Headlines for 03-09-08

Hamas, Islamic jihad to discuss ceasefire in Egypt next week


Student killer was 'good boy with a future' His family denied Abu Dhaim was a member of a militant group but his sister, Iman Abu Dhaim, told reporters that he had been transfixed by the bloodshed in Gaza the previous week which had caused the deaths of 126 Palestinians. One neighbour, Atta Abdo, a 60-year-old taxi driver, said: "It's not surprising such violence in Gaza upset Ala. The Palestinian people are not tourists. This is our land and we will defend our right to live here."


Israel expands settlements in blow to peace process Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, embraced the rightwing settler movement yesterday by saying he shared their pain in the wake of last week's killings at a Jewish religious school and by approving 530 new settler homes in the West Bank.


Hamas: Jerusalem shooting responds to Israeli-PA security liaison Islamic Hamas movement said on Saturday the shooting attack in Jerusalem, where eight Israelis were killed on Thursday, was a response to the security liaison between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).


Egypt allows aid to Gaza via Israeli-controlled crossing Egypt Sunday allowed convoys carrying humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through the Israel-controlled Karam Abu-Salem border crossing, according to Egyptian security officials.


Three Palestinians wounded as Israeli army fires at houses in S Gaza


FM to U.S. envoy: Conditions not ripe for forming Palestinian state Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Sunday told visiting U.S. envoy James Jones that that the creation of a Palestinian state amid the current situation in the Gaza Strip and ongoing attacks on Israelis was not in line with Israel's security demands.


A Gaza resident wounded by Israeli army fire


Pope denounces endless spiral of destruction and death in Israel


Feiglin banned entry to Britain Britain banned an Israeli Likud Party leader from entering the country.


In Palestine, Murder Will Bring Neither Freedom Nor Justice The pursuit of liberation is a human response to oppression, and one that is common to all oppressed people, in all periods of history. But there is a moral and practical, distinction between legitimate political struggle on one hand, and acts of criminal revenge on the other.


Islamic organisation condemns Jerusalem attack In a rare reaction to an anti-Israeli attack, the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference expressed "grave concern over, and condemned the recent killings of students in the west Jerusalem," a statement released here said.


Abdullah Offers to Rebuild All Gaza Homes ?The king has ordered the reconstruction of Palestinian houses at the expense of the Saudi government,? Al-Jazirah Arabic daily quoted the minister as saying. Al-Manie did not say how many Palestinian homes would be rebuilt under the program.


BibleLands joins calls for end to Gaza blockade BibleLands, the largest UK non-governmental provider of financial support to the Holy Land, has added its voice to calls from a number of church bodies and NGOs for an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip.


Rep. Ron Paul Stands Alone in Voting Against Gaza Bill


Operation Merlin II back to the CIA-Mossad Operation Merlin "intelligence" of 2000. What did they hope to accomplish with it?


Hezbollah accuses U.S. of declaring war on Lebanese opposition


Kuwaiti analyst: Best if Israel, not U.S., destroys Iranian nukes Officially Kuwait, like the other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, wants a peaceful solution to the nuclear standoff between Tehran and the West and will not allow the U.S. to use its territories for any attack on Iran.



Egypt destroys 6 smuggling tunnels


Israeli FM heads to US Livni will meet Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice along with other senior officials, her office said in a statement. "The meetings will focus on the peace process, the Iran issue and other regional issues," it said.



Hamas details Iranian, Syrian training Hundreds of Hamas' "best brains" have left Gaza for Egypt, and from there have flown to Damascus, the commander said. Some stayed in Syria for training and others went on to neighboring Iran, with border authorities waiving visa requirements so as to avoid a paper trail. How much was he paid to implicate Syria and Iran mewonders.


Slaughtering civilians does nothing to serve the Palestinian cause The general right of Palestinians to resist occupation is enshrined in international law, and the specific impulse to avenge the past week's atrocities in the Gaza Strip is perfectly understandable, but those who exercise these prerogatives have a responsibility to choose targets that will not undermine their cause.


Security Council censured on yeshiva attack The Anti-Defamation League said it is "shocking" the U.N. Security Council did not condemn last week's yeshiva attack in Jerusalem. While many world leaders have deplored the killings of eight students Thursday at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva as an unconscionable act of terror, the council could not reach a consensus on its own statement. Libya, a nonpermanent member, obstructed a unanimous vote. Hypocrisy.


Crisis Over Teheran's Alleged Nuclear Plans Nearing Climax Iran, a nation of proud people in a neighborhood of proud peoples, sees only absurdity in the discrimination against it when the nearby nations of India, Pakistan, and Israel have all developed their own nuclear weapons without the U.S. stopping them.


Chavez calls Colombia 'Israel' "We aren't going to permit Colombia to become the Israel of these lands," he said.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), the ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, on Friday said the remark "reveals his anti-Israel bias, a growing contempt for democracy and his embrace of violent extremism." Ros-Lehtinen has taken the lead in targeting Chavez' Iran ties. Ros-Lehtinen is of course Israel's top agent on Capitol Hill. Does she manage to, once in a while, take care of any matters AMERICAN, mewonders?


World condemnation for yeshiva attack An interfaith group was among the voices condemning last week's attack on a Jerusalem yeshiva.


McCain to visit Israel next week According to US sources, the trip is aimed at boosting support for McCain among Jewish voters in the US.


Palestinian activists protest as Goldie Hawn entertains Israel fundraiser Around 150 demonstrators marched on Glasgow's Hilton hotel, where the actress was speaking to supporters of the Jewish National Fund.


AJC: Swiss Support of UN Resolution on Israel Appalling Oh dear.


Police arrest rock throwers Israeli police are cracking down after a spate of roadside rock-throwing attacks from northern Arab communities.