Attacker mot Israel

I dag på morgonen landade en GRAD -raket i centrala Ashkelon i Israel. Raketen avfyrades från Gaza och terrorgruppen Aza Din al-Kassem har tagit på sig ansvaret.
En del materiella skador uppstod och två personer fick vård av Magen David Adom.
Grad missile lands in Ashkelon

De palestinska myndigheterna har igen namngett ett sommarläger för ungdomar efter ledaren för en av de värsta terrorattackerna mot Israel.
Palestinian summer camp for "young leaders"named after terrorist Dalal Mughrabi (PMW)
A summer camp in Bethlehem is the latest institution in the Palestinian Authority to be named after the leader of the worst terror attack in Israel's history.
According to the official PA daily newspaper, the new camp is named after Dalal Mughrabi, who led a 1978 bus hijacking in which 37 civilians, 12 of them children, were killed. The newspaper reports that the camp "aims at training young leaders" in the Bethlehem area:

"The Ministry of Social Affairs in Ramallah opened yesterday in El Bireh the fourth integration camp for people with special needs, and in Bethlehem the second Shahida (Martyr) Dalal Mughrabi camp [opened]... The second Dalal Mughrabi summer camp was opened in the headquarters of Light of Generations' youth association in Bethlehem, with support from the National Committee for Summer Camps and the One Voice Palestine organization in Ramallah. It aims at training young leaders in the eastern countryside of Bethlehem District. Present [at the opening] were... the Secretary of Fatah's Bethlehem branch, Yusuf Al-Aref, ..., Chairman of the [Light of Generations' youth] association, Ibrahim Mubarak, Muhammad Khalil - camp director... 70 young girls from the Dar Salah village and neighboring villages participated."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 29, 2010]

As PMW has documented, the PA has turned Mughrabi into a celebrated hero and role model. Schools, summer camps, landmarks and centers for youth and education have been named after her.

Click here to see the section of PMW's website about Mughrabi's elevation from terrorist to hero.

Här kan man se hur de palestinska myndigheterna raderar ut Israel från kartan i TV-program för barn: PA TV children's showdepicts world without Israel


Den brittiske premiärministern David Cameron försökte av någon anledning göra sig till inför Turkiets ledare och kallade vid ett besök i Turkiet Gaza för ett "fångläger" och Israels bordning av skeppskonvojen på väg till Gaza för en "attack".
Av någon orsak verkar det inte som om Cameron skulle ha haft någon kritik mot Turkiet som spelade en avgörande roll i försöket att bryta den lagliga israeliska sjöblockaden av Gaza.
'Gaza cannot remain a prison camp'

Även den avgående brittiske ambassadören i Israel har uttalat sig i negativa ordalag om Israel.
Israel drove Gaza “into a Hamas-controlled tunnel economy, säger han. Kan det ha undgått ambassadören att Hamas tog över makten i Gaza genom en blodig kupp, det var inte Israels fel.
Hamas skall isoleras tills de går med på att avstå från våld och erkänna Israel är ett krav som även Storbritannien har varit med om att ställa. I fall denna politik varit felaktig är Storbritannien medskyldig till detta.
'Gaza blockade bred radicals'



Egyptiska tidningen Al-Ahram och palestinska Al-Hayat Al-Jadida har skrivit om situationen i Gaza. Tydligen har premiärminister Cameron inte läst dessa artiklar.

MEMRI har översatt en del av artiklarna: Egyptian Journalist: In Actual Terms, Gaza Is Not Under Siege

In an article in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram on the economic situation in the Gaza Strip, journalist Ashraf Abu Al-Houl wrote about the burgeoning recreation industry and of the low merchandise prices.
Also as part of the interest in the economic situation in Gaza, the PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida published articles describing the expensive resorts that have been established for Gaza's newly rich, and a Palestinian website reported on the new mall recently opened in the city.
The following are excerpts from the articles: Läs mera här!


Resort in Gaza. Paldf.net, July 21, 2010

UNRWA-UNHCR

Jag rekommenderar Ilya Meyers blogginlägg: Har du någonsin undrat…

Hjälp till Gaza?

Både FN:s representant och Kvartettens sändebud Tony Blair säger att försök att bryta sjöblockaden mot Gaza inte hjälper befolkningen i Gaza. Organisationer som vill sända hjälp till Gaza skall göra det landvägen.

Blair: Aid flotillas not helpful (Jerusalem Post)
Quartet Representative Tony Blair Friday urged the Lebanese flotilla intent on heading towards Gaza this weekend to reconsider its journey."I urge the Lebanese aid ship to reconsider its intention to set sail to the Gaza shores to deliver aid to the people. As the UN Under-Secretary General said yesterday, such convoys are not helpful, do not resolve the economic difficulties in Gaza and carry the risk of escalation needlessly," said Blair.

FN tog avstånd från Ship to Gaza (Fred i Mellanöstern)
För andra gången i rad tog FN:s generalsekreterare och FN-organet UNRWA i fredags avstånd från de metoder som Ship to Gaza använder, enligt nyhetsbyrån AFP och en utskrift från FN:s presstjänst:
– Det finns etablerade rutter för förnödenheter via landvägen. Det är på det sättet som hälp till folket i Gaza ska levereras, sade FN-talesmannen Martin Nesirky på en presskonferens.

En del hjälpsändningar till Gaza verkar närmast vara ett försök att dumpa problemavfall. Se video!



Gaza, avskälpningsplats för icke andvändbar medicin? (Arieh Fürth)
Vad är avsikten med den materiella hjälp, t.ex. medicin och sjukvårdsmaterial, som världssamfundet, i dess olika former, levererar till befolkningen i Gaza remsan. Vilja att hjälpa och stödja? Vinna politiskt inflytande?

Palestinierna motsätter sig direkta förhandlingar

Abbas vägrar inleda direkta förhandlingar med Israel och han har nu fått stöd av både PLO:s och Fatahs ledande organ.
USA har försökt pressa palestinierna att inleda direkta förhandlingar utan att lyckas.
Abbas kräver mer eller mindre att de frågor som borde behandlas i förhanlingarna skall vara avgjorda innan han går med på att förahandla. Bl.a. kräver Abbas att gränserna skall vara fastslagna och att Israel upphör med allt byggande i bosättningarna.
Israel gick senaste höst med på ett tio månaders byggstopp i bosättningarna men det har bara lett till nya krav från palestiniernas sida.

Fatah backs refusal on direct talks (Jerusalem Post ,Khaled Abu Toameh)
The Fatah Revolutionary Council over the weekend expressed support for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s refusal to open direct talks with Israel unconditionally.Following a stormy meeting in Ramallah, the 122 members of the council also voiced support for Abbas’s efforts to reconcile with Hamas.RELATED:Fatah supports direct talks on conditionFatah urges Abbas to avoid direct talksAbbas told Fatah members that the US administration was exerting heavy pressure on him to agree to direct talks with Israel without conditions.Abbas reiterated his opposition to the demand, insisting that Israel first accept the pre- 1967 lines as the future borders of a Palestinian state, freeze all settlement construction and reach agreement with the Palestinians on security issues.Abbas also criticized US President Barack Obama for being “unclear and vague” with the Palestinians. Abbas said that Obama sent him an oral message that did not include clear answers to questions he had presented to the Americans regarding the proposed negotiations with Israel.The support of the Revolutionary Council is seen as a moral victory for Abbas. Last week he also won the backing of the PLO Executive Committee on this issue.“The Revolutionary Council and Fatah stand firmly with the president regarding the direct negotiations,” said a statement issued by the council members. “The council also stresses the need to demand that the US administration clarify its position regarding the 1967 borders.”The statement said that direct negotiations with Israel were contingent on recognition of pre-1967 lines as the official borders of a Palestinian state. It noted that these lines include also east Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley on the Palestinian side of the line.
Läs hela artikeln.

Palestinier i den arabiska världen

En läsvärd artikel om hur palestinierna diskrimineras - i de arabiska länderna.
Artikeln är skriven av Khaled Abu Toameh.
Palestinians in the Arab World: Why the Silence?
"When was the last time the United Nations Security Council met to condemn an Arab government for its mistreatment of Palestinians?
How come groups and individuals on university campuses in the US and Canada that call themselves "pro-Palestinian" remain silent when Jordan revokes the citizenship of thousands of Palestinians?
The plight of Palestinians living in Arab countries in general, and Lebanon in particular, is one that is often ignored by the mainstream media in West.
How come they turn a blind eye to the fact that Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and many more Arab countries continue to impose severe travel restrictions on Palestinians?
And where do these groups and individuals stand regarding the current debate in Lebanon about whether to grant Palestinians long-denied basic rights, including employment, social security and medical care?
Or have they not heard about this debate at all? Probably not, since the case has failed to draw the attention of most Middle East correspondents and commentators.
A news story on the Palestinians that does not include an anti-Israel angle rarely makes it to the front pages of Western newspapers..."
Läs mera här.

PMW granskar de palestinska myndigheterna

Trots att palestinska ledare, inklusive president Abbas, har lovat att de skall arbeta för att hetsen och propagandan mot judarna och Israel skall upphöra har inga förändringar till det bättre skett i det palestinska samhället rapporterar Palestinian Media Watch.
Deras senaste rapport granskar juni månad.



PMW Incitement WatchThe PA during the proximity talks, June 2010
Hela rapporten som PDF här.

US State Department:"
After completing the first round of proximity talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, both parties are taking some steps to help create an atmosphere that is conducive to successful talks, including President Abbas's statement that he will work against incitement of any sort..."
[Washington D.C., May 9, 2010]

Introduction

The start of the proximity talks in May 2010 created hope for the renewal of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas declared that the PA would fulfill its commitments, with special focus on stopping incitement.

Findings

However, the first two months have brought no changes in the quality of the messages being transmitted from the Palestinian Authority and Fatah to Palestinians. An examination of the Palestinian leaders' statements, official media, children's programs and PA- and Fatah-controlled events reveals the following: The conditions, principles and expectations set by the US and the Quartet for accepting the Palestinian Authority as a partner in the peace process continue to be violated by the Palestinian Authority. Contrary to the Palestinian Authority's moderate statements to the West, its statements to its people in Arabic continue to delegitimize Israel's existence, deny Israel's right to exist, define the conflict with Israel as a religious war for Allah, promote hatred through demonization, slander and libel, and glorify terror and violence:
- The PA continues to teach on PA educational TV that Israeli cities across the entire country, including Jaffa and Haifa, are Palestinian cities.
- The official media deny Israel's right to exist by using terminology to refer to Israel as "the homeland occupied in '48."
- The conflict with Israel is defined by PA-appointed political and religious leaders not as territorial but as Ribat -- a religious war for Allah.
- The PA senior religious leader demonizes Jews as the "enemies of God."
- PA TV host: "The Jews are our enemies, right?"
- The PA continues to honor terrorists.
- PA-Fatah leader defends "the right to return to the armed conflict."
- PA-Fatah leader explains negotiations as "a tactical decision, i.e., a temporary, defensive decision."

Report: PA still inciting hatred (Jerusalem Post)

Contrary to the PA’s moderate statements to the West, its statements to its people in Arabic continue to delegitimize Israel’s existence, deny Israel’s right to exist, define the conflict with Israel as a religious war for Allah, promote hatred through demonization, slander and libel, and glorify terror and violence, according to PMW’s Itamar Marcus, Nan Jacques Zilberdik and Barbara Crook.

Rapport om Gazakriget

Israel har publicerat en uppdaterad rapport om undersökningarna angående Gazakriget. Rapporten är 37 sidor lång. Här kan man läsa ett sammandrag eller hela rapporten:
Gaza Operation Investigations: Second Update
This Paper describes the progress and current status of investigations carried out by Israel into allegations of misconduct and violations of the Law of Armed Conflict by Israel Defence Forces ("IDF") during the military Operation in Gaza from 27 December 2008 through 18 January 2009 (the "Gaza Operation," also known as "Operation Cast Lead"). It is intended as an update to the information presented in Israel's reports related to the Gaza Operation previously released in July 2009 and January 2010.



Background information:
In this document, the Government of Israel shares with the Israeli and international public updates regarding its investigations. During the past six months, since the publication of the last update, 11 additional criminal investigations into events relating to the Gaza Operation have been opened, bringing the total number of criminal investigations in the wake of allegations regarding violations of the Law of Armed Conflict to 47. Some of the investigations have have resulted in criminal indictments: two IDF soldiers were recently indicted for compelling a Palestinian minor to assist them in opening suspicious parcels, and another IDF soldier suspected of killing a Palestinian civilian. These cases are in addition to an earlier conviction of an IDF soldier for looting.
Israel examines complaints from a wide variety of sources, including Palestinian civilians, Israeli and international NGOs, reports from the United Nations and other international organizations. Even where Israel has expressed criticism of some of these reports, it views them as an important source of information. The two new indictments resulted from such reports.
Other cases resulted in disciplinary proceedings against senior officers, in instance where it was decided that while criminal actions had not been committed, they had deviated from the IDF's clear instructions.
Chapter 3 of the report provides an update of 16 concrete cases relating to the Gaza Operation. In most cases, the factual and/or legal conclusions reached differ widely from what was presented in outside reports.
In other cases, even where no violations of the Law of Armed Conflict were found, many lessons were learned that led to operational changes in IDF orders and combat doctrine, particularly in the area of protection of civilian property in time of armed conflict. A salient example of this is the integration of a Humanitarian Affairs Officer in each combat unit beginning at the battalion level and new procedures to regulate destruction of private property in cases of military necessity.
The document also describes the Turkel Commission, established in the wake of the Gaza flotilla, which also received a mandate to examine the conformity of Israel’s mechanisms for investigating complaints raised in relation to violations of the Law of Armed Conflict with its obligations under international law.