-
JPost Middle East- Analysis: Why has the West Bank been quiet? January 6, 2009
- Lebanon doubts Hizbullah will open second front January 6, 2009
- Jordan, Egypt strike balance between Israel ties, angry public January 6, 2009
- Doctors stuck at bottleneck on Egypt-Gaza border January 6, 2009
- Analysis: Hamas desperate for lull January 6, 2009
- ynet - Updates for RSS
- Venezuela's Chavez calls Gaza attack 'holocaust' January 6, 2009
- Senior officer's trial postponed due to Gaza op January 6, 2009
- Rehovot mayor strives to calm residents January 6, 2009
- Qaeda's Zawahri says Gaza raids attack on Islam January 6, 2009
- Obama breaks silence on Gaza, voices concern January 6, 2009
- Haaretz.com - News
- Obama breaks silence over Gaza, calls civilian death 'a deep concern' January 6, 2009Barack Obama, who takes over as U.S. president from George W. Bush on January 20, broke his silence about the violence in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, calling the loss of civilian lives in Gaza and in Israel a "source of deep concern for me." ...
- Turkey-Israel basketball game canned after pro-Gaza protesters storm court January 6, 2009A basketball game between a Turkish and an Israeli team was suspended on Tuesday after Turkish fans erupted in protests against the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, Turkish media reported. ...
- French TV airs photos billed as damage from Cast Lead, actually from 2005 January 6, 2009French public television network France 2 on Tuesday revealed they had aired photographs that allegedly showed destruction caused by the Israel Air Force during Operation Cast Lead, which were in fact taken during a different incident in 2005, one in which Gaza civilians were killed by an explosion caused by militants in the Strip. ...
- French President Sarkozy: Deal on Gaza truce 'not far away' January 6, 2009French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday a deal for a cease-fire between Israel and the Gaza Strip was "not far" away. ...
- Olmert to Haaretz: The sooner Israel can end its Gaza offensive, the better January 6, 2009Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Haaretz on Tuesday that Israel has no interest in a prolonged offensive on the Gaza Strip. ...
- Obama breaks silence over Gaza, calls civilian death 'a deep concern' January 6, 2009
PFLP vows to assassinate Israeli MK
The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian militant group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) on Tuesday threatened to assassinate right-wing Israeli MK Avigdor Lieberman in retaliation for the recent violence between the Jewish and Arab populations in the northern city of Acre in recent days, the Palestinian news agency Ma’an reported.
The tension in the mixed city began Wednesday when an Arab resident drove into a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in the city on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, during which Israelis across the country refrain from driving. Outraged at what they described as a deliberate provocation, the Jewish residents assaulted the driver, sparking riots that raged in the city for five days.
According to Ma’an, Brigades spokesperson Abu Jamal vowed to make Lieberman’s fate the same as that of slain right-wing minister Rehavam Ze’evi, who was shot dead by PFLP gunmen in 2001 in retaliation for the assassination of the militant group’s leader, Abu Ali Mustafa.
Abu Jamal also issued a message of support for Palestinian citizens of Israel, the news agency went on to say, especially those in the riot-plagued city of Acre. He was quoted as saying that the Palestinian-Israeli truce in effect in the Gaza Strip would not stop his group from responding to the violence which he said was a part of a policy of expelling Palestinians from Israel.
Lieberman, a hardline politician who favors annexing the West Bank and Gaza to Israel, termed the Acre riots a pogrom against Jews and the start of an intifada, or uprising, inside Israel.
Akko: 54 arrested in 4 days of riots
Police remain on high alert in northern city for fear riots will be resumed. At least 54 Jews and Arabs arrested since clashes began on Yom Kippur. Members of Hashomer Hatzair youth movement to build ’sukkah of peace’
At least 54 people were arrested in the past four days of riots in the northern city of Akko, which broke out on Yom Kippur Eve, half of them Jewish and half Arab. Among the detainees are two teenagers, who were placed under house arrest.
Forty-four of the detainees were already brought before a court, and the 10 others will attend a hearing at the Krayot Magistrate’s Court on Sunday.
The police plan to recommend that some of the suspects be indicted over their involvement in riots, arson, violent incidents and disturbances.
The Akko riots were also at the focus of Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting. Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen briefed the ministers on the recent developments in the northern city.
Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter was expected to visit the city following the cabinet meeting and meet with Mayor Shimon Lankry, local police officers and residents. Before the meeting Dichter urged the residents to calm things down.
The Nahariya hospital treated 14 people between the ages of 14 and 43, all of them Jews, since the onset of the riots. Some were injured by stones in their head and limbs, and two were hurt by horses used by the police. The hospital’s emergency room has declared a state of emergency.
Hundreds of police officers are still deployed in Akko for fear that the riots will resume. Police Commissioner Cohen said Saturday evening that the main goal was to safeguard human life, and that “so far, we have succeeded in this mission.”
At the end of an evaluation of the situation with the Northern Command and Galilee District, the police chief said that “every disturbance will be dealt with firmly and determinedly, in order to maintain law and order.”
According to Cohen, the police will continue their dialogue with the city’s leaders in order to bring about a state of calm and a return to routine, while in the meantime special and skilled police forces will continue deploying in the city.
Counter-response
Following the riots, some 30 guides of the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement plan to arrive at Akko’s Rabin Square on Sunday in order to build a “sukkah of peace” together with Jewish and Arab residents.
Aviv Leshem, a spokesman for the Kibbutz Movement, said that “the youngsters wandered around the city yesterday, met Arab residents and decided to build the sukkah (traditional bower) in a counter-response to the incidents taking place in the city.”
The youths plan to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot in the sukkah and host Arab residents and public figures from the city’s different sectors.
Itai Yehudai of the Hashomer Hatzair Movement said, “We live in Akko and are here. Our commune said that someone must show that there are people in Akko who are not only looking for violence, but that there is another way to deal with the problem. This is an educational statement directed at the Israeli public.”
He said the initiative to build the sukkah was born after viewing the grave images from the riots. “We were very angered by these pictures. We know there are racist people in this country who act violently, but we wanted to show that problems can also be solved without hatred and harsh segregation.
“Fortunately, the Akko Municipality opened its doors and the police helped us. We invite people who think that things could be different to visit the sukkah all week. They are invited to sit down and talk about what happened and think how we should live together in this city. We are also planning activities for children and preparation of sukkah ornaments.”
Three people were lightly injured by stones hurled at them during Saturday evening’s riots. Jewish rioters torched the home of an Arab family in the city. An initial police investigation revealed that a Molotov cocktail was hurled at the house.
Ten people were arrested during Saturday’s clashes, six of them Jews. Four Arabs were detained on suspicion of throwing stones at passerby from their house
Fourth evening of riots (Photo: Dudu Azulay
Akko riots resume, mayor demands firmer police hand
Violence threatens to paralyze city’s streets for fourth consecutive night since Yom Kippur, Mayor Lankry rejects gesture of condemnation from Arab leaders, demands police take action to end ongoing public disturbance
The series of violent riots that erupted on Yom Kippur evening in Akko resumed on Saturday evening for the fourth consecutive day. As night fell the clashes between the city’s Jewish and Arab residents erupted once more, with both sides hurling rocks towards the others’ homes and businesses.
Police already deployed in the city are working to disperse the crowd.
However Akko Mayor Shimon Lankry is less than impressed with their efforts. “If police employ a heavy-handed approach, the riots in
Akko would be over very quickly,” he said following a meeting with police brass earlier in the evening. Police Commissioner Dudu Cohen and Commander Shimon Koren, who heads the force’s northern district, vowed to take a firm stance against the rioters.
But Lankry said the police have it wrong. “They have this erroneous belief that there shouldn’t be too many arrests. Only 30 people have been taken into custody since the riots began, that’s just not enough.
Youths hurl rocks at Magen David paramedics in Acre, Haifa
Youths hurled rocks at Magen David Adom stations and ambulances in Acre and Haifa over Yom Kippur to protest their operating vehicles on the holiday.
In Acre, youths hurled stones at the local MDA station, damaging windows. Last night, riots around the station continued, leading MDA director general Eli Been to instruct staff in the city to perform their work in helmets and bulletproof vests.
Been urged rioters to allow paramedics to complete their work unimpeded so they could save lives. He also pleaded with police to deal with the protesters: “These events are unacceptable, and I call on law enforcement authorities to handle rioters with an iron fist.”
On Tuesday night, a 76-year-old Haifa man suffering from a serious illness became the target of stone-throwers while being transported to the city’s Rambam Medical Center for treatment.
As Reuven Sadnai approached the hospital, “a barrage of stones was hurled at us. Some 50 yeshiva students standing on the bridge above the road pelted us with stones,” he said.
“It was Kristallnacht in Haifa, and I want you to quote me. This was planned, and not just an act of mischief,” Sadnai said.
MDA staff handled 1,786 cases of illness, injuries and childbirth over the Yom Kippur holiday. Sources at the organization say it treated dozens of people who fainted during the holiday fast, and dozens of children injured in cycling accidents.
Some 120 pregnant women who went into labor were also transported for medical care, and a Ramat Hasharon woman gave birth at home with the assistance of MDA staff.
TwitterCounter
-
Add / follow
-
