Lebanon Notes
David Ignatius – oped Washington Post – why so supportive of Hamas?
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/opinion_lebanon_1.php
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/lebanons_econom_3.php
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/israel_deploys.php
He called on Israel to respect its international commitments in implementing international resolutions and law
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/suleiman_lebano_1.php
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/hamas_missile_f.php
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/the_gaza_war_in.php
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/lebanon_muslim.php
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/shiite_mp_denie.php
The Security Council also “called for all parties to address the serious humanitarian and economic needs in Gaza and to take necessary measures including opening all border crossings to ensure the continuous provision of humanitarian supplies, including the supplies of food, fuel and provision of medical treatment.”
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/un_gaza_humanit.php
In Lebanon Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah attacked the US for its bias for Israel. He also attacked some Arab regimes . He called for a third Intifada in Palestine and all the Arab states, in his speech to the protesters in support of the Palestinians in Gaza
22:59 Minister Qabbani told Future TV: The Army and the resistance realize that they have to spare Lebanon a battle with Israel and they plan to continue to work on ending the attack against Gaza
22:50 Israeli radio: Olmert, Livni and Barak are currently meeting to discuss the next step on Gaza and may decide to invade Gaza by land very soon
21:57 ANB: Hamas fires rockets at southern Israel . Israeli sources reported that 5 were wounded in Ashdod and 2 in Naha Aouz
21:45 New TV : Israeli raid on Eastern Gaza in response to the Hamas rocket attacks against Israel
21:30 Two were wounded in Ashdod Israel by Hamas Katyusha rockets
21:20 The EU Foreign Ministers to hold an emergency meeting tomorrow in Paris to discuss the situation in Gaza
20:59 PM Siniora will propose during tomorrow’s cabinet meeting that Lebanon should work to assure maximum attendance of the Arab summit in support of Gaza
20:32 MP Takla told OTV: Nasrallah’s speech showed a lot of self restraint. We hope Lebanon will agree to participate in the summit over the Gaza situation
20:25 Unifil official : We have been following our normal procedures, but we have intensified our patrols in south Lebanon to 400 daily with the cooperation of the Lebanese army . Our primary goal is to implement UNSCR 1701
20:20 U.N. Secretary General Ban ki-Moon urged world leaders to work for halting the aggression against Gaza.
20:16 MP Khazen told OTV: Hezbollah is cautious about giving Israel an excuse to attack Lebanon
20:10 The Israeli Army said it bombed a truck loaded with Hamas rockets in northern Gaza.
20:05 The White House said Israel does not intend to occupy Gaza.
20: 00 The Shafaa Hospital in Gaza was evacuated after reports that it would be targeted by an Israeli air raid.
19:50 German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Hamas is responsible for the escalation of violence in Gaza.
19:48 Two people were killed in an air raid against the residence of a Hamas official at Jabalia Refugee Camp.
19:20 MP Marwan Hamadah said the International tribunal is cornering the Syrian regime and this is why This regime is trying to free itself from this corner by opening up to Israel , by kissing the hands of the new US administration under Obama and by accepting whatever French president Sarkozy tells Assad to do . Hamadah warned about a Syrian-Israeli deal at Lebanon’s expense and said Hezbollah and Hamas should be most concerned about such a deal
19:00 A hand grenade exploded in Tripoli’s Baqqar district causing damage, but no casualties were reported.
18:40 President Michel Suleiman declared support for efforts to hold an urgent summit conference on Gaza. He expressed relief over the united Palestinian stance in Lebanon and regretted the lack of Arab solidarity. He called for a cabinet session on Tuesday
18:10 The goal of Israel’s latest offensive on the Gaza Strip would be to topple its Hamas rulers, said Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon who had long pushed for a major ground offensive to end the Islamist group’s control of Gaza.
17:36 The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza has risen to 345
17:25 The white House “In order for the violence to stop, Hamas must stop firing rockets into Israel and agree to respect a sustainable and durable ceasefire,” said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe. “That is the objective which all parties need to be working toward. This is what the United States is working toward,” Johndroe said
17:20 The Change and reform Parliamentary Bloc called for a unified and decisive stand on the Israeli aggression against Gaza and for speeding up investigations to find out who had deployed the Katyusha missiles in south Lebanon.
17:19 Four Palestinians killed when a Israeli aircraft raided the house of a Hamas leader
17:13 Twelve Palestinians killed in northern Gaza raids
16:12 Israeli aircraft are bombarding now northern Gaza
16:10 Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah told the Raya Demonstration: Lebanese official position must be in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. He attacked The US bias for Israel. He also called for a third Intifada in Palestine and all the Arab states
16:00 The Number of casualties in Gaza has risen to 320
15:15: Hezbollah demonstration at Raya Football field at southern suburb of Beirut in solidarity with Gaza.
15:00 : March 14 Secretariat General called for confronting the Israeli aggression by working on an immediate cease fire, regaining unity of Palestinian legitimacy, holding on to the Arab peace process and rejecting axis policies.
14:20 A meeting was held at the Grand Serail between PM Siniora and PLO representatives Abbas Zaki and Hamas representative Osama Hamdan on the other to discuss ways to offer aid to the Palestinians.
11:40 Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar to LBC: Efforts to reach agreement on Constitutional Council appointments in cabinet could develop positively between today and tomorrow.
11:15 Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt visited Bkirki to relay Christmas greetings to Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir.
10:33 The army’s operation in al-Kneisseh is ongoing and expanded to include the towns of Riha and Dar al-Waseh in the northern Bekaa. The military arrested fifteen wanted criminals so far and seized arms depots and stolen cars.
10:31 The Lebanese army has raised its level of readiness to 85 percent since Saturday.
8:53 MP Farid al-Khazen told VOL: Israel is taking advantage of the time wasted by Arabs in order to take a stance. The situation in south Lebanon is under control… Lebanon is non-aligned on attacks
8:47 Army troops surrounded the Bekaa town of al-Kneisseh and raided the house of Nouh Zoaiter who is wanted by Lebanese authorities.
8:00 MP Mustafa Alloush to VDL: There is no need to agitate the Egyptian people against their government at a time when calls for Arab unity are needed. He added “Lebanon usually pays price of regional repercussions”
07:18 Israeli official television reports that captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit is injured in Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
07:14 Israel strikes the Palestinian Interior Ministry headquarter in the Gaza Strip.
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/monday_news_bri_28.php
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/protests_agains.php
Opinion: Olmert’s final failure
Published: Monday, 29 December, 2008 @ 7:23 PM in Beirut
Israel’s new battle with Hamas in Gaza means that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will be remembered for fighting two bloody and wasteful mini-wars in less than three years in power.The first one, in Lebanon during the summer of 2006, punished but failed to defeat or even permanently injure Hezbollah, which is politically and militarily stronger today than it was before Olmert took office. This one will probably have about the same effect on Hamas, which almost certainly will still control Gaza, and retain the capacity to strike Israel, when Olmert leaves office in a few months.
In the end all Olmert got was U.N. Resolution 1850, passed Dec. 16, that endorsed a two-state solution without any specifics. Instead of a groundbreaking accord with Abbas or Assad, he will leave behind scorched earth in Gaza, a Lebanese front bristling with Hezbollah’s missiles and an Israeli West Bank presence that has expanded rather than contracted during the past two years, with thousands of new homes for Jewish settlers under construction. To top it off, Olmert may well go to prison on the corruption charges that have forced him from office.
His failure represents another missed opportunity for Middle East peace — and probably means that the incoming Obama administration, like the incoming Bush administration of 2001, will inherit both a new round of Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed and a new Israeli government indisposed to compromise. The front-runner for prime minister in the Israeli election scheduled for February is Binyamin Netanyahu, who aspires to indefinitely postpone Palestinian statehood — and to use military force against the Iranian nuclear program. If Netanyahu is elected, Barack Obama will be more likely to preside over a crisis in U.S.-Israeli relations than a Middle East peace.
Olmert badly miscalculated in launching the 2006 offensive against Hezbollah — and he’s probably making the same mistake in Gaza, which will cost many lives and subject Israel to another round of international opprobrium while distracting attention from the more serious threat of Iran. Despite his bold intentions, Olmert proved unwilling or unable to stand up to the Jewish settlement movement in the West Bank; his government failed to dismantle even those outposts it has repeatedly declared illegal.
But Olmert is not the only one to blame. President Bush hosted a Mideast peace meeting in Annapolis last year but never fully invested himself in Olmert’s attempt to negotiate with Abbas. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice traveled to the region 16 times in 21 months but proved feckless as a broker. Arab states proclaimed their commitment to peace with Israel as part of a two-state settlement but were unwilling to take any tangible action to make it happen.
Worst of all, Abbas followed in a long tradition of previous Palestinian leaders by reacting to a far-reaching Israeli offer with an uncourageous demurral. Olmert has never publicly disclosed the terms he discussed with Abbas, but sources say he went well beyond what Israel agreed to at the Camp David talks of 2000, previously the closest approach to a deal. I’m told Olmert offered to support the groundbreaking concession of allowing thousands of Palestinian refugees to “return” to Israel over a period of years; he also agreed to divide Jerusalem between Israel and Palestine. Abbas, like Yasser Arafat at Camp David, refused to sign on to a compromise that the world would have hailed.
So Olmert, like Ehud Barak eight years ago, will end his term as prime minister by bombing rather than liberating Palestinians. He will be remembered for his wars — but it may be many years before Israel again has a leader as willing to make peace.
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/opinion_olmerts.php
Published: Monday, 29 December, 2008 @ 7:44 PM in Beirut
By Andrew Wander
Beirut- Palestinian fighters based in southern Lebanon may be preparing to retaliate for the assault on Gaza by striking across the border and opening a second front against Israel.
This would mark a major escalation, possibly provoking an Israeli invasion of Lebanon and a regional war.
The UN peacekeeping force in the country, UNIFIL, and the Lebanese Army have stepped up their patrols amid rising tension along the frontier.
“The usual measures have been fortified along the border,” said a senior Lebanese military official.
At least five Israeli warplanes have already conducted “mock air raids” over towns in southern Lebanon, according to the national news agency.
Unmanned reconnaissance drones carried out extensive surveillance of the area on Saturday night.
The Israeli Air Force flies regular reconnaissance missions over Lebanon, in violation of UN Resolution 1701, which ended the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah, the radical Shia movement, in 2006.
Hezbollah, which controls most of southern Lebanon, has amassed perhaps as many as 40,000 missiles for use against Israel. But this arsenal, largely supplied by Iran, is probably being held in reserve to retaliate for any future Israeli or American assault on Tehran.
Palestinian fighters could, however, open a second front against Israel without Hezbollah’s direct involvement.
The question is whether this would reignite the war between Hezbollah and Israel.
Timur Goksel, a Beirut-based academic who served for more than 20 years with UNIFIL, said that Palestinian armed groups were able to act without Hezbollah. “I don’t think there will be an organizational response of any sort, but there are enough Palestinian groups of various types to respond.” He added: “It’s certainly a distinct possibility.”
But it was unlikely that Hezbollah itself would retaliate for Gaza’s ordeal. “I don’t think that Hezbollah have anything on the cards now,” said Mr Goksel.
Paul Salem, from Beirut’s Carnegie Middle East Centre, said the attack on Gaza placed Hezbollah under pressure to respond. “I think it’s very unlikely that Hezbollah will open a second front on the border, but they are in a difficult position,” he said.
“Politically they are under pressure to act. Other Arab states have paid lip service, but the difference with Hezbollah is they take action. But I don’t think they will act, because it will come at a huge cost and this is not a battle of their choosing.”
Israel may also want to avoid an unplanned confrontation with Hezbollah.
It may choose to treat any attacks from Palestinian groups in Lebanon as isolated incidents.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Palestinian groups send a few rockets across the border, but Israel will likely ignore them, because they don’t want to push Hezbollah to respond,” said Mr Salem. “The overflights are a clear warning to Hezbollah not to do anything.”
Photo: Lebanese army personnel inspect one of eight rockets found in a field in Naqoura village, near the port-city of Tyre, December 25, 2008. The rockets that were dismantled by the army 2 days before the Israeli assault on Gaza were set up for launch at northern Israel, Lebanese security sources said.
Published: Monday, 29 December, 2008 @ 8:52 PM in Beirut
When Israel attacked Lebanon in 2006, it achieved some military success. It degraded the armed capability of Iran-backed Hezbollah and caused the international community to engage more constructively in Lebanon.
But such success was limited and not the main measure of the outcome – points worth remembering now as Israel engages in intense attacks in Gaza.
Two years ago, world opinion turned against Israel while Hezbollah claimed a moral victory as images of widespread destruction from Israeli bombing shocked even Israel’s friends. Now, the militant Hezbollah is in a stronger position politically with veto power in Lebanon’s cabinet.
The Israeli attacks that began Dec. 27 in Gaza appear to be better targeted than the Lebanon campaign, hitting key security installations of the ruling Hamas, which the US also terms a terrorist group. This time, most of those killed – more than 250 and counting – were uniformed members of Hamas’s security forces. Still, civilians have lost their lives and hundreds are wounded.
The reason for the attack seems more compelling than what sparked the war in Lebanon – Hezbollah’s killing of three Israeli soldiers and kidnapping of two others. Hamas has been acquiring longer-range rockets that can reach farther into Israel and has continued to smuggle in arms despite a six-month cease-fire that expired Dec. 19. In the intervening days, its missile attacks on Israel have escalated.
But as in the Lebanon war, it’s difficult to predict where this strong Israeli action will lead. This is not the situation of the previous decades, when Palestinians were led by Yasser Arafat – a terrorist, true, but one who eventually led a secular movement toward statehood.
Now, Palestinians live in parallel universes.
In the West Bank, they’re under the weak leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, trying to support the peace process. Palestinians in Gaza, meanwhile, no longer live under Israeli occupation, but they’re governed by Islamist Hamas. That group won Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006, but took control of Gaza through a military putsch in 2007. Hamas calls for the destruction of Israel and won’t renounce terrorism.
Israel and the West have tried to force Hamas’s hand through economic isolation. That strategy seems to have had some effect, producing an imperfect peace during the truce. Rocket fire from Gaza greatly decreased the hope that trade would resume and Gaza could begin to recover. But the rockets did not entirely cease, arms smuggling continued, and the truce lapsed.
By moving so forcefully in Gaza, Israel appears to be putting immediate concerns ahead of long-term peace prospects. Elections are coming in February, and political leaders undoubtedly feel compelled to prove their security credentials.
But with politics among Palestinians also uncertain (Mr. Abbas’s term may expire next month), Hamas, too, has something to prove. It may be looking to Hezbollah and calculating it can win followers’ hearts and minds even if it suffers a military setback.
It will take continued engagement by the Arab countries, the US, and others to steer these parties toward long-term peace.
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/analysis_beyond.php
Published: Monday, 29 December, 2008 @ 9:21 PM in Beirut
Beirut – Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Monday urged the Arab and Muslim peoples to launch “uprisings” in support of Gaza and pushed President Michel Suleiman to work for holding an Arab Summit that aims at ending the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
Nasrallah, addressing a rally in south Beirut in support of Gaza, also predicted that Israel would fail in defeating Hamas.
He said an Israeli incursion into Gaza would be “confronted by resistance fighters and the Israelis would start sustaining casualties.”
The Israeli war in Gaza, according to Nasrallah, is “not against Hamas, but against the Palestinian people.”
He urged Suleiman to play a “central role” in calling for the holding of an Arab Summit Conference on Gaza, charging that some Arab leaders are trying to “block” it.
“President Suleiman enjoys a unanimous Lebanese call for ending the aggression. This allows him to call for holding the summit without provoking sensitivities,” Nasrallah noted.
Nasrallah also said Suleiman should “reflect solidarity with Gaza at the summit and should avoid siding with this regime or that.”
He said the United States “would not mind if an Islamist faction ruled an Arab state. What matters is the stand that this faction adopts on Israel and its readiness to succumb to America.”
He urged his followers to remain on alert in case needed to confront any possible Israeli attack.
Nasrallah attacks Egypt
Nasrallah on Sunday attacked the Egyptian government and urged the Egyptians to pressure their government into opening the Gaza crossing for “weapons” to Hamas fighters.
in an address marking the first day of Ashoura, he said what is underway in Gaza is similar to July-August war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006 “and the outcome would be the same.”
Addressing the Egyptian people, Egyptian Army officers and intellectuals, Nasrallah said “I’m not calling for a coup d’etat, but go talk to your leaders and tell them you do not accept what is happening in Gaza.”
Egyptian FM accuses Hezbollah of declaring war on Egypt
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on Monday accused Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah of “declaring war on the Egyptian People”.
Abul Gheit, responding to Nasrallah’s address on Sunday without naming him, vowed that “the Egyptian People would confront this war.”
“Someone yesterday called on the Egyptian people to take to the streets and create an atmosphere of anarchy. In other words, they want an atmosphere of anarchy similar to the one they created in their own country,” Abul Gheit told a press conference in Ankara.
“This person (Nasrallah) also called on the Egyptian armed forces, but he is not aware of the situation,” Abul Gheit said after talks with his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan.
“If you do not know, let me tell you that the Egyptian armed forces are tasked with defending Egypt. If need be, they will also protect Egypt against people like you,” he told Nasrallah.
Photo: Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addresses his supporters through a giant screen during a rally in Beirut southern suburbs December 29, 2008, to express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. He attacked Egypt and called for uprisings in the Arab and Muslim world
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/nasrallah_calls.php
Published: Tuesday, 30 December, 2008 @ 7:05 AM in Beirut
Beirut- This is day four of the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip. Over 350 Palestinians have been killed including 60 civilians in the deadliest violence in the territory in decades. “Israel is engaged in an all-out war with Hamas,” Defense Minister Ehud Baraktold Parliament on Monday as his air force struck at the organization’s civic institutions — the Islamic University, Interior Ministry and presidential guesthouse.
As the conflict enters its fourth day, with no active diplomacy and anti-Israel protesters taking to the streets around the Arab world, there appeared to be no quick end to the largest assault on Gaza.
Hamas killed three Israelis on Monday after firing more than 70 rockets, including a long-range one into the booming city of Ashdod some 18 miles from Gaza, where it hit a bus stop, killing a woman and injuring two other people. Earlier, a rocket hit nearby Ashkelon, killing an Israeli-Arab construction worker and wounding three of his colleagues.
In Gaza, residents pulled relatives from the rubble of prominent institutions leveled by waves of Israeli F-16 attacks, as hospitals struggled to keep up with the wounded and the dead and doctors scrambled for scarce medical supplies. Hamas gunmen shot accused collaborators with Israel in public; families huddled around battery-powered radios, desperate for news.
Barak said Israel would widen and deepen the attack if necessary and told Israeli lawmakers the military would continue the assault until Hamas no longer had the ability to fire rockets into Israel. Politicians on the left who supported the initial attack urged the government to seek a new cease-fire rather than continue the bombardment.
But the military created a two-mile war cordon along the Gaza border and amassed tanks and troops there, with commanders saying that a ground force invasion was a distinct possibility but had not yet been decided upon.
In Tehran, Iran a group of influential conservative Iranian clerics began an online registration drive seeking volunteers to fight Israel.
Barak had told lawmakers that Israel had nothing against the citizens of Gaza and that it had more than once offered its hand in peace to the Palestinian nation. “But we have an all-out war with Hamas and its offshoots,” he said.
Israel sent in some 40 trucks of humanitarian relief, including blood from Jordan and medicine. Egypt opened its border with Gaza to some similar aid and to allow some of the wounded through.
At Shefaa Hospital in Gaza, the director, Dr. Hussein Ashour, said that keeping his patients alive from their wounds was an enormous challenge. He said there were some 1,500 wounded people distributed among Gaza’s nine hospitals with far too few intensive care units, equipped ambulances or other vital equipment.
On Monday, Ashour was not the only official in charge. Armed Hamas militants in civilian clothes roamed the halls. Asked their function, they said it was to provide security. But there was internal bloodletting under way.
In the fourth-floor orthopedic section, a woman in her late 20s asked a militant to let her see Saleh Hajoj, her 32-year-old husband. She was turned away and left the hospital. Fifteen minutes later, Hajoj was carried out by young men pretending to transfer him to another ward. As he lay on the stretcher, he was shot in the left side of the head.
Hajoj, like five others who have been killed at the hospital this way in the past 24 hours, was accused of collaboration with Israel. He had been in the central prison awaiting trial by Hamas judges; when Israel destroyed the prison on Sunday he and the others were transferred to the hospital. But their trials were short-circuited.
21:37 UN issues a statement on Tuesday saying Middle East Quartet calls for “an immediate ceasefire that would be fully respected” in Gaza Strip.
21:28 French Foreign Minister Kouchner says EU calls for ‘permanent’ ceasefire in Gaza.
21:00 FM Salloukh left for Cairo to participate in the meeting of Arab foreign ministers
20:11 Bush calls Abbas and Fayyad to discuss ’sustainable’ Gaza ceasefire. “They agreed that for any ceasefire to be effective, it must be respected, particularly by Hamas,” White House spokesman said.
18:50 Hamas vows to hit Israel harder if the Jewish state continued its deadly bombardment of the former’s Gaza Strip stronghold. “If you decide to enter the Gaza Strip, the land in Gaza will burn under your feet, and it will explode under your soldiers. Gaza children will collect parts of your bodies and your tanks from the streets,” a masked spokesman for Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said in televised comments.
18:47 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would meet his foreign and defense ministers on Tuesday to consider French temporary truce proposal for Gaza
18:43 General secretariat of the March 14 alliance stressed, after meeting with Beirut’s Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elias Aoude on Tuesday, that support given to Gaza should be within the framework of the law and the constitution as represented by Lebanon’s institutions.
18:29 French President Nicolas Sarkozy to meet head of Future bloc Saad Hariri on Friday to discuss bilateral relations and the current regional tensions caused by the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza Strip.
17:39 “Al-Manar TV:” Continuous Israeli shelling on Gaza targeting the homes of leaders of the “Hamas” movement
16:40 U.N. Secretary General Ban ki-Moon is to discuss the Gaza situation with foreign ministers of the quartet bloc.
16: 30 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said those who link their interests to the interests of the Zionists would go to hell.
16:28: Information Minister Tareq Mitri following cabinet meeting: the Cabinet decided to offer $1 million in aid to help destitute Palestinians in Gaza. Lebanon to launch a national contribution campaign. Wednesday is declared a national day of mourning, flags at half staff in solidarity with Gaza.
The Cabinet agreed to the call for holding an Arab summit, Lebanon’s participation at the summit is unconditional.
15:46 Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossam Zakki said to Future News that Hezbollah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah’s call for action against the Egyptian government is absurd and interfering in Egyptian domestic affairs is unacceptable.
14:30 Al-Manar TV: Security forces stepped up measures around the Egyptian embassy in Beirut.
14:10 Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Israeli attacks on Gaza are rejected, adding that Egypt sought to extend the truce and reach inter-Palestinian accord. “We tell those who are seeking political gains at the expense of the Palestinian people that Palestinian blood is not cheap.” ( This was in response to Nasrallah’s (Hezbollah leader) attack against Egypt. Mubarak added ” Egypt would not open the Rafah crossing, except for humanitarian purposes, in the absence of the Palestine Authority and European observers
13:55 The boat Karama ( Dignity ) enters the Lebanese territorial waters coming from Gaza, accompanied by a Lebanese armed forces boat.
13:15 Al-Manar TV said a Lebanese Navy boat sailed out of the Tyre port to escort the boat Karama.
13:00 Geagea to reporters in Bkirki: “Are we attempting to make efforts to save the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip or attempting to plot a coup and a revolution in the Middle East and against Arab regimes?” he asked. ( This was a response to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah statements , calling for uprising against Egyptian government )
12:34 AFP: Israeli Gaza offensive has killed 363 Palestinians and injured 1720 since Saturday
12:15 Protestors launch sit-in across the street from UNRWA offices in Tripoli in protest against the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
12:01 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea meets Patriarch Sfeir at Bkirki.
11:40 Defense Minister Elias Murr presided over the military council and reviewed assignments carried out by the army, especially tasks of chasing wanted criminals.
11:29 Cabinet started its meeting at the Baabda Palace.
10:55 President Michel Suleiman ordered the Lebanese Navy to escort the boat Karama loaded with supplies to Gaza after it was rammed by an Israeli gunboat.
10:52 Two Palestinian sisters aged 4 and 11 killed by Israeli air attack
10:50 Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh leaves for Cairo later in the day to take part in the extraordinary meeting by Arab foreign ministers scheduled for Wednesday.
10:25 The bodies of two people were found near the main square of Deir al-Zahrani in the southern Lebanese town of Nabatiyeh.
9:15 MP Atef Majdalani: Israel is implementing a Nazi-Fascist policy against the Palestinian people the same way it treated the Lebanese in July 2006.
8:30 Minister Ibrahim Shamseddine told VOL that the cabinet might unanimously approve Lebanon’s participation in an emergency Arab summit on Gaza.
7:35 Health Minister Mohammed Khalife told VOL: Lebanon is seriously concerned over the expansion of Israeli attacks, and the key solution is to work toward an end to the ongoing assault.
07:05 King Abdullah II of Jordan donated blood to the relief campaign of Gaza
06:58 Nasrallah’s remarks sparked angry reactions from politicians and party leaders in Egypt. The Egyptians considered the remarks as those of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
06:21 The Cabinet meeting will define the next move for Lebanon with regards to the Israeli attacks on Gaza
06:17 Lebanon is avoiding to become a party to the inter Arab divisions
06:15 Lebanon has been consulting with Arab leaders regarding participation in the Qatar summit
06:10 The cabinet will hold a meeting this morning at the Baabda Republican Palace
06:08 March 14 alliance is avoiding any response to Nasrallah to preserve the Lebanese unity
06:00 Ministerial sources: Lebanon is opposed to any Arab division and trying to work on this
05:58 Several meetings are taking place to ensure a united Lebanese stance towards the developments in Gaza
05:43 Lebanon supports the attendance of the Arab Foreign ministers meeting on Wednesday in Cairo and FM Salloukh will represent Lebanon
05:14 The Army Arrested wanted criminals and confiscated 22 vehicles, ammunition and drugs in a raid in Beqaa valley
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/tuesday_news_br_22.php
Gaza protest boat SS Dignity is back in Lebanon
Published: Tuesday, 30 December, 2008 @ 3:21 PM in Beirut
Beirut- SS Dignity ( al Karameh in Arabic), a boat carrying international peace activists and medical supplies to the embattled Gaza Strip sailed back into a Lebanese port on Tuesday — after being turned back and damaged by the Israeli navy, organizers of the trip said.
The crowds on the docks in the Lebanese port city of Tyre were jubilant and cheering as they welcomed the vessel.
The boat, which set off from Cyprus Monday wanted to make a statement and deliver medical supplies to embattled Gaza. The trip’s organizers said the boat was clearly in international waters, 90 miles off the coast of Gaza, at the time of its close encounter with the Israeli navy.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said the boat ignored an Israeli radio order to turn back early Tuesday.
Palmor says the boat tried to outmaneuver an Israeli navy ship and crashed into it, which lightly damaged both vessels. The navy then escorted the boat out into the territorial waters of Cyprus.
But protest boat organizer Derek Graham, from the group Free Gaza, said the Israeli ship “rammed” the protest boat
Graham said the vessel would “limp” toward southern Lebanon because of engine trouble.
A Free Gaza spokeswoman, Lubna Masarwa, said the boat was heading to Lebanon despite Israeli navy orders to sail to Cyprus, because of a lack of fuel. Masarwa added the boat was “in bad shape” due to damage sustained in the collision and was taking on small amounts of water.
She added that organizers will see how and when the boat will proceed to the Cypriot port of Larnaca once it reaches Lebanon.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman ordered Tuesday that the boat be “rescued” , escorted by a Lebanese Navy Ship and welcomed back in Lebanon.
Cyprus Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou told public radio that his country would lodge a formal protest over Israel’s alleged ramming of the Free Gaza boat.
He said that although the boat is neither Cypriot-owned nor Cypriot-registered, the fact that it left Cyprus and has Cypriot nationals aboard accords the Cyprus government “the right to be informed and to protest.”
Kyprianou said he has instructed the Cyprus embassy in Israel to lodge the protest.
The 66-foot (20-meter) yacht Dignity, flying the flag of Gibraltar, left Larnaca Monday with almost 4 tons of Cypriot-donated supplies and 16 passengers, including former U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney, Cypriot lawmaker Eleni Theocharous and activists from Britain, Australia, Ireland and Tunisia, organizers said.
Theocharous, who is also a surgeon, said supplies include urgently-needed surgical equipment and antibiotics.
The Free Gaza group has made five deliveries of aid by boat to Gaza since August, defying a blockade imposed by Israel when Hamas won control of the territory in June 2007.
Israel has launched the deadliest bombing campaign against Palestinians in decades on Saturday which it says is in retaliation for rocket fire aimed at civilians in southern Israeli towns. The strikes in Gaza have killed more than 360 people and wounded hundreds of others.
Aid ships for the Palestinian coastal territory often stop at the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus before heading to Gaza, opting for the indirect route to deprive Israel of any excuse not to allow the ship into Gaza.
The last boat to make the trip on Dec. 20 carried a Qatari delegation, Lebanese activists and journalists from Israel and Lebanon. Qatar, an Arab Gulf state, has warm relations with both Israel and Hamas.
Photo: Former U.S. congresswoman Cynthia McKinney is seen in front of SS Dignity before setting sail with boxes of medical supplies aboard, for Gaza from the Cypriot port of Larnaca, Cyprus, Monday, Dec. 29, 2008.
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/gaza_protest_bo.php
Jumblatt and Geagea criticize Nasrallah’s attack on Egypt
Published: Tuesday, 30 December, 2008 @ 3:44 PM in Beirut
Beirut – Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt criticized the verbal attacks against Egypt and other Arab states and called for focusing on uniting the Palestinian factions in order to confront the Israeli aggression against Gaza.
Jumblatt’s criticism was directed against Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who delivered a fiery speech on Sunday in which he targeted Egypt in calling for an uprising against the Egyptian government.
In a television interview, Jumblatt, ruled out the possibility of “escalation from Lebanon (in line with the Gaza confrontation).”
“What would such an escalation from the liberated south Lebanon produce at a time when the Syrian regime is not making any moves although Israel occupies its lands. They negotiate with Israel, instead,” Jumblatt noted.
He urged the “international community and the U.N. Security Council to exert pressure on Israel to halt its barbaric aggression on Gaza.”
Jumblatt said the settlement is available in adopting the Arab peace initiative that leads to the creation of a “viable Palestinian state.”
The ongoing violence in Gaza, according to Jumblatt, would only result in “more terror.”
Geagea echoed same sentiment against Nasrallah
Similarly , Head of the Lebanese Forces Executive Council Samir Geagea told reporters after meeting Tuesday with Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir in Bkirki:
“Are we attempting to make efforts to save the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip or attempting to prepare a coup and a revolution in the Middle East and against Arab regimes?” he asked.
He also called on the Lebanese Armed Forces to be alert in order to not to drag Lebanon into the Gaza crisis.
Geagea added that the Arab-Israeli conflict should not be turned into a conflict among Arabs.
“What is going on at the moment is ideological and not political. It leads nowhere but only propagate the crisis,” he concluded.
Egyptian politicians and party leaders were also outraged by Nasrallah’s statements and said these are the words of ( Iranian president Mahmoud ) Ahmadinejad
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/jumblatt_and_ge.php
Egypt: Nasrallah’s words came from Iran
Published: Tuesday, 30 December, 2008 @ 4:44 PM in Beirut
Cairo – A senior official with the ruling Egyptian National Democratic Party (‘Al’Hizb Al Watani Al Democrati’) said Nasrallah’s words were not his but those of the Iranian president.
Rifaat al-Saeed, chairman of the Egyptian National coalition party (Hizb al-Wifak), also told the daily Asharq al-Awsat that Nasrallah’s words did not come from him but rather from Iran.
“Egyptians do not need Nasrallah’s permission to demonstrate,” Saeed said.
Saeed was surprised that Nasrallah’s speech was directed at the Egyptian army and asked: “Does he dare calling on the Syrian or Iranian armies” to confront the war on Gaza.
For his part, Jihad Awdeh of the ruling National Democratic Party criticized Nasrallah’s speech, saying he “committed a big mistake.”
“The person who talked to us is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad whom Nasrallah works for,” Awdeh said, adding that Egyptian armed forces do not give ear to such “nonsense.”
During a press conference in Cairo today Prsident Hosni Mubarak said: “We tell those who are seeking political gains at the expense of the Palestinian people that Palestinian blood is not cheap.” ( This was in response to Nasrallah’s attack against Egypt. )
Mubarak added ” Egypt would not open the Rafah crossing, except for humanitarian purposes, in the absence of the Palestine Authority and European observers. The division between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas for one year has had many negative repercussions. The resistance should take responsibility toward its people without trying to achieve political gains.”
Mubarak continued Egypt’s efforts to enhance truce in the Gaza Strip will not tolerate any doubts. We call for implementing the truce between Israel and Palestine. ..We call for opening all crossing borders.
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/egypt_nasrallah.php
Hamas, Israel cool to the idea of a truce in Gaza
Published: Wednesday, 31 December, 2008 @ 5:19 AM in Beirut
Gaza – Foreign powers stepped up calls on Israel and Hamas on Tuesday to halt hostilities after four days of Israeli air attacks on the Gaza Strip and rocket salvoes by the Islamist militants deep inside the Jewish state.
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/hamas_israel_co.php
Wednesday News Briefs
Published: Wednesday, 31 December, 2008 @ 2:41 PM in Beirut
Beirut- This is day five of the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip. Over 390 Palestinians have been killed and over 1900 have been wounded in the deadliest violence in the territory in decades. At least 25 percent of Palestinians killed have been civilians and
at least 42 of those killed have been children , the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said.
Israel rejected on Wednesday the French proposal for a 48-hour cease-fire in the Gaza Strip in order to allow the flow of humanitarian aid into the bombarded coastal territory, the website of Haaretz reported.
The website added that the decision was reached by the members of the “kitchen cabinet,” which includes Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
In Jerusalem, the cabinet discussed the French proposal for a 48-hour “humanitarian” cease-fire, after failing late Tuesday night to reach a decision. The cabinet was also reportedly discussing whether to expand the Israel Defense Forces operation in the Gaza Strip, according to the paper.
After a meeting of foreign ministers of the Arab League in cairo, Amr Moussa, the arab Leage chief urged Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to ask the U.N. Security Council to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza. Abbas since has left to New York to ask the Security Council to adopt a binding ceasefire resolution on Gaza
19:00The Number of casualties resulting from Israeli military operation in Gaza has risen to over 397 dead and over 2000 wounded.
18:57 The White House said it was up to Hamas to take the first steps toward a ceasefire in Gaza by ending rocket fire in Israel.
18:10 president Suleiman is for an Arab emergency summit and willing to host it in Lebanon
18:00 Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas: We welcome every effort to end the Israeli aggression and for opening all passages and for lifting the siege on Gaza. To Palestinians inside the occupied territories I say the only guarantee is our internal unity. The Authority should not be a source of separation but unification. I call on all the Arab states to double their efforts and work on all levels under the framework of common Arab solidarity away from political polarizations. No meaning for negotiations with Israel and no benefit without having a strong will for achieving peace
17:01 : Kuwaiti and Egyptian parliamentary delegations arrive to participate in Arab parliamentary meeting.
16:30 Russia’s foreign ministry announced today that Hamas is ready to halt its attacks on Israel if the Jewish state lifts its blockade of Gaza.
16:42 Leader of Belgian’s UNIFIL forces said the its forces are on high alert despite the fact that everything is quiet in the south
16:01 Jumblatt appealed to the International Socialist movement to exert pressure on Israel to end its aggression against Gaza
14:40 As-Siyasseh: Nadim Gemayel , son of slain president Bashir Gemayel said that it was time to define a defense strategy against Hezbollah after the party used its weapons domestically during the May events. Gemayel accused Hezbollah of favoring the interest of Iran and Syria over Lebanon’s . He also accused Syria of supporting terrorism in Lebanon and of exploiting Aoun’s visit to divide the Christians . He declared that he plans to be a candidate in the upcoming elections within the March 14 alliance
14:22 4 rockets land on Ovakim settlement in Israel
14:19 An Israeli raid targeted the house of a Hamas official in Khan Younis
13:56 Israeli warplanes raided a house in Rafah. Casualties reported.
13:20 Lebanon Files: Minister Elias Murr signed off on the promotions of the Army officers which will be effective as of tonight
13:11 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives in Damascus.
13:02 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decides to head to UN Security Council and call for immediate end of Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
12:40 Al-Arabiya: An Israeli raid targeted a Quds Brigades official in Khan Younis.
12:28 AL Chief Amr Moussa: condemns the Israeli aggression on Gaza. He said Gaza is paying the price of upheaval in Israel as a result of upcoming parliamentary elections, the absence of an Arab stance and a split in Palestinian ranks. He called for the adoption of a strong Arab stance to face Israeli aggression on Gaza and urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to ask the U.N. Security Council to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza. Moussa said:
“Resistance is a right, but suicide is unacceptable.”
12:24 Saudi FM Prince Saud al-Faisal says division among Palestinians helps Israel to achieve victories. He urged Palestinian factions to unite and form a national unity government during the meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo.
12:00 The Sudanese and Qatari delegations arrived in Beirut to take part in the meeting of the Federation of Arab Parliamentarians on Thursday in Tyre.
11:54 Sarkozy and Kouchner considering visiting Israel after visiting Lebanon on Monday
11:47 Israel rejects French proposal for truce, discuss expansion of operations in Gaza
11:30 Speaker Nabih Berri is meeting in Musaileh with Iraq’s Deputy Speaker Khaled Atiya.
10: 50 “Current efforts aimed at ending fighting and implementing a ceasefire put the executioner and the victim on equal footing,” said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum in a statement.
10: 20 At least 390 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the offensive on Gaza and another 1,900 wounded, according to Gaza medics. At least 42 of those killed have been children, they say.
10:18 At least 25 percent of Palestinians killed during Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip have been civilians, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said.
10:02 Israeli official says Israel mulling proposals for permanent Gaza truce
10:00 Future TV: Two Palestinian rockets hit Sderot.
09:59 Israeli TV reports that 20 missiles launched on Israeli areas since Wednesday morning.
09:46 Many missiles launched at Ofakim and Kiryat Malachi in Israel.
09:13 Olmert, Barak, Livni reject French ceasefire proposal.
08:47 Two more missiles launched on Beersheba area in Israel.
08:24 A missile is launched on Beersheba area in Israel.
08:20 MP Atef Majdalani told VOL: The campaign against Egypt is aimed at changing the Arab-Israeli conflict into an Arab-Arab conflict.
Majdalani stressed not giving Israel excuse to expand its offensive on Gaza
Tuesday23:04 Minister Wael Abu Faour told “Voice of Lebanon”: contacts with the political forces of Lebanon and Palestine have stressed that there is no intention to involve Lebanon in the conflict
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/wednesday_news_28.php
Second NY man pleads guilty in airing Hezbollah’s Al Manar
Published: Wednesday, 31 December, 2008 @ 3:27 PM in Beirut
New York – A second New York City man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization by broadcasting Hezbollah television channel Al Manar to U.S. customers, prosecutors said.
Saleh Elahwal, who lives in New Jersey, admitted that between about September 2005 and August 2006 he provided satellite transmission services through Brooklyn-based HDTV Ltd to Al Manar, in exchange for thousands of dollars payment.
His co-defendant Javed Iqbal, a Pakistani who moved to the United States more than 25 years ago, pleaded guilty to the same charge on Dec. 23.
In 2005, fifty-one U.S. Senators including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama sent a letter to President Bush urging him to place al-Manar on the Specially Designated Global Terrorist List stating Hezbollah is a known terrorist organization that funds al-Manar whose satellite broadcasts promote suicide attacks on U.S. and Israeli targets, as well as on U.S. troops in Iraq.
In March 2006, the U.S. Treasury Department did add al-Manar to the SDGT entity list designating it a media arm of the Hezbollah terrorist network, freezing al-Manar’s assets in the U.S. and prohibited any transactions between Americans and al-Manar.
Hezbollah, an Iranian- and Syrian-backed Shi’ite Muslim group with a powerful guerrilla army, was designated by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist organization in 1997.
Elahwal is due to be sentenced on Feb. 19 and Iqbal on March 24. Both face up to 15 years in prison. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols, editing by Vicki Allen)
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/second_ny_man_p.php
Israel on high alert, worried about rocket attacks from Lebanon
Published: Wednesday, 31 December, 2008 @ 4:19 PM in Beirut
Beirut- The Israeli army has reportedly gone on high alert in the north for fears that Palestinian factions backed by Hezbollah would launch rockets to avenge the offensive on the Gaza Strip and open a new front with Israel.
The Israeli daily Jerusalem Post quoted defense sources as saying that time seemed ripe for Palestinian factions to prove allegiance to Hamas and attack Israel from south Lebanon.
Israeli media also quoted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s spokesman Mark Regev as saying the Jewish state was worried about the threat posed by Hezbollah on Israel’s northern frontier.
“Yes,” Regev said, responding to a question about the possibility of an attack. “We’re watching the northern border very closely.”
U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanese troops have also stepped up patrols along the border with Israel after rockets were discovered in the south and following the Jewish state’s massive military operation in Gaza.
Beirut media on Wednesday quoted UNIFIL Deputy Assistant Spokesperson Andrea Tinti as saying that the international troops have no information about Israel going on alert on the other side of the border.
He said UNIFIL was working with all sides which are showing full cooperation.
The same defense sources told The Jerusalem Post that Israel feared a possible attack on Israel as the anniversary of Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh’s assassination nears.
They said the Lebanese Shiite group, which still seeks to avenge Mughniyeh’s murder in a Damascus car bombing last February, might take advantage of the situation and attack Israel while it is busy on the Gaza front.
The mayor of an Israeli city in the north told the Post it would be the “mistake of a lifetime” for Hezbollah and Lebanon to begin any sort of confrontation with Israel now.
“I have it from very senior military sources that the policy is, in the event a missile is fired, to raze to the ground the village from which it was fired. So if they want to reduce Lebanon to piles of rubble (then they should attack),” Ma’alot-Tarshiha’s Mayor, Shlomo Buhbut, said.
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/israel_on_high.php
Dubai bans New Year celebrations over violence in Gaza
Published: Wednesday, 31 December, 2008 @ 9:52 PM in Beirut
Beirut – Dubai hotels scrambled to rework New Year’s Eve plans Wednesday following a last-minute order to mute holiday festivities as Arab states sought to tone down celebrating amid the violence in Gaza.
Beachfront fireworks and live music acts at the recently opened Atlantis hotel were canceled as the tourist spot followed Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s ban on “all forms of celebrations.”
Concerts were also canceled elsewhere in the region, including in Israel’s neighbors Egypt and Jordan. A much-publicized concert by Shakira, the Colombian singer of Lebanese descent who is widely popular across the region, appeared to be going ahead in the United Arab Emirates’ capital, Abu Dhabi.
Dubai’s order, announced by state news agency WAM late Tuesday, called for “a somber tone as a token of solidarity” with the Palestinian people and with the Gaza Strip in particular.
It was unclear if the ban marked a halt to the city-state’s famous New Year’s Eve champagne dinners and raucous bar bashes. Many hotels, which are generally the only places licensed to serve alcohol, said they planned to keep food and drink sites open, but low key.
Habib Khan, manager of the four-star Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa, said he supported the move.
“One night (of) business does not make us rich or poor,” he said when asked if business would be hurt by the decision.
New Year’s Eve is one of the busiest times of the year for Dubai’s hotel bars and restaurants, which typically offer lavish dinner packages at steep prices. The iconic sail-shaped Burj al-Arab offered one of the dearest: a gala post-cocktail feast followed by live music and dancing for 9,900 dirhams a person, about $2,700.
The hotel’s parent, Jumeirah Group, which is controlled by Dubai’s ruler, did not respond to requests for comment about possible changes to its New Year’s plans.
A number of celebrations were also canceled in Jordan, where roughly half of the 5.8 million people are of Palestinian descent from families displaced in two wars with Israel since 1948.
Hotels, restaurants, malls and private parties in the capital, Amman, the Red Sea resort of Aqaba and the ancient rose-rock city of Petra, announced celebration cancellations in the local press.
In Amman, concerts featuring renowned singers May Hariri from Lebanon and Ahmad Sharif of Tunisia were called off. Organizer Elias Nehme said the singers initially planned to go ahead with their concert to benefit the war-stricken strip but later reconsidered, saying it is “a shame to have a party while people are dying” in Gaza.
Egypt’s culture and information ministries canceled official celebrations, including a concert by Egyptian superstar Mohammed Mounir at the Cairo Opera House.
However, most private hotels and clubs appeared to be going forward with events.
At one of the two Four Seasons hotels in Cairo, guests paying 1,500 Egyptian pounds ($270) a person could be treated to a five-course celebratory dinner set to classical music.
“We are not canceling any reservations,” said Ahmed Ghany, the restaurant manager. He added that no prospective guests had canceled their reservations. “The situation is far from us,” he said.
Bahrain News Agency said all New Year’s concerts in the Persian Gulf island state were canceled in support of Gaza following a directive by the king. Hotels were also asked to abide by the ruling.
In Lebanon, hardened by a devastating 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 and a fierce power struggle by rival factions, preparations to celebrate the New Year went ahead.
Paul Ariss, president of the Restaurant Owners’ Association, said there was “a festive mood” in the country despite the Gaza attacks. More than 60 percent of restaurants in the capital, Beirut, were fully booked, he said.
“Although our hearts are with the victims in Gaza life must go on after all,” Ariss said.
In Syria, celebrations at the country’s major hotels were postponed until Friday, organizers said. Churches also canceled New Year’s celebrations and kept only prayers for the event.
Teams from the Syrian Red Crescent stood at traffic lights in downtown Damascus to collect donations for victims of the Gaza airstrikes.
In Baghdad, normal New Year’s celebrations already had been shelved due to the Islamic holiday of Muharram, and hotels and private clubs that usually host parties called them off. Muharram is important to Shiite Muslims, who dominate the government. Parties were still being held in the predominantly Sunni northern Kurdish region.
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/12/dubai_bans_new.php
Thursday News Briefs
Published: Thursday, 1 January, 2009 @ 8:03 PM in Beirut
Beirut – For many of us it is the first day of the new year… but for the people of Gaza it is day six of the Israeli offensive! About 400 Palestinians have been killed and 2000 have been wounded in the deadliest violence in the territory in decades. At least 25 percent of Palestinians killed have been civilians and more than half of the civilians killed have been children, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees reported
Hamas has already lost one of its key leaders. Nizar Rayan died with his four wives and two of his children, aged seven and ten, in an Israeli air strike in Gaza. Medics said Rayan, a hardliner within the Islamist group, died when a missile crashed into a five-storey house in Jabaliya in the north of the territory.
The Washington Post by a former member of the Israeli cabinet and deputy defense minister Ephraim Sneh
3- Until the elections to the Palestinian parliament and the presidency in January 2010, Gaza is to be run by a civilian administration appointed by the government in Ramallah.
4- Augmented Egyptian supervision of the border between Gaza and Egypt.
5- The return of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.”
In Lebanon the Arab Parliamentary Union attended a conference in the town of Tyre in south Lebanon . The speaker of Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri called for the conference . At the end of the 1 day conference the attendees issued a statement calling for :
1- Halting all the Arab-Israeli peace negotiations .
2 – Forming a parliamentary delegation to meet with world leaders and urge them to force Israel to end its aggression on Gaza.
3- Holding an emergency Arab summit
4- setting up an Emergency Fund to collect donations for Gaza.
Thursday23:40 According to Egyptian sources Singer Amr Diab decided to donate his earnings for singing at Albustan , Dubai hotel on new year’s eve to the victims in Gaza resulting from the Israeli air assault
23:00
21:50 Princess Rania wife of Jordan’s King Abdullah II Described the silence about what is happening in Gaza as a “sinful”
17:20 Egyptian security sources have reported that the
12:05 :
Wednesday19:30 : As was decided by the cabinet yesterday flags flew at half mast in Lebanon on Wednesday in a day of national mourning to express solidarity with Gaza victims. The cabinet also pledged one million dollar relief aid to victims of the Israeli attack on Gaza
19:00The Number of casualties resulting from Israeli military operation in Gaza has risen to over 397 dead and over 2000 wounded.
18:10 president Suleiman is for an Arab emergency summit and willing to host it in Lebanon
18:00 Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas: We welcome every effort to end the Israeli aggression and for opening all passages and for lifting the siege on Gaza. To Palestinians inside the occupied territories I say the only guarantee is our internal unity. The Authority should not be a source of separation but unification. I call on all the Arab states to double their efforts and work on all levels under the framework of common Arab solidarity away from political polarizations. No meaning for negotiations with Israel and no benefit without having a strong will for achieving peace17:01 : Kuwaiti and Egyptian parliamentary delegations arrive to participate in Arab parliamentary meeting.
16:01 Jumblatt appealed to the International Socialist movement to exert pressure on Israel to end its aggression against Gaza
14:22 4 rockets land on Ovakim settlement in Israel
Senior hardline Hamas leader killed in air strike with his 4 wives
Published: Thursday, 1 January, 2009 @ 8:26 PM in Beirut
Gaza- Nizar Rayan died with his four wives and two of his children, aged seven and ten, in an Israeli air strike in Gaza. Medics said Rayan, a hardliner within the Islamist group, died when a missile crashed into a five-storey house in Jabaliya in the north of the territory.
He is the most senior Hamas official killed since Israel unleashed its massive bombardment against the Islamists on Saturday in response to persistent rocket fire from the enclave.
In the minutes following the strike, dozens of people rushed to the scene, pulling bodies from the rubble.
A few months after Hamas seized control of Gaza in June 2007, Rayan vowed the Islamists would also seize control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank which is still administered by Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.
Nizar Rayan, widely regarded as one of Hamas’s most hardline political leaders, had advocated renewing suicide bombings inside Israel.
Many Hamas leaders are in hiding, anticipating assassination attempts by Israel, whose military confirmed the air strike. Hamas Radio said Rayan rejected Hamas advice to leave his house.
A lecturer at Gaza’s Islamist University, Rayan, 49, had mentored suicide bombers and would sometimes go on patrol with Hamas fighters. Hamas said Israel would pay a “heavy price” for his death, which was confirmed by medical officials.
Hours before the killing, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel was fighting Hamas with an “iron fist”, his words backed by a series of air strikes in the Gaza Strip but challenged by rockets that have killed four people in southern Israel.
Israeli forces remained poised on the Gaza frontier in preparation for a possible ground invasion as international calls for an immediate ceasefire mounted.
Shortly after Olmert spoke to mayors in southern Israel, footage of a multi-storey building damaged in an attack and a rubble-strewn street filled Israeli television screens.
This time, the scene was the not the battered Gaza Strip, rather a tree-lined street in Ashdod, a major Israeli port city, where a Hamas rocket had torn into the eighth floor of a residential building.
No one was hurt but several residents were treated for shock, officials said. Some 20 rockets hit elsewhere in southern Israel, causing no casualties.
On the sixth days of hostilities, Israeli aircraft and naval forces attacked about 20 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, including a government complex, the Israeli military said.
Palestinian medical officials said three civilians were killed in those air strikes and 100 people wounded.
“I very much hope we will succeed in achieving our goals quickly,” Olmert said, repeating Israel’s declared aim of ending rocket attacks in the Gaza Strip and giving no precise time frame for the offensive that began on Saturday.
Israel’s Haaretz newspaper said the Israeli army had recommended a major but short-term ground offensive into the densely populated enclave.
Diplomats said the deadliest conflict in the Gaza Strip in four decades could get even bloodier after days of air strikes that have killed at least 407 Palestinians, about a quarter of whom, U.N. figures showed, were civilians, and wounded more than 1,700.
Update : Correction 9 out of 12 of Nizar Rayan’s children were killed in the attack , not 2 as reported earlier . An Israeli warplane dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on the home of Rayan Thursday, instantly killing him . 18 other people including his four wives and 9 children were killed in the bomb attack
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2009/01/senior_hardline.php
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2009/01/will_set_an_exa.php
Hamas declares Friday a ‘day of wrath’ after Rayyan’s death
Published: Friday, 2 January, 2009 @ 4:47 AM in Beirut
Beirut- Hamas has called on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem to mark a “day of wrath” by demonstrating against the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip
In an appeal on its website, the militant group called for “massive marches” after the weekly Muslim prayers, starting at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem and from “all the mosques in the West Bank”.
“Let Friday be a day of solidarity with our people in Gaza and a day of wrath against the Zionist occupation and its settlers,” the Hamas website read.
The call comes after the death of senior Hamas leader Nizar Rayyan, who was killed in an Israeli air strike overnight.
He was killed along with his four wives and nine of his twelve children in an air strike on his house in the Jabalya refugee camp.
Rayyan has been described as one of the top five Hamas leaders in Gaza, responsible for inspiring suicide bomb attacks against Israel, including one involving one of his sons.
He was closely linked to the Hamas military wing.
The news of Rayyan’s death came on the sixth day of Israeli strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
It is estimated that more than 400 people have now died in Gaza and another 2000 have been wounded.
Meanwhile, Israeli President Shimon Peres says how long the offensive lasts is up to Hamas.
“It depends upon them. This day, after all the death and all the blood, they fired 70 rockets. What for? If they really care about their people, stop it,” he said.
But as Turkey made its plea, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, reiterated her Government’s rejection of a French-proposed cease-fire of 48 hours to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
“There is no humanitarian crisis in the Strip and therefore there is no need for a humanitarian truce,” she said.
“Israel has been supplying comprehensive humanitarian aid to the Strip … and has even been stepping this up by the day.”
ForeignersIsrael has indicated it will let more than 400 foreigners living in the Gaza Strip leave later today.
Peter Lerner, an Israeli military liaison, said the foreigners, many of whom are spouses of Gaza Palestinians and their children, include US, Russian, Moldovan, Ukrainian, Turkish and Norwegian passport-holders.
Erez border crossing would be open to them on Friday morning, Mr Lerner said.
“From experience we know that not all foreigners leave in such situations,” he said.
Observers say by enabling the departure of foreigners through its border, Israel could be signaling preparations for an escalation in the fighting.
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2009/01/hamas_declares.php
Friday News Briefs
Published: Friday, 2 January, 2009 @ 4:20 PM in Beirut
Beirut- This is day seven of the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip . About 430 Palestinians have been killed and 2250 have been wounded in the deadliest violence in the territory in decades. Yesterday Hamas lost one of its leaders in an airstrike and today its ally Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades
lost a key leader too in another airstrike.
Hamas lost Nizar Rayan who died with his four wives and nine of his twelve children. A total of 18 people were killed in airstrike
Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades lost today Imad Akl according to Lebanese Future TV.
A day before he was killed Rayan ( or Rayyan) has predicted victory for Hamas.
It appears this time Israel is trying to avoid a repeat of the Lebanon war mistakes . Israel is setting preconditions for any ceasefire to make sure Hamas will not be able to fire any more rockets. Israel is therefore trying to make sure that Hamas does not declare a victory like Hezbollah did in 2006 Saturday
02:15 The Arab ministerial delegation will head to the UN tomorrow Friday
23:37 One Palestinian was killed in Israeli raid in North Gaza
23:14 Egypt is talking to Hamas about ceasefire in Gaza
22:53 France: Sarkozy will visit Lebanon for several hours . The schedule for Sfeir’s visit to France has not been firmed up
22:48
20:56 Hezbollah’s ally Gen. Aoun , like Nasrallah is certain the resistance in Gaza will be victorious and criticized the positions taken by the Arab governments over the Israeli Gaza offensive
18:50 Lebanon files: Reliable diplomatic sources are predicting a delay in the elections. The sources claim that the delay will be caused by the regional allies of the Iranian and Syrian-backed Hezbollah led opposition for fear of losing the elections , because the projected results of the elections indicate that the existing parliamentary membership distribution may not change and if it does it will be a matter of +/- 1 to 7 MPs 18: 50 Six people were killed in Israeli airstrike of Gaza’s main coastal road.
18:00 Lebanese medical aid to Gaza will be sent on Saturday
17:50 Israeli gunboats renew their shelling of Gaza.
17:47 Israeli warplanes bombard Rafah and the central region of Gaza
17:42 In Turkey protesters burn Israeli flags after Friday prayer17: 40 U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing the Palestinians in Gaza with humanitarian aid, especially in terms of food and medical supplies. USAID delivers aid through partners in the region and is looking for ways to support the delivery of aid from the U.N. World Food Program.
17:40 The Lebanese security forces close all roads leading to the Egyptian embassy in Beirut
17:38 A clash in Tripoli between security forces and Gaza offense protesters
17:37 Army command; six Israeli plane violated Lebanese airspace
17: 30 U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said efforts are underway for an immediate cease fire that does not allow Hamas to launch rockets.
16:49 Israeli police arrests 21 leftist activists that were protesting against the Israeli offensive against Gaza
16:23 Thousands are protesting in Afghanistan cities against the Israeli offensive against Gaza
16:20 The Arab parliamentary delegations have started departing from Lebanon after participation in yesterday’s Tyre conference over Gaza
15:39 3 children were killed in an Israeli airstrike east of Khan Younes in Gaza
14:50 The death toll from the Israeli offensive on Gaza rose to 430 as 2250 people were wounded.
14:31 Al Jazeera: Egyptian authorities prevent protests following the Friday prayer
14:40 NNA: Anti-Israel demonstrators engaged in a fistfight in the northern city of Tripoli. The army dispersed the crowds and arrested one protestor.
14:35 Clash of Israeli Defense Forces continues with Palestinian protesters in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
14:30 Three children were killed in an Israeli air raid on the town of Qarara in southern Gaza.
14:25 Future TV: Reports that Imad Akl from Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades was killed in the Israeli raid.14:20 MP Saad Hariri said after meeting French President Nicolas Sarkozy that France seeks to stop massacres in Gaza and backs the international tribunal.
13:56 Al-Arabiya: An Israeli raid targeted the home of Imad Akl, an official from Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.
13:53 PM Siniora stressed the importance of keeping Lebanon non-aligned in the Gaza crisis because Israel was attempting to drag Lebanon into the conflict . He affirmed that Lebanon’s stance was united toward the Palestinian cause and toward Arab efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire, open the borders and implement the Arab Peace Initiative.
13:50 Al-Arabiya:
“Rocket launchers and terrorist elements constitute a risk for you and your families,” said the flier in Arabic.13:15 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea is meeting with a Maronite League delegation headed by Joseph Tarabay.
11:50 Thousands of Palestinians are taking part in the funeral of senior Hamas leader Nizar Rayan.
10:30 Al-Arabiya: Gaza mosques were closed for fear that Israel would bomb them.
10:00
He pointed that Sarkozy will be visiting the region in an effort to end the ongoing violence in Gaza. Hariri, reminded reporters at the Elysee Palace of France’s pivotal role in fostering stability in Lebanon, in improving bilateral relations with Syria.
Hariri added that France could play a role in the U.N Security Council in ending the Israeli aggression.
The parliamentary bloc leader pointed that the Arab League is also exerting strong efforts via the U.N. Security Council to secure a binding resolution that ends the Israeli war on Gaza. He also directed attention to Egypt’s role in working with all regional parties in seeking a solution to the crisis.
Hariri said that he discussed the issue of the International Tribunal that would try the assassins of former PM Rafik Hariri adding that the French president has again reiterated his position in fully supporting the tribunal
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2009/01/everyone_in_leb.php
Iranian cleric: Hamas has a secret anti-Israel weapon in Gaza
Published: Friday, 2 January, 2009 @ 6:24 PM in Beirut
Beirut- Hamas possesses a “new weapon” to face Israeli armor in case Israel decides upon a ground invasion into the Gaza Strip, a senior Iranian official and ranking cleric told worshipers in Tehran today.
According to former Iranian president Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, chairman of Iran’s powerful Expediency Council, the advanced weapon would allow the Palestinian militant group to target Israeli tanks “from a long distance.”
Rafsanjani’s statement is highly provocative, in tune with a heated Iranian campaign of rhetoric against Israel’s Gaza offensive.
It also suggests that Hamas may have stored up the same advanced, portable high-tech anti-tank weapons Hezbollah in Lebanon used to disable Israel’s Merkava tanks during the 2006 war between the Shiite militant group and the Jewish State.
U.S. and Israeli officials accuse Iran of providing weapons to Hamas in Gaza, which has been pummeled by six days of Israeli air strikes.
Shiite Muslims around the world are currently commemorating Ashura, a 10-day morning period during which they lament every year the death of Hussein.
“The Israelis are targeting mosques, houses and everywhere they like with laser-guided rockets from jet fighters,” he said.
Earlier, an Iranian official continued the government’s harsh criticism of so-called moderate Arab regimes, mainly Egypt, who some accuse of acquiescing to the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Iran’s foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, addressed Arab rulers in a speech preceding Rafsanjani’s sermon, calling for an urgent meeting for the foreign ministers of Islamic nations:
“You, who have conceded so far, you who have given up resistance … you have helped the continued domination” of Israel.
at the Opening of the Arab Parliamentary Union: The Israeli war is not limited to Gaza it is against Palestine, Syria and Lebanon and the region
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Published: Friday, 2 January, 2009 @ 7:24 PM in Beirut
Washington – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the United States is continuing to work with the international community to bring about a “durable and sustainable” cease-fire in the Mideast.
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2009/01/rice_trying_har.php
What is going on in Gaza should help unite us, says Lebanon PM
Published: Friday, 2 January, 2009 @ 8:28 PM in Beirut
Beirut – Lebanon’s Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said that what is currently happening in Gaza should be a lesson to us all to unite against Israel.
Following Friday prayers, Siniora chatted with reporters stressing Arab solidarity.
“As long as the Palestinians remain united, we are capable of convincing the Muslim and western worlds of our cause,” Siniora said.
He hoped that the Arab delegation to the U.N. headed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would “succeed in arriving at an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, to prevent further clashes and open all crossings.”
“We should remain convinced that our cause is one,” Siniora went on to stress, adding that Lebanon must continue to be shielded from events in Gaza “because Israel is working on entrapping our country.”
The prime minister reiterated his position, saying: “the Israeli crimes do not change the core of the Palestinian cause, rather making them hold strongly to their rights.”
He was asked to comment on the absence of Saudi Arabia from the Arab Parliamentarian Council meeting in Tyre on Thursday.
“Let us not outbid ourselves over the Palestinian cause, it is the cause of all Arabs. However, each of us has a point of view in approaching the issue,” Siniora replied.
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2009/01/what_is_going_o.php
Syrian president calls for Gaza aid
Published: Friday, 2 January, 2009 @ 8:47 PM in Beirut
Damascus- Syrian President Bashar Assad said Friday that action should be taken against Israel because of its offensive against the Gaza Strip.
A presidential statement said both Assad and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon support implementing measures that would allow aid to enter the Gaza Strip, the Kuwait News Agency, KUNA, reported.
The call for international action regarding Israeli efforts came during a telephone conversation between the two leaders, the statement said.
KUNA said the discussion occurred as a second convoy of trucks carrying aid supplies departed from Syria in an attempt to deliver the goods to struggling Gaza Strip residents.
Several countries have been providing aid to Gaza
Lebanon will be shipping tomorrow medical aid to Gaza
The United States has reported that U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing the Palestinians in Gaza with humanitarian aid, especially in terms of food and medical supplies. USAID delivers aid through partners in the region and is looking for ways to support the delivery of aid from the U.N. World Food Program.
Syria has recently been urged to pressure Hamas to stop firing rockets into Israel in order to reach a cease-fire.
The way to deal with Hamas, Assad told a visiting U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, (a staunchly pro-Israeli republican law maker who regularly visits Damascus, where Hamas’s exiled leaders are based ), “is to stop asking Syria to pressure the group and push for a just peace between Israel and the Palestinians”
Upi
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2009/01/syrian_presiden.php
Islamic Banking: Does it really do away with interest?
Published: Friday, 26 December, 2008 @ 10:25 PM in Beirut
By Ghassan Karam
Special to Ya Libnan
“Those who charge usury are in the same position as those controlled by the devil’s influence. This is because they claim that usury is the same as commerce.
“Those who charge usury are in the same position as those controlled by the devil’s influence. This is because they claim that usury is the same as commerce. However, GOD permits commerce, and prohibits usury. Thus, whoever heeds this commandment from his Lord, and refrains from usury, he may keep his past earnings, and his judgment rests with GOD. As for those who persist in usury, they incur Hell, wherein they abide forever” [The Koran 2:275]
The rise of Islamic Banking over the past 40 years into an institutional financial structure spread over the globe has been a phenomenon that has attracted lots of interest. As is often the case whenever a new idea arises it s rise is associated with many falsehoods, half truths and unfulfilled promises. The whole concept of Islamic Banking rests on 4 Qoranic verses that speak against Ribaa (2:275-81; 3:130-2; 4:161 and 30:39). Although the Arabic word Ribaa does not mean interest rate yet the four schools of Islamic jurisprudence have interpreted Ribaa to imply interest rates. In the opinions of many that interpretation could easily have been usury. In that case the idea of “Islamic Banking” would no longer appear to be inviolable.
“.. many techniques that the interest-free banks are practicing are not either in full conformity with the spirit of Shari’ah or practicable in the case of large banks or the entire banking system. Moreover, they have failed to do away with undesirable aspects of interest. Thus, they have retained what an Islamic bank should eliminate. “
Published: Tuesday, 23 December, 2008 @ 5:38 PM in Beirut
By Ghassan Karam,
Special to Ya Libnan
If we are to assume; and many believe that this is a fact of life; that there is no such thing as an altruistic behavior between individuals then obviously there can be no altruism between states.
Interesting finds…
http://atheonews.blogspot.com/2009/01/nasrallah-arab-fms-gave-israel-until.htmlsource…
almanar – see Franklin Lamb’s calls to tear down the wall between Egypt and Gaza.
