Headlines for 08-31-08

Report: Russia threatens to arm Iran Russia could supply Iran with a top new missile system if the United States pushes NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine....The news has raised alarms in the United States and Israel


Abbas and Olmert meet for talks the Palestinians have said they will not sign a partial deal


Egypt opens Gaza border crossing Only those requiring medical treatment, along with holders of foreign residency permits, will be permitted to leave.


Israel opens Al Aqsa mosque to some Palestinians for Ramadan


Abbas rejects Olmert's idea of interim peace deal President Mahmoud Abbas told Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at a summit on Sunday he was still committed to a comprehensive peace deal but ruled out any partial agreement, a Palestinian negotiator said.


Israel favours Mideast peace deal without Jerusalem International law dictates that East Jerusalem is Israeli-OCCUPIED territory, not Israeli-OWNED. Israel has no legal claim thereof no matter how many illegal settlements and 'apartments' it builds therein.


Islamic Jihad threatens Israel with 'the fires of hell' "We will unleash the fires of hell if the Zionist enemy continues its crimes," said the group's military chief Abu Hamzeh after the parade by around 800 Islamic Jihad members, an AFP journalist reported.


Israel tightens grip on West Bank's Jordan Valley Avinadav Vitkon, an Israeli freelance writer, is putting down roots in this strip of West Bank land known as the Jordan Valley, helping to establish a new Jewish settlement with his government's backing. Palestinian farmer Jasser Daraghmeh is barely hanging on to the 10 acres he says have been in his family for years. Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian land are a violation of article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention; war crimes. The Associated Press, acting in its usual pro-Israel capacity, fails to mention this important fact.


Egypt says Arab force for Gaza may help stop violence Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Saturday an Arab force for the Gaza Strip could help stop violence there, and the idea should be taken seriously, Egypt's state news agency MENA reported.


Iran warns any attack would start 'world war' In recent months, several Israeli politicians have talked of the possibility of a preemptive military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities to avoid any possibility of Tehran acquiring an atomic weapon.


Tensions rise as Gaza doctors strike against Hamas sackings The doctors went on strike Saturday to protest the sacking of some 50 doctors and other health workers by the Hamas-run health ministry, saying the decision was politically motivated.


Lebanon deminers hang up their detectors as funds dry up The demining teams have been working all-out to clear the more than one million cluster bombs Israel dropped throughout south Lebanon during the last days of its devastating 34-day war with Hezbollah in the summer of 2006...."Many of the bombs were dropped on agricultural lands, which means farmers are staying away from their land,"....."The United Nations has repeatedly requested cluster bomb data from Israel (including maps and the type of ordnance dropped), but in two years plus, we still haven't received the requested data," No kidding?


Sex, love, violence - first Palestinian soap ready to air - Feature


Stolen gas canisters were Gaza-bound The largest illegal fuel depot in Israel's history was discovered yesterday when National Infrastructure Ministry inspectors raided a warehouse in Ashkelon's southern industrial zone. The warehouse, owned by a former defense establishment employee, housed more than 1,700 containers of cooking gas, or about 100 tons of fuel.


Israeli guards refuse to let int'l activists leave Gaza byland The refusal happened on Friday when Bill Dienst, a doctor from U.S., and British journalist Lauren Booth, accompanied by some sick Palestinians who need special medical care, attempted to exit Gaza via the Eretz Crossing into Israel after their U.S.-based movement finished its days-long protests against the Israeli siege


User-generated anti-Israel markings on Google Earth to have to go through new filter A new super-layer of geographic information in the popular Google Earth program now requires corroboration before user-generated content can be added to the default map display. The move means that anti-Israel markings placed by a Jenin resident are no longer visible to users when they first open the program.


GAZA STRIP: The Fulbright mystery On Aug. 5, the State Department abruptly canceled the visas for the remaining three Fulbright students. Abed found out when he touched down in Dulles airport in Washington.....State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said the visas were revoked after the U.S. "received additional information" about the students from Israel....If the extra evidence reportedly revealed by the Israelis was so convincing that it compelled the State Department to reverse course in a matter of hours, then why wasn?t it provided earlier -- like before Washington went to the trouble and considerable expense of shipping in specialized equipment? Good question.


Israel Turns Gaza Into Prison For UConn Fulbright Scholar


Gaza students denied chance to study abroad


Global energy companies promoting Iran The Anti-Defamation League on Friday criticized the companies for "hindering the effort to isolate Iran." THe ADL = agent of Israel.


The Israeli ambassador is wrong The Israeli ambassador's article yesterday was astonishing in its disregard for the facts. To argue that Israel is not to blame for the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is an incredible attempt to rewrite history.


CNN video on Palestinians' right of return, Lebanon refugee camp


'McCain VP choice unknown to US Jews' "Sarah's absolutely pro-Israel," he said, referring to conversations with her and comments she's made about Israel's security and its importance to the United States. He noted that as governor she signed a resolution honoring Israel for its 60th birthday. David Gottstein, who is active with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Alaska, said he had spoken to the governor about arranging a trip to Israel, but scheduling conflicts had kept it from happening to date


The stubborn hunker down in New Orleans as hordes flee "I'm all American, but my family history is Palestinian so we are used to evacuating," Abbyad quipped as he screwed sheets of plywood to windows.


Gazan phone squad champions Obama


Demonstration protests Steiner deal with Iran Pro-Israel groups demonstrated in Siegen, Germany to protest a major business deal between a local firm and Iran.