Headlines for 08-23-08

Iran's Ahmadinejad in new verbal attack on Israel Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad renewed his verbal attacks on arch-foe Israel on Saturday, accusing it of dragging the world into turmoil and predicting its demise.


Questions cloud IDF probe of journo death Reuters raised eleven unanswered questions in its reply to the IDF.....The IDF's cloud of secrecy raises questions about why the communications weren't recorded and why the IDF can't explain why there is no tape......While I am currently in the US, my McClatchy colleague in Jerusalem has been asking the IDF all week for some specific information to back up their claim about Palestinians in Gaza using anti-tank missiles. So far they have provided McClatchy with nothing substantive. They've offered no dates, no specifics, no pictures, nothing.



Activist boats allowed into Gaza despite Israeli blockade Many of the activists said they had received death threats before they set sail, and some demonstrators dropped out.



Palestinian envoys head to Egypt for reconciliation talks


TIME: Breaking the Gaza Blockade It was a remarkable odyssey for the two battered ships of the "Free Gaza" movement, a U.S.-based pro-Palestinian group, which set out from Cyprus on Friday morning with few hopes of reaching Gaza. The activists, who hail from 14 countries, said that before they even set sail, they faced anonymous death threats, the mysterious drowning of one potential sponsor, and constant badgering by Israeli spies badly disguised as guitar-strumming hippies. "They kept popping up, everywhere," said Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, an organizer. "They were really annoying."


Israeli army decision endangers journalists in Gaza In the Gaza Strip, anyone with a camera is fair game. That's the inescapable conclusion from the Israeli army's investigation into why one of its tank crews fired at least two shells at a Reuters television journalist openly filming them from a mile away.


Police report of Qassam fire was erroneous Police retract Friday evening report of two Qassam rockets landing in southern Israel, point to malfunction in monitoring system


Boats with pro-Palestinian activists reach Gaza As the two boats approached the Gaza shoreline, five Palestinian boats rushed out to sea to greet them. A boy scout music band sat in one boat banging on drums and blowing horns, while another boat carried Gazan activists, holding Palestinian flags. Hundreds of Gaza residents on the shore waved and cheered as police from the ruling Hamas movement tried to prevent people from jumping into the water so the boats could land.



Israel's missile shield against Iran: Three Americans in a trailer A commander and two operators monitor missile radars in an armored trailer somewhere in Europe. Inside, they use satellite technology to track the origin and trajectory of long-range missiles. In true American fashion, each shift begins with calisthenics, followed by an intelligence briefing.
That is the envisioned routine of the U.S. team that will be responsible for protecting Israel from surface-to-surface missiles launched from Iran or Syria. Unf***ingbelievable.


Blocked Gaza aid driver set to head home JHCO sends regular aid convoys to Palestinians in Gaza and Mr Al Niss hopes the Scottish cargo, which includes much-needed medication for heart conditions and diabetes, as well as syringes, bandages, swabs, antibiotics, blood bottles for taking samples, and more advanced equipment for use in surgery, will be able to be transported over the border at last.


Hamas allows newspaper into Gaza, keeps ban on two others


Gaza policewomen say they're making strides under Hamas rule Hamas says it wants to recruit the best and brightest, regardless of gender, and improve women's status in Gaza's conservative society.


Saudi Arabia boosts dwindling Palestinian coffers "The Saudi finance minister told the Palestinian Authority that the decision was made to transfer $US100 million ($115 million)," said Palestinian Information Minister Riyad al-Malki.


Bedouin nomads under threat in Holy Land Thanks to drought and increasing Israeli security restrictions on where they can wander, their nomadic lifestyle, which predates the birth of Christ, is likely to die out within a generation.


Siniora complains to Ban over Israeli threats to attack all of Lebanon The Lebanese government sent a letter to UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday protesting Israeli threats to attack all of Lebanon, as media reports on Friday carried accounts of Hizbullah buying Russian weaponry and a Hizbullah official saying the group would soon take "earth-shattering" action against Israel, which will "no longer exist on the map."


Biden and the Jews: Strong ties and friendly disagreements The loquacious Biden, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 1973, has sparred frequently with the pro-Israel community and with Israelis, particularly on the issue of settlements. But he has a sterling voting record on pro-Israel issues, and has as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee helped shepherd through key pro-Israel legislation..... Biden said in an interview with Shalom TV last year, when he launched his own presidential bid. "When I was a young senator, I used to say, 'If I were a Jew I'd be a Zionist.' I am a Zionist. You don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist.'"



Palestinian embassy in Yemen closes in protest The Palestinian embassy in Yemen said on Saturday it was closing its mission in Sanaa in protest at what it called "dual Palestinian representation," an apparent reference to an office of Hamas.


Obama played it safe, but is Biden good for Israel? Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matthew Brooks explained that "with the selection of Senator Joe Biden the Democrat's ticket has become an even greater gamble for the Jewish community. Throughout his career, Senator Biden has consistently been wrong on Iran and his voting record on Israel has been inconsistent. Like Obama, Biden fundamentally misunderstands the threat posed by an Iran determined to obtain nuclear weapons. Biden has continuously demonstrated poor judgment on Iran. He has voted against significant legislation that would pressure Iran to stop pursuing nuclear weapons. Biden has failed to recognize the serious threat that Iran poses to Israel and the US and its allies in the Middle East."