Headlines for 12-06-07

Israeli fire kills Palestinian in Gaza A Palestinian civilian was killed on Thursday by Israeli fire in the north of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, medics said


Palestinian killed near Gaza fence-medics


Cop's killing shows strain of W.Bank security plan "He was doing his job, confronting outlaws," Bethlehem's chief of security, General Ahmed al-Hadar, said on Thursday. But the car's occupants were Israeli commandos disguised as Arabs. They fired back, killing Salman and wounding his partner.
Really now. Who are the rogues here?


Abbas calls on Israel to stop expanding Har Homa settlement


Palestinian resistance blames Israel for impasse on captured Israeli soldier


Palestinian statehood deal possible in 2008-Blair


Palestinian officials value King?s directives to treat Gazan patients in Jordanian hospitals


U.S. Joint Chiefs head to visit Israel Mullen will be briefed about Israel's intelligence estimates regarding the Iranian nuclear program, a response to a U.S. report that this week said Iran shelved its quest for an atomic bomb in 2003. The Israelis insist on foisting upon us their faulty intel on Iran in order to get us to attack that nation. They insist on making their problems OUR problems.


Rice criticises Israel's settlement expansion plan Grow some cojones, Condi. Tell them no more aid unless they stop building/expanding the settlements. Bush's old man did it. The lobby won in the end, but at least he tried..


Israeli minister cancels UK trip in fear of arrest Dichter's concerns relate to an Israeli military attack in July 2002 on a house in Gaza that killed Hamas military commander Salah Shehadeh, his bodyguard and 13 civilians, including children. The strike drew strong international criticism, including from then UN secretary general Kofi Annan, who warned Israel to comply with international law. Dichter was head of Shin Bet at the time. Interestingly, the Israelis committed war crimes against Americans and yet never have any fears of being arrested when they visit America. That would be because America is (another) Israel-occupied territory.


Israel warns Iran to co-operate or pay price ISRAEL has warned Iran to either co-operate with the West over its uranium enrichment program or face military action.


Concerns raised over freedom of expression in the West Bank Palestinian academics and scholars as well as some senior members of the Hamas movement have become increasingly concerned about the restriction on freedom of expression in the West Bank. This comes following the incidents which took place during anti-Annapolis rallies in cities across the region last November.


Official: disputes on Gaza takeover mount within Hamas


Palestinian interim gov't says reopening Rafah crossing needs Israeli approval


Iran Assessment Creates an Israeli Headache That's because not only do some of the key conclusions of the latest National Intelligence Estimate undercut some of Israel's own assessments, they also seem to dim the likelihood that the U.S. will take military action against Iran's nuclear facilities ? a step the Israelis had been quietly urging the White House to take should sanctions fail to stop Iran's uranium enrichment program. .....Israeli intelligence officials plan to ask Washington for clarifications about the NIE report.


Egypt exerts more efforts on regional peace, pushes forward domestic reforms


Palestinian police disperse demonstrations in the West Bank , killing one person and injuring others


Hamas leader calls for increased dialogue with Fatah.


Israel risks peace process by planning new illegal homes


Gaza militants fire missiles into Israeli targets


Israeli army attacks several areas in the Hebron district, one civilian kidnapped


Gaza petrol station owners strike ends


Fewer resources for a worsening situation - UNRWA He asked that Israelis be mindful of the rights of the people and of the welfare of those who have no intention of committing any violence against the Israelis, because if these people are blocked from moving, from accessing employment, from earning a livelihood then their intentions may become really more aggressive than they would otherwise be, he said. "So we think that sometimes these measures are counter-productive rather than conducive to increased security."


Only 41 percent of Gaza's food import needs being met A spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said there "cannot be business as usual" with the Gaza Strip as long as rocket attacks against southern Israel continue.


Abbas open to Hamas talks if it cedes Gaza control


Jordan sees Israeli settlement plans as threat to talks


Gaza groups slam Hamas over law court takeover


WHO warns against humanitarian crisis in Gaza


Palestinian President Abbas rejects concept of state with provisional borders


Israel's settlement expansion plan 'not helpful' : UN chief


Herbs replace drugs in Gaza amid suffocating siege


U.S. seeks clarification over Israeli housing plan But what action will be taken? None.


CNN: Seymour Hersh 'vindicated' by new Iran intel estimate** As early as July 2006, Hersh had reported that the US military was resisting administration pressure for a bombing campaign in Iran, because "American and European intelligence agencies have not found specific evidence of clandestine activities or hidden facilities." ... ... As Hersh explained to Wolf Blitzer at the time, the White House was attempting to counter the CIA assessment with an Israeli claim, based on a "reliable agent," that Iran was working on a trigger for a nuclear device.


Ban Ki-moon to discuss planned Israeli settlements with Quartet partners


Egyptian FM slams Israel for tender to expand Jewish settlement


Realist Revenge** The neo-cons have predictably launched a campaign against the NIE, arguing that the rejection of the 2005 predecessor begs the question why the 2007 conclusions should be taken seriously and (a la Podhoretz and Ledeen) that the the intelligence community is deliberately trying to undermine the president?s policies with which they disagree (Podhoretz? ?darker suspicion? ? a phrase that should elicit some kind of comment by Guiliani, hopefully)......the fact that the main conclusions of the report were known in top policy circles since at least last summer, if not well before then, helps explain why the administration?s hawks (and their neo-con allies) ? culminating in Cheney?s late October speech to the Washington Institute on Near East Policy (WINEP) ? started hyping Iran?s alleged direction of attacks on U.S. soldiers and marines in Iraq in August


Palestinians urge Egypt to supply Gaza with fuel


Palestinian entrepreneurs plan two built-from-scratch cities in the West Bank A network of Israeli barriers and roadblocks continues to hamper travel and trade, and Palestinian business people hope at best for a calmer atmosphere and new opportunities, including joint ventures with Israeli partners. Such projects are to be announced at a post-Annapolis business conference in the spring


Two-Thirds of Israelis Oppose Attack on Iran: Poll When asked ?should Israel alone attack the Iranian nuclear installations,? 67.2 percent said no, while 20.9 percent said yes and 11.9 percent had no opinion, said the survey aired on public radio.


Pro-Israel groups: NIE rattles our anti-Iran efforts Many pro-Israel groups are acknowledging privately, and in some cases publicly, that the new US intelligence assessment on Iran is a significant blow to their efforts to isolate Iran and ease its threat to Israel.


Publicizing "No Way to the Inn" Displays An important aspect of the "No Way to the Inn: Bethlehem behind the Wall" campaign is spreading the word, by mouth and through the media, about the separation barrier being constructed throughout Palestine (for campaign details, visit: http://www.cpt.org/campaigns/no_way_to_the_inn/description.php ).


Jews central to Labor scandal, but no anti-Semitic fallout in U.K. the accused's links with an Israeli advocacy organization has fueled the cadre of anti-Israeli conspiracy theorists...."Mendelsohn is a passionate Zionist and infamous lobbyist, described by the Jewish Chronicle as 'one of the best-connected power brokers,' " she wrote. "So we can assume LFI plays a part in shaping our foreign policies in the Middle East."


AIPAC judge sets April 29 date An April 29 trial date was set in the classified information case against two former AIPAC staffers.


An End To ?Apocalyptic Unity? Rabin told AIPAC leaders, "OK, Iran is our biggest threat. We have to keep it from getting the bomb," this Jewish leader related. "They picked up the Iran issue and were far more energetic with it than he intended or imagined."..... said Shoshana Bryen of JINSA, "Those who have been wedded to the idea that in the next year the United States and/or Israel had to decide whether to drop a bomb on Iran have a big problem. They will now find themselves without legitimacy in the U.S. government." Whose war?


Girls in West Bank village advocate for their rights


When the roadmap is a one way street The answer for the past 40 years of occupation is the status quo, delay, while quietly expanding the settlements and strengthening its grip on Judea and Samaria (again, we do not use the terms "occupation" or "occupied territories" in Israel, not to mention "Palestinian").


Israel 60 years later: partition or apartheid


Jerusalem: The Jewish Mainstream Starts To Accept Reality


Is Iran NIE a Blessing in Disguise for Israel?


Syrian MP: If we're attacked ? we'll hit Dimona "The possibility that Israel were to infringe upon Syria's sovereignty is a possibility that exists and that we're not ruling out, although at the same time, we are not looking to reach this stage and we do not want to escalate the situation,"


Fair trade at YMCA fair There are hand-beaded bikinis made by a Venezuelan cooperative, olive oil and olive oil soap made by Palestinian farmers, and greeting cards by a local photographer


Livni to push for international force in Gaza Livni, in talks she is expected to hold with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and a number of key EU foreign ministers in Brussels, is expected to discuss the Iranian situation, and press Israel's case that the pressure on Iran needed to continue despite the US intelligence estimate that Teheran has ceased its nuclear weapons program.


Pro-palestinian group at Case hosts 1st event


CEPAL marks UN Day of Solidarity with Palestine A people's right to pursue the most basic of human rights and the simplicity with which applying international law could award them these rights was the main focus of this year's commemoration of the UN Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people at an event held at the University of Toronto on Thursday, November 29.


Ethiopian community hit hard by discrimination "racism is a word that I have feared using until now, because I did not believe that it could exist in Israel in 2007, but the time has come to call a spade a spade. Israeli society is profoundly infected by racism and unfortunately there is no suitable punishment for racism in Israel." There's been racism against Arabs therein for decades. So why should it be a surprise to see this racism now directed at other groups too?


Olson and Othman: Summit's goal: Perpetuate repression of Palestinians The United States is not an honest broker here. Congress just gave Israel another $30 billion for military aid over the next 10 years. That's on top of the $3 billion to $5 billion annually it already gets.