Viva Palestina goes international – D-day 5 December
Success in the US
Gaza convoy postponed to December to form a mega-mission
The Viva Palestina US convoy achieved a remarkable success, but in the teeth of significant obstacles.
Two hundred people, almost all US citizens, passed through the Rafah crossing into Gaza on 15 July carrying with them a quarter of a million dollars worth of medical aid and supplies. The delegation reflected the great diversity of US society. There were Muslim-, Arab-, African-, Jewish-, Latino-, and Native-Americans as well as Christian ministers.
It was the largest such mission in terms of people and aid ever to leave the US for Palestine. We were delighted that it could be joined by Cynthia McKinney, the former US Congresswoman and Presidential candidate, who arrived hot-foot after her detention on the high seas by Israeli forces and was able to enter Gaza for the first time, having joined George Galloway and the Viva Palestina convoy. Along with New York Councilman Charles Barron, her participation signaled a reforging of the alliance between Black American figures and Palestine that were a hallmark of the solidarity movement 30 years ago. (more…)
As I said in another post I’ve been ill. So I haven’t been able to post much other than individual articles a few times a day. I’m starting to get some balance again so here’s a restart to the articles about Gaza.
This first article should pull at your heart strings no matter what side you are on with the Gaza/Israel issue. This is about CHILDREN. I have said since before the war started that it is the children who will pay for all of this war. They are the ones who are taking in all of this pain and don’t have the ability to deal with it. Some will draw inside of themselves so deeply that they’ll never come out again. Others will have development issues. Some will regress. Others will become bitter and filled with hatred. They’re the next generation of extremists. Israel has created just what they’re trying to stop. A new group of extremists full of hatred and ugliness who want nothing but revenge. Some extreme Imam will put it into their heads that it’s OK to seek revenge in any way possible. This child, although surviving the war has a death sentence over their heads. Probably a violent one where more innocents will die. Their innocence was taken away with the first harsh word, rocket shot, wall built, farm destroyed and father bullied.
The other articles are about the Americans AGAIN attempting to choose the Government of Gaza and Palestine as a whole. Again demanding certain conditions attached to monies they’ve “generously” offered to help the Gazans rebuild.
I am not saying there shouldn’t be any conditions. I am saying that the US is again sticking their nose into business that isn’t theirs. If they want to pitch in money, fine. That’s their business. But it should be administered by the people who know best where it needs to go, the Gazans or someone they appoint to represent them. (more…)
In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate.
I seek the protection of God against the accursed Satan.
May the peace, blessings and forgiveness of God be upon you.
Here are the 2nd group of articles. There are views from a few different sides. I’m not one to avoid controversy anymore. I used to avoid it due to stress reactions. No more. If you have an opposing view to what I write please engage in a discussion. I’m not going to argue with you but I will have a discussion and exchange ideas and points of view with you, in a respectful manner. Courtesy isn’t a dead trait. Here it’s a rule. TY
Representatives of various Palestinian factions including the rival Hamas and Fatah, will begin on Thursday a Cairo-based national unity talks.
Ismail Redwan of Hamas made clear that today the parties are supposed to form five committees, while the League of Arab States will set a sixth committee, in order to tackle all outstanding issues.
Redwan voiced his satisfaction with the conference atmosphere, saying that the release of Hamas political detainees from the Palestinian Authority’s prisons in Ramallah should be realized as soon as possible, so that the conference can achieve progress.
Please click the hyperlinked headline to read the entire article. I’ve only posted a portion of it here.
Gaza City, 25 Feb. (AKI) – Gazans whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the Israeli offensive that ended last month have, to date, received more than 7 million dollars in cash from United Nations agencies in a distribution that began last week.
Some 3,800 families have benefited so far from the distribution by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
To meet long-term shelter needs of the displaced, UNDP plans for 10,000 families to get between 1,000 and 5,000 dollars in cash aid, according to family size, current socio-economic status and level of home damage, the agency said last week.
It adds that major repair of damaged houses cannot be done until construction materials are permitted into the Gaza Strip, where, it estimates, over 14,000 homes were totally or partially damaged in three-weeks of fighting.
Please click the hyperlinked headline to read the entire article. I’ve only posted a portion of it here.
Why doesn’t this surprise me? I’m glad someone is doing the necessary testing and verifying the use of this horrendous chemical within the populated areas.
Laboratory tests conducted by a Turkish university on Gaza soil have confirmed the use of phosphorus bombs by Israel in the coastal sliver.
Istanbul’s Yildiz Technical University conducted the tests on soil transferred by the Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples (MAZLUM-DER).
The tests yielded results confirming the existence of white phosphorus particles in the samples, the daily Vakit reports.
White phosphorus, classified as a ‘chemical weapon’ by US intelligence, is an incendiary material that causes horrific burns, severe injuries or death when it comes in contact with humans.
During Israel’s 23-day offensive in the Gaza Strip, a fierce controversy broke out over the alleged use of white phosphorus — also known by the military as WP or Willie Pete — by the Israeli army.
The legality of the toxic chemical agent is a matter of debate, with many groups recognizing it as an illegal weapon, while international law allows its usage solely for smoke-screening.
Israel maintains that its actions were being conducted under international laws, despite contradictory reports of the Israeli claim.
Following the laboratory results in Turkey, MAZLUM-DER filed a criminal complaint against Israel at Istanbul’s Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday.
The Turkish human rights group MAZLUM-DER has also accused Israel of directly attacking civilians “with the aim of annihilating them” and employing internationally-banned weapons in the process.
“The suspects, who wanted to wipe out the Palestinian people through systematic attacks, have committed genocide and crimes against humanity,” said a petition by the human rights group.
On Sunday, an international conference in Morocco called for Israeli civil and military officials to be sued for “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
Some 5,700 Iranian lawyers have also filed a compliant against 24 Israeli leaders and commanders over the alleged Israeli war crimes.
International organizations and human rights groups remain concerned over Tel Aviv’s use of forbidden arms, such as depleted uranium and white phosphorus, in the Gaza war.
The 23-day Israeli onslaught on Gaza left at least 1,330 Palestinians — including at least 460 children — dead and thousands others injured.
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
A’asalam alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh!
May the Peace, Blessings and forgiveness of Allah be upon you!
Aoozo Billahi Minash shaitanir Rajeem
All that I say that is right here is from Allah; All that is wrong is from me; May He forgive me my errors and omissions. ameen
Here are some things that I found interesting, intriguing or informational.
There are developments with the Israel-Turkey brouhaha. It seems Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi has said some things that were not only uncalled for but have caused a bigger rift than the Davos incident. One quote at the end of the article made me chuckle because it is VERY true!
Commentators including Mehmet Kamis, a columnist for the nationally circulated Zaman daily, have argued that even if some of the harsh language about Israel is a matter of political expediency, Turkey may have far less to lose from a diplomatic rupture than Israel.
He and others have pointed out that Turkey is one of the very few states in a position to mediate between Israel and harder-line Muslim countries in a variety of regional disputes.
“Israel,” he said, “should think twice before offending Turkey.”
The Israeli military on Saturday disassociated itself from remarks critical of Turkey made by one of its generals after Ankara described them as unacceptable and demanded an urgent clarification.
The remarks by Major General Avi Mizrahi, commander of the Israeli army headquarters, followed a row sparked by Israel’s offensive in Gaza last month and contained “unacceptable claims and nonsense targeting our prime minister and our country,” the foreign ministry said.
Ma’an News is reporting that fishing became more difficult despite the Oslo accords. Fishing is only permitted to 3 miles off of Gaza. The Israeli navy has been firing upon fishermen to the degree of them having to abandon their nets to avoid getting shot.
Israel has tightened the fishing limit off the coast of Gaza from six miles to just three miles, the Palestinian agriculture minister in Gaza said on Saturday.
Of course there are munitions being used by all parties. A bomb exploded near a passing patrol on the Gaza-Israel border yesterday.
The Israeli Air Force and the Israeli Navy late on Friday at night bombarded three areas in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza city and Rafah, causing several injuries and excessive property damage.
Local sources reported that four residents were wounded, and were moved to Kamal Adwan hospital, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, after the Israeli Air Force fired at least one missile at a lumberyard near the Jabalia market.
There is a 360 Panoramic view of the remains of the village of Juhor ad-Dik. The town was systematically destroyed with munitions and bull dozers after the inhabitants were run off in some very sadistic manners. Testimonies have been taken and are a part of many investigations being launched. Take the time to view the panorama. It took my breath away at how cruel humans can be to another. The devastation and loss is horrendous.
Particularly poignant in Khaled Abed Rabbo’s recollection of the moment is that the soldiers displayed a calm, leisurely snacking on junk food while ordering the residents of his home outside. Clearly, these armed soldiers felt no threat.
At this point they killed his small children and shot his mother.
Amal, a 2 year old girl and Souad, a 7 year old girl, both shot dead; and Samar, a 4 year old girl, now paralyzed from her multiple shots. Abed Rabbo’s mother, also named Souad, was targeted, also at close range. All were denied medical aid.
I am writing another book about the Middle East because the new president of the United States is facing a major opportunity — and responsibility — to lead in ending conflict between Israel and its neighbors. The time is now. Peace is possible.
The group had made it perhaps 200 yards when a soldier stepped out from a door down the street and shot Najar in the head, multiple witnesses say. Her body lay in the street for 12 hours, villagers and doctors say.
As I wrote in my previous post Israel has permitted money to be released from the West Bank into Gaza for payment of state employees. In addition Scotland has arranged
More than £420,000 is being given by the Scottish Government to aid projects in Gaza.
Members of the Britain-Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group hope to visit international aid operations, including UN-run sites, if allowed in to Gaza.
British police said on Saturday they had seized three vans that were to form part of a 100 vehicle aid convoy headed for Gaza as a result of an anti-terror raid in the northwest of England.
Of course they assure the readers:
Lancashire police said the cargo from the three seized vehicles was being “thoroughly checked by search officers who are working as quickly as they can to ensure that the parcels can be released and continue on to their destination.”
DesertPeace has a great blog. I spend a lot of time reading posts there or going to his blogroll. This video was posted with another here on his blog.
Zionists beware… the roar of Humanity.
The video is a mosaic of Palestinian animations found on YouTube.
The music is composed and performed by Michael Heart (www.michaelheart.com).
We will not go down (song for Gaza)
Lyrics:
A blinding flash of white light
Lit up the sky over Gaza tonight
People running for cover
Not knowing whether they’re dead or alive
They came with their tanks and their planes
With ravaging fiery flames
And nothing remains
Just a voice rising up in the smoky haze
We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight
Women and children alike
Murdered and massacred night after night
While the so-called leaders of countries afar
Debated on who’s wrong or right
But their powerless words were in vain
And the bombs fell down like acid rain
But through the tears and the blood and the pain
You can still hear that voice through the smoky haze
We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight
We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
It looks like there are situations flaring up all over the place. There are many truths coming out. Some stories being concocted as well as some being covered up. Which are true? Which are false? At this point I think only the people directly involved know their truth but God knows the whole truth. I hope they fear His wrath for their actions and words. Yes, I am a very spiritual and religious person. I have a strong faith.
As for the horrors in Gaza. There are so many horrors in the world! There are earthquakes, cyclones, horrid weather conditions and then there’s the mistreatment of humans by other humans. I think that the last is the worst. The new rules of warfare “Do whatever you want, make a huge mess, apologize later – lawyer up”. Basically with what’s going on the rule is “if you have the arsenal – use it.”
Where did that mindset come from? Where did “love thy neighbor” go? Much less not “coveting what your neighbor has.” What happened to the golden rule “treat others as you’d like to be treated”? Has any of these leaders read the 10 commandments or even their own holy books? The God I love and revere is the only God I know. One of love, peace, kindness and a benefactor of endless gifts. All he asks is that we follow His laws and fear his wrath if we don’t. He made us of different nations and tongues so we’d have to find ways to get along! We’re NOT doing ANY of that! Come on people. What’s wrong here? It’s NOT difficult! Really, it’s not. If it’s wrong, it’s WRONG. If it’s right, go for it. If you have guilt associated with it, don’t do it, it’s probably wrong.
There are some HUGE breaches of Gods and mans laws recently. Compassion? I don’t think enough people offer that today. Is the world changing? Have the situations in Gaza, Darfur, Sudan, Somalia, Myanmar and MANY other places finally reached the hearts and souls of the most hardened skeptic? Is our selfishness starting to dissipate? Is our fear of loosing our own comfort making us realize that we might just need to start thinking of others because we will probably need others soon to survive. Are we so isolated that we can’t reach out? Has the attacks and horrors around the world reached us so that we realize how little responsibility we take for the condition of the world? This world is what we, as a species, have made it. Why are we a warring species? Why is hate easier than understanding? Shouldn’t it be easier to forgive than to hold a grudge? Shouldn’t peace be a TRUE goal and not just lip service?
I have been poor for a long time. I know no other way. I don’t have the burden of fancy cars, jewels, high maintenance hobbies or anything like that. I gave that up a long time ago. Money isn’t really a great thing to have. It’s good to make your bills and needs but I find simple is easier. Ask the ones who just lost a bundle. They’ll find out who their real friends are shortly. Without money the crowds that flock seem to thin out to find others to peck off of. The ones who stay around are the ones you can choose from for confidants and closeness. I am rich in what matters; love; kindness; faith; compassion and a strong mind (although my memory sucks). After saying all of that I’ve never REALLY tasted true poverty. I’ve only come close to living on the streets, alhamdulillah.
The situation in Gaza is terrifying. Imagine it, dear readers. You’re at home, working on whatever it is you do; kids are at school. You hear the whine of a plane but it’s not the kind of sound that’s familiar. It has a ring to it that tells you something is wrong. You hear loud explosions that rattle the timbers in your house and your heart. Your world has just now begun to change to a degree you’d never have imagined. Everything you know is about to disappear. The bottom will look like the top soon. Put your mind into that place then tell me that the Gazans are “over reacting” or there are stretches of truth going on. They’ve been under this oppressive military regime for YEARS – over SIXTY! The oppressors couldn’t starve them out. The Gazans to resilient for that. They just dig tunnels to get what they need. So they blow them up. They dig more. They blow them up again, and they dig more. Endless cycle. Does anyone else see this?
The people of Gaza are finding out who the true supporters and friends of Palestine are. The PM of Turkey was an unlikely one in that bunch! I’m pleased to see it! Who else is coming out swinging and telling Israel to back off and take care of their movements? And the LIES! Wow! There are some HUGE ones coming out from all sides in the past few days. Again, what is the truth, 1/2 truth or no truth at all? Only the people involved and God know that answer. And the people involved need to watch their actions. At the day of judgment even your limbs will speak against you and reveal your sins for accounting. I’m no saint. I have made my fair share of mistakes and sins. I am not lecturing. I’m sad to see such horrors as these news reports that I’ve posted here as well as the previous month.
Just quickly here I’d like to say how grateful I am to all of you who stop in and give this page a read through. I hope you find some value here. Is the translator working properly? I notice so many countries visiting and many coming back. I’d had hits from occupied Palestine before but had one from Gaza yesterday! Considering I blog mostly about Gaza I was very happy to see one from there. I Hope the rest of you keep coming back over and over again! I get a real kick out of figuring out what flag is what and where in the world it is. It reminds me how bad our educational system is here in the US.
On to the articles … Remember click the heading or the end of the paragraphs to get to the full articles on the web. I only post a few paragraphs here.
They have stood before the cameras and said: What occupation? We left Gaza completely in 2005 and gave them a chance for peace and development. All we got in return though was a wave of inexplicable terror in the form of rockets on our citizens in the south.
If you swallow the Myth – and many around the world have – you lose sight of the bigger picture that is unable to be captured in the 30 second sound bytes of Israeli spokespeople. Israel was shedding its responsibility over Gaza, but instead of doing so as a means of furthering the Road Map, they were simply doing so as a means of slowing down any real, negotiated peace process.
Nearly one year before the proposed Disengagement, Ariel Sharon’s Chief of Staff Dov Weissglass illustrated this point to the Israeli daily newspaper Ha’aretz,: “‘The significance of Disengagement is the freezing of the peace process (…) When you freeze that process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and you prevent discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. Disengagement supplies the amount of formaldehyde that is necessary so there will not be a political process with the Palestinians’”(authors emphasis). …finish reading the story here…
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Senior officials in the Islamic group Hamas are indicating a willingness to negotiate a long-term truce with Israel as long as the borders of Gaza are opened to the rest of the world.
“We want to be part of the international community,” Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad told The Associated Press at the Gaza-Egypt border, where he was coordinating Arab aid shipments. “I think Hamas has no interest now to increase the number of crises in Gaza or to challenge the world.”
Hamas is trying hard to flex its muscles in the aftermath of Israel’s punishing onslaught in the Gaza Strip, doling out cash, vowing revenge and declaring victory over Zionist aggression. But AP interviews with Hamad and two other Hamas leaders in the war-ravaged territory they rule suggest some of that might be more bluster than reality – and the group may be ready for some serious deal making. …finish reading the story here…
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Turkey’s prime minister stalked off the stage at the World Economic Forum red-faced Thursday after reproaching Israel’s president over the Gaza offensive by saying “You kill people.”
Peres was passionate in his defense of Israel’s three-week offensive against Hamas militants, launched in reaction to eight years of rocket fire aimed at Israeli territory. As he spoke, Peres often turned toward Erdogan, who in his remarks had criticized the Israeli blockade of Gaza, saying it was an “open air prison, isolated from the rest of the world” and referred to the Palestinian death toll of about 1,300, more than half of those civilians. Thirteen Israelis also died.
Ultimately, Erdogan stressed he left not because of a dispute with Peres but because he was not given time to respond to the Israeli leader’s remarks. Erdogan also complained that Peres had 25 minutes while he was only given 12 minutes.
“I did not target at all in any way the Israeli people, President Peres, or the Jewish people,” Erdogan told a news conference afterward.
“I am a prime minister, a leader who has specifically expressly stated that anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity,” he said. …finish reading the story here…
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Turkey’s prime minister had a message Thursday for U.S. President Barack Obama: redefine terror and terrorism in the Middle East and use it as the basis for a new American policy.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country has played a key role in trying to mediate among Israel and Syria and the Palestinians, said Obama’s new Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, will be in Turkey for talks Sunday.
“President Obama must redefine terror and terrorist organizations in the Middle East, and based on this new definition, a new American policy must be deployed in the Middle East,” Erdogan told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The Turkish leader appeared to be referring to the U.S. position toward Hamas and Hezbollah, which the United States considers terrorist organizations. While both have military wings, Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 and remains in charge following the recent Israeli invasion. Hezbollah is a major political force in Lebanon. …finish reading the story here…
Israeli troops have abducted 8 Palestinian civilians during a raid on a village near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, witnesses say. …finish reading the story here…
29 January 2009 – The United Nations today launched an appeal for $613 million to help people affected by Israel’s three-week military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which killed some 1,300 Palestinians, injured more than 5,300, 34 per cent of them children, and caused widespread damage and destruction.
“With the help of this $613 million appeal, the United Nations and other aid agencies can jump into action to help the 1.4 million civilians in the Gaza Strip to recover,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a news conference on the situation in Gaza, speaking from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“People have lost their families. They have lost their homes, belongings and livelihoods. Schools, clinics, factories and businesses have been destroyed. Many of Gaza’s inhabitants still lack clean water and electricity. Too many are living in the midst of raw sewage and the threats to their health that brings.
“By answering the call of this appeal, in the amount of $613 million, the world can help overcome at least some measure of their hardship,” the Secretary-General stated. …finish reading the story here…
28 January 2009 – Israel today reopened crossings into Gaza that it had closed yesterday following a bomb attack along the border that killed a soldier, but the top United Nations official in Gaza stressed that access remained a problem with thousands of tons of generously donated aid sitting in Egypt, Jordan and the ports of Israel.
“That aid should be right here, right now, helping the people who need it,” the Director of Operations in Gaza for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), John Ging, said. While Israel has allowed increased shipments of basic commodities with 120 truckloads getting in on good days, the normal daily requirement is a minimum of 500.
Mr. Ging noted that the number of people receiving UN food aid in Gaza following Israel’s devastating three-week offensive against Hamas had now gone up to 900,000. The growing number of aid-dependent Palestinians is due to the lack of an economy in Gaza, as well as the recent damage and destruction, he said. …finish reading the story here…
RAFAH, Egypt (AP) — More than two dozen trucks loaded with food, aid and goods intended for the Gaza Strip were stranded on the Egyptian side of the border Thursday, leaving truckers with little to do but sip tea and exude frustration.
“There are thousands of tons of assistance generously donated, sitting in Egypt, Jordan and also in the ports in Israel,” said Ging. “That aid should be right here, right now, helping the people who need it.”
Israeli Cabinet Minister Isaac Herzog told The Associated Press this week that Israel was letting in the maximum amount of aid that the Palestinians in Gaza can absorb – about 150 trucks per day. …finish reading the story here…
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A ship that was searched by U.S. forces in the Red Sea last week with a suspected Iranian arms shipment bound for Hamas militants in Gaza arrived in Cyprus on Thursday and was being searched by authorities, an official said.
The Cypriot-flagged container ship was docked in the southern port of Limassol, where it had arrived after a stop in Port Said, Egypt, the senior Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity in keeping with ministry rules.
While Gaza burned under the weight of thousands of tons of bombs and missiles, the hardships of Palestinians in the West Bank were all but forgotten. While the sat fixated upon the systematic destruction of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army further tightened the levers of occupation in the West Bank.
Settlement structures in the West Bank increased by 57% in 2008
On Dec. 15, 227 Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli jails as part of a ‘confidence-building measure’.
But between this date and today, some 355 Palestinians have been arrested throughout the West Bank by the Israeli army on top of the large number of those killed or injured.
As the situation deteriorated in Gaza, Palestinians in the West Bank came out in force to demonstrate and show solidarity with the people. However even peaceful demonstrations can result in death here. 6 protesters, mainly teenagers, were shot dead by Israel whilst they raged their war against Hamas in Gaza. …finish reading the story here…
The scale of the damage caused by Israel’s war on Gaza continues to emerge. Palestinian agriculture officials estimate the cost to the strip’s farming sector will be more than 200 million dollars. Al Jazeera’s Mike Kirsch reports from Gaza, where many farmers are devastated at having to start again from scratch.
Seven Israeli human rights groups submitted a letter on Wednesday to the IDF’s judge advocate-general, Maj.-Gen. Avihai Mandelblit, and Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz in which they complained that during Operation Cast Lead, Palestinian prisoners were held in conditions so poor that their lives were endangered.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the Public Committee against Torture in Israel, Adalah-The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, Physicians for Human Rights, B’Tselem, Yesh Din, and Hamoked: Center for the Defense of the Individual all signed the complaint, in which they protested what they described as “cruel, inhuman and degrading conditions” in which Gazan prisoners were held in the first few days of their detentions.
The groups said they had testimony indicating that detainees – both minors and adults – were held in hastily-dug pits for hours and days “exposed to the extreme cold, handcuffed and blindfolded” and “without basic sanitary conditions.” …finish reading the story here…
GAZA (Reuters) – A Palestinian man has accused Islamist Hamas militants in control of the Gaza Strip of torturing and killing his brother for publicly criticizing them.
Osama Atallah, a teacher, was a supporter of the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the sworn enemy of Hamas, whose gunmen drove Fatah militia out of Gaza in 2007 and fought Israel’s army in a three-week war this month.
His brother Bassam said on Thursday masked gunmen in two jeeps had arrived at the family home in the city of Gaza on Tuesday. They identified themselves as members of Hamas internal security and they arrested his brother Osama. …finish reading the story here…
Israel has expelled Venezuela’s ambassador, weeks after the Latin American country expelled Israeli diplomats and broke ties with Israel over Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it ordered the Venezuelan envoy and his staff out of the country in response to Venezuela’s decision to sever relations. The group has until Friday to leave.
Venezuela’s Foreign Minister, Nicolas Maduro, told Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television network that Venezuela is proud Israel expelled its diplomats. He called Israeli leaders “criminals” and said their response was “weak” and “late.” …finish reading the story here…
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Sixty US lawmakers have urged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to give emergency funds to the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees to help rebuild the Gaza Strip after its war with Israel.
In a letter dated Tuesday, the House Democrats also said Israel should allow critically ill patients to be transported out of Gaza and into Israel, the West Bank and Jordan for treatment.
“We therefore urge you to express this concern directly to Israeli government officials,” they said in the letter, which was obtained by AFP. …finish reading the story here…
Unfortunately for the people of Gaza, all the bloodshed there wasn’t really about Gaza. Despite the tenuous ceasefire, the issue of Gaza remains unresolved not because the sides disagree but because all sorts of external actors find the dispute useful. The larger reality is that Gaza serves as a cold-hearted laboratory for these external actors for testing dangerous hypotheses about far greater global political issues. …finish reading the story here…
Link TV says that the situation in Gaza has disappeared from the news in the USA. It sure hasn’t online! I just spent 5 hours reading news and hope I can wade through them to give you only the best ones here.
There’s a lot. From aid agencies giving their impressions and lists of needed aid to denials from Israel of use of phosphorous (surprised? I’m not!) to a call for Shalit to be freed before the gates are opened at the crossings. And if he’s dead due to Israel’s bombing. Like he was in a building that got hit?! Then what?! Will you continue to starve them and keep all building and survival supplies away from them until they cease to exist? Am I being to strong with my words? No, I don’t think so.
There are over 1.5 million people there. 170 – 200 trucks a day are NOT going to feed, clothe and rebuild for that many people. Do the math yourself. Go look in your kitchen and refrigerator. How much food do you buy each week? We are a household of 3 adults and we bring in at least 11 bags of just groceries each week to suffice the meals with a little to store for thost “just in case” times that we can’t get out to the store. This past week we needed it. The power steering pump went out on the van and they wouldn’t fix it until they had the money in hand. Nice huh? At least the puppies were at the age that they could be sold. So that helped a lot.
That’s our economy here. With 3 disabled people how were we to get to the store, pharmacy and to even get them the money during the past 10 days? We ended up spending more money than we could afford to get around. In Gaza they don’t have that freedom. Many don’t have HOUSES much less vehicles. They blew up the UNIVERSITY and shot into the UN School compounds! Come on people! How better to wipe out a people than kill the children? What do you do in a crisis? Call an aid agency or a relative? In Gaza the aid agencies aren’t allowed in at times and the aid itself is kept at the border crossings being poked and prodded by guards. They even let dogs at the food items. They definately have the technology to scan the vehicles as they go through rather than take everything off, poke and prod at it and then reload to other trucks on the other side. OFTEN they won’t let trucks pass from Israel or Egypt into Gaza. They have to offload from the delivering truck and reload onto a truck in Gaza. I hazard a guess that many trucks were destroyed in the past 3 weeks.
Articles. There are many. I’ll start off with the aid agency ones and then go to the general news articles. I also will update the Agencies page in the next 24 hours, inshaAllah.
So here they are. Same as always, click the heading or the “continued…” at the end to go to the page.
Love under the bombs Wednesday, 21 January 2009 01:31FreeGaza.org Making love under the bombs. I remember a friend from Nablous once telling me how difficult it was during the occupation to make time to reserve a moment of intimacy with his wife. One evening, while they lay in a tender embrace, a bullet lodged itself into their headboard, inches away from their heads. Canoodling under the bombs these days in Gaza is out of the question, and the conjugal future of young Palestinian couples is shaping up to be quite a challenge. Many have lost their homes and are forced to live amassed in the UNRWA schools, or crammed with as many as 20 people inside a tiny apartment. “Tonight is Saturday and the young couples in Tel Aviv go out and have fun in the clubs or on the beach. Meanwhile, out here we can’t even make love in our own beds”, says Wissam, who got married in November. “We also have strobe lights, though”, he says, while pointing towards a succession of flashes from the South, the evidence of bombings in full swing. Young men like Wissam, nineteen, become fathers very early on in life and are already grandfathers by middle age, being aware as they are that in Palestine, this is the only form of immortality possible. Continued…
John Ging has been Director of Operations for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza for the past three years, overseeing efforts to provide basic services – education, health, relief and social services – to some 750,000 registered Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip. He was a daily eyewitness to the three-week offensive Israel launched in December with the stated aim of ending Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza. In recent days, Mr. Ging has reported that more than 1,300 Gazans have died and over 5,000 have been wounded. Prior to his current post, he served in places like Lebanon, Rwanda and the Balkans. Continued…
ReliefWeb is an awesome resource. It’s title is “Serving the information needs of the humanitarian relief community”
About Relief Web – ReliefWeb is the global hub for time-critical humanitarian information on Complex Emergencies and Natural Disasters
Please put them on your lists to visit for the latest information available.
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‘Israeli, Arab media rallied round the flag during Gaza campaign’ Jerusalem Post – Israel By EHUD ZION WALDOKS Both Israeli and Arab media rallied around the flag during the Gaza operation, panelists told the audience during an Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI) event on Wednesday.
Keshev Executive Director Yizhar Be’er presented an analysis of the Israeli press over the three-week conflict. Keshev and its Palestinian partner analyze the Israeli and Palestinian media.
“In times of crisis or war, the immediate reflex of the Israeli media is to rally around the flag. They provided full justification for the military operation and full support for decision-makers,” Be’er told the audience at the Ambassador Hotel in Jerusalem. … Continued…
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Iran: Obama must seek ‘new’ Mideast foreign policy The Associated Press Iran said Wednesday it is “ready for new approaches” from President Barack Obama as, across the Islamic world, countries cautiously welcomed his promise of mutual respect between the U.S. and Muslims.
Despite the reception, it remained clear that Iran and postwar Gaza will pose early tests of Obama’s inauguration speech offer to the Muslim world to … Continued…
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Gaza offensive jeopardizes Israel’s relations with Turkey Washington Times – Washington,DC,USA ISTANBUL | Israel’s Gaza offensive has created fractures in the Israeli-Turkish alliance and deepened ties between Ankara and Tehran in what analysts fear could be the start of a major realignment in the region.
“This will seriously damage Turkish-U.S. relations on a long-term basis,” said Graham Fuller, a former CIA officer and author of books on Iran and Turkey. “Israel will get no free ride from Ankara anymore.” … Continued…
As the ICRC assesses the extent of the damage caused by three weeks of fighting, it is becoming clear that unexploded munitions scattered in civilian areas represent another major new danger. On 20 January, two children were killed by unexploded ordnance Continued…
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Amnesty International team talks to Gaza survivors 21 January 2009 After three weeks of Israeli bombardment, previously deserted Gaza streets are filling up again as tens of thousands of people who had fled their homes begin to return. But, as Amnesty International’s fact-finding team in Gaza witnessed on Tuesday, thousands have no homes to return to, because so many were destroyed by Israeli forces.
The team described how they had gone to Gaza City’s Zaitoun neighbourhood and spoken to survivors amidst the rubble. At a mourning tent, the surviving members of the Sammouni family received condolences and recited prayers for their 29 relatives killed by Israeli forces. Continued…
Please take time to read the other reports and articles. Amnesty International does a great job along with the UN, Red Crescent, Free Gaza, ISM and many others who are pounding on the gates every day to get aid into the trapped and beleaguered citizens of Gaza. One person wrote that this is not a war. This is just one battle of the war on Gaza. The war is 60+ years long.
The war on Gaza has been devastating on lives and properties; almost all sectors of Gaza’s civil infrastructure have been destroyed. Since many of us feel helpless these days, it might make you feel better to… Continued…
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Resources Related To Gaza Posted: 21 Jan 2009 08:03 AM CST With the Gaza “cease fire” in place for one week (after Israeli forces murdered at least 450 Children), the Beit Sahour vigil that was held daily for the past 22 days will be transformed to increased action. Tomorrow (Monday) at 10 AM local, Palestinian Civil Society Organizations in the Bethlehem…Continued…
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UNICEF UK’s Work in Gaza Donation 4 Charity Jan 21, 2009 UNICEF UK has responded quickly to needs of women and children in Gaza by sending £50,000 of relief funding from their Children’s Emergency Fund. They have now delivered 355 first aid and 20 resuscitation kits to the United Nations Relief and Work Agency warehouses, and have a permanent office in Gaza and three in the West Bank. Continued…
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Borderless Journalism in Gaza BBC, CNN-I, and Al Jazeera English offer nuanced coverage of Gaza war By Lawrence Pintak, Columbia Journalism Review Here in the Arab world, it is all blood and outrage. Coverage has been dominated by gruesome scenes of dead and wounded civilians (many of them children), angry commentators, and demonstrations on the streets of many Arab capitals. Continued…
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Calming tensions over Gaza; Restoring trust International Herald Tribune, Published: January 21, 2009 Regarding the article “Gaza conflict reverberates in France” (Jan. 21): As an Algerian citizen living in France, I am in a good position to recognize that relations between the Muslim and Jewish communities in the country have seriously deteriorated during the last few weeks.
It is time for people to understand that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict concerns two peoples fighting for the same territory. It is not a struggle between Islam and Judaism, nor is it a conflict between the Muslim and Jewish communities.
It may be useful to remind readers that Muslims and Jews lived together peacefully for centuries, especially in North Africa and in Andalusia. Continued…
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Zionist Tourists Watch Bombs Drop On Gaza Posted: 21 Jan 2009 07:38 AM CST If this isn’t a sorry state of affairs, tourists with their coolers and coffee makers watching bombs dropped on Gaza. Listen toward the end to the comment made by one of the tourists
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Israeli army probes use of phosphorus in Gaza: report AFP JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel’s army has launched an inquiry into whether paratroopers used banned white phosphorus shells close to civilians during the Gaza offensive, a newspaper said Wednesday.
Haaretz said the probe centred on the firing of some 20 shells — which are banned for use in populated areas — around Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip by a reserve parachute brigade.
Reserve colonel Shai Alkalai was put in charge of the investigations, the paper said, but an army spokesman told AFP it was not an official inquiry.
Haaretz said the army used two types of phosphorus shells and considered them as smoke bombs.
Under international law, white phosphorus is banned for use near civilians, but is permitted for creating a smokescreen. Continued…
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Livni links Gaza crossings to Schalit The Jerusalem Post “I sent Gilad Schalit [to the front], not personally – but he is an IDF soldier,” the foreign minister said during a speech at the Administrative College in Rishon Lezion. “We sent him to defend the country and we have an obligation to bring him back.
Livni added: “If Hamas thinks it wants to get something beyond humanitarian assistance, which we will give regardless, we have someone who is very important to us, and, for me; one thing is contingent upon the other.” Continued…
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“Exterminate all the Brutes”: Gaza 2009 January 20, 2009 By Noam Chomsky On Saturday December 27, the latest US-Israeli attack on helpless Palestinians was launched. The attack had been meticulously planned, for over 6 months according to the Israeli press. The planning had two components: military and propaganda. It was based on the lessons of Israel’s 2006 invasion of Lebanon, which was considered to be poorly planned and badly advertised. We may, therefore, be fairly confident that most of what has been done and said was pre-planned and intended… Continued…
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Gaza Crisis: Regimes React with Routine Repression Human Rights Watch Arab Governments, Iran, and Israel Ban Gaza Demonstrations; Protesters Beaten and Arrested (Amman, January 21, 2009) – Middle Eastern governments have banned demonstrations against Israeli actions in Gaza, and their security forces have beaten and arrested demonstrators as they tried to voice their opposition, Human Rights Watch said today.
The rights to peaceful assembly and free expression are severely curtailed in much of the Middle East: Continued…
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Don’t count on Egypt to stop weapons smuggling The Jerusalem Post, Jan 21, 2009 23:15 Conventional wisdom posits that Egypt must and will play a central role in halting the smuggling of weapons from Sinai to Gaza. Yet this is extraordinarily unlikely – for strategic, political and Egyptian domestic reasons.
Egypt does not mind if Hamas bleeds Israel a little; it gains domestically by indirectly aiding Hamas, gains internationally by playing a mediating role (in a conflict which it helps maintain on a “low flame”) and is anyway mostly incapable of stopping the Sinai Beduin from continuing as the main weapons smugglers. Continued…
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Gaza Crisis Sows Discord at Arab Conference The New York Times, By MICHAEL SLACKMAN, Published: January 21, 2009 KUWAIT — Two and a half years ago, a group of Arab leaders decided it was time to try to set aside their political differences and deal with what was ailing their countries: widespread illiteracy, ineffective schools, unemployment, inadequate water and food resources.
So they called for an extraordinary summit meeting to be held in Kuwait City this week. The plan was for the 22 members of the Arab League to agree on concrete ways to improve the lives of their 330 million citizens. Instead, though, they bickered over how to handle the Gaza crisis. Continued…
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Obama Calls Mideast Leaders About Gaza By VOA News, 21 January 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama has called the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority to express his commitment to pursuing Arab-Israeli peace.
The White House said Mr. Obama emphasized his determination to help consolidate the current Hamas-Israeli cease-fire, and help the Palestinian Authority with a major reconstruction effort in Gaza after three weeks of conflict. Continued…
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Barak declares victory as IDF completes Gaza withdrawal The Jerusalem Post, Jan 21, 2009 23:40, By YAAKOV KATZ AND HERB KEINON Defense Minister Ehud Barak declared victory as the IDF completed its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip on Wednesday putting an official end to Operation Cast Lead against Hamas.
“We won in a big way,” Barak told Channel 2. “Hamas was dealt a blow it never imagined and will be quiet now for a long time.”
Barak also said that he believes the military operation in Gaza, “in more ways than one, possibly increased the chances that we can make progress on Gilad Schalit.”Continued…
“Certain reports indicate that Israel will in the coming months launch an attack on Gaza again. Israel’s rejection of the UN Security Council resolution can be an indication of this,” Najjar told reporters after signing a deal with his visiting Tanzanian counterpart Hussein Ali Mwinyi. Continued…
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EU wins Israeli assurance on Gaza aid but not on crossings AFP BRUSSELS (AFP) — European Union nations won assurances Wednesday that Israel would do its utmost to allow humanitarian aid into the war-torn Gaza Strip but no guarantees that border crossings would be opened.
At talks in Brussels, EU foreign ministers also urged Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni to build on a weekend ceasefire that brought an end to the massive military assault against Hamas that killed more than 1,300 Palestinians. Continued…
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Gaza doctor who lost girls demands Israel explain Associated Press, By TAMER SALIBA GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Gaza doctor who recounted live on Israeli television how his three daughters and niece had just been killed by shelling demanded on Wednesday that Israel’s defense minister explain their deaths.
Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish, a 55-year-old gynecologist who speaks Hebrew after training in two Israeli hospitals, sobbed as he reported the deaths shortly after an Israeli shell struck his home in the northern town of Jebaliya on Friday. His account captivated viewers on Israel’s Channel 10 TV.
The well-known peace activist who was involved in promoting joint Israeli-Palestinian projects returned Wednesday to inspect his destroyed Gaza home and to reunite with his five surviving children. His wife died recently of cancer. Continued…
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Obama’s Agenda: the Middle East, Economy and Ethics The Washington Post, By Michael D. Shear and William Branigin, Wednesday, January 21, 2009; 6:01 PM President Obama launched immediately into the grim reality of his new job today, placing calls to the leaders of Middle Eastern countries and conducting his first presidential meetings on the economy and Iraq this afternoon.
He later signed a series of executive orders and directives to implement new ethics rules for his administration in keeping with a campaign promise to bring greater transparency to the White House. And he declared “a new era of openness” in government. Continued…
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Muslims’ hopes for Obama dampened by Gaza By Paul Wiseman, USA TODAY ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — An Arabic middle name and a compelling biography will go only so far. If President-elect Barack Hussein Obama really wants to improve America’s standing in the Muslim world, he’ll need to do more to win over skeptics such as Muhammad Zia Ullah.
Sorting polo shirts at his brother’s clothing stall in a working-class bazaar here, Ullah says he was impressed with Obama during the long U.S. presidential campaign. “He’s articulate, and he wants to bring changes,” says Ullah, 19. “But I’m not expecting any change in policy.” Continued…
Smuggling into Gaza from Egypt is underway again, only days after the end of the IDF operation against Hamas.
One of the stated goals of the IDF offensive was to stop the smuggling through the hundreds of tunnels under the border. The goods coming through have included a steady flow of rockets and other weapons.
Israel has said eighty percent of the smuggling tunnels were destroyed in bombing raids during the IDF’s Operation Cast Lead. Continued
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PM updates Obama on Gaza situation The Jerusalem Post, By JPOST.COM STAFF AND AP, Jan 21, 2009 20:17 New US President Barack Obama called Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday, his first day in the Oval Office.
A statement from Olmert’s office said the prime minister commended him on his inauguration yesterday, wished him success and said that both he and Israeli people found the ceremony very moving. Continued…
The ban came as a surprise to the many journalists who underwent a strenuous routine of paper work and embassy certification to gain access to the beleaguered Strip but were turned away at the last minute at the border.Continued…
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Israel denies using depleted uranium arms in Gaza Reuters, Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:51am EST JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel denied on Wednesday its armed forces used ordnance with depleted uranium during the Gaza Strip offensive, and said that could be proven by any U.N. investigation.
Responding to a letter from Arab envoys, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Tuesday it would consult with member states on the diplomats’ demand for a probe into whether Israeli attacks on Gaza might have featured the controversial munitions, which can leave dangerous radioactive debris. Continued..
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Israel, EU debate way forward after Gaza war International Herald Tribune/The Associated Press, Published: January 21, 2009 BRUSSELS, Belgium: The European Union said Wednesday it has received assurances from Israel that it will allow humanitarian aid through to Palestinians in the Gaza area.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, meanwhile, said she convinced the Europeans that having a “durable and sustainable cease-fire also means a full cessation of the smuggling of weapons” into Gaza, which is ruled by the extremist Islamic Hamas movement.
Livni and her EU counterparts debated the way forward after the Gaza war at a meeting over dinner.Continued…
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Rebuid Gaza? Look at Iraq AlterNet, Azzaman. Posted January 20, 2009. The world powers and their proxies are masters at destruction, but rebuilding is something they’ve never learned to do.
The ruinous war over Gaza is over. Gaza and its 1.5 million people have borne the brunt of Israel’s disproportionate, reckless and massive use of fire power which killed more than 1,300, people most of them civilians, and injured thousands.
Homes, schools, government buildings, mosques whole quarters were razed down by Israeli troops as the influential and most powerful world leaders pondered on who was right or wrong and who was to blame. Continued..
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Israel: Report of Gaza mortar fire incorrect Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli security forces have backtracked on a report that Gaza militants fired on Israel in violation of a shaky truce.
Police had first reported Tuesday that at least one mortar fell. The military said later that a warning siren that went off was a false alarm.
Israel waged a devastating three-week war on Gaza until declaring a cease-fire that went into effect Sunday. Hamas declared its own cease-fire later that day.
This is the Complete story
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Mideast: Red Cross says Gaza destruction “overwhelming” ADN Kronos International Gaza, 20 Jan. (AKI) – Since the ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip, the scale of devastation and demand for humanitarian aid is overwhelming, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. In a statement released on Tuesday, the ICRC said entire families have lost everything and required urgent help meeting such basic needs as shelter, food, water and medical care.
“The level of destruction is absolutely overwhelming,” said ICRC delegate Jerome Giraud.
“Most people have not been able to move back to their houses. Many checked on their homes, but then decided to return to the (United Nations) UNRWA shelters. They had no other choice.” Continued…
I spent a lot of hours in the chatroom Al Jazeera has set up through “Livestation”. It has a few stations on there you can watch and chat up with others while you watch the shows. I don’t watch TV so this is a nice new toy for me. I’m sure it’ll wear off soon. I had some nice conversations but there were quite a few keyboard bullies there too. Got into a ‘discussion’ with a young Israeli. He never revealed his age but I figure he was a teenager. He was too idealistic to be much older. It is sad how insufficient the education about the pre 1948 period is there. The propaganda is thick. I hope we all caused him to think and question. InshaAllah his hatred was thick and his bias was very evident but the ignorance about the truth was most glaring.
It seems that rockets have been launched into northern Israel from Lebanon. At this writing I can’t find anyone taking responsibility but in time someone will probably do so. Nasrallah has been screaming trying to get people hyped up. I hope he wasn’t successful. No more people need to die!
UN: No fighters in targeted school Aljazeera.net – Qatar
But John Ging, the director of operations in Gaza for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), told reporters that he had visited the school …
WARNING, content is disturbing
Lebanon Fires Rockets into Israel’s North New York Times – United States
In Gaza, John Ging, the director of Gazan operations for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, visited the school in the Jabaliya refugee camp where …
Press conference by Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace … ReliefWeb (press release) – Geneva,Switzerland
Mr. Serry was accompanied by John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator. John Ging …
The Gaza Boomerang New York Times – United States
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF At a time when Israel is bombing Gaza to try to smash Hamas, it’s worth remembering that Israel itself helped nurture Hamas. … Gaza conflict has potential to draw in Hezbollah Los Angeles Times – CA,USA
But if the Israeli offensive in Gaza goes on for weeks, observers think Hezbollah will feel pressure to act. By Borzou Daragahi Reporting from Beirut …
Army pushing into Gaza cities as Hamas rocket nears Tel Aviv Baltimore Sun – United States
By Ahmed Burai and Jeffrey Fleishman | Los Angeles Times GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Shells fired by Israeli forces hit a United Nations school yesterday, …
Gaza hospital crowded with civilians, doctors say CNN International – USA
(CNN) — Far more civilians than Hamas fighters are arriving for treatment of war wounds at Gaza’s main hospital as Israel’s military incursion into the …
Clout, politics behind Turkish diplomacy over Gaza Reuters – USA
… but secular country with good ties with Israel, has been playing a busy role in trying to bridge Arab division and broker a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. …
Europe fears spike in anti-Semitism over Gaza Ynetnews – Israel
European governments and Jewish groups were on Tuesday preparing to face a possible surge in anti-Semitic violence as Israel’s offensive in Gaza sparked …
Children make up third of Gaza dead Agency France Presse
Almost a third of the 689 Palestinians killed in Israel’s Gaza offensive are children, with most killed since the start of a ground offensive after a week of aerial bombardment, medics say.
Gaza and the world: Will anything change? Ma’an News Agency
In times of crisis, most Arabs tune in to Al-Jazeera television. Sometimes it’s comforting for the truth to be stated the way it is, with all of its gory and unsettling details, without blemishes and without censorship.
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Here are some things that I found interesting, intriguing or informational. 
Ma’an News is reporting
Former President Carter seems to think
It looks like there are situations flaring up all over the place. There are many truths coming out. Some stories being concocted as well as some being covered up. Which are true? Which are false? At this point I think only the people directly involved know their truth but God knows the whole truth. I hope they fear His wrath for their actions and words. Yes, I am a very spiritual and religious person. I have a strong faith.
Link TV says that the situation in Gaza has disappeared from the news in the USA. It sure hasn’t online! I just spent 5 hours reading news and hope I can wade through them to give you only the best ones here.
Amnesty International team talks to Gaza survivors
Don’t count on Egypt to stop weapons smuggling
©2009 Diane Saville
iadiedee@gmail.com
