Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Center www.imemc.org, for Monday, December 08 2008
On Sunday, the Israeli government denied an official request from Qatar to allow their aid ship to dock in the Gaza port. Yet Israel, in an earlier statement, said that it would consider the possibility to allow the ship to dock in Ashkelon port and to carry the aid by land to Gaza. These stories and more are coming up, stay tuned.
Israeli officials said that they fear that this issue could develop into a political crisis between Israel and Qatar. The Ynet Israeli news website reported that the offices of Olmert and Barak said that Livni promised the Qatari officials to allow the ship to dock in Ashkelon without coordinating the issue with the offices of Barak and Olmert.
On Sunday, Livni phoned the Qatari Prime Minister and informed him that Israel will not allow the ship to reach Gaza and will not allow it to dock in any Israeli port.
In further news, the office of the outgoing Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, issued a press release stating that Israel will release 231 Palestinians detainees instead of 250 after it canceled the names of 19 detainees from the Gaza Strip. All of the detainees who would be freed are from the West Bank and are members of Fateh movement and other “non-Islamic factions”.
Also today, Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, met on Sunday at night with the Palestinian Prime Minister, Dr. Salaam Fayyad, and informed him that Israel agreed on the deployment of Palestinian Security Forces in the Palestinian West Bank city of Bethlehem especially during Christmas Celebrations.
Israeli sources reported that Barak said that Israel is seriously considering the deployment of Palestinian Security forces in Bethlehem during Christmas, at the end of this month and at the beginning of next year.
The Free Gaza Movement announced today that it would send a delegation from Cyprus to Gaza aboard their blockade-busting ship, the Dignity, at 11pm, Monday, December 8. The Free Gaza Movement has successfully challenged the siege on three previous occasions this year, landing missions in Gaza in August, October, and November. Free Gaza ships are the first to dock in GazaPort in over 41 years.
And in international politics, last Wednesday, the European Parliament (EP) postponed a vote that could largely upgrade EU-Israeli relations through a proposal by the European Union Commission and Council for the draft recommendation to conclude a Protocol to the EU-Israel Association Agreement and on the general principles governing the State of Israel's participation in Community programs.
The vote, originally scheduled for Thursday, December 11, in the EP in Brussels was postponed to another date, yet to be determined, the majority of European Parliamentarians ruled on Wednesday, at the request of the GUE/NGL and Greens groups, with agreement from the Socialist Party, some of the Liberals (ALDE) and some MEPs from the Popular Party.
In a scathing Parliamentary statement by European Parliamentary Vice President, Luisa Morgantini, she stated:
"It's time for the Israeli Government to stop considering itself above the law and start respecting it, beginning by freezing all settlement building activities and ending its siege on the Gaza Strip. Until the Israeli Government signals its willingness to abide by international law, and especially human rights and humanitarian law, the European Parliament is not disposed to vote,"
Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you by Justin Theriault and Husam Qassis.
Israeli officials said that they fear that this issue could develop into a political crisis between Israel and Qatar. The Ynet Israeli news website reported that the offices of Olmert and Barak said that Livni promised the Qatari officials to allow the ship to dock in Ashkelon without coordinating the issue with the offices of Barak and Olmert.
On Sunday, Livni phoned the Qatari Prime Minister and informed him that Israel will not allow the ship to reach Gaza and will not allow it to dock in any Israeli port.
In further news, the office of the outgoing Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, issued a press release stating that Israel will release 231 Palestinians detainees instead of 250 after it canceled the names of 19 detainees from the Gaza Strip. All of the detainees who would be freed are from the West Bank and are members of Fateh movement and other “non-Islamic factions”.
Also today, Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, met on Sunday at night with the Palestinian Prime Minister, Dr. Salaam Fayyad, and informed him that Israel agreed on the deployment of Palestinian Security Forces in the Palestinian West Bank city of Bethlehem especially during Christmas Celebrations.
Israeli sources reported that Barak said that Israel is seriously considering the deployment of Palestinian Security forces in Bethlehem during Christmas, at the end of this month and at the beginning of next year.
The Free Gaza Movement announced today that it would send a delegation from Cyprus to Gaza aboard their blockade-busting ship, the Dignity, at 11pm, Monday, December 8. The Free Gaza Movement has successfully challenged the siege on three previous occasions this year, landing missions in Gaza in August, October, and November. Free Gaza ships are the first to dock in GazaPort in over 41 years.
And in international politics, last Wednesday, the European Parliament (EP) postponed a vote that could largely upgrade EU-Israeli relations through a proposal by the European Union Commission and Council for the draft recommendation to conclude a Protocol to the EU-Israel Association Agreement and on the general principles governing the State of Israel's participation in Community programs.
The vote, originally scheduled for Thursday, December 11, in the EP in Brussels was postponed to another date, yet to be determined, the majority of European Parliamentarians ruled on Wednesday, at the request of the GUE/NGL and Greens groups, with agreement from the Socialist Party, some of the Liberals (ALDE) and some MEPs from the Popular Party.
In a scathing Parliamentary statement by European Parliamentary Vice President, Luisa Morgantini, she stated:
"It's time for the Israeli Government to stop considering itself above the law and start respecting it, beginning by freezing all settlement building activities and ending its siege on the Gaza Strip. Until the Israeli Government signals its willingness to abide by international law, and especially human rights and humanitarian law, the European Parliament is not disposed to vote,"
Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you by Justin Theriault and Husam Qassis.
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