Headlines for 01-14-08

PLO left-wing parties boycott Hamas-led Damascus conference


Iranian boats threaten, so the candidates step up rhetoric As usual, the talk on Iran eventually turned to Israel.


Palestinian police reclaim West Bank streets


Release: Israeli Police and Military Remain Passive in the Face of Settler Harassment of Palestinians On Saturday 12 January, young Israeli settlers attacked two CPTers as they stood between a Palestinian man and a group of three Israeli boys. The boys were taunting the man with rude remarks in Arabic about the Prophet Mohammad. A group of 8-10 girls pushed, pulled and kicked Jan Benvie until she fell to the ground. The boys sprayed something in Johann Funk?s face that caused eye irritation. Two Israeli soldiers stood a short distance away and watched the attacks. A third soldier came forward to intervene only when the settler girls knocked Benvie to the ground.



Barenboim becomes first to hold Israeli and Palestinian passports "Under the most difficult circumstances he has shown solidarity with the Palestinian people," Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian MP and presidential candidate, said at the recital held to raise money for medical aid for children in the Gaza Strip.


Bush seeks Saudi support for fragile Middle East peace talks Bush's talks in Riyadh were also expected to deal with Iranian policy in the region, including Tehran's nuclear ambitions and its support for radical groups such as Hamas, Hizbullah in Lebanon, and Shia militias in Iraq. Iran was the main focus of the president's keynote speech of his trip in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.




Olmert renews threat on Iran Yediot Achronot reported that Israeli and U.S. officials will resume a strategic dialogue focused on Iran at the end of the month. Israel's representative will be Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz; his U.S. counterpart will be State Department official Nicholas Burns


Newsweek: Bush 'disowned' NIE to Olmert President Bush reportedly "all but disowned" the recent National Intelligence Estimate in private talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.


West Bank's Jewish 'Outposts' Dig In Settlers have responded to Bush's comments not by curtailing construction, but by expanding it.


PLO to form separate W. Bank parliament


Israel Allowed a Short Time Fuel Import To Gaza


Two Palestinians indicted for murder of W. Bank settler Ido Zoldan


Israel, Palestinians open talks after push from Bush Pressed by the United States, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has ordered an effective halt to new construction in settlements. But Israel does not view building on West Bank land it has annexed to Jerusalem as settlement


PLO Central Council calls on Hamas to resume dialogue


Bush's Arab world tour is significant for Israel** From an Israeli perspective, the three key elements were
isolating Iran, coaxing moderate Arab countries into moving toward normalization with Israel and getting oil-rich Arab states to honor their financial pledges to the Palestinians......Bush's post-NIE Mideast diplomacy can be read in two different ways: bolstering the moderate Arab coalition against Iran as part of an ongoing policy of containment through diplomatic and economic sanctions, or as laying the diplomatic groundwork for a possible military strike against Iranian nuclear installations before the president leaves office.


Israel to ease visa restrictions for Catholic clerics


Obama targeted in smear campaign the Israel Policy Forum, an organization dedicated to mobilizing American Jews in support of sustained US diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, issued a statement which read that: "It?s hard to imagine that anyone would believe that life-long churchgoer Obama is a Muslim or that a guy with a pro-Israel record is a secret agent of terrorists."


BUSH'S TRIP BRINGS GLIMMER OF HOPE TO PALESTINIANS If there is anyone familiar with the Middle East who doesn't know that the Israelis have for years tormented the Palestinians with their oppressive road checkpoints (designed to humiliate them on every level), stand up please!


Gaza tunnel smugglers stay busy


Bush in new Saudi talks after first moves on arms deal The arms deal, which includes weaponry and high-tech munitions, has alarmed Israel and some US Congressmen, especially as Saudi Arabia refuses to recognise the Jewish state.


'Billy Elliot' inspires teen


Building begins on new Jewish homes in E. J'lem's Ras al-Amud neighborhood


It's Not About Iran Last year, King Abdullah II of Jordan delivered an address to a joint session of Congress. His focus was not on Iran or Iraq -- or even the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees his small country is painfully hosting. In urging American diplomacy, his message was clear: "The wellspring of regional division, the source of resentment and frustration far beyond, is the denial of justice and peace in Palestine." This address was hardly noticed in our press. In contrast, when the king highlights the Iranian threat to his American visitors, everyone listens.


Former Israeli and Palestinian Fighters Embark on Speaking Tour of US Combatants for Peace is a group of former Israeli soldiers and former Palestinian fighters who have joined in solidarity to end the violence which has engulfed Israel/Palestine for generations. They have dedicated their lives to ending the occupation and seeking peace through non-violent means.


Giuliani: Open to Abbas, but skeptical Some right-leaning Israelis and American Jews who often share Giuliani's hawkish views on the Middle East have been increasingly critical of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and U.S. President George W. Bush's willingness to negotiate with Abbas.


Report: Bush praises Syria strike President Bush was quoted as saying Israel's airstrike in Syria last year was an "important preventive action."


Day in pictures A Palestinian man waits with his camel for a group of tourists on the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem's Old City.


Canada's stance on Israeli settlements still unclear Uncertainty on this potentially explosive issue arose Sunday when Bernier was twice asked during a West Bank press conference whether Ottawa ? which officially opposes new settlement activity by Israel ? makes a distinction between housing construction in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. Both times, the Canadian minister pointedly ignored the question. The second time it was asked, he abruptly ended the press conference and left the room.



U.S. to boost aid to Jordan in 2008 by 48 percent The vast array of aid projects in Jordan helped by U.S. funds includes tourism and infrastructure schemes, managing water supplies, funding clinics in Palestinian camps and establishing programmes to rehabilitate Iraqi refugees.


Refugees still face dire conditions at Nahr al-Bared, despite relief efforts


Jerusalem Diary: Monday 14 January President Bush confidently predicted peace within a year during his visit to Israel and the West Bank.
Daniel Barenboim conducting the West-Eastern Divan
Daniel Barenboim conveyed his own message, on Saturday night.