Tutu enters Gaza to start investigation into deaths
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- Written by Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem
- Published: 28 May 2008 28 May 2008
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Desmond Tutu, the South African archbishop, met the former Palestinian prime minister and Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Gaza at the start of a much-delayed UN investigation into the shelling by the Israeli military of a Palestinian house which killed 18 members of a single family in Beit Hanoun.
Tutu was sent by the UN human rights council to lead the inquiry only days after the incident in November 2006. However, the Israeli government did not give him a visa and complained that the council was politicised in its criticism of Israel.
Yesterday, after several months of delay, Tutu crossed into Gaza from Egypt at the Rafah crossing point, which is usually closed and almost never used for UN or diplomatic visits, but where he did not require any Israeli travel permit.
Read more: Tutu enters Gaza to start investigation into deaths
Gazan shot dead at blockade demo, at least 16 injured
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- Written by BBC News BBC News
- Published: 22 May 2008 22 May 2008
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Israeli soldiers have fired at a demonstration near a Gaza border crossing, killing one man and injuring others, local medical workers say.
The demonstration, near the Karni commercial crossing into Israel, was called by Hamas in protest at the continuing blockade of the territory.
An Israeli army spokesman said troops spotted armed men in the crowd, but had no immediate reports of any gunfire.
Earlier, Palestinians carried out a lorry-bomb attack at the Erez crossing.
'Live bullets'
Several thousand Palestinians are reported to have taken part in the demonstration on the Gazan side of the Karni crossing.
Reports say while most stayed a distance from the border, several hundred approached the crossing point, some throwing stones towards Israeli soldiers.
Witnesses say Israeli tanks crossed into Gaza, and soldiers fired live bullets at the protesters.
The Gazan health ministry said 16 people suffered gunshot wounds, in addition to the man shot dead.
The protest followed the earlier incident at the Erez crossing, only a few kilometres away, when Palestinian militants carried out the lorry bomb attack.
Islamic Jihad and the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades said they were jointly behind the attack, which they said was in protest at Israel's economic blockade of Gaza, which is crippling the economy.
Islamic Jihad said the truck driver and suicide bomber was a 23-year old man, Ibrahim Nasser, from Jabalya in northern Gaza.
Gunmen driving behind the truck opened fire on the checkpoint, according to witnesses, but they fled when their vehicle overturned. Israeli military radio said the vehicle had been fired on by an Israeli helicopter.
Israel says it will not end the blockade until Gaza militants stop firing rockets across the border into Israel.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/7414090.stm
Published: 2008/05/22 14:35:25 GMT
© BBC MMVIII
Bush castigated by leading Palestinian, hailed by right wingers
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- Written by Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem
- Published: 22 May 2008 22 May 2008
- Hits: 3766 3766
Speaking before Mr Bush met the President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, a leading Palestinian negotiator and moderate, Saeb Erekat, said: "He should have told the Israelis no one can be free at the expense of others. He missed this opportunity and we are disappointed."
The US President, fresh from a trip to Saudi Arabia in which he failed to persuade King Abdullah to raise oil production by more than a token 300,000 barrels a day to ease US petrol prices, insisted that "we'll work hard" to secure an outline agreement on a future Palestinian state by the end of his presidency.
The President's Knesset speech on Thursday made no mention of the current negotiations between the teams of Mr Abbas and the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, on a putative "shelf agreement" on a two-state solution – to be implemented when Israel is satisfied that it will guarantee its security. Mr Bush acknowledged that, at his first meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt had "wanted to make sure that my approach toward the Middle Eastern peace is firm, and that we work hard to get the Palestinian state defined".
Mr Bush's speech made no mention of the occupation of Palestinian territory or of the continued expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, officially opposed by the US. It was ecstatically received by Israeli parliamentarians on the far right.
Zevulun Orlev, leader of the National Religious Party, which spearheads the settlement movement, declared: "His unconditional support for Israel is moving."
Israel-Syria confirm peace talks
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- Written by BBC News BBC News
- Published: 21 May 2008 21 May 2008
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Israel and Syria have said they are holding indirect talks to reach a comprehensive peace agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said both sides were talking "in good faith and openly".
The Syrian foreign ministry also confirmed the Turkish-mediated talks, the first since 2000.
The last round of negotiations broke down because of disagreement over the extent of Israel's possible withdrawal from the Golan Heights.
Israel and Syria are still technically at war over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
It was reported in April that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was mediating in talks between the two sides.
New momentum
In a statement, Syria's foreign ministry said both sides had "expressed their desire to conduct the talks in goodwill and decided to continue dialogue with seriousness to achieve comprehensive peace".
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The Syrian foreign minister, Walid Muallem, said Israel had agreed to withdraw from the Golan up to the armistice line of 1967.
Israel has refused to comment on the claim, although a spokesman for Mr Olmert said the current talks were being carried out with the failure of the previous ones in mind, and that the talks had recently gathered momentum.
The US and the EU have welcomed news of the talks, and both have praised Turkey's role as facilitator.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said he hoped the two parties "will reach a peaceful solution".
Analysts suggest that, in return for any withdrawal, Israel would demand Syria sever its ties with Iran and the Hezbollah group in Lebanon.
However, they add that withdrawal from the Golan would not be popular with Israelis.
The reports of talks in April sparked outrage in the Israeli parliament, where several MPs said they would try to accelerate the passage of a bill requiring any withdrawal from the Golan to be backed by a referendum.
Mr Olmert is currently battling corruption allegations, and the BBC's Katya Adler in Jerusalem says the prime minister's critics believe the confirmation of peace talks may be an attempt to divert some attention from that.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/7412247.stm
Published: 2008/05/21 14:52:06 GMT
© BBC MMVIII
Soldiers blow up door of family home, killing the mother, and leave body with her children
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- Written by B'Tselem B'Tselem
- Published: 19 May 2008 19 May 2008
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Testimony: Soldiers blow up door of family home, killing the mother, and leave body with her children, Gaza, May 2008
Samira a-Daghameh, 13
I am 13 years old. I live with my father, Majdi a-Daghameh and brothers and sisters: Muhammad, 12, Roah, 10, Manal, 9, Ruba, 4, and Qusai, 2. My mother, Wafa a-Daghameh, lived with us until she was killed. Our house is on Abu Latifah Street, about 700 meters from the Gaza Strip's eastern border with Israel.
Last Wednesday [7 May], around 2 A.M., I woke up from the sound of heavy gunfire. My father and mother were sitting in the living room, watching television, and I went to sit with them. A few minutes later, I went back to my room, where my brothers and sisters were sleeping. I lay in bed until I fell asleep.
Around 6 A.M., I heard my mother wake up Muhammad, Roah, and Manal, to get them ready to go to school. They go to the UNRWA school, where my mother teaches, and they all leave for school together. Ruba goes to kindergarten. When they were about to leave the house, my mother heard gunfire outside and decided not to leave. Around 7:30, the school principal called her and said she had to go to the school. My mother left the house with my brother and sisters, and I remained at home with my father, Ruba, and my baby brother Qusai.
I tidied up the house and then went out onto the roof to see what was happening in the area. I saw three tanks standing side by side about 500 meters from our house. When I saw the tanks, I immediately went back into the house because I was afraid I'd get hurt.
Around 8:30, my father went next door to his friend's house. I stayed at home with Ruba and Qusai. We sat in the living room and watched cartoons on television. About half an hour later, the electricity was cut off. At around 12:00, I heard somebody call my name. I went to the window and saw my mother. She asked me to open the door. "How did you get home?" I asked her. She said somebody had brought her home through the fields. She came quickly into the house and went to the kitchen to prepare lunch for us. I went into the kitchen too and fried potatoes. When we finished eating, she sat down to study. She was studying at the al-Quds Open University. I played with my brother and sister. We heard the sound of gunfire outside. I looked out the window and saw a bulldozer about 30 meters from our house. A few minutes later, the gunfire stopped.
Around 4:15 P.M., I prayed. There still wasn't any electricity. After I finished praying, I sat with my mother in my room and read the Quran. Suddenly, we heard a door crash to the ground. We looked out the window and saw an army bulldozer shoveling the ground and knocking down the fence in the yard of our neighbor, Ibrahim Abu Latifah. The bulldozer destroyed his house.
We all sat on the floor in the room and heard the tanks coming toward our house. I also heard voices of soldiers talking in Hebrew next to the window. My mother told me she was going to put her outer garment so she could answer the door quickly in case the soldiers came knocking. She put it on and stood by the door on the eastern side of the house. I stood by the window on that side of the house, from where I heard the soldiers' voices. Suddenly, I heard a huge explosion inside the house and saw a red ray of light. Smoke filled the house and there were pieces of glass and wood all over the floor. I couldn't see my mother because the smoke was so thick.
I went to where my mother had been standing and found two soldiers inside the house. One of them looked at my mother, who was lying on the floor, and said in Arabic, "great". I went back to the room right away because I was afraid of them. One of the soldiers stood at the door of the room. Ruba and Qusai were screaming and crying. It was 4:30 P.M.
I saw soldiers going into the rooms of the house. Some other soldiers took carpets that were on the floor and used them to cover my mother. The soldiers had lots of weapons, and were wearing helmets with green cloth netting. They also had a thick pipe about one meter long that was army-green in color. They looked scary.
I asked one of the soldiers where my mother was, but he didn't answer me. They spoke among themselves in Hebrew. I started crying and asked again, "Where is my mother?" But they didn't answer me. Then I asked if I could go to the bathroom, so I would have a chance to leave the room and see what happened to my mother. One of the soldiers said to me in Arabic, "Come." When I left the room, I saw four soldiers standing in the corridor leading to the bathroom near where my mother had been standing. The soldier who spoke Arabic told me to go to the other bathroom, so that I wouldn't see my mother lying on the floor, between her room and the first bathroom. The soldier went with me to the bathroom, and then I went back to the room.
There were lots of soldiers in the house. I stayed in the room with Ruba and Qusai. One of the soldiers sat by the entrance. His eyes were closed and it looked like he was asleep. My mother's cell phone was by me so I sent a text message to my father that Mother had been hurt and that there were soldiers in the house, but he didn't come home. There was still no electricity.
Around 9 P.M., I heard the soldiers getting up and moving things. I think they were getting their equipment together to leave the house. A few minutes later, they began to leave the house. One of them said goodbye and waved to me as he was leaving
When they were out of the house, I wanted to go to my grandfather's house, which is about 300 meters from our house, but the soldiers were still outside and I was afraid to leave. Two hours later, at 11 P.M., the soldiers left. I picked up Qusai and Ruba ran beside me all the way to our grandfather's house.
On the way, I saw aunts of mine. I told them that my mother had been injured by a shell and that she might be dead. They began to scream. I continued to my grandfather's house. My Uncle Muhammad was there and I told him my mother was dead. He didn't believe me and ran to our house. I stayed at my grandfather's house, crying over my mother, whom the Israeli soldiers had killed for no reason. She remained in the house for hours and wasn't taken to the hospital. It was a horrible sight.
Around 11:15 P.M., an ambulance came and took my mother to Nasser Hospital, in Khan Yunis.
Samira Majdi 'Abd a-Razeq a-Daghameh, 13, is a school pupil and a resident of Khan Yunis. Her testimony was given to Muhammad Sabah at the witness's home on 10 May 2008.