Month: June 2005

The Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon blamed the Palestinians for the decline of support to his disengagement plan, after it dropped to 48% according to latest statistics. Sharon was responding…

Removing a major legal obstacle to the pullout, Israel Supreme Court rejected on Thursday 12 petitions submitted by settlers and some Knesset members calling halt of disengagement. The 11-judge panel…

The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics revealed that construction in settlements was significantly boosted this year arriving to 83%, ahead of the disengagement plan, while construction inside the Israeli borders…

Wednesday evening, the Israeli police claimed that a 15 year-old Palestinian youth from Shu’fat, near Jerusalem, stabbed an Israel policeman near al-Maskobiyya police station in Jerusalem. The policeman was moderately…

Wednesday evening, Israeli soldiers attacked a peaceful protest against the Wall in Bil’in organized by physically challenged residents from several West Bank areas.   The WAFA news agency reported that…

In a move the signals an increasing support for the pullout foes, over 100 Americans led by a New York lawmaker finished on Tuesday their second day of the three-day…

Palestinian Interior Minister, Nasser Yousef, and Israeli Minister of Defense, Shaul Mofaz agreed to from three channels for security coordination ahead the upcoming Israeli withdrawal. An Israeli source reported that…

In what seems to be a failed assassination attempt, Israeli gun ships fired air-to-land missiles at a car driving on the main road in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources…

Wednesday afternoon, a Palestinian security source reported that P.A security men foiled, on Tuesday night, several attempts by resistance fighters to fire homemade shells at settlements in the Gaza strip.…

The Palestinian Ministry of Interior and National Security, expressed concerns that Israeli might launch a wide scaled military operation in the Gaza Strip. The ministry said that Israeli military planes…

Settlers of the Abraham Abino settlement outpost in Hebron damaged a wall of a store in Hakoret al-Kayyal area in the old city and set it on fire. Imad Hamdan,…

As part of attempts to face the settlers’ anti-disengagement campaign, the Israeli government invited the media to its weekly meeting to, as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon puts it, “refute…

Wednesday morning, the WAFA news agency reported that Israeli soldiers invaded the village of Marda, near the West Bank city of Salfit, and imposed curfew, barring the resident from leaving…

Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs, Mohammad Dahlan, said that the Israeli government is obstructing its own withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and obstructing cooperation with the Palestinian Authority. Dahlan added…

{mosimage}Palestinian detainees are facing deteriorating conditions and harsh treatment by Israeli soldiers in detention camps and prisons, which became a policy prison administration is using to humiliate them.   Lawyer…

Some Israeli army and security officials are lobbying for a ‘crushing blow’ on Hamas prior to the pullout to the Gaza Strip borders.   Louder calls for a major blow…

Jenin. The sky sets with shadow somewhere around seven or eight in the summertime. I’m about to head down Mostashfa Street and leave the wall I’ve been working on all…

{mosimage}By the time U.S. President presented a vision of “viable” and “contiguous” future Palestinian state, Palestinian territories were, and still are, extremely fragmented with a completely ruined economy. With the…

Palestinian detainees in Majeddo detention announced hunger strike starting Wednesday morning in protest to desecrating the Holy Koran by Israeli soldiers who raided the rooms of the detainees, on Tuesday…

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, PFLP, said that Israeli soldiers arrested thirty of its members in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron, over the last month   A senior PFLP…

 Tuesday afternoon, three residents, including one reporter, were injured, and two others were arrested after Israeli soldiers attacked a peaceful procession against the Separation Wall in al-Ramadeen village, south of…

Monday at night, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a resident near the Philadilphi Route in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army claims that apparently…

Tuesday morning, Israeli soldiers shot and killed an Islamic Jihad fighter and an unarmed Palestinian policeman after invading Qabatia south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Israeli soldiers,…

While the new Chief-of-Staff, Air Force general Dan Halutz, was assuming his new job, I stood with a group of demonstrators at the gate of the General Staff building, to…

To some shortsighted politicians, unilateralism seems very convenient. It doesn’t require the mess of actual negotiations. It is usually politically correct, because you can decide how much and how far…

Israeli military source said Tuesday that two workers, a Chinese and a Palestinian were killed and six other Palestinian workers were lightly wounded in a mortar attack at hothouses in…

Prisoners Media Center reported that Israeli soldiers arrested 250 residents during the month of May, and carried out several invasions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip; no arrests…

The Chairman of the leftist Israeli Yahad Knesset faction Zahava Gal-On called Tuesday on the chief military prosecutor to investigate reports on an army revenge raid in which seven Palestinian…

Arab MKs boycotted Monday a special meeting of the Knesset plenum held to mark “Jerusalem day” on the 38th anniversary of announcing the unification of the city following the 1967…

Egyptian presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad said on Monday that Israel was dragging its feet in handing over three West Bank cities to Palestinian security control, as agreed in a Palestinian-Israeli…

A medical source in the West Bank city of Salfit reported that twenty residents suffocated after inhaling gas fired by the army, during clashes which erupted in Marda village after…

Nine Palestinian legislators said Sunday they were considering resigning from the Palestinian Legislative Council in protest to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s decision to postpone parliamentary elections. Hamas strongly condemned Abbas’s…

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Monday that the army will collect the settlers’ weapons shortly before the scheduled date for the disengagement plan, “even by force.” Mofaz, who spoke…

Primary results for the Parliament elections in Lebanon show that the coalition of Hezbollah and The Shiite Amal movement, swept most of the seats in the southern Lebanon area.  …

Palestinian gunmen of the Fateh Hawks group reopened on Sunday the road which leads to the Rafah Border Crossing, after closing it for two days in protest to not assigning…

The Palestinian National Authority intends to collect the personal belongings and possessions of the late Palestinian president, Yasser Arafat, for a museum for his memory, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said…

Israel has been exercising strong diplomatic pressures on the Palestinian Authority in order to prevent it from executing 50 Palestinians, convicted of collaborating with the Israeli security. Also, the American…

American officials expressed concerns over Hamas’ electoral rise in the Palestinian areas saying this poses a dilemma in defining ‘terrorists.’ Hinting that U.S. funding will be affected if Hamas wins…

Sunday afternoon, Israeli soldiers fired at dozens of residents, Israeli and international peace activists, while protesting against the Separation Wall, and land grab in Beit Sroik, north west of Jerusalem.…

Likud rebels said that they will launch their anti pull-out campaign on Monday in an attempt to reverse the public opinion in Israel and reduce support to the disengagement plan.…

Israeli soldiers withdrew from al-Aqsa mosque area on Monday afternoon following clashes with dozens of Palestinian protestors who gathered in the mosque in an attempt to bar extremist settlers groups…

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to visit Israel as well as the Palestinian areas around June 18, almost two months ahead of the intended pullout from Gaza Strip…

Not a thing has changed in the government’s handling of unauthorized settlers’ outposts in the three months since a comprehensive report on the issue was completed, the report’s author, attorney…

Anti-Pullout right wing foes vandalized Monday military equipment worth, according to police estimations, tens of thousands of shekels. The act took place in the parking lot of an army base…

Translated by Saed Bannoura, IMEMC   Ahmad Abdul-Rahman, head of the political committee of the Fatah revolutionary council, the political advisor of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said that the movement…

Twelve people were lightly injured Sunday as a strong police force used force to expel an Arab Israeli family and demolish the family home in Haifa.  Policemen used force to…

Palestinian sources said on Sunday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is likely to appoint the head of the PLO political bureau Faroq Qadoumi as his deputy. The sources reported that…

A Palestinian source reported Saturday that soldiers ambushed and detained a leading member in the Belien’s village anti-wall committee. Eyewitnesses said that soldiers blocked on Friday the way of a…

Lawyer of the Palestinian Prisoners Society, Mohannad al-Kharraz, said that detainee Mohammad Yasser al-Ja’bary, from Nablus, attempted suicide by trying to burn himself and the room he is held in.…

Friday evening, Israeli soldiers invaded the village of Yatta, near Hebron, and conducted military searches of homes; four residents, including three children were injured of military fire during clashes which…

The Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, slammed a decision by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in which he cancelled the date set for the parliamentary elections.  Hamas said the decision is a…

Unknown masked armed men stopped and prevented on Saturday a Palestinian Diplomat from leaving the Gaza Strip through Rafah crossing point, in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources reported on…

Arab member of Knesset, Issam Makhoul, from the Hadash-Ta’al party, said that there is no possible comparison between those who reject the occupation, and those who reject to end it.…

 Download MP3 (9.80 MB) | Listen to Real Audio  (09:42 min)   This week in Palestine-a service of the International Middle East Media Center IMEMC.ORG for the week of Friday, May…

Parents of detainees imprisoned in Nafha detention complained that soldiers are humiliating them while they are trying to visit their detained family members, in addition to forcing them to wait…

A Fatah source said Friday that four of the sons of a killed collaborator, where involved in the killing of Sheikh Ali Faraj, a Fatah leader and the head of…

Israel has bought a 100-ton behemoth, made by U.S. company Trencor Inc, to use in uncovering weapons’ smuggling tunnels in the Gaza-Egypt border area, according to an Israeli army publication.…

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom discussed with the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in a Friday meeting the possibility of an Israeli seat on the UN Security Council. ‘The…

‘Today (Saturday) President Abbas will issue a decision to postpone the parliamentary vote to give more time for Palestinian factions to hold further discussions and enable parliament to approve a…

The Tulkarem office of the Palestinian Prisoners Society reported that detainee Mousa Hasan al-Khawaly, 22, from Tulkarem refugee camp, is facing critical health conditions and deprived from his medication rights.…

At least one thousand Palestinians joined by International and Israeli peace activists demonstrated against the construction of the wall in Bil’in village west of Ramallah in the West Bank. The…

Not even for a moment did Engineer Wasfi Izzat Qabha, forget the pain of his fellow detainees who remained in Israeli detentions and prisons, after he was released. Wasfi spent…

The Israeli Ynet news website published documents which showed that the US government estimated that Israel was misleading it and acting to acquire nuclear armaments. The documents show that the…

Israeli military sources were quoted as saying that Syria has test-fired Scud missiles last Friday, the New York Times reported. The military source also claimed one of the missiles broke…

The Jerusalem Municipality Plans to Demolish 88 Houses in Silwan, East Jerusalem The Municipality of Jerusalem intends to demolish an entire East Jerusalem neighborhood — 88 homes housing 1000 residents…

A senior Israeli army officer has warned against underestimating the force of resistance expected to be offered by settlers during the upcoming Gaza Strip and West Bank pullout, according to…

Arab constituency forms approximately 22 percent of Labor party members, the party’s largest constituency, according to the party membership poll. The data gained on Thursday night after the party’s membership…

About half the farmers in the Gaza Strip Gush Katif settlement have reached tentative agreements with the Israeli government Disengagement Administration (Sela) to receive alternative agricultural lands inside Israel. 60…

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz is interested in transferring three more West Bank cities to the Palestinian Authority prior to the start of the implementation of the disengagement plan, set…

Israeli Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he would vote against further phases of disengagement following the implementation of its first phase. Addressing Likud party members in Jerusalem, Netanyahu…

The International Solidarity for Human Rights prepared and published a report which documents the Israeli military violations in the occupied territories, and the internal Palestinian situation. The report revealed that…

Dozens of residents, international and Israeli peace activists protested against the Separation Wall, and around Ariel settlement, in the West Bank city of Salfit. The Popular Committee Against the Wall,…

The Israeli Police Investigation Unit arrested on Wednesday four Israeli policemen charged of selling weapons to Arab residents of east Jerusalem. A fifth policeman was also arrested on the same…

Palestinian media sources reported that the members of the Palestinian Military Intelligence demonstrated against the Palestinian Authority’s decision to dismantle this unit, and merge it with the National Security Forces.…

Military bulldozers started expanding settlements surrounding several villagers, east of the northern west Bank city of Nablus, bulldozed farmlands near Alon Moreh settlement and a hill, 1km away from the…

Senior Advisor to the Israeli Prime Minsiter Ariel Sharon said Israel will deal with the evacuation of the unauthorized settlement outposts after the implementation of the disengagement plan. In a…

Only a few hours before the Israeli army announced the release of 85 Palestinian detainees from Hebron area, soldiers arrested at least 15 residents after invading Ithna, al-Thaheriyya, and al-Fawwar refugee…

{mosimage}In one of the alleys of the old city of Jerusalem, I saw several Palestinian children running and chasing each other, while one child carrying a plastic rifle, was following…

The Islamic Jihad movement denied Israeli reports of foiling a double suicide bombing in Jerusalem after arresting two Islamic Jihad activists. “The movement is committed to the truce” an Islamic…

Israeli and Palestinian economists said in a new position paper released this week that disengagement poses a ‘significant risk’ to the viability of a Palestinian state. The economists, who belong…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas underwent on Wednesday a heart procedure in an Amman hospital in Jordan, and he is recovering well, a senior Palestinian official said on Thursday morning. Tayyeb…

The “special committee” of the Israeli Disengagement Administration decided on Wednesday that settler families who will be evacuated from the northern West Bank settlements and choose to move to Afula…

The Israeli High Court rejected an appealed filed by “the Legal Center for Terror researches” against the release of 398 Palestinian detainees. The center claims that the detainees did not…

Palestinian and Israeli sources reported on Wednesday evening that the summit between the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will be held June 21. The…

The new chief of staff of the Israeli army Dan Halutz, was sworn in Wednesday afternoon, succeeding outgoing Moshe Yaalon in a military ceremony in Jerusalem. His first statement as…

Settlers of Neveh Dekalim, in the Gush Katif settlement bloc in the Gaza Strip turned a hotel into a "Central Command for Anti-Disengagement activists," Israeli sources reported on Wednesday. A…

In a strange move, hundreds of former Likud supporters attend showed up at a rally at the Labor party headquarters in Tel Aviv n Tuesday.The rally was in support of…

Israeli soldiers started constructing a military camp on Palestinian owned lands in Jabal Johar, east of Hebron. A local source in Hebron said that military gear, armored jeeps and vehicles,…

For the third time, a Druze refusenik youth identified as Wisam Qabalan from Beit Dajan Druze village, was imprisoned after ejecting military service. Qabalan was sentenced to seven days after…

Wednesday at noon, four residents were injured in Beit Sorik, north west of Jerusalem during clashes which erupted after the military bulldozers uprooted farmlands in order to construct the Separation…

After the failure of repeated attempts by the Israeli embassy in El-Salvador to prevent the inauguration of a statue of the late Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, Israeli decided to delay…

Israeli police stopped and detained on Wednesday morning five Palestinian officials in while being in Jerusalem claiming they "illegally" entered Jerusalem, Palestine News Network reported. Eyewitness reports stated that the…

Israeli Disengagement Office head, Yonatan Bassi, and Finance Ministry officials disagreed over the amount of compensation to be given to settler families slated for evacuation. Officials at the Israeli Housing…

Chair of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, Issa Qaraqi that the list of prisoners slated for release announced by Israelis government is unilateral and does not have any political dimension. The…

Palestinian sources stated that Israel is expected to handover security control over two Palestinian cities to the Palestinian Authority.Abdul Fattah Hamayel head of the committee of the deportees and wanted…

Wednesday morning, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a resident in the northern west Bank city of Qalqilia.The WAFA news agency reported that soldiers fired at a resident near al-Taiba check…

According to Human Rights Organizations, Red Cross, and Israeli jail authority reports, around 28,000 Palestinians were detained since September 2000, around 7500 of them are still held behind bars. On…