Beit-Sahour Blog

Israel Refuses UN Demand for Immediate Ceasefire: Possibly Planning Ground Invasion

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Despite Koffi Annan's statement to the Security Council which reflect the deep-seated international unease about the human cost of 's aerial onslaught on Lebanon, Israeli warplanes continued their bombardment yesterday,

is defying a demand by Kofi Annan for an immediate end to fighting on the ninth day of a war that has led to the "collective punishment of the Lebanese people" .

The Israeli ambassador to the UN, Dan Gillerman, said: "The first thing that must be addressed is a cessation of terror before we even talk about cessation of hostilities."

The US and are isolated in their refusal to back the international clamour for an immediate ceasfire between and Hezbollah.. The US and Britain's position that wiping out Hezbollah is the first priority regardless of Lebanese civilian deaths, has given Israel a powerful signal that it can continue its attacks with impunity.

According to reports, also appears to be preparing for a major ground offensive in , where residents near the border were warned to leave their homes immediately.

Israeli forces want to push 32 kilometres into southern to create a buffer zone, wiping out Hezbollah guerrilla posts and stopping further rocket attacks.

However, many commentators, Israeli, as well as others, have expressed the view that this could be a dangerous course for . There is a possibility that Israel could get bogged down fighting Hezbollah on the ground. There is no guarantee that it will succeed in its declared desire to "wipe out" Hezbollah.. Hezbollah is a guerilla force and does fight in a conventional warfare manner.The Israeli ground offensive against Hezbollah has so far been blunted when four of its soldiers were reported killed in clashes in south .

16 people killed : four from the same family in Al Shajaiyeh, Gaza

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16 Palestinians were killed early Friday morning, four of them are from the same family, when Israeli forces shelled a house in Shajaiyeh district, east of Gaza City.

The four residents killed were from Jabr Harrarra family, an activist from the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.

Sabah Harrarra, 45, and her sons Amier, 21, and Mow’mien, 18, and their cousin Mohammed Harrarra, 26, were killed when Israeli warplanes shelled their house in the Shajaiyeh neighborhood.

In addition, 3 members of the same family are suffering from injuries, which medical sources have described as critical.

The Israeli forces have withdrawn from al-Maghazi after invading the refugee camp for 2 days. Four people were killed, including Moussa Kandel, 17, who was the last to be killed in the attack, by an Israeli air strike targeting the Saida area in the camp Thursday evening.

The Qassam Brigades mourned the death of activists Mohammed Harrarra and Amier Harrarra in a press release published today. The Brigades also announced the death of Ismail Nathme Rayan, who was killed after being targeted by an air strike from an Israeli military plane.

The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, also on Friday announced the death of Moustafa Katoush, who was also killed by an Israeli air strike, in Gaza.

Palestinian medical sources reported that the death toll since the last Israeli invasion
was raised to 16, including 5 children. 119 people were reported injured and moved to Sheheda Al Aqsa, Al Shifa and Nasser Hospitals. 30 of those injured lie in critical conditions.

Gaza Doctors: "We will run out of medical supplies soon if offensive continues"

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Dr. Jom'a Al Saka, the spokesperson of Al Shifa hospital in Gaza, said in an interview with the IMEMC that if the Israeli "Summer Rain" military operation continues, Gaza will run out of medical supplies soon.

He said, "We depend on medical supplies coming from outside, through the terminals surrounding Gaza. Since the military offensive started, those crossings are closed, so the stock of medical supplies we had will run out soon."

The Israeli army have closed all border crossings, both foot-passenger and commercial, and stopped food, fuel and medical supplies from coming into Gaza since the start of the army offensive over three weeks ago.

A human rights centre in Gaza said that 26 people had been killed, and more than 200 injured during this week alone. Among the casualties, women and children. The continued army attacks on the towns and cities of the Gaza Strip have raised fears among doctors that there will soon be no medical supplies left in the Gaza hospitals.

"Soon we will be unable to send ambulances to get patients" Dr Jom'a Al Saka added.

Meanwhile, the General Manager of Ambulances and Emergencies for the Ministry of Health, Dr. Muawiya Hassanein, said in a report published by Ma'an news agency on Thursday, "Ten Palestinians were killed and more than 108 injured, 14 of them seriously, during the last two days in which the Israeli forces penetrated Al Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip,

Hassanain added, "The Israeli forces are using internationally prohibited missiles that contain chemical materials and burning metals and in addition, have shrapnel in the shape of nails". He pointed out that the injuries received in the hospitals as a result of these missiles are very dangerous because the human tissues and muscles are torn and in addition, the injured suffer from severe bleeding, loss of limbs and broken bones.

IMEMC gained interviews with several doctors working in different hospitals in the Gaza strip, and all confirmed the use of non-conventional weapons. One of the doctors we spoke to, Dr. Saeed Jodah, told us, "When the Shrapnel hits the body; it causes very strong burns that destroy the tissues around the bones. When this shrapnel enters the body, it burns and destroys internal organs, like the liver, kidneys, the spleen and other organs, and makes saving the wounded almost impossible. As a surgeon, I have seen thousands of wounds during the Intifada, but nothing was like this weapon."

The latest case that matched these symptoms was Muhammad Muhra, 17, from Al Bureij refugee camp. He was killed on Thursday. His body arrived at the hospital in an almost unrecognizable condition.

Israeli attacks continue in Maghazi Refugee Camp, killing one and injuring 20

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Israeli reconnaissance warplanes bombed a gathering of citizens near a grade school this morning in Maghazi Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. The bombing killed one Palestinian civilian, and injured 20 others.

The spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Radhi Khalid, told PNN that the 20 injured were all children, as the attack occurred very near to a grade school. He noted that all of the children were transferred to a nearby hospital, where nine are being treated for “serious injuries.”

This morning’s raid marks what is merely the latest in a series of Israeli attacks on the Gaza refugee camp. Since Israeli attacks began on Maghazi Camp just a few days ago, eight civilians have been killed, and a staggering 90 have been wounded.

Armed resistance wing of Islamic Jihad hits Israeli town of Sderot

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Saraya Al Quds, the armed resistance wing of the Islamic Jihad party, claimed responsbility today for the bombing of the southern Israeli town of Sderot..

Members of the group told PNN that the three homemade projectiles fell on the town early Thursday morning.

The Israeli army has announced that several citizens of Sderot were injured, and that a great deal of infrastructure was damaged. In addition, the army specified that the attacks created a sense of panic among the residents. While the people of Sderot are used to attacks from the Gaza Strip, due to their proximity, the homemade projectiles rarely do any damage.

Saya Al Quds issued a statement after the attack that emphasized that the bombing comes in response to the Israeli warcrimes being committed in the Gaza Stirp and Lebanon. Members stressed that resistance is now the only option for the Palestinian people.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine warns of continued Israeli violence

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Bilal Abu Hamid, a member of the Central Committee of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, met today in Nablus with officials from the Palestinian Committee on Foreign Relations and the Districts of Ramallah and Salfit. The officials met to discuss the outbreak of uprisings in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Abu Hamid noted that efforts are being made to restore calm and return to negotiations to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. He pointed out, however, that the “Israeli policy of killing and destruction” often leaves little option but for Palestinian resistance members to respond militarily.

He further stated that, “the Israeli-led occupation is imposing unilateral solutions backed by the U.S. administration and reinforced by international silence. Such impositions are deplorable and clearly display the weakness of the Arab international community. If the Palestinian people, and their Arab neighbors, do not stand up for their rights, the Israeli government will continue to trample on them.”

Palestinian Citizens of Israel Unprotected and Unwarned: 2 Children killed in Nazareth

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Residents of Nazareth complained of the lack of shelters and warning systems in the city after a Katyusha rocket killed two brothers aged nine and three on Wednesday.

The mayor of Nazareth, Ramez Jeraisi, has been asking for the funds to build public shelters in the city for some time. "I have discussed the issue with the Ministry of Interior and the Home Front, and they have said there is no money for them."

For the Jewish citizens of Upper Nazareth, the neighbouring Jewish city, there are a number of shelters. As opposed to the Jewish sector, the Arab and Druze home front can't take refuge in bomb shelters or reinforced rooms, and they don't have the benefit of warning sirens.

Moreover, the Home Front Command does not publish its announcements in Arabic, and the Palestinian towns themselves don’t qualify for government aid for being in the "line of fire.". At times of war the state deals only with the Jewish home front

Barhoum Jaraisi, who lives in the northern neighbourhood of Sufafra where the children were killed said, “When dealing with Arabs, the establishment doesn’t care if we get hit. We’re used to this. It’s nothing new,” he said. “When there were rocket strikes on Monday in Nazareth Illit (Upper) nearby, their siren went off. But here no one was told to enter shelters. I called the police and asked why, and they said they’d get back to me. No one has gotten back to me yet".

This was not the first Hezbollah strike on one of the 100 or so Arab communities inside – several have been hit in the past few days – but the two children, Rabia and Mohammed Abu Taluzi, were the first deaths among ’s 1.2 million Arab citizens.

Several residents pointed out that there are military installations near Nazareth that Hezbollah has been trying to target. Northern Israel is under martial law, which means that divulging details about the nature of the installations and their locations is forbidden. :"We are like human shields. They build these military sites close to Arab communities because they hope it will make Hezbollah more frightened to strike at them", said one resident..

Until the deaths of the children, the media had demonstrably ignored the bombs and missiles that have landed on Druze and Arab communities and the despair of those citizens has not been heard.

Home Front Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Yitzhak Garshon met Nazareth Mayor Ramez Jaraisi on Thursday to discuss measures to protect residents of the Arab Israeli city.

Maj.-Gen. Garshon told Jaraisi that citizens should be told to seek shelter in enclosed space upon hearing a siren, despite the fact that there are no sirens in Nazareth, repeating claims that no shelters are needed. He said he will return to the city as a citizen in more peaceful times.

*this article was also sourced from PNN, YNET, and Al Jazeer Net

Two killed several injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza

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At least two Palestinians were killed and several others were wounded as Israeli forces attack a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, for the second day in a row, raising the death toll in the camp to 13 in the past two days.A 14-year-old girl was pronounced dead of wounds sustained in Wednesday’s attacks.

IMEMC correspondent in Gaza Strip said Israeli drones fired missiles at the Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip Thursday at noon killing one person and wounding six, at least three of them suffer serious injuries.

Mohammad Abu Libdeh, 21 member of the Palestinian National security force was killed when the drone fired a missile at a gathering of the camp’s residents.

Earlier on Thursday, Mohammad Mohra, 17 was killed when Israeli artillery bombarded the near by refugee camp of Al-Bureij. Medical sources said the body of Mohra was severely mutilated because of the shells.

The number of Palestinians killed in Maghaza is expected to rise as 14 of the 108 wounded are in serious condition. A high number of the wounded are children.

Dr. Muawiya Hasanein, head of the emergency department at the Ministry of Health, said have used internationally-banned weapons against the Palestinian Population, which carries some chemicals and metals that burn the bodies and nail-like fragments.

The wounded suffer serious wounds and the fragments damage and kill the cells of the body and sever burns and mutilation.

Several medical Palestinian sources confirmed the use of illegal weapons against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank.

This comes as part of the controversial military operation “Summer Rains” which, Palestinian and international observers say it went way beyond its claimed goals of releasing the captured Israeli soldier and stopping the firing of home-made Qassam shells by Palestinian factions.

The attacks targeted civilian

Israeli Court bans 'family reunification' for Palestinians married to Israelis

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On Sunday, the Israeli High Court of Justice narrowly upheld a controversial law that effectively bars West Bank Palestinians from living with their spouses and children in Israel.

The Israeli online daily Haaretz reported that an expanded panel of 11 justices split 6-5 in rejecting petitions to overturn the law which was passed by the Knesset in 2002.

The law was strongly influenced by the current Intifada and the situation in the occupied territories; the conflict was at its height when the law was passed.

Haaretz added that the the case was seen as one of the most important questions the High Court of Justice has dealt with in recent years, especially after dozens of Palestinians married to Israelis filed petitions to annul an amendment to the Citizenship Law that prevents "family unifications".

The decision was observed as a clear message from the High Court stating the the State of Israel has “the right to prevent Palestinians living in the West Bank from living with their spouses and families in Israel”.

According to the newly passed law, only Palestinian women over the age of 25 and men over 35 are eligible to join their families in Israel, and eventually receive citizenship, Haaretz added.

The Amnesty International slammed the law and called for its repeal, several critics of the law described it as racist and discriminatory.

Israeli state prosecution voiced satisfaction at Sunday's verdict, and claimed that the ruling was made “in order to protect Israel's security during time of war”.

High Court Justice Mishael Cheshin said that the law “does not harm Israelis' constitutional rights”, and claimed that if the law does to some extent cause such harm, it was "measured."

Cheshin along with justices Miryam Naor, Asher Grunes, Yonatan Adiel, Eliezer Rivlin and Edmund Levy rejected the petitions.

Despite voting with the majority, Levy stated that the law indeed harmed the constitutional rights of family life and equality in Israel to an unnecessary extent.

He added that the state will be given a period of nine months to formulate an alternative legislative arrangement.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice, Aharon Barak, voted against the ruling along justices Dorit Beinish, Ayala Proccacia, Salim Jobran, and Esther Hayut.

Barak added that the decision to uphold the law steps on the civil rights of citizens.

The appeal was originally filed in August 2003 by the Legal Center For Arab Minority Rights In Israel (Adalah), The Society Human Rights, Arab members of Knesset Dr. Azmi Bishara, Jamal Zahalka, Mohammad Baraka, and Abdul-Malik Dahamsha, and Israeli member of Knesset Roman Bronfman.

Spouses from Israel and the Palestinian territories were represented in the appeal which stressed that the Israeli family reunification law is “racist and affects the daily lives of the Palestinian residents in Israel and the occupied territories.

The appeal also emphasized that this law harms of principles of equality, human dignity and liberty.

The amendment formalized an Israeli cabinet decision of May 2002 that froze the graduated process for naturalizing Palestinians who marry Israelis.

It was considered as an emergency order in effect for one year, but it has been extended repeatedly.

Then Israeli Interior Minister Ophir Pines-Paz introduced some changes to the law in 2005; the changes were observed as a slight ease on the restrictions on family unifications.

Justice Cheshin said that “Israeli citizens who marry Palestinians should go live in Jenin” during a debate on the subject in February before the High Court.

He added that the Palestinian Government is a hostile entity and an enemy to Israel, and that it calls for the destruction of the State of Israel.