Headlines for 04-24-08

Report: 1 dead, several wounded in IAF strikes in Gaza One civilian was killed in the strike and several others wounded. The IDF confirmed the attack, citing the target was his as planned.


Israeli army thrusts into Beit Hanoun, kills an old man


UN suspends aid to Gaza for lack of fuel "We have just stopped the distribution of all food aid to 650,000 Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip because of the lack of fuel in our storage in Gaza," said Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) office in Gaza.


Hamas offers Gaza truce with Israel Former Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar, speaking in Cairo after meeting Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, said the truce must include an end to the Israeli blockade of the coastal strip.


A portrait of life and death in Gaza On his film you can clearly see the muzzle flash from the tank about 1,500 yards away. And two seconds later, just before the film dies, you can see something dark exploding above Fadel. He died instantly, almost decapitated by shrapnel. The two boys who Mahmoud saw next to the tripod were also killed in the blast. "I heard the first explosion, dropped the bicycle and fell to the ground," said Mahmoud. "I had cuts on my neck and chest, but I could move, so I started crawling away."



U.S. to demand Jerusalem acknowledge Kadish was an Israeli agent


EU calls on Israel to ensure fuel supplies European Union (EU) Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel on Thursday urged Israel to ensure fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip, amid United Nations (UN) warnings that aid to Palestinian refugees there will end otherwise.


Bush And Sharon Had Secret Deal To Expand West Bank, Claims Olmert Ehud Olmert, the current Israeli prime minister, said this week that Bush's letter gave the Jewish state permission to expand the West Bank settlements that it hopes to retain in a final peace deal, even though Bush's peace plan officially calls for a freeze of Israeli settlements across Palestinian territories on the West Bank


Palestinians pledge fuel for aid agency amid shortages John Ging, the UNRWA director of operations in Gaza, said yesterday there had been a "totally inadequate" supply of fuel from Israel to Gaza for 10 months until it was finally halted. "The devastating humanitarian impact is entirely predictable," he said.


Five civilians injured in Bethlehem on Tuesday night


US denies giving Israel green light for settlement expansion Well, but what did the US do about Israel's ongoing settlment building and expansion? Withhold any aid? NOPE.


Palestinian state is 'high priority,' says Bush US President George W. Bush assured Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas Thursday he was "confident" about reaching an agreement on creating a Palestinian state before he leaves office.



Collapse of Gaza aid distribution just hours away: UN The United Nations warned that aid distribution would end in the Gaza Strip on Thursday unless Israel allows new fuel supplies, but Israel blamed Hamas for the shortages.



Israeli airstrike in Gaza wounds 3 militants


Israeli settler rams a Palestinians child with his car Ahmad Al Titti, five years old, was standing beside his father on the main road connecting the city of Hebron to rest of the West Bank, when an Israeli settler rammed the child with his car.


Israeli ex-soldiers expose abuse of Palestinians "A lot of people come and say, 'Oh, that's all in the past,' " explains Yehuda Shaul, executive director of the group, which has brought 3,000 people on eye-opening trips to Hebron. On the contrary, he adds, he sees abuses as increasingly institutionalized. "The whole point of Breaking the Silence is to understand the moral price tag of a military occupation."


Al Nakba memorial beginning its official period


Israel's U.N. envoy calls Jimmy Carter 'bigot' Thus does the smear campaign by pro-Israelis get taken to a higher level.


Palestinian, international and Israeli activists reclaim settler outpost


Palestinian education delegation to UK gets special treatment The UCU has made a mistake -- a precaution too far. My suspicion is that the real reason for the entry restriction is to keep attendance low, in order to give the impression that the level of support for the Palestinian cause is minimal. Moreover, the UCU leadership is worried that there may be a danger of discussions on the academic boycott of Israel breaking out -- something which the General Secretary of the UCU leadership fiercely opposes.


Israel's Air Force Chief: Iran Threat Real


Did the Israelis Leak New Spy Info to Thwart War? Over at the American Conservative magazine?s blog, Antiwar.com columnist and former CIA officer Philip Giraldi reports that Israeli sources have indicated to him that the recent leak to the FBI about the new-old Israeli spy case came from inside the Israeli government toward the end of thwarting Ehud Olmert, Dick Cheney and the War Party?s plans to expand the Middle Eastern slaughter to Iran ? and that there are more spies to be revealed?.....The leak of the information at the present time is believed to be linked to proposed closed congressional hearings at the end of this month in which the White House had planned to use several Israeli intelligence officers to provide evidence on the alleged Syrian nuclear program that was bombed on September 6, 2007


Cheney's Compulsive Obsession with Iraq WMDs & Syrian Nukes Cheney's minions are pushing Congress to sponge up Israeli intelligence assessments about purported Syria-North Korea cooperation on a now destroyed, alleged nuclear site. There are many who doubt Israel's assessments in the U.S. intelligence community


UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PALESTINE REFUGEES to be held in Paris, 29 - 30 April The Committee on the Exercise of the InalienableRights of the Palestinian People will convene the United Nations International Conference on Palestine Refugees at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) Headquarters in Paris on 29 and 30 April, in accordance with General Assembly resolutions 62/80 and 62/81 of 10 December 2007.


Clinton's Iran tone 'imprudent' A BRITISH foreign minister said US Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton's threat to "totally obliterate" Iran if it attacked Israel with nuclear weapons was imprudent.


Jewish leader: German firms ignoring Shoah "Business with Iran is booming, while morality is wasting away. German companies, of all things, are doing business with a country that advocates a new Holocaust," Graumann said at an event on Tuesday celebrating Israel's 60th birthday.


Foreign Ministry: Israel doesn't spy in US "I assume that the timing is not coincidental, and is aimed at sending a warning signal to the White House ? and particularly to President Bush ? that he should not dare consider releasing Pollard before he leaves office in January," Haber said.


Residents: Golan belongs to the Jewish people Heads of Israeli towns in the Golan Heights convened Thursday for an emergency meeting following reports in recent days that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had agreed to relinquish the Golan Heights to Syria. The land was unlawfully seized in the Six Day War and subsequently colonized by Israel. It never 'belonged to the Jewish people'.


West Bank Samaritans mark Passover with blood and fire The West Bank Samaritans remain close to their former neighbours, and many Palestinians from Nablus, including the governor, visit the Passover ceremony and exchange warm greetings with longtime friends.


US claims North Korea helped build Syria reactor plant The video, made public last night after Congress had been briefed, is a collection of material from various sources, in addition to Israeli intelligence. Israeli intelligence? Whodda thunk it?


Palestinian-American speaker draws praise and criticism More than 120 students and faculty attended the lecture to hear Abunimah discuss his thoughts on how to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflicts.


Arab lawyer invited to train kinder, gentler Israeli soldiers Wafa Fahoum felt she had to make a stand when her nine-year-old daughter Nadine ? an Arab representing Israel at tennis ? was singled out for questioning by airport security staff while her Jewish team-mates simply walked through.




What's behind Kadish arrest? For now, only speculation The president?s lame-duck status has hobbled his effectiveness, and he is eager for progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks he helped relaunch last November in Annapolis, Md. "It's not easy trying to conduct policy in Washington when you know that there is a powerful pro-Israel constituency out there that says otherwise," said Lenny ben-David, a former Israeli diplomat and a former AIPAC staffer


Gazans discuss the fuel crisis


Spy case poses questions on size of Israeli ring Official ties are unlikely to be affected, said David Kimche, president of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations and a former senior Mossad official. "There won't be any dramatic ramifications in the sense that any sort of actions will be taken against Israel, in my opinion," Kimche said.



Syrian president ready to talk to Israel once Bush term ends


The Ritual Flaying of Jimmy Carter


Palestinians briefly open road closed by army, plant their flag on Israeli position Two dozen Palestinian and Israeli protesters are scuffling with Israeli troops at an abandoned army post in the West Bank.
The protesters say Jewish settlers have taken over the site and are setting up an illegal outpost there.



Sarkozy admits 'mistakes' during first year he vowed that as head of state he would not hold talks with the Hamas in the Palestinian territories, Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or the Taliban militia in Afghanistan.