From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
War Overshadows Palestinian Killings: UN
UNITED NATIONS — UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said on Wednesday, August9 , that the ongoing Lebanon war had distracted international attention from the "unjustifiable" Palestinian killings in the relentless Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
"The secretary general is greatly concerned that the tragic events in Lebanon and northern Israel should not distract from the urgent need to work towards a solution to the current crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory," said his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The UN chief deplored the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in Israeli attacks in Gaza.
"The continued killing and injuring of hundreds of civilians, including children, in Gaza, by Israeli forces is utterly unjustifiable."
Up to 170 Palestinians have been killed, of whom 138 were civilians and a quarter children, since Israel launched a wide-scale offensive in Gaza on the pretext of seeking the release of an Israeli soldier taken prisoner by Palestinian groups.
A report by the Palestinian Monitoring Group said that July was the deadliest in the Gaza Strip for nearly two years, the highest since October2004 .
A UN report said on Monday, August7 , that Gaza residents were facing some of the worst humanitarian conditions in years.
The report said that more than 70 percent of the Gazans were now reliant on emergency assistance to meet daily food needs, while prices of essential goods, such as flour and sugar, had risen by between 15 and 33 percent.
Abduction
Annan also blasted the abduction of Palestinian ministers and lawmakers by Israeli forces.
"The arbitrary arrest of many senior Palestinians -- including Dr. Aziz Dweik, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council -- is a cause of particular concern, since it further undermines the Palestinian institutions which must be preserved if a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to be achieved."
Late on Saturday, August5 , Israeli forces abducted Dweik from his home in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Dweik, elected speaker in February following Hamas's sweeping election victory, was the most senior of more than sixty Palestinian cabinet ministers, lawmakers, mayors and politicians kidnapped by Israeli forces.
Israeli occupation forces detained eight members of the Hamas-led Palestinian cabinet and 23 legislators in June.
Second Deputy Speaker Hassan Khreishe was also kidnapped by Israel but released last Sunday after a one-month detention.
Minister of Planning Samir abu Eisheh was released in mid-July, and Prisoners' Affairs Minister Wasfi Kibha was freed on Wednesday.
Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that Israeli soldiers kidnapped 600 Palestinians since Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was taken prisoner on June25 .
Debate
The Israeli abductions of Palestinian officials and ongoing killing of civilians have raised questions about the future of the Palestinian Authority.
"The question we have to ask ourselves is the following: can the Palestinian Authority continue to operate and function in these circumstances," Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said.
He asserted that all Palestinian groups should consider the viability of the PA, which was created under the1994 Oslo accords with Israel.
"We need to debate the future of the PA following the kidnapping of its second highest-ranking figure and an attempt to assassinate its prime minister," he told a parliamentary video-conference.
Palestinians had previously called for dissolving the PA when former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon considered expelling late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Haniyeh accused the US of seeking to undermine the PA structure by not respecting the January elections, which brought Hamas to power.
Washington has championed an international campaign to isolate the Hamas-led government, including direct aid freeze.
Israel has also suspended the customs tariffs it collects on behalf of the PA, estimated at 50 million dollars a month.
Palestinian lawmakers immediately championed Haniyeh's call for debating the PA future.
Mahmoud Musleh said dismantling the PA would force Israel to assume its responsibilities and place the issue in the hands of the world community.
Hassan Khreisheh, the deputy speaker of parliament, said the need to maintain the functions of the PA were being seriously evaluated after the Israeli abductions.
Hani Habib, a local journalist and political analyst, said Israel would find itself in the dock if the PA was dissolved.
http://islamonline.net/English/News/2006-08/10/05.shtml
The UN chief deplored the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in Israeli attacks in Gaza.
"The continued killing and injuring of hundreds of civilians, including children, in Gaza, by Israeli forces is utterly unjustifiable."
Up to 170 Palestinians have been killed, of whom 138 were civilians and a quarter children, since Israel launched a wide-scale offensive in Gaza on the pretext of seeking the release of an Israeli soldier taken prisoner by Palestinian groups.
A report by the Palestinian Monitoring Group said that July was the deadliest in the Gaza Strip for nearly two years, the highest since October2004 .
A UN report said on Monday, August7 , that Gaza residents were facing some of the worst humanitarian conditions in years.
The report said that more than 70 percent of the Gazans were now reliant on emergency assistance to meet daily food needs, while prices of essential goods, such as flour and sugar, had risen by between 15 and 33 percent.
Abduction
Annan also blasted the abduction of Palestinian ministers and lawmakers by Israeli forces.
"The arbitrary arrest of many senior Palestinians -- including Dr. Aziz Dweik, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council -- is a cause of particular concern, since it further undermines the Palestinian institutions which must be preserved if a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to be achieved."
Late on Saturday, August5 , Israeli forces abducted Dweik from his home in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Dweik, elected speaker in February following Hamas's sweeping election victory, was the most senior of more than sixty Palestinian cabinet ministers, lawmakers, mayors and politicians kidnapped by Israeli forces.
Israeli occupation forces detained eight members of the Hamas-led Palestinian cabinet and 23 legislators in June.
Second Deputy Speaker Hassan Khreishe was also kidnapped by Israel but released last Sunday after a one-month detention.
Minister of Planning Samir abu Eisheh was released in mid-July, and Prisoners' Affairs Minister Wasfi Kibha was freed on Wednesday.
Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that Israeli soldiers kidnapped 600 Palestinians since Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was taken prisoner on June25 .
Debate
The Israeli abductions of Palestinian officials and ongoing killing of civilians have raised questions about the future of the Palestinian Authority.
"The question we have to ask ourselves is the following: can the Palestinian Authority continue to operate and function in these circumstances," Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said.
He asserted that all Palestinian groups should consider the viability of the PA, which was created under the1994 Oslo accords with Israel.
"We need to debate the future of the PA following the kidnapping of its second highest-ranking figure and an attempt to assassinate its prime minister," he told a parliamentary video-conference.
Palestinians had previously called for dissolving the PA when former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon considered expelling late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Haniyeh accused the US of seeking to undermine the PA structure by not respecting the January elections, which brought Hamas to power.
Washington has championed an international campaign to isolate the Hamas-led government, including direct aid freeze.
Israel has also suspended the customs tariffs it collects on behalf of the PA, estimated at 50 million dollars a month.
Palestinian lawmakers immediately championed Haniyeh's call for debating the PA future.
Mahmoud Musleh said dismantling the PA would force Israel to assume its responsibilities and place the issue in the hands of the world community.
Hassan Khreisheh, the deputy speaker of parliament, said the need to maintain the functions of the PA were being seriously evaluated after the Israeli abductions.
Hani Habib, a local journalist and political analyst, said Israel would find itself in the dock if the PA was dissolved.
http://islamonline.net/English/News/2006-08/10/05.shtml
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network
On 3 August, United Nations humanitarian agencies issued a report on the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip after six weeks of Israeli siege. The report noted, "UNRWA is currently sheltering 1,345 people from 289 families in four schools in the northern district of Jabalia. Almost all are refugees, fleeing the relentless shelling of the eastern edge of the neighboring town of Beit Hanoun and the area around the Al Nada housing estate in Beit Lahia. In addition to shelter UNRWA is providing the families with daily food parcels and medical supplies." The following photostory provides a glimpse into these displaced persons' difficult lives.
Read More With Photos:
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article5485.shtml
# 25 Palestinians, including 6 children and an old man, were killed by IOF.
# 3 of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF in the West Bank.
# 59 Palestinian civilians, including 26 children and women, were wounded by the IOF gunfire.
# IOF launched a series of air strikes on a number of houses in the Gaza Strip.
# 3 houses were destroyed after their residents were warned that the houses would be attacked.
# IOF have continued to shell the northern Gaza Strip and al-Shouka village near Rafah, and many families were forced to leave their homes.
# IOF conducted 38 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and moved into several areas in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah.
# IOF destroyed 41 houses and razed at least 557 donums [1] of agricultural land in Rafah.
# IOF arrested 44 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and 20 others in the Gaza Strip.
# IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; IOF have imposed a tightened siege on the Gaza Strip and there have been shortages of foodstuffs and fuels; IOF positioned at a checkpoint in the West Bank arrested a Palestinian civilian.
# IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank; they confiscated areas of land in Hebron and burnt at least 100 donums of agricultural land in Tulkarm.
# Israeli settlers have continued attacks Palestinian civilians and property in the OPT; a Palestinian civilian was killed and his son was wounded by settlers.
Summary
As the international community has remained silent, IOF have continued to wage a full scale offensive on the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip. During the reported period, IOF have waged a media war against Palestinian civilians. They have dropped leaflets in streets and on roofs of houses, phoned civilians threatening to destroy their houses if they helped Palestinian resistance activist, and ordered a number of Palestinian resistance activists through phone calls on their mobile phones to evacuate their houses, which would be destroyed. IOF have further continued their Operation Grasshopper, under which they move in a certain area, commit crimes there and then redeploy outside it. They then move into another area and do the same.
PCHR, monitoring with utmost concern the developments of this offensive, calls upon the international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and United Nations, to immediately intervene to force IOF to stop this offensive and allow the passage of foodstuffs, medical supplies and fuels into the Gaza Strip.
Read More
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article5481.shtml