Monday, May 31, 2010

Israeli PM backs attack on Gaza aid (The vampire)
Mon, 31 May 2010 13:41:51 GMT
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has supported the military action against the Freedom Flotilla, carrying humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip.

"The prime minister reiterated his full backing for the IDF and inquired about the well being of the wounded," Netanyahu's office told AFP on Monday.

The Israeli navy killed at least 20 people aboard the ships, mostly Turkish nationals. About 50 others were also injured, according to Palestinian sources.

'Activists refuse to leave Gaza aid ships'

'Activists refuse to leave Gaza aid ships'
Mon, 31 May 2010 12:47:58 GMT
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An Israeli naval vessel (C) arrives at the port of Ashdod.
International activists aboard ships load with humanitarian aid for Gaza which were attacked and rerouted by the Israeli navy have refused to leave the vessels.

All activists on board the vessels have refused to leave the ships at the port of Ashdod because they want to fulfill their mission and deliver supplies to the people of Gaza, a Press TV correspondent reported on Monday.

Some of the injured activists have been transferred to Israeli hospitals, added our correspondent.

Israel stormed the Freedom Flotilla earlier on Monday, killing at least 20 people, mostly Turkish nationals and injuring 50 others, reported al-Aqsa television.

The convoy was intercepted in international waters, some 150km (90 miles) off the coast of the Gaza Strip.

The killing of the international activists by the Israeli military has faced condemnation across the world.

Turkey, which led the nine-vessel convoy, along with several European countries, denounced the Israeli navy's move and called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council over the incident.

Sweden, Greece, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, and Ireland have all summoned Israeli envoys to their respective countries.

The convoy was carrying 10,000 tons of supplies and hundreds of politicians, activists and journalists.

The Flotilla was seeking to break Israel's three-year-long blockade of Gaza and deliver basic necessities to the impoverished Palestinians living in the coastal enclave.

apparantly 20 internationals and peace activists no 2010 05:27:14 GMT Font size : [Increase] [Normal] [Decrease] The death toll from the Israeli navy'

apparantly 20 internationals and peace activists no longer between us
Mon, 31 May 2010 05:27:14 GMT
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The death toll from the Israeli navy's takeover of a Gaza aid convoy has risen to 20 while Israel carefully censors reports on the casualties from the attack.

Gaza Freedom Flotilla came under fire early on Monday by Israeli navy forces in international waters more than 150km (90 miles) off the coast of Gaza.

The six-ship aid fleet was soon stormed by commandos descending from helicopters.

At least 20 people were martyred in the takeover of the Gaza aid convoy, al-Aqsa TV channel reported, saying that more than 50 people, including leader of the Palestinian Islamic Movement Sheikh Raed Salah, were wounded in the attack.

The news trickled through the Israeli military censorship which has sought to block the reporting of any information about the casualties.

A report on the Israeli radio said the censorship was aimed at covering up the number of casualties brought to Israeli hospitals for treatment.

Meanwhile, Israeli Trade and Industry Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer expressed regret for the deaths aboard the Gaza aid ships.

"The images are certainly not pleasant. I can only voice regret at all the fatalities," he told Israel's Army Radio.

The comments come as the first official acknowledgement by Tel Aviv that the attack had turned fatal.

Israel had initially declined to comment on the reports of casualties from the takeover of the aid ships.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Gaza aid flotilla attacked, two Martyred

Gaza aid flotilla attacked, two Martyred
Mon, 31 May 2010 03:06:44 GMT
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Israeli forces have attacked the international aid convoy Freedom Flotilla en route to the besieged Gaza Strip, killing at least two people and leaving more than 50 injured.

The attack came on Monday morning after one of the six ships in the convoy was hit by Israeli navy forces before being stormed by commandos descending from helicopters.

Israel had earlier deployed warships and threatened to stop the flotilla from reaching Gaza.

Israeli navy forces and helicopters have taken over the ships in the humanitarian aid convoy and are using force against those on board, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Israeli soldiers have also reportedly detained activists accompanying the convoy.

In Gaza, Palestine's democratically elected Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh strongly condemned the attack on the flotilla and called on the international community to protect the aid mission.

The convoy carries 10,000 tons of supplies and hundreds of politicians, activists and journalists.

The flotilla was seeking to break Israel's crippling blockade of Gaza and deliver basic necessities to the impoverished Palestinians in the coastal enclave

Friday, May 28, 2010

Berlin bars Muslim boy from prayers

Berlin bars Muslim boy from prayers
Fri, 28 May 2010 15:08:54 GMT
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A German court has rejected a legal bid by a 16-year-old Muslim student to have the right to conduct prayers at his school, reports say.

here a report from Press TV in English

you can watch live broadcast from free gaza flotila (mostly in Turkish languge )

Watch live streaming video from insaniyardim at livestream.com

Monday, May 24, 2010

Turkey / Israeli accession to OECD: IHRC Delegation meets Turkish Prime Minister

Turkey / Israeli accession to OECD:
IHRC Delegation meets Turkish Prime Minister

Friday 14 May 2010 3:02

The delegation of European Muslim dignitaries campaigning for Turkey to veto Israel’s accession to the OECD as well as discussing wider issues concerning the plight of Palestinians, met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Monday 10 May in Istanbul.

The delegation’s trip was delayed as a result of the volcanic ash cloud over Europe in April. The trip was the culmination of IHRC’s campaign which saw thousands of campaigners’ world-wide write to the Turkish PM demanding Turkey veto Israel’s accession to the OECD. The accession process however has proceeded in May, with a Turkish led statement from members criticizing inter alia Israel’s human rights record, the continued presence and expansion of settlement.

IHRC Chair and head of the delegation Massoud Shadjareh said:

“The delegation had hoped that Turkey would make a brave and unilateral stance of vetoing Israel’s accession to OECD. Nevertheless unlike other states Turkey highlighted the responsibilities of Israel on the issues of human rights, the siege of Gaza, disfiguration of Jerusalem/al-Quds and concern over the ongoing illegal occupation and settlements as against the stated standards and principles of OECD”

IHRC head of campaigns, Seyfeddin Kara said:

“We are of course disappointed that the OECD member states did not take the difficult but just stance of vetoing Israel’s accession. Nevertheless we note that the statement led by Turkey at the OECD highlighting Israel’s human rights violations is in someway an acknowledgement of the campaign.”

Delegation member Said Ferjani from Muslim Association of Britain said:

“We can only hope that the people of Palestine know that world-wide ordinary people love and support them, and their involvement in this campaign has been a testimony to that.”

The delegation continues in its meetings with government officials this week, and will continue to make the case for a more pro-active strategy for justice for Palestinians on the international stage.

Details of all delegation members can be found at:

IHRC Delegation meets Turkish Prime Minister

For further comment and information please call 905442311645 or 44 7958 522196 or 447947127974 .

Aid flotilla sets sail for Gaza Strip

Aid flotilla sets sail for Gaza Strip
Mon, 24 May 2010 15:22:53 GMT
A flotilla of humanitarian aid ships is heading toward the Gaza Strip with the aim of breaking the Israeli blockade of the coastal sliver.

A Turkish charity group announced Monday that nine cargo vessels, called the Freedom Flotilla, is participating in the mission.

The Foundation of Humanitarian Relief said the ships, from Turkey, Ireland, Britain and Greece, are set to reach Gaza on Wednesday evening.

The Freedom Flotilla convoy is carrying 10,000 tons of construction material, medical equipment and school supplies, as well as around 750 activists from 40 countries.

The Israeli navy, which has prevented many ships carrying humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza from entering the coastal region, has told the aid vessels not to near the strip.

However, campaign members said they were determined to deliver their humanitarian aid to Gazans.

Since 2007, the siege of Gaza has deprived 1.5 million Palestinians of fuel, food, and other necessities.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Hamas rules out recognition of Israel

Hamas rules out recognition of Israel
Thu, 20 May 2010 06:44:50 GMT
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Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya (R)
Hamas has proposed a phased establishment of a Palestinian state, insisting its acceptance of the 1967 borders will not involve the recognition of Israel.

The proposal would see the acceptance of a Palestinian state "in stages" on the 1967 armistice line, with the currently Israeli occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital, Ma'an news agency quoted senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya as saying on Wednesday.

It also requires "the return of all refugees without recognizing Israel in exchange for a 10-year truce," Hayya told a Hamas conference in Gaza City's al-Shujaiyeh neighborhood.

"This means that if the international community grants the right of return to the six million Palestinian refugees across the world to their homes in Haifa, Yaffa, and Akko [Acre], then there will no longer be an occupying state," he noted.

The Hamas official said the return of Palestinian refugees was "the cornerstone of the Palestinian cause" and would signal the end of Israeli occupation, what he said was paramount to the movement's 1967 border proposal.

Accusing Israel of waging a "fierce war" against the Palestinians' rights, Hayya highlighted resistance as the only way for the Palestinians to regain their rights and called on the nation to be "prepared with culture, faith, weapons and unity among each other."

He said the movement's border proposal "differs greatly from that of Fatah" on the creation of a Palestinian state on 1967 borders, calling on the rival faction consider other options put forward by Palestinian groups regarding the peace process.

"Come, let us have unity among our people on Palestinian principles. Why should we deprive our people of open options?"

The remarks come weeks after Israeli media said the Gaza-based Hamas government had written letters to US President Barack Obama, saying they were ready to "recognize Israel within the 1967 borders in exchange for a ceasefire agreement."

Hamas confirmed sending letters, but stressed they contained nothing against the movement's policy which reserves Hamas the right to resist Israeli forces until they withdraw from areas occupied in 1967.

The letter simply "included a request for Obama to change his policy towards the Palestinian people and their rights," said Taher al-Nunu, a spokesman for the Hamas government.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

'Israel is the West's tool'
Wed, 19 May 2010 02:44:38 GMT
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Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem (Getty Images)
Israel has been planted in the Middle East to serve the policies of the Western powers, an official of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah says.

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said Israel is being used to establish hegemony over the region, the Press TV correspondent in Beirut, Ali Rizk, reported on Tuesday.

Israel previously planned to use Lebanon as an intelligence base, Qassem added.

Should Israel renew its attacks, Qassem said, there would be serious consequences for Israel and Lebanon.

Lebanon, though, would emerge victorious and be able to rebuild, the Hezbollah official added.

In late April, Israel and the United States accused Syria of supplying Hezbollah with Russian-made Scud missiles. Israel also recently sent its forces into Lebanon's border town of Abbassiyeh, fired flares over southern parts of the country, and violated Lebanese airspace.

Damascus, Beirut, and the Hezbollah movement itself have rejected the claims about arms transfers.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem have drawn a parallel between the accusations and Washington's claim that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, used as the main pretext for the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Israel blasts Russian talks with Hamas

Israel blasts Russian talks with Hamas
Thursday 13 May 2010 10:09


Israel on Tuesday sharply criticized Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for having met with the exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Damascus.The Israeli foreign ministry also rejected what it said was a call from the presidents of Russia and Turkey to include Hamas in the peace process."There is no difference between Hamas actions against Israel and Chechen terror against Russia," a ministry statement said."The foreign ministry vehemently rejects the call from the presidents of Russia and Turkey to include Hamas in the peace processes and expresses deep disappointment over the meeting between the president of Russia and Khaled Meshaal in Damascus."

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Israeli forces invade N Gaza Strip

Israeli forces invade N Gaza Strip
Thu, 13 May 2010 05:11:44 GMT
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Palestinian resistance fighters in the Gaza Strip have clashed with Israeli forces upon a fresh incursion into the north of the Palestinian coastal enclave.

The confrontation occurred on Wednesday when a number of Israeli armored vehicles and bulldozers briefly crossed into an area east of al-Shujaiyeh, Ma'an news agency quoted witnesses as saying.

They said Israeli artillery also shelled the area, which is close to the now defunct Nahal Oz fuel pipeline along the Gaza-Israel border.

The al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, said its fighters fired a rocket-propelled grenade toward the Israeli military convoy entering Gaza, the movement said in a statement.

The statement said the Israeli attack was a further proof of Israeli aggression towards the Palestinians and highlighted the significance of resistance against Israel's violations.

An Israeli military spokesman said he would look into the report.

Israeli artillery and tanks have been regularly shelling Palestinian residential areas and farmlands close to the border with the Gaza Strip.

The attacks culminated in late December 2008 when the Israeli army launched a deadly offensive on the Hamas-run territory, which left more than 1,400 people -- mostly civilians -- killed.

The 22-day onslaught also leveled scores of houses and devastated a noticeable portion of Gaza's infrastructure.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Published on Friday, May 7, 2010 by CommonDreams.org

Published on Friday, May 7, 2010 by CommonDreams.org
We're Almost Ready to Sail to Gaza

by Greta Berlin
We're almost ready. Our vessels are being loaded with construction materials, specialized medical equipment, generators, pre-fab homes, water filtration units, and school supplies for the children. Israel allows only 81 items into Gaza, forcing the people to use tunnels to bring in supplies, barely keeping their economy at subsistence level.
When asked why they refuse to allow supplies into Gaza, Israeli authorities stated, "If we disclose what is allowed in and why... it would damage our national security and harm foreign relations." BBC, May 3, 2010
Therefore, we intend to open a sea route that will belong to the Palestinians. Gaza is the only territory on the Mediterranean that has no right to its sea, no right to fish more than a mile off its coast, no right to send out its flowers, vegetables and fruit for trade to other nations. Israel's cruel blockade has shut 1.5 million Palestinians into an open-air prison, allowing only a trickle of aid through.
We cannot stand by and watch the people slowly starve and lose hope. Since our governments appear to be impotent, we civilians from around the world are stepping up instead. We carry the hopes and dreams and prayers of thousands who have supported us over these past ten months, and we take those well wishes with us to the people of Gaza.
So for the next few weeks as we finish loading supplies and passengers, we will upload messages and well wishes like this one. Watch for them and send your own wish to us. Become a part of this citizen's initiative by joining our Newslist, TWITTER account, Facebook page and YouTube list, all on the front page of our website.
Write to your representatives demanding they put Israel on notice for our safety and the safety of our cargo. Then watch our journey from the live feed on our website at www.freegaza.org beginning soon.
Greta Berlin is a member of the Free Gaza Movement.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

ISM;Israeli Bulldozers Destroy Palestinian Children’s Playground near Bethlehem

Israeli bulldozers today destroyed a garden and children’s playground in Beit Jala, and 100 fruit and olive trees in Al Walaja, both in the Bethlehem district, to make way for the continued construction of their illegal apartheid wall. Soldiers present used violent force to remove Palestinian, Israeli and international activists who attempted to prevent the destruction. Two Israelis were arrested immediately, and six internationals were later arrested.

In Beit Jala, this is the second time that this particular garden and playground has been bulldozed. A legal injunction preventing further destruction expired this week. Following the previous demolition, in early March, local Palestinian residents and international supporters rebuilt the playground and planted new olive trees in the garden. All these were today destroyed.

Twelve people, representing six different nationalities, sat in front of the Caterpillar bulldozer as it moved up to the garden. Soldiers forcefully removed all twelve, several of whom sustained minor injuries, and one of whom was hospitalised with suspected broken ribs after his stomach was repeatedly stamped upon by one of the soldiers.

After soldiers forced everyone but the owners of the garden up to the road above, they joined approximately 50 other internationals and local residents to hold a demonstration which lasted into the evening. Overlooking the wreckage of the morning’s destruction, the protesters chanted and sang, asking only to be allowed back down to the house, where bulldozing had finished, to speak with the family there. Late in the afternoon, six activists, from the USA, Italy, Spain, Germany and France, managed to access the house via a back route, bringing food in to the family, before being arrested by Israeli Border Police, accused of illegally entering a Closed Military Zone.

In Al Walaja, Israeli military prevented any internationals or journalists from accessing the area to observe the uprooting of approximately 40 olive trees.

The International Court of Justice has ruled that the building of Israel’s apartheid wall is in violation of international law. When complete, the wall will run for over 700km, the vast majority of it passing through and effectively annexing Palestinian land in the West Bank.