Benjamin Netanyahu: Israel will expand settlements
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said that his country will continue to expand its settlements in the occupied West Bank, despite calls by President Barack Obama for construction to stop.
The hawkish premier also referred to a "Palestinian state" for the first time since taking office in March, but it was only to exprss "reservations" about the key demand of the international community.
During Mr Netanyahu's first official visit to Washington of his new term as prime minister, Mr Obama told him last week that "settlements must be stopped".
Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu need to keep talking But the Israeli leader was reported to have told a cabinet meeting on Sunday: "t it makes no sense to ask us not to answer to the needs of natural growth and to stop all construction."
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are one of the major stumbling blocks in the Middle East peace process, which Mr Obama has vowed to push forward despite a new largely Right-wing government in Israel that backs settlements.
Briefing the ministers Washington Netanyahu said that "clearly we need to have some reservations about a Palestinian state in a final status agreement ... when we reach an agreement on substance, we will reach agreement on terminology".
It was the first time since he returned to the prime minister's post that Mr Netanyahu publicly said the words "Palestinian state". But he stopped short of endorsing the concept, backed by Washington, to which Israel committed under the 2003 "road map" Middle East peace plan.
"If we talk about a Palestinian state, we have to first and foremost verify what kind of sovereignty and rights this state will have,
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The International Solidarity Movement:
2:30pm: Mustafa Amira, a 20-year-old demonstrator from the village of Ni’lin, was transferred to a Ramallah hospital today after Israeli forces shot him in the head with a tear gas projectile during the weekly village protest against Israel’s Apartheid Wall.
Mustafa was shot from a distance of about ten meters on the outskirts of the village. The impact of the projectile caused him to fall, hitting his head on the rocky terrain.
He was evacuated from the demonstration by medics after he was bleeding profusely from his head.
On the 30th of January 2009, Mustafa was also shot with a 0.22 caliber live ammunition bullet during a previous demonstration.
Israeli occupation forces have murdered four Ni’lin residents during demonstrations against the confiscation of their land and critically injured one international solidarity activist.
Ahmed Mousa (10) was shot in the forehead with live ammunition on 29 July 2008. The following day, Yousef Amira (17) was shot twice with rubber-coated steel bullets, leaving him brain dead. He died a week later on 4 August 2008. Arafat Rateb Khawaje (22), was the third Ni’lin resident to be killed by Israeli forces. He was shot in the back with live ammunition on 28 December 2008. That same day, Mohammed Khawaje (20), was shot in the head with live ammunition, leaving him brain dead. He died three days in a Ramallah hospital. Tristan Anderson (37), an American citizen, was shot with a high velocity tear gas projectile on 13 March 2009 and is currently in critical condition. In total, 28 persons have been shot by Israeli forces with live ammunition.
Since May 2008, residents of Ni'lin village have been demonstrating against construction of the Apartheid Wall. Despite being deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2004, the occupation continues to build a Wall, further annexing Palestinian land.
Ni'lin will lose approximately 2500 dunums of agricultural land when the construction of the Wall is completed. Ni'lin consisted of 57,000 dunums in 1948, reduced to 33,000 dunums in 1967, currently is 10,000 dunums and will be 7,500 dunums after construction of the Wall.
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: Hope Convoy Heros... at Rafah terminal. ♥
Sometimes, you are lucky enough to meet heros. That is the case with Hope Convoy members.
After been turned away at the Rafah crossing on Sunday by the egyptian authorities, the Hope convoy members stand their ground and refuse leave the Rafah terminal.
They laid down their sleeping bags and they are occupying the Rafah crossing till egyptian authorities will give them back the human rights and allow them to cross the border.
We can do it ! We can lift the Gaza siege !
How to support their action ?
) Let spread this information to all people they may concern (medias, activists, ect..)
2) Let support their action and come in Rafah as soon as possible in order to occupy the outskirts of the Rafah crossing
3) Let organize demonstrations in your own country in front of Egypt and Israel's embassies
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
Subject: 39 internationals from Gaza 'Hope Convoy' and 10 Canadians from CodePink group stranded as Egypt l
The 39 members of the delegation are still stranded inside the Egyptian border compound and they are still trying to enter into Gaza.
After allowing them to enter and stamping theirs passports, Egyptian authorities took them back their passports and denied them to cross the border, telling them to go back to Al Arish.
The whole delegation is always inside the compound and they refuse to leave.__________________________________________A 39-person solidarity convoy to Gaza was turned away at the Rafah crossing on Sunday when Egyptian authorities agreed to allow only 16 of the activists to cross the border.
The organizers of the European Hope for Gaza Convoy refused Egypt’s offer to allow only part of the group into Gaza, insisting that all 39 members cross, according to Ahmad Al-Kurd, the minister of social affairs in the Gaza government.
Al-Kurd held a press conference at the main gate of Rafah crossing during which he asserted that Egypt first informed the Palestinian side that the whole convoy will be given access to the Strip, then changed its decision, granting entry to only 16 people.
n organizer of the convoy, Amin Abu Rashid, for his part, said, “The Egyptians informed the convoy it would not be allowed to pass to the Gaza Strip.”
he group of volunteers and European members of parliament said it was bringing 12 ambulances and some 30 truckloads of medical supplies to Gaza, which has been under an Israeli-led land and sea blockade since June 2007.
Egypt has also maintained a near complete closure of Gaza, opening the Rafah border only occasionally.CodePink’s first delegation with 10 people was rejected at the border on Saturday and is at the border now but still having trouble.
Another CodePink delegation with 40 people will try to reach Al Arish this evening before trying to cross the border tomorrow at 9am.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said that his country will continue to expand its settlements in the occupied West Bank, despite calls by President Barack Obama for construction to stop.
The hawkish premier also referred to a "Palestinian state" for the first time since taking office in March, but it was only to exprss "reservations" about the key demand of the international community.
During Mr Netanyahu's first official visit to Washington of his new term as prime minister, Mr Obama told him last week that "settlements must be stopped".
Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu need to keep talking But the Israeli leader was reported to have told a cabinet meeting on Sunday: "t it makes no sense to ask us not to answer to the needs of natural growth and to stop all construction."
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are one of the major stumbling blocks in the Middle East peace process, which Mr Obama has vowed to push forward despite a new largely Right-wing government in Israel that backs settlements.
Briefing the ministers Washington Netanyahu said that "clearly we need to have some reservations about a Palestinian state in a final status agreement ... when we reach an agreement on substance, we will reach agreement on terminology".
It was the first time since he returned to the prime minister's post that Mr Netanyahu publicly said the words "Palestinian state". But he stopped short of endorsing the concept, backed by Washington, to which Israel committed under the 2003 "road map" Middle East peace plan.
"If we talk about a Palestinian state, we have to first and foremost verify what kind of sovereignty and rights this state will have,
''''''''''''''''''''''''''
The International Solidarity Movement:
2:30pm: Mustafa Amira, a 20-year-old demonstrator from the village of Ni’lin, was transferred to a Ramallah hospital today after Israeli forces shot him in the head with a tear gas projectile during the weekly village protest against Israel’s Apartheid Wall.
Mustafa was shot from a distance of about ten meters on the outskirts of the village. The impact of the projectile caused him to fall, hitting his head on the rocky terrain.
He was evacuated from the demonstration by medics after he was bleeding profusely from his head.
On the 30th of January 2009, Mustafa was also shot with a 0.22 caliber live ammunition bullet during a previous demonstration.
Israeli occupation forces have murdered four Ni’lin residents during demonstrations against the confiscation of their land and critically injured one international solidarity activist.
Ahmed Mousa (10) was shot in the forehead with live ammunition on 29 July 2008. The following day, Yousef Amira (17) was shot twice with rubber-coated steel bullets, leaving him brain dead. He died a week later on 4 August 2008. Arafat Rateb Khawaje (22), was the third Ni’lin resident to be killed by Israeli forces. He was shot in the back with live ammunition on 28 December 2008. That same day, Mohammed Khawaje (20), was shot in the head with live ammunition, leaving him brain dead. He died three days in a Ramallah hospital. Tristan Anderson (37), an American citizen, was shot with a high velocity tear gas projectile on 13 March 2009 and is currently in critical condition. In total, 28 persons have been shot by Israeli forces with live ammunition.
Since May 2008, residents of Ni'lin village have been demonstrating against construction of the Apartheid Wall. Despite being deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2004, the occupation continues to build a Wall, further annexing Palestinian land.
Ni'lin will lose approximately 2500 dunums of agricultural land when the construction of the Wall is completed. Ni'lin consisted of 57,000 dunums in 1948, reduced to 33,000 dunums in 1967, currently is 10,000 dunums and will be 7,500 dunums after construction of the Wall.
--------------------------
: Hope Convoy Heros... at Rafah terminal. ♥
Sometimes, you are lucky enough to meet heros. That is the case with Hope Convoy members.
After been turned away at the Rafah crossing on Sunday by the egyptian authorities, the Hope convoy members stand their ground and refuse leave the Rafah terminal.
They laid down their sleeping bags and they are occupying the Rafah crossing till egyptian authorities will give them back the human rights and allow them to cross the border.
We can do it ! We can lift the Gaza siege !
How to support their action ?
) Let spread this information to all people they may concern (medias, activists, ect..)
2) Let support their action and come in Rafah as soon as possible in order to occupy the outskirts of the Rafah crossing
3) Let organize demonstrations in your own country in front of Egypt and Israel's embassies
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
Subject: 39 internationals from Gaza 'Hope Convoy' and 10 Canadians from CodePink group stranded as Egypt l
The 39 members of the delegation are still stranded inside the Egyptian border compound and they are still trying to enter into Gaza.
After allowing them to enter and stamping theirs passports, Egyptian authorities took them back their passports and denied them to cross the border, telling them to go back to Al Arish.
The whole delegation is always inside the compound and they refuse to leave.____________________
The organizers of the European Hope for Gaza Convoy refused Egypt’s offer to allow only part of the group into Gaza, insisting that all 39 members cross, according to Ahmad Al-Kurd, the minister of social affairs in the Gaza government.
Al-Kurd held a press conference at the main gate of Rafah crossing during which he asserted that Egypt first informed the Palestinian side that the whole convoy will be given access to the Strip, then changed its decision, granting entry to only 16 people.
n organizer of the convoy, Amin Abu Rashid, for his part, said, “The Egyptians informed the convoy it would not be allowed to pass to the Gaza Strip.”
he group of volunteers and European members of parliament said it was bringing 12 ambulances and some 30 truckloads of medical supplies to Gaza, which has been under an Israeli-led land and sea blockade since June 2007.
Egypt has also maintained a near complete closure of Gaza, opening the Rafah border only occasionally.CodePink’s first delegation with 10 people was rejected at the border on Saturday and is at the border now but still having trouble.
Another CodePink delegation with 40 people will try to reach Al Arish this evening before trying to cross the border tomorrow at 9am.
