Middle East Aggregator

Three members of Hamas's armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, have been killed in an Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials say.

Health officials said at least four other Palestinians were wounded on Tuesday in separate Israeli air raids.

The Israeli military said it targeted fighters who had fired mortar rounds across the border.

Hamas said 16 mortar shells were fired towards an Israeli-controlled border crossing in retaliation for the killings.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman said Israel's military action "clearly indicates that Israel [is] not interested in achieving calm." 

"Therefore they must be ready to pay the price," he told the Associated Press news agency.

The attacks occurred east of the town of Jebaliya, in northern Gaza. (Al Jazeera)

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Palestine

A year after Hamas Islamists seized control of the Gaza Strip, Abu Hafss is waiting impatiently to see a sword remove the hand of a thief or a woman stoned to death for adultery.

"Hamas does not implement the rule of God," the Palestinian ally of al Qaeda said. "We have seen no one have his hand cut off for stealing. We have seen no one stoned as an adulterer."

Yet for all Abu Hafss' disappointment with the approach Hamas has adopted since it routed secular rivals in Gaza a year ago, some analysts believe smaller, more radical groups like Abu Hafss' secretive Jaysh al-Ummah (Army of the Nation) have benefited from the Hamas takeover to expand their membership.

Despite an official Hamas policy of respecting the rights of Gaza's small Christian minority, there has been an increase in attacks on Christians in the past year, apparently by Islamists not content with the extent of Hamas's "Islamisation" of Gaza. (Reuters)

Labels: Al Qaeda, Hamas, Palestine

The family of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier abducted by militants in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, received a hand-written letter from him, Israeli officials said on Monday.

Shalit, then 19, was captured on June 25, 2006 by Palestinian gunmen who tunneled into Israel from Gaza. There has been no sign of life from the captive soldier except for a letter in September 2006 and an audio tape released by Hamas last June.

Shalit's family was not available for comment.

The release of the letter comes as Egypt is trying to broker a truce between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza.

A senior Hamas official said the letter was released in a gesture to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter who met with the group's leaders during a trip to the region in April. (Reuters)

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Palestine

The leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip played down on Monday the chances of quick reconciliation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction.
"Things are still at the beginning and it may take a long time," said Ismail Haniyeh, whom Abbas dismissed as prime minister of a Hamas-led unity government last June after the Islamist group routed secular Fatah from the Gaza Strip.
Abbas's call last week for "a national and comprehensive dialogue" has been welcomed by Haniyeh, though aides to Abbas said there was no change in his demand that Hamas give up control of the Gaza Strip.
Haniyeh said any dialogue should be held "without conditions". "There should be no winners and no losers."
Haniyeh cited resistance from Israel as a factor that could delay reconciliation.
U.S. President George W. Bush is pushing Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to strike a deal on Palestinian statehood this year. But Israel has said it could review its ties with Abbas if he were to mend relations with Hamas, which refuses to renounce violence or recognise the Jewish state. (Reuters)

Labels: Fatah, Hamas, Palestine

They squander their days watching TV and surfing the Web instead of studying, but it's not for lack of discipline: Gaza students accepted at foreign universities are stuck at home because Israel and Egypt won't let them leave the blockaded territory.

The students' plight made headlines last week when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice interceded with Israel on behalf of seven students with prestigious Fulbright scholarships awarded by the U.S. government. But hundreds without such powerful allies will likely lose their shot at a good education, given Gaza's sparse offerings.

The blockade, imposed after Hamas' violent takeover of Gaza a year ago, is meant to bring down the Islamic militants and inspire Gazans to opt for a more moderate leadership.

But critics say the closure, backed by the international community, is accomplishing the opposite.

Hamas has become more entrenched and Gazans are growing more angry at the West as isolation worsens the strip's poverty, say the critics, who include both Israelis and Palestinians. They add that Gaza is also being robbed of future leaders - the trapped students - because they can't get the necessary training. (AP)

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Palestine, U.S.

In the early hours of Friday morning, Israeli warplanes targeted a Hamas-run security post in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, injuring 29 Palestinian civilians, according to Gaza medical sources. In the Eastern Gaza City neighbourhood of al-Shuja'iya, a 27-year-old man was shot dead by Israeli special forces during another invasion.
As the Israeli military invasions and attacks continue unabated in the occupied Gaza strip, movement towards a so-called Palestinian national unity government seem possible, according to local politicians.
On Thursday, Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Prime Minister Ismayil Haniyeh of the Hamas party extended an open invitation to PNA President Mahmoud Abbas, saying that Hamas's hand "reached out" to the Fatah party to hold talks on national dialogue, reconciliation and political unity.
Abbas had said on Wednesday that he hoped to "restart" unity talks with the elected government of Hamas, a political body that has been isolated and branded a terrorist organisation by the United States and Israel since its democratic election in January 2006.
"With the speech that Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) delivered on June 4th, it was a breakthrough," Ahmad Yousuf, top political advisor to Haniyeh in the Hamas foreign ministry, told IPS. "On Thursday, the Prime Minister delivered a speech responding to Abu Mazen. I hope that with Abu Mazen's step forward, Haniyeh will give two more steps forward, and we can meet in the middle. This could be the beginning of the reconciliation of the rift between Fatah and Hamas." (IPS)

Labels: Fatah, Hamas, Palestine

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Wednesday for renewed dialogue with Hamas after insisting for months that the Islamic militants relinquish control of Gaza first.

He said successful talks could lead to new elections.

Abbas said in a speech that the Palestinians must have national dialogue "to end the internal division that harms our people, (our) cause."

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Taher Nunu welcomed the call for talks.

"We welcome this call by the President Abbas to launch a national dialogue, and we consider it a positive step," he said.

Abbas said if the talks succeed: "I will call for new legislative and presidential elections."

Abbas won an election to succeed Yasser Arafat, who died in 2004, but Hamas swept his Fatah Party out of power in a 2006 election.

Hamas ousted Abbas' security forces and seized control of Gaza last year. In response, Abbas fired the Hamas prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, and appointed a government of moderates in the West Bank. (AP)

Labels: Hamas, Palestine

Israel suspended fuel deliveries to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Wednesday after a mortar fired by Palestinian militants struck the territory's only fuel depot, wounding a Palestinian worker.

Israel blamed Islamist Hamas, which opposes coexistence with the Jewish state, for the attack on Nahal Oz border crossing. But Hamas issued a rare denial of involvement and said it would try to halt Palestinian fire against Gaza's imports conduits.

"Fuel deliveries were frozen after the mortar hit," said Gil Karie, a spokesman for the Israeli District Coordination Office, which oversees deliveries to Gaza.

"They are checking the situation ... We don't know yet if it will open again today, or at what time."

Deliveries of European Union-funded fuel to Gaza's sole power station were not affected because no deliveries had been scheduled for Wednesday, an EU official said.

Israel has reduced supplies to Gaza since Hamas routed the forces of Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to take over the coastal territory in June 2007. Israel has suspended fuel deliveries in the past after militant attacks. (Reuters)

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Palestine

GAZA (Reuters) - Hamas expanded its administration in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday in an effort to strengthen its hold on the coastal territory, a senior official from the Islamist group said.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's decision to add another six ministers to his Gaza cabinet opposes Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's demand that the group hand over control of the enclave.

Hamas Islamists took over Gaza after routing secular Fatah forces loyal to Abbas in June 2007.

A senior Hamas government official told Reuters that the six new ministers are pro-Hamas and include a Gaza mayor and a lecturer at Gaza's Islamic University.

In the West Bank, Fatah spokesman Fahmi al-Zarir said Hamas's move would deepen divisions and said the Islamist group was not serious in its calls for reconciliation with Abbas.

"Adding more people to an illegitimate body is worthless, but it signals that Hamas wants to consolidate the authority it gained from a coup in Gaza," Zarir told Reuters. (Reuters)

Labels: Hamas, Palestine

Israeli troops used gunfire and teargas on Friday to keep more than 3,000 Hamas supporters from approaching one of the Gaza Strip's main border crossings with Israel, wounding at least six Palestinians, witnesses said.

At least two of the wounded were in a critical condition, Palestinian medical workers said.

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the protest at the Sufa border crossing was part of a stepped up campaign to break Israel's blockade of the coastal territory, which the Islamist group seized last June from rival forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

"Hamas will use all means to end the siege ... We will use stronger and more violent means in the future," Abu Zuhri said, though he offered not details.

The Israeli army had posted signs before the protest warning Palestinians that they faced "Danger of Death" if they tried to approach the Sufa crossing, used to bring some humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip. (Reuters)

Labels: Free Speech, Hamas, Israel, Palestine

In a surprise move, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met late Monday night with a senior Hamas delegation in his office in Ramallah.

The unexpected meeting came amid reports about an impending prisoner exchange between Hizbullah and Israel.

The meeting focused on the reported deal and efforts to achieve a cease-fire between the Palestinians and Israel.

PA and Hamas officials expressed hope that the prisoner exchange would pave the way for a similar deal between Israel and Hamas. However, they refused to say whether the meeting between Abbas and the Hamas delegation was linked to the deal between Israel and Hizbullah.

"We welcome the news about a breakthrough in the talks between Israel and Hizbullah, especially with regards to the release of [Lebanese prisoner] Samir Kuntar," said a senior PA official in Abbas's office. "We hope that this would lead to the release of [kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl.] Gilad Schalit and Palestinian prisoners."

Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip refused to say whether the case of Schalit was part of the deal between Hizbullah and Israel. (JPost)

Labels: Fatah, Hamas, Palestine

A top Israeli official met Egyptian mediators in Cairo on Sunday in the latest bid to find a truce with Hamas in the Gaza Strip but Israel's internal security chief cast doubt on the chances of success.

Amos Gilad, a senior aide to Defence Minister Ehud Barak, met Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman who has been mediating between Israel and Palestinian militant factions, including the Islamist movement Hamas which has ruled Gaza for almost a year

Israel refuses to talk directly to the Islamist group, which it considers a terrorist organisation.

Hamas has demanded the lifting of the crippling blockade of Gaza, which Israel says it imposed in a bid to force militants to stop attacking it with rockets and mortar rounds.

The violence in and around Gaza has cast a shadow over peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians which were revived in November but have made only faltering progress.

Yuval Diskin, the head of Israel's internal security service Shin Beth, was quoted by a senior government official as casting doubt on the success of the Gaza truce efforts. (AFP)

Labels: Egypt, Hamas, Israel, Palestine

Palestinian group Hamas is open to Arab mediation in its dispute with rival Fatah faction of President Mahmoud Abbas, the Arab League chief said in remarks published on Sunday.

Amr Moussa said Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal expressed the Islamist group's view during a telephone conversation to congratulate him for achieving rapprochement between Lebanese rivals, Asharq al-Awsat reported.

"Brother Khaled Meshaal spoke with me ... expressing willingness for a process of the same nature to end the dispute between Fatah and Hamas," Moussa said.

Qatar, spearheading an Arab League initiative, brokered a deal between Lebanese leaders last week defusing 18 months of political stalemate that erupted into fighting this month.

"Now there are many voices that demand a role for the league in all files and to continue this momentum to solve a number of problems, primarily ... achieving a unified Palestinian political stance," Moussa said. (Reuters)

Labels: Fatah, Hamas, Palestine

Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says Israel should return the Golan Heights unconditionally to the Syrians. (VOA) This is likely in response to Israeli Foreign Minister Livini's demands that Syria cut off ties with Iran and militant groups, which Syria reportedly rejected.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad on the other hand, expressed his displeasure that Syria was conducting any sort of talks with Israel.

Talks are being mediated through Turkey, though according to an official Turkish radio station, Israel has expressed the desire to hold direct talks with Damascus, while the latter has been hesitant to take that step. (JPost)

Apparently in response to these "shock" revelations (regardless of their being confirmed for weeks, the Syrian Defense Minister is visiting Iran to "follow up on joint defense agreements, ways to boost defense ties and (talks) on the latest regional and international developments."

Domestically, Iran is being accused of issuing a media black out, by asking newspapers and web sites to "ignore" coverage of talks between the two countries. (Haaretz)

Israel

In Israel, Netenyahu has issued a statement saying the Knesset and the majority of Israeli citizens would reject Olmert signing any release of the Golan Heights from Israeli control. (JPost)

Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit on Sunday suggested the disputed region could be leased from Syria for 25 years as part of a future peace deal. Arguing that the move would allow for a gradual removal of Jewish settlers living in the area. Former army chief Dan Halutz offered a different outlook, arguing that Israel did not need the Golan Heights for defensive purposes. Defence Minister, Ehud Barak, defended the negotiations. (AFP)

Syria

Haaretz writers argue that the Syrian regime is split into two camps, 'moderates', that support closer ties with the US, and 'hawks' who 'attribute supreme importance to ties with Iran,' thanks in prime, to Iran's strategic interests in Lebanon, being tied closely to Syria's. (Haaretz)

Militant Groups

There is some indication that Hamas and Islamic Jihad may be considering moving their offices from Damascus to Tehran, in the event that the talks reach more advanced levels. After the targeted assassination of Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyah on Syrian soil, and with allegations of Saudi Arabian or Syrian involvement, militant groups may be viewing their offices in Syria, as increasingly under security risk.

 

We thought we would try something new today and conduct a round up of news and summaries, rather then directly posting six articles of reactions to the same topic. Comments, Complaints, or Suggestions? Email us or comment directly.

Labels: Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Israel, Syria

A suicide truck bomb at one Israeli checkpoint and violence at a rally by Hamas at another on Thursday highlighted frustrations in the Palestinian enclave at slow progress in efforts to secure a ceasefire with Israel.

A pro-Hamas website said Cairo talks on a proposed truce between Gaza's militant groups and Israel had close to broken down. It blamed an Israeli refusal to allow a full and immediate reopening of Gaza's crossing to Egypt, at Rafah.

A senior Hamas official who took part in talks in Cairo with Egyptian mediators said on his return to Gaza on Thursday that he would not confirm a breakdown of the talks and that the group would seek further clarification of the Israeli position.

"We have listened to the Israeli responses," Hamas's Khalil al-Hayya said. "These responses require clarification and some answers and we await these answers in a few days. We hope they will be positive so that the siege on our people can be lifted."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he is not encouraged by the lack of progress in the Egyptian-mediated talks. (Reuters)

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Palestine

Israel and Hamas still differ on terms for a ceasefire that Egypt is mediating, a Palestinian official familiar with the talks said on Wednesday.

Egypt issued a statement late on Tuesday saying Israel had agreed on the terms of the truce as presented to them by Egyptian mediators.

The official said Israel agreed to stop ground raids and air strikes in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip if militants halted rocket attacks, but had not accepted the group's demands to reopen the territory's border crossings as soon as a ceasefire begins.

"Israel offered calm for calm, and said it would assess the situation and alleviate the blockade as calm prevails," said the official, who declined to be identified.

He said Egypt would inform Israel of Hamas's response later on Wednesday after mediators met officials from the group.

Egypt has been trying to broker a truce to end violence that could derail U.S.-backed peace negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Reuters)

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Palestine

Vice Premier Haim Ramon on Monday acknowledged that Israel was holding talks with Hamas, in violation of a government decision not to conduct talks with the Islamist Palestinian group until it complies with the demands of the Quartet.
The Quartet of Mideast peace negotiators - The United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia - have stipulated that Hamas must renounce violence, recognize Israel and abide by previous agreements.
Ramon, speaking at a Kadima faction meeting, criticized Israel's negotiations with the militants group and voiced hope that the cabinet would soon make a strategic decision not to accept the Hamas presence along Israel's southern border.

"The IDF knows what to do," he said. "We are not fighting a terror organization, but rather a terror nation called Hamastan."
Ramon's comments marked that first time a minister in the Knesset has confirmed that Israel was holding direct talks with Hamas.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said during the faction meeting that "decision time in the south is approaching," and that Israel can no longer accept the ongoing rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into southern Israeli communities. (Haaretz)

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Palestine

Leaders from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas arrived in Egypt on Monday to hear Israel's response to a six-month truce offer between Palestinians in Gaza and the Jewish state.

An Egyptian security official said Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas leader, headed the 13-member delegation which he said would hold talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman on Tuesday. Another delegation of Hamas leaders who are based in Syria will also join the talks.

Egypt has been trying to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas to avoid an escalation that could derail U.S.-backed peace negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Hamas has offered a six-month halt to hostilities in the Gaza Strip if Israel were to lift an embargo on the territory and reopen border crossings, an offer Suleiman presented to Israeli officials last week. (Reuters)

Labels: Egypt, Hamas, Israel, Palestine

France said on Monday it had held talks with Hamas, in an apparent softening of its support for the U.S.-led policy of isolating the Palestinian Islamist group that seized control of the Gaza Strip last year.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner confirmed a report in the French daily Le Figaro quoting a retired ambassador who it said had met senior Hamas officials about a month ago.
"It would be difficult to deny it since the man who is in touch with them has spoken," Kouchner told Europe 1 radio.

"Having contacts is necessary. We had some before the invasion [takeover by Hamas] of Gaza," he added.
The U.S. State Department criticized France's decision to have contacts with Hamas, although it did not echo U.S. President George W. Bush's recent suggestion that negotiating with such groups is tantamount to appeasement.
"We don't think it is wise or appropriate," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters in Washington. The United States classifies Hamas as a terrorist group. (Haaretz)

Labels: France, Hamas, Israel, Palestine, U.S.

Unknown assailants detonated a bomb outside a popular cafe in Gaza City early Sunday morning, apparently part of a campaign by shadowy extremists to eliminate perceived symbols of Western influence.

The pre-dawn blast smashed the cafe's windows and damaged its door. No one was hurt.

Cafe owner Khalid Harbid said another bomb went off outside his cafe last month. He charged that Gaza's Hamas rulers are not protecting his business.

"My cafe has become Sderot," Harbid said, referring the Israeli town that is the target of daily Palestinian rocket fire.

A Hamas official said police were investigating. (JPost)

Labels: Hamas, Palestine

Unknown assailants detonated a bomb outside a Christian school in Gaza City before dawn Friday, causing no injuries.

The explosion was heard in surrounding neighborhoods at around 4 a.m. Damage was visible at the entrance to the Zahwa Rosary School, which is run by Catholic nuns but caters mainly to Muslim students.

Two nuns were in their convent adjacent to the school when the bomb went off, a school official said, and were shaken but unharmed. The official declined to be named, saying she was frightened by the incident and concerned for her safety.

The incident appeared to be the work of a poorly trained individual or group, she said - police told school officials that the bomb had been set incorrectly, and it caused little damage.

The bombing was the latest in a string of attacks on Christian institutions in the overwhelmingly Muslim territory. In the most serious attack, a local Christian activist was murdered in October. His killers have not been found.

Friday's bombing was not the first attack on the school run by the Rosary Sisters. The school was ransacked in June, 2007, along with the nuns' adjacent convent, during a week of intense fighting that ended with Hamas' seizure of power.

Police officials from Hamas said they were looking into the incident. (JPost)

Labels: Hamas, Palestine

President Bush invoked the specter of the Holocaust to warn Israeli lawmakers on Thursday afternoon that they must take seriously the incendiary language of extremist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, as he celebrated the state's 60th anniversary by sketching out a more hopeful future of peaceful coexistence between Jews and Arabs.

On the second day of his Middle East trip, Bush toured the historic Dead Sea fortress Masada before returning here for an address to Israel's Knesset that, halfway through his final year in office, served as a broad and emotional restatement of support for Israel.

Citing Hamas' call for the "elimination" of Israel, Hezbollah followers' chants of "Death to Israel, Death to America" and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's vow to wipe the Jewish state off the map, Bush said such language can't be dismissed as mere propaganda.

"There are good and decent people who cannot fathom the darkness in these men and try to explain away their words. It is natural," Bush said. "But it is deadly wrong. As witnesses to evil in the past, we carry a solemn responsibility to take these words seriously. Jews and Americans have seen the consequences of disregarding the words of leaders who espouse hatred. And that is a mistake the world must not repeat in the 21st century." (Washington Post)

Labels: Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Israel, U.S.

Israel is examining the possible responses to Wednesday's Grad rocket attack on Ashkelon. At this stage, it seems there will not be a broad response and the Israel Defense Forces will settle for pinpoint attacks on the Gaza Strip. Nevertheless, a senior defense source emphasized Wednesday that "Israel is on a collision course with Hamas in Gaza that is reaching its conclusion."
Alongside the targeted Israeli responses the contacts over a temporary cease-fire in Gaza are expected to continue. Israel has not ruled out such an agreement; Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman is expected to return to Israel shortly to discuss the details of his initiative vis-a-vis Hamas in light of the new Israeli demand that the agreement include significant progress toward the release of abducted soldier Gilad Shalit.
A senior government official in Jerusalem said Wednesday that Israel is interested in reaching a situation where once it decides on a broad operation in Gaza, it will receive broad international support. "Any operation in Gaza will lead to the freezing of negotiations, and we want to make sure we will not be viewed as guilty [for the freeze]," the official said.

The operation in Gaza, which will only come after U.S. President George Bush ends his visit to Israel, is likely to include an increased number of aerial strikes, including against Hamas targets, and more ground troops will be sent on limited operations in the area near the fence surrounding Gaza. (Haaretz)

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Palestine

"The Holocaust was not only a crime against humanity but one of the most abhorrent crimes in modern history," according to a senior Gaza-based Hamas official.

The London-based Guardian published an op-ed on Monday written by Dr. Bassem Naeem, Hamas's minister of health and information in the Gaza Strip.

Naeem addressed several topics in his piece, including Holocaust denial by Palestinian media, the alleged exploitation of the Holocaust by Israel and what he described as continued "occupation and oppression" of Palestinians.

The Hamas minister, referring to a recent broadcast on the Gaza-based Al-Aksa channel that claimed the Holocaust was a 'joke' put on by prime minister David Ben-Gurion - wrote that the network "is an independent media institution that often does not express the views of... the Hamas movement" and that "in the case of [this] opinion it is alone and is solely responsible for it. (JPost)

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Palestine

Hamas has said that the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured in 2006, will not form part of any truce agreement with Israel.

Israel has said a ceasefire deal must include the release of the soldier.

Cpl Shalit was seized in a cross-border raid two years ago by Palestinian militants, including members of Hamas.

Egyptian intelligence chief was in Jerusalem on Monday talking to Israeli officials about a ceasefire offer by the Gaza Strip's militant groups.

Omar Suleiman has for months been involved in talks with all the militant groups in Gaza - finally producing a joint truce proposal at the end of April.

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert discussed the subject in a meeting with Mr Suleiman on Monday.

Mr Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, said: "Hamas continues to hold hostage the young Israeli serviceman - he must be released."

"Hamas cannot expect Israel to ignore the fact that they are holding one of our young servicemen", he added.

.......................

Hamas leader Mahmud Zahar responded in a speech.... "The issue of a prisoner exchange is completely separate from the period of calm."

Hamas has demanded the release of 450 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the return of Cpl Shalit. (BBC)

Labels: Egypt, Hamas, Israel, Palestine

American victims of bombings and rocket attacks in Israel have sued Swiss bank UBS AG for more than $500 million, accusing the bank of helping fund the militants behind the attacks through dealings with Iran.
The lawsuit seeks damages from Switzerland's largest bank for more than 50 U.S. citizens hurt or relatives of those killed in bombings in Israel between 1997 and 2006 that it said were carried out by militant groups Hezbollah, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
UBS AG broke several 1996 U.S. laws that prohibit persons and companies from engaging with state sponsors of terrorism and were designed to impede Iran's access to foreign capital, the suit said.
The lawsuit, filed on Friday in federal court in New York, cited U.S. government reports that conclude Iran has been the main sponsor of Hezbollah and Hamas since 1996, including providing tens of millions of cash annually. The U.S. government considers Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist organizations.
"UBS knew full well that the cash dollars it was providing to a state-sponsor of terrorism such as Iran would be used to cause and facilitate terrorist attacks by Iranian-sponsored terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah and PIJ," the lawsuit said.
UBS spokeswoman Rohini Pragasam declined to comment on the suit. (Reuters)

Labels: Hamas, Hezbollah, Israel, Switzerland, U.S.

The Israeli army said on Monday it regretted the death of a Palestinian teacher killed during an Israeli raid in the Gaza Strip last week and blamed militants for operating in built-up areas.

Responding to a call by her U.N. employers for an inquiry into the death of Wafa al-Daghma on May 7, the Israeli Defence Forces said: "Following an initial inquiry into the matter, the incident took place in an area in which ongoing fighting and fire exchanges occurred between IDF forces and armed gunmen."

The statement added: "The IDF wishes to express sorrow for any injury of uninvolved individuals.

"The IDF places complete and utter responsibility on the Hamas terrorist organization for the injury and killing of uninvolved civilians."

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, for whom Daghma, 32, worked as an elementary school teacher, said it believed she was killed when troops blasted open the door of her home during a raid into the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. (Reuters)

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Palestine

Rob Malley, a Middle East policy adviser to likely Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama, resigned after news surfaced that he had been meeting with Hamas -- something Obama pledged he himself would never do.

Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said Saturday Malley called the Obama campaign on Friday to sever ties with the candidate after learning the Times of London was publishing a story about his contacts with the terrorist group.

Malley is an analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based International Crisis Group, specializing in the Israeli-Arab conflict. He told NBC News that his job "is to meet with all sorts of savory and unsavory people and report on what they say. I've never denied whom I meet with; that's what I do."

LaBolt said, "Sen. Obama strongly opposes talking to Hamas, a terrorist group committed to Israel's destruction. As president, he will work to isolate Hamas and target its resources, and rejects any dialogue until Hamas recognizes Israel, renounces terrorism, and abides by previous agreements."

LaBolt, downplaying Malley's role, said, "Rob Malley has, like hundreds of other experts, provided informal advice to the campaign in the past. He has no formal role in the campaign and he will not play any role in the future." (Reuters)

Labels: Hamas, Palestine, U.S.

An adviser to a US general helping revamp Palestinian security forces has made several trips to Gaza, even though Washington considers the Hamas rulers of the territory terrorists, Palestinian officials said on Friday. A Canadian colonel who advises Lieutenant General Keith Dayton has made at least three recent visits to the Gaza Strip, security officials said.

Washington refuses to have any official contact with Hamas, an Islamist movement.

A senior Western official with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified, said the adviser also worked for the office of the military attache at the Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv, and insisted he traveled to Gaza "in that capacity, on some Canadian national business." "It had no official connection with the Dayton team."

The Canadian met with Hamas officials in Gaza, a Palestinian official said.

He also met with a senior officer of the security services loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that have been inactive in Gaza since Hamas seized power in June. (AFP)

Labels: Hamas, Palestine, U.S.

Israeli air raids on the Palestinian territory have killed five people after an Israeli farm worker died in a Palestinian rocket attack.

The first Israeli air raid on Friday killed two Hamas security men in the town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, according to a police spokesman and ambulance workers.

A second Israeli air attack targeted a Hamas police base in the town of Khan Younis in the centre of the strip and killed two Palestinians, a source said, without specifying if the victim had been a Hamas members. Three others were wounded in the attack.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the earlier rocket attack on Israel, which struck the Kfar Aza collective farm in the southern part of the country.

Israeli ambulance workers said the civilian killed in the rocket attack was a middle-aged man. Three other people were wounded. (Al Jazeera)

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Palestine

The international community's efforts at trying to weaken Hamas have failed and should be reevaluated, the EU's two leading diplomats to Israel and the PA said Monday, although they stopped well short of saying that Hamas should be engaged.

"The policy implemented in the last year [toward the Gaza Strip] aimed at strengthening people [through providing direct economic assistance and humanitarian aid], and weakening Hamas... is having the opposite effect," said Ramiro Cibrián-Uzal, the EU's ambassador to Israel. "We need to think about alternative policies, because this has not been successful. This is important to recognize."

Cibrian-Uzal's counterpart in the West Bank and Gaza, John Kjaer, agreed, saying that the closure of the crossings into Gaza had been counterproductive.

Only allowing in humanitarian assistance, rather than a free flow of goods through the Gaza crossing that enable the development of the Gaza economy and show "peace dividends," has only increased Hamas's clout, Kjaer said. (JPost)

Labels: European Union, Hamas, Israel, Palestine

Palestinian sources have said that Hamas is willing to show flexibility over a prisoner swap deal, which may facilitate the release of the abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jarida reported on Saturday.
The paper said that Hamas had told Egypt it is willing to continue negotiations over the release of Shalit, who was abducted by Hamas militants in 2006, in exchange for a lull in the fighting between the Islamic organization and Israel in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar reported on Saturday that the heart procedure Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas underwent in a Jordan hospital on Thursday resulted from the acute distress he suffered after his meeting with U.S. President George Bush last week.

A Palestinian official told the paper that Abbas was deeply upset by Bush's unequivocal endorsement of Israel's policy toward the West Bank and Gaza.
"Bush's stance shocked and agitated him. He seemed angered, and now suffers from disquiet and weakness," the source said. (Haaretz)

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Palestine

In a recent NY Times article, Jimmy Carter lays out the points Hamas agreed to accept as a stepping stone to peace with Israel:

• Hamas will accept any agreement negotiated by Mr. Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel provided it is approved either in a Palestinian referendum or by an elected government. Hamas's leader, Khaled Meshal, has reconfirmed this, although some subordinates have denied it to the press.

• When the time comes, Hamas will accept the possibility of forming a nonpartisan professional government of technocrats to govern until the next elections can be held.

• Hamas will also disband its militia in Gaza if a nonpartisan professional security force can be formed.

• Hamas will permit an Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian militants in 2006, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, to send a letter to his parents. If Israel agrees to a list of prisoners to be exchanged, and the first group is released, Corporal Shalit will be sent to Egypt, pending the final releases.

• Hamas will accept a mutual cease-fire in Gaza, with the expectation (not requirement) that this would later include the West Bank.

• Hamas will accept international control of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, provided the Egyptians and not the Israelis control closing the gates. (NY Times)

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Palestine

The US has said Iran remains the "most active" state sponsor of what it calls "terrorism".

The US state department, in its annual Country Reports on Terrorism document, accused Iran of providing aid to the Palestinian group Hamas, the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah, "Iraq-based militants", and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

The report said "elements" of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were directly involved in the planning and support of "terrorist" acts throughout the Middle East.

Pentagon officials say they have given Iraqi leaders US evidence that contradicts Tehran's stated commitment to stop providing arms, weapons technology and training to Shia militias inside Iraq.

The state department report comes as Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, said this week that a second aircraft carrier sent to the Gulf was a "reminder" to Iran, but not an escalation.

It also comes a day after Iran stopped conducting oil transactions in US dollars in what it called a concerted attempt to reduce reliance on Washington. (Al Jazeera)

Labels: Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Taliban, U.S.

Nibaal Shriteh may soon be homeless. The 17-year-old Palestinian lives in a Hebron orphanage but, if the Israeli military has its way, she and 240 fellow orphans like her will be out on the streets. "I am talking to you today from this place, from my home, from my school, from my class," Shriteh told a handful of independent media and assembled local and international supporters at a news conference in early April at Al-Shariya Girls Orphanage. "But tomorrow I'll be talking to you as a lonely, lost person from the street."

The Israeli military issued orders on February 25 for the closure and confiscation by April 7 of orphanages, schools and other facilities owned by the Islamic Charitable Society (ICS), claiming the foundation "masquerades as a charity organization in order to cover its activities of increasing support of the Hamas terror network."

"The foundation in Hebron not only raises money for terrorism, it also recruits new terror operatives and disseminates the creed of anti-Zionism and jihad among the population," a military spokesman told IPS.

The Israeli Army told IPS that "all of the foundation's resources are devoted to funding Hamas and Hamas' grip on the region ... and to strengthening the terrorist network in order to target Israel." One of the oldest non-governmental organizations in the Occupied Territories, the charitable association is also accused of training youths in jihad and Hamas principles. (Inter Press Service)

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Palestine

Palestinian factions are due to meet in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials in a bid to draft a common position on a truce with Israel.

The factions are to hold talks with Omar Suleiman, the Egyptian intelligence chief, on Tuesday and Wednesday to further discuss the plan.

"Each faction will meet with Suleiman separately, and then they will have a joint meeting," a security official said.

The Hamas movement which rules the Gaza Strip held similar talks in Egypt last week.

Hamas said it was ready to accept a phased ceasefire that would start in Gaza and extend to the West Bank after six months. (Al Jazeera)

Labels: Egypt, Hamas, Israel, Palestine

Jerusalem expressed mild satisfaction Sunday night that a statement issued by the EU on the fuel shortage in Gaza placed at least part of the blame on Hamas's shoulders.

After expressing "grave concern" at reports that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) had suspended its humanitarian work in the Gaza Strip because of a fuel shortage, and after calling for "regular and unrestricted delivery of fuel supplies" through the "controlled reopening of the crossings" into the area, the EU then singled out Hamas.

"Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza have their share in aggravating the humanitarian situation, including through carrying out the attacks on the Nahal Oz and Kerem Shalom crossings," the statement read. "The [EU] president condemns such actions, which only lead to further suffering of the population."

Senior Foreign Ministry officials said that this was one of only a few times that an EU statement had actually condemned Hamas by name. The official said that while the statement was not revolutionary in nature, it did indicate that the EU had taken the recent Hamas attacks at the Nahal Oz and Kerem Shalom crossings into account when looking at the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. (JPost)

Labels: European Union, Hamas, Israel, Palestine

Hamas has urged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to officially declare the failure of peace talks with Israel and to resume national unity negotiations with the movement and other Palestinian factions.

The appeal came in response to Abbas's announcement that he failed to make progress in his talks with US President George W. Bush last week.

Abbas is scheduled to brief Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on his visit to Washington during a meeting between the two in Sharm e-Sheikh on Sunday. The two will also discuss Egypt's efforts to mediate a truce between Israel and Hamas.

PA officials in Ramallah warned that the failure of the peace talks with Israel would "strengthen" Hamas and other extremist groups in the Middle East.

The officials told The Jerusalem Post that Abbas was "very disappointed" with the results of his talks in Washington. (JPost)

Labels: Fatah, Hamas, Israel, Palestine, U.S.

Khaled Meshaal, the exiled political leader of the Hamas movement, has said that Hamas is still awaiting Egypt's official stance after a day of closed-door meetings between Omar Suleiman, the country's intelligence chief who has been mediating between Hamas and Israel, with respect to a six-month ceasefire.

A deal, which Egypt has been trying to broker for months, still appears distant because the group is demanding Israel open its blockaded border crossings with the Gaza Strip.

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, Meshaal said that the proposed ceasefire can be considered "a tactic conducting the struggle".

He said: "It is normal for any resistance that operates in its people's interest ... to sometimes escalate, other times retreat a bit... The battle is to be run this way and Hamas is known for that.
"In 2003, there was a ceasefire and then the operations were resumed."

Meshaal also warned of an escalation of violence in Gaza if Israel rejected the truce. (Al Jazeera)

Labels: Egypt, Hamas, Israel, Palestine

Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal said on Saturday his movement is awaiting an official Israeli response to a truce offer in the Gaza Strip, even though Israel has already poured cold water on it.

Meanwhile in Egypt, where the government has been attempting to mediate a ceasefire, an official said various Palestinian factions are actually still formulating a common position on a proposal for an eventual deal.

Meshaal, speaking to reporters in the Qatari capital, Doha, said Hamas "has requested from the Egyptian delegation a paper with the pledges that the Israeli occupation agrees upon in order to calm the situation.

"Based on this paper, Hamas will decide whether to accept or refuse the easing of the situation that Egypt is trying to achieve between the Palestinians and the Israelis."

The Hamas supremo insisted that the truce offer was an Egyptian product and that Hamas agreed to go along with it only if Israel answered certain demands.

Hamas "did not initiate the offer to calm the situation," he said. (AFP)

Labels: Egypt, Hamas, Israel, Palestine

Egyptian security forces detained four people and have accused them of plotting to buy fuel for a pilotless aircraft for Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, security sources said on Saturday.

The sources said two of those detained were members of Egypt's opposition Muslim Brotherhood. They said the two men had given 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($3,700) to two other Egyptians to buy fuel and a remote control device for a small aircraft.

The sources said the small aircraft was meant to be loaded with explosives for an attack. They did not say what the target would have been.

Mohamed Mursi, a member of the Brotherhood's governing Guidance Office, said the accusations were "completely baseless" and denied any Brotherhood involvement in such a plan. Spokesmen for Egypt's interior ministry declined to comment.

The charges follow a government crackdown on the Brotherhood that led to hundreds of arrests since mid-February in the run-up to local elections on April 8. The Brotherhood boycotted these after it was largely obstructed from taking part.

The Brotherhood, which holds a fifth of the seats in the lower house of parliament, seeks an Islamic state through democratic and non-violent means.(Reuters)

Labels: Egypt, Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood, Palestine

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