- 1 jan 2011
Palestinians condemn Alexandria Church bombing
From Khalid Amayreh
Palestinians from all political orientations have strongly condemned the Friday night bombing outside a Coptic church in Alexandria , describing the perpetrators as cowardly terrorists and criminals.
Some Palestinian factions hinted that the Israeli Mossad or al-Qaeda may have been responsible for the bombing which killed 22 people and injured many others.
Hamas, the Islamic Liberation movement, lambasted the bombing as a barbarian act targeting innocent people.
Aziz Duweik, speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, called the bombing "a criminal and sinful act."
"I condemn this criminal and sinful act in the strongest terms and without any reservation."
He called the perpetrators and their abettors and supporters "enemies of Egypt , enemies of Islam and enemies of humanity."
Another Palestinian Islamist leader, Muhammed Jamal Natshe, said Islam would never ever justify "such barbarian acts."
"This is a murderous act that is totally unacceptable. It is rejected religiously, morally and humanly," said Natshe, who is an Islamist lawmaker in the Hebron region.
Natshe, who spent many years in Israeli jails for peacefully resisting the occupation, said whoever committed this "sinful act" didn't represent Islam in any way.
"Islam stands for the preservation of the human soul, not killing it. Killing a single human being is like killing the entire humanity," said Natshe, quoting some Quranic verses.
Earlier, Fatah issued a formal statement, calling the Alexandria bombing a "terrorist crime targeting Egypt and its cultural heritage."
"We in Fatah consider this a terrorist act targeting Egypt and its status in the region."
The statement voiced the hope that "the Egyptian people's consciousness, along with the wisdom of the Egyptian leadership would eventually defeat the terrorists and prevent them from achieving their nefarious goals."
Many Palestinians think that undermining Egypt's stability and security would be highly detrimental to the Palestinian cause.
It is widely believed that one of Israel's main strategic goal in Egypt is to trigger a communal civil strife between the majority Muslim population and the Christian Coptic minority, the largest in the Arab world.
http://bit.ly/id433j
Hamas condemns Alexandria church bombing
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas condemned the recent bombing in Alexandria, Egypt, assigning the blame to "hidden hands that do not wish well for Egypt and its people and seek to inflame sectarian strife".
"We learned with deep sorrow news of the Alexandria church bombing that killed more than twenty Muslim and Christian Egyptian citizens," Hamas said in a statement Saturday.
"We point the finger at parties who do not wish well for Egypt and its Muslim and Christian people, and seek to ignite sectarian strife, which we ask Allah to spare the people from," the group stated.
Hamas in its statement sent condolences to Egypt and the victims' families, and hoped that facts would be disclosed the soonest and that those responsible would be brought to justice.
http://bit.ly/eU3dU8
Egypt officer shot dead in clashes with smugglers
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- An Egyptian security officer was shot dead Saturday in a fierce exchange of fire between human smugglers and security forces near the borders with Israel, security sources said.
Border policeman Rami Ahmad Abdul-Latif, 20, was killed by a bullet to the head during clashes with smugglers attempting to transport African migrants across the border to Israel, security officials said.
Abdul-Latif's body was taken to a morgue in Rafah hospital, and police have opened an investigation into the incident.
The smugglers and migrants escaped, officials added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=347192
10 killed in Alexandria bombing
A bomb has exploded outside a church in Alexandria, killing ten people and injuring several more in the northern Egyptian city.
Security forces say the blast happened in the early hours of Saturday night.
The attack, apparently caused by a car bomb, took place as people left the church in the Sidi Bechr district at around half past midnight on New Year's Day.
Witnesses said a burnt-out car was in front of the entrance of the church.
Nearly a thousand Christians were attending the mass at the Saints Church in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, said a priest at the church, Father Mena Adel.
"The service had just ended, and worshippers were leaving the building when the blast went off, about a half-hour after midnight. I was inside the church and heard a huge explosion%u2026 People's bodies were in flames," Adel said.
A security official says some worshippers clashed with police in anger over the blast.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158085.html
...Read more 4 jun 2011, 10:23 , Respect -
Maria 5 jan 2011
Sudanese Migrant Wounded By Egyptian Fire
Egyptian security personnel shot and wounded, on Wednesday morning, a Sudanese migrant while attempting to infiltrate into Israel, apparently seeking work.
Egyptian security sources reported that a border police patrol noticed the migrant approaching the border fence with Israel, and opened fire at him after he failed to heed to their commands to stop.
The sources claimed that a number of warning rounds were fired into the air, but the migrant refused to surrender and proceeded towards the fence.
He was moved to the Al Arish Hospital in Egypt suffering from a gunshot injury to this thigh.
Egypt killed, wounded and detained dozens of migrants in similar situations last year.
Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that in November of last year, the number of attempts to infiltrate into Israel per week arrived to 700; most of them came from countries in Africa.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that this issue poses a threat to Israel's Jewish character.
http://bit.ly/firQrd
4 jun 2011, 16:35 , Respect -
Maria 6 jan 2011
Netanyahu to Mubarak: Pressure Abbas to enter direct talks with Israel
PM meets with Egyptian president in Sharm el-Sheikh; Mubarak says Israel needs to revise its position on peace talks, settlements to reach deal with Palestinians.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday to pressure the Palestinians to engage in direct negotiations with Israel, during the two's meeting in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The Prime Minister's Bureau said that Netanyahu emphasized to Mubarak that a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is possible as long as there is a will amongst Palestinians to end the conflict.
Netanyahu asked Mubarak to pressure Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to enter intensive and serious direct negotiations with Israel, focusing on all the core issues, as soon as possible.
Mubarak, however, told Netanyahu that Israel needs to revise its position over peace talks and settlement-building to reach a final accord with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu has said Israel took the necessary steps to restore negotiations to no avail. Mubarak blamed Israel for the collapse of the talks and urged Washington to reinvigorate the process.
Mubarak said Israel must "revise its position and policy and embark on tangible procedures ... to reach a final settlement, not in stages or temporary, that ends the occupation and establishes an independent Palestinian state," said a statement issued by Mubarak's spokesman after the meeting.
U.S.-sponsored talks in September fizzled after three weeks when Israel refused to extend a partial 10-month freeze on West Bank settlements, spurring the Palestinians' decision to walk out.
Netanyahu said in December an interim Israeli-Palestinian peace deal could be an outcome if the parties fail to reach agreement on core "final status" issues.
"Israel offered goodwill initiatives, concessions and has taken wide steps to convince Palestinians to resume negotiations, but unfortunately the Palestinian side refuses either direct or indirect talks," said Ofir Gendelman, Netanyahu's spokesman.
The status of Jerusalem, the borders of a future Palestinian state and the fate of Palestinian refugees are core issues that Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would have to resolve to reach a peace deal.
Mubarak said Egypt "opposed any new aggression" against Gaza, warning that any attack, suggested by "Israel's latest threats," would imperil the peace process, the statement said.
Violence has escalated in recent weeks along the volatile frontier, although both Israel and Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers say they are working to avoid a full-blown confrontation.
http://bit.ly/hyEFF3
Egypt's Mubarak warns Israel against new Gaza war
CAIRO (AFP) -- Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday warned Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu against launching a new war on Gaza, as they met in a bid to break the impasse in Middle East peace negotiations.
Mubarak's remarks were made during joint talks in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm Ash-Sheikh, which came after several weeks of rising tensions and clashes along Israel's border with the Palestinian enclave.
At the meeting, the Egyptian leader warned of the "danger of the latest Israeli threats and their repercussions on the stability and security of the region and the cause of Middle East peace," the official MENA news agency reported.
"Mubarak affirmed Egypt's rejection of any new offensive on Gaza," it said.
Senior Israeli officials have warned in recent weeks that Israel could launch another strike on Gaza, like the devastating 22-day war that ended in January 2009.
That offensive killed some 1,400 Palestinians, around half of them civilians, and 13 Israelis, 10 of them soldiers.
Following the war, the number of rocket attacks dropped significantly, although 230 rockets and mortar rounds were fired into Israel last year, the army said.
Israel's vice prime minister Silvan Shalom said last month that Israel would be forced to "respond with all our force" if Gaza militants kept firing rockets into the state.
The warnings were made against the backdrop of almost daily rocket attacks and retaliatory Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
Late on Wednesday, Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinians who were apparently trying to breach the border fence after a day in which militants fired seven projectiles, most of them mortar rounds, into southern Israel without causing casualties or damage.
Mubarak also warned the Israeli leader about the impact of a surge in violence on the deadlocked peace talks with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
Direct talks between Netanyahu and Abbas stalled in September last year when Israel refused to renew a moratorium on settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinians have refused to continue talking while Israel builds on land they want for a future state.
The Egyptian leader stressed the need for Israel "to revisit its stances and policies, and to take tangible steps to build trust" with the Palestinians, MENA said.
A statement from Netanyahu's office described the meeting as "friendly and comprehensive."
Netanyahu highlighted the central role of Egypt in pushing forward the peace process and requested that Mubarak exert pressure on the Palestinians to return to "direct, intensive and serious negotiations," the statement said.
Netanyahu also updated Mubarak on the fence that Israel is building along the Egyptian border, aimed at stopping the influx of African illegal immigrants into the state.
One of the stumbling blocks to any peace deal is the rift between Abbas and Hamas, which ousted the Palestinian leader's Fatah faction from the Gaza Strip in 2007 and rejects any form of negotiations with Israel.
Israel and Egypt imposed a tight blockade on Gaza after Hamas seized power there, and since then, Egypt has failed in efforts to to mediate a unity deal between the rival Palestinian factions.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=348865
Mubarak to Bibi: Threats against Hamas threaten region
During Sharm el-Sheikh meeting, Egyptian leader tells Netanyahu Israel must rethink its policy, initiate 'concrete steps' to jumpstart peace talks.
A few weeks after Hosni Mubarak said Israel was responsible for the stalemate in the negotiations with the Palestinians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met the Egyptian president in Sharm el-Sheikh Thursday to discuss ways to jumpstart the talks.
Mubarak told Netanyahu that Israel must reassess its policy and "initiate concrete steps to build trust with the Palestinian Authority in a way that would allow negotiations to resume."
Netanyahu, for his part, asked the Egyptian leader to convince the Palestinians to renew direct talks in which all of the core issues will be raised. Prior to the meeting, the Israeli premier said he would talk with Mubarak about advancing peace and bolstering security.
"There are elements - including Hamas and Hezbollah %u2013 which are trying to violate the calm," he said.
An Israeli official said Netanyahu was also expected to discuss captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit during the meeting.
Egyptian media said Mubarak told Netanyahu that Cairo opposes any "new aggression" against the residents of Gaza and warned that Israel's threats against Hamas may be detrimental to the peace process and regional stability.
The Prime Minister's Office said that during the meeting Netanyahu stressed that a peace agreement is possible "if the Palestinians want to end the conflict."
Netanyahu also updated Mubarak on the progress made in the construction of a border fence between the two countries. He said the fence would reduce the number of African migrants who infiltrate into Israel.
The PM was accompanied by Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, National Security Advisor Uzi Arad and his military secretary, Yohanan Locker.
Egypt recently uncovered a "spy ring" which it said included two Israelis and an Egyptian businessman. The three were indicted last month, but the two Israelis fled the country. http://bit.ly/e4Shji
A Netanyahu aide called the allegations "unfounded".
Another source of tension between Israel and Egypt is a recently revealed US diplomatic cable which quotes Mubarak as saying that Netanyahu was elegant and charming, but does not keep promises.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4010115,00.html
Netanyahu to tell Mubarak: We won't let Hamas and Hezbollah disturb the quiet
Premier meets Egypt president in Sharm el-Sheikh in bid to revive stalled peace talks; political source says Shalit and discussion of core Mideast issues on agenda for meeting.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm el-Sheikh on Thursday as part of an effort to revive stalled Middle East peace talks.
Negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis broke down after Israel refused to extend a partial 10-month freeze on building settlements in the West Bank, prompting the Palestinians to pull out. The freeze expired on Sept. 26.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak blamed Israel for the collapse of the United States sponsored talks in a speech to parliament in December and called on the Washington to reinvigorate the process.
The Arab League said in December it rejected more talks without a "serious" peace proposal by Washington.
An Egyptian official said Thursday's talks, which were to begin at noon, aimed to help break an impasse in the peace diplomacy, but did not give details.
"I am going to speak with [Mubarak] about advancing peace and strengthening security. There are those who are trying to undermine the quiet, including various actors like Hamas and Hezbollah," Netanyahu said in a statement before the talks, adding: "But we will not let them."
Egypt's ties with Lebanon's Hezbollah have been strained since the Shi'ite movement called Cairo a "partner in crime" with Israel against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Cairo has convicted 26 men of planning militant attacks in Egypt and said they were linked to Hezbollah.
Egypt has also charged an Egyptian businessman and two Israelis with spying for Israel.
A spokesman for Netanyahu, Ofir Gendelman, said when asked about the case: "These are baseless allegations. We have officially denied the rumor of an Israeli spy in Egypt."
An Israeli political source said the agenda in Sharm el-Sheikh was expected to include efforts to recover Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was abducted in 2006 in a cross-border raid from Gaza, which is controlled by Palestinian group Hamas.
Direct Palestinian-Israeli talks were resumed in September after a 20-month hiatus, but unraveled three weeks later.
Palestinians had said renewing talks with Israel required a halt to building settlements on land where they aim to set up a future state, and a stop to Israeli building in East Jerusalem.
The status of Jerusalem, the borders of a future Palestinian state and the fate of Palestinian refugees are core issues Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would have to resolve to reach a peace deal.
http://bit.ly/eP2Tpt
12 jun 2011, 13:19 , Respect -
Maria 12 jan 2011
Gaza groups: We'll halt rocket attacks
Palestinian groups respond to Egyptian warning about potential Israeli military campaign.
Leaders of several Palestinian groups told Hamas rulers in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday they would cease rocket fire at Israel in an effort to prevent any new Israeli offensive from being launched, officials said.
Two officials at a meeting convened by Hamas leaders told Reuters the factions had responded to warnings from Egypt that Israel, angry at increasing rocket attacks, may mount a campaign similar to one fought in 2009, Operation Cast Lead.
"Factions agreed to recommit to the national understanding to stop rocket firing," as long as Israel stops its air strikes and other attacks, one official said.
Earlier, Egypt has told Hamas that Israel might launch a Gaza war to curb rocket attacks, a warning that led the group to urge other militant factions to cease fire, sources familiar with Egypt-Hamas contacts said on Wednesday.
"Egypt has told Hamas the Gaza situation was similar to that before December 2008," said one source, referring to the start of the three-week war Israel waged in the Hamas-run enclave with the declared aim of halting cross-border rocket strikes.
"Hamas does not want a new escalation unless it is forced into it," the source said.
A Palestinian official said Egypt and another Arab country, which he declined to identify, had discussed the issue with Hamas. Hamas officials declined to comment.
On Sunday, Hamas said it had made contact with other factions to urge them to recommit to an agreement they reached two years ago to stop rocket and mortar bomb fire.
In recent weeks, Palestinian militants have stepped up attacks along the Gaza border, drawing Israeli strikes that killed 13 Palestinians, most of them gunmen, in December.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said at least 20 rockets and mortar bombs have landed in Israel since the start of 2011.
Saleh Zidan, a senior leader of the Palestinian Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), told Reuters top Egyptian security officials he met in Cairo on Tuesday made their concerns known about a new Israeli offensive.
"The Egyptian leadership is in favour of not giving a pretext to the Israeli government to launch a new war on the Gaza Strip," Zidan said.
The DFLP is a major faction in the PLO and is at odds with Hamas over the 2007 Hamas takeover of Gaza. The DFLP has claimed several attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip over the past two years.
Israel has said Hamas has largely held its fire over the past two years but the surge in rocket attacks meant it was not doing enough to curb other groups, which say their strikes are in retaliation for Israeli raids in Gaza and the West Bank.
'Terrible mistake'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing foreign journalists in Jerusalem on Tuesday, said militants in the Gaza Strip would be making "a terrible, terrible mistake" if they continued to "test our will to defend our people".
An Israeli air strike earlier that day killed an Islamic Jihad militant. The Israeli military said he had been planning to carry out an attack against Israel.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4012837,00.html
20 jun 2011, 10:54 , Respect -
Maria 12 jan 2011
Egypt to Hamas: Stop Gaza rockets or face new Israel war
PA official says Egypt and another Arab country, which he declined to identify, had discussed the issue with Hamas.
Egypt has told Hamas that Israel might launch a Gaza war to curb rocket attacks, a warning that led the group to urge other militant factions to cease fire, sources familiar with Egypt-Hamas contacts said on Wednesday.
"Egypt has told Hamas the Gaza situation was similar to that before December 2008," said one source, referring to the start of the three-week war Israel waged in the Hamas-run enclave with the declared aim of halting cross-border rocket strikes.
"Hamas does not want a new escalation unless it is forced into it," the source said.
A Palestinian official said Egypt and another Arab country, which he declined to identify, had discussed the issue with Hamas. Hamas officials declined to comment.
On Sunday, Hamas said it had made contact with other factions to urge them to recommit to an agreement they reached two years ago to stop rocket and mortar bomb fire.
In recent weeks, Palestinian militants have stepped up attacks along the Gaza border, drawing Israeli strikes that killed 13 Palestinians, most of them gunmen, in December.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said at least 20 rockets and mortar bombs have landed in Israel since the start of 2011.
Saleh Zidan, a senior leader of the Palestinian Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), told Reuters top Egyptian security officials he met in Cairo on Tuesday made their concerns known about a new Israeli offensive.
"The Egyptian leadership is in favour of not giving a pretext to the Israeli government to launch a new war on the Gaza Strip," Zidan said.
The DFLP is a major faction in the Palestine Liberation Organisation and is at odds with Hamas over the 2007 Hamas takeover of Gaza. The DFLP has claimed several attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip over the past two years.
Israel has said Hamas has largely held its fire over the past two years but the surge in rocket attacks meant it was not doing enough to curb other groups, which say their strikes are in retaliation for Israeli raids in Gaza and the West Bank.
"Terrible mistake"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing foreign journalists in Jerusalem on Tuesday, said militants in the Gaza Strip would be making "a terrible, terrible mistake" if they continued to "test our will to defend our people".
An Israeli air strike earlier that day killed an Islamic Jihad militant. The Israeli military said he had been planning to carry out an attack against Israel.
http://bit.ly/hCU95p
24 jun 2011, 10:34 , Respect -
Maria 14 jan 2011
Egypt rejects Israeli offer to supervise the Gaza Strip after next military operation to topple Hamas
MEM http://bit.ly/e23y8i Egyptian sources have revealed that Egypt has rejected an Israeli proposal for Cairo to supervise following the next military operation planned to topple the Hamas government. The government of Benjamin Netanyahu has, it is claimed, already decided to launch another attack at an unspecified time; Israel is waiting to see if Hamas rule will end in any case.
The Islamic Resistance Movement won the election in 2006 and pre-empted a coup engineered by Israel and the US with a faction in Fatah led by Mohammed Dahlan in June 2007.
Egypt governed the Gaza Strip from 1948 until June 1967 but the reports say that the government in Cairo is opposed to any future role in the territory and military operations by Israel. The sources added that Israel's refusal to hand the territory to the Palestinian Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas is one of the reasons why the new assault is being held back; Netanyahu doesn't want to hand Gaza over to a weak authority in Ramallah as that might allow Hamas to return to power, nullifying the expected results of a military operation.
The current military manoeuvres by Israel on the Gaza border are, it is claimed, a rehearsal for the upcoming operation against the Gaza Strip. This has pushed the Egyptian authorities to examine ways of securing the common border with the Gaza Strip in order to avoid being dragged into the conflict.
Instructions have been given within Egypt to make sure that no senior Israeli officials are hosted by Cairo in the near future. This is to avoid a repeat of President Hosni Mubarak hosting the then Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni just a few days before Israel's war on the Gaza Strip at the end of 2008.
Dr Tarek Fahmy, an expert at the National Centre for the Study of the Middle East, told Almasryon newspaper that it is just a matter of time before another Israeli military operation against the Gaza Strip; not if, but when.
http://www.leedspsc.org.uk/?p=7379
Foundation: Egypt to ease entry from Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Human Rights Foundation said Friday that Egyptian authorities have decided to ease restrictions on Palestinians entering the country from Gaza.
Egypt will allow entry to all women with an Egyptian visa or papers for medical treatment, the foundation said. Further, students with university acceptance documents will be permitted entry, as will anyone with a Palestinian diplomatic passport issued in Ramallah.
Any woman who entered Gaza from Egypt will be allowed to return, the foundation said.
The foundation welcomed the new arrangements, but expressed concern that the policy discriminated against men.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=351107
26 jun 2011, 20:03 , Respect -
Maria 15 jan 2011
Egypt postpones trial of suspected Mossad agent
Trial of Egyptian businessman Tareq Abdelrazek delayed after lawyer resigns, citing his refusal to represent a 'traitor.'
The trial of an Egyptian man charged with spying on behalf of Israel was postponed on Saturday, after his lawyer withdrew from the case saying his client was a "traitor."
The Emergency State Security court postponed the hearing until Monday to allow the suspect, Tareq Abdelrazek, to hire a new lawyer.
Two Israelis, accused of spying on Egypt, will be tried in absentia.
The court session was held amid tight security. More than 500 soldiers were deployed around the court house, while nearby streets were cordoned off.
In December, Abdelrazek was arrested and charged with working for Israel's intelligence service, the Mossad, and supplying them with information about Egyptian citizens.
Abdelrazek, who owns an import-export company, is also accused of attempting to recruit spies in Syria and Lebanon for Mossad. He allegedly received 37,000 dollars from Israel for his activities.
Emergency courts do not provide the right to an appeal
http://bit.ly/haFyka
Palestinian prisoner could lose leg after being tortured in Egyptian prisons
CAIRO, (PIC)-- Hafiz Abu Saada, secretary-general of the Egyptian rights group organization, said Egypt's policies of detaining and torturing Palestinians is ruining the country's reputation among the Arab and international communities.
The Egyptian rights group received medical reports stating that Palestinian prisoner Ramzi al-Ra'i's leg has become infected after Egyptian officials tortured him and neglected to provide treatment for his wounds, Abu Saada told the PIC Friday. If left untreated, gangrene could develop on Ra'i's leg, a condition that would require amputation, the medical report says.
Ramzi Nasri Khamis Al-Ra'i was detained by Egyptian authorities on April 12, 2010 after leaving the Gaza Strip to receive medical treatment in Egypt for several wounds he had sustained on his body.
Ra'i was severely beaten by Egyptian security forces, causing a severe gangrene-like infection to appear on his legs, the UK-based Arab human rights organization, for its part, said, adding that prison authorities in Egypt have refused to transfer Ra'i to the hospital for treatment.
"Ramzi's medical condition, as described by doctors, requires diligent follow-up outside the prison. His remaining inside the prison, despite decisions to release him, is exacerbating his health condition," the Arab organization said.
http://bit.ly/fPQbcN
3 jul 2011, 09:39 , Respect -
Maria 16 jan 2011
Egypt detains 6 migrants on Israel border
El-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Egyptian police on Sunday detained six Eritrean migrants attempting to enter Israel illegally, Egyptian security sources said.
The migrants said they were trying to enter Israel in search of work, security officials said.
Meanwhile, Egyptian officials said they shut down four tunnels near the border town of Rafah used to smuggle goods into the Gaza Strip.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=351677
4 jul 2011, 09:13 , Respect -
Maria 17 jan 2011
Egyptian forces kill African migrant on Israel border
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) Egyptian police patrolling the borders with Israel shot dead an African woman when she was spotted trying to infiltrate into Israel on Sunday evening, Egyptian security sources said.
The sources said police patrolling the borders along the Sinai Peninsula spotted a woman approaching the border fence toward Israel, fired several warning shots into the air, and shot her dead when she continued to run.
The sources said the victim was from Eretria and her body was evacuated to Al-Arish Hospital.
Egyptian police on Sunday detained six Eritrean migrants attempting to enter Israel illegally, Egyptian security sources said. The migrants said they were trying to enter Israel in search of work, security officials said.
Meanwhile, Egyptian officials said they shut down four tunnels near the border town of Rafah used to smuggle goods into the Gaza Strip.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=351757
12 jul 2011, 12:43 , Respect -
Maria 21 jan 2011
Palestinian student detained in Egypt over spy technology
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Egyptian police are holding a Palestinian student accused of inventing a hi-tech telecommunication network for use by terrorists, Egyptian security sources said.
Al-Mu'tasem Bellah Ali Nouh worked with other Palestinians to create the device which could bypass Egypt's communication network, security officials said, adding that he operated the network from Rafah, close to the Gaza border.
According to the officials, Nouh was arrested in August in a raid on his apartment. He was enrolled in the engineering faculty of Misr University for Science and Technology.
Nouh admitted that terrorist organizations had used the network to contact their leaders in Arab and European countries, security sources said.
Egyptian officials said Nouh traveled to Egypt in 2002, and spent eight years inventing the communications network which could send and receive invisible data. The invention allowed telephone calls to be made to any phone in the world, without being connected to the internet.
Further, security sources said that although the calls were made from Egypt, they could appear as if they originated from any telephone number in the world. Nouh could make telephone calls from the private numbers of citizens and notable figures without their knowledge, the sources said.
Egyptian security said they seized the device and have presented it to engineers to examine.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=353040