US ex-envoy says Mideast two-state solution unworkable Mon Jan 5, 3:42 am ET
WASHINGTON, (AFP) – Former US ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said Monday settling the Arab-Israeli conflict on the basis of a two-state solution was no longer workable and suggested giving the Palestinian territories to Egypt and Jordan.Let's start by recognizing that trying to create a Palestinian Authority from the old PLO has failed and that any two-state solution based on the PA is stillborn, Bolton wrote in The Washington Post.Hamas has killed the idea, and even the Holy Land is good for only one resurrection.A two-state solution has been officially adopted as the basis for solving the Middle East conflict by all interested parties, including Israel and the administration of US President George W. Bush, in which Bolton has served.But Bolton now argues that the Middle East peace process is obviously not progressing... probably going backward while the US- and UN-backed road map for peace has still to show results.Instead, we should look to a three-state approach, where Gaza is returned to Egyptian control and the West Bank in some configuration reverts to Jordanian sovereignty, says the former ambassador, who now works for the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington.
Having the two Arab states re-extend their prior political authority is an authentic way to extend the zone of peace and, more important, build on governments that are providing peace and stability in their own countries, he concluded.Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal says in an editorial that a nation like Israel must maintain an aura of invincibility if it is to have any chance at peaceful co-existence with its Arab neighbors.It was that aura after two wars that induced Egypt to agree to peace with Israel in the 1970s, The Journal argued.By contrast, the 2006 Lebanon campaign convinced radical Arabs and Persians that Israel had grown soft and could be beaten. Israel can't let Hamas maintain a similar mythology at the end of this operation, or the costs will be far higher down the road.
Muslim states seek UN session on Gaza conflict Mon Jan 5, 3:06 am ET
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Muslim countries plan to seek a U.N. General Assembly special session to press for a halt to the escalating violence in Gaza, Malaysia's leader said Monday.Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Malaysia's permanent representative to the U.N. will hold discussions with other officials in the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, or OIC, on how best to push for such a session.I hope the United States and its allies will not impede efforts to convene the special general assembly, Abdullah was quoted as saying by the national news agency, Bernama.Foreign ministers from OIC countries issued a statement following a meeting in Saudi Arabia over the weekend saying all Muslim nations should cooperate with other U.N. members to call for a special General Assembly session titled Uniting for Peace.The U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said it had no immediate response to Abdullah's statement.The United States late Saturday blocked approval of a U.N. Security Council statement calling for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and expressing serious concern at the escalation of violence, council diplomats said.Israel sent troops and tanks into Gaza on Saturday after a weeklong aerial bombardment.At least 512 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,500 injured since the air attacks began. One Israeli soldier was killed in the ground assault. Israel says it launched the offensive to stop rocket attacks from Hamas-controlled Gaza that have killed several Israelis.In a separate statement, Abdullah said Israel's ground offensive is an act of total war which the international community should not tolerate.Abdullah added that he has authorized $1 million of immediate humanitarian aid from the Malaysian government to be channeled through relief supplies for the Palestinians.
How Israel, Hamas define victory in Gaza By Joshua Mitnick Joshua Mitnick – Mon Jan 5, 3:00 am ET
Tel Aviv – Escalating a week-long assault against Hamas, Israel invaded Gaza over the weekend to stop the Islamist militants who continue to launch cross-border rocket attacks.But what victory means for each side still remains vague. The Israeli military says the ground offensive is aimed at eliminating militant rocket-launching sites, destroying weapon caches, and pursuing fighters hiding in the crowded coastal strip. Will it be satisfied if the militants stop firing rockets or if it destroys the hundreds of tunnels to Egypt that make up Hamas's supply line? Some experts say Israel wants to force a more extensive cease-fire with Hamas, compel the creation of an international peacekeeping force in the coastal strip, or destroy the Islamist group altogether.For Hamas, survival might be victory. It will be lauded across the Arab world if it can hold out against the region's strongest military.One of the most important things in this conflict between state and nonstate actors is what is the meaning of victory? says Eitan Azani, a former Israeli Defense Forces colonel and a deputy director at the Institute for Counter Terrorism at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. A lot of people from [Hamas] dying? A collapse? Or most of the operational capability destroyed? This is up for debate. We are in a very complicated situation.In the 2006 Lebanon war, the Shiite militant group Hezbollah showed the world it could not only survive Israel's superior firepower but that it could confront them on the battlefield. Israel withdrew from the 34-day war with Hezbollah claiming a divine victory.So far, Hamas has succeeded in stirring up regional and domestic sympathy under the Israeli pummeling during the first week in the war. But as the fighting continues, the militant group risks seeing its fighting force quickly degraded.There may be a push to unseat its hold on Gaza, says Nicolas Pelham, a regional analyst for the International Crisis Group. It still appears to have retained authority and control in Gaza. There's no internal forces seeking to challenge Hamas.
In the first day of the ground war, Palestinian health authorities reported that 30 Gazans had been killed in the fighting, many of them civilians, according to news wires. An Israeli military spokesperson said that one Israeli soldiers had died in the fighting and three were seriously wounded. Since the operation began on Dec. 27, at least 500 Palestinians have been killed. The United Nations estimates that at least 100 of the dead are civilians.On Sunday, human rights organizations warned of a burgeoning humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. As a result of the fighting, Gaza City and its main medical center, Shiffa Hospital, have been left without electricity. More than 1 out of every 3 residents are without water and sewage is running in the streets, according to Gisha, an Israeli human rights group.The ground invasion comes just as international mediators are arriving to the region to begin brokering a cease-fire that is believed to be the seldom-mentioned endgame for both sides.The ground action that we began last night, as part of the overall operation, is designed to establish our aspiration to change the security reality in the south, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Israeli cabinet, according to a statement. It cannot be that the home front will be subject to attack and a daring, strong and well-trained military does not defend it.Though Israel has struck at hundreds of targets across the Gaza Strip, it has yet to seriously injure Hamas's fighting force, the Izz ed-Din al Qassam Brigades. The main risk for Israel is that it will drag out into a full occupation of the Gaza Strip, says Shlomo Brom, the former head of the army's planning branch. If we will have very few casualties in this operation, it may lead some to say why don't we topple Hamas? Despite the offensive, Palestinian militants were able to fire about 30 rockets into southern Israel Sunday, according to the Israeli army. Since the offensive began, militants have fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, killing three civilians. Israel said its air force hit 15 targets across Gaza on Sunday. The Qassam wing predicted that the Israeli soldiers would fall prey to the trap laid by the Islamist militants.The Zionist enemy will be surprised and will regret carrying out such an operation at such a heavy price, the organization said in a statement Saturday. Our militants are waiting patiently to confront the soldiers face to face.The start of the ground operation comes on the eve of stepped-up international efforts to prod a cease-fire. Representing the European Union's presidency, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, is planning to visit Israel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy is scheduled to arrive Monday. Much of Israel's firepower has been focused on destroying Gaza tunnels that are a channel for missiles and consumer goods into the strip. Shutting down the free flow of weapons trade over the border figures as one of the major goals of the operation, according to analysts. But it is far from certain who will enforce the closure of the tunnels when Israel leaves.
The nine mile-long Gaza-Egypt frontier has long been crisscrossed by a network of tunnels. The Gaza assault has included several air force sorties in which bunker buster bombs were dropped on the area, exploding underground and sending out shockwaves designed to collapse the secret passages. The issue of rearming is fundamental. We want to prevent Hamas from being rearmed like Hezbollah was after the Lebanon war, a senior Israeli official said. Palestinians in northern and eastern Gaza said that they can hear the sounds of the Israeli tanks and armored vehicle engines entering Gaza. Kamel Kafarna, a resident of the northern Gaza village of Beit Hanoun, says Israeli forces are in the fields outside of the village, but haven't entered the residential area. His family of four is running low on flour and wheat, and has run out of cooking gas. But the engineering teacher says he hasn't left his house for three days for fear of getting caught in the crossfire.
It's crazy. The bullets and rockets are flying over our heads, says Mr. Kafarna, who was reached by phone. Most of the civilians I believe were killed by mistake. And you don't know if you are going to be the next mistake.
Thousands across Middle East protest Gaza attack By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer – Sun Jan 4, 10:50 pm ET
BEIRUT, Lebanon – Thousands protesting Israel's ground offensive on Gaza converged Sunday in Beirut and Istanbul as the leaders of the only two Mideast Arab nations to sign peace treaties with Israel demanded an end to the attack.In Yemen, security officials said anti-Israel protesters attacked several Jewish homes in the northern province of Omran, smashing windows and pelting them with rocks. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said at least one Jewish resident was injured among the tiny minority community.Lebanese police used water hoses to try to push about 250 demonstrators away from the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon's capital. When that failed, they fired tear gas, Lebanese security officials said. A second Beirut protest — a sit-in outside the U.N. building — drew thousands of supporters of Hamas and Lebanon's Islamic Group.In Turkey, more than 5,000 people held an anti-Israel rally in Istanbul, waving Palestinian flags and burning effigies of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President George W. Bush. Also in Istanbul, club-wielding police broke up a small demonstration by protesters who hurled eggs at the Israeli Consulate, the private Dogan news agency reported. There were no reports of arrests or injuries.
In Morocco, tens of thousands gathered in the capital Rabat for a peaceful march to protest the Gaza offensive. Police estimated the turnout at 50,000, according to the official MAP news agency. Organizers said the number was bigger, but did not give a precise figure.Israel's weeklong aerial bombardment of Gaza and the start of the ground offensive Saturday against Hamas have drawn condemnation across the Muslim and Arab world and news coverage of the invasion has dominated Arab satellite television stations.Thousands in cities from Tehran to Damascus have also taken to the streets to protest the attacks, which have killed about 500 Palestinians and wounded more than 1,600, according to Gaza officials.In some cases, the protests of the past week were as directed against Arab governments as much as Israel, with many criticizing their perceived inaction or lack of sufficient support of the Palestinians.On Sunday, the leaders of Egypt and Jordan — the only two Mideast Arab countries to sign a peace agreement with Israel and maintain diplomatic ties — condemned the ground offensive and called for an end to Israel's onslaught in Gaza.
Several hundred Jordanians shouting death to Israel protested against the Gaza offensive Sunday in two separate demonstrations in central Amman, the Jordanian capital. The protests were peaceful and police made no arrests.In parliament, the Jordanian government came under criticism from Islamic opposition lawmakers demanding that it suspend relations with Israel.All options are available to assess the relationship with every side, especially Israel, Prime Minister Nader al-Dahabi told parliament during a heated debate.We will reconsider relations according to our higher national interests, he said. We will not remain silent about the situation and the serious deterioration in Gaza and neither about the threat which risks the security of the whole area and its stability.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who runs his own Palestinian administration from the West Bank, also denounced Israel's ground offensive as brutal aggression in his harshest words yet in describing Israel's assault on his Hamas rivals.Israel says the aim of the operation is to stop the Palestinian militant Hamas group from firing rockets at southern Israeli towns. Hamas is opposed to any peace settlement with Israel and calls for the destruction of the Jewish state.This battle will end a (peace) settlement forever, Hamas' representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, told the protesters at the sit-in. This battle will show who are the men.Five civilians and one policeman were lightly injured in the clash outside the U.S. Embassy earlier in the day, according to the Lebanese officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Meanwhile, the leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, discussed the situation in Gaza with visiting chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, the group's Al-Manar TV said. Al-Manar did not give further details but said Nasrallah and Jalili, who arrived here Saturday from neighboring Syria, discussed ways of ending this aggression.Hezbollah, which is a strong ally of Hamas, possesses a formidable arsenal of rockets and missiles that bloodied Israel during a monthlong war in 2006. Hezbollah has not threatened to join Hamas in its current battle with Israel, but Nasrallah said last week that his men are on alert in case Israel attacks Lebanon. Associated Press reporters Jamal Halaby in Amman, Jordan, and Ahmed Al-Haj in San'a, Yemen, contributed to this report.
Canada blames Hamas, calls for durable ceasefire in Gaza Sun Jan 4, 4:01 pm ET
OTTAWA (AFP) – Canada on Sunday urged a sustainable and durable ceasefire in Gaza, a day after Israeli troops poured into the embattled territory, and called for a halt to rocket attacks from Hamas.Canada is deeply concerned by the increase in hostilities between Israel and Hamas, said Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon in a statement.We urge renewed international diplomatic efforts to achieve a sustainable and durable ceasefire, starting with the halting of all rocket attacks on Israel.
Rocket attacks from Hamas militants and other factions into southern Israel were to blame for the crisis, said Cannon, adding that civilian safety has to be taken into account as the conflict intensifies.Just as urgent diplomatic efforts are needed to bring about an end to this crisis, it is essential that the international community come together to address the humanitarian situation, he said. This includes ensuring access to food, medical and fuel supplies.Tens of thousands of Israeli troops backed by tanks battled Hamas Sunday, on the ninth day of a massive military operation on the Islamist-controlled territory as the Palestinian death toll from the offensive passed 500.
Hamas shares responsibility for civilian suffering: Sarkozy Sun Jan 4, 3:27 pm ET
PARIS (AFP) – Hamas bears a heavy responsibility in the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told Lebanese newspapers in an interview out Monday.While condemning the Israeli ground offensive itself, Sarkozy told the newspapers: I want to say again here that we condemn with the same firmness (Hamas') continuing rocket fire, which is an unacceptable provocation.Hamas, which decided to break the truce and to resume rocket fire on Israel, bears a heavy responsibility in the suffering of the Palestinians of Gaza, he added.Sarkozy's interview with the three dailies, An Nahar, As Safir and L'Orient le Jour, came ahead of a two-day tour of the region.Sarkozy will travel to Israel, the West Bank and Egypt on Monday before heading to Syria and Lebanon on Tuesday to try to push for a end to the violence.The launching of the Israeli ground offensive makes the need to get a ceasefire even more urgent, said Sarkozy.This offensive, we have condemned along with our European partners, because it takes us that little bit further away from the changes of peace, and because it makes it more difficult to get aid to the people of Gaza.And I will say again to the Israeli authorities that it is absolutely essential that they let humanitarian aid through to Gaza, he added.
A French foreign ministry statement late Saturday condemned both Israel's decision to send ground troops into the Gaza Strip and Hamas' continued firing of rockets into Israel.Tens of thousands of Israeli troops backed by tanks were battling Hamas Sunday, as the Palestinian death toll from the offensive to end militant rocket attacks passed 500.
Gaza crisis forces Rice to cancel China trip Sun Jan 4, 2:23 pm ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has canceled a planned trip to China this week to deal with Israel's military offensive in Gaza, the State Department said Sunday.Due to events in the Middle East, Secretary Rice will not be able to travel to Beijing, China, as she had expected, State Department spokesman Fred Lash said in a statement.He said Rice's deputy John Negroponte will travel instead to Beijing on Wednesday for what was scheduled to be her final trip as secretary of state, to mark 30 years of Sino-US diplomatic relations.With Israel launching a ground attack on Hamas-held Gaza, the State Department says it is working toward a ceasefire but does not want a status quo ante in which the Palestinian group can fire rockets at Israel.It is obvious that that ceasefire should take place as soon as possible, but we need a ceasefire that is durable, sustainable, and not time limited, department spokesman Sean McCormack said Saturday.
President George W. Bush's administration has staunchly defended its Israeli allies' right to defend themselves from militant attacks, and placed the blame for the crisis on the Islamists of Hamas.President-elect Barack Obama, who takes office on January 20, has not commented on the crisis with aides insisting there is only one president at a time.With the Bush administration making way for Obama's in just over a fortnight, Rice had indicated that little of substance appeared likely to emerge from her visit to China scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.The United States switched its diplomatic recognition to communist-ruled China on January 1, 1979, ending decades of US support for Taiwan's Nationalist government.Bush informed Chinese President Hu Jintao of the decision to call off Rice's trip in a telephone call Sunday, China's official Xinhua news agency said.China understood the decision and would welcome a visit by Negroponte, it quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying.
New York mayor, in Israel, backs strikes on Hamas By PAUL SCHEMM, Associated Press Writer – Sun Jan 4, 12:45 pm ET
JERUSALEM – New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg expressed solidarity with Israelis threatened by Hamas rockets on Sunday in a daylong trip to Israel that included visits to two towns targeted by the Islamic militant movement in recent weeks.
During the visit to the embattled town of Sderot, Bloomberg and his party, which included Rep. Gary Ackerman, a New York Democrat, were briefly hustled to a bomb shelter when a missile warning went off.In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Bloomberg said he fully understood Israel's actions. You should rest assured, if anyone in New York was being threatened, my instruction to the NYPD (New York police) would be to use all the resources at their disposal to protect civilians, Bloomberg said.I think as a New Yorker, we've been attacked twice by al-Qaida itself, said the mayor, who is Jewish. We've seen enormous devastation and courage and after that you sort of feel you have a bond, if you will, for those who live in a dangerous world and subject to someone trying to kill them.Israel is in the ninth day of its strikes against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which have killed more than 500 Palestinians. Ground forces pushed into Gaza Saturday night amid widespread world condemnation.Bloomberg blamed the current situation entirely on the militant Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip and began launching rockets against Israeli towns in the south after its six-month truce with Israel lapsed last month.All Hamas has to do is stop sending rockets over to kill people and agree on the accords that were negotiated earlier and come to an agreement that is verifiable, durable and effective to stop people from being killed, he added.
Ghazi Khankan, a spokesman for the New York chapter of the American Muslim Alliance, said Bloomberg was elected as mayor of New York City and not of Tel Aviv. He should represent all New Yorkers, not one segment of the population.Khankan added, He should call for peace negotiations, not for supporting the Israeli side against the Palestinian side. He should be wise enough to realize that there is no military solution. There must be a political solution.International criticism of Israel has centered on the civilian deaths that have accompanied the attacks on Hamas and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where food, water and electricity are in short supply.
Ackerman, who accompanied Bloomberg to the southern Israeli towns of Ashkelon and Sderot, said the onus of the civilian deaths was on Hamas for using them as human shields.They have been the main victimizers of the innocent Palestinian people by inviting these kinds of attacks, said Ackerman, who chairs the House subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.Associated Press writer Karen Mattews in New York contributed to the report.
Gaza death toll passes 500: medics Sun Jan 4, 11:40 am ET
GAZA CITY (AFP) – At least 500 Palestinians have died in Israel's nine-day offensive on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, medics said on Sunday.The number of martyrs has reached at least 500, including 87 children, and more than 2,450 have been wounded, Moawiya Hassanein, the head of Gaza medical emergency services, told AFP.The number of the dead can be much higher, since there are many martyrs and wounded in the streets, but we have not been able to get to them, he said.
Abbas seeks French pressure on Israel over Gaza blitz Sun Jan 4, 10:36 am ET
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AFP) – Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Sunday he would ask French President Nicolas Sarkozy to press Israel to end its nine-day offensive in the Gaza Strip.The two will meet in the West Bank town of Ramallah on Monday shortly after Sarkozy arrives in the region bidding to end the Israeli offensive against the Hamas-ruled territory that has killed more than 490 Palestinians.The Palestinian leadership is responding with all the means to end the Gaza aggression. Tomorrow we will receive the French president and ask him and the European Union to press Israel to end its aggression, Abbas said at the start of a meeting with Palestinian leaders in Ramallah.The beleaguered Palestinian president, whose forces were ousted from the Gaza Strip by Hamas in June 2007, strongly condemned the brutal Israeli operation.
Israel hit by 32 Gaza rockets: army Sun Jan 4, 9:41 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Militants in the Gaza Strip fired at least 32 rockets and mortar rounds into Israel on Sunday, lightly wounding three people as Israeli troops pushed deeper into the Palestinian territory, the army and medics said.One of the rockets scored a direct hit on a house in the southern town of Sderot, lightly wounding one woman. The town, which lies several kilometres (miles) from the Gaza border, has borne the brunt of the rocket fire since 2001.Medics also treated another two people who were lightly wounded -- one in the Israeli port city of Ashdod and another in kibbutz Nir Oz.At least 12 of the missiles were longer-range Grad rockets, which fell near Ashdod, and the towns of Ofaqim and Netivot which are both east of Gaza, the army said.Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 500 rockets and mortar rounds into Israel since the beginning of the Jewish state's massive offensive on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on December 27, killing four people and wounding several dozen others, according to Israeli officials.At least 30 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel's ground offensive began on Saturday.In total, more than 485 Palestinians have died since Israel began its offensive against Gaza on December 27.
EU foreign policy chief Solana calls for Gaza ceasefire Sun Jan 4, 8:28 am ET
LONDON (AFP) – EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, adding that European nations stand ready to contribute international monitors to help keep the peace.The ceasefire has to be a ceasefire complied (with) by everybody and be clearly maintained, Solana told the BBC.We are ready to cooperate with other members of the international community to see if necessary how we can monitor the ceasefire, he said.Solana said deploying monitors can be done, but that cannot be done in 24 hours. And for that we need a ceasefire first.Thousands of Israeli troops and scores of tanks pushed deep into Gaza on Sunday, moving towards the enclave's capital on a mission to end militant rocket attacks.
Pope urges Israel, Hamas to act immediately on Gaza Sun Jan 4, 8:20 am ET
VATICAN CITY (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to act immediately to end the current tragic situation in the Gaza Strip.The pontiff deplored the refusal to dialogue which has resulted in an indescribable worsening of conditions through ground fighting for the coastal strip's population,once again the victims of hatred and war.At least 23 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, have been killed in Gaza since Israel's ground offensive in the Hamas-run enclave began on Saturday, medics said on Sunday.In total, more than 485 Palestinians have died, including 80 children, with more than 2,500 wounded according to Gaza medics since Israeli military operations began on December 27.
Rocket fire from Gaza over the past week has killed four people in Israel.The Vatican has yet to confirm that the pope will visit Israel, reportedly set for May 8-15.Benedict added after Sunday Angelus prayers that: War and hatred are not solutions to problems.Today, in all the churches of the Holy Land, church leaders are calling on worshippers to pray for the end to the conflict in the Gaza Strip and (for) justice and peace for their land, the pope also said.I join in their prayers and invite you to do the same.In his New Year's and World Peace Day message on Thursday, the pope warned that violence, hatred and mistrust are themselves forms of poverty -- perhaps the greatest -- that must be fought.The deep desire to live in peace... rises in the hearts of the great majority of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, once more placed in danger by the massive violence that has broken out in the Gaza Strip in response to other violence.May this not prevail, the pope urged, having called last Sunday on the international community to help both sides abandon this dead-end road.Israel unleashed a massive bombardment of Hamas targets in Gaza on December 27 in response to militant rocket and mortar fire.
EU tells Israel to respect humanitarian law in Gaza, offers more aid Sun Jan 4, 8:00 am ET
BRUSSELS (AFP) – The European Commission on Sunday called on Israel to respect international law and allow access to people suffering and dying in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.The commission, the European Union's executive arm, announced an extra three million euros (4.2 million dollars) of emergency aid in the Gaza Strip, and urged Israel to allow a humanitarian space for delivery of vital relief.One and a half million people are crammed into an area that is just over one percent the size of Belgium. They rely on supplies from outside for their survival and, with every day that passes, their situation becomes more desperate, EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel said in a statement.The obligation to respect the principals of international humanitarian law "is universal and attacks from either side that kill or injure civilians indiscriminately are unacceptable," he added.
Israeli troops pushed deeper into Gaza and clashed in fierce battles with Hamas fighters on Sunday as Israel raised the stakes in its deadly offensive on the Islamists' overcrowded stronghold.Blocking access to people who are suffering and dying is also a breach of humanitarian law. I call on the Israeli authorities to respect their international obligations and ensure a humanitarian space for the delivery of vital relief, said Michel.The new EU aid will be deployed as rapidly as possible to meet the basic needs of people affected by the Israeli airstrikes and by continuing access restrictions.The European Union is the biggest aid donor to the Palestinians.The latest three million euros will be focused on food, emergency shelter repairs and further medical support, all areas identified as priorities by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in their flash appeal of December 31.
European foreign ministers were to fly to Egypt Sunday at the start of a Middle East trip where they hope to persuade Israeli and Palestinian leaders to move towards a humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip, officials said.On Monday the EU delegation will hold separate meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem and the West Bank before finishing their trip in Jordan.Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose nation took over the EU presidency on New Year's Day, will head the mission along with his French and Swedish counterparts plus EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.Late Saturday Schwarzenberg stressed that Israel does not have the right to take military actions which largely affect civilians, though its launching of land operations in the Gaza Strip was no surprise.
UN Security Council fails to agree on Gaza ceasefire call by Herve Couturier Herve Couturier – Sun Jan 4, 7:55 am ET
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – The UN Security Council has failed to agree on a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after the United States argued a return to the situation that existed before Israel's ground invasion was unacceptable.After nearly four hours of closed-door consultations late Saturday, members of the council emerged without reaching agreement that would have asked Israel and Hamas to end eight-day hostilities that have claimed the lives of at least 460 Palestinians.The meeting was the Security Council's third since the conflict erupted on December 27.French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, who presides in the council this month, said there was no formal agreement between member states on a Gaza statement.But I have noted strong convergencies about our concern at the escalation of violence and the deterioration of the situation and strong convergencies on our call for an immediate, durable and respected ceasefire, Ripert told reporters after the meeting.A draft statement submitted earlier for the council's consideration by Libya on behalf of the Arab League had expressed serious concern about the ground invasion and called on the parties to observe an immediate ceasefire and for its full respect.However, the document made no mention of the ongoing Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli territory that Israel said prompted its retaliatory offensive against Gaza, and the British and US ambassadors said the draft seemed too partial.
US deputy envoy Alejandro Wolff, talking to reporters after the consultations, said Washington believed it was important that the region not return to the status quo that had allowed Hamas to fire rockets into Israel.The efforts we are making internationally are designed to establish a sustainable, durable ceasefire that's respected by all, Wolff said. And that means no more rocket attacks. It means no more smuggling of arms.As Israel's closest ally, Washington has regularly vetoed Security Council resolutions it sees as too critical of the Jewish state.Libyan Ambassador Giadalla Ettalhi said the impasse had produced a sad day for the Security Council as it failed once again to voice its outrage at the escalation of the situation in Gaza.The Libyan draft, however, still remains on the table, and Arab foreign ministers are expected here next week to push for a ceasefire statement. They will be joined by Western-backed Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas.
And France's President Nicolas Sarkozy is due to fly to the Middle East on Monday, hoping to rally key players in the region behind a French plan to pressure Israel and Hamas to renew a failed ceasefire.The French leader will visit Egypt, the West Bank, Israel, Syria and Lebanon.Earlier in Cairo, Arab League chief Amr Mussa accused the Security Council of ignoring Israel's onslaught on Gaza, saying the delay in agreeing on a resolution was proof of failure to handle the conflict.The continuation of ... the international community and the Security Council ignoring this situation is a very dangerous thing, he told reporters at a press conference in the pan-Arab organization's Cairo headquarters.On Friday, US President George W. Bush made clear he would not condemn an Israeli ground offensive, arguing that Israel had a right to defend itself against Hamas, which is firing rockets into Israel.However, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for an immediate halt to the violence and urged Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the impoverished Palestinian territory. A statement released by Ban's office before the Security Council meeting said the secretary general had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and conveyed his extreme concern and disappointment.He called for an immediate end to the ground operation, and asked that Israel do all possible to ensure the protection of civilians and that humanitarian assistance is able to reach those in need, the statement went on to say. Permanent Palestinian observer at the United Nations Riyad Mansour warned that if the Israeli assault is not stopped immediately, thousands more Palestinian civilians will be killed and injured. This is immoral, this is illegal, this is unacceptable, and the Security Council cannot continue to sit on its hands and not force Israel to comply with its position, the position that it adopted on Sunday morning, Mansour said. UN General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto of Nicaragua called the Israeli incursion a monstrosity.
And once again, the world is watching in dismay the dysfunctionality of the Security Council, D'Escoto argued.
Brown says Israeli ground offensive dangerous moment Sun Jan 4, 5:52 am ET
LONDON (AFP) – Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Sunday that Israel's ground offensive in Gaza had created a very dangerous moment in the conflict and he called for increased efforts to secure a ceasefire.This is a very dangerous moment, Brown said in an interview with BBC television.I think everybody around the world is expressing grave concerns. What we've got to do almost immediately is to work harder than we've done for an immediate ceasefire.Brown said assurances needed to be given to both the Israelis and Hamas.He explained: I can see the Gaza issues for the Palestinians -- that they need humanitarian aid -- but the Israelis must have some assurance that there are no rocket attacks coming into Israel.So first we need an immediate ceasefire, and that includes a stopping of the rockets into Israel. Secondly, we need some resolution of the problem over arms trafficking into Gaza and, thirdly, we need the borders and the crossings open and that will need some international solution.Brown said the Arab powers had to apply pressure to ensure that the illegal tunnels used for supplying Gaza with arms were closed.He explained: I sense that the Arab powers are as worried as we are about the turn of events.What I believe has got to happen over the next few days is that we have got to work with them and of course with the United States and the European Union, and (French) President (Nicolas) Sarkozy is visiting the region tomorrow.Israeli troops pushed deep into Gaza Sunday with thousands of soldiers and scores of tanks battling Hamas fighters and moving towards the capital in a bid to end militant rocket attacks.
Israel not interested in new front in the north: PM Sun Jan 4, 5:04 am ET
TEL AVIV (AFP) – Israel is not interested in opening up a new front in the north as it carries out a massive offensive on Hamas in Gaza, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday in a veiled reference to Lebanon's Hezbollah militia.Israel has no interest in opening new fronts other than the one in the south, Olmert said at the start of the cabinet meeting. Not to the east and not to the north.But caution is required, and I have therefore instructed the defence establishment to be extremely alert and prepared for any development in the event that someone might think that this is his opportunity to take advantage of Israel focusing on the southern front in order to try and change the stable reality created following events in the past.
His comments were a thinly veiled reference to Lebanon's Hezbollah militia with which Israel fought a war in 2006 just weeks into Israel's last major offensive against the Gaza Strip.Two weeks after Israel launched its assault on Gaza in June 2006 -- after militants in the territory seized a soldier in a cross-border raid -- Hezbollah launched a deadly cross-border raid of its own in Israel's north and seized two soldiers.In response Israel unleashed a war on Hezbollah that lasted for 34 days and killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
U.S. thwarts Libyan push for Gaza truce demand at U.N. By Louis Charbonneau Louis Charbonneau – Sat Jan 3, 11:50 pm ET
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United States thwarted an effort by Libya on Saturday to persuade the U.N. Security Council to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after Israel launched a ground invasion, diplomats said.French U.N. Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, currently Security Council president, told reporters after a closed-door session there was no agreement, but there (were) serious convergences to express serious concern about the crisis.The convergences of opinions among council members included the need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and easing the humanitarian crisis Gazans are in, Ripert said.British Ambassador John Sawers said he was very disappointed about the council's failure to agree on a statement during Saturday's 4-hour emergency meeting.Libya, the only Arab member of the council, had circulated a draft statement expressing serious concern at the escalation of the situation in Gaza, in particular, after the launching of the Israeli ground offensive and urged all parties to observe an immediate ceasefire.But diplomats said the United States refused to back the Libyan-drafted text and killed the initiative, since council statements must be passed unanimously. Later the United States refused to back a watered-down call for a truce, the diplomats said.The United States, one of five permanent Security Council members, insists that any statement or resolution state that the Palestinian militant group Hamas is a terrorist organization that seized power in Gaza from the legitimate Palestinian Authority.U.S. envoy Alejandro Wolff said there was no point in issuing statements that Hamas, which unilaterally declared an end to a 6-month old ceasefire last month, would ignore.I don't think it does the council any good ... to issue statements that aren't going to be observed, Wolff said. Israel's self-defense is not negotiable.Libya and other Arab states oppose the U.S. view, leaving the 15-nation Security Council deadlocked on the Gaza crisis.
LAW OF THE JUNGLE
Israel launched the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, sending tanks and infantry into battle with Hamas fighters, who have defied eight days of deadly air strikes with salvos of rocket fire into Israeli towns.Israel insists its Gaza action aims to halt Hamas rocket attacks. The strip is home to 1.5 million Palestinians.Riyad Mansour, the permanent Palestinian observer to the United Nations, said it was the council's responsibility to demand that Israel stop this aggression immediately.Israel cannot continue to behave as a state above international law -- this is the law of the jungle, he said.The United States and Libya have clashed repeatedly on the Israeli-Palestinian issue since Libya joined the council a year ago, and Washington has tried to keep the topic off the agenda whenever possible.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate end to Israel's ground operation in Gaza. Speaking by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Ban conveyed his extreme concern and disappointment, his press office said in a statement.At least a quarter of the 453 Palestinians killed have been civilians, a U.N. agency said. Four Israelis have been killed by rockets that continue to pound southern Israel.(Editing by Patricia Zengerle and Chris Wilson)
Jordan king tells Blair world's Gaza 'silence' unacceptable Sat Jan 3, 4:00 pm ET
AMMAN (AFP) – Jordan's King Abdullah II told Middle East peace Quartet envoy Tony Blair on Saturday that the world's silence on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is unacceptable, the palace said.The humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated in a way that silence has become unacceptable, a palace statement quoted the king as telling Blair over the telephone.The international community should help end this tragedy and press Israel to stop its aggression and open border crossings to allow aid and evacuate the wounded, the king said, according to the statement.The Quartet includes the United States, the United Nations, the European Union, and Russia.The king and Blair discussed international efforts to halt Israel's military operations in Gaza, the statement said.Jordan plans to build a field hospital in Gaza and send daily aid shipments to densely populated and impoverished territory.On Thursday it evacuated eight Gazans from the Egyptian's city of El-Arish near Gaza to treat them in a military hospital in Amman.More than 460 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's deadly campaign against the Islamist group Hamas, which rules Gaza.
UN Security Council has failed in Gaza: Arab League Sat Jan 3, 3:55 pm ET
CAIRO (AFP) – Arab League chief Amr Mussa accused the UN Security Council on Saturday of ignoring Israel's onslaught on Gaza, saying the delay in agreeing a resolution is proof of failure to handle the conflict.Arab regimes cannot put pressure on Israel but the Security Council could pressure the Jewish state into ending its eight-day bombardment of Gaza, he said.Israel does not respect the Arabs. And we do not respect its policies, he said.A delegation of Arab foreign ministers is expected to leave for the UN's headquarters in New York on Sunday evening, he said.The continuation of... the international community and the Security Council ignoring this situation is a very dangerous thing, he told reporters at a press conference in the pan-Arab organization's Cairo headquarters.We see that its not convening is a clear proof of failure in dealing with this huge crisis and allowing Israel an opportunity, he said.Mussa also dismissed as Israeli disinformation reports that some Arab regimes have accepted or supported Israel's campaign against Hamas.He accused Israel of using banned weapons in Gaza.Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit also said in an Egyptian television interview that the Security Council was not doing its job of quickly ending the conflict, according to a BBC Monitoring transcript.
The UN Security Council (UNSC) is not doing its job or quickening its pace to shoulder its responsibilities, he said.No one should leave an operation such as this for seven days, as if it (the UNSC) wants a repetition of what happened in [the Israeli] operation in Lebanon, he added, referring to Israel's war against Hezbollah in 2006.The Security Council issued a resolution calling for a ceasefire a month into that conflict, which killed at least 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.At least 460 Palestinians have died in Israeli air strikes and naval bombardment of Gaza since Israel launched its campaign.
The US, a close ally of Israel and one of five countries with veto power in the Security Council, has said it would reject a Libyan draft resolution that called on both sides to abide by a ceasefire because it did not explicitly mention Hamas rocket attacks.Israel says it is trying to deter the Islamist Hamas movement which controls Gaza from firing rockets into Israel.Hamas rockets have killed four Israelis in the past eight days, while medics say Israel's air blitz has killed at least 460 Palestinians and wounded 2,350 others.
Israel interrupts its radio, TV broadcasts in Gaza: Hamas Sat Jan 3, 11:27 am ET
GAZA CITY (AFP) – Hamas on Saturday accused Israel of interrupting its radio and television broadcasts in Gaza as the Jewish state's deadly offensive on the Islamists entered its second week.The enemy is trying to break our frequencies... do not listen to this, said a broadcast on Al-Aqsa radio.Earlier the radio's programme was interrupted with a man's voice speaking in Hebrew-accented Arabic: Hamas leaders are hiding in the tunnels and are leaving you on the frontline of Israel's Defence Forces.Hamas leaders are lying to you and they are hiding in hospitals, he said. Launching rockets puts civilians in danger.Meanwhile a broadcast on Al-Aqsa television was interrupted with an image of a ringing phone that no one was answering.Hamas leaders are hiding and they are leaving you on the front line, says a voice in accented Arabic.The Israeli army did not have immediate comment.On Friday, Hamas's political supremo Khaled Meshaal was calling on Palestinians to rise up against Israel when his picture suddenly disappeared from the Al-Aqsa TV broadcast.Hamas has misled you and abandoned you, a man's voice said in Arabic. If you call any leader of Hamas, nobody will answer.An Al-Aqsa official said the Israeli army was behind the spoiler interruption, which was repeated several times during the broadcast of what appeared to be a pre-recorded speech.
EU team off to Middle East, hoping for Gaza truce by Paul Harrington Paul Harrington – Sat Jan 3, 9:38 am ET
BRUSSELS (AFP) – European foreign ministers set off Saturday for the Middle East where they hope to persuade Israeli and Palestinian leaders to move towards a humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip, officials said.Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose nation took over the EU presidency on New Year's Day, will go to the region with French and Swedish counterparts plus EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.We are going to discussing the situation, Schwarzenberg's spokeswoman Zuzana Opletalova told AFP on Saturday.There is no concrete message yet. We are going to listen to our partners and we will see what we can do to obtain a ceasefire again in the region.The European Union -- the biggest foreign donor to the Palestinian territories -- is concerned about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip after more than a week of Israeli air strikes.The foreign ministers will be seeking hard information -- not least from aid agencies on the ground -- about how much help is needed and what supplies are actually getting into Gaza.We want to find out what are the possibilities for humanitarian aid amid conflicting reports on the situation, said Opletalova by telephone from the Czech capital Prague.The key day for the tour, which will begin Sunday in Cairo, is Monday when the Europeans will meet in Jerusalem with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the Jewish state's foreign and defence ministers.
From there they will go to the West Bank town of Ramallah, seat of the government of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who will be making his own separate trip to the region, will also attend the meetings in Ramallah with Abbas and his prime minister Salam Fayyad.Sarkozy embarks on his two-day, four-nation tour of the Middle East on Monday, hoping to rally support for a ceasefire in Gaza which was launched last month when France still help the rotating EU presidency.Since Israel unleashed Operation Cast Lead on December 27 in response to consistent rocket attacks from Gaza, at least 436 Palestinians have been reported killed and 2,290 wounded.At least 75 of those killed have been children, according to emergency services inside Gaza.Concerns are rising over the humanitarian situation in one of the world's poorest and most densely populated places, where the vast majority of people depend on foreign aid.The goal is an immediate ceasefire and especially a humanitarian truce. That's what we're going to ask Israel and we hope they'll accept, said Spanish Miguel Angel Moratinos this week.Israeli officials have said they could consider international calls for a pause in fighting to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. But both they and Hamas, which controls Gaza, have rebuffed appeals for a lasting truce.Euroepan Commission spokeswoman Christiane Hohmann said the EU foreign ministers' trip was a concrete example of the involvement of the 27-nation European Union in the Middle East.We have always said we are an actor in the Middle East and we want to do that, she said. Us going there is a manifestation of that.Other European officials said the European Union is keen to show show leadership as the United States awaits the inauguration on January 20 of Barak Obama as its next president. The French, Czech and Swedish foreign ministers represent the past, present and future EU presidencies. All 27 EU foreign ministers are likely to discuss Gaza when they meet in Prague next Thursday.
Muslims around the world protest Gaza assault By REBECCA SANTANA, Associated Press Writer – Fri Jan 2, 9:10 pm ET
CAIRO, Egypt – Thousands protested Friday against Israel's air offensive targeting Hamas at demonstrations in the Middle East and several continents.Similar protests have been held daily across the Middle East since Israel launched the bombing campaign last Saturday. But these gatherings held mostly after Friday prayers were larger — mainly because Friday prayers are a traditional gathering opportunity for Muslims — and seemed to be more far-reaching in the number of countries where protests occurred.The Israeli offensive has killed more than 400 Palestinians and sparked outrage among the Arab public. Israel says its offensive is aimed at silencing Hamas rockets.In Tehran, a crowd of about 6,000 stretching for a half-mile (kilometer) marched from prayers at Tehran University to Palestine Square, chanting Death to Israel and Death to America and burning Israeli flags.Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki warned Israel that entering Gaza by land will be the biggest mistake of the Zionist regime.Iran is a major backer of Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, giving it millions of dollars. The U.S. and Israel accuse Iran of giving weapons and rockets to Hamas, though Tehran denies arming Hamas.In Egypt, authorities clamped down hard to prevent protests Friday. Hundreds of riot police surrounded Cairo's main Al-Azhar Mosque, where a rally had been called, and scuffled with would-be protesters, keeping most from approaching.Police also arrested 40 members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood that called for protests.
More than 3,000 people marched in the northern Sinai city of el-Arish.Many governments in the Arab world such as Egypt have been wary about protests at home over Israel's Gaza assault lest the protests spiral out of control.In Jordan, police fired volleys of tear gas and scuffled with protesters who tried to reach the Israeli Embassy in Amman. A few of the protesters threw stones at police, but the security forces dispersed the group, arresting several.About 30,000 Jordanians gathered at a stadium in Amman shouting their support for Gaza and calling for the abolition of the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty signed in 1994.More than 10,000 Muslims marched through Indonesia's capital Jakarta to protest the ongoing bombing raids in Gaza, aiming fake missiles labeled Target: Tel Aviv, Israel at the U.S. Embassy.Protests were also held after Friday prayers in other cities in the world's most populous Muslim country, in what was the largest turnout since Israel began the operation.In the Afghan capital of Kabul, about 3,000 people gathered outside a prominent mosque, according to police estimates. Men in the crowd threw stones and shoes at an effigy of President George W. Bush.Dozens of demonstrators gathered in the Philippines capital Manila, carrying placards saying Israel is a butcher of children.In Turkey, Israel's closest ally in the region, some 5,000 people denounced the Israeli raids outside a mosque in Istanbul, burning Israeli and U.S. flags and reciting funeral prayers for the victims.In Syria, some 2,000 marched in a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, carrying Palestinian flags and chanting jihad will unite us.Syrian President Bashar Assad talked with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Friday and called on the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution forcing Israel to immediately halt its Gaza offensive, Syria's official news agency SANA reported. In Sudan, thousands marched in downtown Khartoum, urging Muslims to jihad and denouncing Israel and America.
Protests erupted as well in the Palestinian territories. In the West Bank city of Ramallah, thousands demonstrated in solidarity with Gazans, calling for Palestinian unity and accusing Arab leaders of silence over Israel's bombardment. There were also protests in the United States. Thousands gathered in Washington to express outrage over Israel's attacks, marching from the Israeli embassy Friday to the Egyptian embassy to criticize Egypt's handling of the attacks. In Los Angeles, about 350 protesters and counterprotesters demonstrated. The pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the Israeli Consulate, while supporters of Israel lined the opposite side of the street. No incidents were immediately reported. Ex-Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox and other celebrities, including activist Bianca Jagger, comedian Alexei Sayle and former London mayor Ken Livingstone, held a news conference in London demanding Israel halt the onslaught. In Sao Paulo, Brazil almost 200 people led by local Muslim leaders gathered outside the Sao Paulo Art Museum to protest the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Several demonstrators carried Palestinian flags, and banners reading End the Genocide in Gaza.In Bern, Switzerland, hundreds of people marched, calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and demanding the international community impose sanctions against Israel. Russian authorities detained about 37 people after a small protest outside the Israeli Embassy in Moscow demanding an end to attacks on the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of Muslims held a rally at the main mosque in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, hoisting banners that said Palestinian Blood Is Human Blood and shouting for Kenya to sever ties with Israel. Meanwhile, Abu Musab Abdul Wadud, the leader of al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa, an offshoot of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network, has issued a message urging Muslims to attack Jews everywhere, according to the SITE Intelligence, a group which monitors extremist Web sites. The message was issued on jihadist forums on Thursday, SITE said.
Israel keeps ban on foreign journalists in Gaza By DIAA HADID, Associated Press Writer – Fri Jan 2, 3:54 pm ET
EREZ CROSSING, Israel – Israel maintained its ban on foreign journalists entering the Gaza Strip Friday despite a recent Supreme Court order to allow a limited number of reporters to enter the territory.The ban has been in place since a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas began to fray on Nov. 5. Israel eased the ban last month but tightened it again after launching its air offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers a week ago.A legal challenge by the Foreign Press Association, which represents foreign media in Israel, prompted the court ruling this week to allow groups of up to 12 foreign journalists to cross the border whenever the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza is open for humanitarian cases.That was the case on Friday, when Israel opened the crossing to allow nearly 300 Palestinians with foreign passports to leave Gaza. But authorities defied the court order and kept reporters out.We call on the Israeli government to immediately honor the will of the court and allow foreign journalists access to Gaza, the Foreign Press Association said in a statement. The authorities' position that there was not enough time to coordinate and allow the journalists to enter does not seem reasonable.A military spokesman said Israel kept the journalists out because authorities at the crossing point were focused on processing the hundreds of Palestinians exiting Gaza.
The crossing today was overwhelmed dealing with the emergency evacuation of people, said army spokesman Peter Lerner. He said journalists might be allowed to cross on Sunday, when Israel plans to open the crossing for injured Palestinians to enter Israel for medical treatment.The ban on foreign journalists has made it more difficult for news organizations to verify the extent of damage from the offensive, the number of civilian casualties or the seriousness of humanitarian problems such as shortages of food and medicine.Some organizations, such as The Associated Press, are relying on journalists who live in Gaza and cover the conflict full-time but would normally have sent in reinforcements to cover the story more extensively.The Israeli government has long banned Israeli journalists from entering Gaza because of fears for their safety, but foreign reporters have been permitted to go in, even during times of heavy fighting.While Israel has restricted media access to Gaza in the past, a ban this long is unprecedented. Journalists have protested the restrictions as a grave blow to press freedom.
