IDF kills Four

Bei sehr vager Informationslage kommt es im Gazastreifen den Samstag über zu vier Tötungsdelikten. Während bei Khan Younis nach palästinensischen Angaben ein junger Landwirt getötet worden sein soll und im "Norden" ein unbewaffneter Jugendlicher möchte die IDF jeweils Bewaffnete identifiziert haben. Zwei Mitglieder der Al-Aqsa, die am Grenzzaun bei Khan Younis eine Bombe installieren wollten werden erschossen. Ein Luftangriff der IAF nach einem Qassamabschuß sorgt für vier Verletzte. Damit erhöht sich die konfliktbezogene Bilanz im März auf 148 getötete Palästinenser [nach 84 im Februar]. Zudem werden vier israelische Soldaten und acht israelische Zivilisten getötet. Die Fatah erschießt einen Menschen, "Arbeitsunfälle" sieben Palästinenser und einen Israeli, Clanausschreitungen vier. Dazu kommen noch zwei Opfer deren Täter nicht identifiziert wurden. Bislang wurden somit 174 Menschen im März getötet. Zu notieren ist noch das die derzeitigen palästinensischen Aktionen nicht von der Hamas ausgehen und somit die Israelis mit kleineren Gegenmaßnahmen agieren. Aus der Westbank werden bislang nur unerhebliche Vorgänge gemeldet, es sei denn man liest einen Streik im Balata-Flüchtlingslager gegen die UNRAWA als erstes Anzeichen das dieser die Finanzmittel zurück geschraubt werden. Nach der mäßigen Zerschlagung der Hamas-Charities und dem Nichtvorhandensein fatahistischer Wohlfahrtsanstrengungen die nächste Geschichte die belegen wird das die "Unterschicht" die Zeche für schöne neue Kalaschnikows der Fatah bezahlen wird.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Riceauflauf mit Quark, arriving here on Saturday evening, described talks between Israel and the Palestinians as "pretty fruitful," and stressed that she was not bringing any bridging proposals of her own. [... womit wohl die letzte Gestenrunde Ehud Baraks gemeint sein dürfte.] ... It is now official and scientifically sanctioned: A new study has found that left-wing governments are far better for settlers than those led by the right-wing peers. Furthermore, the study also uncovered that left-wing governments are incapable of ceding Israeli lands, and that rightist have far less political clout than commonly assumed. The study, conducted by Professor Gideon Doron of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Political Science and Professor Maoz Rosenthal, of the Open University’s faculty of Political Science and International Relations, will be presented at an upcoming conference at Tel Aviv University entitled “40 years of Israeli Rule in the Territories and Their Impact on the State”. The study found that where as rightist governments can make territorial concessions, left-wing governments cannot afford to take such action.

"One of Israel's central policy goals is to launch peace negotiations with Syria and to see Damascus abandon the cycle of extremism," Defense Minster Ehud Barak told 50 foreign ambassadors at the Labor Party's headquarters in Tel Aviv on Friday. [...] Griff Witte: The future of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is now bound up in three distinct sets of negotiations that are all interrelated, all vital for any hope of peace and all completely stuck. The first, U.S.-backed talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority aimed at creating a Palestinian state, have been knocked off course by violence in Gaza City and mutual accusations of broken promises. The second, negotiations mediated by Egypt between Israel and Hamas that are geared toward ending the Gaza attacks, began in earnest only this month but is already eliciting deep skepticism from both sides. And the third, efforts to reconcile Hamas with the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, could jeopardize the other two if they succeed, although that appears unlikely. Berichte über den auftakt des Treffens der Arabischen Liga in Damaskus halten sich enorm in Grenzen. ... Saudi Arabia said Syria should be punished for blocking a resolution to Lebanon’s political crisis, escalating a dispute between U.S. allies and Damascus that has marred an Arab summit.

The United Nations has proposed that UNIFIL troops take over security in the northern half of the border village of Ghajar, so that IDF forces can withdraw behind the Israel side of the international border. Israel has rejected this proposal and says any future consideration of the matter requires that the Lebanese government agree to it in writing. ... Syria is still under suspicion in the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, senior United Nations officials said this weekend. This is at odds with the report issued on Friday by a UN team investigating the assassination which blamed a "criminal network" for the killing.

"Why do we blog?" asked Fouad Al-Farhan in December, 2007 on his website about Saudi Arabia. The answers from the bloggers apparently did not please the authorities. He was arrested and has been behind bars ever since. Fouad Al-Farhan had criticized the corruption in his country and called for political reforms. But by arresting him, the Saudi authorities actually achieved the opposite of what they intended. Instead of silencing Al-Farhan and his criticism, his ideas are now circulating worldwide throughout the Internet. During a visit to Saudi Arabia in January, even US President George W. Bush reportedly made a point of asking what happened to the blogger.