De Gazastrook na een jaar Hamas controle

Onder Hamas heerschappij is de chaos en wetteloosheid wat afgenomen, wordt veel beweerd, maar in een jaar tijd zijn 118 Palestijnen in interne gevechten omgekomen en bijna dagelijks worden Fatah leden of andere dissidenten gearresteerd. Ook journalisten hebben het zwaar.  

 

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Last update - 13:01 13/06/2008

A year after Gaza takeover, Hamas shows no sign of ending violence

 

By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/992551.html

 

 

"For many of us, the coup in Gaza meant the end of the Palestinian dream of a single Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank, with a connection between them," said P., a resident of Gaza City's Sajiyeh neighborhood, on the one-year anniversary of the coup in which Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip.

 

"Israel will not agree to a Palestinian state in Gaza as long as it is under Hamas control, and the coup divided the Palestinian people in two," he continued. "Even in the Diaspora, Palestinians are divided between Hamas and Fatah supporters."

 

Beyond the coup's negative implications for Palestinian politics, its negative implications for the personal lives of Gaza residents have been enormous. Yet no small number of Gazans also mentioned positive changes that have taken place in the Strip in the past year.
 
"The age of the armed gangs has ended," explained B., a former Fatah member. "I remember getting in a dispute with a member of a large family. I went to the police to file an assault complaint. The police advised me to drop it so I wouldn't get hurt.

 

'Today, you will not encounter anything like that. Family connections are no longer of any importance, and anyone who violates the law is punished. The chaos, the stolen cars, the extortion and threats are all gone."

 

A., a resident of Beit Hanun, also reported a substantial improvement in personal security. According to him, there are fewer internal conflicts and gang wars. "I no longer feel the need to be constantly armed for fear of encountering someone else armed."

 

But A. is not unequivocal statement about the improvement in the situation. "When Hamas took power, it brought about a dramatic improvement in the enforcement of traffic laws," he said. "There was no order in that sphere in the past, but now, drivers must even get car registrations. But now, there are almost no cars on the road because of the gas shortage. So what did we gain?"

 

It seems that even the improvement in personal safety is relative. From the June 2007 coup until the beginning of this month, human rights groups say, 118 Palestinians have been killed in internecine fighting. Hundreds of Fatah members populate the jails as the result of political persecution, and arrests are carried out almost every day.

 

"We live better from the personal safety perspective," said S. "But what is it all worth on an empty stomach and an empty pocket? There was a dream of making Gaza into the Singapore of the Middle East, but we have become Afghanistan."

 

On the list of pros and cons for Gaza under Hamas rule, poverty is the most significant con. About 50% of Gaza residents are unemployed. Two thirds live below the poverty line and need international aid to survive. Close to 90% of factories have been shuttered by lack of raw materials due to Israel's blockade. The construction sector is paralyzed. Most staples can be purchased only at sky-high prices. A. says tahini prices have doubled this year. So have fruit prices.

 

"Hamas gives out gas coupons every week," he said. "It's like living in the old Soviet Union. There is electricity three to four hours a day. It's impossible to go abroad, and impossible to travel with the children inside Gaza because of the gas shortage."

 

Poverty inevitably brings religious radicalization. According to B., not all Gazans have suddenly become religious, but many are growing beards and going to mosques to prove to Hamas that they are drawing closer to religion, and to the organization itself.

 

"Once, there were mostly older people at morning prayers," he said. "Now, more than ever, young people attend those prayers, too."

Voorlopig geen Israëlische operatie in Gaza Strook

Blijkbaar waren de dreigementen wat betreft een grote operatie in Gaza vooral voor interne consumptie, is Israël onder druk gezet door de VS en de EU om niet aan te vallen, is het leger nog niet geheel paraat of gelooft de regering ook gewoon niet dat men de Hamas een gevoelige klap kan toebrengen zonder dat tientallen of honderden onschuldige burgers daarbij omkomen. Hoe het ook zij, er wordt dus nog maar eens gepraat in de hoop dat de Israëlische voorwaarden nu wel door Hamas geaccepteerd zullen worden. Of is dat alleen maar voor de bühne, zodat men straks kan zeggen echt zijn best te hebben gedaan om tot een staakt-het-vuren te komen?

 

Ratna

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Security cabinet rules out Gaza operation for time being

 

Herb Keinon , THE JERUSALEM POST

June 10, 2008
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1212659695155&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

 

The long-delayed decision whether to accept an Egyptian-brokered cease fire with Hamas or step up military operations against the Gaza Strip came before the security cabinet on Wednesday, and despite reports that a majority of ministers favored tough military action, the decision was to give the cease fire talks more time.

The meeting was preceded by a Tuesday discussion between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak in which the various scenarios were reportedly discussed.

IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Yuval Diskin also took part in that meeting, from which no details were provided.

One government source said that while Olmert and Livni favor stepped-up military action before agreeing to a cease fire, Barak wants to send his top adviser Amos Gilad back to Egypt one more time for additional clarifications before taking action.

Although technically Olmert, Barak and Livni could take action on their own without seeking approval from the security cabinet, the source said that in the current political climate, where whatever decision Olmert takes would be criticized as having been influenced by his legal and political problems, he wanted the decision to have the backing of the security cabinet.

A number of cabinet ministers came out in favor of a widespread action before Tuesday's weekly cabinet meeting, with Construction and Housing Minister Ze'ev Boim, a close Olmert ally, saying "Israel must launch an operation against Hamas," adding that the country could not risk letting the Islamic group rearm itself "before the next round."

Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann advised the ministers at the cabinet meeting (held on Tuesday rather than Sunday because of the Shavuot holiday) against talking publicly about whether or not there would be an operation, saying that the constant discussion on the matter reminded him of how Hassidim "wait for the messiah."

Barak also advocated taking a much lower public profile on the matter.

"When the moment comes, we will act," he said.

"The defense establishment is dealing with it, and the ministers should listen to what is being said about what can, and cannot, be accomplished through the various actions."

Speaking to government ministers about the status of peace negotiations with the Palestinians, Olmert said that progress in the area was critically important now given the proximity of the US presidential elections.

"One thing is certain: This administration is especially friendly," the prime minister said.

"We cannot miss taking advantage of this opportunity. Therefore the element of time holds special importance. We must not lose this. [Things won't necessarily be the same] with the next government."

"We are working with the aim of advancement," Olmert told his ministers. "We don't yet have formal, written documents, but we're working with the intent of making progress towards building a foundation for a solution, within the framework of the time-frame we presented.

"Of course there are arguments, long discussions, but this issue is important for me."

Olmert and US President George W. Bush have both said they hoped that a framework agreement could be reached by the end of 2008.

"We don't know what will happen with the next US government," Olmert told the ministers.

"I am operating on the assumption that every American president will preserve the special friendship with Israel that is built on mutual values and interests."

Olmert said, without elaborating, that there are various mutual commitments with the current administration that may not "roll over" to the next administration.
Turning to the Syrian track, which is expected to resume with indirect talks in Turkey this week, Olmert told the cabinet he would have been happy had the announcement last month of indirect talks with the Syrians been accompanied by an expression of readiness on Lebanon's part to enter into bilateral talks with Israel as well.

"I see much advantage in that." Olmert said.

During the meeting, Olmert also took Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz to task for his comments that Israel might attack Iran if it carried on with its nuclear weapons program, saying that in these matters there is need for a great deal of diplomatic action, "and as little talk as possible."

Olmert said that Iran featured prominently in his talks with Bush last week in Washington, and that there was "understanding, agreement and coordination" on this matter between Jerusalem and Washington.

"Every day that passes we are moving another step forward," Olmert said. "That doesn't mean that in a very short time it will be possible to overcome all the problems, but there are efforts, common thinking, determination, readiness, and agreement on the ways we need to act."

Komende week stemming Knesset over motie van wantrouwen

 

Niet alleen de VS, ook Israël kan hoogstwaarschijnlijk voor het najaar verkiezingen tegemoet zien.

Dit is opmerkelijk, want de regeringspartijen staan op verlies in de peilingen.

 

Enerzijds is een nieuwe regering waarschijnlijk beter in staat om belangrijke beslissingen te nemen, bijvoorbeeld wat betreft concessies en vredesverdragen met de Palestijnen en Syrië, anderzijds ziet het er vooralsnog naar uit dat een nieuwe regering door rechts gedomineerd zal worden wat de kans op vrede niet vergroot.

 

Ratna

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Knesset votes to topple gov't next week

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1212659699137&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

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GIL HOFFMAN and REBECCA ANNA STOIL , THE JERUSALEM POST

Jun. 10, 2008

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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government survived four separate no-confidence motions on Monday, but factions now numbering 74 MKs have expressed support for dissolving the Knesset. This includes Meretz's five MKs after the faction made a decision Tuesday to support Likud MK Silvan Shalom's bill to disperse the Knesset currently supported by Likud, Labor, Shas, Israel Beiteinu, United Torah Judaism and the National Union-National Religious Party.

Despite Meretz's previous preference for the formation of an alternative government and not an election, the group still agreed to support the bills slated to break up the government that will be voted on next week.

Shalom said he expected the bill to pass by a large majority. He called upon Olmert to cooperate with the process of removing him and to leave office in a dignified manner.

"The Olmert government has reached the end of its path," Shalom told the Likud faction. "There should be a short and respectful process leading to elections in November. Olmert should act courageously and end his government in a proper way and not a shameful one."

Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu added that "elections are necessary for the good of the country" and that "the burning issues facing the country cannot be held hostage by the foreign interests of our current leaders."

The opposition kept up its weekly pressure on the government, as no fewer than seven parties sponsored no-confidence motions. Although none of them passed, at least two of the votes reflected subjects likely to drive the government closer and closer to early elections.

The NU-NRP and UTJ's joint motion attacked the government on its unwillingness to increase child benefits, a topic particularly sensitive for coalition partner Shas, which is pushing hard to prove to voters that it can restore the benefits cut in recent years.

Likud's no-confidence motion repeated the party's consistent theme, that the government has reached the end of the road.

Prior to the votes, MK Yossi Beilin (Meretz) called upon Labor Chairman Ehud Barak to put his votes where his mouth was and support the no-confidence motions rather than "threatening empty threats of early elections." Beilin added that even as Labor is threatening to advance toward early elections, the party's ministers have remained in their places and are tacitly supporting the government - and Olmert - through their continued participation.

Minister-without-portfolio Ruhama Avraham responded on behalf of the government that the "party with only 12 seats," referring to the Likud, "will have to wait a little longer." In the corridors of the Knesset, MKs took turns mocking Avraham for a statement she made at a Kadima rally in Tirat Hacarmel on Thursday night. They accused her of being disconnected from reality for suggesting that no one cared about Olmert's multiple investigations.

"What happened?" Avraham shouted at the crowd. "It's true that this isn't the first investigation and not the second investigation and not the third investigation and not the fourth investigation, and I don't know if it's the last investigation. But why? Who does it really bother?"

 

This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1212659699137&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

 

IDF voorkomt aanval op Gaza grens

Uiteraard komt dit niet op het nieuws en in de kranten, in tegenstelling tot de dood van een Palestijns meisje door Israël een paar dagen geleden. En de 7 doden bij een explosie in een huis vol met bommen van Hamas is voor de media blijkbaar ook een stuk minder interessant dan wanneer Israël eenzelfde aantal doden - waaronder vrouwen en kinderen - had veroorzaakt.

 

Ratna

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IDF: We prevented major Gaza border terror attack

By Haaretz Service and Agencies

Last update - 23:31 12/06/2008
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/992297.html

 

The Israel Defense Forces foiled a large scale terror attack planned to coincide with a barrage of some 50 Qassam rockets and mortar shells fired from Gaza into western Negev Thursday afternoon, the army said.

One Israeli woman moderately wounded when a rocket slammed directly into the infirmary in a moshav in the Ashkelon coastal region.

The IDF said that Gaza militants were planning to use the heavy barrage as a diversion in order to carry out a massive attack at the border fence between Israel and the Strip.

A heavy vehicle approached IDF troops stationed at the Gaza border fence at an alarming speed, the IDF described the attempted attack. The soldiers opened fire and forced the vehicle to stop. The IDF said that it was the soldiers' quick response that likely prevented a serious attack.

The vehicle and the scene were both studied by IDF investigators in order to learn more details of the militants' plan.

Furthermore, the IDF added that the Israel Air Force bombed the Palestinian mortar squad that fired on kibbutz Nir Oz minutes earlier, and identified a direct hit.

The barrage of mortar shells came shortly after an explosion destroyed a Hamas bomb-maker's house in the Gaza Strip, killing at least seven people, including a baby, in what Hamas initially called an Israeli air strike.

Israel, which routinely accepts responsibility for attacks on military targets, denied involvement and described the incident as a Palestinian work accident.

The explosion, which also wounded about 25 people, destroyed the two-story dwelling and damaged several other homes in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, an area from which militants frequently fire rockets into southern Israel.

Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida later announced the group had launched an investigation into the cause of the blast, indicating that the explosion was likely caused by an accident.

Hamas initially said that an Israel Air Force aircraft attacked the house belonging to Ahmed Hamouda, whom it described as one of its senior bomb-makers.

It was not clear whether Hamouda, was inside the house at the time of the explosion.

The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said a 4-month-old niece and teenage nephew of Hamouda were among the dead, along with an assistant to Interior Minister Said Siyam, a top Hamas figure in Gaza.

Over the years, dozens of Palestinian militants have been killed unintentionally while mishandling explosives meant to be used against Israel.

Earlier Thursday, Israel Defense Forces troops killed two Palestinian militants who were rigging explosive devices near the security fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

An IDF spokesman said the militants were also apparently trying to infiltrate Israeli terrirtory.

An IDF tank operating in the Nativ Ha'asara area north of the Gaza border opened fire on one of the militants and forces from the Givati Brigade shot at the second militant.

The militants killed belonged to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the groups said.

The violence came as members of the political-security cabinet decided to hold off on a much-touted invasion of Gaza in order to give Egyptian-brokered truce efforts more time to succeed.

Meanwhile, Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad headed to Cairo on Thursday in attempt to reignite the Egyptian-brokered truce talks.

IDF troops killed four Palestinians - one militant and three civilians - in three separate incidents in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

Also Wednesday, an Israeli man was lightly wounded by a mortar shell fired from the coastal territory.

Hamas gesterkt door diplomatieke contacten Europa

"Not a week goes by without meetings being held between (Hamas) and representatives of European countries or organizations."
He said the meetings with European officials take place in Gaza.

 

Dat is de reden dat de boycot van Hamas niet werkt. Een boycot die geen boycot is heeft geen kans van slagen.

 

The Hamas leader said American officials admitted that the siege on Gaza hasn't achieved its goals and that he was confident that it would eventually be lifted.

 

Die heeft haar doelen niet bereikt omdat Israël steeds werd gedwongen van alles door te laten, omdat Egypte toeliet dat de grens bij Rafah werd geopend, en er op grote schaal wapens worden gesmokkeld en allerlei andere zaken. Ondanks de zogenaamde blokkade zijn duizenden Hamas leden op training in Iran geweest en hebben grote sommen geld Gaza binnengesmokkeld. Natuurlijk moet een humanitaire crisis worden voorkomen en moeten hulporganisaties goederen kunnen leveren, maar zolang de wapensmokkel niet wordt aangepakt en Hamas zich verder blijft versterken, lijkt een oplossing voor het Gaza drama ver weg.

 

Ratna

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Haniyeh: Gunmen protecting Palestinians' rights

 

After dozens of mortars, Qassams pound Israel, Hamas leader says, 'We are holding on despite a siege that would have caused large countries to collapse and give in to Israel's demands'

 

Ali Waked YNET

Published: 06.12.08, 18:39
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3554985,00.html

 

"We will not recognize Israel even if the siege on Gaza persists," Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said during a Palestinian trade unions conference in Gaza on Thursday, a day in which more than 50 mortars and Qassam rockets were fired toward Israeli territory from the Strip.

"We are holding on despite a siege that would have caused large countries to collapse and give in to (Israel's) demands," he said, adding that "the armed Palestinian organizations, headed by Hamas' military wing, are protecting the rights of the Palestinian people and allowing the Palestinian leadership to uphold its principles."

The Hamas leader said American officials admitted that the siege on Gaza hasn't achieved its goals and that he was confident that it would eventually be lifted.

"The Israeli-American siege policy has begun to collapse, our relations with the surrounding Arab countries are sound and our ties with elements in Europe are improving as well," Haniyeh said. "Not a week goes by without meetings being held between (Hamas) and representatives of European countries or organizations."

He said the meetings with European officials take place in Gaza.

Referring to Thursday's mysterious explosion in the north Gaza home of a Hamas commander, which left four Palestinians dead and 40 others wounded, Haniyeh said, "The daily Zionist onslaught proves that the Israelis are incapable of implementing this wide-scale operation they keep talking about."

Meerderheid Israëli's voor aftreden Olmert en tegen opgeven hele Golan

 

61% vindt dat Olmert dient af te treden.

46% tegen 38% zijn tegen het uitruilen van gevangenen met Hezbollah en Hamas als de Israëlische soldaten dood zouden zijn.

67% tegen 16% zijn tegen een volledige terugtrekking van de Golan.

 

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War and Peace Index says majority of Israelis think PM should resign regardless of decision on future criminal Indictment; 66% demand a referendum be held regarding any future concessions in Golan

 

Ynet

Published: 06.09.08, 23:57
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3553423,00.html

 

The majority of the Israeli public believes Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is currently under investigation for allegedly receiving unlawful funds from American businessman Morris Talansky, should step down immediately; even before Attorney General Menachem Mazuz and the State Prosecutor's Office decide whether or not an indictment is warranted in his case.

The data was published by the Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research Monday, as part of its monthly War and Peace Index project.

The Index, published monthly since 1994, is run by Prof. Ephraim Yaar and Prof. Tamar Hermann; and is compiled of a monthly telephone survey of 600 Israeli citizens representing the various sectors in Israeli society.

June's survey focused on three issues on the national agenda: The status of Olmert and his government; the negotiations with Syria; and the question of the Israeli prisoners in Lebanon.

The incorruptibility factor

A majority of the Jewish public - 61% vs. 30% - thinks Olmert should resign the premiership before the State Prosecutor's Office makes any final decision regarding an indictment in his case.

Given a choice, 40% of the public said their preferred alternative to the situation would be early elections; while 21% said they prefer a replacement by named without holding elections. This, said the Steinmetz Center, may indicate that the public is not interested in the government's continued tenure.

Still, 10% said they believe Olmert should remain in office pending the results of the police probe against him; and 20% said they prefer Olmert to stay in office pending the decision on an indictment.

The public's desire to see the investigation against Olmert concluded was also evident by the widespread opposition - 60% - to claim that this may not be the right time to investigate him since, if he were to step down it would be detrimental to the negotiations on the Palestinians and Syrian avenues.

A segmentation of the results showed that this position was supported by the majority of the voters. Regardless of political affiliation, suggesting that in the normative climate which has emerged in recent years, the incorruptibility of political leaders comes carries higher significance than political qualifications; even when it comes to advancing the peace process.

When asked who may be the best candidate to push both the Palestinian and the Syrian peace talks forward while safeguarding Israel's vital interests, the segmentation was as followed: Likud Leader Benjamin Netanyahu - 27%, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni - 17%, Defense Minister Ehud Barak - 8%, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz - 6%, Olmert - 5%, and Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter - 3%.

Israeli public unwilling to cede Golan Heights

The ongoing reports about renewed Israeli-Syrian negotiations with Turkish mediation have not caused a change in the Jewish public's positions on the conditions for peace with Syria, as 67% oppose signing any peace treaty which will entail Israel's full withdrawal from the Golan Heights. Only 16% of Israelis would support such a move. The rest - 17% - either had no clear position or declined to answer.

The Israeli public, said the Index, does not seem to be troubled by prospect of Israeli and Syria failing to strike peace: The existing situation, said 60.5% of the poll's participants, may still continue for many years. Only 30.5% of Israelis said that another war between Israel and Syria was a matter of time.

As for why the Israeli public views the Golan Heights as crucial to Israelis, 65% said it carries strategic military importance; 20% cited its national significance as part of the historic Land of Israel; and 7% believe it has economic and tourism value.

As for the question of who should have the final authority to sign a peace accords entailing any concessions in the Golan Heights, 20% said it should be the government with the support of a regular or special majority of the Knesset (8% and 12% respectively); but a majority of 72% said the matter should be left up to the public.

Moreover, 66% said they would like a referendum to be held on the matter, indicating the public has little faith in its elected politicians when in comes to the Golan Heights. As for the question of in which stages of the negotiations a referendum should be held, 48% said they prefer it to be held before any detailed treaty was reached, while 41% favor conducting it only after a deal is struck.

Prisoners' exchange? Not at all costs

Finally, on the question of whether Israel, in return for the retrieval of Israeli MIA's Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, should agree to release any of the Lebanese prisoners it holds, including Samir Kuntar, who was jailed 29 years ago, after murdering the Haran family members and two police officers during a terror attack on the northern city of Nahariya; the public's position seemed to be dependent on the existing information regarding their state.

Given the widespread belief that unfortunately, Regev and Goldwasser are no longer alive, 46% of those polled said they were against striking a prisoners' exchange deal; while 38% said they would agree to it.

The answer changed, however, when those polled were asked for their opinion on the matter should Israel receive proof that the two - or even one - were still alive. Should that be the case, 80% of the Israeli public would support favors a prisoners' exchange deal.

 

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Iraans bedrijf: "trouw of wordt ontslagen"

De reden dat een aantal medewerkers niet getrouwd zijn is armoede, en dat valt de staat aan te rekenen die miljarden aan het atoomprogramma besteedt, en aan de training en bewapening van Hezbollah en Hamas, in plaats van te investeren in de mensen en de economie. Iran is rijker dan de Arabische staten in het Midden-Oosten, en de bevolking is beter opgeleid. Bovendien is het land rijk aan grondstoffen. Dat er toch zoveel armoede heerst, is een schande.

 

Ratna

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Marry or lose job, says Iran firm

Many young Iranians are having difficulty affording getting married

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7447227.stm

Single workers at one of Iran's major state-owned companies have been told to marry by September or face being fired, Iranian newspapers have reported.

 

The Pars Special Economic Energy Zone Company employs thousands of people, mostly young men, on Iran's Gulf coast.

Being married is a job requirement, a directive from the company is reported as saying.

Correspondents say the ruling appears to be an attempt to reduce the number of prostitutes working in the area.

The company controls Iran's large network of gas and petrochemical facilities around the coastal city of Assalouyeh on the Gulf coast.

Its directive, according to the Etemad newspaper, says that despite requests "some of our colleagues did not fulfil their commitments and are still single".

It continues: "As being married is one of the criteria of employment, we are announcing for the last time that all the female and male colleagues have until September 21 to go ahead with this important and moral religious duty."

In the same vein, the governor of the eastern province of North Khorasan ruled recently that only married people would be hired for official posts in the region.

Economic difficulties in Iran have led many people to postpone getting married, despite sexual relations being illegal outside marriage. __._,_.___

 

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VS traint Egyptenaren om smokkeltunnels te vinden

Eén van die dingen waarvan je je afvraagt waarom het niet eerder is gebeurd......

 

Misschien kan er dan ook gelijk een gedeeltelijk ondergrondse muur worden gebouwd, zodat de tunnelgravers wel erg diep moeten graven. Een lastig probleem is de wijdverbreide corruptie in Egypte: mensen in overheidsdienst verdienen zo weinig dat ze dat schamele loon aanvullen met steekpenningen. Misschien zou Amerika niet alleen de trainingen moeten geven, maar ook de uitvoering zelf ter hand nemen.

 

Ratna

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Last update - 01:08 11/06/2008

 

U.S. Army training Egyptians to find, destroy smuggling tunnels

By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent

 

 

The United States Army has begun training Egyptian soldiers to locate and destroy tunnels, in an effort to improve the Egyptian army's ability to cope with arms-smuggling from Sinai to the Gaza Strip.

A second, larger group of Egyptian soldiers is also due to arrive shortly for training, which is taking place at a U.S. Army base in Texas.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is teaching the Egyptian troops how to use advanced technological equipment to find and destroy the tunnels, including instruments that measure ground fluctuations and signal that a tunnel is being dug.

There has already been some improvement in Egypt's anti-smuggling activity, said Brigadier General Yossi Baidatz, who heads the Military Intelligence research division.

"The Egyptians have intensified their efforts along the border, but their activity is still a drop in the sea, and the smuggling is continuing," Baidatz told the cabinet.

Arms-smuggling is a key issue in Israel-Egypt talks on a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. Israel demands that Hamas commit to stop smuggling weapons as a condition for a lull, but Hamas refuses to do so. As an alternative, Egypt said it would guarantee a halt in smuggling and intensify its efforts to thwart such activity. Israel, however, is
concerned the issue will damage its relations with Egypt.

Over the past year, the U.S. has put much pressure on Egypt to improve how it deals with the arms-smuggling into Gaza, an Israeli diplomatic source said. Members of the House of Representatives proposed freezing $200 million in military financial aid to Egypt until it acted to stop the smuggling. Egypt was angered by the initiative, which was eventually nixed by U.S. President George W. Bush.

All the same, the developments in Congress did help change the Egyptian attitude toward the arms-smuggling, which the Egyptians had long denied. Some six months ago, Egyptian officials began admitting to American officials that the smuggling was taking place and demonstrated the results of their efforts to stop the smuggling.

The Bush administration also sent a Pentagon delegation to the Egypt-Gaza border, and they submitted a report recommending that the U.S. help the Egyptians halt the smuggling and ask Israel to agree to an increased Egyptian border force in Sinai.

In January, U.S. Congressman Steve Israel, a Democrat from New York, announced after a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that the U.S. would allocate $23 million of its military aid to Egypt for tunnel-locating equipment.

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Israëlische Arabieren verspreiden boekjes over de 'Nakba' buiten scholen

The booklet discusses events like the Deir Yassin massacre, in which Jewish paramilitary troops killed about 120 Palestinian villagers, and refers to the separation fence as ethnic cleansing. "Only after the Palestinians become more familiar with their own narrative can we discuss others," Ghanem said.

 

De Arabieren in Israël kennen hun eigen narratief inmiddels wel, zou je denken. 'Palestijns narratief' lijkt bovendien een eufemisme te zijn voor 'anti-Israëlische ophitsing', waarin het met de waarheid niet nauw wordt genomen. Het feit dat zelfs Israëlisch-Arabische onderwijzers de boekjes bekritiseren is veelzeggend. Zij zouden er zeker niks op tegen hebben als Arabische kinderen leren over de keerzijden van Israëls stichting, maar hebben ook belang bij een goede samenwerking met de Joden in Israël. Bovendien is er binnen Israël alle ruimte en mogelijkheid om over de Palestijnse kant van de zaak te leren, en wordt daar in het Arabische lesmateriaal al aandacht aan besteed. Als ze iets ouder zijn kunnen ze bovendien de columns van Amira Hass en Gideon Levy in Haaretz lezen, en de vele boeken en films bekijken van kritische Israëli's en anti-Zionisten. Nergens in het Midden-Oosten is zoveel ruimte voor kritiek op de staat als in Israël, en daar wordt gretig gebruik van gemaakt.

 

Ratna

-----------------

Arab towns to distribute 'Nakba' booklet outside schools

 

By Yoav Stern Haaretz

Last update - 04:57 10/06/2008
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/991255.html

 

Israeli Arabs will distribute 20,000 booklets on the Nakba - the "catastrophe," what happened to the Palestinians after 1948 - outside of schools in Arab settlements throughout the country. A camera crew from the Qatar-based Al Jazeera television network will cover the handing out of the booklets tomorrow at 11 A.M.

The booklets, which were written by 150 Palestinian children in Israel, the Palestinian territories and Syria and Lebanon, are part of an initiative by the Ibn Khaldoun Center for Development Studies (ICDS) in the northern town of Tamra to "reaffirm Palestinian consciousness, and maintain and reinforce it among future generations."

Dr. Asad Ghanem, the chairman of the ICDS, told Haaretz yesterday that the project is the first of its kind to involve Palestinians in Israel, the West Bank, and Lebanon and Syria.

"There's a double message here: Firstly, that we are one people with one Nakba; secondly, that the status of the Palestinians in Israel supports the Palestinian national movement," Ghanem, a senior faculty member at the University of Haifa, said. "There are fields in which we don't need to wait for the Jewish establishment, and one of these is education."

The booklets have been criticized by some Israeli Arab educators for not providing an Israeli side of events. For instance, the booklets mention the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan was passed with "strong U.S. backing," but failed to mention that it also received Soviet support. In addition, it does not state that the plan was accepted by the Jewish leadership while it was rejected by the Palestinians.

"This is catastrophic and will only lead to increased tension," an Israeli Arab educator said. "This booklet is exactly what the Islamic Movement would like to hand out."

The booklet discusses events like the Deir Yassin massacre, in which Jewish paramilitary troops killed about 120 Palestinian villagers, and refers to the separation fence as ethnic cleansing. "Only after the Palestinians become more familiar with their own narrative can we discuss others," Ghanem said.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry said it had not been consulted on the booklets, which received no ministry support.

IDF reservisten tegen onredelijke gevangenenruil

Dit is ware heldenmoed en de juiste 'fighting spirit', waar Israël haar oorlogen door heeft gewonnen. Hoe begrijpelijk het ook moge zijn dat Gilad Shalit smeekt om zijn vrijlating, het is strategisch gezien desastreus als Israël bereid zou zijn daar een hoge prijs voor te betalen, en maakt het alleen maar aantrekkelijker voor Hamas en Hezbollah om meer soldaten te ontvoeren.

 

Normaliter worden krijgsgevangenen na een oorlog en het sluiten van een vredesverdrag vrijgelaten, maar Israël en de Palestijnen (en Hezbollah) bevinden zich in een soort van permanente staat van half-oorlog, waarin Hamas wel raketten mag afschieten, en beide groeperingen pogen Israëlische soldaten te ontvoeren, maar Israël onder grote internationale druk staat 'terughoudend' te zijn. Onderdeel van deze asymetrische oorlogsvoering lijkt te zijn dat een Israëlische soldaat wel duizend Palestijnen waard is, een absurd idee. Uiteraard zullen de vrijgelaten Palestijnen daarna hun activiteiten in de 'gewapende strijd' weer oppakken, en vaak hebben zij in de gevangenis waardevolle inzichten en kontakten opgedaan.

 

Ratna

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Reservists: If we're captured, don't negotiate for our bodies

 

By Haaretz Service

Last update - 23:49 10/06/2008
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/991539.html

 

"If we are captured by the enemy, we ask that the state of Israel does not release many hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for our freedom," Israel Defense Forces reserves soldiers wrote in a letter addressed to the IDF chief of staff, channel 2 reported Tuesday.

The reservists, members of a decorated infantry battalion, are slated to be the first soldiers to enter enemy territory should Israel decide to carry out a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip.

According to Channel 2, the letter will be handed to IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi only when such an operation begins.

The soldiers and officers emphasize in the letter that they are "ready to sit in an enemy prison for as long as it takes," and demand that Israel refrain from paying a high price for their freedom. The soldiers also ask that no negotiations be held over their dead bodies or parts of their dead bodies.

Earlier this month, the Lebanon-based guerilla group Hezbollah handed over to Israel the remains of several IDF soldiers, in what some viewed as efforts to advance a prisoner exchange.

Channel 2 also reported Tuesday that former United States president Jimmy Carter was launching efforts to get a letter to captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, from his parents. A letter apparently written by Shalit, who was captured by Palestinian militants in 2006, was transferred through the Carter Center to his family on Monday.

The Shalit family declined to make public the contents of the letter they received, but said that Gilad begged for his life in it and asked that Israel cooperate and take action to secure his release.

OneVoice jeugd daagt wereldleiders uit

Een overzichtje van de aktiviteiten waarmee de OneVoice Movement de afgelopen maand aan de weg heeft getimmerd. OneVoice staat voor de tweestatenoplossing.

 

Wouter

_______________

 

This past month, OneVoice youth from Israel, Palestine, and the international community brought their message before an array of world leaders, challenging them with their demands for progress at the negotiations table and their visions for a better future:

 

·         OneVoice Youth Challenge World Leaders with Vision for Future at World Economic Forum in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

 

Ø  OVI Youth Leaders Meet Defense Minister Barak & OVP Leaders Meet Prime Minister Fayyad

Ø  Gamal Mubarak Encourages OV to Continue its Work

Ø  Tony Blair Applauds Youth Leaders' Visions for 2018

 

·         On the Ground in Israel & Palestine:

 

Ø  OneVoice Israel to the Leadership: Sit Down & Negotiate! Travelling "Chair" Exhibit Draws Hundreds

Ø  OneVoice Palestine: Building Partnerships with Civil Society Groups, Strengthening Network

 

·         Live from Jerusalem: Global Town Hall Meeting Attracts 1200+ Students

 

·         OneVoice Europe Meets with British Foreign Secretary: "Change needs bottom-up mobilisation"

 

·         OV Gathers International Board to Strategize for the Coming Months:

 

Ø  OV Meets with Members of Knesset from across political spectrum: Yoel Hasson, Avishay Braverman, Ephraim Sneh offer advice & encouragement

Ø  Palestinian leaders from West Bank & Gaza – Qaddura Fares, Mohammad Najah, Azzam al-Shawwa, Samir Huleileh, & others – host OV staff & international Board in Ramallah

 

One of the greatest challenges facing the current negotiations process is the lack of connection between the leadership and the street. If the leaders are to be successful and deliver on their commitment to reach an agreement by the end of the year, the people on both sides will need to feel invested in and connected to the process. Only then will they be able to build back the trust they have lost after years of missed opportunities and empty promises.  OneVoice is working to serve as the catalyst, as the connector – bridging the gap between the leaders and the people.

 

We need your help.

 

Donate.

Sign up to join the Movement.

Spread the word.

 

The OneVoice Teams in Ramallah, Gaza, Tel Aviv, London, and New York

 

__ 
For more information and to tell us what you think, please visit our blog:
http://blog.onevoicemovement.org

 

Saoedi-Arabië wil dialoog tussen de religies

Zou er werkelijk iets kunnen gaan veranderen in Saoedi-Arabië? Ami Isseroff vergelijkt het al met het Tweede Vaticaanse Concilie, maar dat lijkt erg optimistisch...

 

---------------------------------------------------------------

 

http://zionism-israel.com/israel_news/2008/06/amazing-proposal-saudi-interfaith.html

Amazing proposal: Saudi Interfaith dialogue

If this proposed dialogue really takes place, it can be more important for inter-faith relations than Vatican II. It would also, at one stroke, put Saudi Arabia and Sunni Islam squarely in the forefront of the Muslim world, just as Vatican II restored much of the leadership of the Catholic Church.

 

A master stroke. But it will also invite fierce and violent opposition from radical Mujahedin groups that insist that Saudi Arabia is "poisoned" by the presence of non-Muslims. King Abdullah has taken quite a risk.

 

This initiative should be welcomed and encouraged by all persons of good will.

 

Ami Isseroff

_____________

 

Saudi king prepares ground for interfaith meeting

 

Jordan Times Sunday, June 8th, 2008

 

 

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has won backing from Muslim clerics from around the world for an interfaith dialogue with Christians and Jews, state media reported on Saturday.

Some 500 religious scholars and academics gathered for a 3-day conference in Mecca which ended on Friday as the first step of a plan announced by the Saudi king this year to create a dialogue with other faiths.

The king's call, which followed a meeting with Pope Benedict at the Vatican last year, sparked much interest from Jewish and Christian groups around the world.

The Mecca meeting recommended "conferences, forums and discussion groups between the followers of the prophetic messages, and relevant civilisations, cultures and philosophies to which academics, media and religious leaders will be invited", according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

It said the participants, who included Egypt's Grand Sheikh of Al Azhar Mohammad Sayed Tantawi and former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, established that a dialogue with other faiths was legitimate in Islam.

SPA gave no more details, but a gathering of Jewish and Christian clerics in Saudi Arabia would be ground-breaking.

Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites, sees itself as the leader of Sunni Islam. It promotes a hardline school of Islam called Wahhabism which has traditionally seen some other Muslims and non-Muslims as "infidels".

But Riyadh has been making efforts to build better ties with Washington and improve its international image after the September 11 attacks of 2001, in which 15 of the 19 attackers were Saudi.

Saudi Islamist militants also launched a violent campaign to overthrow the monarchy in 2003, denouncing the rulers as un-Islamic.

Although the official religious establishment is on board for the king's interfaith effort, many Wahhabi clerics remain opposed even to talking to Shiite Muslims.

A group of independent clerics issued a statement last week saying Shiites, including Lebanese group Hizbollah, were posturing against Israel to hide an anti-Sunni agenda.

Some Shiites said that, despite the presence of Iran's Rafsanjani, few of their number were invited to the Mecca meeting. None came from Europe or North America and one from Saudi Arabia's own Shiite minority, which complains that it is given second class status.

The final statement said the conference called for "communication between Islamic sects in an effort to unite the Islamic nation and lighten the effects of fanaticism".

 

Cross posted: Israel News  Middle East Analysis

Israël blokkeert betaling belastinggelden aan PA vanwege EU lobby

Wat een geëtter over en weer. Niet bepaald bevorderlijk voor het vredesproces.

 

De Arabische wereld agiteert continu tegen Israël en probeert haar op alle mogelijke manieren te dwarsbomen in de VN en andere invloedrijke organen, dus wat dat betreft is het niet echt nieuws dat de PA daar ook aan meedoet. Israëls woede is echter wel begrijpelijk, want het is natuurlijk walgelijk dat landen die met Israël vrede hebben gesloten of met haar in gesprek zijn haar op deze manier tegenwerken. 

 

Moet Israël maar geen nederzettingen bouwen, zullen sommige zeggen. Moet Israël dan ook maar tegen samenwerking tussen de PA en Europa gaan lobbyen, tegen toetreding van de PA tot allerlei instituties etc., zolang zij niks tegen de 'gewapende groepen' doet, zolang zij in haar kranten en schoolboeken de meest verschrikkelijke dingen over Joden en Israël beweert, zolang zelfmoordterroristen als helden worden vereerd?

 

Ondanks dat alles heeft Israël toegestemd in beter materieel (tijdens de tweede intifada is door Westerse landen geleverd materieel tegen Israël gebruikt), in professionele trainingen van de PA veiligheidsdiensten, in uitbreiding van bevoegdheden, en zijn tientallen roadblocks en checkpoints verwijderd. Het is jammer dat de PA dat vertrouwen op deze manier beantwoordt.

 

Ratna

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Palestinian salaries delayed as Israel blocks payments

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3553241,00.html

Israel withholding tax funds in response to Palestinian PM Fayyad's lobbying of European Union against upgrading its relations with Jerusalem, Finance Ministry official says; thousands yet to receive May wages

Reuters Published:  06.08.08, 21:02

 

The Palestinian Authority has delayed paying its workers this month after Israel withheld tax funds in anger over Palestinian attempts to block upgraded European Union-Israeli ties, officials said on Sunday.

A senior Palestinian official said the aid-dependent Palestinian government in the occupied West Bank had expected to receive tax revenues on June 2 that Israel collects on its behalf and had planned to pay salaries two days later.

"As of today, we have not received the tax money, so we failed to pay the salaries," the official said.

A senior Israeli official said the Finance Ministry had since approved the transfer but would deduct about a quarter of the $78 million payment to cover Palestinian Authority debts to Israeli utilities.

The delay and the deduction, the Israeli official said, came in response to Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's lobbying of the European Union against upgrading its relations with Israel.

In a letter to the EU dated May 27, Fayyad accused Israel of "flagrant disregard" of Palestinian rights by continuing to build Jewish settlements in the West Bank and refusing to remove checkpoints which hamper economic development.

'Olmert was very angry'

Fayyad urged the EU not to upgrade its relations with Israel until it "abides by international and human rights laws", including freezing settlement activity.

He also called on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to deny Israel membership because of its continued settlement expansion.

The senior Palestinian government official said the Palestinian Authority "would not be able to pay all salaries if Israel deducts any amount from the Palestinian tax revenues".

The money is the main source of funding for the Palestinian Authority's budget and is used to pay salaries for more than 165,000 government employees in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Israel had told Fayyad's government that it was delaying the transfer of the tax funds for technical reasons.

But Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hinted to President Mahmoud Abbas during their last meeting he would tell his finance minister to stop the payments to protest against Fayyad's move.

"Olmert's complaints about Fayyad's letter took up most of the meeting with President Abbas. He was very angry but the president responded that Israel must stop illegal settlement building to give peace a chance and to help Fayyad's economy improve the economy," one senior Palestinian official said.

Last week, Israel announced plans to build nearly 900 new homes in areas of the West Bank.

Palestijnse terrorist aangehouden bij Nablus

Ik verval in herhaling, maar hieruit blijkt wel weer dat de checkpoints er dus niet voor niks zijn, en de PA vooralsnog niet in staat is de gewapende groepen aan te pakken. Desondanks heeft Israël de laatste maanden tientallen checkpoints en roadblocks verwijderd.

 

Ratna
----------------------

Palestinian bomber arrested near Nablus

yaakov katz and jpost.com staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Jun. 8, 2008


An 18-year-old Palestinian was arrested Sunday afternoon at the Hawara checkpoint near Nablus after military police on duty discovered he was carrying six pipe bombs, an ammunition cartridge and bullets, and a bag of what appeared to be gunpowder.

 

Cpl. Ron Bezalel of the military police's Taoz Battalion told Army Radio that the youth had sent his bag through the checkpoint's X-ray scanner. When the explosives were discovered, the troops on duty immediately implemented the protocol for stopping a terror suspect.

 

"It's routine to find bombs at this checkpoint... every day, we find knives and other weapons," Bezalel said.

 

The military said the Palestinian was most likely on his way to perpetrate an attack in an Israeli city. He was arrested and transferred to the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) for interrogation.

 

Three weeks ago, another Palestinian carrying five pipe bombs, which he had attached and strapped to his chest in the manner of an explosives belt, was stopped at Hawara.

 

Earlier Sunday, the IDF announced that Israel had removed 10 roadblocks in southern Hebron.

The move came following decisions by the political echelon and in accordance with security assessments, the army said.

 

The IDF added that the removal was part of a series of relief measures that the army and Civil Administration were implementing for West Bank Palestinians.

The recent removal of the roadblocks, said the army, was a further step in the relief plan authorized by the Defense Ministry and IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen Gabi Ashkenazi.

 

The army stressed that it would continue to defend Israel's citizens, while doing its utmost to allow the Palestinian population to maintain daily routine life.

 

At the end of March, Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad in Jerusalem and presented them with a detailed list of goodwill gestures Israel planned to begin making to the Palestinians in the West Bank to ease their lives and bolster Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

 

Barak pledged to remove 50 dirt roadblocks in the West Bank as well as one major checkpoint.
In April, as part of Israel's efforts to bolster Abbas, the IDF lifted a central West Bank roadblock outside Nablus.

 

The roadblock, called 'Checkpoint 804,' was one of a series of roadblocks that were part of the Israeli closure on Nablus, a Palestinian city that had been closed off from the rest of the West Bank for the previous year.

 

Almagor, an organization representing terror victims and their families, responded to Sunday's announcement in the form of an open letter to Barak written by Nahman Zoldan, the father of Ido Zoldan who was killed several months ago by Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank.

 

"As someone who has lost a son near a road at the hands of Palestinian Authority members, I call on you to reconsider the decision and not to take at face value the Palestinian Authority's promise that it will take care of our security for us.

 

"I issue this especially ahead of the coming holiday, when tens of thousands of Israelis use these roads on their way to Eilat, not knowing that these roads are now totally exposed to Palestinian movement," Zoldan wrote in a statement issued by Almagor to the media.

 

 

This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1212659686001&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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Kibboetzleden nabij Gazastrook nemen vakantie van Qassam regen

 

De afgelopen weken zijn drie leden van kibboetsen in de buurt van de Gazastrook gedood door raketten of granaten die vanuit de Gazastrook werden afgevuurd, en is een veelvoud gewond geraakt. De leden van een kibboets kunnen het wekenfeest in veiligheid vieren omdat ze zijn uitgenodigd door een kibboets aan het Meer van Galilea, maar de leden van de andere 19 kibboetsen rond de Gazastrook hebben deze mazzel - voor zover ik weet - niet, evenmin als de inwoners van Sderot. En na het wekenfeest (dat overigens geen weken maar slechts twee dagen duurt), moeten ook zij weer terug.

Hamas ziet de inwoners van de gemeenschappen rond Gaza graag hun spullen pakken en vertrekken - weer een stukje van de Zionistische entiteit voor deze kolonisten onleefbaar gemaakt, nadat ze eerder uit Gaza vertrokken.

 

Ratna

---------

Last update - 08:39 08/06/2008       

Battered by rockets, Gaza-area kibbutz heads north for Shavuot

 

By Eli Ashkenazi
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/991062.html

 

 

Two hundred members of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, on the border of the Gaza Strip, have been invited to spend the Shavuot holiday in Kibbutz Degania Alef in the northern Jordan Valley. This is the second consecutive year in which the northern kibbutz has hosted Kfar Aza, which lost member Jimmy Kedoshim to mortar fire last month.

 

"If the option of celebrating at Degania did not exist, I suppose most people would leave here to be with family or friends, or would look for some other solution outside this area," said Kfar Aza member Varda Goldstein. "But we are looking for a solution that will keep people together. That way it's easier to overcome the situation."

 

Degania Alef, near the Sea of Galilee, spent yesterday preparing to receive their southern guests for the holiday, which starts this evening, including by cleaning and turning every possible space into rooms for the guests to sleep in.
 
"It's a connection that unfortunately has become a tradition," said Degania Alef secretary Shai Shoshani. "The situation is very difficult. We have the feeling we have already passed a certain point. On one hand, it's heartwarming to help friends from the south, but on the other hand, we would like it to have been under other circumstances. It's painful that right when the wheat is ready to harvest, they are being fired on and threatened. Residents of the Jordan Valley are showing solidarity out of an understanding of the situation that residents of the south are in."

 

Shoshani said the guests will be fully involved in the local celebration, taking part in the ceremony of the first fruits, the holiday meal and the kibbutz's traditional basketball tournament.

 

Funding to host the guests came from the Kibbutz Movement, which Goldstein said proves that "there is solidarity in the Kibbutz Movement. In contrast, I feel that the state has abandoned us."

 

On Friday - after Amnon Rosenberg, also killed in a mortar attack, was buried in Kibbutz Nirim - Kibbutz Movement Secretary General Gavri Bargil urged the government to do something to change the sorry security situation in communities near Gaza. "The mortar shells being fired at the border communities are destroying these communities, which have been left without protection," he said.

 

Bargil demanded that the cabinet make an immediate decision to either to launch a major military operation in Gaza or agree to a cease-fire with Hamas, whichever would best bring peace and quiet to the area.

 

IDF aanval op Hamas verwacht voor Israël staakt-het-vuren accepteert

The sources said that after continuously saying that the decision would be made soon, it was unlikely that it could be put off any longer, especially as the rocket and mortar attacks continued and Israeli civilians were being killed.

 

Toch wordt een beslissing over een militaire operatie danwel een staakt-het-vuren, dan wel eerst het één gevolgd door het ander, nu weer doorgeschoven naar donderdag, en ergens anders las ik zelfs naar over twee weken.

Wacht Israël op een raketaanval met nog meer doden zodat een militaire operatie beter wordt begrepen in de internationale gemeenschap? Hoopt men dat Hamas er alsnog mee in zal stemmen om een staakt-het-vuren te linken aan een gevangenenruil waarbij Shalit zal worden vrijgelaten?

Het veiligheidskabinet heeft twee maanden geleden al met een operatie ingestemd, en zowel Olmert, Barak als Livni hebben er meermaals op gehint. De vraag is dus waar men op wacht.

 

Of gelooft men ergens toch gewoon niet dat een nieuwe militaire operatie kan bewerkstelligen wat tot nu toe niet is gelukt: een einde aan de raketaanvallen en vernietiging van Hamas infrastructuur, zonder teveel burgerdoden of slachtoffers aan eigen kant en met instemming van op zijn minst de VS. Maar durft men dat niet te zeggen omdat een meerderheid van de bevolking voor harde actie is?

 

Ratna

------------

IDF likely to hit Hamas before Israel accepts cease-fire

 

YAAKOV KATZ and HERB KEINON , THE JERUSALEM POST

Jun. 8, 2008
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1212659682050&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

 

In response to the recent string of fatal Hamas rocket attacks, Israel is likely to conduct a medium-size military operation against the Islamist group before agreeing to a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, senior defense officials told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday.

A final decision on Israel's course will be made on Tuesday during a meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Barak, officials said, favored first striking at Hamas and only then agreeing to a truce.

"Under the current circumstances, accepting a cease-fire would appear as if we are giving in to Hamas's demands and ultimatums," a senior defense official said, adding that an operation would likely be launched soon.

According to the new strategy, the IDF will not reoccupy the Gaza Strip but will instead initiate an incursion to make Hamas "pay a price," and afterward agree to a cease-fire.

On Thursday, 51-year-old Amnon Rozenberg was killed by a mortar shell outside the paint factory where he worked at Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Senior defense officials said over the weekend that both Olmert and Barak favored ultimately accepting a cease-fire in Gaza according to Israel's two-stage proposal.

The first stage is a cessation of Hamas terrorism and IDF operations, and the second stage is lifting the blockade of Gaza in exchange for the release of kidnapped Cpl. Gilad Schalit.

Government sources said the mortar attacks that killed three people in the last month on kibbutzim near the Gaza Strip had pushed Barak into a position where he now supported large-scale military action.

According to these sources, the kibbutzim in general - there are around 20 of them near Strip - are Barak's political base inside the Labor Party, and are increasingly pressuring him to take significant action.

Both Olmert and Livni, the sources said, had for some time been in favor of military action, afraid that if the cease-fire proposal was accepted, Hamas would continue smuggling arms into Gaza, something that would make any future IDF incursion more difficult.

Government officials said it was not clear whether the security cabinet would be convened to give final approval to a military operation into Gaza, since two months ago that forum authorized Olmert, Barak and Livni for an incursion. Furthermore, the officials said, there was clear support in the security cabinet for military action.
The sources said that after continuously saying that the decision would be made soon, it was unlikely that it could be put off any longer, especially as the rocket and mortar attacks continued and Israeli civilians were being killed.

Olmert, upon his arrival from Washington on Friday, reiterated at Ben-Gurion Airport that the current situation was untenable.

"According to the information as it is now, the pendulum is much closer to tough military action," the prime minister said.

Also on Saturday, Barak ordered the IDF to impose a closure on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip until Shavuot ends on Monday evening.

On Friday, a number of Gazan rockets struck Israel, sending several people into shock and damaging property.

Early on Friday morning, an IDF soldier was moderately wounded by a sniper in the northern Gaza Strip.

The shooting took place after IAF aircraft bombed a Hamas outpost in northern Gaza overnight Thursday. According to Palestinian reports, one Hamas gunman was killed and 15 others were wounded.

The IDF said that the outpost was used by members of the cell that fired the mortar shell that killed Rozenberg on Thursday.


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