Palestine Today 11 18 2010
IMEMC Audio Dept | 18.11.2010 16:42 | Other Press | Palestine | World
Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for Thursday, November 18th 2010.
Today's report begins with the Israeli air strike in Gaza that killed two brothers, Mohamed and Islam Yassin who were members of the Army of Islam, on Wednesday evening. The Israeli Air Force targeted their vehicle in al-Wihda Street, in the center of Gaza City.
With regard to this news, two mortar shells from Gaza landed on Thursday in the southern district of Israel, adjacent to the Strip. No injuries were caused.
Also in Gaza, the Prime Minister of the deposed government, Ismail Haniyeh held out his hand to the Palestinian Christian community and claimed that his government has a "moral and national commitment" to them, adding that they share the same pain and hope.
In addition, the Member of the Political Bureau of Hamas, Dr. Mahmoud Zahhar, denied claims reportedly made by Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, that Hamas planned the assassination of Nablus governor, Lieutenant Jibril al-Bakri.
In the West Bank, Israeli army invaded a school in the village of Bani Na'im in the eastern part of Hebron. Army personnel searched the school and the nearby area, causing damages to its furniture. Also the Israeli army erected two checkpoints in the northern area of Hebron.
Israeli soldiers also abducted a Palestinian youth after breaking into his home in Madama village, south of Nablus on Wednesday evening. The army claimed that soldiers invaded the village after a number of youths hurled stones at settler's vehicles.
Today, it was also reported that Nizar Mahagneh, the lawyer of the Palestinian Prisoners Club visited many Palestinian prisoners in interrogation centers. The lawyer highlighted a serious issue that an Israeli intelligence major has repeatedly suggested the idea of exiling those detained and their families.
According to the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, Israeli Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein announced that he will move the employee who deals with torture complaints from within the Shin Bet to the Justice Department for "the sake of appearances".
This statement comes after The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel recently released a report showing that every single one of the 650 complaints brought to the Israeli government’s legal advisors were dismissed out of hand.
Also, a number of Israeli Education students, who are studying at the Beit Berl Israeli College, informed the institution that they refuse to hold their final project at an educational institution located in Ariel illegal Israeli settlement, in the northern occupied West Bank, for political reason. Early this year, more than 50 Israeli actors and theater professionals previously declared they are boycotting Ariel settlement.
In the U.S., the State Department Spokesperson, Philip J. Crowley, declared that Washington still believes that a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians is possible, but added that such a deal requires more than the allocated twelve months.
And in the capital of Spain, Madrid, the Israeli-Palestinian association Parents Circle-Families Forum (PCFF) among with other Spanish associations presented the exhibition "Cartoons in Conflict", which shows, using drawings made different artist around the world, the pain and suffering from both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
That sums up our news for today, thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem, you have been listening to Palestine Today, from International Middle East Media Center. For more updates, please visit our website at www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you by Husam Qassis and Ane Irazabal.
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Why so coy Haw-Haw?
18.11.2010 20:18
Israel strike in Gaza kills two Al Qaeda-linked Army of Islam chiefs
DEBKAfile Special Report November 17, 2010, 8:29 PM (GMT+02:00)
Just two weeks after Mohammed Namnam was killed in a combined Israel-US-Egyptian targeted assassination in Gaza City, an Israeli airborne missile struck again Wednesday, Nov. 17, and killed two more commanders of the Al Qaeda-linked Army of Islam. debkafile's counter-terror sources name them as brothers, Islam Yasin and Muhammad Yasin. They were in the middle for preparations for a new wave of terrorist attacks in Sinai aimed at hitting US military targets and kidnapping Israelis vacationing in Sinai for ransom in Gaza.
Our military sources add that the Israeli missile hit the Subaru car in which they drove in the center of Gaza City. That the preparations continued after Namnam's death is a measure of Al Qaeda's determination to bring its plans forward. The Yasin brothers worked according to the original plan which was due for imminent execution - only adding more targets. They were plotting to abduct Israeli holidaymakers in Sinai and spirit them to the Gaza Strip through Hamas's arms smuggling tunnels. Our sources note that the Army of Islam also took part in Hamas's abduction of Gilead Shalit more four years ago.
Israeli travelers in Sinai are warned they are still in danger and advised to leave.
The plot included an attack on the Multinational Force and Observers North Base base under US command at El Gorah, 37 kilometers southeast of the Sinai port of El Arish.
The plot was revealed during the interrogation of 25 Army of Islam accomplices captured by Egyptian intelligence units at Sheikh Zuwayid in North Sinai. The high number of helpers points to the large scale of attacks the Al Qaeda-linked terrorists were planning.
In another counter-terror operation on the West Bank Wednesday, Palestinian Authority security forces in Nablus rolled up a Hamas terrorist network, whose members were getting ready for a series of suicide attacks.
debkafile's sources report that, contrary to other reports, this network had not targeted Jerusalem but had rigged a suicide bomb-car for the assassination of the Palestinian governor of the city Jibril Baker.
This attack was to have kicked off Hamas' operations against the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank.
Free Gilead Schalit
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