Headlines for 03-23-08

Palestinian killed as tunnel collapsed under Gaza border


Israel denies offering Hamas and Islamic Jihad yearlong truce in Gaza Jerusalem officials told Israel Radio that Israel's stance regarding any period of calm was clear, saying that there was no agreement whatsoever and no negotiations over a truce.


Efrat settlement near Bethlehem to expand


Cheney urges Mid-East concessions


Egypt releases detained Hamas men


The curse of the Nablus dream house "This just isn't my home any more," says the 47-year-old Palestinian bank manager, "it might as well belong to the Israeli army."


Cheney warns Palestinians over attacks on Israel "A difficult but immutable truth must continue to be told: Terror and rockets do not merely kill innocent civilians, they also kill the legitimate hopes and aspirations of the Palestinian people," Mr Cheney said during a joint public appearance with Mr Abbas. That's hypocrisy given what Israel did to gain statehood. The British MI5 had bounty on Menachem Begin for his part, as one example.


Palestinian youth injured near Qalqilia Palestinian medical sources in Qalqilia, in the northern part of the West Bank, reported on Saturday evening that a Palestinian youth was shot and seriously injured by Israeli military gunfire as the army invaded Azzoun town, east of the city, and clashed with dozens of residents.



West Bank villagers, police clash At least four people were wounded, one of them seriously, when clashes erupted between Palestinian police and residents of a West Bank village yesterday, a security official said.



Palestinian officials accuse Israel of forging ownership documents of East Jerusalem buildings Hatem Abed al Qader, the advisor of the Palestinian premier for Jerusalem affairs, affirmed on Saturday that Israeli authorities are confiscating Palestinian-owned homes in East Jerusalem as part of ongoing annexation of the city.


Barak considering easing restrictions on Palestinians


Cheney hears Palestinian complaints Palestinians had little expectation their meetings with Cheney, a strong defender of the Jewish state, would produce anything concrete. While that was the case, the Bush administration did get another chance to nudge the two sides toward an agreement before President Bush leaves office in January.


Israel denies Italian sports delegation access to Gaza


More water conservation efforts needed, say experts Ayman Rabi from the Palestinian Hydrology Group, a non-governmental organisation, said certain West Bank areas like Hebron had been hard hit by lack of rainfall. "Already the Palestinians receive less water than is needed," Rabi told IRIN. "In the best case scenarios, in urban areas, we receive 50 litres per capita per day." According to the Israeli non-governmental organisation Btselem there is a huge gulf in water consumption levels between Israelis and Palestinians. Israel has capped the amount of water sold to Palestinians and the Civil Administration requires Palestinians in Area C, under full Israeli control after the Oslo Accords, to obtain permits to dig wells. Sometimes "illegal" wells are destroyed, forcing Palestinians to use expensive water tankers.


Abbas aide accuses Hamas of thwarting Yemeni initiative


French official sacked for anti-Israeli diatribe Bruno Guigue, deputy prefect of the southwestern town of Saintes, wrote in an online column this month that Israel was "the only state where snipers shoot down little girls outside their school gates."


Hamas says talks with Fatah to begin April 5


Hamas opposes return of PNA security forces to Gaza An Islamic Hamas spokesman said Sunday that his movement opposes the return of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) security forces to the Gaza Strip, which Hamas has been ruling since last June.


Official: Israel prepared to honor truce in Gaza


Christians sing, pray at holy sites in Jerusalem to celebrate Easter Pilgrims included Polish men in fur hats, Indian women in saris and Palestinian clergy in white and gold robes.


Fatah at odds with Hamas over meaning of Yemen deal


Zawahri urges anti-Israel attacks over Gaza - Web


Palestinian factions sign Yemen reconciliation deal


Peres: No Golan handover "Israel will never agree to return the Golan Heights, only to get, in return, Iranian-Syrian control over Lebanon," the Israeli president was quoted as telling visiting U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday.


Easter in Jerusalem Under an 800-year-old peace agreement, two Muslim men share the power to open and close the church's 3-ton wooden doors. One holds the key; the other opens the door. Neither can agree on who plays the more important role. The spat is one tiny reflection of the complex and deep-rooted religious, political and tribal divisions that have split this holy city for centuries.


Banksy Bombs Banksy returned to the West Bank in December 2007, leaving six new drawings on the wall near Bethlehem


Hezbollah deputy chief: We have proof Israel killed Mughniyah


Hezbollah calls for Beirut rally Hezbollah is to hold a rally in Beirut to mark the end of the 40-day mourning period for its assassinated commander Imad Mughniyeh.


Internet site seeks former Swedish volunteers to act as goodwill ambassadors "Israel's public relations in Sweden are in a sad state." The Web site recently launched by the Israeli embassy in Sweden is trying to change the situation Toledano described.


Ha'aretz: Evil is not neutral Two of the most prominent personages today in the global arena, who visited Israel last week, spoke clearly and lucidly against the Iranian danger. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential frontrunner, agree that the Islamic Republic in Tehran is a genuine threat to the security of Israel, the Middle East and even beyond. ....The international community is obligated to work to stop Iran before it causes a major conflagration.


$5m Ramallah hospital project delayed


Fugitive CEO hosts luxury simcha An Israeli-American millionaire on the run from the FBI threw a luxurious bar mitzvah in his African hideaway.


Indyk was Hussein's target The Pentagon said the paper provides ?strong evidence? of the links between Saddam?s regime and global terrorism. The trouble is, Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11 or Al Qaeda (as alleged by the neocons who used this propaganda to get us to go to war with Iraq). These little nuggets put forth in this recent report of late still do not prove the aforementioned, and thus do not justify the American attack on Iraq.


Treasury cautions on Iran central bank The U.S. Treasury included Iran's central bank in a cautionary advisory to financial institutions. This serves as another reminder that the Israeli lobby wields disproportionate influence over this government.


Turkey Is Against Nuclear Weapons Most, Mercan Mercan stressed that, unless the Palestinian-Israeli issue is resolved, the world will not have peace and calm. "We need to place pressure on Israel. However, the existence of Israel must be recognized by the Arabic world. You have to act as a realist," Mercan underlined.



Conflict is more than just a muddle We do not need two men cut from the same cloth as Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat. We need Israel to stop stealing Palestinian land and driving its people into destitution, military prisons and refugee camps to expand a state that gives more and special rights to Jews.


Egyptian police arrest 13 Africans trying to cross into Israel


Olmert: We must curb infiltrations from Egypt


BD10,000 raised for Palestine A BAHRAINI organisation has raised BD10,000 for Palestinians in Gaza in just one day through a charity fundraiser yesterday.