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Am Morgen, vor einer Kabinettssitzung bedauert der israelische OM Ehud Olmert die zivilen Opfer in Beit Hanoun vom Vortag. Eine lange nicht mehr gesehene Geste, wobei er zur Aufklärung des Falls kaum etwas beizutragen hat: "The exact nature of these circumstances is still unclear to us." Interessanter Weise zensiert und Kadimas Schreiber Barak Ravid die folgenden Äußerungen verschiedener Regierungsmitglieder: Other ministers also referred to the issue during the cabinet meeting. "Hamas is using the children and the families as a human shield, but war is war and terror is terror," said Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Eli Yishai. "Although we do not wish to hurt innocent people, but unfortunately this happens. We must improve our PR efforts to present Israel in a better way." Housing and Construction Minister Ze'ev Boim said, "Israel must continue to develop means which will distinguish between involved and uninvolved populations. We must remember that not all the civilian population is uninvolved. The families in Beit Hanoun allow people carrying weapons to walk about between their houses and near their children." Palästinensische Gruppen kümmern sich um die Nabelschau herzlich wenig und decken das Grenzgebiet am Dienstag Morgen mit Raketen ein. Dabei ist zu notieren das die Hauptlast des Beschusses ziviler Zonen dem Islamic Jihad zugeschrieben wird während sich die anderen Splittergruppen gegen militärische Einrichtungen wenden. Die Massenangaben schwanken beträchtlich, so will der Jihad allein in der Nacht zum Dienstag 21 Projektile auf Sderot abgefeuert haben. [Nine Qassam rockets and six mortar shells fired from Gaza slammed into the western Negev Tuesday morning causing damage at three different locations, but no injuries.] Die IDF-Darstellung der Ereignisse vor der mutmaßlichen Attacke auf Zivilisten ist albern und bedenklich: "The incident began when Givati Brigade infantrymen, accompanied by combat engineers and armored units, entered an area near Beit Hanun to clear the area of militants firing Qassam rockets against communities in the Negev." Das Qassam-Niveau war am Wochenende kaum verhanden, abgeflaut aus der recht aktiven letzten Woche, während die IDF mehrere Aktionen vor der Penetrierung von Beit Hanoun vorgelegt hat. Bedenklich ist das Ganze wenn man bedenkt das die IDF scheinbar selbst an eine "Erfolgsstrategie" glaubt: Erst einsteigen und area bereinigen und dann zurückziehen, den folgenden Qassam-Regen abflauen lassen und wieder einsteigen und area bereinigen. Barak heute Morgen: "This is not the right time for a cease-fire with Hamas.", verkennt offensichtlich die Lage in der die IDF steckt. +++ Hamas gunmen on Tuesday stole at least 60 liters of fuel meant for the Gaza power station in order to fill their own vehicles. The fuel was being stored on the Palestinian side of the Nahal Oz fuel terminal. [60 Liter. ...] Amos Harel, "The Israel Defense Forces avoided accepting any form of responsibility for the death of Miyasar Abu Muatak and her four young children in a shanty neighborhood of Beit Hanun Monday. According to the army's version, the mother and children were not killed by two missiles fired from an aircraft, as the Palestinians maintain, but as a result of "secondary explosions." The missiles were aimed at two Islamic Jihad militants that had been identified carrying large bags, which are believed to have included explosive devices. As a result of the blast, the shed which was the family's home was destroyed. Defense Minister Ehud Barak did not bother with the details. As far as he was concerned, he said Monday, only Hamas - whose gunmen operate among civilians - are responsible for the death of "uninvolved civilians." [Es fehlt der Hinweis das die Bordkamera des Flieger die entscheidenden Aufnahmen gemacht hat, falls es überhaupt eine Fliegerbombe war, wobei der Einsatz von Fliegerbomben vor zivilen Anlagen wegen zwei Munitionsschleppern ein wenig sehr überdimensioniert erscheint. Kriegsrechltich gesehen kommen die Israelis da nicht raus.] [...] A Palestinian official says 30 members of various factions are gathering in Cairo to hold talks with Egyptian mediators over finding a comprehensive truce with Israel and a measure of unity among the divided factions. + Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is scheduled to meet her Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Aboul Gheit in London on Friday, in a bid to restore ties, a Jerusalem source said on Tuesday.

Westbank - Verhaftungswellen - 14 Verhaftungen bei einem halben Dutzend raids. +++ Israeli defense officials say an amnesty program meant to get Palestinian militants to surrender their weapons has been a success. Under last year's program, Israel offered to stop hunting down dozens of West Bank militants if they agreed to halt violent activities. The men are required to surrender their weapons, serve a brief sentence in a Palestinian jail and pass a probationary term. [...] Israel is trying to block what is expected to be a stern condemnation of its policies in the Gaza Strip by the donor nations to the Palestinian Authority, which are scheduled to meet in London Thursday. In view of recent developments in the Gaza Strip, and the killing of civilians, there is concern in official circles in Jerusalem that the criticism will be severe.

Arab League chief Amr Moussa will hold talks in Beirut this week to try to help rival leaders reach a deal to end Lebanon's political crisis, political sources said on Tuesday. Moussa, who has made several unsuccessful attempts to mediate since the crisis began 17 months ago, will meet leaders of the U.S.-backed ruling coalition and the Hezbollah-led opposition on Thursday, the sources said. He would be visiting the Lebanese capital to attend an Arab economic conference on May 2 and 3.

Professor William Beeman at the University of Minnesota passed along a note today from "a colleague with a U.S. security clearance" about the mysterious Syrian site targeted in a Sept. 6 Israeli airstrike. The note raises more questions about the evidence shown last week by U.S. intelligence officials to lawmakers in the House and Senate. The author of the note pinpoints irregularities about the photographs. [...] A suspected Syrian reactor bombed by Israel had the capacity to produce enough nuclear material to fuel one to two weapons a year, CIA Director Michael Hayden said on Monday. Hayden said the plutonium reactor was within weeks or months of completion when it was destroyed in an air strike last September 6, and within a year of entering operation it could have produced enough material for at least one weapon. "In the course of a year after they got full up, they would have produced enough plutonium for one or two weapons," Hayden told reporters after a speech. The reactor was of a "similar size and technology" to North Korea's Yongbyon reactor, Hayden said, disputing speculation it was smaller than the Korean facility. [Die derzeitigen fachlich einwandfrei nach dem Material konstruierten Größen schwanken zwischen einer "Similarität" von 39% zu 54% und viel mehr wird dabei nicht rauskommen. Interessant an Hadleys statement ist das er mit diesem kindischen Gehabe des Festhaltens an der nicht vorhandenen "Similarität" meiner vorgetragenen Theorie das Foto "Fuel Channel" nur eine Berechnung des Baufortschritts aus dem echten Raumphotos des Vessel-Baus darstellt und somit ein ... fake is. Ein Zweitphoto wurde nie gemacht, weshalb denn auch? Der Vessel-Bau reicht als Beleg vollständig aus.]