Headlines for 01-11-08

Food crisis worsening in Gaza: World Food Programme Anaemia rates have risen to 77.5 percent as Gaza's isolation has deepened, Berthiaume said


Bush plans return visit to Middle East The timing of what would be his second visit to the area as US president would coincide with the 60th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel, which Palestinians call the 'Nakba', or catastrophe, because of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced.


Bush says US opposes Israel undermining Abbas forces "To the extent that Israeli actions have undermined the effectiveness of the Palestinian force, or the authority of the state relative to the average citizen, is something that we don't agree with, and have made our position clear," Bush told a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah with Abbas at his side.


Israel bars international peace activists from entering the Palestinian territories The Israeli Authorities barred on Friday international peace activists from entering the Palestinian territories as they tried to cross the Allenby Bridge between Jordan and the West Bank.


CIA reveals: We said in 1974 that Israel had nuclear weapons The issue of an American double standard regarding the nuclear activities of Israel and Iran often comes up when senior American officials visit the Gulf, as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates did last month.


Ron Paul draws stark contrasts with GOP peers Paul urged U.S. disengagement from the Israeli-Palestinian situation. "It would be much better to have a balance by being out of there. And I think it would be a greater incentive for Israel and the Palestinians and all the Arab nations to come together and talk because I think we get in the way too often. And besides, it's costing us a lot of money and it's costing us lives now.... We're out of money. We can't do it any longer."


Rightists: Bush and Olmert bringing Holocaust upon us


Military option against Iran is 'still on the table' ** Asked whether Israel had shown the president any intelligence contradicting the U.S. National Intelligence Estimate that Iran had stopped its clandestine military nuclear program in 2003, the official said: "This is one of the areas our countries and establishments, including the intelligence establishment, are working in very close cooperation. We don't wait for any special event before passing on information. I assume that the president knows whatever we do."


Group of Gazans arrives in Jordan for free medical treatment The group of 13 includes the elderly and women. As a good will gesture they will be treated free of charge by the Jordanian government, said Hashem Abdullat of the King Hussein Medical Centre where the patients will be hosted.



Bush tours Gulf to push Mideast peace, curb Iran


Israel salutes Bush but cautious on "treaty" hopes


Bush ends Holy Land visit predicting peace deal "The establishment of a state of Palestine is long overdue," he said. "A peace agreement should happen and can happen by the end of this year."


Paul, Giuliani debate Israel "The reality is that Israel is a close and strong ally of the United States," Giuliani said. "America has only a few extremely reliable allies, special relationships. The defense of Israel is a -- critical importance to the United States of America, and it goes much deeper than just tactical things."


Olmert stops talk of Pollard at meal Olmert asked Bush to pardon Pollard when he met with the president on Wednesday, but he was turned down.


Ms. magazine refuses pro-Israel ad Ms. magazine's executive editor, Kathy Spillar, disputes that version, telling JTA the ad showed political support for one of Israel's parties and thus violated magazine standards


Likud slams PM's 'sycophancy' to Bush most of the meeting was devoted to the Iranian issue. Netanyahu pressed Bush to act against the Islamic Republic before he left office in January 2009.


Israeli military jams Palestinian radio with propaganda


WHITE HOUSE NOTEBOOK: Bush gets heaps of praise in Jerusalem


Bush: We should have bombed Auschwitz The President's declaration, reviving one of the most enduring controversies from the war, came as he made an hour-long tour of the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum before leaving Israel for Kuwait.


Weisenthal Center: Lebanese blocking our ad Several other Arab newspapers did not respond requests to run the ad, which was timed to coincide with President Bush's to Israel. It did appear in the New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Ha'aretz and Jerusalem Post.



Security Council condemns attack on Israel A rocket attack on northern Israel has drawn the condemnation of the U.N. Security Council. Libya's ambassador to the United Nations, the current president of the council, fought the resolution's adoption for 48 hours, Ha'aretz reported.


In pictures: Bush in West Bank


With concern and bemusement, Israelis follow U.S. elections "We are so closely influenced by what happens in the United States, so people think it?s in their own self-interest to support Hillary, assuming she will do more for Israel," ....."Of course we are all following the elections: This is going to be our president, too,"


Report: Wall construction, settlement expansion and nonviolent resistance in 2007


Bishops from Europe and US to visit Holy Land in support of peace


Spielberg lends a hand "When Mr. Spielberg decided to funnel his profits from Munich into the Righteous Persons Foundation, he knew that he wanted to allocate these specific funds to programs based on co-existence issues,"


United Methodists meet with Caterpillar to discuss disinvestment The chief of the United Methodist Church's public affairs unit in the US will meet today with Jim Owens, President and CEO of Caterpillar in order to convey his opposition to Caterpillar's equipment sales to Israel.


Six days in the West Bank - an unforgettable experience I'm always acutely aware of the danger of getting drawn into the propaganda battle between Israelis and Palestinians - I have many Israeli friends who I cherish dearly. But to put it bluntly the situation in the West Bank is dire. It's dire in the West Bank and it's even worse in Gaza. To allow the status to remain as it is simply unjust, unjustifiable and indefensible!


The military zone in Hebron As and by way of harassment, the Jews residing in the area beat even the school students on their way back home. With the Ecumenical Accompaniers accompanying the students, the incidents of harassment drastically reduced. For the EAs would just record the incident on their camera and put it on the net and distribute it to international human rights groups. This did act as a deterrent


Of ordinariness and occupation


Spy case still makes waves in Israel Ron Olive, the agent in charge of counterintelligence for the Naval Investigative Service at the time of Pollard's arrest, told the BBC that the incident was "one of the most devastating cases of espionage in US history" during which Pollard stole over "one million classified documents". "Even though Israel is an ally, it had friends that aren't necessarily friend of the US," said Mr Olive, who wrote a book about the case, Capturing Jonathan Pollard.



O.U. rejects Bush's Jerusalem claim The Orthodox Union rejected President Bush's claim that Jerusalem is a "tough issue."