FEBRUARY2007

Photo and Text Mohammed Omer http://rafah.virtualactivism.net/news/todaymain.htm
Palestinian news
UPDATED
14th Feb.:2007/02/12
Hamas government to resign
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Monday that his government plans to step down quickly, possibly by Friday, based on the Mecca agreement.

"We are convinced of the necessity of speeding up the resignation to within days, possibly Wednesday, Thursday or Friday," Haniyeh told reporters before crossing into Gaza from Egypt.

He said several issues still need to be discussed with Abbas.

Under the deal, reached last week in Mecca, the government will resign, and Haniyeh will start putting together a Hamas-Fatah coalition.

M/D IRIB NEWS

13th FEBRUARY

"Le Hamas et le Fatah cherchent une solution à la Mecque", 11 février 2007

"Hamas and Fatah look for a solution at Mecca", February 11th, 2007

Mina, stoning of the Jamarat

From a Jamarat : "A few more steps and hands up!"

illustration Marilyse
2ND FEBRUARY:

Sitting in his chair inside his small shop where he used to sell groceries, Abu Ahmed, age 42 and father of six has closed his store. “I fear to open the doors of my shop now. Bullets from Hamas and Fateh militants shooting at each other are flying all over the place. I really hope this will stop, but this is only because of some hidden agenda and some collaborators who try to find a gap between political factions by interrupting the gunfire clashes"

And in Gaza City , the same thing. Clashes are going on everywhere. The streets are so bare of people that it looks like curfew. The last incident was the killing of a Hamas member in the southern part of Gaza . Hamas immediately put the responsibility of the murder on Fateh. No doubt, this undermined the fragility of any lull in Gaza 's blood shedding.

On Tuesday, Hamas and Fateh factions began to hold their fire as a truce took effect across the volatile territory. The last round of fighting left 38 people dead in five days and many others wounded.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas called for a total halt to the violence. "The past few days were difficult, and everyone paid in blood," he said in Gaza City to the journalists and reporters. "Everyone is facing a difficult test; either we maintain this calm ... or everything collapses again, and then everyone will be held responsible."

Previous truces between Hamas and Fateh militants in Gaza quickly collapsed into new fighting. It appears unlikely the two sides will comply with all the terms of the current agreement, such as handing over all those involved in killings and abductions, stop media instigations and provocation, as well as to take all militants off the streets.

The frightening scenes are almost over, but not totally stable as bullet shots can still be heard in Gaza . Military checkpoints and militants taking positions, as well as presidential guards are still patrolling next to the house of president Abbas in Gaza City and some other military and security compounds.

Late Tuesday, the two sides began releasing hostages - members kidnapped over the past week. Most of the members were not harmed. Hamas and Fatah gunmen have used prior lulls to prepare for more fighting. The news is spreading that the US donated weapons being used by Abbas presidential guards who was also part of the fight, since they are Fateh affiliated.

On Tuesday morning, the streets of Gaza were calm, as radio stations loyal to Fatah and Hamas played national songs instead of factional music. But again, one bullet and one word can turn Gaza into a nightmare.

Hopes for an enduring truce fell in the afternoon after a Hamas gunman was killed in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis . Saudia Arabia has invited both factions for talk in Mecca . Will this bring peace?

On another related front, will the Rafah border be allowed to be opened to ease the tensions or will Israel close the only gate out of Gaza to the world? Is Israel really interested in peace for all peoples or do they prefer hearing warring music in Gaza – the sounds of bullets and screams of pain and sorrow?

Palestine News will be up-dated throughout February

JANUARY 28TH:
Yahia Abu Bakra, a 2 year old baby was among the dead in the Gaza Strip on Saturday which brings the number of people killed to 18 and another 48 injured in deadly clashes between the two factions in the beleaguered coastal strip since the violence erupted late Thursday. The situation has been quite tense since then. No doubt when the clashes started most of the casualties were the innocent. Those whom we were able to identify according to Palestinian sources are Khalil Al Khatib, 17, a bystander, and Mohammed Khattab, 33, officer for the national security force. Both of them were killed close to Gaza's main hospital Al Shifa where clashes errupted between gunmen from Hamas and Fateh movement.

During the funerals, the brothers and sisters of the two year old baby Yahia Abu Bakara were gathered around his body and giving him the final farewell look before his body was removed to be buried.

The Islamic Movement of Hamas, which heads the Palestinian government, announced late Friday that it was suspending talks with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas regarding the formation of national unity government due to outbreak of violence. Both Hamas and Fateh had started a new round of negotiations on forming a national unity government which is considered more acceptable to Western donors such as the European Union.

All these disputes and fighting started when the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced in public his intention for early elections. This speech provoked the Palestinians, and mainly Hamas supporters, and therefore demonstrations took place everywhere.

Many Palestinian consider the US administration's support for Abbas' presidential guard as away to turn against the democratically elected government—this came after USA administration has given 86 million dollars as Aid to empower the Palestinian Authority.

A Palestinian citizen Hassenien Abdelhadi from Gaza City commenting on this issue said :"We were hoping that the US government would support the Palestinian's right and encourage the democratic choice, not to empower presidential guards against the new elected Hamas government." He is the father of 4 daughters and 2 boys, and had lost his job since the Itifada started and is no longer able to feed his kids.

According to Palestinian sources, more than 30 Palestinians were killed from the period of 15 December up till early January 2007. The worst incident was Friday's attack, when a group of militants attacked Al Hedayah mosque in Gaza City killing 3 Palestinians and 19 others were injured—the attack took place right after people have finished the dawn prayers.

Today clashes started again in Gaza City next to the Islamic university, where two civilians were injured. The clashes were very heavy which stops the traffic movement in one of Gaza's main streets.

Fateh movement on the other side announced that it has kidnapped 24 Hamas members.

Its been a year since Hamas won the January elections. It was hard to tell who was more surprised at the victory — Hamas, or Fateh, the other big Palestinian factions. But a year of sanctions and lack of salaries has passed, and still many consider Hamas winning the election a slap on the face for Fateh.

It turned out to be a rough year for all Palestinians living in Gaza Strip and West Bank under the Israeli Occupation Forces. America and European Union were constantly pushing for democracy as a solution in the region for stagnation and corruption in the Arab world. The message from USA and European Union was basically that Palestinians have the right to vote for whomever they like, but the winner has to be approved by USA and EU, otherwise, USA and EU will not deal with the winner.

A 15 year old boy was killed by Israeli bullets next to Sofa crossing in the middle of Gaza Strip. His body was brought to Al Aqsa hospital some hours later on, togather with two other children who were injured in the same incident. Both bodies were held for many hours, but they were released later on.

Report from Mohammed Omer who has returned from his speaking tour in USA to work on the site he created that gave him Young Journalist Prize of the Year, 2006 http://rafah.virtualactivism.net/news/todaymain.htm

Middle East Free Trade Agreement

"Conquered states that have been accustomed to liberty and the government of their own laws can be held by the conqueror in three different ways. The first is to ruin them;  the second, for the conqueror to go and reside there in person;  and the third is to allow them to continue to live under their own laws, subject to a regular tribute, and to create in them a government of the few, who will keep the country friendly to the conqueror."   Niccolo  Machiavelli, The Prince

The World Bank, of course, ignores any of the facts regarding the declared illegality of the wall. The bank proceeds to draft the "Palestinian Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA) : Stagnation Or Revival: Israeli Disengagement And Palestinian Economic Prospects," all grand sounding an deceptively filled with hope and promise. So the Bank proceeds to get funding for massive gates and checkpoints through which the Palestinian goods can pass, and there is funding for elaborate tunnels to funnel the Palestinian people to their jobs while denying them access to their stolen land.

The desperate and pauperized people will be subjcted to the "free market" of sweat shops, their ghettoisation, this is how the Bank glowingly describes it, waxing eloquent to a default: "...a regulatory regime with a minimum of RED TAPE [emphasis mine]..." In other words, no trade unions allowed! No minimum wage, work environmental considerations, etc. The Bank goes on to say that the current wages of the Palestinians are too high for the area and "compromise the international competitiveness" !! Even though they are a quarter of the wages made in Israel. They will be made to sustain the economy of occupation. THE PLAN, THE END GAME TO BE FOISTED ON THE PALESTINIANS IS ECONOMIC COLONIALISM!

The goods will have stamped on them "Made In Palestine," exploiting the name of the Palestinians which will play well in the international markets. On top of this, the loans for the highly mechanized gates and elaborate tunneling will be made to the Palestinians by the World Bank, who will be made to pay for a system of their own demise. So, essentially, the World Bank is ready to get into the business of Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. President Bush hopes for the MEFTA plan to be completed by 2013.

This is the plan to make Palestinian ghettoisation sustainable, it globalizes the  apartheid occupation of Palestine, and it assures the success of Zionism.  The Palestinian Authorities have been reduced to the administrators of bantustands, and the World Bank sustains this condition.

The World Bank will also take over the payrolls of Palestinian institutions, and all who do not obey Zionism and globalism will be subject to economic chastisement. Olmert is already announcing the "final borders," he is joined by the Bank and the policy makers in Washington, who cannot wait to exploit the Bantu-state.