Headlines for 10-19-07

B'tselem: Hebron: The Israeli Settlement in the a-Ras Neighborhood During the course of the first six months of the new settlement, B'Tselem and ACRI documented scores of cases in which settlers attacked Palestinians in the area. The attacks include beatings, blocking of passage, destruction of property, throwing of stones and eggs, hurling of refuse, glass bottles, and bottles full of urine, urinating from the settlement structure onto the street, spitting, threats, and curses.




Gaza minister criticises Ramallah government


Rice to return to Middle East in two weeks The U.S. official, who spoke on condition that he was not identified, said White House National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley planned to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories next week to prepare for a U.S.-hosted peace conference to be held later this year. Hadley = neocon.


Israel agrees to addresss core issues in peace document


Palestinians live as "ghosts" in Gaza Jnaid is one of about 54,000 displaced Palestinians who returned to Gaza and the West Bank from abroad after an interim peace accord in 1993, but still have no identity cards because Israel refuses to approve them.


The Secret History of the Impending War with Iran That the White House Doesn't Want You to Know ** When Mann and Leverett went public with the inside story behind the impending disaster with Iran, the White House dismissed them. Then it imposed prior restraint on them, an extraordinary episode of government censorship. Finally, it threatened them. Now they are afraid of the White House, and watching what they say. But still, they feel they have to speak out.......On Monday, Leverett went straight to Rice's office for an explanation. She told him that Ariel Sharon had called early elections in Israel and asked Bush to shelve any Palestinian plan. This time Leverett couldn't hide his exasperation. "You told the whole world you were going to put this out before Christmas," he said. "Because one Israeli politician told you it's going to make things politically difficult for him, you don't put it out? Do you realize how hard that makes things for all our Arab partners?".....In Time magazine, former CIA officer and author Robert Baer quoted a highly placed White House official: "IEDs are a casus belli for this administration. There will be an attack on Iran."....."We're tired," Mann says. "Nobody listens."

I'm listening! Thank you for having the courage to speak out. This is a long article, but well worth the read. It deals with the Palestine issue, and shows the influence that Cheney and the neocons have had over both that issue and the issue of Iran and Syria (two more targets on Israel's wishlist). Note Ariel Sharon's power over our president - George Bush.


Gates in the Lion?s Den Again, his placement of a two-state solution ahead of containing Iran is, in my view, quite remarkable, even gutsy considering the extremist views of the host organization. Hehe. It was gutsy.


Israel cannot be destroyed, says former Mossad chief "We cannot say that the Iranian threat is an existential threat on the State of Israel. I believe that the State of Israel cannot be eliminated. It cannot be destroyed because of things you know and because of things you can imagine."


Egyptian FM denies plentiful weapons smuggled from Egypt into Gaza Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on Tuesday rejected allegations that a great deal of weapons were smuggled from Egypt into Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip through border tunnels.


Rice leaves Palestinians frustrated "Condoleezza Rice made it clear that she in fact agrees with most of Jerusalem's demands," said an editorial Thursday in the Israeli daily Maariv. Rice's visit was so noncontroversial from the Israeli perspective that much of the Israeli media gave it only token coverage Well now there's a shocker.


Israeli forces invade Qabatiya and Tulkarem, kidnapping 6 Palestinians


Israeli operation in Rafah ; one Palestinian kidnapped, another injured


German minister plans Mideast trip ahead of November conference At Germany's initiative, the European Union has agreed to work out an Action Plan for the Middle East. The goal is to promote small and medium-sized businesses in the Palestinian territories and build up special economic zones.


Palestinian leader Abbas to visit Indonesia on Sunday


Palestinian Authority to close charities Hamas leaders say the Palestinian Authority's decision to close more charities has grave consequences for thousands living in the West Bank.


End olive harvest attacks


Dr. Barghouthi: ?Right now, there is no partner for peace in Israel?


Three injured at Bil'in protest The march was to protest against the construction of the Wall on village land,preventing the people of the village from reaching their olive groves for the start of the olive harvesting season.


Israeli army kidnaps three Palestinians in the West Bank The Israeli army conducted wide-ranging military operations in several parts of the West Bank in the early hours of Friday morning.




Israel "mole" took photos of Syrian target: report Israel urged the United States to destroy the complex, but Washington hesitated because no fissionable material was found that would prove the site was nuclear, ABC said.


Angry parents want refugees out of Lebanon schools Patience is wearing very thin among Lebanese whose children are unable to attend schools now being used to accommodate Palestinians after deadly clashes in a refugee camp in the north.


First olive harvest in seven years


Palestinians' lives invisible to Israelis Palestinian lives are kept invisible in David Brumer's Oct. 10 guest column, "Despite concerns, Israel a vibrant country." Also invisible are Israel's military occupation and the ongoing takeover of Palestinian land. If Brumer had traveled to the other side of the wall, as I did, he could have witnessed the many ways that the Israeli occupation crushes people with poverty, violence and injustice.


US intelligence does not show Syrian nuclear weapons program, officials say Allegations that a Syrian envoy admitted during a United Nations meeting Oct. 17 that an Israeli air strike hit a nuclear facility in September are inaccurate and have raised the ire of some in the US intelligence community, who see the Vice President?s hand as allegedly being behind the disinformation.


President Abbas Affirms OneVoice Mandate Corresponds with His Platform


Palestinians will be ready to issue currency by 2010 The Palestinian Monetary Authority will be ready to form a central bank and issue a currency by about 2010, should a sovereign state be created, its governor George Abed said.


U.N. presses Israel on Shebaa The United Nations is pressing Israel to reopen negotiations with Lebanon over the disputed Shebaa Farms area.



Jerusalem: It's Sharing Not Dividing Right-wing American Jews are already taking out ads and organizing to stop the division of Jerusalem. Right-wing Israelis are saying that once Jerusalem is divided, Jews will have no access to the Western Wall and that snipers will be firing at Jews on Jaffa Road from the Old City walls. All this despite the fact that no one is proposing dividing Jerusalem.



Those who oppose AIPAC and CUFI are caught in the realm of nightmares


Students plan trip to MidEast following Carter challenge


Time to recognize reality of Palestine Condi Rice was in Israel/Palestine recently. She was excited to be visiting Bethlehem on this trip, she gushed, and spoke of its significance to her faith. She did not mention that the city's Christian population is fast disappearing


Sale of defence system goes ahead The Dutch government will go ahead with the sale of outdated HAWK-parts to Israel, Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen told parliament Friday.


Controversial Israeli peace activist to speak at Forum It has already caught the attention of a local rabbi, who said he is "less than enchanted" by the Halper's appearance here because of his views on Israel, including likening its policy on Palestinians to apartheid.


Syria ready to open ties with friendly Lebanon In a letter to UN chief Ban Ki-moon, a copy of which was carried by the official SANA news agency on Friday, Syria accused Washington and militia leaders from the 1975-90 Lebanese civil war of blocking the establishment of "balanced" relations between the two countries.


Jerusalem Dispossessed - a Photography Exhibit by ActiveStills An exhibition by the photographers' collective ActiveStills, documenting the dispossession of indigenous Palestinians from their native city, Jerusalem, amid rapid expansion of Israeli settlements, Separation Wall and home demolitions.


Why failure is not an option at Annapolis SOUNDS BAD? A one-state solution is rapidly gaining supporters among Palestinian radical elements. A failure in Annapolis could eventually tip the balance in its favor


On the Ground in Israel/Palestine As our tour progressed, however, and I witnessed the plight of Palestinians in the occupied territories, I began to ask why it is that so few Israelis seem to care about the oppression of those living there, and how so many Americans can acquiesce in their tax dollars supporting the slow-burn holocaust in the occupied territories. Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern


NO ISRAEL !!! The Zionist Organization of America is free to place full page ads in American newspapers saying "no Palestinian state." Seems only fair that we the people objecting to racist laws and walls and war, all be be equally free to simply say "No Israel!!!"