vrijdag 14 maart 2008

PeaceWorks (OneVoice Movement) ontvangt grote prijs

Ik ben niet zo van de prijsuitreikingen, maar de One Voice Movement is een belangrijk initiatief en kan het geld zeker goed gebruiken. Deze extra publiciteit uiteraard ook :-)!
 
 
Wouter
________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

PeaceWorks Foundation Receives Million Dollar Award

from the Skoll Foundation

 

Three-year Award to Support Grassroots Initiative

to End the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

 

New York, NY – 12 March 2008 – The PeaceWorks Foundation today announced it is the recipient of a three-year, $1,015,000 award from the Skoll Foundation for its initiatives aimed at mobilizing the Israeli and Palestinian grassroots in support of a negotiated two state solution.  The award is one of 11 Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship presented by the Skoll Foundation to recognize the most innovative and sustainable approaches to resolving the most urgent social issues.  PeaceWorks joins a prestigious global network of Skoll entrepreneurs, now numbering 59, who are working around the world on issues including tolerance and human rights, health, economic and social equity, peace and security, institutional responsibility, and environmental sustainability.

 

Since its inception in 2002, the PeaceWorks Foundation and its flagship initiative, the OneVoice Movement, have worked to bring the voice of the moderate majority of Israelis and Palestinians to the leaders and to the world stage, demanding a resumption of immediate and uninterrupted negotiations toward a two state solution guaranteeing the establishment of an independent, viable Palestinian state at peace with Israel.  Via separate, parallel, nationalist movements in Israel and Palestine and an international movement of invested citizens worldwide, OneVoice has succeeded in signing on 650,000 signatory members to its call for a serious peace process to end the occupation and all forms of violence, and achieves international recognition, security, respect, peace, and prosperity for both sides.

 

"Our work is aimed at and centered on the lives and aspirations of ordinary people – it is based on the urgency of their right to live in a place free from violence and bloodshed and fear," said Daniel Lubetzky, the organization's Founder and President.  "In the end, sustainable, meaningful change won't come from boardrooms or statehouses; it will come from these ordinary citizens. We seek to empower grassroots agents of change, giving them the tools to wrest their lives from the grips of interminable conflict. The Skoll Foundation's generosity will go a long way in helping us to have a real impact on the ground."

 

"Daniel Lubetzky and his team at PeaceWorks are tremendous additions to the community of Skoll social entrepreneurs who have demonstrated, through their inspiration and creativity, courage and fortitude, that solutions do exist for some of the world's most intractable problems," said Sally Osberg, President and CEO of the Skoll Foundation. "We believe their work has the potential for transformational benefit to the area of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and we're honored to support their continued commitment to systemic change at the grassroots level."

Mr. Lubetzky will be presented the award by Skoll Foundation Chairman Jeff Skoll, Skoll Foundation President and CEO, Sally Osberg and special guest, former President Jimmy Carter, at a special ceremony on March 27 at the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University.  Lubetzky will be participating in the three-day World Forum along with over 700 attendees from the global social entrepreneurship community.

 

About the PeaceWorks Foundation & OneVoice Movement

 

Founded in 2002, the PeaceWorks Foundation works through a variety of initiatives to unite moderates in the Middle East to push for conflict resolution and a negotiated two state solution ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

 

The Foundation's flagship initiative is OneVoice, an international movement of Americans, Palestinians, Israelis, Europeans, Muslims, Jews and Christians who are ready and eager to support a serious process, leading to a comprehensive peace agreement ending the occupation and all forms of violence. With 650,000 Israeli, Palestinian, and international signatories, we work to amplify the voice of the moderate majority of Palestinian and Israelis, empowering them to seize back the agenda for conflict resolution and to demand that their leaders work immediately and continuously to achieve a two state solution through comprehensive negotiations that will lead to the establishment of a viable independent Palestinian state living in peace and security with the state of Israel.

 

For more information, visit www.onemillionvoices.org.

 

About the Skoll Foundation

 

The Skoll Foundation was created in 1999 by eBay's first president, Jeff Skoll, to promote his vision of a more peaceful and prosperous world. Today the Skoll Foundation advances systemic change to benefit communities around the world by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs - individuals dedicated to innovative, bottom-up solutions that transform unequal and unjust social, environmental and economic systems.

 

The Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship is the foundation's flagship program. There are currently 50 organizations represented by 59 remarkable social entrepreneurs in the program, working individually and together across regions, countries and continents to evolve the field of social entrepreneurship into a global movement for social change. The Skoll Foundation connects social entrepreneurs and other partners in the field via an online community at www.socialedge.org, and through the annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship. The foundation also celebrates social entrepreneurs by telling their stories through partnerships with the PBS Foundation and the Sundance Institute, with the goal of promoting large-scale public awareness of social entrepreneurship.

For more information, visit www.skollfoundation.org.

###

 

Islamitische landen boycotten boekenbeurs Parijs

Zouden ze de Olympische Spelen in Beiing ook boycotten?
Alles wat Israëlisch is wordt al 60 jaar geboycot door de meeste Arabische staten, dus het is niets nieuws, en heeft niets te maken met de situatie in de Gazastrook of Westoever.
 
 
Wouter
_____________

REVIEW & OUTLOOK

Paris Book Burning
March 12, 2008

Then, in Paris, they came for the novelists.

One by one, from Morocco to Saudi Arabia to Iran, Muslim governments have signed up for the boycott of the international book fair opening Friday in the French capital. The reason? It showcases Israeli literature this year -- which, by mere coincidence organizers say, happens to be the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Jewish state.

Impromptu or official boycotts of Israeli commercial goods or national sports teams are nothing new. But the assault on words -- merely for being written in Hebrew by writers who happen to carry Israeli passports -- adds a revealing wrinkle to a familiar story.

The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization late last month cited Israeli "atrocities, oppression and imposed starvation and siege against the Palestinian people" in its call for governments to keep their writers and books away from Paris. As did the Arab League.
Tariq Ramadan, the Oxford scholar and grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, proclaimed in Le Monde that the "fair can't celebrate the Jewish state and ignore the fate of the Palestinians."

Aware of his Western audience, the pop Islamist intellectual was quick to stress that "political criticism [of Israel] and anti-Semitism" aren't the same thing. Sure -- except we're not talking about politics here. Culture expresses a people's essential identity and the coordinated Muslim assault ahead of the book fair expresses a not so latent anti-Semitism.

The richness of Israeli society, as shown through its thriving arts scene, makes an illusive target for such venom. Joining Amos Oz and Aharon Appelfeld in the national delegation of 39 writers in Paris will be Israeli Arabs Sayed Kashua and Naim Araidi.

An Israeli Jewish poet, Aaron Shabtai, declined the invitation. "I don't think that a state that maintains an occupation, that every day commits crimes against civilians, deserves to be invited to a week devoted to culture. That's anti-cultural." Working in the Middle East's most vibrant democracy, Mr. Shabtai is free to make his choice and publicly proclaim it.

His peers in the Muslim world don't have that privilege. Moroccan novelist Abdelouahab Errami told Le Journal du Dimanche of his "disappointment" at the boycott. "I don't share the position of my government. But I won't go.... It is difficult to have a different individual position without exposing yourself to a campaign of pressure."
 

See all of today's editorials and op-eds, plus video commentary, on Opinion Journal.
 

Abbas beschuldigt Israël van etnische zuivering

Aan grote woorden schijnt het de Palestijnen nooit te ontbreken. 120 doden in Gaza zijn 'de echte Holocaust', de terrorist die 8 Israëlische scholieren doodschoot is een martelaar voor het Palestijnse volk, en Imad Mughniyeh, de nummer twee van Hezbollah, een grote held die de moslims vervult van trots.
 
Hoe het begrip 'etnische zuivering' verenigbaar is met het feit dat de Arabische bevolking van Jeruzalem gestaag blijft groeien, legt Abbas niet uit.
Het zou het onderlinge vertrouwen en het vredesproces ten goede komen als van dergelijke extreme en opruiende retoriek wordt afgezien.
 
 
Ratna
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Abbas: Israël schuldig aan etnische zuivering
 
Trouw 13-03-2008
 
(Novum/Ap) - Israël bezondigt zich aan etnische zuiveringen in de Palestijnse wijken van Jeruzalem. Dat heeft de Palestijnse president Mahmoud Abbas donderdag gezegd op een islamitische top in Senegal. Israël is bezig de Palestijnen uit de heilige stad te drijven, zei Abbas, onder meer met behulp van belastingverhogingen en door bouwwerkzaamheden te verbieden.
 
Op de top van de Organisatie van de Islamitische Conferentie (OIC), de grootste moslimorganisatie ter wereld, riep Abbas islamitische leiders op de Palestijnen te steunen tijdens de huidige, lastige fase van het vredesproces in het Midden-Oosten. De Palestijnen verwachten dat Israël zijn beloftes houdt om te stoppen met gewelddadigheden en het uitbreiden van de nederzettingen, zei Abbas. "Wat vandaag... gebeurt is een complete schending daarvan.'
 
Een woordvoerder van het Amerikaanse ministerie van buitenlandse zaken sprak in een reactie op de uitlatingen van Abbas van 'oververhitte retoriek'.
 
De Iraanse president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad zei dat het recente geweld in de Gazastrook tussen Palestijnse strijders en het Israëlische leger aantoont dat Israël 'gewoon onschuldige vrouwen en kinderen doodt, maar de VN-Veiligheidsraad blijft zwijgen'.
 

Uitschakelen terroristen laat weinig ruimte voor vergissingen

Inmiddels heeft de Islamitische Jihad 25 raketten op Israël afgevuurd en heeft de Israëlische luchtmacht terroristen die raketten afvuren beschoten.

While official Israel denies the existence of an understanding with Hamas, in practice the past week was the quietest in months on the Gaza border. Wednesday's incidents emphasize the understandings' main weakness, which can end the calm at any moment.

Het zwakste punt in de deal is dat het probleem niet in de eerste plaats de qassams zijn, hoe vervelend ook, maar de wapensmokkel en de opbouw en training van Hamas troepen. Wanneer Hamas, of beter gezegd Iran, de tijd rijp acht zal men opnieuw aanvallen en beter voorbereid zijn. Als Israël daarnaast ook niet meer op terroristen op de Westoever mag jagen, wordt het helemaal moeilijk voor te stellen wat Israël hiermee kan bereiken. Geen qassams maar wel hernieuwde aanslagen in Tel Aviv en Jeruzalem? Big deal.

The PA is hurt by Israel's dismissive attitude. After the intelligence estimate by GOC Central Command Gadi Shamni, where he said that without an IDF presence in the West Bank Hamas would take it over within two days, a PA military leader told his Israeli counterparts: "Maybe if would be more convenient for you if we moved aside and left you alone with Hamas as a future partner in the West Bank."

Het probleem is natuurlijk dat de PA met een soort dubbele loyaliteit heeft te maken. Om voor Israël betrouwbaar te zijn, moet het beslissend optreden tegen terroristen van Hamas (en Islamitische Jihad en Al Aqsa Martelaren Brigades), maar tegelijkertijd zijn dit voor de PA politie hun eigen mensen en is Israël de vijand.
 
Een (groot) deel van de PA politie en werknemers van de veiligheidsdienst staan achter de aanslagen, en achter het 'verzet'. Het is dus niet zo vreemd dat zij deze mensen vaak al na een paar dagen weer vrijlaten, of laten ontsnappen. Zij worden door Hamas als handlangers van de vijand afgeschilderd, een beschuldiging waar men gevoelig voor is. Tegelijkertijd weet de PA dat Israël gelijk heeft dat zij zonder de IDF allang door Hamas zouden zijn verslagen.
 
Israël zit zelf ook met een dilemma: het weet dat het cruciaal is dat de PA effectiever gaat optreden en dus de kans moet krijgen zich te ontwikkelen. Maar het weet ook dat veel PA functionarissen aan de kant van de terroristen staan, en het is dus logisch dat men hen niet de veiligheid van Israëlische burgers zal toevertrouwen.   


Ratna
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Last update - 09:13 13/03/2008

Targeted assassination / Little room for mistakes 
 
By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff,
Haaretz Correspondents
 

The fragile, indirect agreement the Egyptians brokered between Israel and Hamas over Gaza will meet its first test Thursday.

The killings Wednesday of five wanted militants by the Israel Police's anti-terrorism unit, in two incidents on the West Bank, is likely to spur Islamic Jihad into attempting retaliatory rocket attacks from Gaza into the Negev. It seems we've been here many times before.

While official Israel denies the existence of an understanding with Hamas, in practice the past week was the quietest in months on the Gaza border. Wednesday's incidents emphasize the understandings' main weakness, which can end the calm at any moment. 

Hamas is demanding that the cease-fire include an Israeli commitment, in the long term, to stop arresting terror suspects in the West Bank. Hamas' leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, raised the demand Wednesday just a few hours before the incident in Bethlehem.

Israel rejects the demand out of fear it would give the terror organizations a free pass to plan attacks. The fight against terror in the West Bank is constant. When it leads to Palestinian casualties it can have immediate effects on events in Gaza.

Until Wednesday Hamas seemed to be imposing its will for a lull on the other factions in the Strip. But Islamic Jihad, to which four of the five militants killed Wednesday belonged, has very different interests. Iran, which controls Islamic Jihad with an iron hand and has significant influence over Hamas, apparently wants a renewed escalation of the conflict.

Wednesday night, IDF officials expected Islamic Jihad to respond Thursday to Wednesday's events by firing rockets at Sderot, and its militants have threatened to do so. The old maxim that an oral agreement is not worth the paper it's not written on, may be borne out once again Thursday.

The urgency of Wednesday's Bethlehem incident must be questioned. (The Islamic Jihad man killed in the second incident was planning imminent terror attacks.) The four militants killed in Bethlehem were on the IDF's wanted list for around eight years, and the operation where they were eliminated was a settling of scores by the police anti-terror squad and the Shin Bet security service.

Was it also urgent? Apparently not. The four were not associated with any specific terror alerts. The decision to launch the operation was probably more a matter of opportunity than immediate need.

Mohammed Shahada, the most senior of the militants killed Wednesday, sensed that his days were numbered. Wednesday, about two hours before his death, Shahada and three associates visited the Bethlehem offices of the Palestinian news agency, Maan. The four spoke with Chief Editor Nasser Laham. Shahada complained about the IDF's demolition of his home during a failed attempt to arrest him last week.

"The Israelis aren't planning to arrest me, they're planning to kill me," Shahada said. He refused even to drink coffee with Laham, fearing that the IDF was following him. The four drove to a restaurant owned by a relative of Shahada's. The police's undercover team was waiting nearby.

A few hours before the operation, a senior PA official asked why Israel was not cooperating with the Palestinians over Shahada's capture. "If you guys had told us he was planning an attack we would have arrested him," the officials said.

Even after Hamas' takeover of Gaza and the open war waged by the PA against Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, Israel demonstrates absolutely no trust in or tolerance for the Palestinian preventive security apparatus. Sometimes the attitude is justified. Most of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad detainees are released from PA custody after a few days. But Israel also seems to prefer to play down the PA's gains in its war against Islamic groups. On Tuesday PA security forces discovered an Islamic Jihad explosives laboratory, and on Sunday they found an explosive device in the village of Yamun.

The PA is hurt by Israel's dismissive attitude. After the intelligence estimate by GOC Central Command Gadi Shamni, where he said that without an IDF presence in the West Bank Hamas would take it over within two days, a PA military leader told his Israeli counterparts: "Maybe if would be more convenient for you if we moved aside and left you alone with Hamas as a future partner in the West Bank."

Wednesday's police operation dealt a blow to the PA's efforts to bolster its military status. But Israel apparently does not have the time or space to accept Palestinian mistakes in the West Bank. Every missed opportunity, intentional or not, in the PA's war against West Bank terror could end in another terror attack in Jerusalem.

Palestijnse tweeling geboren in Israël onder vuur van raketten uit Gaza

Uiteraard haalt dit nieuws de NRC niet en evenmin het NOS journaal. Jammer, want zo onthouden zij hun lezers en kijkers van een ontroerend verhaal waaruit blijkt dat mensen aan beide kanten als mensen naar elkaar kijken en elkaar helpen. Een paar citaten:
 
In the past, Shafii saw the Israelis exclusively as perpetrators, but in Ashkelon she is encountering, for the first time, victims of the acts of terror committed by her own people. One of them is nine-year-old Yossi, who is sitting in a wheelchair. A steel frame holds his left shoulder together. It was fractured by shrapnel from a rocket that landed in the city of Sderot. "The people in Sderot are suffering just as we are in Gaza," she says.
Ashraf Shafii describes how young, masked men repeatedly set up their rocket launchers under the cover of houses in Beit Lahia. "They shoot at Israeli civilians, which is completely unacceptable," says Shafii. "And they put us Palestinian civilians in grave danger, because the Israelis shoot back."
Why doesn't he object? "They are armed," says Shafii, "and they shoot at anyone who gets in their way."
 
Zulke verhalen geven je weer een heel klein beetje hoop dat het misschien toch ooit nog goed kan komen.
 
 
Ratna
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BORN IN ISRAEL

Palestinian Twins  (born in Israel) Under Rocket Fire from Gaza

By Christoph Schult in Ashkelon 

When a Palestinian woman gave birth to twins in an Israeli hospital she experienced what it is like to be the target of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.


One of the Palestinian twins from the Gaza Strip attended by an Israeli nurse.
The humming noise in the sky over Beit Lahia grows slowly louder. It sounds as if the buzzing of a hornet were being amplified by loud speakers in a football stadium. Residents of the Gaza Strip call them "Sannana," or the humming ones, the small unmanned drones that the Israelis use to scan the border region for rocket commandos -- and then to liquidate them with precisely targeted missiles.

Ashraf Shafii has climbed onto the roof his house and is looking across strawberry fields toward the border wall. The smoke-belching towers of the power plant in the Israeli city of Ashkelon jut into the sky along the horizon. His wife is over there in Ashkelon today.

Shafii, a 34-year-old lab technician at the Islamic University of Gaza, glances at his six-year-old daughter. "We were so desperate to have more children," he says. For years, he waited in vain for his wife to bear a son. When she turned 30, the couple decided to get fertility treatment.

Iman Shafii finally became pregnant. During an ultrasound examination, doctors discovered four small embryos. The first died in the fifth month of pregnancy and the second died a few weeks later. Shafii was admitted to the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, but the condition of the two remaining embryos became increasingly fragile. "You have to go to Israel," the doctor told her.

Because Israel refuses to engage in any contact with the authorities in Hamas-controlled Gaza, patients turn to private brokers who submit their entry applications to the Palestinian Authority of moderate President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah. But it can be a lengthy process.

The Shafiis were lucky. Iman was permitted to enter Israel after only 24 hours. She took a taxi to a spot near the Eres border crossing, and then she was pushed in a wheelchair across the last 500 meters of bumpy ground. She reached the Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon just in time. She gave birth on Feb. 25, by Caesarean section, to a girl, Bayan, and to the couple's long-awaited son, Faisal.

Iman Shafii, 32, wearing a headscarf and oval glasses, and speaking in a soft voice, sits on a chair between two incubators. Today is the first day she is permitted to hold her babies in her arms. A nurse brings out the boy first, then the girl. As the tears well up in her eyes, Shafii kisses her children on their foreheads. "If the children had stayed in Gaza, they would not have survived," she says.

Her only impression of Israel has been the one she gets on Palestinian television, which usually shows tanks and soldiers, and celebrates attacks, like the recent shooting inside a Talmud school in Jerusalem, as acts of heroism. But now a doctor wearing a yarmulke walks into the room, says "Shalom" and asks her in English how she is feeling.

Dr. Shmuel Zangen, the director of the hospital's neonatal unit, doesn't care who he treats. "As a doctor, I enjoy the privilege of not having to think about it," he says. "It certainly is odd that we take care of Palestinian children while they shoot at us. It's the sort of thing that only happens in the Middle East."

'Not a Just War'

In the past, Shafii saw the Israelis exclusively as perpetrators, but in Ashkelon she is encountering, for the first time, victims of the acts of terror committed by her own people. One of them is nine-year-old Yossi, who is sitting in a wheelchair. A steel frame holds his left shoulder together. It was fractured by shrapnel from a rocket that landed in the city of Sderot. "The people in Sderot are suffering just as we are in Gaza," she says.

There was a sharp increase in the Palestinian rocket attacks after Israel cleared the Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip in September 2005. The Israeli military counted 2,305 hits last year, and there have already been 1,146 in the first two months of this year. Until now, almost all of the missiles have been Qassam rockets, which are made in the Gaza Strip and have a range of about 12 kilometers (seven miles).

But the breaching of the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Egypt by Hamas in January made it possible to bring in Russian and Iranian rockets with longer ranges. This means that cities considered safe in the past are now threatened. One of them is Ashkelon. On the second day after the birth of Bayan and Faisal, a Soviet-made "Grad" rocket landed on the hospital grounds. "I heard it hit, 200 meters away from me," says Shafii. The neonatal unit was moved to a bunker the next day. "The groups that are firing the rockets are not fighting a just war," says the Palestinian mother, adding that they are not abiding by what the Prophet Muhammad said: that wars may only be waged between soldiers, but not against civilians.

The buzzing drone in the sky over Beit Lahia has flown away to the south. The sound of an Israeli missile striking its target can be heard a short time later. Within a few minutes, there are reports that a member of the group Islamic Jihad was killed.

Ashraf Shafii describes how young, masked men repeatedly set up their rocket launchers under the cover of houses in Beit Lahia. "They shoot at Israeli civilians, which is completely unacceptable," says Shafii. "And they put us Palestinian civilians in grave danger, because the Israelis shoot back."

Why doesn't he object? "They are armed," says Shafii, "and they shoot at anyone who gets in their way."

The father is holding the first photos of his newborn twins in his hands. He is worried about the rockets being fired at Ashkelon. He says that he would never have believed it possible that he could be indebted to the Israelis for anything. "What a confusing situation," he says.

Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan
 

Opiniepeiling Palestijnen: bijna helft tegen zelfmoordaanslagen in Israël

De vraag over de zelfmoordaanslagen gaat alleen over de vraag of ze goed of slecht zijn voor de Palestijnse zaak, niet of het moreel toelaatbaar is onschuldige burgers te doden:

(49.1 %) of the Palestinians are of the opinion that the suicide bombings harm at present the Palestinian national interests, whilst (40.1 %) think that these are of benefit and (10.8 %) declined to give an answer. Regarding the suicide bombings inside the Israeli territory, (49.4 %) are in favor of their halt at present, whilst (40.2%) are for their continuance and (10. %) hesitated to answer.

Het is typisch dat de morele vraag niet eens werd gesteld, en het is goed mogelijk dat een groot deel van de respondenten die zelfmoordaanslagen om taktische redenen afwijzen dat niet om morele redenen zou doen.
 
Het cynische commentaar van Aaron Lerner is helaas terecht: zolang Hamas en andere 'verzets' groepen weten dat aanslagen zoveel steun genieten onder de bevolking, zal men geweld niet als middel opgeven, en hooguit om taktische redenen instemmen met een tijdelijk bestand.

Ratna
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[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: Oops. Less than half of Palestinians (49.4%) oppose suicide bombings in Israel - and a whopping 40.2% are willing to tell a pollster that they support suicide bombings in Israel. Don't tell this to Secretary of State Rice or President Bush. They are convinced that the Palestinian street opposes terror and wants Israel to drop security measures designed to stop the terror attacks.]
------------------------------------------------------------

Poll No. 164
Date: 12.March.2008


The most recent poll prepared by Dr. Nabil Kukali revealed that:

(73.0 %) of the Palestinians support at present a Palestinian-Israeli calm period.
(49.4 %) oppose the suicide bombings inside Israel.
(67.4 %) are in favor of calling on Hamas leadership in Gaza to retreat from the "military decision".
(70.5 %) oppose the decision made by the Palestinian government in favor of the "clearance certificate".
(72.5 %) evaluated their economic situation as 'bad'.

Beit Sahour - The Information Bureau:

In the most recent poll prepared by Dr. Nabil Kukali, being conducted during the period February 22nd to March 6th 2008 and published by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO), a random sample of (1220) Palestinian adults (over 18 years old) representing the various demographic specimens in the Palestinian society in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip, were face to face interviewed. The survey results have shown that (73.0 %) of the Palestinian people support at present a Palestinian-Israeli calm period. The most important result, Dr. Nabil Kukali said, was that (49.4 %) oppose the suicide bombings inside Israel and (67.4 %) support the call of the released Hamas' activists on their leadership in Gaza to retreat from the military decision in Gaza Strip. Dr. Kukali added that (64.0 %) are in favor of halting the closure of Hamas institutions and their licensing by the Palestinian Authority. Dr. Kukali pointed out that the support shown to Mr. Marwan El-Barghouthi as a possible president of the Palestinian Authority has increased in this poll by (1.5 %) compared with a previous poll published on September 22, 2007 and reached now the rate of (24.3 %), whilst the support to Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, the acting PA-president, dropped by (3.0 %) to reach the rate of (23.1 %). In the same manner, the support to Mr. Ismael Haniyyeh dropped even by (7.3 %) to the rate of (12.4 %). Regarding the issue of the "clearance certificate" required by the Palestinian government, Dr. Kukali said that (70.5 %) of the Palestinians are opposing this decision.


Dr. Nabil Kukali said the results of the poll where as follows:

Call of Hamas' actvists:

(63.3 %) of the Palestinian public supported the call of Hamas' activists, who are released from the jails of the Palestinian Authority in Nablus governorate, on their companions to hand over their arms to the official security bodies as to put an end to their persecution by these officials, whilst (27.7 %) opposed that and (9.0 %)  refused to answer the relevant question.

Furthermore, (67.4 %) of the Palestinians supported the call of the released Hamas group on their leadership in Gaza to retreat from the "military decision" and to reinstate the situation as it was before June 14th of the last year in order to create the proper ground for the resumption of the dialogue between the two major Palestinian parties, whilst (23.7 %) opposed that and (8.9 %) hesitated to answer the question.

In the same context, (64.4 %) of the respondents are in favor of halting the closure of Hamas institutions and licensing them as mentioned in the call of the released Hamas activists, while (26.1 %) oppose that and (9.5 %) didn't respond to the question.

(76.1 %) of the Palestinian public are in favor of the said call in respect of what has been said about the necessity of effecting a change in Hamas and the listening to Hamas young people and to their opinions, whilst (14 %) opposed that and (9.9 %) declined to answer.

A Palestinian - Israeli truce:

Responding to the question: "What's your attitude towards a Palestinian - Israeli truce at present?" (37.8 %) answered "I strongly support it", (35.2 %) "I somewhat support it", (14.5 %) "I somewhat oppose it", (9.8 %) "I strongly oppose it" and (2.7 %) answered "I don't know".

The suicide bombings:

(49.1 %) of the Palestinians are of the opinion that the suicide bombings harm at present the Palestinian national interests, whilst (40.1 %) think that these are of benefit and (10.8 %) declined to give an answer. Regarding the suicide bombings inside the Israeli territory, (49.4 %) are in favor of their halt at present, whilst (40.2%) are for their continuance and (10. %) hesitated to answer.

 The border crossings:

(55.4 %) supported the call of President Mahmoud Abbas on Hamas to stand back from the issue of the border crossings, whilst (34 %) opposed the call and (10.6 %) hesitated to respond to the question.

Meeting of the Palestinian National Council:

Responding to the question: "Palestinian efforts are focused on the issue of convening the Palestinian National Council within the next few months in Amman, Jordan. Do you think the meeting will succeed or fail to reactivate and reorganize the Palestinian Liberation Organization?", (9.3 %) answered "It will surely succeed",  (38.6 %) "it will somehow succeed", (33.2 %) "It will surely fail", (12.5 %) "It will somehow fail" and (6.4 %) answered "I don't know".

The Clearance Certificate:

Regarding the question: " After the decision of the Palestinian government requiring of every citizen to submit first an evidence that he/she has paid all his/her financial liabilities to the Tax Department, to the water and electricity companies and others, and cleared off any penalties or fines recorded against him/her before starting or filing an official treatment at a governmental department or institution, do you support or oppose this decision ?"  (10.2 %) answered "strongly support", (16.4 %) "somewhat support", ((25.2 %) answered "somewhat oppose", (45.3 %) "strongly oppose" and (2.9 %) answered "I don't know".

Statement of the Foreign Minister of Egypt:

(50.8 %) of the Palestinian public disagree with the statement of  the Foreign Minister of Egypt, Mr. Ahmed Abu El-Gheth, describing the confrontation of Hamas to Israel as being " a caricature and ridiculous confrontation ", whilst (33.7 %) are in favor thereof, and (15.5 %) refused to respond.

Deployment of multinational forces:

Responding to the question:" Do you support or oppose the deployment of multinational forces in Gaza Strip ?", (32.9 %) answered " strongly oppose", (26.3 %) "somewhat oppose", (25.0 %) " somewhat support", (13.4 %) "strongly support" and (2.3 %) answered " I don't know ".

Performance of the Palestinian Authority:

Responding to the question: "Up to which extent are you satisfied or not satisfied with the performance of the PA-President, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas?" (15.0 %) answered "quite satisfied", (41.7 %) "Somewhat satisfied", (23.7 %) "Somewhat not satisfied", (17.5 %) "Quite unsatisfied" and (2.1 %) answered "I don't know". (10.9 %) evaluated the performance of the Palestinian PM, Mr. Salam Fayyad at "very good", (30.2 %) at "good", (24.2 %) at "mediocre", whilst (15.7 %) evaluated his performance at "bad", (15.7 %) at "very bad" and (3.2 %) declined to answer the question.

Peace between Palestinians and Israelis:

In respect of the question:" Now thinks of the future when your children are your Age!  Do you think there would be at that time peace between Israelis and Palestinians?" (2.5 %) answered "definitely", (19.8 %) "Likely", (16.7 %) "Possible", (23.4 %) "Unlikely", (34.2 %) "Definitely not" and (3.3 %) answered "I don't know".

PA-Presidential elections:

Upon the question:" Do you support a polling at present for the election of the PA-President?" (29.0 %) answered "I strongly support", (25.5 %) "I somewhat support", (27.9 %) "I somewhat oppose", (13.4 %) "I strongly oppose" and (4.5 %) answered "I don't know".

Responding to the question: "Who is your favorite candidate you would vote for to be the president of the Palestinian Authority in the next presidential elections?" (24.3 %) "Marwan Al-Barghouthi", (23.1 %) answered "Mahmoud Abbas", (12.4 %) "Ismael Haniyyeh",(9.5 %) "Mustafa Al-Barghouthi",(5.2 %) "Mohammed Dahlan", (3.6 %) "Khaled Misha'l",(3.3 %) "Mahmoud El-Zahhar", (3.2 %) "Salam Fayyad", (3.1 %) "Aziz El-Duwaik", (2.2 %) "Ahmed Qurai",   (1.4 %) "Otherwise" and (8.8 %) answered "I don't know".

Elections of the Palestinian Legislative Council:

In regard to the question: "Do you support polling at present for a new Palestinian Legislative Council?" (29.2 %) answered "I strongly support", (25.5 %) "I somewhat support", (28.1 %) "I somewhat oppose", (13.1 %) "I strongly oppose" and (4.1 %) answered "I don't know".

The concern about the naked subsistence:

Responding to the question: "Up to which extent are you worried about the naked subsistence of your family at present? " (39.3%) answered "worried", (38.4%) are "too much worried", (17.0%) "Not so much worried ", (3.5%) "Not worried at all" and (1.8%) answered "I don't know".

The economic conditions:

(72.6%) of the Palestinians evaluated the general economic condition in the Palestinian territories as "bad" whilst (23.1%) said "it's mediocre", only (2.8%) described it as "good" and (1.6 %) declined to answer.

Significance of the foreign aid:

Responding to the question: "Up to which extent does the European and US financial aid contribute generally to the Palestinians' well-being?" (44.3%) answered "to a high degree", (54.8%) said "to a moderate degree", (7.2%) "To a slight degree", while (2.3%) said "to a nil degree" and (0.4%) "Don't know".

The personal security:

Regarding the question:  "Up to which extent are you worried about your personal security ?",  (31.0%) answered "too much worried", (37.5%) are "worried", (23.9%) are "not so much worried", (5.6%) are "not worried at all" and (2.0%) answered " I don't know " .

The future perspective:

(34.7%) of the respondents answered that they, notwithstanding the prevailing political and economical conditions of the country, are "optimistic", whilst (60.1%) said they are " pessimistic " and (5.2%) declined to answer.

The concerns of the citizen:

Responding to the question: "What is your main concern at present? " (25.0%) answered "job / money", (35.9%) "The security", (17.5%) "The health" and (20.3%) "The future" and (1.2%) answered "I don't know".

The content with the life:

Answering the question: "How much are you in general content with your  life?" taking into consideration that the answers were in figures from 1 to 10 where (1) stands for the utmost degree of discontent and (10) for the utmost degree of content. The outcome was in average (3.98) and the standard deviation was (2.29).
-------

Methodology of the Survey Study:

Mr. Elias Kukali, a staff member of the Research and Studies' Section at the PCPO, said that all interviews of this survey were conducted inside the respondents' homes, i.e. face-to-face during different working hours, at least 5 hours a day, including the evening time, in order to ensure proper representation of those sub-groups of the population, which would otherwise be difficult to reach and selecting one individual in each household using Last Birthday Method. The choices were taken from a total of (156) election sites, from which (116) sites are located in West Bank and (40) sites in Gaza Strip according to the distribution of the Central Election Commission. These election sites were randomly chosen by using the method of the simple random sample. These in turn were the beginning of the random sample choice made from those regions in accordance with PCPO's long experienced methodology.

Mr. E. Kukali has further established that the margin of error was (+/-2.8 %) at a significance and confidence levels of (5%) and (95%) respectively.
He added that the rate of the female respondents in this survey was (49.3%) against (50.7%) male respondents. The distribution of the random sample between the Palestinian two major regions was (63.8%) in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and (36.2%) in Gaza Strip, and allocated as follows: (50.3%) for the towns, (32.6%) for the villages and (17.1%) for the camps

Contact Persons: Dr. Nabil Kukali & Elias Kukali
P.O. Box 15, Beit Sahour - Palestine
Website:
www.pcpo.ps


--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website:
www.imra.org.il

donderdag 13 maart 2008

PA media prijzen Hezbollah terrorist Mughniyeh

In door de Palestijnse Autoriteit gecontroleerde media wordt Imad Mughniyeh, de nummer twee van Hezbollah die een maand geleden in Damascus door een autobom om het leven is gekomen, alom geprezen. Dit is vreemd, want Abbas en zijn gematigde regering zeggen voor vrede en een tweestatenoplossing te zijn en het geweld af te zweren.
 
Het is bepaald geen uitzondering dat dergelijke opruiende taal in door de PA gecontroleerde media verschijnen. Mughniyeh is verantwoordelijk voor vele aanslagen waaronder op de Israëlische ambassade en een Joods centrum in Argentinie, op Amerikaanse en Franse vredestroepen in Libanon, en voor vliegtuigkapingen en ontvoeringen. Hij stond hoog op de lijst van gezochte terroristen van een aantal landen, maar tot nu toe heeft geen enkel land de verantwoordelijkheid voor zijn dood opgeëist. Israël, dat door de Arabische wereld verantwoordelijk wordt gehouden voor zijn dood, heeft elke betrokkenheid ontkend.
 
Een paar citaten in bloemrijk Arabisch proza:  
 
"The treacherous Zionist enemy will never permit us to lessen our revenge towards him, or to stray from our confrontation against him, until he is wiped off this land, which is saturated with the blood of the Shahids (Islamic Martyrs). And what is the fall of the Knight of Lebanese Resistance, Hajj Imad Mugniyeh, if not one of the signs of the nation's Jihad - persistent and definitely unstoppable till the Zionist Project [Israel] will be defeated.
 
...In the presence of the Shahada [Martyrdom] and blood which prevails over the Phantom [jet] and the Merkava [Israeli tank], our souls seek ... to stand at the head of the ranks when they offer their condolences to the Lebanese resistance movement lead by Hezbollah. Along with [Hezbollah Leader] Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, we will ask ourselves who is the one consoling and who is the one being consoled as this is a tragedy that has hurt every Lebanese, every Palestinian, every Arab, and every free man on the face of this earth. This is because every free man partakes in Hajj Radwan's (Mugniyeh's) glory...
 
Vraag: wat voor beeld van de islam komt uit zulke artikelen naar voren? Als dat beeld niet klopt, zouden juist moslims daar dan niet op moeten wijzen en hun verontwaardiging over een dergelijk misbruik van hun religie moeten uiten?
 
 
Ratna
-------------------

Bulletin Mar 12 2008 Palestinian Media Watch

Special Report


"An extraordinary hero ... a beacon of light!"
Arch terrorist Imad Mughniyeh lauded in PA - Fatah paper
Samir Kuntar: I will continue down his path

Review of PA articles - one month after killing of Mughniyeh.
by Itamar Marcus and Barbara crook
 

Senior Hezbollah terrorist Imad Mughniyeh has been placed on a pedestal of glory in various articles in the official Palestinian Authority Fatah daily. Western countries have expressed virtually unanimous relief that the terrorist, wanted by 42 countries and on the FBI's most wanted list, was killed by a car bomb in Damascus on February 12, 2008. The Palestinian Authority, on the other hand, has been using the media under its to mourn his death. through its controlled media has been mourning his death.

One article by a senior Fatah leader describes Mughniyeh as an "extraordinary hero... unequaled Hezbollah commander ... a beacon of light." His killing is called a "murder in broad daylight... a tragedy that has hurt every Lebanese, every Palestinian, every Arab, and every free man on the face of this earth." The revenge for his death will be more terror and eventually Israel's destruction.

So wrote Fatah leader Ahmad Dahbur, until recently the undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, in Al Hayat Al Jadida, the official PA daily controlled by Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction. His article, along with others paying lavish tribute to the dead terrorist, makes no mention of the fact that Mughniyeh was responsible for the murders of hundreds of civilians and soldiers in worldwide terror attacks. Among his many international terror attacks, Mughniyeh was responsible for the killing of 241 American soldiers of the peacekeeping force in Lebanon in 1983.

The Palestinian Authority has glorified his years of murder as heroic. It describes him repeatedly as a "Shahid" (Islamic Martyr), the highest Islamic status, and has run his photo with that caption. He is crowned the "Knight of Lebanese Resistance."

The PA newspaper, assuming it was Israel who killed him (Israel has denied involvement in the killing), refers to Israel as "the treacherous Zionist enemy," reiterates the PA's "rage and hatred" for Israel and promises more "resistance" ... the blow which will hand over death."

In another article, the daily describes how a lawyers' association in Gaza mourned his death, and called his killing "a crime of organized state terror."

The PA daily also published a letter to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah from Samir Kuntar, a Lebanese terrorist serving four life sentences in an Israeli prison for the murders of four Israelis, including a four-year-old girl whose skull he crushed with rocks and a rifle butt. The unrepentant Kuntar likewise glorifies his fellow terrorist Mughnyeh as one member of the "distinguished, glamorous convoys" of Shahids, and vows to follow in his footsteps.

Finally, a military wing of Fatah - the Ahmad Abu Al Rish Martyrs Brigades - has already carried out a terror attack in his honor.

The following are the articles from the PA daily Al Hayat Al Jadida lauding Imad Mugniyeh. Note: [Hajj Radwan was Mughniyeh's "nom de guerre"]

1-  Hajj Radwan [Imad Mugniyeh] by Ahmad Dahbur, former undersecretary of the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Culture, senior journalist for Fatah controlled Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, in his daily column.

"The treacherous Zionist enemy will never permit us to lessen our revenge towards him, or to stray from our confrontation against him, until he is wiped off this land, which is saturated with the blood of the Shahids (Islamic Martyrs). And what is the fall of the Knight of Lebanese Resistance, Hajj Imad Mugniyeh, if not one of the signs of the nation's Jihad - persistent and definitely unstoppable till the Zionist Project [Israel] will be defeated.

Did I say 'Lebanese resistance'? Certainly I did, and entirely with praise and pride. The history of Hajj Radwan - Imad Mugniyeh - will testify to this; a history which is part of the history of the Palestinian-Lebanese resistance. From the time he joined Fatah as a youth, and till he later became a unequalled Hezbollah commander, when his name became a beacon of light shining from The Lebanese July Victory [Second Lebanon War, 2006].

Hajj Radwan deserves all glory and praise for evoking confusion and alarm among the Zionists, whether he be alive or a Shahid [i.e, Islamic Martyr]. Such an extraordinary hero can cause the enemy to loose its wits. Evidence of this is that Olmert directly threatens to eliminate the leaders of the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance, and the Mossad commits a murder in broad daylight, while at the same time confused and conflicting Hebrew press releases declare that Olmert disassociates himself from the crime, for fear of the inevitable retaliation ... but also publish [Israeli MKs] Dani Yatom, Ephraim Sneh, and Arieh Eldad's gloating congratulatory messages to the Mossad which are drenched with poison.

It makes no difference whether the Zionist bat camouflages himself by hiding in the dark, or whether the crazy hyenas take pride in the crime, because the enemy announces his criminal presence with such language that it is as if he is caught with a smoking gun. The criminal's hands are still covered in blood, when he gives us more reasons to intensify our hate towards him, though we do not lack reasons for this [hate] in the first place. This rage and hatred will rage with even further resistance [euphemism for "terror"- editor] and with a blow of death...

Today the body of the Shahid Hajj Imad Mugniyeh will exit the "Sayyid al-Shuhada" mosque in a procession in which the brave Lebanese resistance [Hezbollah] will escort the body down the [wedding] aisle, and the sister [organizations of the] Palestinian resistance will congratulate it and the beloved faces of Shahids [former Islamic Martyrs] from all around the world will surround it [his body]...

...In the presence of the Shahada [Martyrdom] and blood which prevails over the Phantom [jet] and the Merkava [Israeli tank], our souls seek ... to stand at the head of the ranks when they offer their condolences to the Lebanese resistance movement lead by Hezbollah. Along with [Hezbollah Leader] Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, we will ask ourselves who is the one consoling and who is the one being consoled as this is a tragedy that has hurt every Lebanese, every Palestinian, every Arab, and every free man on the face of this earth. This is because every free man partakes in Hajj Radwan's (Mugniyeh's) glory...

Indeed the thing that consoles [us] is what we hear of the Mujahideen's [Jihad fighter's] pledge to the combatant Shahid [martyr], that they will avenge his blood... not out of a desire to die but out of an understanding of the meaning of resistance [terror], as either victory or Istishhad [Death as a Shahid].     

If there is any reason to give the enemy [Israel] advice, we advise the pack of hyenas not to rejoice, because in war - the scale tips at times to one side and at times to the other. They are treacherous and they will retreat, and the resistance will retaliate and prevail.

An abundance of mercy is due to the Shahid - Hajj Rudwan Imad Mugniyeh. May his blood serve as the ink for a new document of fraternity, which will unite the Jihad's fighters, as they all join to escort one of their most noble symbols to his burial... The companions of the Shahid, his relatives and acquaintances, will be blessed with this radiant decoration which he has been honored with today, and with it he has become a crown for Arab Lebanon, precious, exalted and Jihad Fighter. And from Lebanon to all the Arabs - "Hail the victory of the Mujahidun! [Jihad Fighters!]"
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, February 14, 2008]      


2 - Heading: A delegation of the Lawyers Association arrived at the house of mourning for the Shahid Imad Mugniyeh.

"A delegation of close to 30 lawyers the Islamic Association of Lawyers paid a visit to the mourning house of the outstanding military commander of the Lebanese resistance, Imad Mugniyeh, which is being overseen by the National and Islamic Forces in Gaza City. In its speech, the delegation emphasized that the murder of Mugniyeh was a crime of organized state terror, which violates all international and human conventions and rules. The delegation added that Mugniyeh's Shahada [Islamic Martyrdom] will not break the strength of the resistance but will add to its spirit of resistance against the state [Israel] which oppresses everywhere.

The spokesperson for the Islamic Association of Lawyers, Professor Ayman Abu-Aysha, said that the visit to the house of mourning for the Shahid [Islamic Martyr] Mughniyeh was done in the framework of the association in order to support all forms of resistance of struggle against the Zionist occupation in all the Arab and Islamic lands."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah, February 17, 2008, p. 2]


3 - Heading: A Letter from 'Al-Kuntar' to Nasrallah celebrating Mugniyeh's Death         
"The lawyer of the prisoner Samir Kuntar has sent a letter from Kuntar [Lebanese terrorist who crushed the head of an Israeli child with his gun while murdering 4] to Hezbollah's secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, in which he congratulates him and offers him his condolences on the death of the commander Imad Mughniyeh as a Shahid. Following is the content of the letter:

My dear and honored commander and leader, The Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah,
Peace be unto you and our Shahids, and may Allah's mercy and blessing be upon you.
Peace be unto the men in the convoys of the righteous.

Peace be unto he who has [given and has] not taken anything other than the Shahadah (Martyrdom), the highest rank of honor before Allah.
Peace be unto the distinguished, glamorous convoys [of Shahids] who travel toward eternity, toward the men of glory, dignity and pride, toward those who have marked our path for hundreds of years.

Peace be unto the last to leave, the Hajj and the leader, Imad Mughniyeh.
Peace be unto him, as he passes the mission on to those who await his arrival, as he brings them news of the glory and victories, news of steadfastness and loyalty, news of the men of promise and sincerity, news of "those who still wait; but they have never changed (their determination) in the least. [Quote from Quran, Sura 33:23. Full quote: "Among the Believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah: of them some have completed their vow (to the extreme), and some (still) wait: but they have never changed (their determination) in the least:"

Peace be unto him, as he announces to the most honored among the believers that the anticipating convoys have chosen to draw their swords, and their swords are calling out: "Baseness will not reach us". 

May peace be unto you, Hajj Imad. I pledge myself to you and hold myself committed to the promise that my place will only be in the frontier areas that have received your sweet effort and the blood of the most beloved men, and that I shall continue down the path, until complete victory.
I give to you, Sir Abu Hadi [name for Hassan Nasrallah], and to all the Mujahidin (Jihad Figthers), my congratulations and [my] renewed loyalty.
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah, February 19, 2008, p. 3]

PMW comment: It should be noted that the murderer Samir Kuntar, writer of this letter, is one of the terrorists Israel offered to exchange for information about imprisoned Israeli pilot Ran Arad, according to media sources.


4- "The Fatah's military wing - the Ahmud Abu Al Rish Martyrs Brigades - accepted responsibility yesterday for the attack on the Israeli military post... shooting 2 missiles... They announced that the action is in dedicated to the memory of the Martyr  Imad   Mughniyeh.
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah, February 14, 2008,]


Palestinian Media Watch: http://www.pmw.org.il

Opnieuw Qassam raketten op Sderot

De laatste dagen doen allerlei geruchten de ronde over een staakt-het-vuren, die worden ontkend door zowel Israël als de Hamas. Feit is dat het aantal raketten vanuit de Gazastrook en Israëlische 'pin-point' acties tegen Hamas en Islamitische Jihad terroristen beide drastisch zijn afgenomen de afgelopen week.
 
Het lijkt onwaarschijnlijk dat dit toeval is, en daarom wordt wel van een onofficieel bestand gesproken. Gisteren zijn echter toch weer qassams afgevuurd. Logisch, want Israël heeft 4 leden van Islamitische Jihad op de Westoever gedood, zullen de Palestijnen zeggen, maar Israël heeft duidelijk aangegeven dat het niet van plan is met dergelijke operaties op de Westoever te stoppen. Deze zijn immers noodzakelijk om aanslagen te verijdelen, en een machtsovername van Hamas te voorkomen.
 
 
Ratna
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Rockets fired at Sderot
Is fragile lull over? At least four Qassam rockets were fired at southern town Wednesday night; barrage causes some damage, no injuries reported; earlier, Islamic Jihad vows to avenge killing of four terrorists
 
Shmulik Hadad, YNET
Published: 03.13.08, 00:35
 

Will truce last? At least four Qassam rockets were fired at Sderot from the northern Gaza Strip Wednesday night following a brief lull in attacks on southern Israel communities.

Two rockets landed in town, near a school and next to a warehouse, and caused some damage. Security forces were attempting to pinpoint the landing site of another rocket that apparently fell in a residential area.

No injuries were reported in the night barrage, but at least one local resident suffered from anxiety and was being treated by paramedics at the scene.

The "Color Red" alert system was activated to warn of incoming rockets and residents in the area reported hearing explosions moments before the Qassams landed in town.

A short while before the attacks, the Islamic Jihad threatened to avenge the death of four terrorists killed by security forces in the West Bank town of Bethlehem earlier in the day.

Wednesday night's barrage marks the first rocket attack since mid-day Tuesday, when Palestinians in Gaza fired a rocket at Ashkelon shortly after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert visited the southern city.

Islamitische Jihad terrorist gedood

Veel mensen vinden dat Israël niet het recht heeft mensen te doden die aanslagen tegen haar burgerbevolking plannen en indien mogelijk, ook uitvoeren.
 
De gedode terrorist was al op zijn zestiende aktief in de Islamitische Jihad, en was eerder al opgepakt en berecht door Israël, maar na zijn vrijlating uit de gevangenis heeft hij zijn oude 'beroep' weer opgepakt. Dit zijn dus de 'politieke gevangenen' die Israël van zovelen zonder voorwaarden vrij zou moeten laten en wiens gevangenschap een belangrijke motivatie voor terrorisme zou zijn. Beste mensen, het bestaan van Israël is motivatie genoeg voor deze terroristen.
 
Overigens is hij ook nu slechts gedood nadat hij het vuur op Israëlische soldaten opende.
 
Ratna
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March 12th, 2008

IDF SPOKESPERSON'S ANNOUNCEMENT

Senior Islamic Jihad Terror Operative Killed During Arrest Operation

Saleh Amar Saleh Karkoor, 26, a senior terror operative was killed in Seida, south west of Jenin, in a joint IDF, ISA and Border Police arrest operation.
 
Initially, the forces called on Karkoor to evacuate the house, following which they resorted to using various means in order to get him to surrender. During the operation fire was opened towards the forces and explosive devices were activated against them. The forces returned fire and identified hitting Karkoor. One AK-47 Assault Rifle and a number of explosive devices and ammunition clips were uncovered on his person. The weaponry was detonated in a controlled manner by sappers.

Karkoor was extremely active in the Islamic Jihad terror organization from the 1990s. During the last weeks he was involved in planning suicide bombings along with other Islamic Jihad operatives.

In 1998, Karkoor was questioned and arrested for the first time for his involvement in the Islamic Jihad terror organization. In 1999 he returned to terror activities right after his release.

In January 25, 2002, Karkoor was arrested following a suicide bombing in Tel- Aviv in which 23 civilians were injured. He confessed to having accommodated the two bombers at his house, and to his involvement in terror activity and the recruiting of suicide bombers.

Karkoor was sentenced and jailed, from which he was released in November 2006.

Right after his release, Karkoor once again returned to terror activity within the Islamic Jihad. He took part in the establishment of an Islamic Jihad cell, together with Haled Hassin, who was killed by a special IDF force on October 23, 2007, along with a number of Islamic Jihad terror operatives from Tul-Karem who operated in Jenin in 2007.

The cell that Karkoor was a part of was also responsible for executing the suicide bombing at an IDF roadblock near the community of Einav on July 12, 2007.


--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website:
www.imra.org.il

Bussen in noord-Israël met stenen bekogeld

Pro-Palestijnse actiegroepen zoals 'Vrouwen in het Zwart' doen altijd zo verontwaardigd dat er Palestijnse kinderen (lees: tieners) in Israëlische gevangenissen zitten. Met zaken als onderstaande breng je echter mensenlevens in gevaar.
 
 
Wouter
_____________

More vehicles stoned in north
Bus stoned by children in Upper Nazareth; Arab youths arrested after vehicle stoned in Acco

 
Sharon Roffe-Ofir, YNET 
 

All is not quiet on the northern front, as stone throwing incidents persist. On Wednesday, children stoned a bus in the northern town of Upper Nazareth. No injuries or property damage were reported in the incident.

Later Wednesday, three Arab youths aged 14 and 15 hurled stones at a bus traveling near the northern town of Acco. The vehicle's windshield was smashed, but no one was injured. The three suspects were detained by police.

The bus driver involved in the Upper Nazareth stoning lodged a complaint with the city's police department following the incident, and told officers that his vehicle was stoned as he was driving through the town's Har-Yona neighborhood.

Police sources said that they were unsure whether the culprits were Jews or Arabs, but that this was a very serious occurrence and that they would launch undercover operations in the area in the coming days in order to apprehend stone throwers.

Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter addressed the recent surge in stone throwing incidents in the north during a Knesset meeting Wednesday.

"The Northern District of the Israel Police is all too familiar with such incidents," said Dichter, "and is working vigorously to curb this phenomenon." The minister also noted that the police department has allocated copious resources and manpower to fighting the phenomenon.

Dichter further noted that "there were 29 stoning incidents in the northern district since the beginning of 2008, which a sharp increase from what we witnessed in January and February of 2007 when only three such incidents were reported."
 

Ahiya Raved contributed to this report

Harde kritiek Koeweits nieuwsblad op aanslag joodse school Jeruzalem

Niet alle Arabische kranten prijzen de 'martelaren' die in de strijd tegen de Zionistische vijand sterven.
Overigens is het sterkste argument tegen die 'wraak-redenering' dat de aanslag al voor de Israëlische operatie in de Gazastrook was gepland, volgens leden van zowel Israëlische als Palestijnse veiligheidsdiensten.

Ratna
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Harde kritiek Koeweits nieuwsblad over aanslag op joodse school in Jeruzalem
 
12-3-2008
 

In schril contrast met een aantal andere Arabische kranten uitte het Koeweits niewsblad Al-Watan dinsdag harde kritiek op de aanslag op een joodse school in Jeruzalem van afgelopen donderdag, waarbij 8 jonge jeshiva-studenten om het leven kwamen. Daar waar andere Arabische kranten spraken over een "heldendaad", betitelde het blad de aanslag als een "barbaarse moord op 8 kinderen die met religieuze studie bezig waren". "Deze verfoeilijke en inhumane terreuraanslag illustreert het extremistische en inhumane pad van terreurorganisaties Hamas en Hezbollah," gaat het artikel verder.

"Deze terreuraanslag moet de vrije wereld ertoe aanzetten om de omvang van terrorisme en zijn bedreigingen te begrijpen en te realiseren dat een duidelijke en onmiskenbare houding hiertegen moet worden aangenomen. Met terreur dat zich lukraak studenten, vrouwen en babies ten doel heeft gesteld, zonder ook maar de methoden en de doelen in overweging te nemen, kunnen geen onderhandelingen plaatsvinden."

Tegenover de bewering dat de aanslag een reactie was op de acties van het Israelische leger in Gaza, stelt de schrijver: "Er is geen verband tussen een moorddadige terroristische daad en de onbedoelde burderdoden in reactie op het afvuren van raketten door Hamas."

woensdag 12 maart 2008

Yeshiva studenten plannen wraak tegen Arabier

Slecht nieuws. Het is niet duidelijk waarom de aanval niet is uitgevoerd, en of de politie weet wie de samenzweerders zijn. Hoe kwam de politie, de veiligheidsdienst of Channel 1 achter de plannen? Rabbis die zo'n aanval goedkeuren zouden daarvoor moeten worden vervolgd wegens aanzetten tot geweld.
 
Feit is, dat ondanks de tientallen zo niet honderden aanvallen in Jeruzalem in de hoogtijdagen van de intifada, geen enkele Joodse vergeldingsactie heeft plaats gevonden.
 
 
Ratna
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Last update - 22:50 11/03/2008
Report: Yeshiva graduates plan revenge attack against Arab figure
 
By The Associated Press

Students from the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem, where an Israeli Arab gunman killed eight students last Thursday, planned a revenge attack against a senior Arab official affiliated with a Jerusalem mosque, Channel 1 television reported Tuesday.

The attack has not been carried out and no arrests have been made, Channel 1 quoted security sources as saying.

According to the report, three yeshiva alumni met at the school with two rabbis to discuss whether Jewish law would permit such an attack. The television channel reported that one of the rabbis gave his blessing for the attack, and an additional rabbi from a Tel Aviv suburb also gave his approval for the attack.
 
"Torah law is that you should respond," Channel 1 quoted one of the rabbis as saying.

The plan was to harm a senior Arab official affiliated with a mosque at the disputed Jerusalem holy site, Temple Mount, Channel One said.

Police believe the terrorist, who was from east Jerusalem, chose the religious school since it is the flagship of the Jewish settlement movement. The gunman was killed in the shooting.

Police would not comment on the report but said they have prepared for the possibility of such attacks in response to the shooting.

Any attack on a Muslim figure in Jerusalem would inflame tensions in the disputed city that is the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Due to the sensitivities, Israeli police have in the past acted quickly to stop several attempts by Jewish extremists to attack the mosque compound.

The holy site is located in Jerusalem's walled Old City, in east Jerusalem. Israel captured the sector of the city in the 1967 Six-Day War, and later annexed it. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem to serve as the capital of a future state.
 

"Zionistische" Yeshiva studenten slaan Israëlische minister

Schandalig is misschien nog te zwak uitgedrukt. Dit is een door de staat gefinancierde school, waar een minister van het kabinet en premier Olmert zelf niet welkom zijn omdat men het oneens is met hun beleid. Men zet dit kracht bij door de minister tijdens een bezoek uit te schelden, te bespugen en te slaan. Ik geloof dat Ajax fans zich nog beter gedragen wanneer de burgemeester op bezoek komt.
 
De woede en frustratie na de aanslag afgelopen donderdag zijn begrijpelijk, dit gedrag is dat geenszins.
Zoals Ami Isseroff betoogt, een hoogst onzionistische daad.
 
Ratna
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"Zionist" Yeshiva students beat Israeli minister

Tamir 'deeply saddened' by mob behavior during visit to yeshiva

Education minister verbally abused, kicked and spat on by protesters angry with gov't policy in front of Mercaz Harav seminary, site of Thursday's terror attack
 
Roni Sofer
Ynet News - Published:  03.10.08, 01:14
 
 
"The physical pain I'm feeling now is insignificant; it is the mental anguish that hurts me more," Education Minister Yuli Tamir said just hours after being attacked outside the Mercaz Harav rabbinical seminary in Jerusalem, the site of Thursday's deadly terror attack that left eight Israelis dead.
 
During her visit to the yeshiva on Sunday Tamir spoke to the students, some of whom told her that they felt the government was not doing enough to fight terror.
 
Upon leaving the seminary Tamir was verbally attacked by dozens of youths who called out "murderer," "get out of here" and "the Left is to blame for everything." She was also kicked in the back twice.
 
"I came to console the students and see the scene of the attack for myself. In a matter of seconds we found ourselves surrounded by dozens of rioters who kicked me and spat at me," Tamir recounted. "It reminded me of darker days."
 
The education minister was eventually whisked away by police officers and security guards.
 
"I am deeply saddened that people cannot differentiate between a condolence visit and a political one," Tamir said. Earlier the minister told Ynet that "this reminded me of the days before (former Prime Minister Yitzhak) Rabin's murder. It's unfortunate that that there is a public which cannot put limits form itself. I only came to pay my respects to the murdered, not to engage in politics."
 
Meanwhile it was reported that the seminary has responded negatively to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's request to pay a condolence visit of his own, but sources in the PM's Office are still hopeful.
 
"It is no secret that there is an ideological rift between Olmert and the yeshiva," a source in the PM's Office said, "but Olmert also said during today's cabinet meeting that no political rift can take away from the respect that he has for the Mercaz Harav yeshiva, the flagship of Religious Zionism. Despite everything, we will further examine the possibility of visiting the yeshiva and decide.
 
A source close to the yeshiva's directors said they were "not enthused" over the idea of hosting Olmert due to the fact that they believe he is working to divide Jerusalem and "is not fighting terror."
 
However, the source added that an official decision on the matter has yet to be announced.
 
 
 

Israël gaat wel/niet door met bouwen in Oost Jeruzalem

Israël gaat wel/niet door met bouwen in Oost Jeruzalem:
 
"There is no delay, limitation, or suspension of the construction of Jewish neigbhorhoods in East Jerusalem," [housing minister] Boim told Israel Radio.
At Monday's Economics Committee meeting, however, Ma'ayan said that the Housing Ministry has postponed marketing 750 apartments in East Jerusalem's Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood and another 150 apartments in the Har Homa neighborhood.
 
Boim denied this, however, saying the tenders for the Pisgat Ze'ev construction were in the final stages of coordination with the Jerusalem Municipality, and that the tenders for Har Homa - which he said were for 360 units - would be published soon.
 
Gal did confirm that he had been ordered to freeze construction in the settlements around Jerusalem, including Efrat, Gush Etzion, Givat Ze'ev, Adam and Beitar Ilit.
MK Uriel Ariel (National Union-National Religious Party), who requested Monday's meeting, said that altogether, the Housing Ministry has halted marketing of some 2,300 apartments in and around Jerusalem.
 
After the meeting, Ma'ayan told Haaretz that despite this directive, the municipality is moving forward with plans to build some 10,000 apartments in Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, including Ramot, Ramat Shlomo, Pisgat Ze'ev, Neveh Ya'akov, East Talpiot, Har Homa and Gilo. The largest of these calls for building some 4,000 apartments in Givat Hamatos, in the city's southern section. That plan is currently being discussed by the regional planning and building committee.
 
 
Weet u het nog?
 
Als 750 woningen al veroordelingen door de VS en Ban Ki-Moon opleveren lijkt mij dat laatste niet erg realistisch.
Vertelt iedereen hier slechts wat met zijn eigen poltieke agenda overeen komt?
 
 
Ratna
---------------
 
Minister: No freeze on Jewish construction in E. J'lem
 
By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and AP
Last update - 12:46 12/02/2008
 
 
Housing Minister Ze'ev Boim denied Tuesday reports that the government is barring new housing construction for Jews in East Jerusalem, saying Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's order to freeze all construction that does not have his personal approval applies only to the West Bank.

On Monday, Jerusalem city manager Yair Ma'ayan told the Knesset Economics Committee that the government was holding up construction of hundreds of apartments in Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem due to the negotiations with the Palestinians.

"There is no delay, limitation, or suspension of the construction of Jewish neigbhorhoods in East Jerusalem," Boim told Israel Radio.
 
Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupoliansky also weighed in on the issue Tuesday, saying he "won't allow Jerusalem to be turned into an illegal outpost.

Following the Annapolis conference last fall, several media reports about ongoing construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem angered the Palestinians and Americans. In response, Olmert ordered all building in the settlements frozen, including those settlements that are part of the greater Jerusalem area.

But with regard to East Jerusalem, which was formally annexed to Israel in 1967, he merely ordered that he be kept informed of any building plans, and he recently promised Shas Party Chairman and Industry Minister Eli Yishai that there was no freeze on construction in the capital.

At Monday's Economics Committee meeting, however, Ma'ayan said that the Housing Ministry has postponed marketing 750 apartments in East Jerusalem's Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood and another 150 apartments in the Har Homa neighborhood. In both cases, he said, the ministry told him that Olmert had not yet approved the projects.

Boim denied this, however, saying the tenders for the Pisgat Ze'ev construction were in the final stages of coordination with the Jerusalem Municipality, and that the tenders for Har Homa - which he said were for 360 units - would be published soon.

Dov Gal, deputy director of the Housing Ministry's Jerusalem District, also denied the report, saying there was no order that construction in East Jerusalem needed approval from the government.

But Ma'ayan said that Gal was behind the times - and several Knesset members said that Ma'ayan's statements had been confirmed to them by Boim himself.

Gal did confirm that he had been ordered to freeze construction in the settlements around Jerusalem, including Efrat, Gush Etzion, Givat Ze'ev, Adam and Beitar Ilit. MK Uriel Ariel (National Union-National Religious Party), who requested Monday's meeting, said that altogether, the Housing Ministry has halted marketing of some 2,300 apartments in and around Jerusalem.

In response, the Prime Minister's Office said that construction in East Jerusalem has not been frozen, but because of its diplomatic sensitivity, Olmert has asked to be informed of all building plans there, so that he will not be taken by surprise.

After the meeting, Ma'ayan told Haaretz that despite this directive, the municipality is moving forward with plans to build some 10,000 apartments in Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, including Ramot, Ramat Shlomo, Pisgat Ze'ev, Neveh Ya'akov, East Talpiot, Har Homa and Gilo. The largest of these calls for building some 4,000 apartments in Givat Hamatos, in the city's southern section. That plan is currently being discussed by the regional planning and building committee.

Negative migration

Nir Barkat, who heads the opposition in the Jerusalem city council, told the Economics Committee that the capital continues to suffer from a negative balance of migration, in part because of soaring apartment prices. This conclusion was echoed in a study by the Knesset's research division that was presented to the committee on Monday.

The study also found that while all governments talk about developing Jerusalem, few actually do anything about it.

Barkat, who belongs to Olmert's Kadima Party, also asked Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to deny recent claims by Palestinian officials that Israel has already agreed to concessions in Jerusalem, including ceding the city's Arab neighborhoods to the Palestinians. Alternatively, if the reports are true, he demanded that she "reveal all the secret agreements on the floor of the Knesset."

Livni's media advisor, Gil Messing, responded that the minister does not comment on reports about her talks with the Palestinians, and therefore refused to either confirm or deny that the future of Jerusalem had been discussed.

But the Palestinian comments increased pressure on Shas to quit the government, as it has repeatedly pledged to leave the moment negotiations on Jerusalem begin.