Islamic Republic of Iran

Quran Burning = Muslims Burning + Video

2010-09-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

A Reply To Fitna Film :

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Do Americans trust in US media ?

2010-08-21T01:22:00.000-07:00

The following is the transcript of Press TV's discussion with Co-Director of International Action Center Sara Flounders, British Journalist Richard Millett and the western regional coordinator of “Act Now to Stop War and End Racism” (ANSWER) Coalition, Richard Becker on Israel's declining popularity in the US.

Press TV: The proportion of Americans who think Israel is committed to peace has dropped sharply since December 2007.

Just a few weeks after the Annapolis peace conference, 66 percent of respondents said the coalition headed by the then-prime minister Ehud Olmert was committed to peace. Now, in July 2010, in the latest figures that have been reported, it is less than half of Americans -- 49 percent.

In your view, what are the main reasons for this decline?

Millett: I think we have got to be careful with this poll because, the Israel Project [Organization] hasn't actually released this poll yet, it has only been reported by Ha'aretz, and we do not know the samples, we don't know who has been asked in the samples, and how big the sample is. It was polled by Stanley Greenberg who is a left wing democratic pollster. So, that would have a bearing on the result.

Now, taking these results at face value, having said all that; yes, if it is true, then only 39 percent are favoring [Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu over [former Israeli prime minister] Ehud Olmert at 66 percent. I think that Ehud Olmert went much further in his time with trying to -- as you spoke about the Annapolis peace process -- go towards peace, and starting it up.

It was not successful, it ended in a terrible Gaza War, and the Israelis voted in Netanyahu; there was a swing to the right. At the moment, I think the Israelis are more interested in security, there is an interest in peace, but security is at the top of the list. I think it has just been announced today by the Americans, that they are going to announce, a timetable for direct talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians as opposed to these proximity talks that are taking place.

Press TV: How important is American public opinion specifically, when it comes to US-Israeli relations and when it comes to how Israel is conducting itself in the Middle East as a whole?

Flounders: Well, of course, Israel could not exist one day, one hour, without the billions and billions of dollars that the US pumps into Israel militarily and economically. And the political and diplomatic support that it is giving unstintingly and the enormous support from US corporations and the US military industry, which can turn over these weapons, paid for by US tax dollars.

But the support for Israel is actually probably much lower than these polls from Ha'aretz. If they did a poll of college campuses in the US, or young people in the US today, the figures would be much, much lower. If they did it among those who are actively engaged in political movements of course, the support for Israel is completely collapsing because of the crimes that Israel has committed, that the world knows, against the Palestinian people.

So, that basis of support will continue to erode and that is despite the role of the US media to always give enormously favorable coverage to Israel and always to link the Palestinian people -- and especially the population of Gaza, totally surrounded and besieged, but to always link this population -- with terrorism.

So, the unequal coverage of the US media nevertheless is no longer able to sell Israel in a favorable light to a population here that is in desperate need of jobs, health care, that sees schools closing. There is more conscious opposition to giving billions -- a blank check-- to Israel.

Press TV: During the Gaza war at the turn of 2009, in England for example, there were many protests against the BBC's coverage. We didn't see that kind of protesting in America. Therefore is it surprising to see that so few Americans actually trust American media outlets, TV, news and newspapers?

Millet: Well, this wasn't a war on Gaza, this was a war on Hamas, this was a war against a terrorist organization that fired 7-8 thousand rockets into southern Israel and the rockets were getting closer to Tel Aviv, so this wasn't a war against the Palestinian people, this was a war against Hamas, specifically.

America and Americans generally identify with Israel. The amount of support that America gives to Israel washes its face and America gets back a lot of intelligence, [America] tests a lot of its equipment, unfortunately, in the heat of battle, which Israel has to do.

These statistics, you talk about 49 percent say that there is no need to support Israel, 51 percent therefore say they do need to support Israel. Now, what does 'need for support mean? It is a very ambiguous term -- to need to support.

If you go back at past recent polls, you are looking at 67 percent actually support Israel. And there is a huge swathe of support across most of America, not on the Liberal side but you have got the Christian Evangelical. There are 50-70 million Christian Evangelicals who are staunch supports of Israel in America and this is something that is not going to change.

And we have got to remember that this economic aid that you talk about is also given in billions to the Palestinian people, to Saudi Arabia, to Egypt -- well not necessarily to Saudi Arabia, it is obviously a rich country, but there is support there we are seeing the same sort of support given to Egypt. So you can't just look at Israel in isolation and specifically the Palestinians are supported very much as well.

I think I agree with you in the economic times, like we are seeing at the moment, is something I don't blame the Americans questioning where this money is going to.

Becker: That is an Israeli government point of view being represented there. I think what Richard Millet is saying is really the propaganda line of the Israeli government in regards to what happened, particularly what happened in Gaza, where the casualty ratio was 100:1.

It (the Gaza War) was a war against the entire population, which is the way that all of the Israeli wars have been carried out; with no regard whatsoever for the Palestinian population or the civilian population in other Arab countries. And then you hear from the Israeli officials a line that they are the most moral… that they are "the most moral army in the world."

This is sheer, big lie, propaganda and what happened there in Gaza and what has been left out of Mr. Millets presentation is the economic strangulation…the bombings, the targeted assassinations that went on year after year after year. And all we hear from him (Millet) is about what caused the war was the missiles that were fired from inside Gaza.

This was not a war against just one group, this was a war against the entire Palestinian population, a continuation of a war against the entire Palestinian population which has been going on now for more than sixty years and has resulted in the dispossession of the Palestinians, a dispossession that continues on the West Bank day after day.

Press TV: Mr. Millet, what we did see, whether you want to call it the Gaza War or as you say 'the war against Hamas,' or an offensive against Hamas, what we did see was public opinion across the world, including in America, we saw more protests than we have ever seen against any action by Israel, whether legitimate or not, we saw protests across Europe, we saw protests in America. It does seem that people increasingly believe that Israel's actions were not legitimate, they were not called for, that is something we are seeing reflected in these polls.

Millet: Well, I don't blame people coming up to protest. I mean what we saw during the attack, the war that took place in Gaza was horrific. You know, we were seeing on our televisions screens. But there was a reason why Israel had to go do what it did and this was because of the Hamas attack on Israel and in last five years, no one mentioned it, whilst these rocket attacks were taking place and coming into Israel. And there are reasons unfortunately why wars take place and Israel specifically targeted Hamas.

Flounders: Well, this is exactly why Israel is increasingly isolated today. In every sense it is exactly this line that is the reason that Israel is really the focus of such outrage and anger by people all over the world and increasingly here in the US. And it is also the reason why the US media is losing its credibility. It is standing its hold on its population here because the media pushes, twenty-four hours a day seven days a week US support for wars, whether it is in Iraq or Afghanistan or its support [for] Israel.

And increasingly the population here, facing real problems of a growing steady unemployment, of school closings, of a health crisis, is not buying it. And it really means that, as these polls show the growing institutions of the US today have less hold, less credibility with the average person because they only promote war and they only promote divisions. It is actually very encouraging that 50 percent of the media can see through this. That is really heartening if you really think about it, in a media that promotes war all the time.

Press TV: Mr. Millet touched upon the Christian Evangelical community in America, a huge community, a very powerful lobby as well. They have always been very supportive of Israel and it is very interesting that we are actually seeing statistics here that there are large proportion of American society that do support Israel, those proportions are much higher than those for example who trust the media.

Therefore where is this coming from, this trust, because many people say the media plays a big role in these lies or delusions?

Flounders: Yes, exactly, this is exactly true. The media plays a big role in promoting, whether it is the Tea Party or publicizing all across the country that disgusting Evangelical organization in Florida, calling for September 11 Burn the Quran Day. What an outrage, the protests in New York City against the building of a mosque and an Islamic center in lower Manhattan, near the World Trade Center, and now the response is coming overwhelmingly to these right wing bigoted hate groups that are promoted by the media. There is a whole growing coalition responding to the demonstrations and the protest plan on September 11 saying 'no lets end the hate and stand in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters, stand against war and stand against the promotion of war.'

And so that kind of resistance, that kind of resistance on a big scale is going to be felt more and more among people who do not buy the lies from the US media and consciously seek a way to make their voice heard.

Press TV: Mr. Becker, with so few people trusting the media it would seem that many people are still influenced by it because you do see its impact, whether we are talking about the Tea Party movement even if it is Burn the Quran Day on September 11. What is the difference now between the people who actually trust in the media and the people who are impacted by it and whose thinking is influenced by what the American media says?

Becker: Well, I think one thing that needs to be pointed out is that even the people who are getting a lot of their media information, news information and the internet are getting it from the mainstream sources… so the mainstream media, the corporate media, the pro-Pentagon, pro-militarist media is still the dominant force among the media.

But what has happened and what is a big difference is that now people have access to many other forms of media and I think this is very clear. More and more are turning to other explanations to what is going on in the world and in the country. And that is a very encouraging development.

But still, it is very true that in the mainstream media, whether you read an Associated Press story on the newspaper or you read it online and that is just giving one example among many, the assurance that the United States is reaping its policies of aggression, of war, of militarism, of support for the state of Israel and for its other policies around the world, the idea that is conveyed in the media, in those media reports is still the same.

But we can see that that media is being chipped away at in a very serious way and that there is a mobilization of the people, like at the time of 2009 war against Gaza, there were thousands of protests inside the United States against the genocidal Israeli attack on Gaza.

Press TV: Mr. Millet, in essence what we are talking about then, is a widening of the scope of media that is available and that there are different points of view coming through.

Does the American media in particular reflect enough of these different points of view as one of the problems, that is, it doesn't do that. For example it talks much about Hamas, and its militancy sense and then says that they are a terrorist organization and it never does provide the other side of the story, which whether one agrees on or not, does exist.

Millet: Well, I think you get very critical newspapers in America about Israel, The New York Times and The Washington Post. But you know, to a certain extent, newspapers reflect the constituency in their readers and to go back to what I was saying, there is an identification with what is going on in the Middle East, support for Israel, support for what is happening in Afghanistan and so I think there is wide support still for Israel, whatever we have said before, my two colleagues talking on this program [Flounders, Becker] might not like it but it is a fact and as you said it yourself , there is huge Christian Evangelical support…

Flounders: Well, the US media and the institutions that support Israel are in every way losing their hold on the population in the US. So, US Corporate Rule is more and more dependent on military solutions; wars all over the world hundreds of bases, much stepped up political repression at home.

The largest prison population in the world is right now in the US; along with secret detentions and round ups and kidnappings, all of this is a sign that the media as a form of persuasion, is losing its hold, and US Corporate Rule is based more on political and military repression and that makes them extremely vulnerable because there is no government in the world and Israel should recognize this, that they are losing the support right here (in the US) because people increasingly stand with and sympathize with the Palestinian people. And they are also not willing to see Muslim people around the world so relentlessly targeted in the most bigoted and racist ways which happen in the media all the time, that is why the media is losing its support.

Refrence: PressTV

Iran's Satellite Safir-2 Omid (Videos Pics News)

2009-02-05T00:54:00.000-08:00

Iran reacts to attacks on sat launch
Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:34:10 GMT

Tehran dismisses concerns over its recent launch of a domestic satellite, saying its space advancement serves no military purpose.

"This is a scientific and technical achievement and has no military aim," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi told reporters on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Iran placed its Omid (meaning 'Hope' in Persian) satellite into orbit by Iranian-produced satellite carrier Safir 2, ushering in an era of independence in its space program in commemoration of the Islamic Revolution's 30th anniversary.

Qashqavi says the Omid satellite does not serve military purposes.

Equipped with two frequency bands and eight antennae, Omid has an elliptical orbit of a minimum of 250 kilometers (156 miles) and maximum 400 kilometers.

The lightweight telecommunications satellite is equipped with remote sensing, satellite telemetry and geographic information system technology as well as remote and ground station data processing.

Omid is a research satellite that has been designed for gathering information and testing equipment. After orbiting for one to three months, Omid will return to earth, returning with data that will help Iranian experts send an operational satellite into space.

While the successful satellite placement was celebrated as an important achievement in Iran, world powers immediately set alarm bells ringing over the issue.

France, Germany, Britain and the United States have all claimed that the move is cause for "great concern".

Western reaction to the satellite launch came just ahead of Wednesday's scheduled meeting in Germany of senior diplomats from the P5+1 -- the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany -- which will discuss Iran's nuclear program.

"Developing a space launch vehicle that ... could put a satellite into orbit could possibly lead to development of a ballistic missile system," said US State Department acting spokesman Robert Wood.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, however, has taken a softer tone on Iran.

Speaking after a meeting with British Foreign Minister David Miliband in Washington, Clinton said, "It is clear that... Iran has an opportunity to step up and become a productive member of the international community."

"As President Obama said, we are reaching out a hand [to Iran] but the fist has to unclench," she continued.

Iran has become the 8th country to have put a domestically-built satellite into orbit. Tehran also plans to send its first astronaut into space by 2021.

The Iranian aerospace achievement comes as the country has been subject to sanctions for nearly 30 years. The sanctions cut Iran's access to a long list of goods, including spare parts for passenger planes and even various medicines.

SF/JG/AA

Related News:

Iran puts sat into orbit for 1st time
Iran defends Sat launch amid West ire
Iran space breakthrough ruffles feathers in US
Omid satellite orbits earth 23 times

Kharazmi awarded for Iran space triumph
Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:50:14 GMT

Two Iranian officials have won awards at the International Kharazmi Festival as Tehran takes its space program to the next level.

The award was bestowed to Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar and Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi for their help in the promotion of the aerospace industry, Press TV correspondent Gisoo Misha Ahmadi reported.

Iran's Safir-2 rocket carried the Omid satellite into orbit earlier on Tuesday.

Press TV received confirmation earlier on Tuesday that the first domestic Iranian satellite Omid had been placed into orbit via two homemade carrier rockets.

The completion of the semi-domestic research satellite Mesbah is another recent achievement of Iranian aerospace experts.

Mesbah, which is ready for launch into outer space, has been equipped with a store and forward communications receiver that can gather information from various parts of the planet and transmits it back to earth.

696 domestic and 156 foreign projects from 42 countries participated in the international event and competed for the prestigious Kharazmi award.

Named after a famous Iranian mathematician, Kharazmi awards were presented for 25 domestic and 13 foreign scientific projects.

Iran hopes to take great leaps in space technology in the coming decade with plans to send an astronaut into space by 2021.

NAT/AA

Leader congratulates Iran on Omid sat

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:05:23 GMT

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution has congratulated the Iranian nation on the launch of the country's first domestic research satellite.

In a Tuesday letter to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei praised Iranian scientists for their diligence, saying, “This achievement testifies to the hope the revolution has brought for the Iranian nation.”

Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei

Iran placed its first domestic research satellite into orbit via two carrier rockets early on Tuesday.

Omid - meaning 'Hope' in Persian - was sent into space by Iran's domestically built satellite carrier Safir 2. Safir 2 is an upgraded model of carrier Safir 1.

President Ahmadinejad in a congratulatory message to the Iranian nation said, “The efforts of the children of Iran have made possible putting the Omid satellite into orbit... May this be a step toward... justice and peace.”

The Omid research satellite has been designed for gathering information and testing equipment.

AR/HGH

Iran defends Sat launch amid West ire
Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:19:28 GMT

Iran has dismissed Western concerns over the launch of its domestically-made satellite, insisting the breakthrough is one of peaceful nature.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tuesday that Iran's space-related achievements are in line with the country's legal needs and requirements.

“Satellites are essential in gathering information on environmental, technological, agricultural, climatic, and economic developments,” the Iranian official said.

Iran has
successfully sent its first domestically made satellite into orbit

“It is interesting how some countries believe they alone are entitled to space-related achievements,” he continued, adding that all countries have the right to reap the benefits of scientific breakthroughs.

Mottaki asserted that there is no reason for concern, because Iran has proved that aggression has no place in its military doctrine over the past century.

“In the past 100 years, Iran has proved its commitment to world peace and has never instigated an assault against any country by any means,” said Mottaki.

Iran's data-processing 'Omid' satellite was sent into space on Tuesday, in commemoration of the Islamic Revolution's 30th anniversary.

Equipped with two frequency bands and eight antennae, Omid has an elliptical orbit of minimum of 250 kilometers (156 miles) and maximum 400 kilometers.

While the satellite's successful takeoff was celebrated as an important achievement in Iran's aerospace industry, it was immediately met with Western scrutiny and skepticism.

France, Germany, Britain and the United States have all claimed that the move is cause for “great concern”.

"Developing a space launch vehicle that ... could put a satellite into orbit could possibly lead to development of a ballistic missile system," said State Department acting spokesman Robert Wood.

Iran is the 9th country to put a domestically-built satellite into orbit since the Soviet Union launched the first in 1957.

Iran's achievement comes as the country has been under Western sanctions for nearly 30 years. The sanctions deprive Iran from a long list of goods including spare parts of passenger planes and even different kinds of medicine.

SBB/DT

Iranian's New Satellite: Iran puts Sat into Orbit

2009-02-03T03:22:00.000-08:00

Iran puts sat into orbit for 1st time

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:32:42 GMT

Iran has placed a domestic research satellite into orbit for the first time, ushering in an era of independence in its space program.

Press TV has received confirmation that the first domestic Iranian satellite has been placed into orbit via two carrier rockets.

Omid (meaning 'Hope' in Persian) was sent into space by the Iranian-produced satellite carrier Safir 2 early on Tuesday, Press TV correspondent Saman Kojouri reported from the launching site. Safir 2 is an upgraded model of carrier
Safir 1.

Equipped with two frequency bands and eight antennae, Omid will transmit information to and from earth while orbiting the planet 15 times per day.

The lightweight telecommunications satellite is equipped with remote sensing, satellite telemetry and geographic information system technology as well as remote and ground station data processing.

Omid is a research satellite that has been designed for gathering information and testing equipment. After orbiting for one to three months, Omid will return to earth, returning with data that will help Iranian experts send an operational satellite into space.

Omid carries experimental satellite control devices, communications equipment and power supply systems to a distance of 250 to 350 kilometers from the earth's atmosphere.

The Safir 2 satellite carrier before the launch on February 3

The launch of Omid comes amid celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In a Tuesday message, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated the nation on the new aerospace achievement.

"Dear people of Iran, your children have sent Iran's first domestic satellite into orbit... May this be a step toward... justice and peace," he said. "Iran's official presence in space has been added to the pages of history."

In August 2007, Tehran announced plans to carry out the domestic satellite launch after testing its first domestically-produced satellite carrier Safir 1.

Head of the Iranian Aerospace Organization, Reza Taqipour, told Press TV that Iran has plans to put a series of satellites into orbit by 2010 that will improve national disaster management programs and the country's telecommunications network.

Omid is the third Iranian-made satellite to be sent into space. Russia launched Iran's first satellite in 2005. Three years later, another satellite, which had been jointly designed by Iran, China and Thailand, was also sent into orbit. So far, only eight countries have launched domestically-made satellites into orbit.

The recent completion of the semi-domestic research satellite Mesbah is another success added to the accomplishments of Iranian aerospace experts.

Mesbah, which is ready for launch into outer space, has been equipped with a store and forward communications receiver that gathers information from various parts of the planet and then forwards the transmission.

Iranian scientists have also finished designing a satellite called Besharat, which is to be launched in a joint effort with the members of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).

Tehran also plans to send its first astronaut to space by 2021.

MJ/JG/AA

23 proofs of Israel's defeat in the 23-day war

2009-01-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

23 proofs of Israel's defeat in the 23-day war
Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:40:32 GMT

By Sami al-Habib, Press TV

Israel began its Operation Cast Lead against Hamas in the Gaza Strip on December 27, 2008, an almost three-week long bloodbath which killed or wounded thousands of civilians.

Taking into consideration the lessons the regime learned from its defeat in the
summer 2006 war against the Lebanese Hezbollah, Tel Aviv avoided setting out any specific objectives for its military operation in a bid to enable it to claim victory after the conflict ended.

The Israeli military initially presumed that it could settle its old score with
Hamas and crush the movement in a matter of days. Relying on the support of some Arab states which viewed Hamas's defeat as a blow to Iran, the regime, therefore, took the opportunity provided by the transitional period in the White House and escalated its bombing campaign into a full-blown ground offensive to kill Hamas leaders once and for all.

People rally in support of Hamas in Gaza after the war.

The plan, however, blew up in the face of its masterminds; everything spiraled out of control and the Israeli Army found itself stuck in a quagmire. Subsequently, the leaders of the Kadima Party who were on the brink of political bankruptcy and had resorted to the plan to save themselves ahead of the general elections, had to hastily find a way to clean up the mess.

They unilaterally declared a truce to break the deadlock while disguising their
military failure as a humanitarian act.

However, Israeli military and political officials interestingly are still boasting
about a decisive victory over Hamas. The reality on the ground proves the opposite;
it indicates a defeat more humiliating than what the regime suffered in the 33-day war.

Israel was ,without doubt, the loser because:

1- From the military perspective, "the most powerful" army in the Middle East which faced only a militia group hardly advanced into the Gaza Strip's urban areas. It faced fierce resistance and realized that the price of any military victory would be too high.

2- At the beginning of the operation, Israel announced that the operation was aimed at preventing rocket attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian groups against Israeli towns. Palestinians, however, continued striking Israeli targets, even in the last hours of the war.

3- Hamas extended the range of its rockets and managed to hit targets as far away as 60 kilometers from the Gaza Strip. In fact, the Israeli operation helped Hamas boost its military might.

4- In the course of killing civilians, the Israeli regime set up a factory for producing living time bombs which will jeopardize the security situation for Israel. Civilian casualties in any conflict always radicalize members of bereaved families. Following the massacre of civilians in Gaza, it is more likely that those Palestinians who adopted a nonviolent approach to resist the Israeli occupation, will now turn to military tactics. Keep in mind that many of them have noting to lose.

5- Israel hastily signed an agreement with the US-a third party which was not directly involved in the war-to prevent "the arm smuggling" into the Gaza Strip. The deal envisaged measures to prevent Hamas from rearming, going so far as to for example seek US assistance in policing sea routes to Gaza and providing Egypt with the equipment to destroy smuggling tunnels along its border with the coastal sliver. This was however nothing but a propaganda tactic to persuade public opinion that the war had had some achievements. Shin Bet's announcement that Hamas will be able to rearm within a few months supports this notion. The Israeli media has also revealed that Washington has given no guarantees to Tel Aviv that Hamas would not be rearmed.

6- Hamas has vowed to restore its arsenals, dealing a blow to Israeli officials
who claim that the movement has been "punished" and it knows that it cannot continue its armed campaign against Israel.

7- No high-ranking Hamas leader, except Said Siyam, was killed in the Israeli operation.
In fact, it is estimated that out of more than thousands of victims of the Israeli
offensive, only 95 people were Hamas members and most of them were killed on the first day of the attack when Hamas was caught off guard due to alleged betrayal of some Arab states.

8- Israel's defeat by a small group has shattered the image of an invincible army
that overpowered the army of several Arab nations in 1967. It would not be surprising if Israel's arch foes were encouraged to settle their old score with the regime after its recent defeat. No matter what you have in your arsenals, you are considered the loser if you have been defeated in your enemy's mind. Israel seems to have entered the spiral of decline.

9- From the political perspective, Israel's situation is not any better than the
one in the military arena. For the first time, two Israeli ambassadors were expelled, a big diplomatic humiliation for Tel Aviv.

10- The indiscriminate killing of civilians including women and children drew international condemnation to the point that the US, which always vetoes UN Security Council resolutions against Israel, was neutralized and gave in to mounting international pressure when the council voted on a binding resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

11- Israel's strategy of decreasing Hamas's popularity through putting pressure
on the Gazans has obviously backfired. The Islamic movement emerged more popular than ever before after the war, because any group or person who deals a blow to Israel will be praised as a hero in the eyes of Arab nations. We witnessed the phenomenon during the 33-day war which made Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah the most popular Arab leader in the Islamic world.

12- Following the Gaza war, Mahmoud Abbas's political life came to an end. Now, Abbas who was reportedly preparing himself for returning to Gaza after the Hamas government was toppled, has to desperately beg to political brokers to find a place for him in the political future of Palestine. If Abbas loses in the Palestinian Authority general elections - a strong possibility given the situation after the Gaza war- Israel will lose its partner for peace talks.

13- Kadima's hopes for victory in the upcoming elections have been dashed. In other words, right-wing parties like the Likud and people like Israel Beitenu's and Shas's hawks will come to power, fanatics who do not even believe in peace. Israel should brace itself for days during which there would be no hope for a political solution to the current conflict.

14- The Gaza war managed another sort of uncalled for achievement for Israel: it
united all Muslims and anti-Israeli parties across the world! The world has never
witnessed such massive anti-Israeli rallies.

15- Hamas has set a good example for others. A small group managed to defeat

the most powerful army in the Middle East. It would not be surprising if someday, we see Israel struggling to survive in a battle with a host of small or big groups
and organizations which adopt military resistance as their approach.

16- The Israelis have realized that their leaders are unable to protect them; there is no safe place inside the occupied territories. It means that Israel's worst nightmare is coming true: a dramatic rise in the rate of negative immigration followed by major demographical impacts. It could shake the foundation of the Israeli regime through changing the Jewish people to a minority group in occupied Palestine. The apprehensions about this issue have so far prompted the regime to deny Palestinian refugees the right to return to their land.

17- After the war, the world is recognizing Hamas as a major player whose role can no longer be ignored and it cannot be excluded from any political process in the Middle East.

18- Prime Minister Ismail Haniya called the war "Forqan", a Quranic word meaning
what separates good and evil. The outcome of the war weakened those Arab states who had adopted a pro-Israeli stance. On the other hand, it also highlighted the significance of the role of pro-resistance countries including Iran and Syria. Therefore, the balance of power has changed with regards to Israel's interests.

19- Kadima leaders made a fool of themselves and showed that they lack the qualifications required to lead the regime. Kadima, which was set up by former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to end the regime's political deadlock, committed a political suicide by attacking Gaza.

20- The war also weakened the political base of those leaders of Islamic countries who are close to Israel. They have to face their people. The process has already started as we have witnessed demonstrations in some countries in which political or social protests are rare.

21- Despite nonstop bombing of the Gaza Strip by unconventional weapons, Gazans kept their high morale, a fact reported by Western journalists. There were no long queues of people at border crossings wanting to flee to a safe place. Inside Israeli towns, scores of people were treated for "shock" everyday. In other words, Israel has also lost the psychological war.

22- The war unfortunately fueled anti-Semitic sentiments across the world. Although attacks on Jews or their property under any pretext are certainly condemned, the fact indicates that Israel, despite paying lip service to the world Jewry, never considers the interests of the Jewish. Tel Aviv even turned down a request by 11 prominent leaders of the British Jewish community who asked the regime to stop its offensive for the sake of their security.

23- There are and will be groups which will open legal cases against Israel in international courts for its war crimes in Gaza. If Hamas had been destroyed, Israeli leaders might have been able to claim that it had been worth paying such a heavy price. But without achieving anything , how can they justify their acts which have drawn a wave of international condemnation?

The Gaza war has certainly changed the status quo against Israel. History seems
to repeat itself; the situation is the same as that of the days after the end of
the 33-Day War except for one thing: this time, the regime has no excuse to justify its defeat; there was no inexperienced defense minister leading the war.

The Gaza war dealt the last blow to the Israeli regime and its end result is the
start of a battle within the regime which will put its very existence at risk.

Those who make a mistake once may be considered as inexperienced but those who repeat their mistakes are certainly judged as being "incompetent and insane". Shall we expect another Winograd report?

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23 provas de Israel da derrota nos 23 dias de guer...
23 bevis på Israels tap i 23-dagers krigen
23 įrodymo Izraelio pralaimėjimas 23 dienų karas
23 pierādījums Izraēlas izslēgšanas ir 23 dienu ka...
23 - 하루 전쟁에서 이스라엘의 패배의 23 증거
23日間の戦争でイスラエルの敗北の23プルーフ
 23 la prova di Israele la sconfitta nella guerra d...
23 bukti dari kekalahan Israel dalam perang 23-har...
के 23 दिन के युद्ध में इजरायल की हार के 23 सबूत
23 הוכחת התבוסה של ישראל בתוך 23 יום מלחמה
23 αποδείξεις της ήττας του Ισραήλ στον πόλεμο 23 ...
23 Belege für die Israel die Niederlage in den 23-...
23 épreuves de la défaite d'Israël dans les 23 jou...
23 todisteet Israelin tappion 23 päivän sota
23 proofs ng Israel ang pagkatalo sa 23-araw na di...
23 bewijzen van Israël de nederlaag in de 23-daags...
23 korrekturer af Israels nederlag i de 23-dages k...
23 důkazů Izrael porážce ve 23-denní války
23 dokaza o Izraelu poraz u 23-dan rata
23證明以色列的失敗， 23天的戰爭
 23证明以色列的失败， 23天的战争
 23 proves de la derrota d'Israel en els 23 dies de...
23 доказателствата за Израел победи в 23-дневен во...
23 الأدلة على هزيمة اسرائيل في 23 يوما من الحرب

Palestine :Gaza :News ,Pictures ,Videos ,War

2009-01-21T02:14:00.000-08:00

"The last soldier left the Gaza Strip this morning," the spokesman said.
"However, the army remains deployed all around the Gaza Strip to meet any
eventuality."

The spokesman did not give further details about the withdrawal.

Israeli troops began pulling out of Gaza on Sunday evening amid world
condemnation of Israeli crimes against the Palestinians.

Israel announced a unilateral ceasefire on Sunday, after which Hamas responded
positively by giving Tel Aviv a one-week ultimatum to withdraw all its forces
from the area and end its 18-month blockade of the coastal enclave.

The Israel Air Force nevertheless confirmed on Tuesday that it had staged new
attacks in the Gaza Strip, despite its ceasefire.

While Tel Aviv has met the troop withdrawal part of the ultimatum, Press TV
correspondents on the ground in Gaza have revealed that Israel ships blockading
the Palestinian territory continue to shell residential areas in the strip.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniya on Sunday declared the Israeli pull-out request as a
"great victory" for all Palestinians, saying Tel Aviv had failed to achieve its
objectives.

The democratically-elected Palestinian official warned that Israel must also end
its 18-month blockade on the coastal region.

At least 1,340 Palestinians have been killed and 5,320 others have been wounded
in the recent Israeli operations. At least 1,100 of those killed were civilians.

Israel has put the number of its soldiers killed at 13.

Hamas, however, says it has killed at least 80 Israeli soldiers.

MSH/AA

UN demands end to Gaza blockade
Wed, 21 Jan 2009 06:17:31 GMT

The UN humanitarian chief says it is "absolutely critical" for Israel to open
all border crossings to the Gaza Strip immediately.

John Holmes said on Tuesday that to rebuild the war-ravaged Gaza, it is
"absolutely critical" that Israel reverse the ban it has enforced since Hamas
came to power in 2007 and that it allows cement, pipes and other building
materials to enter the Palestinian territory.

UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes (L)

He stressed that his top priority will be to get all Gaza border crossings
opened as soon as possible "otherwise, the reconstruction effort won't get off
first base."

The humanitarian official added that the residents of Gaza are also in a dire
need of food and fuel.

Holmes, who is expected to arrive in the occupied territories on Wednesday, told
a news conference that he would also press Israeli authorities to allow aid
workers from international organizations into Gaza.

According to the UN official, hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian
aid will be needed immediately to help the nearly 1.5 million Gazans in the
strip; billions of dollars will be required to rebuild its shattered buildings
and infrastructure.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Tuesday that Israel would not open
the border crossings into Gaza without progress on the issue of Israeli soldier
Gilad Shalit, who had been captured by Hamas fighters in June 2006.

Hamas has demanded that Israel open the coastal strip's borders. The European
Union has also called for the opening of the crossings in order to secure a
lasting ceasefire around the territory.

Mussa Abu Marzuq, a senior Hamas official in exile, has commented on the issue
of the temporary ceasefire, suggesting that clashes may continue unless Israel
ends its 18-month blockade on the strip.

"We in the Palestinian resistance movements announce a ceasefire in the Gaza
Strip and demand that enemy forces withdraw in a week and open all the border
crossings to permit the entry of humanitarian aid and basic goods," he said on
Tuesday.

Israel waged war on Gaza on December 27. At least 1,340 Gazans were killed and
at least 5,320 others were injured in the ensuing hostilities.

Holmes said that the UN is trying to intensify humanitarian efforts in Gaza,
adding that while some trucks and fuel supplies are getting in, the amount of
aid remains small and "very inadequate".

"We need more food, wheat grain in particular both for the humanitarian food
distribution and for local bakeries,'' Holmes said.

FTP/JG/AA

Israeli human rights groups call for Gaza probe
Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:57:33 GMT

Several Israeli human rights groups call on Tel Aviv to set up an independent
investigation into the violations of the rules of war in Gaza.

In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, eight Israeli human rights groups
demanded that the government investigate the army's killing and wounding of
thousands of civilians during "Operation Cast Lead", which lasted for 22 days.

People walk by the rubble of houses destroyed during the Israeli army operations in Gaza City.

They urged prosecutor general Menachem Mazuz, who is also the government's legal adviser, to investigate the army's "terrifying" act, in which a number of children and women were killed.

The statement quoted Palestinian Health Ministry figures listing more than 1,300 people dead, including 460 children and about 100 women. Another 5,300 were wounded - 1,855 of them children and 795 women.

"The rules of war seem to have been held in total contempt, forcing Israel to
open an independent inquiry immediately," the joint statement said, according to a Middle East Online report.

The human rights groups include B'tselem, the main Israeli rights body covering
the occupied territories, Doctors for Human Rights, There is Justice, and the
Public Committee against Torture.

FTP/HGL

Ban calls for probe into attack on UN in Gaza
Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:26:03 GMT

Ban Ki-moon has said that the destruction of UN-run buildings and schools in
Gaza during Israel's 22-day war on Hamas is totally unacceptable.

The United Nations secretary general expressed his anger at seeing the
devastation during his tour of Gaza on Tuesday, saying that those who opened
fire on the building should be held accountable.

The UN chief was speaking to reporters outside the still-smoldering main UN
Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) compound in Gaza City, which was hit by Israeli
shells last Thursday, setting fire to the building and to the food aid stored
inside.

Ban Ki-moon speaks to journalists in Gaza City in front of the still smouldering UN building destroyed by Israeli fire

Other UN buildings were also hit during the fighting, and a number of
Palestinian refugees allowed by the UN to take shelter inside its schools were
killed.

Ban said, “It is an outrageous and totally unacceptable attack on the United
Nations."

There must be a full investigation, a full explanation "to make sure it never
happens again. There should be accountability through a proper judiciary
system,” Times Online quoted him as saying.

Israel agreed to a ceasefire on Sunday, after reducing a sixth of the buildings
in the overcrowded territory to rubble. About 1,340 Gazans were kiled and 5,320
wounded, including 1,855 children and 795 women.

Ban told reporters that he was shocked and alarmed at the destruction incurred,
adding, although "I have seen only a fraction of the destruction." He also
condemned the "excessive" use of force by Israel and rocket salvoes fired by
Hamas.

UN officials had rejected claims by Israel that its troops responded to shooting
from gunmen at the facility.

Ban, who is the most senior international official to visit Gaza since Hamas
came to power in 2007, called for Palestinian reconciliation and said that the
UN would work with any united Palestinian government to rebuild the Gaza Strip.

While Ban Ki-moon was visiting Gaza, Hamas held a rally outside the compound
calling for international recognition of its Gaza-based government.

A Palestinian father and son inspect their destroyed house in the southern part of Gaza City, Tuesday, Jan. 20.

Meanwhile, Gaza residents who fled the fighting were continuing to return
to the rubble of what used to be their homes, picking through debris and trying
to salvage belongings.

In a tragic postscript to the conflict, two Palestinian children playing with an
unexploded Israeli shell were killed when it detonated, Hamas officials said.

FTP/HGL

Israeli officer arrested for saying no to Gaza war
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:08:55 GMT

An Israeli military officer has been arrested for refusing to kill
Palestinians in the three-week offensive against Gaza.

Israel arrested Noam Livne in his home in Tel Aviv on Monday.

Livne cited ethical reasons for his objection to the war against civilians,
saying that the army's top brass would not accept his reasons.

The 22-day onslaught against civilians devasted the Gaza Strip.

This is the second time that Livne disobeyed the army. In 2001, he refused to go
to war and was sent to prison.

"This will be the second time that I am being brought in," he told Vita
magazine a few hours before his arrest.

"It happened before, eight years ago, when I said 'no' for the first time," he
added.

Tel Aviv launched a ruthless military campaign against the Gaza Strip on
December 27 with the aim of eliminating Hamas, the democratically-elected ruling
party of the coastal region.

At least 1,340 Palestinians were killed and 5,320 others were wounded during the
conflict, according to Press TV correspondents in Gaza.

AGB/HGL

Related News :

Israeli warplanes attack Gaza

Hamas: Israel suffered humiliating defeat

'Israeli troops come under fire in Gaza'

Israeli troops meet pull-out ultimatum
Wed, 21 Jan 2009 07:07:44 GMT
Israel has completed its troop pullout from Gaza within the one-week deadline Hamas had given Tel Aviv for its full withdrawal.

UN demands end to Gaza blockade Wed, 21 Jan 2009 06:17:31 GMT
The UN humanitarian chief says it is "absolutely critical" for Israel to open all border crossings to the Gaza Strip immediately.

Israeli human rights groups call for Gaza probe
Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:57:33 GMT
Several Israeli human rights groups call on Tel Aviv to set up an independent investigation into the violations of the rules of war in Gaza.

Ban calls for probe into attack on UN in Gaza
Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:26:03 GMT
Ban Ki-moon has said that the destruction of UN-run buildings and schools in Gaza during Israel's 22-day war on Hamas is totally unacceptable.

Israeli officer arrested for saying no to Gaza war
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:08:55 GMT
An Israeli military officer has been arrested for refusing to kill Palestinians in the three-week offensive against Gaza.

'Israeli nukes threaten world' Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:31:47 GMT
An Iranian diplomat says the Israeli crimes committed against Gazans should alarm the world about the threat of Israel's nuclear arsenal.

Israeli warplanes attack Gaza
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:10:15 GMT
Israeli warplanes have carried out another strike on the Gaza Strip after Tel Aviv and Hamas separately announced ceasefire in the region.

Hamas: Israel suffered humiliating defeat
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:14:37 GMT
A top Hamas leader has termed Operation Cast Lead as a humiliating defeat for Israel, saying Tel Aviv failed to reach any of its goals.

'Israeli troops come under fire in Gaza'
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:21:10 GMT
Palestinian fighters have opened fire on Israeli troops who remain in the Gaza Strip despite a Hamas ultimatum for their complete pull-out.

Report: Gaza situation highly critical Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:40:44 GMT
A Press TV correspondent on the ground in Gaza has described the humanitarian situation in the under-siege Palestinian territory.

Hamas documented Israeli war crimes
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:24:09 GMT
A senior Hamas member has announced that the movement has documented irrefutable proof of Israeli war crimes inside the Gaza Strip.

Arabs fail to reach consensus on Gaza Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:50:25 GMT
Arab countries have failed to reach an agreement over the Gaza Strip following a three-week long Israeli offensive against the region.

Israel 'can be tried for war crimes'
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:03:49 GMT Human rights group Amnesty International accuses Israel of war crimes, saying its use of white phosphorus shells in Gaza was indiscriminate.

Obama feels for us Israelis: Netanyahu
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:16:52 GMT
Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu says Barack Obama is silent on the issue of Gaza because of his understanding of the "distress" of Israelis.

IAEA urged to probe Israeli ammo
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:48:31 GMT
Arab nations have called on the IAEA to launch an investigation into reports that Israel used depleted uranium ammunitions against Gaza.

Israeli students call Barak 'murderer'
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:12:46 GMT
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has cancelled his visit to a university in Tel Aviv after being called a 'murderer' by the students.

'Abbas spies passed intelligence to Israelis'
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:29:20 GMT
Prominent Hamas figure Salah al-Bardaweel accuses Mahmoud Abbas of direct involvement in the Gaza war through his spies in the region.

Livni makes light of Gaza civilian casualty
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:26:09 GMT
Israel's foreign minister has sought to justify the high number of casualties in Gaza by calling it a normal "product of circumstance".

'Israeli pullout, a favor to Obama' Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:49:23 GMT Israeli troops
will not remain in the Gaza Strip at the cost of Tel Aviv's relations with Washington,
Israeli officials say.

Hamas vows to rearm after Gaza war Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:16:05 GMT Hamas has vowed
to rearm in the Gaza Strip despite Israel's military campaign aimed at diminishing
the movement's military power.

'Vague Israeli hope shattered in Gaza' Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:18:10 GMT
Israel failed to weaken the Hamas movement in Gaza during its military aggression against the impoverished strip, a report says.

Blair: Gaza ceasefire fragile Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:25:34 GMT
Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair has described a ceasefire that ended a three-week Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip as 'fragile'.

Only 'national unity' can save Gaza, says Abbas
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:06:07 GMT
The acting PA chief says the future of Gaza is pending the formations of a national unity government between Hamas and Fatah movements.

Israel recruits bloggers for Gaza aftermath
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:20:56 GMT
Israel's Immigrant Absorption Ministry says it is recruiting an "army of bloggers" in the aftermath of the military operation in Gaza.

OIC appeals for humanitarian aid to Gaza
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:54:01 GMT
The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has appealed to its member-states to raise fund for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Half of Gazan children need mental care
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:46:08 GMT
Mental health disorders are one of the largest -- and least acknowledged -- health problems threatening the besieged children in Gaza.

95 Palestinian fighters killed in Gaza war
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:07:18 GMT
A Palestinian human rights group has revealed that only 95 resistance fighters were killed in the 23-day Israeli offensive into Gaza.

230 int'l lawyers taking Israel to the Hague
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:09:04 GMT
Around 230 international lawyers are set to file a lawsuit at the international Criminal Court against Israeli war crimes against Gaza.

Israeli war damages 20,000 houses
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:04:50 GMT
The Palestinian Central Bureau Statistics says the Israeli onslaught on Gaza has cost the Palestinian economy at least $1.6 billion.

Kuwait Summit should use oil against Israel
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:43:50 GMT Mauritanian political groups have called on Arab states to expel Israeli envoys and use oil as a 'weapon' against the new US administration.

UN official: Israel violated truce term
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:24:52 GMT
A top UN official has accused Israel of failing to honor its commitment to open Gaza border crossings before the bloody Gaza offensive.

Hamas: We defended Gaza with hand-made weapons
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:48:18 GMT
The Hamas military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, says the Israeli regime waged a holocaust against the civilians in the Gaza Strip.

100 bodies pulled out from rubble in Gaza
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:30:55 GMT
At least 100 bodies are pulled out from Gaza's rubble after Israel was forced to agree to a ceasefire and starts pulling out its forces from Gaza.

Olmert seeks immediate withdrawal
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:17:22 GMT
Israel confirms that it wants to withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip as soon as possible following a one-week ultimatum by Hamas.

Hamas beats drums of Palestinian 'victory'
Mon, 19 Jan 2009 06:41:38 GMT
Senior Hamas official Ismail Haniya explains why the Israeli offensive into Gaza was a failure for Tel Aviv and a victory for Palestinians.

Time to create a Palestinian state?
Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:12:56 GMT
As a fragile cease-fire starts in Gaza, the French President and German Chancellor claim that it is time for the creation of a Palestinian state.

Shin Bet: Army far from achievement
Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:04:50 GMT
Israel's security chief has conceded that a three-week-long offensive against the Gaza Strip has failed to prevent Hamas from rearming.

Israel confirms retreating from Gaza
Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:24:31 GMT
The Israeli army has confirmed that it is gradually withdrawing its troops from Gaza after pounding the impoverished strip for 22 days.

UK urges Israeli withdrawal from Gaza
Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:37:46 GMT
The UK premier has called for an immediate withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from Gaza, after Hamas gave a one-week ultimatum to Tel Aviv.

Israeli forces retreat from Gaza city
Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:02:07 GMT
Israeli troops have reportedly left key positions in Gaza City after Hamas set a one-week deadline for their complete pull-out from the strip.

Obama sworn in as 44th US President

2009-01-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

Obama sworn in as 44th US President
Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:58:04 GMT

Barack Hussein Obama has taken the oath of office to become the 44th -- and first African-American -- president of the United States.

In the freezing cold, hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in front of the Capitol to welcome Obama as the forty-fourth President of the US on Tuesday.

Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.

In his inaugural address, President Obama called on his fellow Americans to join him in confronting what he described as an economic crisis.

"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real," said the US president. "But know this, America -- they will be met."

He also promised of "even greater cooperation and understanding between nations" under his administration as well as "a new way forward" in developing relations with the Muslim world.

"To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect."

Palestine: Gaza: News, Pictures, Videos, Children

2009-01-12T09:40:00.000-08:00

Video :

10 Jan. 2009 Gaza Crisis Revisited

10 Jan. 2009 Media Bias & The Gaza Conflict

09 Jan. 2009 Gaza Crisis

08 Jan. 2009 Gaza's Full-Blown Humanitarian Crisis

07 Jan. 2009 Gaza Massacre

07 Jan. 2009 What is the Solution to the Gaza Problem?

06 Jan. 2009 Gaza & History's; Unprecedented Insanity

06 Jan. 2009 Crisis in Gaza

05 Jan. 2009 Europe & Gaza's Worsening Plight

Pictures:

Gaza media blockade challenged
Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:48:47 GMT
Tel Aviv has not allowed any journalists into the war zone to cover the carnage.

A group of journalists has traveled to the Rafah border checkpoint in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade on reporters covering the Gaza crisis.

Seventeen journalists and media activists on Tuesday left Cairo for the border on a bus, demanding to be let into the war-torn region to cover the Israeli atttack on the Gaza Strip.

Israel's 18-day-old onslaught in Gaza has killed at least 975 Palestinians and wounded 4400 others, mostly women and children.

Despite an Israeli court ruling, Tel Aviv has not allowed any journalists into the war zone to cover the carnage.

The trip's organizer, the Doha Centre for Media Freedoms, says the move was unsuccessful after the group spent a night at a hotel in nearby El-Arish.

"We are being optimistic," AFP quoted Robert Maynard, head of the media rights group, as saying on the way back from the crossing.

Maynard stated that the journalists would try to enter the Gaza Strip again on Wednesday, hoping the Egyptian government may "show they are different."

The move came a week after many international news outlets and activists issued a joint call with global press watchdog Reporters Without Borders for Israel to allow foreign journalists into the besieged territory.

The journalists also expressed solidarity with their Palestinian colleagues and criticized the Israeli army for its refusal to allow journalists into Gaza.

On Saturday, journalists in Gaza accused Israel of targeting them as they reported on the conflict.

DB/HGL

Related News :

ICRC: unconventional weapons used against Gazans
Why is al-Alam journalist in jail?
The US promotes Israeli genocide against Palestinians

Settler kills Palestinian youth in West Bank
Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:02:14 GMT

An Israeli settler has shot and killed a 15-year-old Palestinian youth, Nasser Awdi, in the northern West Bank.

The incident happened on Tuesday evening near the town of Qalqilya when the Jewish settler opened fire at the youth from a passing car.

AFP quoted Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld as saying that the gunman opened fire "after his car was stoned."

He said police are currently questioning the murderer to determine "the exact circumstances behind this incident."

Around 975 Palestinians have been killed and another 4,400 wounded in the Israeli army's relentless onslaught on the Gaza Strip over the past 18 days.

The murder of the youth adds one more to the death toll for Palestine.

DB/HGL

Egypt, S. Arabia to attend Kuwait summit
Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:31:38 GMT

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Saudi King Abdullah held a meeting in Riyadh on Tuesday. (photo: SPA)

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have announced their support for a proposal to hold a summit meeting in Kuwait on January 19 to discuss the conflict in Gaza.

The decision came following a meeting between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Saudi King Abdullah on Tuesday.

The two Arab states also rejected Qatar's proposal to host an extraordinary summit this week on the Gaza crisis.

Qatar had called for an emergency Arab summit to be held in Doha this Friday. Lebanon, Syria, and Algeria had agreed to attend before Saudi Arabia and Egypt refused to participate.

Mubarak and Abdullah said they had agreed to attend the Kuwait meeting in order to find "a way to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza," AFP reported, citing a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

"Saudi Arabia and Egypt will take part in the Arab summit in Kuwait... to find a way to bring peace to the Palestinian people," read the statement.

Mubarak made an official visit to Riyadh on Tuesday to discuss the 18-day-old Israeli offensive on Gaza, which has killed at least 975 people and injured another 4,400.

"The Egyptian and Saudi sides agreed that there must be an immediate ceasefire and immediate, full implementation of Egypt's initiative," added the statement, referring to the ceasefire proposal Cairo presented last week.

The Egyptian plan calls for both sides to observe a truce so that humanitarian assistance can be delivered to civilians.

ZHD/DB/HGL

Iran aid ship coordinated to reach Gaza
Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:00:51 GMT

The people of Gaza are gripped by a humanitarian crisis, UN agencies have warned.

An Iranian ship carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians heads toward the Gaza Strip after obtaining required paperwork to dock.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday that the ship had left the Egyptian port of Said to carry goods for the people of Gaza.

"The Foreign Ministry has had required coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon" to ensure the safe passage of the ship to Gaza, Ghazanfar Rokn-Abadi told Al-Alam.

Tel Aviv launched Operation Cast Lead on Dec. 27 to put an end to rocket attacks on southern Israel. At least 940 Palestinians have died during the offensive, while some 4,400 others have been wounded.

The Israeli army has sustained serious casualties since a ground operation into Gaza was launched in the second week of the attacks. Official numbers indicate at least 10 Israeli soldiers have been killed in battles against Hamas fighters.

Hamas, the democratically-elected ruler of the coastal sliver, demands a cessation of an 18-month Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip before its fighters suspend rocket attacks.

Rokn-Abadi expressed hope that the humanitarian aid, provided by the Tehran government as well as charity organizations, would soon reach Palestinians.

Meanwhile, a Ynet news report quoted Israeli Defense Forces officials as saying that the Israeli navy would not prevent the Iranian vessel from reaching the Gaza Strip.

According to UN officials, the Iranian ship carries medical and food supplies for the people of Gaza who are gripped by a humanitarian crisis.

MD/HGH

Israel 'stripping ME of Palestinian blood'
Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:47:07 GMT

The United Nations says children's death toll in Gaza is 'distressing and horrifying'.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says Tel Aviv's extreme measures in Gaza show Israeli intent to completely eradicate the Palestinian people.

Abbas said on Saturday that Gazans are withstanding the worst of the Israeli military's ongoing ground offensive against the Hamas. "Israel is keeping up this aggression in order to wipe out our people over there," he said as Israel's onslaught on Gaza saw a considerable increase earlier in the day.

Israeli ground forces --backed by tanks and artillery-- made their deepest push into Gaza since the beginning of the offensive on the 1.5 million people in the coastal strip on Dec. 27.

Tel Aviv's military incursion into Gaza has resulted in high Palestinian casualties. According to the latest estimates, 940 people have been killed so far with another 4,400 wounded.

"What is essential is to stop the aggression. It must stop, Israel must withdraw from Palestinian territory, lift the blockade and reopen the border crossings so that our people's suffering can end," Abbas added, who drew sharp criticism from most Arab countries over his stance on Gaza.

Kuwaiti lawmakers urged the government on Tuesday to prevent the Palestinian President from attending an Arab economic summit, which takes place in the Persian Gulf littoral state next week.

"We call on the government to declare that Abbas is not welcome in Kuwait," said a statement released by the Kuwaiti Parliament on Tuesday.

The UN Security Council passed resolution 1860 calling for an "immediate" and "durable" halt to the Israeli offensive into Gaza. Tel Aviv, however, has labeled the UN decision as "not practical" and has affirmed that it does not need to act upon international requests.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, pointing to the mass killing of Gazan civilians, has demanded that echelons in Tel Aviv be tried for war crimes.

Her call was echoed by Geneva-based Iranian diplomat Ali-Reza Moayyeri-- who said that Israel should be held accountable for the "massive violation of humanitarian law" that it has so far committed in the Gaza Strip.

According to Moayyeri, deliberate attacks on civilians that lack strict military necessity 'not only account for war crimes, but also constitute blatant crimes against humanity'.

"Israel's political and military leaders bear personal liability for their offenses against thousands of defenseless Gazans," said Moayyeri.

Switzerland is another country that wants an international investigation into likely Israeli violations of humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip.

SBB/SME

Related News :
Gaza war crimes probe called for

Israel to do what US did to Japan in WWII?
Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:28:04 GMT

Despite the heavy deployment of Israeli troops and military resources to the Gaza Strip, the army is yet to achieve its strategic objectives in an 18-day-old battle with resistance fighters.

The head of an Israeli opposition party says Tel Aviv should deal with Gaza the same way the US dealt with Japan in World War II.

"We must continue to fight Hamas just like the United States did with the Japanese in World War II," Avigdor Lieberman, the head of an ultra-nationalist opposition party, said Tuesday.

Japan was brought down to its knees before surrendering in 1945 after the US dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

Lieberman was quoted by the Jerusalem Post as saying that Israel needed to decisively "break the will" of Hamas in the Gaza Strip -- home to some 1.5 million Palestinians.

Tel Aviv launched Operation Cast Lead on Dec. 27 to put an end to rocket attacks on southern Israel. At least 940 Palestinians have died during the offensive, while some 4,400 others have been wounded.

The Israeli army has sustained serious casualties since a ground operation into Gaza was launched in the second week of the attacks. Official numbers indicate at least 10 Israeli soldiers have been killed in battles against Hamas fighters.

Hamas, the democratically-elected ruler of the coastal sliver, demands a cessation of an 18-month Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip before its fighters suspend rocket attacks.

"Israel won't be secure so long as Hamas is in power, and therefore we need to come to a decision that we will break the will of Hamas to keep fighting," said Lieberman, who quit Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's coalition government last year.

MD/HGH

Related News :

Gaza now Israeli weapons testing lab?
Israel feels hurt by global condemnation
Israel's Gaza invasion, for eyes and ears in Iran

Israel says only using weapons of Western armies
Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:25:00 GMT

A number of Gaza doctors say they have treated patients with 'obvious' white phosphorous (WP) wounds. The use of the lethal agent against civilians is prohibited by international conventions.

Israel once again challenges mounting international charges by denying the use of illegal weapons in its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

"All weapons used by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) are in accordance with international law," AFP quoted an unnamed spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces as saying Monday.

Tel Aviv launched Operation Cast Lead on December 27 to put an end to rocket attacks against southern Israeli towns. At least 940 Palestinians have died during the offensive, while some 4,400 others are reported wounded.

Hamas, the democratically-elected ruler of the coastal sliver, demands a cessation of an 18-month Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip before its fighters suspend the rocket attacks.

A fierce controversy has broken out over the alleged use of white phosphorus, also known by the military as WP or Willie Pete, by the Israeli army in Gaza.

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.

The US intelligence has classified WP as a "chemical weapon."

Despite international calls against the use of the lethal weapon in populated areas, the Israeli army maintains that its actions are being conducted under international laws.

"We are only using what is being used by other Western armies- we are not using anything out of the ordinary," said the Israeli spokesman, while declining to confirm or refute the use of white phosphorus.

The comments echoed remarks made by Mark Regev, the spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

"Israel military forces only use munitions that are acceptable under international law and international convention," Regev said. "The type of munitions used by Israel are similar, if not identical, to munitions used by other Western democracies, including NATO member."

Israel, the US and Russia have the toxic chemical agent in military combat.

Under international law, the controversial measure for concealing ground operations is banned from use against civilians in mortal shells, bombs and artillery because of its serious after effects.

Earlier on Sunday, the UN Human Rights Watch warned Israel against use of the dangerous smoke-screening agent in the densely-populated Gaza, as civilian casualty would be inevitable.

The UN body said its researchers in Israel had observed multiple firings of artillery containing white phosphorus that would spread the chemical over an area covering 125 to 250 meter in diameter.

White prosperous can cause severe burns that tear through flesh or bone, or damage liver, kidney, heart, the lungs, and even lead to death.

Israel initially refuted similar charges of using WP in civilian areas during the 2006 war with Lebanon. The army later admitted to employing the toxic agents, while insisting they were used within the confines of international law.

ZHD/MD

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Israel says only using weapons of Western armies
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Intense fighting underway in Gaza City
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Gaza now Israeli weapons testing lab?
Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:11:25 GMT

Israel has turned Gaza into a research laboratory to test out its new "extremely nasty" weapons on Palestinians, a medical expert says.

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Israel: Hamas should be ready for more
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Hamas kills Israeli officer, wounds 11
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Fighters of the Palestinian Hamas say they have killed another Israeli officer and have wounded eleven troops in recent attacks.

Israeli troops hit with missiles
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Sniper hits 3 Israeli soldiers in West Bank
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Israeli soldiers refuse to serve in Gaza
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Hamas rockets hit Israeli towns
Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:32:51 GMT

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Israel blasted for breaching HR laws
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Israel bans Arabs from contesting election
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Israeli election authorities have banned two of the three main Arab political parties from running in next month's general elections.

Israel shelling Gaza residential areas
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Egypt imprisons anti-Israel protesters
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Israel blocks aid to wounded in Gaza
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Israeli tanks retreating from Gaza City
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Three Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza
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Israel rains bombs on 'own soldier'
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UN chief lashes out at Israel, Hamas
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The United Nation's Secretary General lashes out at Israel and the Hamas resistance group, urging them to immediately stop fighting in Gaza.

Arabs talk Gaza reconstruction amid bombings
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Arab leaders are scheduled to meet and discuss reconstruction in the bombarded and blockaded Gaza Strip in their first economic summit.

Four Israeli soldiers wounded in Gaza
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Arabs barred to run in Israel's election
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The Israeli Central Elections Committee has banned Arab political parties from running in next month's parliamentary elections.

US told not to vote for Gaza resolution
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Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he had told the US president not to vote in favor of the recent United Nations resolution on Gaza.

Rafah crossing still closed to medics

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Jews stage int'l anti-Israeli protests

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Jewish civil society organizations across the globe have protested the Israeli incursion into Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Hamas: Crushing victory in the offing

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'Israeli war in Gaza will destabilize West'

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Israel feels hurt by global condemnation

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Israel's foreign minister expresses Tel Aviv's grave concern over "a wave of anti-Semitism" sparked by the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Jihad chief: Israel to leave in denial

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:25:42 GMT

Palestine's Islamic Jihad fighters say Israel is about to retreat from the Gaza Strip while keeping a brave face on its defeat.

Europe Jews: Israel causing anti-Semitism

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Jewish communities across Europe fear that the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip might fuel anti-Semitic sentiments across the continent.

Israel fails to kill top Hamas commander

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:38:50 GMT

Israeli military forces have failed to kill Hamas's top military commander despite bombing his house in an air strike on the Gaza Strip.

Day 17: Israel sets condition for ending war

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:30:32 GMT

As the Israeli army pours reservists into Gaza, Premier Ehud Olmert says Tel Aviv will end the offensive once its two demands are met.

Israeli troops death toll hits 12

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Hamas military wing says an Israeli soldier has been shot by resistance snipers near the Gaza city, as the war extends to the 17th day.

UN rights council lambastes Israel

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:50:09 GMT

The UN Human Rights Council has condemned Israel for 'grave' human rights violations against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

'Israel might need more troops in Gaza'

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Gaza still under Israeli fire

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Gaza mosque targeted by Israeli jets

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Resistance rockets still target Israel

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Egypt allows aid, medics into Gaza

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UK firm blasted for arming Israeli military

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Israel kills five Gazan civilians

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EU lawmakers in Gaza to assess crisis

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Rift among Israeli leaders over Gaza war

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World shows solidarity with Gaza

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Israel keeps pounding Gaza, hits children's hospital

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Israel keeps pounding Gaza, hits children's hospital
Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:19:58 GMT

Israeli forces have attacked a children's hospital in Gaza in a fourth day of attacks after a UN Security Council call for ceasefire.

Israel fails to capture Gaza City
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Israel has failed to capture Gaza City despite sending thousands of reserve soldiers to invade the city, a Press TV correspondent reports.

Hamas to agree with Egyptian proposal?
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Hamas representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, says parts of the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip are not agreeable.

Israelis facing strong Palestinian resistance
Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:57:26 GMT

As Israeli troops are entering into the Gaza Strip, they have encountered strong confrontation from Palestinian resistance forces.

Israeli reservists swarm into Gaza
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Israel has begun sending reservists into the beleaguered Gaza Strip in the wake of a massive ground operation in the populated territory.

Israeli diplomat slams Swiss Gaza stance
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:17:05 GMT

An Israeli diplomat strongly criticizes the Swiss government's support for a UN resolution condemning human rights violations in Gaza.

Israel must be 'forced to accept truce'
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:24:16 GMT

Jordan says Israel should be forced to accept a UN Security Council resolution which calls for an end to the offensive against Gaza.

Israel destroys medical clinic in Gaza
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:50:02 GMT

Charity groups say Israeli aircraft have bombed and destroyed a clinic in the Gaza Strip, shortly after targeting Hamas' ministry of culture.

Israel keeps pounding Gaza, hits children's hospital
Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:19:58 GMT

Israeli forces have attacked a children's hospital in Gaza in a fourth day of attacks after a UN Security Council call for ceasefire.

Israel fails to capture Gaza City
Mon, 12 Jan 2009 05:44:15 GMT

Israel has failed to capture Gaza City despite sending thousands of reserve soldiers to invade the city, a Press TV correspondent reports.

Hamas to agree with Egyptian proposal?
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Hamas representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, says parts of the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip are not agreeable.

Israelis facing strong Palestinian resistance
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As Israeli troops are entering into the Gaza Strip, they have encountered strong confrontation from Palestinian resistance forces.

Israeli reservists swarm into Gaza
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Israel has begun sending reservists into the beleaguered Gaza Strip in the wake of a massive ground operation in the populated territory.

Israeli diplomat slams Swiss Gaza stance
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:17:05 GMT

An Israeli diplomat strongly criticizes the Swiss government's support for a UN resolution condemning human rights violations in Gaza.

Israel must be 'forced to accept truce'
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Jordan says Israel should be forced to accept a UN Security Council resolution which calls for an end to the offensive against Gaza.

Israel destroys medical clinic in Gaza
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:50:02 GMT

Charity groups say Israeli aircraft have bombed and destroyed a clinic in the Gaza Strip, shortly after targeting Hamas' ministry of culture.

Israel victory in Gaza 'unrealistic'
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:24:14 GMT

The Israeli assault on the densely-populated Gaza Strip will not reduce the angst of the government regarding its future, a report says.

Israeli airstrike injures 4 in Egypt
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:27:17 GMT

Shrapnel from Israeli airstrikes have wounded two Egyptian policemen and two children near the Egypt's northern border with the Gaza Strip.

Israel mounts pressure on Iranian media
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:58:34 GMT

Israel is mounting pressure on Iranian correspondents covering its crimes against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Israel strikes Hamas culture ministry
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:01:23 GMT

Israeli forces have hit the Hamas ministry of culture in the Gaza Strip, as the offensive turns into an urban battle with resistance fighters.

Report: Israeli troops fired at from Syria
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:19:56 GMT

Israeli troops along the northern border with Syria have come under fire from the Syrian side of the border, military sources claim.

Willie Pete becoming liability to Israel
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 15:46:40 GMT

Human Rights Watch warns Tel Aviv against using white phosphorus in Gaza amid raging controversy over military tactics applied by Israel.

Israel intensifies naval attacks on Gaza
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 15:27:39 GMT

Israel's naval forces have been firing at residential areas of the western Gaza Strip amid a full-scale incursion against the coastal enclave.

Livni denies Gaza war's link to election
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 15:13:00 GMT

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni says the ongoing military campaign in Gaza is in no way related to the upcoming Israeli elections.

Jewish settlers: Move us back to Gaza
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:47:10 GMT

Former residents of the Gush Katif Jewish settlements have asked Israeli officials to relocate them back to the evacuated communities in Gaza.

Surgeon wants to build hospital in Gaza
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:55:36 GMT

An Iranian-born surgeon, Professor Seyyed Taqi Nejabat, has announced his readiness for establishing a field hospital in besieged Gaza.

Israel: Gaza offensive nearing its end
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:20:36 GMT

Israel's deputy defense minister says Tel Aviv's large-scale military incursion into the Gaza Strip appears to be nearing its end.

Americans, Asians protest Gaza massacre
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:32:59 GMT

People from around the world have taken to the streets in protest of the gruesome massacre in Gaza which has entered its third week.

Barak: diplomacy, bombs on same page
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:32:41 GMT

Israel claims it is examining diplomatic channels despite intensifying its military offensive against Gaza, which has so far killed over 880.

Hamas targets Israeli aircraft
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 12:52:24 GMT

Hamas says its fighters have targeted an Israeli aircraft as the military intensifies a full-scale offensive against the Gaza Strip.

Hamas rocket hits Israeli air base
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 11:17:15 GMT

Palestinian Grad-type rocket, fired from the Gaza Strip, have struck Israeli Palmachim Air Force base .

Israel troops retreat from Gaza district
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 11:05:23 GMT

Israeli forces have retreated from Tal al-Halwa neighborhood south of Gaza Strip after attacks which killed at least 12 Palestinians.

Olmert asks Israelis to be 'patient'
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 10:44:13 GMT

Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert has asked Israelis to be more patient and determined so that Tel Aviv can achieve its goals in the Gaza Strip.

Mideast first ladies to save Gaza?
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:20:11 GMT

First ladies from Middle Eastern countries have met in Istanbul to appeal for an immediate ceasefire to Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

ICRC warns of worsening situation in Gaza
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:14:41 GMT

The International Committee of the Red Cross warns of a deteriorating situation in Gaza as Israel continues its military campaign in the region.

Israel kills 7 Gazan civillians
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 08:35:48 GMT

At least seven Palestinian civilians, four of whom were children, have been killed in an Israeli attack in the north of the Gaza Strip.

Gaza carnage triggers Israeli protest
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 08:01:33 GMT

One thousand Israeli protestors from Peace Now and the left-wing Meretz party have called for an end to Israeli aggression in Gaza.

Hamas rockets hit five Israeli cities
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 07:18:57 GMT

Palestinian fighters have fired more rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on the 16th day of Israeli incursion into the besieged region.

Israelis face strong resistance in Gaza City
Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:54:55 GMT

Israeli troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships have attacked eastern Gaza, facing a strong resistance from Palestinian fighters.

'Israeli tank destroyed in east Jebaliya'
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 05:42:26 GMT

A Hamas run television station has reported that an Israeli tank has been destroyed in a bomb blast in east Jebaliya.

Israeli white phosphorous kills 3, wounds 60
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 03:22:48 GMT

Israeli white phosphorous shells kill three and injure 60 others on the 16th consecutive day of Israeli offensive against Gaza, medics say.

15-day-old Israeli offensive claims 854
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:27:11 GMT

Israel's offensive against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 854 people and wounded 3,500 others during the past 15 days.

Hamas rockets injure 14 Israelis, shock 23 others
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:34:50 GMT

A rocket launched by Palestinian fighters form the Gaza Strip has injured at least 14 people in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon.

West 'moving to reinstall Abbas in Gaza'
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:16:23 GMT

The West is reportedly working on a plan to bring back Mahmud Abbas's rule to Gaza and deploy international forces in the sliver.

Israel says top Hamas commander killed
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:01:32 GMT

The Israeli military says its forces have killed a senior member of the Hamas military wing in latest fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas says no to int'l observers in Gaza
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:37:08 GMT

Palestinian groups including Hamas reject deployment of international observers or troops in Gaza as Israeli attacks enter their third week.

Hamas hits Israeli military base
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:34:01 GMT

Hamas resistance fighters have struck an Israeli military base amid an ongoing full-scale Israeli incursion against the Gaza Strip.

Israel violates 3-hours ceasefire, again

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:56:16 GMT
Israel has carried out attacks in Gaza despite an announced daily three-hour ceasefire for humanitarian aid to be carried into the enclave.

Israel violates 3-hours ceasefire, again
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:56:16 GMT

Israel has carried out attacks in Gaza despite an announced daily three-hour ceasefire for humanitarian aid to be carried into the enclave.

Israeli warplanes bomb 10 Rafah homes
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 16:19:57 GMT

The Israeli air force has pounded the populated border region of Rafah in Gaza, as the army warns of "new phase of attacks" in the strip.

Israel denies shooting UN relief trucks
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:15:12 GMT

The Israeli army denies targeting United Nations relief convoys, claiming that Hamas fighters were responsible for the shooting.

Photo shows 'Willie Pete' went to Gaza
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:47:52 GMT

Despite Israeli denial, newly found photographic evidence proves that Israel has used controversial white phosphorus shells on Gazans.

Israel warns Gazans of new phase of war
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:07:10 GMT

The Israeli air force drops flyers on the Gaza Strip, warning the residents of a "new phase of attacks" on the beleaguered territory.

China wants halt to Gaza conflict
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 13:42:51 GMT

A Chinese envoy will visit Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories to demand an end to Israel's onslaught in the Gaza Strip.

Abbas: Israel should accept truce
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:52:52 GMT

The Palestinian Authority Chief says Israel must halt its military campaign in Gaza after a UN resolution urged a ceasefire in the strip.

World rallies to condemn Israeli crimes

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:39:12 GMT
People continue to rally across the world to protest Israel's ongoing onslaught against the Gaza Strip, which has so far claimed 804 lives.

US plans massive arms delivery to Israel
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:25:45 GMT
The Pentagon plans to make a large arms delivery to Israel, rising fears that the military campaign in Gaza will go on for a long time.

Israeli tank shell kills 8 Palestinians

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:30:35 GMT

An Israeli tank shell has killed at least eight Palestinians who belonged to the same family in the north of Gaza Strip.

Abbas in Egypt over Gaza crisis

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:19:54 GMT

Palestinian Authority Chief is to hold a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas 'would unleash its full power'

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 09:05:45 GMT

Hamas says Israel will encounter the full strength of the movement if Tel Aviv fails to halt attacks on the impoverished Gaza Strip.

Israeli massacre at UN school exposed

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:07:20 GMT

The Israeli military has reportedly admitted that the shelling of a UN school, which killed dozens of Gazan civilians, was "unprovoked".

More Hamas rockets slam Israel

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 08:36:05 GMT

Palestinian fighters have fired more rockets from Gaza despite the ongoing full-scale Israeli offensive against the coastal strip.

Hamas 'kills 12 soldiers in one day'

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 09:44:02 GMT

At least 12 Israeli military forces have been reportedly killed in fierce clashes with Palestinian resistance forces in the Gaza Strip.

UNRWA to resume Gaza aid operations

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 07:40:50 GMT

UN officials have announced that relief operations will begin in Gaza after a temporary halt brought on by Israeli attacks on aid workers.

12 Zionist soldiers dead by martyrdom mission

Twelve invading soldiers were killed when they wer caught in a martyrdom operation in Bait Lahia by a Paleswtinian fighter Tuesday evening, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military branch of Fatah movement announced.

Several other Zionist soldiers were killed or wounded Tuesday morning in a heavy fighting with Palestinian fighters south and east of Gaza city.

Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, the military branch of Hamas movement said in a statement that a number of Hamas fighters set an ambush for the special forces of the Zionist regime's army in which a number of the Zionist soldiers were killed or wounded.

Three members of Hamas military branch were martyred in the fighting, the Brigades added.

Al-Nasser Salaheddin Brigades, the military branch of Palestine's Popular Resistance Committees also accepted responsibility for firing a new generation Tandom missile at a Zionist army tank in al-Karama area, north of Gaza Strip.

Al-Qods Brigades, the military branch of Islamic Jihad movement announced its responsibility for detonating two armored vehicles of the Israeli army near al-Karama towers, north of Gaza Strip and firing two rockets at Nahal Ouz military base.

UK has handed military accessories to Israel

Zionist regime's unmanned planes used in the massacres of the Gaza people were equipped with sophisticated accessories handed by the British government, news reports said Tuesday.

The British Ministry of Defense has handed UAL-made equipments to reinforce the invading army in its attacks against Gaza.

Saturday, over one hundred thousand of British people held a massive march in London in protest at the massacre of the Gaza people and their government's supportive policy to the Zionist regime.

The demonstrations turned violent after police attacked the marchers.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband Monday faced a barrage of criticism from MPs, including from former ministers, over the country's policy on the massacres in Gaza, with Zionist regime's leaders described as mass murderers and war criminals.

Former defence minister Peter Kilfoyle noted that 'Israel' had committed state-sponsored terrorism in its latest slaughter of more than 800 Palestinians and called on the British government to impose an arms embargo.

Veteran Labour MP and former shadow foreign secretary Gerald Kaufman, described the regime's leaders as mass murderers and asked what reaction there would have been if over 800 'Israelis' had been killed.

Former Foreign Office Minister Chris Mullin along with fellow Labour MP David Winnock said that the Israelis had committed war crimes in Gaza, while Conservative MP Nicholas Soames said the regime had acted contrary to the rules of war.

Respects Party leader George Galloway also described the Israelis as “mass murderers” and called for the expulsion of the regime's ambassador to the UK.

Former Works and Pensions Secretary, Peter Hain, who has also served as a former Foreign Minister for the Middle East, said that the British government needed a new approach to the Middle East conflict and suggested opening talks with the legitimate Palestinian government, Hamas.

Daily: Israel hit Gaza to pave way for its plans

The main reason behind the Zionist regime's aggression on Gaza Strip is the resistance of Hamas movement against the unjust demands of this regime, Asharq Alawsat newspaper wrote in its Internet edition on Tuesday.

"A lot of people in the world ask this question that what the main reason for the all-out and savage aggression of the Zionist regime is," a member of Hamas political leadership Rafat Nasseef added in an article in Asharq Alawsat.

Nasseef argued that the chronological stages leading to Gaza attack would show the real motives of the Zionist regime for attacking Gaza. He then puts the stages as follows.

1- The Zionist regime and some regional and international parties thought before the first Intifada in 1987 that the Palestinian cause and resistance had come to an end and this regime can easily reach its goals in the Palestinian occupied territories, but this Intifada and the rising of Hamas in that year foiled their plot.

2- The Zionist regime and the above parties then tried to deceive some Palestinians and a number of Arab states by sealing agreements in Sharm al-Shaikh, Madrid and Oslo conferences and tried to force Hamas to bow but Hamas was not deceived.

3- The Zionist regime and the regional and international parties thought that Hamas could not win the majority in the Palestinian parliamentary elections, so they agreed to hold the elections in 2005, but finally Hamas won the elections.

4- After Hamas' victory in the elections, the enmity of the Zionist regime and these parties against the movement increased.

5- These parties imposed a limited and then a full siege on Gaza Strip in order to make the people and government of this area surrender but when failed in reaching their goal, they paved the way for an all-out military attack.

6- Because of Hamas movement's disagreement with the Zionist regime's unjust demands including recognition of the usurper regime, Israel launched a severe attack on Gaza Strip.

"The Zionists are worried about the failure of the attacks on Gaza like what took place in Lebanon, so they are searching for a decent exit from Gaza Strip," Nasseef concluded.

IRI in new round of diplomacy on Gaza

IRI Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tuesday his ministry had launched a new round of talks with heads of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) over the Gaza issue, adding that a delegation of OIC was due in Tehran in days.

IRI Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tuesday his ministry had launched a new round of talks with heads of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) over the Gaza issue, adding that a delegation of OIC was due in Tehran in days.

Speaking to reporters after a ceremony to mark the Gaza resistance against the Zionist regime, Mottaki said he had discussed with regional and European countries a quartet of issues for the restoration of calm to the region namely halt of Zionist regime's military offensive, withdrawal of invading troops from Gaza, opening of crossings and missile firing.

Mottaki also said that ministry was also exposing the regime's crimes in the talks and what the regime was really seeking through the Gaza carnage.

Delegations have been sent to a number of countries, carrying statements by the IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the issues, Mottaki added.

Asked about the IRI's humanitarian consignment for Gaza, Mottaki said besides a planeload aid sent to Egypt for the Gazan people, a vessel with a humanitarian load was also on its way to Gaza port.

"The ship is sailing towards Gaza port and tries to berth as a direct aid" for the besieged people.

Mottaki said he had asked his Egyptian counterpart in a letter either to have the Rafah border crossing open for the passage of the wounded and their subsequent transfers to Iran or allow a field hospital to be set up close to Gaza border by an Iranian medical team for the Gaza wounded, adding that a positive response had yet to come from the Egyptian side.

"IRI has also called on Islamic, Arabic and some other countries which have diplomatic ties with the Zionist regime to sever the relations in solidarity with the Palestinian people," the top IRI diplomat said.

Meanwhile, IRI Speaker Ali Larijani left Tehran for Istanbul, Turkey to attend an extraordinanry meeting of Islamic Inter-Parliamentary Union on Gaza.

Talking to reporters before leaving Tehran, the Speaker hoped the meeting would help further escalate pressures on the Zionist regime.

Noting that Iran had been focusing on the ways of activating the Organization Of The Islamic Conference on the current situation in Gaza, he pointed out the IIPU executive committee normally held extraordinary sessions at sensitive times to discuss the pressing issues.

He said that he was pleased with the fact that the parliament speakers of over half of the OIC member states will attend the meeting which, he said, showed the high importance of the issue for them at a time when Gaza is facing serious problems due to the barbaric assault of the Zionist regime to the territory.

The Iranian Speaker further stressed that since the Asian Inter-Parliamentary Troika would also attend the event, new initiatives were expected to be taken in the meeting.

Larijani noted that he will meet Turkish President and Prime Minister during his stay in the country and discuss issues of mutual interest with the officials taking part in the meeting.

Palestine: Major fightings begin in Gaza City

2009-01-05T11:32:00.000-08:00

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Reports
Lebanese Students voice outrage at Gaza attacks

Major fighting begin in Gaza City

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:34:40 GMT

A fierce battle has erupted in Gaza City as the Israeli army engages in heavy exchanges of fire with Hamas resistance fighters.

The fighting broke out in the vicinity of Gaza City on Monday for the first time since the Israeli military crossed over the border on Saturday, beginning an incursion into the costal sliver.

According to AFP, large explosions and heavy exchanges of fire rocked eastern neighborhoods of Gaza City, as attacks on the densely-populated strip continues for a tenth day.

The Israeli army has reportedly prepared to face strong resistance in the city.

At least 50 Israeli troops have been wounded in the Operation Cast Lead; one has been killed and five others are reported in serious conditions.

Meanwhile, some 551 Palestinians have lost their lives, and at least 2,790 others are wounded -- most of whom are civilians.

Despite international calls for an immediate halt to the ongoing crisis in Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Ehu Barak said earlier Monday that the ground incursion would be continued until the objectives are reached.

"Hamas has suffered a very heavy blow, but we have yet to reach the goals we set for ourselves, so the operation continues. International talks are being held simultaneously," Barak said.

Tel Aviv says through its military campaign, it aims to force Hamas stop its rocket attacks on southern Israel. Hamas, the democratically-elected government of the strip, is said to agree to stop its retaliatory attacks should Tel Aviv lift its 18-month blockade of the coastal sliver.

The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli blockade since the Hamas movement won a majority in the 2006 Palestinian election and took control of the area in mid-June 2007. SB/MD

Hamas: Israelis walking into our traps

War on Gaza - Timeline

The Israeli agenda in Gaza

Gaza wounded die waiting for ambulances
Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:43:06 GMT

A growing number of wounded Palestinians in Gaza are succumbing to death as Israeli bombings have made it hard for ambulances to reach them.

"The situation is extremely dangerous and the coordination of ambulance services is very complex because of nonstop attacks and military operations," International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spokeswoman, Dorothea Krimitsas, said in Geneva.

She added, "Wounded people have died while waiting for Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances. In some other cases, ambulances cannot reach the wounded at all because of the ongoing fighting and shelling."

Gaza's health services are in dire need of supplies and many health workers are unable to reach their hospitals. Emergency rooms and intensive care units are overwhelmed and at least two hospitals were out of fuel for their generators.

The Red Cross has also voiced concern over water supplies in the densely populated enclave. Krimitsas said two out of the 45 wells in the Gaza Strip were out of action after having been hit during Israeli air raids, while the pumps on eight others were no longer working because of power cuts.

"Half a million people, that's about one third of the population of the territory, are threatened with being completely deprived of water," she said. The ICRC spokeswoman noted that technicians needed to gain access to the electrical installations damaged during the fighting.

Since Israel unleashed its air and sea campaign against Gaza on December 27, at least 555 Palestinians have lost their lives and more than 2,790 others have sustained injuries.

MP/MMA

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Chavez: US behind Israeli attacks in Gaza
Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:53:13 GMT

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says that the US is behind Israeli military operations against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

"The ground invasion at the border of Gaza is supported and driven forward by the government of the United States," said Chavez on Monday.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

On the 11th day of the assault, at least 555 Palestinians have been killed and some 2,790 have been wounded in the impoverished area that is also under a strict Israeli blockade.

The Venezuelan president also on Monday urged Israel to stop its 'genocidal' attacks on Gaza.

"It is not known what plans they [US leaders] have to extend the war in the Mideast and other parts of the world," Reuters quoted Chavez as saying.

Meanwhile, the outspoken critic of Washington asked the United Nations and other countries to help end the Israeli offensive.

"It is necessary to denounce the Israeli government as a killer government, a genocidal government and the world should stand up - the United Nations, the governments of the European continent, of the Mideast, of Arabia, the Arab world, the great countries of the world - we should all state and demand - as Venezuelan demands - with our voice and our morality to cease the invasion on the Gaza border and the killing of thousands of innocents," he said.

Earlier, Chavez condemned Israel for its air raids, saying, "The US is the only government compliant in the attacks."

AGB/MMA

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3 Israeli soldiers killed in fierce Gaza fightings
Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:15:33 GMT

At least three Israeli soldiers have lost their lives as Israel's ground forces and Palestinian resistance forces fought their first major battles in Gaza City.

Israeli soldiers raiding Gaza at night

The Israeli loss took place as tanks and assault helicopters launched a nighttime offensive against the besieged enclave on Monday. Massive explosions and heavy machine gun fire were heard in Shejaiya neighborhood in what was seen as the heaviest fighting since Israel's deadly campaign against Gaza.

Residents said that they could see assault helicopters buzzing overhead and firing at Palestinian resistance forces. Flares consequently were lighting up the skies over blacked-out Gaza neighborhoods. The Islamic Jihad movement stated that at least one of its members was killed in the fighting.

“The fighting is very intense at Shejaiya. The resistance drew Israeli forces into a trap and wounded seven. We have left a lot of explosives in their path,” a Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, there were reports of clashes in the nearby Zeitoun district. An unnamed Israeli military source said that the combat in Shejaiya and Zeitoun was very fierce.

On Saturday, Israel launched a ground operation on the besieged coastal sliver following a week of massive aerial and naval bombardments.

Since Israel unleashed its air and sea campaign against Gaza last Saturday, at least 555 Palestinians have lost their lives and more than 2,790 others - most of whom are civilians - have been injured.

Israel initially claimed that the military campaign was aimed at halting rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, however, Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon later revealed that the main goal of the attacks is to topple the democratically-elected Hamas government, which took over the coastal sliver in mid-June 2007.

Hamas resistance fighters on the other hand, continue shelling rockets and mortar shells into southern Israeli towns, in retaliation to the deadly blockade imposed on them as well as the recent attacks on Gaza.

MP/MMA

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'Israeli soldier killed in Gaza City'
Major fightings begin in Gaza City

Bush continues backing Israel, slamming Hamas
Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:45:58 GMT

US President George W. Bush has continued to support Israel's attacks on Gaza, saying that the Hamas movement caused the disaster in Gaza.

Bush (L) meets Barak in Jerusalem

"I understand Israel's desire to protect itself and that the situation now taking place in Gaza was caused by Hamas," Bush said on Monday.

Earlier, the Bush administration blamed Hamas for provoking Tel Aviv by firing rockets into Israel from Gaza.

"In order for the violence to stop, Hamas must stop firing rockets into Israel and agree to respect a sustainable and durable ceasefire," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe had said.

Palestinian resistance fighters in the Gaza Strip say they fire rockets into Israel in retaliation for the daily Israeli attacks against them. Unlike the state-of-the-art Israeli weapons and ammunition, the home-made Qassam rockets rarely cause casualties.

At least 555 Palestinians have been killed and some 2,790 have been wounded since December 27, when Tel Aviv began its military campaign on Gaza.

This is while Israeli daily Haaretz said on its website that 55 Israeli soldiers had been injured in clashes with Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip since Saturday and reports say that some.

The outgoing president also said that Washington was concerned about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip on the 11th day of a relentless Israeli air and land assault against the impoverished strip.

The Pentagon said on Monday that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak called US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday, the day after Israeli ground forces pushed into Gaza.

Gates meeting with Barak

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman would not comment on the substance of their conversation, but confirmed "Ehud Barak did phone Secretary Gates on Sunday."

Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, learned of the Israeli ground offensive, shortly before it began, from his Israeli counterpart, a US military official also said.

Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi, chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, relayed "an official notification of the commencement of the ground operation" through the Israeli defense attache in Washington, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

On Monday, Republican congressman Ron Paul said that Israel had received a green light from the US for the deadly blitz.

Paul went on to challenge the idea of Hamas threatening Israel's security and argued that "Palestinian missiles are so minor compared to the fire power of Israel, who also has nuclear weapons."

Later on Monday, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino also suggested that the war would help create "a more stable and secure" life for the people of Gaza.

"We understand the need to try to create a more stable and secure area for themselves and also for the Palestinian people," she said.

AGB/MMA

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Hamas resumes talks with Egypt on Rafah
Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:43:03 GMT

A delegation from the Islamic resistance movement (Hamas) has arrived in Cairo to discuss the reopening of the Rafah border crossing.

The delegation consists of two prominent Hamas authorities namely Emad al- Alami as well as Mohamed Nasr. The visit to the Egyptian capital comes as Hamas reversed its earlier refusal to send delegates to Cairo.

Egypt, despite Palestinian and Muslim calls, has refused to open its border with Gaza.

A Hamas spokesman, Ayman Taha, said Monday that his organization had accepted an Egyptian invitation to send a delegation to Cairo to discuss 'the cessation of Israeli aggression and the lifting of the three-year old blockade of the Gaza Strip.'

Egypt is said to have put before them its proposal for ceasing hostilities with Hamas on the basis of a defunct 2005 accord, whereby the Fatah-ruled Palestinian Authority should take charge of the Gaza crossings and international monitors were to be also stationed at the Rafah crossing to Egypt.

Hamas has so far rejected the demand to redeploy forces loyal to Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas at the Rafah border crossing in accordance with a US-brokered agreement that was reached in 2005.

Hamas also ruled out the return of European monitors to the terminal, insisting that the border should be controlled only by Palestinians and Egyptians.

Syria-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal has reportedly told the Egyptians that his movement would agree to the return of Abbas's loyalists to the Rafah border crossing on condition that Hamas, too, would be permitted to play a central role in running the terminal. Mashaal also expressed strong opposition to attempts to revive the 2005 agreement.

Abbas, for his part, dismissed the possibility that Hamas would be given any role in controlling the Rafah border crossing.

Egypt, despite Palestinian and Muslim calls, has refused to open its border with Gaza -- the Rafah crossing - amidst the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The refusal to open the crossing comes in the wake of an Israeli-imposed blockade of the impoverished coastal strip and Israel's recent incursion into the area.

The Israeli offensive along with the deadly blockade has so far claimed many Palestinian lives, and has left them in critical shortages of food, fuel and medical treatments.

Israel's deadly assault on Gaza has entered its 11th day

Israeli attacks on the blockaded costal sliver have entered their 11th day while on Saturday, Israel launched a ground operation into the besieged coastal sliver following a week of heavy aerial and naval bombardment.

Since Israel unleashed its air and sea campaign against Gazans last Saturday, at least 555 Palestinians have lost their lives and more than 2,790 others - most of whom are civilians - have been injured.

MP/MMA

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War on Gaza - Timeline
'Israel killing Gazans out of desperation'
World fears humanitarian crisis in Gaza

'Israel killing Gazans out of desperation'
Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:09:42 GMT

Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan NasrallahThe Hezbollah Secretary General says Israel is killing civilians in a desperate move after failing to fight Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In a televised speech on Monday, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah said Israel has been 'disarmed' in its campaign against Palestinian fighters and that it can only overpower civilians.

The Hezbollah leader had earlier urged Hamas to fight Israeli troops and had drawn a parallel between the current situation in Gaza and the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon - which result in a humiliating defeat for Israel.
Tel Aviv launched Operation Cast Lead against the Gaza Strip on December 27, to put an end to the rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip.
The offensive which has so far left at least 555 people killed and over 2,700 others wounded, failed to stop rocket attacks to Israel.
Earlier in the day, Abu Obeida, the spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades - the military wing of Hamas, said the movement has enough rockets to continue the attacks on Israel, adding that "There are strategic places that can be targeted by our rockets."
The movement has recently extended the reach of its rocket attacks, hitting towns some 40 km (25 miles) east of the coastal Strip. SB/MMN
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10-day-old Israeli offensive claims 555
US troops 'monitoring Rafah crossing'
White phosphorus added to Israeli fire
World fears humanitarian crisis in Gaza
Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:22:28 GMT
At least 87 children have been among the victims of Israel's attacks on Gaza.World leaders express grave concern about the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip as Israel tightens its grip on the impoverished region.
The Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, has been under fire since Israel launched Operation Cast Lead on December 27.
Despite the high civilian casualties, Tel Aviv continues rebuffing international requests for an immediate halt to the ongoing offensive.

At least 87 children have been among the victims of Israel's attacks on Gaza.

As Israeli troops and tanks enter the densely-populated Gaza city after a week-long aerial and naval offensive, the international society remains extremely concerned over the large number of civilians, killed or wounded in the costal area.

The tenth day of the assault brings the number of Palestinian casualties to 555 with over 2,700 others wounded.

In a telephone conversation with US President George W. Bush, Chinese President Hu Jintao expressed his concern about the "humanitarian crisis".

Hu "expressed concern about the escalation in the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis and the worsening turbulence in the Middle East," Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Washington has blocked UN Security Council efforts to put an end to the ongoing violence in Gaza. Three UN draft resolutions seeking an end to the violence in the region have been blocked by the US.

Aid groups say the Gazans face a humanitarian crisis as they have no electricity, no water, and now suffer dire food shortages.

Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Monday said, It was "critical for Israel to meet its humanitarian obligations."

"Australia recognizes Israel's right to self-defense, (but) we call on all parties to avoid any actions which result in unnecessary suffering or increased suffering on the part of innocent civilians," Rudd said.

Jordan's Queen Rania, herself of Palestinian origin, on Monday called on governments to contribute to the Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA emergency appeal for 34 million dollars (25 million euros) to meet the immediate needs of Gaza's innocent civilians.

"The global humanity is incomplete when children become victims of military operations," she said. "Gaza's children, the dead and the barely living, their mothers, their fathers are not acceptable collateral damage, their lives do matter and their loss does count."

Sigrid Kaag, regional director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), warned against the humanitarian crisis hitting Palestinian children and women most, saying, "The children in Gaza are currently being deprived not only of the basic human rights any human being should enjoy, but are also being denied the fundamental rights specific to children..."

South Korea Monday offered 300,000 dollars in humanitarian aid for people in the Gaza Strip.

Japan -- which last week announced 10 million dollars in emergency humanitarian assistance -- said it was "gravely concerned" for the safety of civilians in the Gaza Strip.

"We are seeing violence against violence and hatred intensifying hatred. The Japanese government is gravely concerned that many victims are civilians as the violence escalates," Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura told a news conference. SF/MD

10-day-old Israeli offensive claims 555

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:21:54 GMT

The Palestinian death toll has hit 555, after another 50 people including 12 kids were killed in the latest Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

At least 2,700 people have also been wounded since Israeli Operation Cast Lead launched against the coastal region on December 27, Muawiya Hassanein, the head of the territory's emergency services told AFP Monday.

The casualties are expected to rise dramatically as the Israeli army has engaged in heavy exchanges of fire with Hamas resistance fighters in Gaza City.

The fighting has broken out for the first time since the Israeli military crossed over the border late Saturday after a week-long aerial and naval onslaught on the costal sliver.

Earlier in the day, the Army said its forces are gearing up for battles in heavily populated urban areas in the strip.

"This is what the troops have trained for and are designated to do -- to fight in densely-populated areas," The Jerusalem Post quoted an unnamed senior officer as saying.

Despite international calls for an immediate halt to the ongoing crisis in Gaza, tel Aviv reiterated that the ground incursion would be continued until the objectives are reached.

SB/MMN

Unconventional weapons used against Gazans

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:43:01 GMT

By Akram al-Sattari, Press TV, Gaza
Norwegian Doctor Mads GilbertDoctor Mads Gilbert is a member of a Norwegian triage medical team present in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The team has exposed that Israel has used depleted uranium weapons in its war on the impoverished territory which is home to 1.5 million Palestinians. He described the conditions inside Gaza in an exclusive Press TV interview.

Norwegian Doctor Mads Gilbert

Press TV: What can you tell about the uranium findings?

Dr. Mads Gilbert:The findings about the uranium I cannot tell you much about, but I can tell you that we have clear evidence that the Israelis are using a new type of very high explosive weapons which are called Dense Inert Metal Explosive (DIME) and are made out of a tungsten alloy.

These weapons have an enormous power to explode. The power of the explosion dissipates very quickly and the strength does not travel long, maybe 10 meters, but those humans who are hit by this explosion, this pressure wave are cut in pieces.

This was first used in Lebanon in 2006, it was used here in Gaza in 2006 and the injuries that we see in Shifa [Hospital] now, many many of them I suspect and we all suspect are the effect of DIME weapons used by the Israelis.

On the long term, these weapons will have a cancer effect on those who survive. They will develop cancer we suspect. There has been very little research on this but some research has been among other places in the United States, which show that these weapons have a high tendency to develop cancer. So they kill and those who survive risk having cancer.

Press TV: And what do you have to say about this?

Dr. Mads Gilbert:All that is happening in Gaza here now is against international law, it is against humanity and I think it is against what it means to be a decent person. You don't treat other people like this. Even if you disagree with him… maybe even if you fight with them, you don't treat civilians, children and women like this.

And I have an appeal to the Israeli doctors and nurses. They are my colleagues. We belong to the same international community, the medical community. I wish that the good doctors and nurses in Israel tell their government to stop these atrocities. We cannot continue with this. We may differ in opinions, but you cannot treat the civilian Palestinian population in Gaza in this way.

Today, they were bombing in Gaza City; we received 150 wounded and more than 50 killed.

Press TV: Only at Shifa?!

Dr. Mads Gilbert:Yes, here in Shifa. I treated a ten-year-old boy. He had his whole chest filled with fragments from the bomb. On his lap was another person's leg that had been cut off. We resuscitated him and did everything we could do to save his life but he died between our hands.

This is such a terrible experience and behind the numbers that you report all the time, there are human beings, families, women, grandmothers, children. That is in fact the reality in this situation. Those who are paying the price for the Israeli bombardments now are the common people, the Palestinian people.

Half of the population in Palestine are below 15 years and 80 percent of the people in Gaza live below the level of poverty defined by the UN. Now they don't have food, they don't have electricity. It's cold they don't have warmth and in addition to that, they are killed.

This must be stopped.

Press TV How many people did you see that are effected by this weapon? Dr. Mads Gilbert: Almost all of the patients we have received have these sever amputations. They seem to have been affected by this kind of weapon. Of course, we have many fragment injuries and burns but those who have got their limbs cut off, constitutes quite a large proportion.

You know we have a lot to do. Palestinian doctors, nurses and paramedics do an incredibly heroic job to save their people. Doctor Eric and I are just a small drip in the ocean, but we learn from them. Unfortunately, we don't have the time to do research, we have to save lives, but this question should be researched by the international community.

AA/AA

White phosphorus added to Israeli fire
Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:06:05 GMT

White phosphorus is classified as 'chemical weapon' by the US intelligence. Tel Aviv had previously used white phosphorus during the 2006 war with Lebanon.Israel is using controversial white phosphorus shells to push forward with a ground offensive against the densely-populated Gaza Strip.

White phosphorus, classified as 'chemical weapon' by the US intelligence, can cause horrific burns and severe injuries in anyone exposed to the element released from artillery shells.

White phosphorus is classified as 'chemical weapon' by the US intelligence. Tel Aviv had previously used white phosphorus during the 2006 war with Lebanon.

"The explosions are fantastic looking, and produce a great deal of smoke that blinds the enemy so that our forces can move in," an Israeli security expert was quoted by the Times Online.

The shells were used by the artillery on Gaza City on Sunday, as Israeli tanks and ground forces pushed further into the region, tightening military grip on the city.

At least 555 Palestinians have been killed and some 2,790 have been wounded since December 27, when Tel Aviv began its military campaign on Gaza.

Earlier Sunday, Dr. Mads Gilbert, a member of a Norwegian triage medical team in Gaza, told Press TV that the medics have found depleted uranium in some Gaza residents.

The Gaza Strip, one of the world's densely-populated areas, has been under an Israeli blockade since the Hamas movement won a majority in the 2006 Palestinian election and took control of the area in mid-June 2007.

According to Times Online, the use of unconventional weapons in Gaza is likely to ignite more controversy over the methods the Israeli army uses.

Tel Aviv had previously used white phosphorus during the 2006 war with Lebanon.

Israel says its latest military campaign aims to force Hamas to stop its rocket attacks on southern Israel.

Hamas has reportedly said it would stop retaliatory attacks if Tel Aviv lifts the 18-month blockade of the coastal sliver.

The Bush administration has expressed its support for the ongoing military campaign, saying Israel was provoked by Hamas.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday that the Hamas movement has held hostage the Palestinians who live in Gaza and have had "a very bad daily life."

Congressman Ron Paul has, however, decried the Israeli raids, rejecting the idea that Hamas is threatening Tel Aviv's security; "Palestinian missiles are so minor compared to the fire power of Israel, who has nuclear weapons."

World leaders, meanwhile, have called for an immediate halt in the attacks on Gaza.

MD/HGH

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Gaza wounded die waiting for ambulances

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:43:06 GMT

A growing number of wounded Palestinians in Gaza are succumbing to death as Israeli bombings have made it hard for ambulances to reach them.

Chavez: US behind Israeli attacks in Gaza

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:53:13 GMT

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says that the US is behind Israeli military operations against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

3 Israeli soldiers killed in fierce Gaza fightings

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:15:33 GMT

At least three Israeli soldiers have lost their lives as Israel's ground forces and Palestinian resistance forces fought their first major battles in Gaza City.

Bush continues backing Israel, slamming Hamas

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:45:58 GMT

US President George W. Bush has continued to support Israel's attacks on Gaza, saying that the Hamas movement caused the disaster in Gaza.

Hamas resumes talks with Egypt on Rafah

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:43:03 GMT

A delegation from the Islamic resistance movement (Hamas) has arrived in Cairo to discuss the reopening of the Rafah border crossing.

'Israel killing Gazans out of desperation'

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:09:42 GMT

The Hezbollah Secretary General says Israel is killing civilians in a desperate move after failing to fight Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

World fears humanitarian crisis in Gaza

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:22:28 GMT

World leaders express grave concern about the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip as Israel tightens its grip on the impoverished region.

10-day-old Israeli offensive claims 555

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:21:54 GMT

The Palestinian death toll has hit 555, after another 50 people including 12 kids were killed in the latest Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

US troops 'monitoring Rafah crossing'

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:17:54 GMT

US troops are helping Egypt prevent "arms smuggling" from tunnels in the Rafah border-crossing, as Israel continues its attacks on Gaza.

White phosphorus added to Israeli fire

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:06:05 GMT

Israel is using controversial white phosphorus shells to push forward with a ground offensive against the densely-populated Gaza Strip.

'Israeli soldier killed in Gaza City'

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:03:25 GMT

An Israeli soldier has reportedly been killed in clashes erupted between Israel's ground forces and Hamas fighters in Gaza City.

UN chief criticizes UNSC over Gaza

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:56:56 GMT

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the Security Council's failure to reach a consensus on ending violence in Gaza is regrettable.

Major fighting begin in Gaza City

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:34:40 GMT

A fierce battle has erupted in Gaza City as the Israeli army engages in heavy exchanges of fire with Hamas resistance fighters.

Israel trained on model for Gaza assault

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:18:07 GMT

Israel's army had reportedly trained on a model of Gaza City for 18 months before starting the ground offensive in the densely-populated Strip.

Palestinian mother, children shot dead

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:57:56 GMT

A Palestinian mother and four of her children are killed as the Israeli forces continue their attack on the Gaza Strip for the 10th day.

Iraq slams silence of Arabs on Gaza

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:30:12 GMT

Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki condemns the silence of Arab countries regarding Israeli crimes against the Palestinians in Gaza.

Hamas: Israelis walking into our traps

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:52:33 GMT

Hamas's military wing says its fighters are fully prepared to catch Israeli forces off guard in each corner of the beleaguered Gaza Strip.

Hamas: Israelis walking into our traps

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:52:33 GMT

Hamas's military wing says its fighters are fully prepared to catch Israeli forces off guard in each corner of the beleaguered Gaza Strip.

Gaza newborns in danger of hypothermia

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:25:06 GMT

Low temperature and a shortage in power supply have placed newborn Gazan babies at an increased risk of suffering from hypothermia.

More civilians killed in Gaza massacre

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:09:25 GMT

Israeli missiles pounding the Gaza Strip have destroyed buildings killing three more Palestinians and wounding at least 44 others.

Israel arrests 25 Palestinians in West Bank

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:49:13 GMT

Israeli security forces arrest 25 Palestinians in the West Bank as Israel continues its nonstop military attacks on Gaza for the 10th day.

Israel braces for fierce resistance in Gaza

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:52:03 GMT

The Israeli Army says it is gearing up for battles in heavily populated urban areas in the Gaza Strip, as Palestinians vow fierce resistance.

'Gazans are killed for change in equation'

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:51:48 GMT

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni says military operations in the Gaza Strip are aimed at changing the 'equation' in the region.

Poll: Gaza war aims to topple Hamas

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:54:51 GMT

A Press TV poll suggests that the main objective of Israel's attacks on Gaza is to topple the Hamas government and prevent its reelection.

'Three-state' modal for Palestine, Israel?

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:25:51 GMT

Former US envoy to the UN John Bolton says the Palestinian-Israeli conflict would be resolved through a solution that excludes a Palestinian state.

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