Headlines for 02-18-08

Senior UN envoy 'deeply concerned' about humanitarian situation in Gaza, West Bank Daily rocket fire from Gaza at Israeli border communities does not justify the closure Israel has imposed on Gaza, the top U.N. humanitarian affairs official said Monday, after a five-day tour of the Palestinian areas and an Israeli town hit by rockets.



Two Palestinians kidnapped in Tulkarem by Israeli military


Israeli official stokes row with UN A senior Israeli official yesterday accused the UN's top humanitarian envoy, Sir John Holmes, of putting Israel on a par with terrorists and failing to acknowledge that Israelis were victims in the 60-year conflict with Palestinians, in a public row between the pair.


Olmert says Gaza blockade to continue "We will continue to apply sanctions that are hurtful to the needs of the (Palestinian) population in order for it to be clear that living conditions cannot be altered only from our side," In other words, Israel is no better than the terrorists (something informed folks already know).


Egypt deports 350 Palestinians back to Gaza Egypt has deported some 350 Palestinians, rounded up in North Sinai over the past four days, to Gaza, security sources said on Monday.


Palestinian PM urges quicker pace in peace talks


Palestinians say Jerusalem still high on agenda


Egypt: No Gaza border deal without consent of Israel, PA Hamas has voiced confidence that Egypt will supply the Gaza Strip with its basic needs to avoid a humanitarian crisis, but an official source in Cairo said on Sunday that Egypt would make no deal to reopen its Gaza border without the consent of Israel, Western powers and Hamas's Fatah rivals in the West Bank


Officials: Gaza op will bring int'l troops Israel is considering a large-scale incursion into the Gaza Strip during which it would present an ultimatum to the international community for the deployment of a multinational force as the only condition under which it would withdraw, defense officials have told The Jerusalem Post.


Iran guards predict Israel demise Iran's Revolutionary Guards leader has predicted the imminent destruction of Israel by fighters from the Lebanese movement Hezbollah.


Hamas invites France FM to visit in Gaza


Gaza militant dies of wounds


Three Palestinians injured in Hebron


Israeli military kidnaps a Palestinian in Jenin


Hamas ready to study any cease-fire initiative


Negotiator: Abbas will propose cease-fire to Olmert


Israel approves rare shipment of cement to Gaza Strip Israel has approved a rare shipment of cement to the Gaza Strip for a World Bank project constructing a sewage treatment plant,


Israel has cut off the northern West Bank


Qassam hits Sderot; 11 people hurt


Underage detainee complains he was raped by an Israeli prisoner The Israeli Army radio reported that a Palestinian underage detainee imprisoned in Ophic Israeli prison complained that he was raped by an Israeli prisoner, held for criminal charges and placed with the child in the same cell.


Ambulance service in Gaza stops due to fuel supplies cut The ambulance service in the Gaza Strip announced complete halt of it work on Sunday, due to what the health ministry says a 'severe shortage of fuel', a statement by the ministry read.



Iran predicts Hezbollah will destroy Israel


'Peace Now' Will Have to Publicize EU Contributions The bill is designed chiefly to fight Peace Now, a far-left Israel-based organization promoting Israeli retreat to pre-1967 borders and the end of all Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria.


Israel fears Hezbollah may launch attacks with bomb-laden drone Israeli defense establishment is concerned about that Hezbollah may use an explosives-laden unmanned aerial vehicle to attack northern or central Israel in retaliation for last week's assassination of its military chief Imad Mughniyah, local daily Ha'aretz reported on Sunday.


Report: North Korea provided technological assistance to Syria to build nuclear reactor Report: North Korea provided technological assistance to Syria to build nuclear reactor


U.S., Ukranian Officials See Kassam Damage in Sderot Senator Jon Kyl (R., Arizona) said he intended to tell the citizens in the U.S. how bad things were in Israel, in the hope that this would ensure continued support for the country. He added that the U.S. Congress has put limitations on the money it sends to Egypt.


Do Jews Dominate in American Media? And So What If We Do? We are talking about a religion, after all, and the pressures faced by Jews who are critical of Israel are not that different from what Muslim women who want greater freedom undergo psychically or by evangelical Christians who want to support gay rights. It is worth noting that great Jewish heretics on the Israel question suffer anger or even ostracism inside their own families


U.S. says not part of Hezbollah hit The United States denied involvement in last week's assassination of Hezbollah's terrorist chief.


Israel readies Patriot missiles in north Israel has deployed U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles near the northern city of Haifa in case of an attack by Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas in response to the killing of the group's top commander, security officials said Monday.


Republican Jewish Coalition responsible for mailing anti-Muslim film At least part of the mailing was sent under the postal permit of Christians United for Israel, a leading Christian Zionist organization......In the cover letterincluded in the mailing, former ambassador Daniel Ayalon praised CUFI's David Brog for his work with Christians and urged Jews to overcome their antipathy to Christian Zionists. "For the first time in Israel's history, we are seeing the emergence of a significant pro-Israel movement outside of the Jewish community,"


Saboteurs may have cut Mideast telecom cables: UN agency Five undersea cables were damaged in late January and early February leading to disruption to Internet and telephone services in parts of the Middle East and south Asia.


U.S. urged to spend more on missile defense system The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee urged a delegation of U.S. congressmen yesterday to increase American funding for development of the Magic Wand system for defense against medium-range rockets and missiles.......Much of the talks were devoted to the new U.S. National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, which asserted that Tehran had halted its nuclear weapons program.


Deal to free captured Israeli soldier still snagged: report