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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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I would like to wish a `Merry Christmas` to all the Christian readers, but especially to those inside Palestine, whom I hope will stop leaving our land.
Shadi
B'Tselem: Azzun 'Atma to become a prison
Azzun 'Atma has a population of 1,800. The illegal Israeli settlement os Sha'are Tikva was built just east of it, on lands belonging to residents of the village. The settlement breaks the territorial contiguity between the village and two neighboring villages, Beit Amin and Sanniriya. On its western border, the equally illegal Israreli settlement of Oranit was built. The israeli Wall was finished in this area in October 2003, separating Azzun 'Atma from the rest of the West Bank. Palestinians must pass through a gate in order to reach other parts of the West Bank.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1287
20 Dec. 06: Soldier shoots and kills construction worker in Kufr A-Dik village, northern West Bank, 14 Dec.
Suddenly, Wahib a-Dik, carrying two empty pails, came out of an upper level of the site and stood next to the stairs. A-Dik managed to say a few words, apparently to declare his innocence. The soldier went down on one knee, aimed his rifle, and fired a volley of bullets at a-Dik. Hit by the bullets, a-Dik dropped the pails, collapsed, and fell about five meters to the ground, apparently dead. His father, Muslah a-Dik, and Naji demanded that the soldier give the injured man first-aid and help evacuate him, but the soldier refused. The soldiers left the site.
http://www.btselem.org/english/Firearms/20061214_Killing_of_Wahib_a_Dik.asp
Violence, economic hardship accelerate exodus of Bethlehem’s Christians
Altogether, about one-tenth of the Christian population in Bethlehem and two adjacent towns, Beit Jalla and and Beit Sahour, has moved away during the recent years of fighting, according to figures compiled by the United Nations. Generally well-educated, middle class and with relatives abroad, Palestinian Christians, most of them Greek Orthodox or Catholic, have been prone to emigrate as conditions at home deteriorated. Many have gone to the United States, Latin America and Europe.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/world/16309555.htm
Hamas-Fatah violence mars Christmas for Gaza Christians
"We do not feel the cheer of Christmas," Um Tareq, a Greek Orthodox woman, lamented... "The general atmosphere in Gaza is a sad one. We used to see Palestinian children killed by Israeli bullets. Now they are killed by Palestinian bullets. How can we celebrate Christmas in such conditions?" asked Manuel Musallam, a Catholic priest.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/804919.html
Israeli army erects military checkpoints around Tubas
The Israeli army erected several military checkpoints around the northern West Bank city of Tubas on Sunday morning. Residents said that soldiers stopped and searched them for several hours at those checkpoints
http://www.imemc.org/content/view/23348/1/
While shepherds watch their flocks in the South Hebron Hills
Here is the list of the damage they saw: #1 a shop in Karmel where soldiers destroyed lights and door bells. #2 TV shop: soldiers broke a satellite dish with rocks and shot another one. The broken satellite dishes were put outside the shop. #7 soldiers hit a Mitsubishi L200 # IL 32 123 02 with their jeep, damaging the doors and breaking the glass windows...
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2006/12/24/dove-south-hebron/
Israeli moderately hurt in W. Bank shooting attack
The man apparently came under Palestinian fire while he was driving on the route that connects the (ILLEGAL) settlements of Oferim and Neveh Tzuf, near the Palestinian village of Dir Abu Meshal.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/804856.html
Unity march in Tulkarem: leftists call for dialogue and school girls call for action
Thousands of citizens joined, including representatives of national and Islamic parties, public and private institutions, and students. The emphasis was placed on the inviolability of unity and the devastating affects that internal fighting between the national and Islamic forces, Fateh and Hamas, have had on the community at large.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1281
West Bank platoon commander dismissed over killing of girl, 14
The Naveh investigation ordered the dismissal of the platoon commander. It also instructructed that the commander of his company, a part of the Nahshon infantry battalion, receive an official reprimand. The soldier who shot the girl has been suspended from duty until further notice.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/804922.html
PM mulling prisoner release before Shalit freed
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is considering acquiescing to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' request that Israel free Palestinian prisoners ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival at the end of the week. The government will convene in the coming days to discuss the release as a gesture aimed at strengthening Abbas
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/804608.html
Palestinian prisoner release mooted
Israel has been under US and European pressure to take steps to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah after he called early elections against his Hamas rivals. Yuval Diskin, chief of Israel's Shin Bet intelligence service, said Abbas has no way of enforcing policies in the Palestinian territories and that Fatah would lose in the coming elections, a cabinet source said.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20972418-5005961,00.html
Report: U.S. weighing plan for Palestinian state by end of 2007
A prominent U.S. Jewish weekly has reported that the Bush administration is weighing a plan to declare an independent Palestinian state with temporary borders by the end of 2007, and has begun lobbying Congress to provide $100 million in aid to bolster Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/804855.html
Israeli Cabinet Agrees to Free Some Palestinian Funds
Israel's cabinet approved transferring $100 million in tax money to the Palestinian Authority in a move to buttress Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his power struggle with Hamas.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aJ74ngG3AafY&refer=home
Israel could free Barghouthi in prisoner deal
Israel said on Sunday it would consider freeing Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouthi from jail as part of a prisoner exchange deal. Barghouthi, a popular member of Abbas's Fatah faction, was jailed by an Israeli court for five life terms for ordering attacks as part of the Palestinian revolt against occupation. He denied the charges.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=L24186584&WTmodLoc=World-R5-Alertnet-5
EU welcomes Israeli decision to transfer frozen funds to PA
"I am also encouraged by the indications that Israel may be ready to unblock part of Palestinian customs and tax revenues for humanitarian purposes," the statement said. "This would be a first step towards a long-standing objective of the EU and vital in meeting the needs of the Palestinian people."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/804913.html
Results of Abbas-Olmert talks should be backed in Palestine, Israel
“Moscow proceeds from a premise that the positive result of these talks will tell favorably on the situation in the Middle East region,” the diplomat emphasized. “Russia constantly voiced support, in the format of the Middle-East Quartet of international mediators and on a bilateral basis, for holding such a substantive and resultative meeting.”
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11113112&PageNum=0
Olmert and Abbas to meet again
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his Cabinet on Sunday that he planned to meet again with Mahmoud Abbas to build on their first meeting, where he promised to give the Palestinian president millions of dollars in frozen funds.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061224.wizpal1224/BNStory/International/home
Agreement On Revitalizing Palestine Industrial Free Zone
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on January 4th, 2006 in Ramallah between Turkey and Palestine and a joint declaration, signed on January 5th, 2006 in Jerusalem between Turkey and Israel to revitalize, develop and manage the Palestine Industrial Free Zone (PIFZ) entered into force after being approved by Turkish Council of Ministers on November 20th,2006 and published on Official Gazette today.
http://www.anatoliantimes.com/hbr2.asp?id=156550
West Bank town of Bethlehem experiences little peace - or commerce
Too bad the tables were empty, waiters were nowhere to be seen, and the smell of cooking was definitely not wafting across the room. Johnny Kattan, the general manager of the Jacir Palace, one of the West Bank's grandest hotels, admitted one recent day that, despite the hopeful preparations, not only was lunch going unappreciated, but also there were no reservations for dinner that night.
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/world/16307433.htm
Diskin: Israel trapped by restraint policy
Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin voiced his concern on Sunday during the cabinet meeting over the policy of restraint currently being employed by Israel in the face of the continuous rocket attacks emanating from Gaza. "We're trapped. If we don't respond – the Qassams will continue to fall and if we do respond against the rocket cells the calm will collapse," said Diskin.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3344053,00.html
International influences pressure inter-Palestinian conflict
The gun battles between Fatah and Hamas are more than just part of a power struggle between rival Palestinian factions. The fighting is rooted in opposing political visions, each supported by a different set of international actors: the U.S. and Europe on the one hand, Iran and Syria on the other.
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/world/16311132.htm
Shell shock
On May 30, 1948, David Ben-Gurion wrote in his diary that 6,000 tank shells, at a cost of $60,000, had to be purchased and that their delivery would probably cost around $300,000. On November 24, 1948, the prime minister wrote in his diary: Shaul is bringing products: light weapons and ammunition - $9,815; guns and shells - $428,000; armored vehicles - $2 million; explosives - $1 million; navy - $6,580,000. On December 26, 1948, he wrote: "Battalion 13 losses: 13 killed, 10 missing, 35 wounded, lost a lot of weapons." ( JEWISH IMMIGRNTS IN PALESTINE! )
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/804658.html
Three days of callousness
Last Tuesday, Doaa Abd al-Qadr, 14, left her home near Tul Karm and walked toward the separation fence. It was a spring day, her mother says, and she decided to visit relatives, Israeli Arabs who live on the other side. Doaa and a 12-year-old friend were walking in a ditch on the Palestinian side, about 100 meters from the fence, when Israel Defense Force soldiers spotted them and fired warning shots - as far as is known. When the two girls came out of the ditch, an IDF marksman fired another shot. Doaa Abd al-Qadr died on the way to the hospital.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/804659.html
WHO survey finds better health among Jews than Arab Israelis
These statistics have a socioeconomic explanation: Most of the Arab women live in poor communities in outlying areas, where access to specialists and testing centers is expensive and therefore relatively infrequent. For example, the Israel Cancer Society has only one mobile mammography vehicle for all peripheral communities.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/804668.html
Three states for two peoples
On the assumption that the primary players will remain on the same stage, then no significant meeting will take place between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. By significant, I mean political and not humanitarian. The eight months in which Olmert managed to serve as premier without significant contact with the Palestinian chairman have been habit-forming. The concept of "soon" is the one that will really continue to make its appearance.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/804657.html
Taking Stock / The generals won a decisive victory again - against the poor, sick and elderly
If three years ago someone were to have told Kobi Haber - who was then in charge of the defense budget for the Finance Ministry's Budgets Division - that in 2007 the defense budget would reach NIS 52 billion, he would have laughed.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/804661.html
Photo expo focus on Palestine
The culmination of their work aims to pose questions of identity, positioning and conditioning that move us through a process of developing, understanding, and knowledge of how our imagination, ideology, and personal experience condition our perceptions of the world around us.
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=165395&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=29279
A palace befiting the ruler of the land
Among the casualties of the recent war in Lebanon were four UN observers stationed in the village of Khiam, north of Metula. They were killed in an Israel Defense Forces bombing raid, and the government of Israel apologized for their deaths. Their names now appear at the bottom of a memorial plaque in the small garden at the entrance to the High Commissioner's Residence in Jerusalem.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/804666.html
MK Bishara in Ghajar: We won't let you become refugees
"We came here following many appeals by residents who fear that two-thirds of them will be forced to move to Lebanese territory. I plan to turn to the Lebanese leaders Lahoud and Siniora, and to the Syrian leadership, and make it clear that we will not let these residents be turned into refugees who are separated from one another," he added.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3344018,00.html
Iran Sanctions / A difficult decision is approaching
This is a nice Christmas present for the United States, the West and Israel. Perhaps the wrapping isn't so fancy, but the UN Security Council resolution is undoubtedly a great achievement for American diplomacy and especially for the European Union. Because until now, the U.S. did not have enough supporters in the International Atomic Energy Agency to pass a firm resolution against Iran.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/804646.html |
| For further information contact Shadi Fadda |
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