Headlines for 01-12-08

Two Hamas armed wing members killed in Israeli air strike Two members of the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas were killed in an Israeli air raid on the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, medics said.


PNA denies role in Hamas-Israel swap talks over captive soldier Shalit


One International Protestor Injured Near Bethlehem Around 200 Palestinian villagers, Israeli and International supporters marched against the illegal Israeli wall that is being built in the village of Um Salmumah located near Bethlehem city.



Reporter offers Bush a Gaza, West Bank misery tour President Bush won't see the hospital wards where babies, just weeks old, are dying because their doctors can't get permission from Israeli authorities to go to Israel for treatment as they did in the past.


Bush visits Jesus birthplace in charged W.Bank "Some day, I hope that as a result of the formation of a Palestinian state, there won't be walls, and checkpoints. People will move freely in a democratic (Palestinian) state," Bush said.


Bush: Hamas delivers nothing but misery in Gaza Visiting U.S. President George W. Bush said on Thursday that the Islamic Hamas in the Gaza has delivered nothing but misery.


Plumbing business going down the drain Not surprisingly, Isam's income has dropped dramatically. His customers are spending less and the increasingly stringent Israeli closure system imposed on the West Bank has obliged him to pay higher customs and clearance fees for importing his products from Israel.


Israel stressed to Bush that Iran is a nuclear 'threat': general


Gaza's American school attacked Hamas, the group that controls the Gaza Strip, has condemned the attack.


Gaza militants launch rockets at Israeli targets


Two injured in weekly demonstration The villagers of Bil'in located near the Central West Bank city of Ramallah, along with their international and Israeli supporters conducted their weekly demonstration against the illegal Israeli wall on Friday.


UK officials concerned over the Israeli fuel cuts on Gaza


Patient number 70 dies due to the Israeli siege on Gaza The sources said that Yihiya Al Jamal, 53, had cancer and had applied three times to leave Gaza but the Israeli army refused. Doctors said that Al Jamal was diagnosed with cancer 9 months ago.


Palestinians sue for NIS 40 million for land taken by settlers Palestinian landowners on whose property the West Bank settlement of Homesh was constructed are demanding NIS 40 million in compensation and the right to access their land. The state is trying to reach an out-of-court compromise in order to avoid a precedent setting ruling.


Israel, Palestinians must get serious on talks: U.S


President?s Radio Address the Palestinians must have a state that is viable, contiguous, sovereign, and independent. Achieving this vision will require tough decisions and painful concessions from both sides.



US admits Mideast peace deal hangs on fate of Gaza Haniya hit out at the president's suggestion that a peace agreement might exclude the refugees returning to the homes they fled in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. "We reject his denial of the right of return of refugees and his position on Jerusalem," Haniya said. "We do not accept that 11,000 (Palestinian) prisoners stay in Israeli jails and that (Jewish) settlements remain in Palestinian territory,"



Jordan king urges clearer timetable for Mideast talks


Israeli army vehicle ran over a Palestinian child near Nablus city Jihan Samara was crossing the street with her mother when an Israeli army jeep ran her over, witnesses said.



Blair in landmark talks with Jewish settlers The settler representatives told Blair that Olmert had no mandate to negotiate a peace deal with the Palestinians that required the dismantling of settlements in the occupied West Bank, Israeli participants in the meeting said.


Gaza Relief Convoy Campaign Is Gaining Momentum


Bringing Beethoven to the West Bank Berlin's well-known opera director, Daniel Barenboim, will show his support for Palestine with a charity paino concert in the West Bank city of Ramallah. His concert follows a visit by United State President George Bush.


Washington Post Reviews DAM CD


Know thine enemy or friend: Palestinian students study Israel Few of the students have ever traveled into Israel. From their classroom window they can see the concrete slabs of the wall and fence Israel is building to keep out suicide bombers. But the isolation doesn't stop them from wondering what it's like.



Many Palestinians Offer a Bleak Opinion of Bush "The Palestinians are in agreement that in the history of the United States, Bush is more biased than any other American president toward Israel."


Israel?s true friends Two supporters of Israel in Congress say it isn?t about the lobby. Stoolies proclaim they are stoolies for a different reason (other than the efforts of the Israeli lobby). Of course we all realize that there are some in Congress who themselves have a passionate attachment to Israel all on their own, and thus do not need to be lobbied by pro-Israel groups. Lantos and Ros-Lehtinen comes to mind. There are many many more like them across America and in positions of power.


Fathers and Sons neoconservatism?s priorities, which range from strong support for Israel to vehement opposition to affirmative action, are heavily influenced by the values, interests and collective historical memory of the Jewish people.


Bush takes soundings on Iran Al-Khaleej, a UAE daily, accused him of "striving to transform the Arab-Israeli conflict into an Arab-Iranian conflict, since nuclear Israel, which is armed to the teeth with weapons of mass destruction, which is aggressive, expansionist, racist and an international outlaw, does not threaten world peace".


Saudi cannot be launchpad for Iran attack: report ** A leading Saudi newspaper on Saturday ruled out any attempt by the United States to use the oil-rich Gulf kingdom as a launchpad for a possible war on Iran over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme......"Iran's supposed danger does not minimise the real danger of Israel, which is among 10 countries in the world to have nuclear weapons,"



AROUND 400 PEOPLE DEMONSTRATE NEAR US EMBASSY IN MANAMA THEY CHANTED SLOGANS AGAINST THE US POLICIES, CALLED FOR HALT OF WARS IN THE REGION AND FOR A JUST SOLUTION TO THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE AND THE REFUGEES PROBLEM


Ban slams attack on UN force in Lebanon, rocket on Israel


Mofaz: Israel must come to interim agreement with Palestinians Israel must strive for an interim agreement with the Palestinians that would ensure the foundation of a Palestinian state with temporary borders, but which would refrain from trying to solve the issues of Palestinian refugees or Jerusalem, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz said on Saturday.


Lebanon warns Germany of possible terrorist attacks


Turkish president to visit Egypt for Mideast, Iraq talks: official Turkish President Abdullah Gul will visit Egypt next week for talks on the faltering Middle East peace process and strife-torn Iraq, his office said Saturday


Syrians are rebuilding bombed site: report Syrians are rebuilding a desert site bombed by the Israeli military last September on suspicions it was supposed to house a nuclear reactor, The New York Times reported on its website late Friday.


Mofaz: Lebanon resolution worthless Transportation Minister Mofaz says Security Council Resolution 1701 that ended Second Lebanon War 'not worth paper it's written on'; former defense minister slams political leadership's conduct during war, says army not at fault for outcome


Bush Fails Again by Charley Reese As occupied territories, they fall under the Geneva Conventions. An occupying power is not allowed to take land or to build settlements in occupied territory. It is not allowed to destroy homes, to uproot olive groves, to deport people, and to wall the area off ? all of which the Israelis have done and are continuing to do........the main purpose of Bush's visit is to harangue the Arabs about the alleged dangers of Iran.