Headlines for 04-23-08

Fuel shortage forces UN to halt Gaza food aid The UN is to halt food handouts for up to 800,000 Palestinians from tomorrow because of a severe fuel shortage in Gaza brought on by an Israeli economic blockade.




Israel downplays US spy affair


Abbas in Washington for talks with Bush


Palestinian foreign minister sees Gaza ceasefire 'very close'


Gaza journalists mourn Reuters colleague The Jerusalem-based Foreign Press Association said in a statement on Wednesday: "The FPA wishes to express its profound concern over the lack of a full Israeli explanation.


Carter says Secretary Rice "not telling truth" Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on Wednesday accused Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of not telling the truth about warnings she said her department gave Carter not to speak to Hamas before a Middle East trip.


N.J. man accused of spying for Israel The Pollard case for a short time devastated U.S.-Israel relations. In its aftermath, Israel swore never to run a spy again, and Americans broadened their information sharing with Israel to keep the Israelis from temptation. Yeh, that makes sense. Reward the thieves.


Israel says no spying on US since 1985 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Hilarious! I bet the Justice Department isn't buying it either.


Israel downplays US spy affair


Clinging to dream of Palestine village Assurances that they would be allowed to return after a fortnight were not honoured; weeks of exile turned into months, years. Despite several court rulings in the inhabitants' favour, the Israeli military prevented their return citing emergency regulations.


FBI Claims a Confession in Israel Spy Case


Former prosecutor says new spy case shows that Pollard case was bigger than thought DiGenova says the similarities are eerie. He says it clearly indicates the case is bigger than these two.


Palestinian conference to raise $600 million for Gaza A Palestinian-hosted investment conference plans to raise $600 million for the Gaza Strip but delay projects in the territory while Hamas remains in control, organizers said on Wednesday.


Shot film-maker's family doubt Israeli payout claims Relatives of James Miller, who was killed five years ago, said reports of the deal could be a "ruse" by the Israeli authorities to delay court proceedings due to start next month.


Envoys walk out of U.N. after Libya Holocaust remark Western U.N. envoys walked out of a Security Council discussion on Wednesday after Libya's U.N. ambassador likened the plight of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to the Nazi Holocaust, diplomats said.


Silence in Israel on Hamas proposal


Opposition slams decision to allow aid into Gaza "Is the blood of the soldiers and civilians not as precious as rice, sugar and tomatoes?" asked Knesset MemberIsrael Hasson (Yisrael Beitenu) on Tuesday in response to the renewal of operations at the Suffa border crossing in central Gaza and the decision to continue facilitating the passage of humanitarian aid to Palestinians a mere four days after the bombing of the Kerem Shalom crossing.


Hamas changes stance, saying it's open to Gaza-only truce Senior Hamas representatives said Tuesday that the militant group is willing to accept a cease-fire limited to the Gaza Strip, dropping a long-standing demand that the West Bank be included in a halt to fighting with Israel


US man 'gave secrets to Israel' A military engineer has appeared in court in the US on charges of passing classified information to Israel. Kudos to the US Justice department - score one for the good guys!


Clinton warns Iran of U.S. nuclear response Clinton said it was vital that the United States create a new "security umbrella" to reassure Israel and its other allies in the region that they would not be threatened by Iran. She said she would tell them that "if you were the subject of an unprovoked nuclear attack by Iran, the United States, and hopefully our NATO allies, would respond to that."


Tibi: Carter suggested we tell Americans about discrimination MK to present cases of Israeli discrimination against Arab sector in America's major media outlets following advice from former US president. 'Carter said that the American public was unaware of the situation,' he tells Ynet


Israeli army attacks the village Marda: Detains 50 civilians and kidnaps two


Gaza power plant to run out of fuel in 36 hours: rights group


Gaza's sewage 'tsunami'


The Hamas-run health ministry tries to prevent collapse of its services


More Palestinian patients being denied entry to Israel Figures presented by Physicians for Human Rights from early April indicate Shin Bet rejected entry requests of 12 grievously ill cancer patients from Gaza


Israel's £1.8m for family of Briton killed in Gaza Previous attempts at out-of-court settlements failed because Israel had either "reneged" or "renegotiated to our detriment", the family said. However, they indicated that they may accept the new offer. "Having had an exhausting and expensive five-year fight, the possibility of an out-of-court settlement might be considered, although no agreement has been reached," the statement said.


The Israeli army kidnaps 13 Palestinians from several parts of the West Bank


Hamas says Israeli defense minister's remarks a 'failure of Israeli army in Gaza' Hamas's spokesperson in Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri stated on Tuesday that the remarks made today by the Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, signaled 'failure of the Israeli army actions on Gaza'.



Israeli army arrests 20 Palestinians in West Bank


Palestinian journalists urge Hamas, Fatah to stop libel campaigns on media


Gaza power plant to run out of fuel Wednesday night: officials


Gift from Britain could bring tourists back to Hebron Mr Edwards, deputy Consul-General in Jerusalem, was there to donate five horse-drawn carriages to take tourists through the carved-up heart of Hebron, where cars are banned.


ICRC concerned by suspension of family visits to prisoners For families in the Gaza Strip with sons or daughters in Israeli jails, the past 11 months have been especially hard, as they could no longer visit their imprisoned relatives and have only had contact through brief written messages.


Merkley caught up in Mideast debate Some of the Palestinian supporters became concerned about Merkley after he returned Gores' check, citing statements she had made in a 2006 rally condemning Israel's invasion of Lebanon. She said that at that rally, she recited details of an Israeli attack that killed 37 children in Qana and concluded: "Tell me, who are the terrorists?" Merkley said his campaign found her comments in a routine check of campaign donors and decided that he couldn't be associated with such anti-Israeli views.




From Dec. 2001: The Fox News report on the Israeli spy ring in America


Al-Qaeda accuses Iran of 9/11 lie Correspondents say the comments underline al-Qaeda's increasing public hostility towards Iran.


Bill Kristol, great man of sacrifice, on the duties of Passover People continue to be slaughtered and Americans sent to die so that his ideological dreams of an America-dominated Middle East and an Israel unconstrained by anyone or anything can be realized. As the wars and "sacrifices" rage on, his career as a War Commentator consequently flourishes, with more appearances on Fox, more readers for the war-loving Weekly Standard, and now even a column in the New York Times, itself the by-product of nepotistic connections, from which he preaches to the little people of their need to continue to sacrifice for his wars.



World Bank approves US$55 million to support Palestinian economic recovery and Palestinian livelihoods


Palestinian embroidery details past Today, the PCC, has over 450 women from the Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan working on these beautiful pieces. For these women, the payment they receive is a great support for their families. The PCC also aims at supporting education and helps various schools and education programs in Palestine as well as needy families.


Turning the Page on US Foreign Policy, Part 2


UN chief calls for immediate presidential elections in Lebanon and disarming of Hezbollah Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Monday for immediate presidential elections in Lebanon without foreign interference and told Syria and Iran they must support the disarmament of Hezbollah's well-armed militia.



Jimmy Carter Gets the Point by Philip Giraldi Carter was also lacerated by the U.S. media, which did not report the visit in detail except to criticize it. The Washington Post's neocon-dominated editorial page was the most strident, denouncing Carter for embracing Hamas' terrorists. According to the Post, Hamas engages in "deliberate targeting of civilians," such as the Israeli town of Sderot, which "suffers daily rocket attacks." The Post seems unaware of Israeli targeting of civilians when it can't find an actual "militant" to kill......It is particularly ironic that the Israelis killed 20 Palestinians on April 16, all civilians and including five children, the day on which Obama made his speech and the White House was criticizing Carter's efforts.


Selma Waldman, 1931-2008: Painter had a 'unique touch' Her support for the cause of the Palestinian people was unwavering and absolute, a stance that her son, Rainer Waldman Adkins, thinks of as embedded in the Jewish tradition of principled dissent.



Israel Sees Iran Threat Recede


US Takes Counterinsurgency Lessons From Israel Iraq, it seems, is surging toward Gaza.
This fact is not missed by average Iraqis..... What we are seeing in Iraq today has much less to do with the declared shift in U.S. military doctrine than with a deeper and more far-reaching "Israelization" of U.S. military strategy and tactics over the past two decades that was only heightened by America's misadventures in the Middle East after Sept. 11, 2001.



Students object to ex-terrorists' talk


Ross Issues Urgent Warning on Iran The U.S. and its allies probably have no more than a year to take action against Iran before that nation acquires nuclear weapons, warns Dennis Ross, an architect of the Mideast peace process. Why? Has Iran threatened us (in the absence of any threats we've made towards them) ,ATTACKED us? NO. So, why is it our job to disarm Iran of any purported nuclear weapons? Who made it so? ISRAEL. And not coincidentally, Dennis Ross is a staunch Israel-supporter.


Help for Palestinian villagers Keith Douglas was in Palestine for three weeks, between March 20 and April 14, and despite the hospitality of his hosts, he said the region's population were "desperate to survive".


'She would not retreat' In Athens, Greece, Rachel Corrie is known as "she who would not retreat." Residents in her hometown of Olympia, Wash., refer to her as "the peacemaker." But to UI sophomore Sarita Patnaik, she was the "cool cousin."


Parents of French-Palestinian convict look to Sarkozy


Irish church leaders to make peace visit to Holy Land


Riad Elsohl Hamad - 1952-2008


Conflict perspective: Speaker gives insight on Palestinian issues William Van Wagenen, a former study-abroad student at Birzeit University in Palestine, spoke about the Palestinian perspective in the last Convocation of the semester to raise awareness of the issues in Israel.



ANALYSIS: New espionage affair may be old story, but will greatly damage Israel


Report: Olmert ready to cede Golan Israel reportedly has agreed to withdraw from the Golan Heights as part of a peace deal with Syria


US official to run Blair's Middle East peace office Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Robert Danin "will be head of mission" for the Jerusalem-based office of Blair, who represents the so-called Quartet of major players in the Middle East peace process -- the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, as well as the United States.


Al Qaeda deputy criticises Muslims for not backing insurgencies Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant also blasted Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas over their reported readiness to consider a peace deal with Israel.


Carter-Hamas meeting achieved nothing: Palestinians "Hamas offered nothing to president Carter. They reiterated the same positions. There was no change on the part of Hamas,"


Israel may pay for filmmaker's death Miller, then 34, was shot dead by an Israeli soldier while he and two of his colleagues were waving a white flag at night and trying to leave an area then under Israeli military siege.


Photo controversy sparks protest The rally, inside the building for roughly 15 minutes, was sparked by the removal of a photo exhibit sponsored by Students Confronting Apartheid by Israel (SCAI). Old Union administrators took down the photos on April 9 after receiving multiple complaints regarding the exhibit.


Turkey reassures Syria on Israel peace feelers: reports Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has assured Syria that Israel is ready to return all of the Golan Heights, reports said on Wednesday amid renewed peace feelers between the bitter foes.


On the road for justice He was born in Jerusalem, a Palestinian Christian who later moved to the U.S. and became an American citizen.


Streisand pulls out of Israel's 60th anniversary bash It says she gave no reason for the cancellation.


War photographer, professor to speak at Sioux Falls church Marcy Newman, visiting professor at the American University of Beirut, will speak about her experience as part of a nonviolent presence for peace in Gaza and the West Bank.


Israel 'ready to return Golan'


Diplomats spar preparing for 'Durban II' On the third day of a two-week preparatory forum this week in Geneva, Algerian diplomat Idriss Jazairy said the definition of anti-Semitism should include bias toward Arabs because they are a Semitic people. Jewish groups see such statements as attempts to cover up hatred of Jews. Arabs are Semites too. Only the bias against THOSE Semites never quite factors in when it comes to 'anti-Semitism'.


National Lawyers Guild Urges Israel to Permit Richard Falk to Enter Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories Professor Falk was recently appointed as the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Israel has barred entry to Professor Falk, claiming he cannot be fair because of his prior condemnation of persistent and pervasive human rights violations carried out by Israel in the Occupied Territories


US to release Syria nuke details 'soon' Asked when the public would be told about what US intelligence has picked up, Defence Secretary Robert Gates would only say "soon".

Who provided the US with this 'intelligence', is the real question.


Today's photo: Palestinian journalists show off dead colleague's gear The Israeli military says it doesn't target journalists. Tell that to the family of Briton James Miller, as one example.


Video: Carter: "US Candidates MUST do as Israel says"


Study: Muslim anti-Semitism threatens Israel The study singled out Iran as a country whose anti-Semitism poses a potential threat to Israel's existence, given Tehran's supposed nuclear program. Wow. The BS being spewed forth gets ever thicker.


Palestine Securities Exchange (PSE)


Christians flock to Jordan River but can't take the plunge A Palestinian Boy Scout marching band from the nearby occupied West Bank town of Jericho welcomed the faithful to the revered site set in a harsh landscape of arid hills, barbed wire and military positions.


Iran seeks to block Canadian NGO Ezrin said Iran is objecting in part because the Canadian Council is not involved in anti-racism or anti-discrimination work.


Fateh wins Student Council elections in Bir Zeit University


Content of Belgian-sponsored Palestinian festival irks Jews Isaac Franco, a board member of Belgium's Radio Judaica, said Masarat is about defaming Israel. "The posters shown incite hatred, anti-Semitism and promote terrorism," he said. "We want the ministry to make sure these posters do not come to the festival."
Notice how 'defaming Israel' then becomes 'inciting hatred, anti-Semitism, promoting terrorism'?...


Druze cling to land in campaign to prevent land expropriation The land of non-Jews is always fair game to Israel if it's within Israel's reach.