'A' is for Apartheid or Annapolis – by Susan Abulhawa
In the 80s, we gave up 78% of our homeland to try to pick up the pieces of our lives on the remaining 22% of Palestine. This was, and remains, the only true (brave or otherwise) concession ever made in the so-called 'Middle East Conflict." Next came Camp David, then Madrid, then Oslo, then another Camp David, Taba, Wye, (deep breath) Sharm el Sheikh, the Disengagement, the Road Map. Through it all, Israel continued to divide, carve out, confiscate and settle that 22%.
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/story-12020764259.htm

On Khaled's roof – by Amira Hass
In the West Bank there are about two million Khaleds. In every village and city many families have land that Israel prevents them from reaching, like land in area C (60% of the West Bank), by means of the separation barrier, security roads of Jewish settlements, settlements built on part of the land that blocks access to the land that hasn't been confiscated, roads that are forbidden to Palestinian travel, closed military areas, army camps, or army road blocks. Every Palestinian has their own Mount Nevo, from which they see the land, which has as much emotional as material value, being taken away from them.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=23754

Labour bill to offer evacuation compensation for some settlers
The Labor Party intends to present a bill that would compensate some West Bank settlers who leave their homes voluntarily, the party's chairman, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, told the cabinet Sunday. Barak told the ministers that the bill would apply to settlers who currently reside on the eastern side of the West Bank separation fence. Barak also told the cabinet that Israel will make an effort to remove the illegal West Bank settlement outposts in coordination with the settlers.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/930263.html

 
Palestinian village in Jordan Valley suffers from Israeli policy
Bardalah, a small Palestinian village located in the Jordan Valley has suffered hardship as a result of Israeli actions. The village is the main source of agricultural produce for the West Bank but the Israeli authorities have prevented the inhabitants of the village and the surrounding areas from constructing much needed agricultural infrastructure. Mohamad Yousif, a member of the popular committee for Land Defense in the village spoke of how the most fertile lands in the area had been confiscated to facilitate the construction of illegal Israeli settlements. 'These settlements are provided with all necessary facilities while Palestinian areas are destroyed from a lack of water, electricity and sanitation networks', he added. The village also suffers from a lack of health care centers and schools.
http://www.imemc.org/article/51789

 
Israel won't cut power to Gaza Strip until High Court gives okay
The defense establishment does not intend to begin reducing electricity from Israel to the Gaza Strip until it receives a green light from the High Court of Justice, legal officials said over the weekend. The High Court ruling means a delay of at least three weeks before Israel reduces electricity to Gaza , because the state has 12 days to provide the information [required by the court]. Those who oppose the move then have a week to file their briefs with the court.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/930046.html

 
Gaza Strip fuel companies reject deliveries from Israel
in protest of severe reductions in supplies on Sunday. Raed Rajab, assistant manager of the Palestinian General Petroleum Corporation, said that Israel has reduced vital fuel supplies to one quarter of normal levels since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip on June 14th. He said that the cost of distributing the fuel means that Gaza's fuel companies actually lose money delivering such a small amount of fuel. By Thursday, 70% of Gaza Strip fuel stations had already shut down, having run out of fuel, the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) reported. PHCR warned that reductions in vital supplies violate the Fourth Geneva Convention.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=26595

 
Israel allows 199 Palestinians who reside abroad to leave Gaza Sunday
Five busloads of Palestinians entered Israeli territory and then crossed into Egypt through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, said Shadi Yassin, a spokesman for the Israeli civil administration. About 50 others who were expected to pass today are now scheduled to be released tomorrow, Yassin said. Israeli security forces prevented two others from leaving Gaza. This is the first time ever that people have been crossed through Kerem Shalom, a crossing where the borders of Gaza, Egypt and Israel meet. Israel has kept Gaza's border crossings closed since June. The departure on Sunday at the Erez border crossing from Gaza into Israel was delayed by several dozen Palestinians who blocked the buses and demanded to be let out as well. The protest ended when Palestinian border officials promised that all of the about 5,000 Gazans still waiting to leave would be allowed out within 10 days.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/930297.html

 
Students block buses protesting exclusion from Gaza travel list
The five students said they will be dismissed from their universities abroad if they do not arrive at school soon, as they have been trapped in Gaza by the Israeli blockade for a year. They accused PA officials of excluding them out of nepotism. saying coordinators used contacts to arrange for the departure of sons of officials and public figures, who leave the Strip for recreation, neglecting the rest of average people. Other Palestinians, who were included in the list, criticized Palestinian officials for separating them from their families. Maha Miqdad who planned to go to Qatar with her four children said that she was left off the list, but her children included.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=26580

 
Stuck in Gaza, the question is 'Why?' – by Nidal al-Mughrabi
For many reasons, I had hopes the Israeli army would let me cross Israel to the West Bank. But my dreams of leaving Gaza for the other half of the Palestinian territories were disappointed. I wanted to meet colleagues -- Israelis, foreigners and my fellow Palestinians -- whom I speak to daily but have not seen in years. I also hoped I could travel on to Jordan for a few days off abroad, also for the first time in years. It was not to be. Why? . . . The "Other World" is now how Palestinians in the Gaza Strip refer to any place outside Gaza.
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL30356194.html

 
De facto Gaza Strip government working with Egypt to open Rafah crossing for the Hajj
Spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri said his government is holding talks exclusively with Eygpt, not with Israel, on the issue of allowing Palestinians to exit Gaza for the Muslim Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. Abu Zuhri said Egyptian authorities promised to "work out a solution for the Hajj issue as soon as possible," but have not set a date for opening the border. [The Hajj begins on December 18 this year.]
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=26579

 
Gaza census called off
GAZA CITY – Gaza's Hamas rulers ordered census workers Sunday to halt the first Palestinian population count in a decade, derailing a rare joint endeavor with the rival Fatah movement. Hamas had agreed to cooperate with the census, which is being conducted by President Mahmoud Abbas' rival government in the West Bank. But Hamas officials on Sunday shut down the Gaza census office, saying the surveyors had violated an agreement to share their data with Hamas as it is collected.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071202/ap_on_re_mi_ea/palestinians_census_2

 
Fatah: Hamas forces arrest four Fatah members
The sources identified the detainees as Majdi al-Shalatawi, Atta Affana, Kayed Affana and Tayseer Anemnem. The detainees, who were sticking portraits of late Fatah leader Yasser Arafat on their houses' walls, were taken to unknown destinations, the sources said.
http://www.imemc.org/article/51821

 
Gaza's child labour on the rise
In the streets of Gaza, isolated by the Palestinian government and much of the world, growing numbers of children are being sent out to work. With 70% of people in Gaza living below the poverty line, children are being forced to take on the role of provider for their struggling families. Mohammad Nemir is a 10-year-old boy who works for a mechanic. Despite his age, Mohammad finds himself the sole provider for a family of nine. Pincers and screwdrivers have replaced his books and toys, so he can earn about $50 a month.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6E62579B-72A6-41B2-8639-397B364C268A.htm

 
Egyptian police seize explosives, uncover tunnels near Gaza border
Egyptian police arrested a Bedouin woman Friday who had almost a half ton of explosives buried under her house in the eastern Sinai Peninsula, a security official said. Police found the explosives a day after they discovered two tunnels on the other side of the Sinai Peninsula in Rafah. Israel has repeatedly accused Egypt of not doing enough to stop weapons smuggling into Gaza, particularly through tunnels. Cairo recently said it would make a greater effort to stop smuggling.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3477538,00.html

 
Israeli troops invade Nablus and two refugee camps at dawn Sunday, kidnap one resident
Soldiers broke into dozens of homes and searched them; damage was reported. Ayman Al Tookhy, 21, was handcuffed and blindfolded before he was forced into a military jeep and taken to an unknown destination, local sources reported. Moreover, soldiers invaded the Old City of Nablus and fired rounds of live ammunition in several directions. Local resident stated that explosions were heard in the area. The invasion mainly targeted the eastern area of the Old City and Al Qaryoun neighborhood.
http://www.imemc.org/article/51819

Palestinian opens fire at West Bank barrier; eight shells fired from Gaza
An armed Palestinian militant opened fire on Israel Defense Forces troops on Monday [3 December] at the Qalandiyah checkpoint near Jerusalem. The troops seized control of the gunman, who managed to fire two shots before running out of ammunition. A civilian bystander was lightly wounded by flying shrapnel. None of the soldiers suffered any injuries. Also Monday, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired eight mortar shells at the western Negev. One of the shells struck inside the Nahal Oz Kibbutz, causing no injuries. Another shell hit the security fence between Israel and Gaza, and the others slammed into open fields in the region.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/930285.html

 
EU-trained women join ranks of PA police in latest West Bank reform
The first class of Palestinian policewomen to complete a new EU-sponsored training program graduated Sunday, part of a broader European Union makeover of the demoralized and ill-equipped Palestinian law enforcement agencies. The 45 rookies will join a small group of women serving in a role still largely frowned upon in conservative Palestinian society. Their duties will include traffic patrols, house searches and carrying out security checks on women at prisons and institutions such as universities, police spokesman Adnan Dameree said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/930295.html

 
Israeli army orders families to leave their homes near Bethlehem so they can be demolished
The so-called Civil Administration Office , which is part of the Israeli military apparatus in the occupied West Bank, ordered on Saturday two Palestinian families of Za'tara village, east of Bethlehem, to leave their homes after the army decided to demolish them. Local sources reported that the army claims that the two homes were constructed without a construction license. Khalid Al Azza, head of the local committee for resisting the Wall and Settlements in Bethlehem, stated that the homes belong to Tariq Ta'amra and Ibrahim Salahat. Thirty residents live in the two homes, he added.
http://www.imemc.org/article/51817

 
Christmas, Eid in Bethlehem threatened as city faces fiscal crisis
The city government of Bethlehem is facing a financial crisis because the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority (PA) has still not disbursed a grant approved in 2005, Bethlehem's mayor says. Bethlehem's municipal employees have not yet received their salaries for October and November. The city's debts are threatening to put a damper on celebrations for Christmas and the Muslim holiday Eid Al-Adha, Mayor Victor Batarseh said.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=26591

 
Barghouti: Plan to release only 429 Palestinian prisoners 'joke'
Imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti on Sunday called Israel's plan to release of just over 400 Palestinian prisoners "a joke," after members of the Knesset's Internal Affairs and Environment Committee visited him at the Hadarim prison. In an answer to committee chairman MK Ophir Pines-Paz's question, Barghouti said that Israel could have easily freed 8,000 Palestinian prisoners and added that the prisoners that are due for release were supposed to be released anyway in a few months. On Monday, 429 Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli jails, as a goodwill gesture to PA President Mahmoud Abbas. The prisoner release was supposed to be held on Sunday, but was postponed to Monday at the PA's request.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/930291.html

 
Israeli prison guards attack Palestinian lawyer
Palestinian sources stated that the Israeli guards in Al Maskobiyyah detention facility located near Jerusalem attacked a Palestinian lawyer on Friday evening as he was visiting a number of detainees. Ma'moun Al Hasheem, a Palestinian lawyer working for the Palestinian Prisoners Society, was conducting a regular visit to Palestinian political prisoners. Witnesses reported that the lawyer had a verbal fight with one of the guards, later on, five armed guards attacked him using rifle buts and batons.
http://www.imemc.org/article/51818 

 
Hamas: PA's security forces arrest eight Hamas members in Jenin, two more in Hebron and Salfit
including two brothers of Hamas's armed wing leader Nedal Abuelheja as well as another leader of the Islamic Jihad group. The statement read that the security forces broke into and vandalized the detainees' houses, in addition to searching thoroughly the local mosque of al-Rawda. Also in Hebron city, to the south of West Bank, the PA's security services took prisoner Mohammad Al-Heroub, after having broken into his house and storming the local mosque of al-Omary, according to the statement. The statement recorded one more arrest in Salfit city, to the north of the West Bank.
http://www.imemc.org/article/51822

 
PA renews policy of shaving Hamas men's beards
Nearly a decade ago, former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat was so upset with Hamas that he ordered his security forces to arrest leaders of the Islamist movement and shave their Islamic beards. The move was intended to humiliate the Hamas leaders, who were embarrassed to appear in public beardless after they were freed. Many Hamas members then shaved their beards voluntarily to avoid being arrested. Now Abbas has renewed the policy. A senior Hamas figure from the village of Skaka near Nablus, Sheikh Husam Harb, 48,  is the latest victim. The sheikh said the PA security forces shaved his beard shortly before releasing him. "The security agents came to my cell in the evening and informed me of the decision to shave my beard, which I've had for 25 years," he recounted. "The whole act lasted only a few minutes. I was so shocked that I couldn't sleep all night." Egypt's notorious and much-feared secret services were among the first in the Arab world to use beard-shaving as a means of humiliation against members of the Muslim Brotherhood organization.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1195546778174&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

 
Islamic Jihad leader: Hamas and Fatah to meet in Cairo
Islamic Jihad leader Khalid al-Batsh revealed to Ma'an on Sunday that there will be talks in Cairo between all Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah rivals in attempts to bring to an end the interim inter-Palestinian crisis. He added that Islamic Jihad is exerting every effort to bring about dialogue in Cairo and Mecca, aimed at ending the political stalemate in the Palestinian territories. He said Islamic Jihad is in the centre of the political spectrum between both Hamas and Fatah
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=26596

 
Abbas reiterated his refusal to recognize Israel as Jewish state
"Historically, there are two states - Israel and Palestinian. Israel has Jews and other people, and this we are ready to recognize, but nothing else," the radio quoted Abbas as saying shortly after he landed in Saudi Arabia after brief stops in Egypt and Jordan.  The Palestinians' recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, which Jerusalem demands, is meant to bolster Israel's position that rejects the return of Palestinian refugees to areas inside the Green Line
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/929978.html

 
The Palestine that we struggle for – by Jamal Juma'
The gulf between the PA and the Palestinian people is becoming increasingly obvious. Indeed the whole range of Palestinian political and social forces joined in condemning the repression on Tuesday.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9135.shtml

 
Earthquake shakes Israel, Palestinian territories
The fourth earthquake in two weeks shook parts of Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories on Sunday, causing no casualties or damage. The tremor had a magnitude of 4.0, according to a statement from Israel's Geophysical Institute. Its epicenter was north of the Dead Sea , the lowest point on earth, according to the Israeli institute and Jordan's Natural Resources Authority. The Dead Sea lies on the Syrian-African rift fault line, where earthquakes are common. The border between Israel and Jordan runs along the rift. On average, major earthquakes hit the area once a century. The last major earthquake to strike the area was in 1927. It had a magnitude of more than 6 and killed 500 people.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=432440d7-8937-4adb-bc15-6c6edad3d497

 
Syria describes Annapolis as defeat for Palestinians
State-run Tishrin daily says Annapolis peace conference favored Israeli side, ended with no real promise for peace. 'Israel as Jewish State is consecration of Israeli racism,' says lead editorial
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3477750,00.html

 
Same old, same old – Israel wins again
Israel is where it has liked to be over the past several decades, allowing itself to be perceived as the victim of terror while at the same time occupying and terrorizing the citizens of Palestine. While negotiations drag on, while more land is settled, while the brutality of the occupation continues, notes Jim Miles.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/opinion/?id=23307

 
Changing the roles of peacemaking – by Roger H. Lieberman
All the news to come out of Annapolis suggests that the two constants that have doomed successive diplomatic efforts in the Holy Land remain unchanged: Israel's quest to legitimize a separate and unequal relationship with the Palestinian people, and the White House's foolish endorsement of this Israeli paradigm. In American life, the latter has become a fixture as constant as death and taxes – indeed, it is intimately related to both.  Back in 2004, when President Bush conveyed his notorious "understandings" to then-Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon – in which he recognized Israel's "right" to annex settlement blocs and deny Palestinian refugees the Right of Return – he let a nasty genie out of its lamp, which now hovers over the Annapolis process.
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/story-12020763920.htm

 
Rice: Talks on core issues ahead
WASHINGTON - American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice seems pleased with the results of the Annapolis Conference, despite the skepticism that has taken root in some Middle Eastern countries: In the wake of the conference, Rice plans to arrange for negotiations on the core issues to begin within a month. Rice met this weekend with the leaders of 18 American Jewish organizations to assure them that the Bush administration will not pressure Israel but rather facilitate talks between the two sides.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3477792,00.html

 
"The tumult and the shouting dies…" – by Uri Avnery
Bush and Olmert touched each other many times, but there was almost no physical contact between Bush and Mahmoud Abbas. More than that: during all the joint events, the distance between Bush and Olmert was smaller than the distance between Bush and Abbas. Several times Bush and Olmert walked ahead together, with Abbas trailing behind. That's the whole story.
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1196557518/ 

 
U.S. ultra-Orthodox group breaks mold by taking stance on peace process
Agudath Israel of America has traditionally steered clear of matters involving Israeli sovereignty, on the grounds that a true Jewish homeland can be established only by the coming of the messiah. At its national convention last week, however, Agudath Israel passed a resolution stating that Israel should not surrender any part of Jerusalem to Palestinian sovereignty and that America 's government should not pressure it into doing so. The stance also could be an important signal of the political tides in Israel. Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, the head of Agudath Israel of America, told the convention that he had consulted with the leading Agudath Israel rabbis in Israel and they had urged him to speak out on the matter.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/930238.html

 
Study: U.S., Israel should begin planning Iran strike
Israel and the United States should begin an intense dialogue on ways to deal with Iran's nuclear plans and should study ways to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, a new study states. The report, by a former deputy head of the National Security Council, Chuck Freilich, says Israel and the U.S. should discuss nuclear-crisis scenarios between Israel and Iran. The report, entitled "Speaking About the Unspeakable," was released over the weekend by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/930162.html