Headlines for 09-02-08

Israeli navy arrests three Palestinian fishermen in Gaza waters Israeli forces arrested three Palestinian fishermen when they were fishing in Gaza waters on Tuesday, security sources said.....On Monday, two other fishermen were also injured when the Israeli gunboats targeted their fishing boats.


Gaza strike deepens Palestinian rift: U.N. envoy An education and health dispute that has sparked a huge strike in Gaza may deepen the rift between Hamas and Fatah and harm chances of Palestinian reunification, a United Nations envoy said on Tuesday.


Israelis guilty of Hebron killing Mr Abu Hamdieh was seized from outside his home in Hebron on 30 December 2002. He suffered serious head injuries when members of the border police unit - celebrating the end of their posting in Hebron - made him jump from their jeep as it sped through the streets.



Blair's relative 'stuck in Gaza' Ms Booth told the BBC: "I'd actually like to say 'Thank you very much' to the Israeli authorities at Erez for giving me this fantastic chance to feel just exactly what it is like to be inside what is effectively the world's largest internment camp, where individuals who should have the right to travel under international law are withheld in a 40km by 10km camp."


Syria warns of 'catastrophic' effect of any Israeli strike on Iran Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned Tuesday that an attack by Israel on Iran would have catastrophic consequences for the entire world.


Israeli-Georgians protest 'Putin the murderer' Hundreds rally in Israeli port town to stage protest against Russian human rights violations in their former homeland, call for EU sanctions on Moscow


Report: Ethnicity, social status determine levels of poverty in Israel Forty percent of Druze, a separate religious Arabic entity with its own courts, live under the poverty line, as do 50 percent of the Arab-Muslim households.


Palestinians to McCartney: Stay home "Performing in Israel at this time is morally equivalent to performing in South Africa at the height of the apartheid era... We strongly urge you to uphold the values of freedom, equality and just peace for all by joining this growing boycott against Israeli apartheid. Nothing less would do justice to the legendary legacy of the Beatles."


Commentary: Israel of the Caucasus In a secret agreement between Israel and Georgia, two military airfields in southern Georgia had been earmarked for the use of Israeli fighter-bombers in the event of pre-emptive attacks against Iranian nuclear installations. This would sharply reduce the distance Israeli fighter-bombers would have to fly to hit targets in Iran. And to reach Georgian airstrips, the Israeli air force would fly over Turkey. The attack ordered by Saakashvili against South Ossetia the night of Aug. 7 provided the Russians the pretext for Moscow to order Special Forces to raid these Israeli facilities where some Israeli drones were reported captured. A rather interesting article by Arnaud de Borchgrave of the UPI.


Israel watches bitter parting of unlikely allies While they hardly justified the "Romeo and Juliet" tag awarded them by parts of the Israeli press, Tali Fahima and Zachariya Zubeidi were certainly unusual friends and comrades


French head to begin Syria visit Mr Sarkozy's two-day visit to Syria is the first by a Western head of state in five years.


PALIN MEETS WITH AIPAC A campaign official would not say who asked for the meeting, but said it was geared towards putting the American Jewish community at ease over her understanding of US-Middle East relations......Palin, joined by Sen. Joe Lieberman, expressed her "heartfelt support for Israel" and spoke of the threats it faces from Iran and others, the campaign official said.


'Lenient' sentences for troops who assaulted Palestinian Soldiers convicted of beating taxi dispatcher in Hebron sentenced to active prison terms of less than six months after military court partially rejects victim's contradictory testimony


Palin Pick Shows, Awareness of the Israel Lobby Is Now Out There in the American Hinterland


Lebanese speaker warns against serious Israeli threats Several Israeli officials recently vowed to destroy Lebanon's infrastructure if the Shiite Hezbollah controls the Lebanese government. Evidently, Israel decides which Arabs will govern in Arab countries.


Palin meets with AIPAC leaders "Now that both the Democrats and the Republicans have determined their respective tickets, AIPAC is pleased that both parties have selected four pro-Israel candidates," he said. "In so doing, they have reaffirmed the broad bipartisan support that exists in our country for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship."


Biden reassures Florida Jews on Israel "By any objective fact, Israel is less secure today in the world than it was eight years ago," Biden said. "I promise you ... we will make it more secure."


Report: Israel will leave disputed areas Israeli officials are denying widespread reports that Israel is ready to pull out of disputed areas on its border with Lebanon.


Google responds to ZOA complaint The Zionist Organization of America applauded Google for removing what the group deemed as objectionable material about Israel from its Google Earth service.


Allies, foes scrape through Palin bio for Jewish material The paucity of material led the Republican Jewish Coalition to tout the appearance of a small Israeli flag propped against a window of the state Capitol in an online video in which Palin touts the virtues of hiking Juneau. In an e-mail blast, RJC executive director Matt Brooks offered the screengrab as an answer for "those of you who have had questions regarding Sarah Palin and her views on Israel."


Hamas denies political chief Meshaal quit Syria for Sudan The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Tuesday denied that its political supremo Khaled Meshaal had moved from his self-imposed exile in Syria to Sudan.


UAE CHARITY FOUNDATION REACHES OUT TO PALESTINE, IRAQ DURING RAMADAN For Palestine, he said about 14,000 Muslims in Old Jerusalem, Old Jericho and three other areas in Gaza would be served the Iftar meals in phase one while in phase two, some 4,200 food parcels, comprising a full month's supply of basic food items, would be distributed in East Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza.


Palestinian Village Faces Army Reign of Terror B?Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, has accused the Israeli army of seeking ?revenge? for the girl?s role in exposing the actions of its armed forces in the West Bank......In the past few weeks, two youngsters have been shot dead by the army, including one, Ahmed Moussa, who was 10. The army claimed he was throwing stones. An autopsy showed he was hit in the head by a bullet from an M-16 rifle.


Pro-Palestinian demonstrators interrupt concert Pro-Palestinian demonstrators interrupted a concert by an Israeli string quartet at the Edinburgh International Festival.