While senior Israeli officials were being trial over 2002 bombing in Gaza, do we have any case on random Qassams rockets being launched into Israel territory even after the cease fire?
Spanish war crimes probe against Israeli officials to go on
(27-2-2009)-A Spanish court announced a decision on Friday to go ahead with a much publicized investigation against senior Israeli officials over alleged war crimes.
Last month, Spanish judge Fernando Andreu launched the investigation against seven current or former Israeli officials, over a 2002 bombing in Gaza that killed top Hamas militant Salah Shehadeh and 14 other people, including nine children.
The investigation includes former defense minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, and former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Dan Halutz, who served as the commander of the Israel Air Force at the time of the targeted assassination of Shehadeh, along with five other Israeli officials.
The judge initially launched the investigation under a doctrine that allows prosecution in Spain, and other European countries, to reach far beyond national borders in cases of torture or war crimes. The universal jurisdiction ruling sparked outrage in Israel and elsewhere.
Subsequently, Spanish Foreign Minister said that Spain would act to amend the legislation that granted Andreu the authority to launch the investigation, promising Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni that he would take action to prevent such moves in the future.
According to Spanish judicial sources, Andreu decided to continue with investigation after reading material handed over to Spain by Israel's Foreign Ministry, indicating that Israel is not investigating the incident.
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Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Heart-aching Images - When will this stops?
I was forwarded with a lot images on Israel cruelty in Gaza oppression. While seeing this heart-aching pictures, I was eagerly to know Israel side of the destructions that were damaged by the rockets & suicide bombers. They say pictures speak a thousand words… When is this going to stop? 
Israel's Phosphorus attack
Suicide Bombing in Jerusalem by Palestinian
Suicide bomber in one of the cafe in Israel
The aftermath of Phosphorus attack by Israel
The attack of suicide bomber in Israel-Palatin
The aftermath of Phosphorus attack by Israel
The Palestinian gunmen shooting attack in Library of a rabbinical seminary in Jerusalem
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Israel's Phosphorus attack
Suicide Bombing in Jerusalem by Palestinian
Israel phosphorus attack by Israel
Suicide bomber in one of the cafe in Israel
The aftermath of Phosphorus attack by Israel
The attack of suicide bomber in Israel-Palatin
The aftermath of Phosphorus attack by Israel
The Palestinian gunmen shooting attack in Library of a rabbinical seminary in Jerusalem
Read more...
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Astal calls for supporting resistance to stop judaization schemes in Jerusalem
Religion is still widely used as the key to marginalize human being into group as well as being used to ignite flame among conflict victims. When will this going to end? When both parties are ready to compromise? I urged all the Leaders who has the power to influence to do the RIGHT thing…think about future & not primitive way of surviving. Guns, battles are yesterday’s game not today’s or tomorrow’s. It’s about time to wake up...Now who say this is Not about religion?
KHAN YOUNIS, (25/02/2009 - 12:52 PM)-- Dr. Younis Al-Astal, a prominent Hamas leader, stated Tuesday that the best guarantee to stop the judaization of Jerusalem is to develop the potentials of the Palestinian resistance and supply it with advanced weapons in order to be able to retaliate more effectively to the Israeli crimes.
He made these comments during a massive rally organized by the Hamas Movement yesterday in Khan Younis in solidarity with the Aqsa Mosque and in protest at the Israeli blasphemous remaks made about Prophet Jesus Christ and his mother.
Dr. Astal underlined that the Israeli violations in occupied Jerusalem are the consequences of the Oslo accord and the subsequent agreements, saying that these agreements recruited the PA to be a security guard for the Israeli occupation.
The Hamas leader warned that the Israeli focus on the Bustan area in the Silwan neighborhood near the Buraq wall is intended for digging more tunnels under the Aqsa Mosque in order to undermine its foundations.
He deplored the international community for talking about the Gaza tunnels used to supply Gaza with food while ignoring the tunnels established under the Aqsa Mosque.
In the same context, the Hamas-affiliated lawmakers in the West Bank strongly condemned Tuesday Israel's arbitrary practices in Jerusalem and its decision to expel Jerusalemites from their homes as a prelude to demolishing them.
The lawmakers highlighted that the Palestinian people who were displaced a long time ago became aware of the Zionist schemes and will never allow Israel to transfer them again.
They underlined that Israel's racist practices in Jerusalem confirmed the falsity of its claims that it seeks peace, adding that since the first peace agreements with Israel, settlement activities had kept doubling and tens of thousands of Palestinians had been jailed in full view of the whole world.
The MPs noted that the policy of negotiations proved its failure and provided an adequate cover for Israel to persist in its schemes, while sounding before the world as if it seeks peace.
He made these comments during a massive rally organized by the Hamas Movement yesterday in Khan Younis in solidarity with the Aqsa Mosque and in protest at the Israeli blasphemous remaks made about Prophet Jesus Christ and his mother.
Dr. Astal underlined that the Israeli violations in occupied Jerusalem are the consequences of the Oslo accord and the subsequent agreements, saying that these agreements recruited the PA to be a security guard for the Israeli occupation.
The Hamas leader warned that the Israeli focus on the Bustan area in the Silwan neighborhood near the Buraq wall is intended for digging more tunnels under the Aqsa Mosque in order to undermine its foundations.
He deplored the international community for talking about the Gaza tunnels used to supply Gaza with food while ignoring the tunnels established under the Aqsa Mosque.
In the same context, the Hamas-affiliated lawmakers in the West Bank strongly condemned Tuesday Israel's arbitrary practices in Jerusalem and its decision to expel Jerusalemites from their homes as a prelude to demolishing them.
The lawmakers highlighted that the Palestinian people who were displaced a long time ago became aware of the Zionist schemes and will never allow Israel to transfer them again.
They underlined that Israel's racist practices in Jerusalem confirmed the falsity of its claims that it seeks peace, adding that since the first peace agreements with Israel, settlement activities had kept doubling and tens of thousands of Palestinians had been jailed in full view of the whole world.
The MPs noted that the policy of negotiations proved its failure and provided an adequate cover for Israel to persist in its schemes, while sounding before the world as if it seeks peace.
Read more...
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tun Dr. Mahathir Intervention Transcript in Cairo(2006)
Being forwarded this by a friend on Malaysia's former PM (Tun Dr. Mahathir) bold comments on the issues involving Israel & condemning US Bush on his leadership.
Former Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad Proposes a Jewish State in Texas and Declares: A Person Like President Bush Should Never Lead a Powerful Country
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Former Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad Proposes a Jewish State in Texas and Declares: A Person Like President Bush Should Never Lead a Powerful Country
Following are excerpts from an interiew with Former Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad, which aired on New TV on February 15, 2006:
Interviewer: We are here in Cairo and we have to ask you first of all because your visit here is about a tribunal that judges George Bush, Tony Blair, and Sharon. Why did you bother yourself to come here and... you are a politician... to be as a lawyer or in the head of this tribunal?
Mahathir Mohammad: I think this trial is important because there needs to be a lot of publicity regarding the crimes committed by these three people. So far they have been able to get away, literally, with murder, but nobody seems to pass any judgment on them. So we think that this trial would enable the public – the people here – to make a decision on their behavior presently.
Interviewer: What are the main characters, the main... Why did you choose these three people? And is it a real court?
Mahathir Mohammad: It's... The charge was made by the Egyptian lawyers. They decided to have this court. This court is... Of course it's not the normal, official court. It is a court of the people, so to speak.
Interviewer: What do you think that the reaction would be? Do you think that George Bush is aware of this court?
Mahathir Mohammad: Well he's incapable of noticing anything. But still, we need to have our say.
Interviewer: What are the results that you expect?
Mahathir Mohammad: Well, as one of the judges of course I'm not supposed to pass judgment until the evidences are finished, so I think so far, of course, we have heard the prosecution's case. We have not heard the defense. So when we hear the defense, we'll make a decision.
Interviewer: They accused you that you are an anti-Semite. So are you the enemy of the United States or an anti-Semite?
Mahathir Mohammad: They always like to label people as being anti-Semitic, so that even if you do and say innocent things you are supposed to be unfair. But other people are subject to criticism, subject to condemnation – including the Muslims. Now if you can condemn the Muslims – as terrorists, for example – why is it that when the Jews do something that is wrong, that is criminal, we cannot say anything? Why is it that they are supposed to be exempted from normal opinions of people?
Mahathir Mohammad: Ahmadinejad asked for the elimination of Israel, but Israel has actually eliminated Palestine. Israel doesn't allow the Palestinian state to exist. It is really called the Palestinian Authority. Now if Israel can insist that Palestine does not exist, why cannot some other person say that Israel shouldn't exist? Or if it wants to exist, it should exist in Europe, [from] where the Zionists came? Or in America? How about giving a little bit of Texas to make the State of Israel?
Interviewer: What do you think about George Bush and his behavior in the Arab world... and he wins the election, he is re-elected again? What do you think about the policy of the Bush administration also?
Mahathir Mohammad: Well, Bush is a very aggressive person, and he has no hesitation about using military power to achieve his objective. If thousands of people are killed – that's too bad. 500,000 children in Lebanon were killed, in this...
Interviewer: In Iraq.
Mahathir Mohammad: In Iraq, were killed... That's all right, as long as they achieve their objective. Such a person should never lead a powerful nation. It's very dangerous, because he's going to use military means to achieve his objective. He's going to kill people in order to achieve his objective.
Interviewer: You said once that the reelection of President Bush will cause sufferings for Muslims in the world. How can we stop this?
Mahathir Mohammad: The only thing, the only way to stop this is to ask the American people... There are a lot of very decent American people. Unfortunately, they are not too knowledgeable about the rest of the world. We have to inform them [about] the kind of damage that is being done by their leader, Bush, and they should not vote for a man who obviously told an open lie. He lied about the weapons of mass destruction, and yet he was able to win the election. It is very disappointing. It shows that a lot of Americans are not knowledgeable about what is being done by their leader. So we have a need to explain to the American people that this... We are not against America, we are just against the policies of certain governments. So Americans should choose their leaders very carefully.
Interviewer: We are here in Cairo and we have to ask you first of all because your visit here is about a tribunal that judges George Bush, Tony Blair, and Sharon. Why did you bother yourself to come here and... you are a politician... to be as a lawyer or in the head of this tribunal?
Mahathir Mohammad: I think this trial is important because there needs to be a lot of publicity regarding the crimes committed by these three people. So far they have been able to get away, literally, with murder, but nobody seems to pass any judgment on them. So we think that this trial would enable the public – the people here – to make a decision on their behavior presently.
Interviewer: What are the main characters, the main... Why did you choose these three people? And is it a real court?
Mahathir Mohammad: It's... The charge was made by the Egyptian lawyers. They decided to have this court. This court is... Of course it's not the normal, official court. It is a court of the people, so to speak.
Interviewer: What do you think that the reaction would be? Do you think that George Bush is aware of this court?
Mahathir Mohammad: Well he's incapable of noticing anything. But still, we need to have our say.
Interviewer: What are the results that you expect?
Mahathir Mohammad: Well, as one of the judges of course I'm not supposed to pass judgment until the evidences are finished, so I think so far, of course, we have heard the prosecution's case. We have not heard the defense. So when we hear the defense, we'll make a decision.
Interviewer: They accused you that you are an anti-Semite. So are you the enemy of the United States or an anti-Semite?
Mahathir Mohammad: They always like to label people as being anti-Semitic, so that even if you do and say innocent things you are supposed to be unfair. But other people are subject to criticism, subject to condemnation – including the Muslims. Now if you can condemn the Muslims – as terrorists, for example – why is it that when the Jews do something that is wrong, that is criminal, we cannot say anything? Why is it that they are supposed to be exempted from normal opinions of people?
Mahathir Mohammad: Ahmadinejad asked for the elimination of Israel, but Israel has actually eliminated Palestine. Israel doesn't allow the Palestinian state to exist. It is really called the Palestinian Authority. Now if Israel can insist that Palestine does not exist, why cannot some other person say that Israel shouldn't exist? Or if it wants to exist, it should exist in Europe, [from] where the Zionists came? Or in America? How about giving a little bit of Texas to make the State of Israel?
Interviewer: What do you think about George Bush and his behavior in the Arab world... and he wins the election, he is re-elected again? What do you think about the policy of the Bush administration also?
Mahathir Mohammad: Well, Bush is a very aggressive person, and he has no hesitation about using military power to achieve his objective. If thousands of people are killed – that's too bad. 500,000 children in Lebanon were killed, in this...
Interviewer: In Iraq.
Mahathir Mohammad: In Iraq, were killed... That's all right, as long as they achieve their objective. Such a person should never lead a powerful nation. It's very dangerous, because he's going to use military means to achieve his objective. He's going to kill people in order to achieve his objective.
Interviewer: You said once that the reelection of President Bush will cause sufferings for Muslims in the world. How can we stop this?
Mahathir Mohammad: The only thing, the only way to stop this is to ask the American people... There are a lot of very decent American people. Unfortunately, they are not too knowledgeable about the rest of the world. We have to inform them [about] the kind of damage that is being done by their leader, Bush, and they should not vote for a man who obviously told an open lie. He lied about the weapons of mass destruction, and yet he was able to win the election. It is very disappointing. It shows that a lot of Americans are not knowledgeable about what is being done by their leader. So we have a need to explain to the American people that this... We are not against America, we are just against the policies of certain governments. So Americans should choose their leaders very carefully.
Read more...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
US to donate $900 million in aid to Gaza (Reuters)
As most world leaders condemning US on their government support in Israel-Gaza aggression, it seems they might be some other explanations for their stance or do they simply see the things that we do not see?
$900 Million donation aid to Gaza is a big figure & why do they want to do that? “Destroy” something & then spend money to build something? Looks weird to me…
US to donate $900 million in aid to Gaza
State Department official says money for reconstruction of Strip will be transferred via UN; money meant to help strengthen Palestinian Authority, will not go to Hamas, official says
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to announce a $900 million pledge of US aid for Gaza and the Palestinian Authority at a donors' meeting in Egypt next week, a State Department official said on Monday.
The money, which needs US congressional approval, will be distributed through UN and other bodies and not via Hamas, which rules Gaza, said one official.
This money is for Gaza and to help strengthen the Palestinian Authority. It is not going to go to Hamas," said the official, who asked not to be named.
The March 2 donors conference in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort aims to raise humanitarian and rebuilding funds for Gaza after Israel's offensive at the end of last year.
Preliminary estimates put the damage in Hamas-run Gaza after Israel's offensive at nearly $2 billion.
Clinton's bid to get "substantial" funds could face an uphill battle in Congress where requests for Gaza will likely meet resistance as Hamas continues to rule there and the US focus is on its own souring economy.
In December, the former Bush administration said it would give $85 million to the UN agency giving aid to Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
The United States wants the Palestinian Authority, under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, to play a central role in the reconstruction effort in Gaza, hoping this will increase its influence in the Hamas stronghold. Washington is also putting pressure on other donors to bolster the Palestinian Authority.
"We call on donor countries to focus their pledges to meet the Palestinian Authority's priorities, including budget support, and on projects that can be funded through the Palestinian Authority and other existing, trusted mechanisms," said the State Department official.
The quartet of Middle East mediators are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Egyptian conference where they will work on strategy on Gaza, US officials said.
"We will also emphasize the importance of laying the conditions for successful negotiations toward the two-state solution and an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict," the State Department official said of discussions in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Egypt will be Clinton's first stop on a trip expected to include Israel and the West Bank – a public demonstration of the Obama administration's promise to make Arab-Israeli peacemaking a foreign policy priority.
Read more...
$900 Million donation aid to Gaza is a big figure & why do they want to do that? “Destroy” something & then spend money to build something? Looks weird to me…
US to donate $900 million in aid to Gaza
State Department official says money for reconstruction of Strip will be transferred via UN; money meant to help strengthen Palestinian Authority, will not go to Hamas, official says
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to announce a $900 million pledge of US aid for Gaza and the Palestinian Authority at a donors' meeting in Egypt next week, a State Department official said on Monday.
The money, which needs US congressional approval, will be distributed through UN and other bodies and not via Hamas, which rules Gaza, said one official.
This money is for Gaza and to help strengthen the Palestinian Authority. It is not going to go to Hamas," said the official, who asked not to be named.
The March 2 donors conference in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort aims to raise humanitarian and rebuilding funds for Gaza after Israel's offensive at the end of last year.
Preliminary estimates put the damage in Hamas-run Gaza after Israel's offensive at nearly $2 billion.
Clinton's bid to get "substantial" funds could face an uphill battle in Congress where requests for Gaza will likely meet resistance as Hamas continues to rule there and the US focus is on its own souring economy.
In December, the former Bush administration said it would give $85 million to the UN agency giving aid to Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
The United States wants the Palestinian Authority, under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, to play a central role in the reconstruction effort in Gaza, hoping this will increase its influence in the Hamas stronghold. Washington is also putting pressure on other donors to bolster the Palestinian Authority.
"We call on donor countries to focus their pledges to meet the Palestinian Authority's priorities, including budget support, and on projects that can be funded through the Palestinian Authority and other existing, trusted mechanisms," said the State Department official.
The quartet of Middle East mediators are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Egyptian conference where they will work on strategy on Gaza, US officials said.
"We will also emphasize the importance of laying the conditions for successful negotiations toward the two-state solution and an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict," the State Department official said of discussions in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Egypt will be Clinton's first stop on a trip expected to include Israel and the West Bank – a public demonstration of the Obama administration's promise to make Arab-Israeli peacemaking a foreign policy priority.
Read more...
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