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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Israeli academic prejudice
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel has called upon their colleagues in the international community to "comprehensively and consistently boycott all Israeli academic and cultural institutions" as exemplified in the struggle to abolish apartheid in South Africa through diverse forms of boycott.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/721/in2.htm
"It Was Like Abu Ghraib": Israeli Abuse of Birzeit University's Gazan Students
They hit us with their rifle butts us as we lay on the ground and swore at us in Arabic, kicking and punching us in the face, chest, and head. One soldier had a camera. After this first beating, they took pictures of each other standing by us as we lay on the floor. One soldier posed with his boot on my friends head. It was like the pictures from Abu Ghraib.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3433.shtml
Soldier who shot Briton admits lying
The Israeli soldier on trial for killing the British peace activist Tom Hurndall in the Gaza Strip has admitted he was lying when he said his victim was carrying a gun, but said he was under orders to open fire even on unarmed people.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1374851,00.html
Palestinian candidates decry lack of freedom of movement
One of the main requirements for an election campaign is that the candidates be able to present their message to the voters, at rallies and through the media. But some of the candidates in the current Palestinian presidential election campaign are complaining that they are being denied that right because the IDF is blocking them at checkpoints
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/514455.html
CEC Calls for Urgent Intervention against Israeli Measures that Impede Elections
Palestinian Central Election Commission (CEC) called Wednesday on the international organizations to urgently intervene so as to urge Israel takes the appropriate steps to enable it perform its duties.
http://english.wafa.ps/body.asp?field=tech_news&id=1943
PNA urges Israel to release detained candidates
Erekat said the Israeli troops arrested four candidates at a checkpoint in the West Bank town of Al Dahereya and a fifth in Jericho two days ago. Palestinian sources said Israel was still holding the five Palestinian candidates.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/16/content_2343738.htm
UN gives new homes to Jenin refugee camp families
Peter Hansen, who participated in the ceremony, said the efforts to assist Jenin residents were "the largest humanitarian project in the territories in the past four years." The project was funded by a grant of $27 million from the United Arab Emirates. According to UN statistics, 2,000 Palestinians were left homeless following Operation Defensive Shield. ( Jenin Massacre )
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/515576.html
Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
This week, Israeli troops conducted 5 incursions into Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip, during which they destroyed 13 houses, razed at least 115 donums of agricultural land, and injured 7 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli troops killed 4 Palestinian civilians, including an 8-year-old child and an elderly man.
http://pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2004/16-12-2004.htm
Court asks gov't to reflect on impact of law on Palestinians
Under a temporary amendment to the Citizenship Law, requests for family reunification submitted by Israeli-Palestinian couples or requests for permanent residency submitted by Palestinians married to Israeli citizens after May 2002, the date of the order's first enactment, must be rejected.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/515424.html
IOF Kills 3 Citizens in Gaza
Medical sources in Gaza said that Israeli troops killed Hassan al-Banna 20, and Ashraf Ba'lousha 19 in Dier al-Balah City. The sources added that Israeli forces handed over the body of al-Banna but still keeping the body of Ba'lousha.
http://english.wafa.ps/body.asp?field=tech_news&id=1944
11 IDF soldiers wounded in Gaza mortar attack
Eleven Israel Defense Forces soldiers were lightly wounded on Thursday evening when Palestinians fired four mortar shells at an outpost near the Atzmona settlement in the southern Gaza Strip.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=515342&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y
Abbas rejects Sharon's offer to coordinate disengagement
The disengagement plan has improved Israel's international image, Sharon said in his annual keynote at the Herzliya Conference on Thursday evening, adding that "it is clear to everyone that we will not be in Gaza after a final status agreement."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/515113.html
PM orders halt to talks after Itzik's comments
Earlier in the evening, Likud negotiators offered Labor eight ministerial posts Thursday, including a special deputy prime minister position for party chairman Shimon Peres, putting the two sides closer than ever to reaching an agreement to bring Labor into a national unity government.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/515341.html
Blair to visit Palestinian territories next week
"Besides the possibility to hold an international conference aimed at re-launching the peace process in the region, the two sides will also discuss mechanisms of cooperation between Britain and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), which will help the PNA perform its duties in the future with different challenges,"
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/16/content_2343782.htm
Italian FM to spend Christmas in Bethlehem
Official Palestinian sources said Thursday that Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories next week and spend Christmas in Bethlehem.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/16/content_2344139.htm
Key militants reject Abbas' call to end armed attacks
Key Palestinian militant groups on Thursday rejected a call by moderate leader Mahmoud Abbas to end their armed fight against Israel, saying they were not bound by his authority and attacks would continue.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/515557.html
Palestinian official denies cabinet to be reshuffled
Lebda told reporters that the reports were unfounded and surprising as the Jan. 9 presidential election draws near. On Wednesday, Palestinian official sources were quoted by local media as saying six cabinet ministers were to replaced in a new government.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/16/content_2343765.htm
Window of opportunity opens up again to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace - UN
"There exists at present a real opportunity to implement the Road Map's provisions and to make a huge leap forward towards a settlement of the conflict," he added in reference to plan calling for parallel and reciprocal steps by both sides leading to two States living in peace by the end of 2005.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=12836&Cr=middle&Cr1=east
Egypt postpones Rafah troop deployment
Egypt has postponed until April 2005 its increased deployment of soldiers along the Egyptian side of Philadelphi route on the Sinai-Gaza Strip border in the Rafah area. Egypt had previously offered to deploy 750 soldiers from its Border Guard, equipped with armored personnel carriers and side-arms, as early as January.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=515114&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y
Talking up trade
On Tuesday Egypt signed an agreement, which it had long resisted, with Israel and the US allowing Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) to be established. Goods produced in these zones will enjoy unhampered access to the US market provided they have an 11.7 per cent Israeli input.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/721/fr1.htm
Hamas urges foreign workers to leave Jewish settlements
Following the incident, a Thai diplomatic delegation arrived in Israel to evacuate dozens of Thai workers from Jewish settlements. Hamas welcomed the Thai government's decision, calling upon other foreign countries to evacuate their workers in the Jewish settlements too.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/16/content_2343420.htm
Bethlehem's Paradise Hotel opens doors for first Christmas since 2000
The floors are polished, a Christmas tree glitters near the bar and the dining room is ready for hundreds of guests: The luxury Paradise Hotel is open for business for the first time since the latest Palestinian uprising erupted in 2000.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20041216-1042-bethlehem-roomattheinn.html
Analysis / Confident Abbas can afford to be anti-weapons
Mahmoud Abbas is a confident man, certain of a landslide victory on January 9 in the Palestinian Authority's presidential elections. That is the conclusion that can be drawn from the clear statement he made in his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat against the use of weapons in the intifada.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/514454.html
The non-event
The feeling that "a window of opportunity" has opened is prevalent in most of the public: Not only did Arafat's departure open a new chapter in relations with the Palestinians and a chance "to disengage with an agreement," but the "Arab world" led by President Mubarak is changing its attitude toward Israel "regardless of the Palestinian problem."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/515085.html
Lieberman: Transfer Arab areas of J'lem to Palestinians
Israel's primary problem, Lieberman said, is not the Palestinians but rather the country's Arab citizens. He said this problem must be taken care of before the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be resolved. "The linkage that has been created between the Palestinian problem and the Israeli Arab problem will destroy us," Lieberman said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/515568.html
Pentagon official wants Yaron fired
According to Israeli sources, as a result of the crisis that broke out some months ago, U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith cut off ties with Defense Ministry Director General Amos Yaron.
Feith is one of the ideological neoconservative Jews in the American administration and is considered one of the architects of the war in Iraq.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/515075.html
Israelis, Palestinians have contradictory expectations of proposed London peace conference
Israel wants to focus on ending violence, while Palestinian officials want to take up issues like the status of Jerusalem that have snagged previous negotiations.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/12/16/international1453EST0592.DTL
2 Israelis said held in Jordan on suspicion of arms-smuggling
According to the report in A-Sharq-al-Awsat, and which relies on anonymous Jordanian sources, the unnamed Israeli suspects told investigators that they had connections to various Israeli companies and entities, and mentioned the names of arms dealers Amos Golan and Shimon Naor, among others.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=515423&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y
EU justice commissioner to push law against anti-Semitism
Haaretz editor David Landau described the anguish he feels when his paper reports Israeli abuses against Palestinians, knowing that such information could end up fueling anti-Semitism. But the duty of a free press in a democracy to provide the facts and reality to its audience must prevail, Landau said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/515565.html
U.S. man admits role in smuggling arms to Israel
Leib Kohn pleaded guilty to conspiracy, admitting only that he knew the weapons parts were bound for Israel. Investigators allege an Israeli arms dealer may have been relaying the equipment to Iran.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=515326&contrassID=1&subContrassID=8&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y |
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