LCCC ENGLISH
DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 02/09
Bible Reading
of the day.
What sort of New Year’s resolution should a
Christian make? Here are some suggestions:
(1) Pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what resolutions, if
any, He would have you make;
(2) Pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you;
(3) Rely on God’s strength to help you;
(4) Find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you;
(5) Don’t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead allow them to
motivate you further;
(6) Don’t become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6, “Commit
your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your
righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday
sun.”
Free Opinions, Releases,
letters & Special Reports
Shadow of Iran Looms Large Over Gaza-By:
Dr: Walid Phares 01/01/09
The weather favors Hamas-Jerusalem
Post 01/01/09
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for January 01/09
Parliamentary Union Calls
for Unified Stance over Gaza-Naharnet
Israel kills top Hamas figure,
escalating campaign-AP
Arab lawmakers dicuss Gaza at Lebanon meeting-International
Herald Tribune
U.N.
Security Council Takes up Arab Resolution on Gaza-Naharnet
Nasrallah: What has Been
Achieved in Gaza Up To Now is a Victory to the Resistance and a Failure to
Israel-Naharnet
Lebanon Protestors Call on Arab Government to Act Over Gaza-Naharnet
Israel demands monitors as a term
of any truce with Hamas-AP
Gaza faces 'alarming' humanitarian
situation, U.N. official says-AP
Israel on High Alert in the North Amid Fears of Rocket Attacks from Lebanon-Naharnet
U.S. Advises its Citizens
in Lebanon to Avoid Demonstrations in Support of Gaza-Naharnet
Israel Rejects Cease-Fire, but Offers Gaza Aid-New
York Times
Bush administration struggles over Gaza approach-Reuters
Saudis blame Hamas amid calls for talks with Fatah-guardian.co.uk
Syria sticks by Hamas but still seeks peace with Israel-Reuters
Back to the Lebanon syndrome?Ha'aretz
To the south with love-Ha'aretz
Disturbing echoes of 2006-Jerusalem Post
Shadow of Iran Looms Large Over Gaza
By Walid Phares
The Israeli air raids on Hamas’s infrastructure along with troop movements
around Gaza’s enclave and the shelling of Israel by the jihadist organization
are both troubling developments in the Middle East but they are certainly
neither new nor surprising. Dramatic images of bloody Palestinian civilians
fleeing from attacks and pictures of Israelis rushing to the shelters while
under fire will always bring chills to observers and depress the entire
international community.
Sadly, it’s hardly the first time we’ve seen these images and tragically seven
years after 9/11 they seem to connect with similar bloodshed in Mosul, Kabul and
Mumbai. Even if both sides in the current Gaza conflict insist that their
confrontation is at the center of the world, in reality it isn’t anymore. Car
bombs and missiles in Beirut, Baghdad and Islamabad are all horrifying. There is
no “top horror” anymore, even in the never- ending cycle of Gaza’s turmoil. It
has all become part of the so-called “War on Terror” even though the
Palestinian-Israeli quarrel is a conflict all its own. Still, why is this
escalation so dramatic, why did it happen, who triggered it at this particular
moment and what can we expect going forward? It’s too grandiose to claim that
anyone has all the answers, but here is my take:
A Deadlock in the Peace Process
After decades of unstoppable enmity, Israel and the Palestinian Liberation
Organization struck a deal in 1993 under the sponsorship of the United States:
The Oslo Agreements. The two parties at the negotiations continued to complain
about difficulties in the final stage but nevertheless moved forward in
implementing piece after piece. A Palestinian Authority (PA) was established and
funded by the West to become the partner in Peace of the state of Israel, as a
first stage of Palestinian statehood. But by the mid-90s, the Syrian-Iranian
“axis” armed and funded Hamas and other jihadi organizations to “sink” the
process.
Wahabi quarters joined in funding the rejectionist forces. The equation was
simple: Hamas attacks Israel, causing a collapse in the negotiation process;
Israelis and Palestinians blame each other; suicide bombings blast inside the
Jewish state triggering air raids on the Palestinian territories. The history of
the past 17 years is one of obstruction toward any attempt to reach a final
agreement between the two parties and one of efforts by the United States,
Europe and the rest of the international community to push the process forward.
In short, it’s a struggle between the fledgling peace process and an Iranian
strategy designed to destroy it. Everything else is just a facet of this image,
but the Iranian-imposed deadlock is the root cause for all frustrations,
failures and bloodshed on both sides.
The Gaza Blockage
Despite the barrage by the “Iranian axis” via Hamas and Hezbollah against the
Israeli-Palestinian settlement, which escalated even further after 9/11 and the
Iraq US campaign, still small steps were achieved between Israeli Governments
and President Mahmoud Abbas’ Authority. By 2005 Israel withdrew from the Gaza
strip and the Palestinian Authority was closer to statehood than ever. But
Hamas, which won the Palestinian legislative elections in January 2006 thanks to
massive Iranian support and its armed omnipresence, refused to follow the course
of the Camp David process. According to its ideologues and leaders, and unlike
Arafat and Abbas, the radical group “cannot” recognize the existence of the
state of Israel. Perfectly in line with Mahmoud Ahmedinijad’s stance on the
“Jewish state,” Hamas is not simply another part of the Palestinian national
movement (as many asserts) but is a Jihadist organization with a clear
ideological goal: Establishing an “emirate” in Palestine — not a secular
Palestinian state — similar to what Al Qaeda wants to establish worldwide — but
with a much better international reputation.
Soon enough Hamas and Abbas’s Presidency clashed over the future of the
Palestinian people. Hamas (per its Iranian and ideological commitments) wanted
an endless “Jihad” against the pre-1967 Israel while the PA was moving forward
towards the two-state solution. In June 2007, Hamas executed a bloody coup
d’état in Gaza: Hundreds of Fatah members and other opponents were eliminated
and tortured. A Hamas “regime” was established in the enclave. As I wrote then,
“two Palestines” emerged: The Iranian-supported entity in the south and the
embattled Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Since that coup, Gaza’s forces
blocked the process while the rest of the Palestinian territories moved slowly
to normalization. As of this fall, for example, the number of tourists spending
time in Bethlehem and other Palestinian Authority locations has reached the
highest azimuths. One Palestine in the West Bank was slowly rising while another
Palestine in Gaza was sinking rapidly. Meanwhile, Israel imposed a blockage on
Gaza. Hence Hamas had to act to avoid a rotting process. Last week, the Islamist
militant movement ended the cease fire, which obviously triggered this war.
Gaza on the Arab Map
Viewers and readers in the West have been overwhelmed since the Israeli air
strikes began with footage and pictures from the so- called “Arab street.” This
term was coined by regimes and ideologues in the Middle East to claim that the
“region” as a whole has one voice, one set of feelings and one direction when it
comes to the Arab Israeli conflict and all issues related to the “Umma” (Arab or
Islamic nation). In fact the “street” in mostly non-Democratic societies
reflects the desired agenda of either radical regimes or ideologues. Hence
getting a real grasp on reality in the region is more subtle. When it comes to
the public attitudes regarding any Israeli action in the region, there is a
strong ideological force which will always drive all governments, regimes,
political parties to be against the Jewish state, regardless of the context.
That is a fact. But below the ideological level, there is a divided Arab map
regarding Gaza. While Syria, Sudan, Hezbollah, the Wahabis, Qatar and also the
(non-Arab) Iranian regime support Hamas, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, most of the Gulf
States are nervous about Iran’s influence in Gaza. More importantly the
Palestinian civil war initiated by Hamas against Fatah in June 2007 is still on.
President Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority wants to resume
peace negotiations but cannot confront Hamas head on. In short Arab governments
are simply unable to solve the issue at this point.
Israel’s Options
From Israel’s perspective, the room for maneuvering is very tight. Hamas is a
direct ally of Iran and strategic decisions by the jihadi group are made in
Tehran. The Israelis seem to have decided to respond to the Hamas challenge now
before their own elections and before the Palestinians also go to the polls and
especially during the transition period in the United States. It looks like
Israel has three options: Pursuing an air bombardment before reaching a cease
fire; engaging limited ground troops at the edges of Gaza to alter the capacity
of Hamas in shelling Israel; or going for a full-fledged incursion inside the
enclave. The bottom line: Once Israel begins the operation they can’t return to
the status quo. With this in mind, the minimal goal for Israel seems to be a
Lebanon-like arrangement with a UN Security Council resolution separating the
forces and freezing violence or a UN sponsored security deployment in Gaza to
change the military landscape and bring about civil peace and stability. We will
know more in the next days and weeks.
Iran’s Gaza Battlefield
The big picture is obvious. The current conflict is not really about the classic
Arab-Israeli process, which can resume between Israel, the Palestinian Authority
and the Arab League anytime it is not obstructed. The Gaza fight is about Iran’s
confrontation with Israel, and perhaps with the U.S. globally. A global
strategic reading leads us to conclude that — just as we saw in Lebanon in 2006
-Tehran is pulling the strings and very smartly. Timing the Hamas end to the
cease fire between two American presidencies in Washington and just before the
Israeli and Palestinian elections, the Mullahs thought they would drag Israel
into the Gaza battle on an Iranian timetable, triggering a “street” show of
anger, boosted by the jihadi propaganda machine in the region with all the usual
ramifications in the West. The astute Iranian move is to drag Israel enough into
Gaza’s mud to indict it internationally so that any future Israeli strikes at
Iran’s nuclear program will be seen as catastrophic. Tehran is calculating the
minutia hoping Hamas will win at the end of the day, and that the Obama
administration will begin its “talks” with Iran from an inferior position (since
Israel will be blamed for the violence not the jihadists in Gaza). But the game
has lots of risks, including the possibility that Hamas may lose its ability to
be a military event maker after this campaign is over.
****
Dr Walid Phares is the Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and the author of The Confrontation:
Winning the War against Future Jihad
December 31, 2008 08:
Israel kills top Hamas figure,
escalating campaign
By IBRAHIM BARZAK and AMY TEIBEL, Associated Press Writers Ibrahim Barzak And
Amy Teibel, Associated Press Writers – 3 mins ago Play Video Reuters – Israel
rejects calls for ceasefire
Slideshow: Israel launches airstrikes on Gaza Play Video Video: Gaza's dire
situation Reuters Play Video Video: Livni: Israel has 'no alternative' BBC AP –
A Palestinian firefighter works at the scene of an Israeli air strike on the
home of senior Hamas leader … GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israel dropped a one-ton
bomb on the home of a Hamas strongman Thursday, killing him along with two wives
and four children in the first attack on the top leadership of Gaza's rulers. As
the aerial bombardment escalated, the army said it was also poised to launch a
ground invasion. Israel also appeared to be sounding out a possible diplomatic
exit from the 6-day-old military offensive against Hamas by demanding
international monitors as a key term of any future truce.
The bombing targeted 49-year-old Nizar Rayan, ranked among Hamas' top five
decision-makers in Gaza. His four-story apartment building crashed to the
ground, sending a thick plume of smoke into the air and heavily damaging
neighboring buildings. It killed Rayan and 11 others, including two of his four
wives and four of his 12 children, Palestinian health officials said. The Muslim
faith allows men to have up to four wives.
Israel has made clear that no one in Hamas is immune in this offensive, and the
strike that flattened Rayan's apartment building in the northern town of
Jebaliya drove that message home. "We are trying to hit everybody who is a
leader of the organization, and today we hit one of their leaders," Israeli Vice
Premier Haim Ramon said in a television interview. Hamas leaders went into
hiding before Israel launched the offensive on Saturday, but Rayan was known for
openly defying Israel. He was seen earlier Thursday praying in a mosque, and the
military said he had a tunnel under his house that could serve as an escape
route.
A professor of Islamic law, Rayan was closely tied to Hamas' military wing and
was respected in Gaza for donning combat fatigues and personally participating
in clashes against Israeli forces. He sent one of his sons on an October 2001
suicide mission that killed two Israeli settlers in Gaza.
Defense officials said a one-ton bomb was used to attack Rayan's home, and that
weapons stored inside set off secondary explosions. They spoke on condition of
anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to the media. Israel has
assassinated top Hamas officials in the past, including the group's paraplegic
spiritual leader, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, who was killed in a wheelchair as he left
a mosque in 2004. It had halted the practice during a recent six-month truce,
which expired last month and collapsed into all-out violence last week.
Israel launched the offensive to crush militants who have been terrorizing
southern Israel with rocket fire from Gaza since the truce expired.
Israeli warplanes have carried out some 500 sorties against Hamas targets, and
helicopters have flown hundreds more combat missions, a senior Israeli military
officer said Wednesday.More than 400 Gazans have been killed and some 1,700 have
been wounded, Gaza health officials said. The U.N. says the death toll includes
more than 60 civilians, 34 of them children. Three Israeli civilians and one
soldier have also died in rocket attacks that have reached deeper into Israel
than ever before, bringing one-eighth of the population within rocket range.
Throughout the day, huge blasts had rocked cities and towns across Gaza as
Israeli warplanes went after Gaza's parliament building, militant field
operatives, police and cars. The military said aircraft also bombed smuggling
tunnels along the Gaza-Egypt border, part of an ongoing attempt to cut off
Hamas' last lifeline to the world outside the embattled Palestinian territory.
So far, the campaign to crush rocket fire on southern Israel has been conducted
largely from the air. But military spokeswoman Maj. Avital Leibovich said
preparations for a ground operation were complete. "The infantry, the artillery
and other forces are ready. They're around the Gaza Strip, waiting for any calls
to go inside," Leibovich said. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a meeting
of mayors of southern communities Thursday that Israel would not shy from using
its vaunted military power. "We have no interest in a long war. We do not desire
a broad campaign. We want quiet," Olmert said. "We don't want to display our
might, but we will employ it if necessary."Thousands of soldiers were massed
along the border with Gaza, backed by tanks and artillery. Along the border, the
ground troops watched warplanes and attack helicopters flying into Gaza,
cheering each time they heard the explosion of an airstrike.
Hamas threatened to take revenge against the Israeli soldiers massed along the
border with Gaza. "We are waiting for you to enter Gaza to kill you or make you
into Schalits," the group said in a statement, referring to Sgt. Gilad Schalit
who was seized by Hamas-affiliated militants 2- 1/2 years ago and remains in
captivity.
Israeli Cabinet ministers have been unswayed by international calls to end the
violence. Instead, they authorized the military to push ahead with its campaign
against militants, who fired more than 30 rockets into Israel Thursday, the
military said. No injuries were reported, but an eight-story house in Ashdod, 23
miles from Gaza, was hit by a rocket.
Israel's foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, was in Paris on Thursday to prepare for
an upcoming Mideast visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to push for an end
to the violence. She told reporters the offensive was launched "to change the
equation" with Hamas. She said the operation has badly damaged the Islamic
militant group.
"We affected most of the infrastructure of terrorism in Gaza Strip and the
question (of) whether it's enough or not will be according to our assessment on
a daily basis," Livni said. Earlier this week, Olmert rebuffed a French proposal
for a two-day suspension of hostilities. But at the same time, he seemed to be
looking for a diplomatic way out, telling Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
and other world leaders that Israel wouldn't agree to a truce unless
international monitors took responsibility for enforcing it, government
officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were
confidential.
International intervention helped Israel accept a truce that ended its 2006 war
with Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, when the U.N. agreed to station peacekeepers
to enforce the terms. This time, Israel isn't seeking a peacekeeping force, but
a monitoring body that would judge compliance on both sides.
The idea was floated before the offensive but did not gain traction because of
the complications created by the existence of rival Palestinian governments in
the West Bank and Gaza, defense officials said.
Gaza has been under Hamas rule since the militant group overran it in June 2007;
the West Bank has remained under the control of moderate Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas, who has been negotiating peace with Israel for more than a year
but has no influence over Hamas. Bringing in monitors would require cooperation
between the fierce rivals. Abbas confidant Nabil Abu Rdeneh said the Palestinian
president is asking for a cease-fire and an international presence to monitor
Israel's commitment to it.
*Amy Teibel reported from Jerusalem.
Arab lawmakers dicuss Gaza at
Lebanon meeting
The Associated Press January 1, 2009
BEIRUT, Lebanon: Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is urging Arabs to
support Palestinian "resistance" in Gaza to prove Israel cannot break the will
of the Arab people. Berri is allied with the Hezbollah militant group — one of
Israel's worst enemies and a Hamas supporter.
He spoke at the start of Thursday's conference of the Arab Parliamentarians
Union in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre.
The gathering of parliament speakers and legislators from around the Arab world
is to discuss Israel's offensive on Gaza. Tyre was chosen as venue because it
was bombed by Israel during the summer 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. The union
chief, Iraq's acting Parliament Speaker Khaled al-Attiyah, says Israel's attack
on Gaza is a "crime against humanity."
Israel demands monitors as part
of a Gaza truce
By IBRAHIM BARZAK and AMY TEIBEL, Associated Press Writers Ibrahim Barzak And
Amy Teibel, Associated Press Writers – 13 mins ago Play Video Reuters – Israel
rejects calls for ceasefire
Slideshow: Israel launches airstrikes on Gaza Play Video Video: Gaza's dire
situation Reuters Play Video Video: Livni: Israel has 'no alternative' BBC AP –
Palestinians carry the body of Ismail Hamdan, 10, during his funeral in Beit
Hanoun northern Gaza Strip, … GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israel demanded
international monitors as a term of any truce with Gaza militants, as its
warplanes bombed the parliament building in Gaza City Thursday and its ships
attacked coastline positions of the territory's Islamic Hamas rulers.
An international agreement to set up such a force would give Israel a way to end
its devastating, six-day offensive against Hamas, even as thousands of Israeli
ground troops massed along the border in anticipation of a possible land
invasion. So far, the campaign to crush rocket fire on southern Israel has been
conducted largely from the air, and a poll on Thursday showed most Israelis
aren't eager to see a ground push.
Military spokeswoman Maj. Avital Leibovich said preparations for a ground
operation were complete.
"The infantry, the artillery and other forces are ready. They're around the Gaza
Strip, waiting for any calls to go inside," Leibovich said.
Gaza officials said more than 400 people have died and 1,600 have been wounded
since Israel began its aerial campaign on Saturday. The U.N. says at least 60
Palestinian civilians have died.
In Israel, three civilians and a soldier have been killed by rocket fire that
has reached deeper than ever into Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who rebuffed a French proposal for a two-day
cease fire, won't agree to a truce unless international monitors take
responsibility for enforcing it, government officials said. He's made this point
in talks with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other world leaders who
are pressing for an end to the violence, they added.
The government officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were
confidential.
International intervention helped Israel to accept a truce that ended its 2006
war with Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, when the U.N. agreed to station
peacekeepers to enforce the terms. This time, Israel isn't seeking a
peacekeeping force, but a monitoring body that would judge compliance on both
sides.
The idea was floated before the offensive but did not gain traction because of
the complications created by the existence of rival Palestinian governments in
the West Bank and Gaza, defense officials said.
Gaza has been under Hamas rule since the militant group overran it in June 2007;
the West Bank has remained under the control of moderate Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas, who has been negotiating peace with Israel for more than a year
but has no influence over Hamas. Bringing in monitors would require cooperation
between the fierce rivals.
An Abbas confidant said the Palestinian president supported the notion of
international involvement. "We are asking for a cease-fire and an international
presence to monitor Israel's commitment to it," aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh said.
Israeli Cabinet ministers have been unswayed by a flurry of diplomatic activity
meant to bring about a truce, instead authorizing the military on Wednesday to
push ahead with its campaign. Militant rocket fire into Israel persisted, though
at a low level Thursday, with four rockets fired by late morning.
France had proposed a 48-hour cease-fire to allow humanitarian supplies into
Gaza, but Olmert said the time was not ripe to consider it. A separate proposal
by Turkey and Egypt, two of Israel's few allies in the Muslim world, also seemed
to be attracting little serious study in Israel or Gaza.
The U.N. Security Council, meeting for emergency consultations Wednesday night,
discussed but did not vote on an Arab request for a legally binding resolution
that would condemn Israel and halt its attacks.
A draft resolution was labeled "unbalanced" by the United States because it made
no mention of halting Hamas rocket fire at Israeli towns — the immediate cause
behind Israel's massive air offensive.
Echoing Israel's cool response to truce proposals, a senior Hamas leader with
ties to its military wing said now was not the right time to call off the fight.
Hamas was unhappy with the six-month truce that collapsed just before the
fighting began because it didn't result in an easing of Israel's crippling
blockade on Gaza.
The Hamas leader, Osama Mazini, said in a statement distributed by the Hamas
press office that his fighters were eager for a ground assault. "The people of
Gaza are waiting to see the Zionist enemy in Gaza to tear them into pieces of
flesh," said Mazini.
Israel and Egypt blockaded Gaza after Hamas seized control of the territory, and
have opened their borders only to let in limited amounts of humanitarian aid.
Explosions shook Gaza City on Thursday as Israeli planes targeted three
government buildings, including the parliament. Hospital officials said 25
wounded were evacuated from nearby houses. The military said aircraft also
bombed smuggling tunnels along the Gaza-Egypt border, part of an ongoing attempt
to cut off Hamas' last lifeline to the world outside the embattled Palestinian
territory.
Aircraft also went after Hamas police and their vehicles.
One pre-dawn strike targeting the house of a Hamas operative in northern Gaza
killed a 35-year-old woman and wounded eight people, a Gaza Health Ministry
official said.
Israeli ground forces, meanwhile, were putting the final touches on preparations
for a possible ground invasion, which would have to be ordered by Israel's
Cabinet to go ahead. The thousands of troops who are to take part have been
moved to the border, along with armored vehicles and artillery pieces.
Israelis are not eager to see the operation expand beyond the air-based
campaign, a poll Thursday showed.
The survey of 472 people showed that 52 percent want the air assault to
continue, while only 19 percent wanted to see a ground offensive. Twenty percent
favored a cease-fire.
The Dialog company poll appeared Thursday in the daily Haaretz. It had a margin
of error of 4.6 percentage points.
In five days of raids, Israeli warplanes have carried out some 500 sorties
against Hamas targets, and helicopters have flown hundreds more combat missions,
a senior Israeli military officer said on condition of anonymity in line with
military regulations.
___
Teibel reported from Jerusalem.
UN: Gaza faces 'alarming' humanitarian situation
By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press
Writer – Thu Jan 1, 2:32 am ET Play Video Reuters – Israel rejects calls for
ceasefire
Play Video Video: Gaza's dire situation Reuters Play Video Video: Livni: Israel
has 'no alternative' BBC Play Video Mideast Video: Israeli Soldiers Advance to
Gaza Border CBS 3 Philadelphia AFP – A Palestinian man places a Hamas flag in
the debris of a mosque in Gaza City. The UN Security Council … UNITED NATIONS –
Gaza's 1.5 million residents are facing an "alarming" humanitarian situation
under constant Israeli bombardment, with the main power plant shut down,
overcrowded hospitals struggling to cope and very limited food supplies, U.N.
officials said.
The power plant shut down on Tuesday because Israel has blocked fuel delivery
through the main pipeline since Dec. 26, U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes
said Wednesday. This has forced hospitals to use generators, which have limited
fuel supplies, and left many of the 650,000 people in central and northern Gaza
with power cuts of 16 hours a day or more, he said. "The situation remains
alarming," Holmes said. "Hospitals are obviously still struggling very much to
cope with the number of casualties. We have continued to get some medical
supplies in and to help them cope, but this remains difficult and fragile."
Karen Abu Zayd, commissioner of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which helps
Palestinian refugees, told reporters by video link from Gaza that the agency has
not distributed any food for two weeks because of the shortage of supplies and
the Israeli bombardment.
"I think that means that 20,000 people a day have been without food that they
expect — and probably is the bulk of what they get," she said. "So people are
doing pretty badly. Everyone we know is sharing whatever they have, not just
with their families but with their neighbors."
"We haven't seen widespread hunger. We do see for the very first time ... people
going through the rubbish dumps looking for things, people begging, which is
quite a new phenomenon as well," she said. Holmes said the Kerem Shalom crossing
from Israel was open, with 55 trucks of food and medical supplies and five
ambulances getting into Gaza on Tuesday, and about 60 trucks on Wednesday. That
compares to 125 truckloads a day in October 2008 and 475 truckloads a day in May
2007, just before Hamas took control of Gaza, he said. Some medical supplies,
ambulances and generators also got into Gaza from Egypt through the Rafah border
crossing, he said.
In Crawford, Texas, President George W. Bush's spokesman Gordon Johndroe told
reporters that officials are seeing "a good flow" of medical and food supplies
into Gaza.Abu Zayd stressed that her U.N. agency needs 100 trucks of flour a day
to meet the needs of refugees. But she said Israel has closed down the Karni
crossing, the main gateway for cargo into Gaza where it is normally delivered,
for security reasons.
She said UNRWA was told by the Israeli humanitarian coordinator that all other
crossings aren't open because "there is intelligence about serious preparations
for security operations.""We wonder if it's serious enough to really keep things
completely closed and to keep people on their edge of subsistence," she said.
Holmes said "the major needs, apart from medical supplies, remain ... grain and
wheat flour and fuel — also cash would be very helpful to enable people to buy
supplies."He said the Israelis have been "cooperative in principle about these
supplies but we need to see more results."
UNRWA launched an emergency appeal on Tuesday for $34 million for food, medical
supplies and other goods, he said, and "there are good indications that the
donors will respond generously."Both Holmes and Abu Zayd said the bombing has
also taken a psychological toll. Abu Zayd said U.N. staff members "try to tell
their children that the bombing is a wedding and somebody's celebrating." "The
children, of course, know that there's something wrong because they're not going
to school," she said. "They were supposed to take their exams this week."
"Everyone is just traumatized by what's happening each day, and also their
worries about the future, because they don't know what's going to happen next...
they're just expecting the worst," Abu Zayd said.
U.N. Security Council Takes up Arab Resolution on Gaza
Naharnet/Libya on Wednesday presented a draft resolution from the Arab League to
a U.N. Security Council emergency meeting that calls for an immediate ceasefire
in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. The draft resolution "strongly condemns all
military attacks and the excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate use of
force by Israel, the occupying power, which have led to the death and injury of
scores of innocent Palestinian civilians, including women and children."
It calls for "an immediate ceasefire and for its full respect by both sides."
It also calls on Israel "to scrupulously abide by all of its obligations under
international humanitarian law, particularly under the Geneva Convention
relative to the protection of civilians in time of war." The 15-member council
is now expected to convene a public debate on the draft resolution that includes
representatives from Israel, Egypt, the Arab League and the Palestinian
territories.
The resolution makes no mention of the ongoing Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli
territory that Israel said prompted its retaliatory offensive against Gaza.
At the start of the emergency council meeting -- convened by Egypt, which
assumed the Arab League presidency in December -- the British and American
ambassadors to the United Nations said the draft resolution seemed too partial
at first reading. "This resolution as currently circulated by Libya is not
balanced and therefore, as currently drafted, it is not acceptable to the United
States," U.S. ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters.
Israel's closest ally, Washington has regularly vetoed Security Council
resolutions seen as too critical of Israel.
"We will study the text carefully but ... any resolution will need to reflect
the responsibilities of all parties," said Britain's U.N. Ambassador John Sawers,
adding: "There is no mention so far of the rocket attacks that have triggered
the Israeli offensive." Sudan's U.N. ambassador Abdalmahmud Abdalhaleem Mohamad
and Arab League representative Yahya Mahmassani said the Council would likely
meet at the foreign minister-level in the coming days, with at least eight Arab
countries participating.
Foreign ministers from Arab League nations meeting in Cairo Wednesday called for
a binding U.N. resolution requiring an immediate halt to hostilities.
A delegation headed by chief Saudi diplomat Prince Saud al-Faisal with foreign
ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Qatar and Syria, a
Palestinian representative and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa will
likely come to U.N. headquarters to argue the Arab League's case, Mohamad said.
The Sudanese ambassador said a Security Council meeting with these
representatives could be held Sunday or Monday.
The draft resolution also calls "for the immediate and sustained opening of the
border crossings of the Gaza Strip," and the resumption of humanitarian aid
deliveries to its population. It "stresses the need for restoration of calm in
full in order to pave the way for resolving all issues in a peaceful manner
within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process." The text appears
to have been amended since an initial version was released to the press in
Cairo. It no longer includes a call for Israel to stop its "barbaric"
aggression, lift its blockade of Gaza and stop the "collective punishment" of
the Palestinian people.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas also appealed Wednesday for a U.N. resolution
imposing a ceasefire.
Abbas is set to meet Monday with the U.N. Security Council to discuss the
situation.
Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since ousting Abbas loyalists in June 2007.
Despite winning Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006, Hamas has since
been boycotted by much of the West for refusing to recognize Israel. Israel's
pounding of Gaza began after the December 19 expiry of a six-month truce with
Hamas brokered by Egypt and a resumption of rocket fire by Gaza-based militants.
The Arab League talks were taking place as Israel rejected world calls for a
truce and vowed to press ahead with its deadly Gaza offensive. Hamas on
Wednesday vowed to fight "until the last breath" if Israel makes good on threats
to send ground troops into Gaza. The Israeli attacks have so far lasted five
days, killing 398 Palestinians, including 180 civilians, and wounding close to
2,000, according to Gaza emergency services.(AFP) Beirut, 01 Jan 09, 12:30
Nasrallah: What has Been Achieved in Gaza Up To Now is a Victory to the
Resistance and a Failure to Israel
Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah affirmed that what has been
achieved up to now in Gaza is a direct victory of the Palestinian resistance and
a failure to Israel.
During a Ashoura celebration on Wednesday evening, Nasrallah said that the
Palestinian resistance has managed to absorb the first strike to come out fully
intact.
"According to the Israeli-Arab conspirators plan, the first air strike was
supposed to collapse the Hamas government and Palestinian factions. The aim was
to force the Palestinian resistance to call on the Arabs to end the battle,
after which an Israeli land operation would commence," Nasrallah said.
"The Israelis said they have benefited from the Lebanon July war. However, it
appears that the Palestinian resistance was the sole beneficiary," Nasrallah
added.
He considered Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister barak and
Foreign Minister Levni are all running away from pinpointing the objective of
their aggression for fear of losing. "Their objective is clearly to destroy the
Hamas government and the Palestinian resistance prior to the coming of the new
U.S. administration that will work on preparing for a new international peace
conference with American, European, Israeli and moderate Arab participation with
the aim of arriving at an insulting settlement," He said. Nasrallah said that
the Israeli air force is incapable of settling the battle, considering the land
operation a two edged sword.
"If they (Israel) win it's a sword, if they lose it is also a sword. What makes
them hesitate is their fear of losing," Nasrallah explained.
he referred to Egyptian official statements saying they don't convince any one
in the Arab and Muslim worlds saying: "Such explanations are worthless
politically, morally and religiously." Nasrallah called on Arab peoples to press
the Egyptian government to open the Rafah passage to Gaza. Beirut, 01 Jan 09,
12:03
Israel on High Alert in the North Amid Fears of Rocket
Attacks from Lebanon
Naharnet/The Israeli army has reportedly gone on high alert in the north for
fears that Palestinian factions backed by Hizbullah would launch rockets to
avenge the offensive on the Gaza Strip and open a new front with Israel. The
Israeli daily Jerusalem Post quoted defense sources as saying that time seemed
ripe for Palestinian factions to prove allegiance to Hamas and attack Israel
from south Lebanon. Israeli media also quoted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's
spokesman Mark Regev as saying the Jewish state was worried about the threat
posed by Hizbullah on Israel's northern frontier.
"Yes," Regev said, responding to a question about the possibility of an attack.
"We're watching the northern border very closely."
U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanese troops have also stepped up patrols along the
border with Israel after rockets were discovered in the south and following the
Jewish state's massive military operation in Gaza. Beirut media on Wednesday
quoted UNIFIL Deputy Assistant Spokesperson Andrea Tinti as saying that the
international troops have no information about Israel going on alert on the
other side of the border. He said UNIFIL was working with all sides which are
showing full cooperation.
The same defense sources told The Jerusalem Post that Israel feared a possible
attack on Israel as the anniversary of Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh's
assassination nears. They said the Lebanese Shiite group, which still seeks to
avenge Mughniyeh's murder in a Damascus car bombing last February, might take
advantage of the situation and attack Israel while it is busy on the Gaza front.
The mayor of an Israeli city in the north told the Post it would be the "mistake
of a lifetime" for Hizbullah and Lebanon to begin any sort of confrontation with
Israel now. "I have it from very senior military sources that the policy is, in
the event a missile is fired, to raze to the ground the village from which it
was fired. So if they want to reduce Lebanon to piles of rubble (then they
should attack)," Ma'alot-Tarshiha's Mayor, Shlomo Buhbut, said. Beirut, 31 Dec
08, 08:40
Lebanon Protestors Call on Arab Government to Act Over Gaza
Naharnet/Dozens of protestors staged a march through rain-drenched streets of
Beirut on Wednesday, calling on Arab governments to take action to halt the
Israeli air offensive on the Gaza Strip. The rally organized by leftist Lebanese
and Palestinian factions began at United Nations headquarters in downtown Beirut
and continued towards the local offices of the Arab League in the nearby
Ashrafieh district, but tight security blocked them from reaching the site.
The protestors waved Palestinian flags and held up a banner
reading, "No to Arab silence."
Naharnet/Israeli air raids on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip have killed at
least 390 Palestinians since they began on Saturday.
The protest took place at the same time Arab foreign ministers were meeting in
Cairo. A meeting of the Arab parliament is set to take place in Tyre, Lebanon on
Thursday. An Arab summit due in Qatar on Friday is in doubt because some
countries such as Egypt are not in favor of it, Arab diplomatic officials have
said.
The American embassy in Beirut, meanwhile, sent an email to its citizens
informing them that several protests had occurred "with little or no warning in
Lebanon" and that they should "exercise caution." "Americans are advised that
even the most peaceful assembly can quickly turn violent. Americans should avoid
areas where protests and demonstrations are occurring," the warden's message
said.(AFP) Beirut, 31 Dec 08, 18:00
U.S. Advises its Citizens in Lebanon to Avoid
Demonstrations in Support of Gaza
Naharnet/American embassy in Beirut, meanwhile, sent an email to its citizens
informing them that several protests had occurred "with little or no warning in
Lebanon" and that they should "exercise caution." "Americans are advised that
even the most peaceful assembly can quickly turn violent. Americans should avoid
areas where protests and demonstrations are occurring," the warden's message
said. Demonstrations have been ongoing on a daily basis since last Saturday at
various Lebanese regions protesting the Israeli military operation on Gaza. A
demonstration also was held outside the Egyptian embassy last Sunday that
developed into a confrontation between protestors and security forces that
resulted in some minor injuries. Beirut, 31 Dec 08, 17:44