.
The French official instead said "confusion" within the Lebanese government was responsible for the deal's delay or failure.
On August 10, US Congressman Howard Berman, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced he had placed on hold 100 million dollars in aid to Lebanon's military.
Berman said he could not be sure the Lebanese armed forces were not working with Hezbollah, which Washington lists as a "terrorist" organization and whose militiamen fought a devastating month-long war against Israel in 2006.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3944904,00.html
Lebanese ruling party: Disarm militias
Hezbollah rejects proposal following Sunni-Shiite clashes, saying weapons 'aimed only at Israel'
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri convened a meeting of the ruling party Saturday, three days after clashes between Sunnis and Shiites broke out in Beirut.
Party members suggested that weapons be banned in the capital, aside from those required by security forces. Hezbollah rejected the idea out of hand.
Those present at the meeting condemned "the mass of weapons and gunmen in Beirut, its neighborhoods and amongst its houses, which together with the tension provide ample means for a violent explosion".
The party also called on the military and security forces to take more action against such occurrences.
"The citizens of Beirut are saying all together that such an incident cannot repeat itself. We are saying no to weapons and gunmen in the streets of the capital, and ask that Beirut be demilitarized of weapons," a statement released after the meeting said.
It added that all weapons not belonging to the military should be "gathered up and placed in the hands of the Lebanese government".
But Hezbollah's representatives in the Lebanese parliament say there is not much chance the proposal will be implemented.
MP Ali Moqdad said that "the weapons of the resistance (Hezbollah) are aimed only at Israel, but they must cover all of Lebanon. These weapons are legitimate, respectable, and against civil war."
His colleague, MP Walid Succariyeh, told the Al-Sharq Al-Awsat daily that Hezbollah's goal was to "cover all of Lebanon's territory with weapons of the resistance".
"The war with Israel is not taking place solely in its southern region, but in all of Lebanon. What is stopping Israel from deploying troops in Beirut, the Biqa valley, or other regions, such as was carried out in 2006?" he asked.
Succariyeh wondered whether the government wanted to attempt to turn Beirut into "an area like the Monaco principality, where tourists can spend the summer and play cards".
"Do they want us to raise white flags and surrender the streets of the capital? This proposal needs to be refined, because what is needed is not a dismantling of weapons but rather organization and supervision of it," he said.
It was not the first time the government had called for the disarming of militia in its territory. The issue was discussed during the "National Dialogue", which came to an abrupt halt after the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3944979,00.html
Report: Israel planning to attack Hezbollah arms depots in Syria
The Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai reports that Israel is preparing to strike Hezbollah targets within Syria, including long-range rocket depots; Syrian military is reportedly on high alert.
Israel is planning to attack Hezbollah arms depots and weapons manufacturing plants in Syria, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai reported on Saturday.
The report is based on Western sources who asserted that Israel has increased its military force level along the northern border in the Golan Heights and Mount Dov areas.
The report cited European sources who claimed that recent Israeli unmanned aerial drone flights over Lebanon and Syria signal Israel's intentions to carry out operations in the area.
According to the report, Israel plans to attack Hezbollah weapons depots, including ones deep inside Syria that store long-range rockets.
The Al Rai report said that the situation on the Israel-Syria border is tense and that Syria could respond immediately to any Israeli attack and not demonstrate the restraint that it did after the Israeli Air Force bombed a suspected nuclear reactor in Syria in the fall of 2007.
According to the report, Syria's military is on high alert and is strengthening its anti-aircraft defenses along the border with Israel and at strategic sites within Syria.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-israel-planning-to-attack-hezbollah-arms-depots-in-syria-1.310655
Ahmadinejad's adviser: Talk of war is Zionist propaganda
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chief adviser assured the Amir of Kuwait that their is no war on the horizon, stating that talk of a military conflict is merely "Zionist propaganda meant to destabilize the region," Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Dar reported on Saturday.
Esfandiar Rahim Mashaee said in an interview with the Kuwaiti newspaper that if Iran's nuclear facility in Bushehr were attacked, the Islamic Republic would strike against American interests "wherever they may be and by all available means."
He added that Iran's nuclear plant in Bushehr is equipped with the latest safety technologies and that there is no danger of any accidents or incidents.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=186260
Report: Israel to attack Hizbullah weapons stores in Syria
Israel is preparing a military strike against Hizbullah weapons depots in Syria, Kuwaiti newspaper Alrai reported on Saturday.
The report cites European military sources as stating that Israel has increased flights of unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicles over the border with Syria and that such activity is a sign of an imminent attack.
According to the report, the sources added that in response to Israel's preparation for an attack, Syria's anti-aircraft defenses are in a state of high alert.
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=186255
29 oct 2012, 11:30 , Respect -
Maria 28 aug 2010
Iran renews call for nuke-free Mideast
Iranian Ambassador to Japan Abbas Araqchi
Iranian Ambassador to Japan Abbas Araqchi has reiterated the Islamic Republic's support for the emergence of a nuclear-free Middle East.
Addressing the 22nd UN Conference on Disarmament Issues in the Japanese city of Saitama on Friday, the Iranian diplomat highlighted Iran's readiness to cooperate for its realization, IRNA reported.
"The idea of a nuclear-free Middle East was primarily put forth by Iran in 1974; there have been numerous international resolutions in support of the initiative since then," Araqchi said.
The Iranian envoy made a reference to Israel which is widely assumed to harbor nuclear weapons.
"The Zionist regime is oblivious of the global demands for its disarmament and has shown a harsh reaction to such requirements," Araqchi said.
"It is the only obstacle in the way of a nuclear-free Middle East," he added.
Araqchi further pointed out that the UN needed to take appropriate measures against Israel and any other countries that refuse to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
He made the comments on the closing day of the three-day conference before the approximately 60 participants who had attended.
The public conference was meant to raise awareness and support for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
It also assessed the outcome of the 2010 Review Conference of the Treaty on the NPT and addressed ways to make progress in achieving nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/140326.html 29 oct 2012, 11:30 , Respect -
Maria 28 aug 2010
2 Gaza workers injured by Israeli fire near border
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Two Palestinians were injured by Israeli fire near the border fence separating Gaza from Israel, medics said.
Director of ambulance and emergency services in Gaza Muawiya Hassanein said Sharif Sa'id Ghubn, 25, and Rami Ibrahim Ghubn, 18, were transferred to hospital with bullet wounds, which he described as moderate.
The men were collecting rubble north of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza to make cement, Hassanein said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said forces saw a number of people close to the border, and asked them to identify themselves. When the men failed to do so, Israeli soldiers opened fire, she said, adding that she was only aware of one injury. The spokeswoman noted that Israel considers the area a combat zone.
Under Israel's siege policy, the entry of construction materials into the Strip is heavily restricted. A report by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in May said restrictions on the import of cement have made it "impossible" to reconstruct the 12,000 homes in Gaza damaged or destroyed by the Israeli military, or to build a further 20,000 homes needed to accommodate natural population growth in the Strip.
Several incidents of Israeli fire at the border have resulted in injuries over the last month. On 16 August, Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian man during clashes along the southern border.
Two weeks previously, Bilal Ibrahim Obeid, 22, was injured by live fire at the border and in a separate incident three men sustained gun shot wounds close to the fence. Reports suggested the men were collecting cement aggregates from the area.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=311363
IDF confirms Palestinian wounded by troops Saturday
The IDF Spokesperson's Office has confirmed reports that a shooting incident took place on Gaza's border Saturday.
The army said a number of suspicious Palestinians neared the border fence and were called upon by troops to halt. When they did not respond, the soldiers were forced to fire at their lower extremities. The IDF added that the troops identified a hit, but did not know the extent of the man's injuries.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3945001,00.html
Israeli fire injures 2 Palestinians
A Palestinian mother cries as she holds a picture of her son, who was killed during the Israeli war on Gaza at the turn of 2009.
Israeli forces have attacked and injured two Palestinians who were trying to recover construction material near a border crossing in northern Gaza.
The fire targeted the victims near the Erez border crossing close to a security barrier on Saturday, Palestinian medic said. AFP reported.
More than 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip have been deprived of food, medicine, building material and other basic necessities for human survival as a result of an Israeli imposed blockade, which has been in place for more than three years.
The coastal sliver remains largely in ruins ever since the January 2008-December 2009 Israeli attacks, which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, causing a damage of more than USD 1.6 billion on the impoverished territory.
Israeli forces carry out deadly attacks into Gaza on a regular basis.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/140352.html
Police: 20 brawls in Hebron since start of Ramadan
HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Palestinian Authority police announced Saturday that 20 brawls have broken out across the southern West Bank district of Hebron since the start of Ramadan 18 days ago, a report read.
The fighting resulted in 62 injuries and the detention of 150 suspects since the beginning of Ramadan, police said.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, 10 civilians were arrested by PA police after dispersing two separate fights in Hebron, police said. Stones and clubs were used in the fighting, with seven people sustaining a variety of injuries. All were evacuated to hospital police said.
Police further said a traffic patrol detained a man suspected of forging his ID card and driving license after he was stopped for inspection. The suspect was transferred to the central police station in Hebron, police added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=311321 29 oct 2012, 11:30 , Respect -
Maria 28 aug 2010
‘Weekly Standard’ publishes call for ethnic cleansing
29 oct 2012, 11:30 , Respect -
Maria 31 aug 2010
Mayor: Settlers open fire at Palestinian farmers
Israeli Army: settlers are preparing to build thousands of settlements
29 oct 2012, 11:31 , Respect -
Maria 1 sept 2010
Settlers harass family near settlement
Right-wing activists hurl stones, burn tires in Hebron
PA official: Settlers vandalize cars after Hebron shooting
Mayor: Settlers open fire at Palestinian farmers
Settlers vow to resume construction in response to West Bank shooting attack
Settlers end freeze, resume construction
29 oct 2012, 11:31 , Respect -
Maria 2 sept 2010
UN Human Rights chief denounces terror attacks against Israelis
(Jerusalem) - Hamas should be held accountable for two new attacks against Israeli civilians in the West Bank, and those who ordered and participated in the attacks should be prosecuted, Human Rights Watch said today.
The first attack, on August 31, 2010, killed four people and the second, on September 1, wounded two. Hamas's armed wing, the Izz el-Din al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility and called the attacks part of "a series of operations."
"Hamas's deliberate attacks on civilians are egregious crimes," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Legitimate Palestinian grievances about illegal Israeli settlements do not justify the attacks. Attacking civilians is never justified. It should stop."
In trying to locate the attackers, Israel should take precautions against the excessive use of force by its security forces, Human Rights Watch said. Israel should also investigate the recent attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property by Jewish settlers. Israeli security forces killed two unarmed Palestinians suspected of killing an Israeli settler in December 2009 without allowing them to surrender, Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups reported.
The Palestinian Authority, which reportedly detained more than 150 people within hours of the August 31 killings, should ensure that its security forces respect the rights of detainees, especially given its record of arbitrary arrests and torture and ill-treatment of persons in custody, Human Rights Watch said.
At around 7:30 p.m. on August 31, unidentified gunmen shot and killed two men and two women in a vehicle on Route 60, a major north-south highway in the West Bank, at a junction south of the Palestinian city of Hebron, news reports said. The victims, all from the Jewish settlement Beit Haggai, were Yitzhak Imes, 47; his wife, Talya Imes, 45; Kochava Even Chaim, 37; and Avishai Shindler, 24, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said. Talya Imes was pregnant, according to the Foreign Ministry. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that the victims had been shot multiple times at close range.
On September 1, gunmen pulled up beside an Israeli car and sprayed it with bullets, wounding Moshe and Shira Moreno, on a road near the Kochav Hashachar settlement northeast of Jerusalem. The couple live in the Ma'ale Efraim settlement in the Jordan Valley.
After the August 31 killings, Israeli forces quickly detained suspects, closed off Bani Naim, a Palestinian town near the site of the attack, and closed roads leading into and out of Hebron, the independent Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported. Israeli police and the Palestinian Authority's security services have begun investigations into the attack. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights, an independent nongovernmental rights group, stated on September 2 that the Palestinian Authority had arrested 153 members and supporters of Hamas, in many cases apparently arbitrarily.
Sami Abu Zuhari, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, praised the attacks as "the natural reaction to the crimes of the occupation." Human Rights Watch stressed that Hamas should cease all attacks against Israeli civilians and that anyone involved in these killings should be prosecuted.
"Deliberately attacking civilians is not a natural reaction' to anything," Whitson said. "It is a war crime."
Israel's settlements are unlawful under the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its civilian population into the occupied territory. However, settlers maintain their civilian status and are protected against attack unless they take a direct part in hostilities. Deliberate attacks against civilians violate the laws of war, and persons who carried out or ordered such attacks are liable for war crimes and should be prosecuted.
The killings occurred hours after 10 armed Israeli settlers shot at three Palestinian teenagers in the Salfit district village of Deir Istiya in the northern West Bank, Ma'an reported. The United Nations reported in August that there have been 179 incidents of settler attacks against Palestinians or their property this year.
On June 14, in the same area as the August 31 attack, Palestinian fighters killed Yehoshua Sofer, 39, an Israeli police officer, and wounded three other Israeli police officers. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, an armed group affiliated with the Fatah political movement, claimed responsibility. The laws of war treat police who are distinct from the armed forces as civilians who are protected from attack unless they are actively participating in hostilities.
The Palestinian Authority should ensure that its security forces respect the rights of detainees, Human Rights Watch said. In July, the Independent Commission for Human Rights, a Palestinian human rights organization, reported 132 complaints of abuses by the Palestinian Authority's security services in the West Bank, including 11 cases of alleged torture.
Israel should ensure that its security services adhere to international standards for the use of lethal force, Human Rights Watch said. On December 24, 2009, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility for killing Meir Chai, a rabbi from a settlement near Hebron. Two days later, Israeli security forces killed three members of the Palestinian armed group in separate attacks in the Old City of Nablus. In two cases, the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem and the Palestinian rights group al-Haq reported, the men were unarmed and not given a chance to surrender.
According to statistics collected by B'Tselem, since the beginning of 2009, Israeli security forces and settlers have killed 26 Palestinians in the West Bank, of whom at least 13 were not taking part in hostilities. In eight other cases, B'Tselem could not determine whether those killed were taking part in hostilities. On March 20 and 21, for example, Israeli soldiers killed four Palestinians near Nablus - two boys, ages 15 and 17, who did not pose any threat to soldiers, B'Tselem said, and two 19-year-olds killed in unclear circumstances. Palestinians have killed seven Israeli civilians in the West Bank during that time, B'Tselem reported.
"There is never an excuse for targeting civilians, whether by the Israelis or the Palestinians, yet impunity for civilian deaths has for too long been the norm in this conflict," Whitson said. "Ending this impunity is key to stopping these attacks."
Hamas's deliberate attacks on civilians are egregious crimes. Legitimate Palestinian grievances about illegal Israeli settlements do not justify the attacks. Attacking civilians is never justified. It should stop.
http://fwd4.me/0A5M 29 oct 2012, 11:31 , Respect -
Maria 2 sept 2010
Israel invades Gaza on 1st day of talks
Israeli tanks
Israel carries out an incursion into the Gaza Strip on the first day of the renewed reconciliation talks between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
"Few hours ago, Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, where Israeli laborers were seen fixing the security fence in the so-called buffer zone," said Press TV's correspondent in the enclave, Ashraf Shannon, reporting on the Thursday incident.
"The buffer zone is an area of 300 meters along the Gaza Strip, declared by Israel, to prevent people from reaching there, especially farmers. But basically they are forcing a 1,000-meter no-go zone in that area. All the people were killed there, including civilians, women and children as well as farmers," he added.
The intrusion came as Israeli and PA officials are in Washington to resume the direct negotiations that broke off at the turn of 2009, when Israel launched a full-scale war on Gaza, killing more than 1,400 Palestinians.
Many Palestinian groups have already abandoned hope in the US-brokered revival of talks, citing the White House's partiality towards Tel Aviv and saying that the acting PA chief, Mahmoud Abbas, does not represent all the Palestinians.
The US authorities refuse to accept the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, as a negotiating partner.
The movement, which was chosen to rule the strip during democratic elections in 2006, headed off the Gaza War and has been defending the strip's residents against the Israeli military's regular forays.
Nearly1.5 million Gazans have also suffered more than three years under an all-out siege, which was imposed on them by Tel Aviv a year after Hamas acceded to power.
"Last night, when they spoke in Washington, they failed to mention anything about the Gaza Strip. And today Hamas and the Islamic Jihad denounced the negotiations in Washington. Hamas said that any agreement signed by%u2026Abbas is not binding to the Palestinian people, while the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine said that these negotiations are just a prelude to a possible new war against a country or countries in the Middle East," our correspondent said.
PA was reportedly railroaded into joining the talks after being threatened by Washington to lose American ties.
The organization had earlier insisted that it would resume the process only after the similarly American-mediated indirect talks bore fruit. Known as "proximity" talks, the negotiations failed due to Israel's regular defiance of the Palestinian condition of halting the construction of illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian lands.
In keeping with the defiance, Jewish settlers announced plans to launch new constructions, Reuters reported.
Tel Aviv has as well so far ignored the other Palestinian demands to fully withdraw from the borders of 1967, when it occupied the Palestinian territory of the West Bank. The PA has also called for the resumption of negotiations from the point they were left off following the Israeli attacks.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has, however, said that there would be no room for any conditions for the talks -- a point also favored by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Iranians, who have likewise condemned the talks, as well as Muslims across the world, are expected to express solidarity with the Palestinians during mass rallies on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, declared as the Quds Day by the late founder of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, Imam Khomeini.
"In Palestine in general and in Gaza in particular, the people have all their gratitude towards the Iranian people and especially late Ayatollah Khomeini for Quds Day and every year Gazans march to commemorate this occasion and also commemorate it with different conferences and meetings and sometimes special prayers in some mosques in the Gaza Strip," our correspondent said.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/140969.html
Israel invades Gaza on 1st day of talks
Israel carries out an incursion into the Gaza Strip on the first day of the renewed reconciliation talks between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
"Few hours ago, Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, where Israeli laborers were seen fixing the security fence in the so-called buffer zone," said Press TV's correspondent in the enclave, Ashraf Shannon, reporting on the Thursday incident.
"The buffer zone is an area of 300 meters along the Gaza Strip, declared by Israel, to prevent people from reaching there, especially farmers. But basically they are forcing a 1,000-meter no-go zone in that area. All the people were killed there, including civilians, women and children as well as farmers," he added.
The intrusion came as Israeli and PA officials are in Washington to resume the direct negotiations that broke off at the turn of 2009, when Israel launched a full-scale war on Gaza, killing more than 1,400 Palestinians.
Many Palestinian groups have already abandoned hope in the US-brokered revival of talks, citing the White House's partiality towards Tel Aviv and saying that the acting PA chief, Mahmoud Abbas, does not represent all the Palestinians.
The US authorities refuse to accept the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, as a negotiating partner.
The movement, which was chosen to rule the strip during democratic elections in 2006, headed off the Gaza War and has been defending the strip's residents against the Israeli military's regular forays.
Nearly1.5 million Gazans have also suffered more than three years under an all-out siege, which was imposed on them by Tel Aviv a year after Hamas acceded to power.
"Last night, when they spoke in Washington, they failed to mention anything about the Gaza Strip. And today Hamas and the Islamic Jihad denounced the negotiations in Washington. Hamas said that any agreement signed by Abbas is not binding to the Palestinian people, while the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine said that these negotiations are just a prelude to a possible new war against a country or countries in the Middle East," our correspondent said.
PA was reportedly railroaded into joining the talks after being threatened by Washington to lose American ties.
The organization had earlier insisted that it would resume the process only after the similarly American-mediated indirect talks bore fruit. Known as "proximity" talks, the negotiations failed due to Israel's regular defiance of the Palestinian condition of halting the construction of illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian lands.
In keeping with the defiance, Jewish settlers announced plans to launch new constructions, Reuters reported.
Tel Aviv has as well so far ignored the other Palestinian demands to fully withdraw from the borders of 1967, when it occupied the Palestinian territory of the West Bank. The PA has also called for the resumption of negotiations from the point they were left off following the Israeli attacks.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has, however, said that there would be no room for any conditions for the talks -- a point also favored by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Iranians, who have likewise condemned the talks, as well as Muslims across the world, are expected to express solidarity with the Palestinians during mass rallies on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, declared as the Quds Day by the late founder of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, Imam Khomeini.
"In Palestine in general and in Gaza in particular, the people have all their gratitude towards the Iranian people and especially late Ayatollah Khomeini for Quds Day and every year Gazans march to commemorate this occasion and also commemorate it with different conferences and meetings and sometimes special prayers in some mosques in the Gaza Strip," our correspondent said.
http://www.jnoubiyeh.com/2010/09/israel-invades-gaza-on-1st-day-of-talks.html 29 oct 2012, 11:31 , Respect -
Maria 2 sept 2010
Settlers take over Palestinian land near Nablus
Report: Settlers to march to Hebron attack site
Settlers defy peace talks with new construction across West Bank
Rightists torch Palestinian flag
29 oct 2012, 11:31 , Respect -
Maria 29 oct 2012, 11:31 , Respect -
Maria 3 sept 2010
Settlers throw rocks at Palestinian cars
One hundred settlers gather to violate construction freeze; Israeli soldiers threaten besieged Palestinian family
29 oct 2012, 11:31 , Respect -
Maria 4 sept 2010
Army shuts down entrances to Hebron's Old City
HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Israeli soldiers closed all entrances to Hebron's Old City on Saturday and raided a home, residents said.
Troops were heavily deployed in the area, locals said, adding that worshipers were prevented from praying at the Ar-Rahmah mosque.
Yousef Ghannam said soldiers raided his home and converted it into a military post. His 10-member family was forced into one room and forbidden from moving, he added.
An Israeli military spokesman confirmed that there was security activity in the area.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=313175 29 oct 2012, 11:31 , Respect -
Maria 4 sept 2010
Israeli jets bomb Gaza cities
Israeli war planes have bombarded the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis and tunnels in the city of Rafah, leaving a number of people wounded.
At least four people were injured in the airstrikes in Rafah and three others are missing, a Press TV correspondent quoted witnesses as saying on Saturday night.
Israeli jets are still flying low over the Gaza Strip, and the Gazans are bracing for more attacks.
Israeli forces also fired rockets at farmlands in Khan Yunis.
There were no immediate reports of casualties from the rocket attacks.
Israel has repeatedly launched air and ground attacks on Gaza since the deadly 22-day war it waged against the territory from late December 2008 to mid-January 2009.
Israel regularly pounds the network of tunnels underneath the border between the blockaded coastal enclave and Egypt, saying the Palestinian resistance fighters are smuggling weapons through the tunnels.
However, the Palestinians reject the accusations, arguing that the tunnels are their last resort for bringing in the basic necessities they have been deprived of for years under a crippling Israeli siege on the impoverished territory, which is home to about 1.5 million people.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/141234.html
29 oct 2012, 11:33 , Respect -
Maria 4 sept 2010
Israeli settler runs over 7 Palestinians