Arabic News – 2006-07-01 23:25:09
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/060701/2006070109.html
Israel Attack on Gaza Pre-planned
Arabic News
TEL AVIV (July 1, 2006) — Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot reported that the Israeli government threatened to kill of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Hanyieh if an abducted Israeli soldier was killed.
Israel said “In the framework of the extension of operations to return the soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit and to remove the threat of Qassam rockets launched at Israel from the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli forces “distributed announcements from the air into the southern Gaza Strip, with the purpose of warning the Palestinian citizens against staying in areas in which the Israeli forces will operate against terror infrastructures,” adding “Anyone who interrupts IDF forces activities, conducted in order to complete the mission to bring the kidnapped soldier home safely, will be in danger.”
An Israeli report said “Israel has rejected a new set of demands issued by Palestinian groups involved in the kidnapping of IDF Corporal Gilad Shalit, saying there will be no negotiations with terrorist organizations over the soldier’s release. .. Three Palestinian groups issued a statement early Saturday calling on Israel to release a thousand prisoners and to halt its Gaza offensive. The statement did not say that Shalit would be released in return.”
Meantime, Palestinian Presidency Spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rdaina, said Saturday that fuel and foodstuff will be allowed entry into Gaza Strip this Sunday.
He told WAFA that gas and food will enter into Gaza through Karni Crossing, east of Gaza.
Gas stations across the Gaza Strip ran dry, and human rights groups worried that if fuel shipments were not restored in the coming days, Gaza could face a real human crisis.
Rdina, said that President Mahmoud Abbas sent a letter to Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa calling him to transfer money, specified for the Palestinian people, to the account of the Palestinian authority.
The Permanent Observer of Palestine at the UN, Dr. Riyad Mansour, said the Palestinian civilian population being held captive under Israel’s belligerent military occupation.
During the Security Council 5481st Meeting, held Friday, at the request of Qatar and the Arab League following moves by President Mahmoud Abbas, Mansour asserted that Israel’s recent military aggression was “clearly premeditated and planned” well prior to the capture of the Israeli military solider on June 25.
He added that Israel had been issuing threats about launching a major invasion of the Gaza Strip.
“Then, on June 28, after amassing thousands of troops along the southern border of the Gaza Strip, Israel launched an air and ground military assault by warplanes and tank artillery bombardment, punishing and terrorizing the civilian population.”
Israel then, he added, expanded its aggression into the West Bank, carrying out kidnappings and detention of at least 64 Palestinians, the majority of them high-ranking, democratically-elected officials and holding them, along with 9,000 Palestinians, in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation called Friday for stopping Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
In an action alert, the Campaign said Israel’s month of killing civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip is a clear reminder that Israel remains the occupying power of the Gaza Strip despite last year’s “unilateral disengagement.”
It added living under military occupation, the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip are “protected persons” under the terms of the Geneva Conventions.
“Israel’s targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip is a violation of the Geneva Conventions and constitutes war crimes.”
The Campaign urged the Americans to take action by holding Israel to account for its killing of civilians and destruction of civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.
It called on them to contact the White House, State Department, and Members of Congress to “demand that Israel is held accountable for its violations of the US Arms Export Control Act and Foreign Assistance Act and urge that military aid to Israel be cut off as required by law.”
Israel Acts Violate Geneva Convention
Arabic News
(June 29, 2006) — Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemned Thursday the Israeli occupation forces detention of Palestinian Cabinet Ministers, legislative council in the West Bank.
In a press release, the Center said it views these detentions as a form of reprisal against Palestinian civilians and a form of collective punishment prohibited by Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
PCHR called upon the international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention, to force Israeli occupation forces to respect the convention, which bars reprisals against protected persons, as stipulated in Article 33.
It also called upon the High Contracting Parties to enforce Article 3, regarding adherence to the convention and respecting its stipulations, and to take appropriate actions against the serious violations being perpetrated.
PCHR affirmed that these detentions are a form of reprisal and collective punishment and part of a plan to undermine the democratically elected government and PLC.
It said targeting the new Palestinian government underlines the intention of Israel to continue to disregard and undermine the Palestinian leadership.
The Center reiterated the position that Israel is intent on implementing unilateral steps to complete the construction of the Annexation Wall and seize more than half the area of the West Bank.
It also reiterated the call to the international community to take immediate steps to provide protection to the civilian population, in accordance with International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law, and to work to prevent further deterioration in the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Meantime, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemned the Israeli destruction of vital facilities in the Gaza Strip, calling upon the international community to immediately intervene to halt the Israeli war crimes.
Al Mezan said, in a press release, the Israeli Occupation Forces have intensified crimes against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip by targeting vital facilities, destroying bridges on Gaza Valley and the only electricity generator in the territory.
“Destruction of the power plant came as the Israeli Electricity Company revealed its intention to disconnect its own electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip,” the press release added. “That would leave the area completely without power.”
It added the electricity cut off will results in water shortages in all areas of the Gaza Strip.
“This situation is exacerbated by a suffocating closure of all entry and exit points to the territory. Therefore medicine, food, fuel and gas imports are all suspended. Markets in the Gaza Strip are depleted from essential goods and food,” Al Mezan stated. “The closure of Rafah crossing caused significant suffering for more than a thousand Palestinians left stranded on the Palestinian and Egyptian sides of the border.”
Al Mezan condemned the Israeli occupation forces crimes and confirmed that targeting vital civilian infrastructure constitutes a war crime.
“It is a grave violation of International Law, notably the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protections of Civilians Persons in Time of War,” it added. “Further, the attacks on civilian infrastructure constitute a clear escalation of collective punishment demonstrating the Israeli occupation forces disregard to political commitments they must abide by under International Law.”
The Center reconfirmed that this is one of a string of Israeli war crimes against Palestinian civilians and properties in the Palestinian areas. “The silence of the International community is to be condemned because it encourages Israeli war crimes.”
International Calls on Israel to Halt Gaza Attack
Arabic News
(June 29, 2006) — The UN International Meeting, in Vienna, convened by the Palestinian Rights Committee, condemned the Israeli intensified military strikes, attacks and extra judicial assassinations against the Palestinian people.
During the close meeting, last night, the participants called on Israel to halt its invasion of Gaza, withdraw and stop escalating the current crisis.
A Final Document adopted by the participants, which included United Nations representatives, internationally renowned experts from the region, parliamentarians, and members of the academic community and civil society, expressed particular concern at the recent upsurge in violence and its destructive effect on the hopes for peace.
The meeting alarmed at the large number of Palestinian civilians killed in the last few weeks and believing that that escalation warranted an impartial international investigation, the participants supported a request to the Secretary-General to facilitate such an investigation.
The Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said that the imminent Israeli invasion of Gaza had cast a pall over the Meeting.
That aggression required a condemnation from all and a demand that Israel, the occupying Power, stop that aggression immediately and withdraw its troops to outside Gaza.
“The Palestinian leadership, including President Abbas and the Cabinet, had indicated from the beginning of the situation, that they called on those who were holding the Israeli soldier to treat him in accordance with the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and for his immediate release unharmed. As they were doing everything possible to accomplish those objectives, the Israeli aggression had no basis, whatsoever,” the meeting said.
10 Murdered in Gaza, 4 of them Paramedics
(June 13, 2006) — Medical sources said that the number of the Palestinian citizens murdered in the Israeli raids has climbed to ten, including paramedics and children.
Dr. M. Hassanin, DG of Emergency at Ministry of Health said today that four paramedics identified as Adnan Taleb 45, Hossam Hamad 32, Ali Alamri 45 and Mossa Nasrallah 27 were killed in the Israeli attack.
Ashraf Almoghrabi 33 and his kid, Hisham, were also killed among other four citizens. At least thirty others were wounded, some critically, in the attack, medical sources said.
Three others identified as Mahir Moghrabi, Hammoda al-Wadiyya and Shawqi Siqali, all of them in twenties, were also killed and one more unidentified citizen as well.
Witnesses said that the Israeli plane hit a yellow Volkswagen car at Saladin Street, east of Gaza. When the paramedics and people gathered around the car to help the casualties, the Israelis shot another two missiles killing and wounding tens of people.
President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Tuesday the Israeli massacre perpetrated today against the Palestinian civilians in Gaza City.
Commenting on murdering at least 10 citizens, including children, President Abbas said that the Israelis continues their atrocity as they would get rid of the Palestinian people.
“But we say that we are steadfast in our country. We search for peace. We want to realise stability and to establish our state. The state terrorism Israel is waging now will not defeat us,” he said.
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