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Chronicling the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict September 28, 2006 Jerrold Cohen, Ph.D., Editor E-mail jerrmar2@verizon.net Receiving This Newsletter Purpose of this Newsletter [Maps not included in this web re-publication of the newsletter] September 28, 2006 Reports Sources WAFA Palestine News Agency
Palestinian Information
Center Palestine News Network Jerusalem Post Israel National News Ha'aretz IDF web site Yedioth Ahronoth
Gaza Strip: "Israeli jet fighters in Rafah bombarded the three-story house of Sami Braika with two missiles, and flattened it. Several houses were damaged, but there were no reports of casualties. (2) Braika is (8) an armed resistance (11) member of the Hamas movement. (8) 0411 hours: On Wednesday, an Israeli aircraft shot two missiles at a building used for storing weapons in Rafah, after giving advance warning by phone. Two people were lightly wounded and the building was lightly damaged. (17) Since this reference says that two people were wounded and the building was lightly damaged, I am not sure that this report is on the same incident as that reported in Reference (8) directly above. 0539 hours: The Israeli Air Force targeted the home of a weapons dealer in Rafah and residents were warned to evacuate prior to the attack, but two people sustained very light injuries. This reference appears to refer to the same incident as that reported directly above. My question: how does the Israeli Air Force know that this person is a weapons dealer? Or is this a matter of the Israeli army blowing up homes of people known to be members of Hamas, and using excuses for blowing them up? It seems that all homes blown up are those of members of Hamas. Don't PFLP, DFLP, Islamic Jihad, PRC, and other resistance groups engage in digging tunnels or importing weapons? How is it that every single home attacked is that of a member of Hamas? (23) West Bank: Israeli forces stormed several houses and arrested five Palestinians in different parts of Jenin. In Bethlehem, Israeli patrols arrested two Palestinians, identified as Rami Shawriya, 22, and Nader Zawahreh, 44. Two Palestinians were arrested in the Balata Refugee Camp near Nablus. One was a 20-year-old girl, Doaa Hussein. The other was an unidentified man. (3) During the raid of the Balata Refugee Camp Thursday morning, soldiers arrested a young man, Baha Amin Asawalhi and several men at the Mosque at their morning prayers. Eight military vehicles invaded the camp, near the school. Israeli forces broke into the homes of Ziad Hassanain and Fahkri Al Aktam, saying that they were searching for Amar Hassanein. An Israeli bulldozer razed a pharmacy, an Internet café, and several other stores. Camp residents said that Israeli soldiers shouted obscenities through loudspeakers, especially offensive during the month of Ramadan. There have been daily raids in the camp since Ramadan began. (13) In one of the Jenin area raids Israeli forces stormed a factory in al-Zababda town, opened fire, and arrested a worker, Amar Ibrahim Abbas, and then killed another factory worker, Abu Khamis. (9) Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, charged the Israeli occupation authorities with using chemical materials to "melt" the rocks under the holy Aqsa Mosque. (The correct word might be "dissolve" or "erode", since melting implies the use of heat.) He said that the chemicals would affect the foundations of nearby Islamic building as well. Israeli excavations are only 100 meters away from the Dome of the Rock. Israeli authorities did not allow UNESCO representatives to investigate the excavations for the past five years. "He said that Israel destroyed many Islamic ancient relics in the holy city in its bid to find any possible Jewish ruins, which it did not succeed to find so far and would not find." (7) At dawn, a large number of Israeli forces including jeeps, tanks and bulldozers, stormed a charitable organization, the Karawat Bani Hassan Cultural Charity in Nablus. Soldiers began by breaking down the outer doors and then those to the interior offices. Soldiers destroyed office contents and confiscated computers and files. They took official seals, financial receipts and administrative records from the Nablus building. On the first floor, soldiers destroyed a kindergarten and nursery, in addition to confiscating their files. The Charity issued a statement denouncing the attacks, saying that these were a further attempt to insure that there was no aid or release available for the Palestinian people during the political and economic blockade. (10) 0722 hours: Eight Palestinians were arrested throughout the West Bank overnight. (23) 1305 hours: "Now released for publication: One of the men arrested in the Al Am´ari refugee camp in Ramallah is Muhanned Hamed, a wanted Tanzim operative involved in shooting attacks in the Ramallah area." (27) My question as usual: How do they know that he was involved in shooting attacks in the Ramallah area? If they say he is suspected of being a Tanzim operative involved in shooting attacks, I have no problem with that. They state it as if it is a proven fact. Green Line Israel: "Border police forces arrested 823 illegal Palestinian workers nationwide overnight in addition to five employers and four drivers. Among those arrested, four were wanted by security forces while three illegally entered the country from Egypt." (18) A Palestinian youth was injured in a traffic accident at the Hizmeh checkpoint near Jerusalem, and was taken to the Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital. When a security guard asked to check the ambulance, the youth got angry and attacked him. He was arrested. (20) Palestinian government "Nazareth - PA chief Mahmoud Abbas has asserted that he would soon meet with Israeli premier Ehud Olmert as the latter voiced similar affirmation in an interview with the Hebrew radio." (4) Despite publication of a report of breakdown in talks between Hamas and Egypt regarding the release of the Israeli corporal, an Egyptian official denied suspension of its mediation role in talks. (15) Palestinian lawlessness Earlier this month, fighting broke out between members of the Executive Security Force and the Al Aqsa Brigades. Seven Palestinians were injured. One of them, a 45-year-old man, died from his gunshot wounds Thursday. (12) Hundreds of Palestinian policemen and security officers blocked the routes to Gaza City Thursday with rubbish bins, burning tires to demand their wages which have been withheld for several months. Some were shooting in the air. They also broke concrete blocks and spread the pieces over the roads. Most were part of the Palestinian Authority Preventive Security Force affiliated with Fatah. Some of the statements made: "The motive for our protest is not political. We are motivated by the hunger of our children....Abbas and Haniyeh, we don't care about your problems. We only care about our well-being." At the same time, the Palestinian Authority paid partial salaries to 165,000 civil servants Thursday, from donations from Qatar and Saudi Arabia. (14) Palestinian resistance 0722 hours: A bomb was thrown at Israeli soldiers in the Balata area. There were no injuries reported, among the soldiers. (23) "GSS (General Security Service/ Shin Bet) Director Yuval Diskin and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz told members of the cabinet that the Rafiah border from Egypt is wide open, and terrorists are regularly smuggling anti-tank and anti-aircraft rockets into PA (Palestinian Authority) controlled Gaza....The two reported an increase in weapons smuggling of several hundred percent of late, stating Egypt, which has undertaken responsibility to prevent border smuggling, is not doing enough." (24) Restrictions in movement The Palestine Red Crescent Society issued a press release for September 8-14, 2006, pointing out that restriction of freedom of movement of its ambulances and medical teams had a negative impact on the wounded and sick in Tulkarm, Nablus, and El-Bireh. Four deaths and 12 injuries were reported in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the reporting period. (1) "Gaza - PA economy minister Ala' Al-Dein Al-Araj has unequivocally accused the Israeli occupation government of using the crossing points in Gaza Strip as political and economy cards to blackmail the PA government...He warned that the continued Israeli closure of those terminals with or without reasons has aggravated the deteriorated economic conditions in the Palestinian lands, adding that the IOA was controlling the kind of goods exported and imported by the Palestinians in a way that serves its local economy." (5) Salah Al-Bardaweel, spokesman of the Hamas parliamentary bloc in the PLC, said that the national harmony document agreed on by Fatah and Hamas was the basis for any future PA unity government. Delegations from Hamas and Fatah met and agreed among other things to stop media campaigns against each other. Bardaweel said that the agreed-upon document has the blessing of all Palestinian factions and would not be abandoned under any circumstances or external pressures. There is more in this article on the history of pressure applied to the PLC and how it reacted. (6) The Lebanon cease-fire Israeli troops had infiltrated 150 meters into the Maji Iyun area of southern Lebanon when French troops from the UNIFIL task force clashed with them to block them from going further. (29) The IDF force included tanks, a bulldozer, and several vehicles. They asked to advance deeper into Lebanese territory, but were stopped by four UNIFIL tanks manned by French soldiers. Two Israeli Merkava tanks were setting up checkpoints. (28) About 170 Spanish troops and engineers arrived in Lebanon along with 35 containers of military and building materials, and 15 vehicles. 600 Spanish troops had arrived earlier this month. The new contingent was headed toward south Lebanon. (19) "Several disagreements regarding the deployment of Lebanese and UN forces in southern Lebanon have delayed a final Israel Defense Forces troop withdrawal from that country, IDF officials said Thursday....But the problems were expected to be quickly worked out in ongoing security talks, and Israeli and UN officials said they hoped for a full Israeli pullout next week." (25) "Haaretz reported about two weeks ago that the commander of a Multiple Launch Rocket System unit said his unit had fired about 600 cluster rockets and that the Israel Defense Forces had fired a total of about 1,800 cluster rockets, containing approximately 1.2 million bomblets....The bomblets, each of which has the strength of a hand grenade, do not all explode when they hit the ground." This article reports on legislator Zahava Gal-On asking Defense Minister Amir Peretz to look into the decision to use cluster bombs in Lebanon. (26) Miscellany Defense Minister Amir Peretz stated that if Palestinians continued to fire Qassam rockets, Israel might decide to escalate operations in the Gaza Strip including a possible massive incursion. "A senior defense officials said the IDF was considering reconquering the Gaza Strip, in the face of the massive terror buildup there." (16) A project funded completely by Saudi Arabia, nearly $1 million for an 800-square-meter building and $4.25 million for equipment, is nearly complete at the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The hospital will soon open a new department, saving patients from having to go to Israel or other countries for treatment of difficult medical problems. (21)) ----------------------------- Samples of this newsletter may be found at http://aberdeenpublishing.com/ocreport.eml . That "eml" extension means that people with Internet Explorer and Outlook Express can see it. Others may not unless their programs recognize the "eml" extension. Links for buying my book, Awakened, may be found at http://aberdeenpublishing.com. -- Jerrold Cohen, Ph.D
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