An-Nassra Clashes

Keine Zeit für Kommentare, deshalb...

Sixteen Bedouin, including two pregnant women, were injured Wednesday in clashes with police over the demolition of two homes in the unrecognized village of Al-Nassra in the Negev. On Wednesday morning, Interior Ministry officials entered the village under police escort with a warrant to demolish two houses that were still under construction. The residents of the homes say they have long been seeking to have them included in the recognized Bedouin village of Kuseifa, which is only a few hundred meters away. According to the Bedouin, children began to throw rocks during the demolition. Parents who came to stop the children suddenly found themselves being attacked by police. According to the police, the clashes began after dozens of Bedouin began throwing rocks at police, lightly injuring two policemen. Two weeks ago, Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit and former interior minister Ze'ev Boim relayed a request to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, asking him to freeze any plans to demolish Bedouin homes in the Negev for one year, so that a public committee could discuss the issue. Mazuz has yet to respond.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday that Israel was ready to hand over some security control in the West Bank to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' forces, an Israeli government spokesman said. In their first meeting since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip, Olmert told Rice, however, that Israel must first receive "proper security guarantees." The prime minister added that Hamas had to be "kept out of the game" as Israel explores new cooperation with the Palestinians. [Hat dem schon mal jemand gesagt das die Hamas auch Palästinenser sind?] Ansonsten nur blabla.

Editorial: Time does not take orders from Jerusalem und sehr schön dieses mal Shmuel Rosner: So, will the Saudis attend the peace conference?

Siniora clarifies his remarks on Palestinians: Sources close to Premier Fouad Siniora dismissed Wednesday media reports that Siniora was worried about the presence of large numbers of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. "The prime minister's stands were misinterpreted. He did not express any animosity against the Palestinian people, he just refused categorically their settlement in Lebanon," the sources said. "The prime minister has long contended that the permanent settlement of Palestinians in Lebanon cannot be tolerated because of Lebanon's demographic makeup and constitutional provisions. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said Tuesday that Siniora, whom it described as "very dear to the US administration," had informed a group of retired US diplomats who visited the region last week that "he is much worried about the 500,000 Palestinians hosted by Lebanon and who are treated in the best cases as third-class citizens." [Na, Abbas hat ja noch Platz und Geld übrig.]