Yisrael Beitnu in government (Isra'eel Baituna- Arabic)

Ali Abunimah wrote this article that is essential to read at this time because it has the basic information about Avigdor Liberman...His party that just got in the government of Olmert. Would this work? Cant we look at least the same in Extremism.??..or there is still no need to even have a look on injustice?

World silent as fascists join Israel government
Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada, 24 October 2006
In a frightening but long expected move, Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has brought the Yisrael Beitenu party into his coalition government. The party's leader, Avigdor Lieberman, is to be vice prime minister and, as "Minister for Strategic Threats," a key member of Israel's "security cabinet" in charge of the Iran portfolio.Yisrael Beitenu is a dangerous extremist party with fascist tendencies that has openly advocated the "transfer" of Palestinians, including the transfer of Arab towns within Israel to a Bantustan-like future Palestinian entity. It has made clear that a Jewish supremacist state is more important than a democratic one. ...Continue Here.

another incursion and another ...

another five were killed yesterday....in Gaza
This evening, Shelling and rockets bombing Beit Hanoun...again but from a different direction...
Today, Gaza Skies had some interesting ...traffic..Some from God...which were thunder and rain..some from israel..with F16s and Apache planes...and the palestinian smaller bullets in the air or beterrn families and parties...
I cant really keep up with news..but just the a quick note about the disturbing event that took place earlier today..the kiddnapping of the Spanish photographer of the Associated Press..What a Mess!
by the way...this is not a Hamas thing...

Another note...interesting report that can be really critical if true and will cause to further escalation..maybe to the good or maybe to the bad..either way..i m not hopefull. Abbas ordered the deployment of 20,000 security men to take care of the situation in the Gaza Strip. So far, Abbas has denied this order..but several security commandors confirmed. According to the Haaretz Report of today.

Later...

the Eid of misery..

Yesterday early morning an incursion started in the northern areas of Beit Hanoun, North of Gaza Strip....about 7 Palestinians were killed and 40 Palestinians were injured and 0 Israelis. "Revenge" expressed afterwards by Palestinian resistence movements after the killing of one of their leaders (Islamic Jihad)

Thousands of Palestinians (Gazans) are spending the Eid on the border, Stuck- between Gaza and Egypt.....Sleeping on the sand and sometimes some carton boxes...

Today...minor mess

One cant describe the high noise and air pollution in Gaza these days.....
regarding noise, today, for some reason, it was so disturbing...and on the way..from an office to my house i wittnessed about 3 accidents in the streets..."People are going crazy today" the driver said...

Almost every public employee and all registered unemployed got a small amount of money to be able to survive and get some "candies" for the Eid - el fitr feast- i m sure not many could even think of candies. The security forces were the only ones who didnt recieve any money...so, for the second time...tjose were the ones demonstrating in the streets by closing some streets with trees and burning tyres. Gaza didnt need more black dust to cover the left windows or the so far white walls...but this is not the case anyway..they have the right to be angry! and many know that they are being used for pressure.
Abbas was in Gaza refused to meet with the PM Hanyyeh...(so maybe not-talking not-meeting will result in something!?) The Eid is on monday- the day after tomorrow..if those didnt get money..i would assume its a smart enough plan..no? Is this how Fatah kicking out the gov. ? well..the gov isnt doing anything to help itself..but also with getting 42 million from the US state department and encouraging security forces when using them to turn gaza into a new version of chaos...would this be the option!?

i wonder...and i may not understand much of what is going on around me..

Israel armored vehicles maneuver inside the northern Gaza Strip, Israeli tanks and infantry took up positions on the Egyptian-Gaza border (AP)
At a Funeral..(AP)

One of the respected at the Hamas Gov't

Ghazi Hamad
If you have been following the news and what is being written about the Palestinian latest crisis, and you see this name, I would recommend you read ...
Ghazi Hamad, we are discovering this person recently with a great deal of respect. Simply because he respects himself and his people. He admits the mistakes and is strong enough to fight the traditional perspective and cross the .."lines!" Finally...
Take a look at what he wrote in Al Ayyam Newspaper (Palestinian Local Newspaper) that piece was mentioned in the article "Abbas considering technocratic gov't" of the Jerusalem Post,

.....In a related development, the spokesman for the Hamas-led government on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on armed Palestinian groups, holding them responsible for the continued state of anarchy and lawlessness.
"Has violence become a culture implanted in our bodies and our flesh?" he asked in an article published in the PA-funded daily Al-Ayyam newspaper.
"We have surrendered to it until it has become the master and is obeyed everywhere, in the house, the neighborhood, the family, the clan, the faction and the university. We want to get rid of this lethal disease - cancer - that has destroyed our brains and paralyzed our hearts."
Hamad pointed out that 175 Palestinians have been killed in internal fighting since the beginning of this year. Addressing the armed groups, he wrote: "Please have mercy on us. We want to get rid of this monster that is living amongst us. Please don't kill the hope that's left in us."

22 Palestinians killed in Gaza in the past Two days

I haven't been able to write to update you on the situation in Gaza. Simply because everything is continuing as is. Israel has been intensifying the attacks, also, Amir Peretz the minister of defense has ordered the army to go on and execute more attacks.
In the past two days, and according to Aljazeera, Reuters and others there has been several incursions taking place in the North of the strip , in Beit Hanoun, in the south of the strip, in Khan younis, and some random targets in the city of Gaza.
I cant tell you that i have been personally affected by any of this, because of the confusion we are living in without realizing the extent of this confusion. I hear everyday hundreds of bullets shooted in the air, between fatah and hamas, between families and so on. I hear several explosions that I don't know whether it is internal or from Israel. But, I heard the planes being active in the skies of Gaza city, as it is active anyway in the rest of the strip. Yesterday and the day before, we were worried just from the sounds of the plane. Although we are so used to it.
Now. With another round of rumors and talking about re-invading the Gaza strip, sometimes I react as, "maybe this will save us" but there are always the really bad things that I don't want to think of.
I remember theses days in Ramallah in 2002, when people were so done with rumors saying: "why don't they invade the city and get this over with, we are done with the waiting" but ....Those moments ended and the invasion was ....A war.

that is it for now..
* the picture is from Reuters on Oct 14th, Rafah, Gaza.

Italian TV: Israel used new weapon prototype in Gaza Strip
By Meron Rapoport, Haaretz Correspondent
An investigative report to be aired on Italian television Wednesday raises the possibility that Israel has used an experimental weapon in the Gaza Strip ........ The weapon is similar to one developed by the U.S. military, known as DIME, which causes a powerful and lethal blast.. More

Not an internal Palestinian matter - By Amira Hass

"what happens when you imprison 1.3 million human beings in an enclosed space like battery hens."

Gaza. A proper desciption of what is it like ..now

Sami Abdel-Shafi: The strife of a people stripped of dignity
The conflict in Gaza is led by ordinary people, sickened by the indignity they are made to suffer
Published: 03 October 2006

.....Israel has brought a new phenomenon to life in Gaza: "The strife of the undignified." This conflict is led by ordinary people who, whatever their convictions and professions, have been sickened by the severe indignity they have been made to suffer in their daily lives.
.....
.....The strife of the undignified is neither about the imposed financial bankruptcy of the Hamas government, nor about big hopes that a Palestinian national unity government would substantially alleviate the current financial strain....

The Independent Newspaper: online edition click here

Attention to the coming obstacles..to face Palestinians

The Sad Stroy of My friend Sam

By: GERSHON BASKIN
THE JERUSALEM POST
Sep. 25, 2006

I have been spending hours during the past couple of weeks trying to help a friend. Well, he's not really a friend, we hardly know each other. more...

Internal Clashes..

How bad is it going to be? Where is this heading?
First, I would like to identify some of the major (obvious) players.
Hamas new force that was established few months ago under the Ministry of Interior.
All others: Fatah (old gov) security forces.
Both have tons of weapons
Both claim that they don't have money

It has been like that since the beginning of the demonstrations in the streets that struck the Palestinian streets after 4 months of not paying the public employees

The Whole structure of the Palestinian government (Ministries, Security forces...Etc.) is based on the majority of Fatah. Fatah was not explicitly known for discriminating when hiring its employees, however, it was very corrupt with whoever is there.
Hamas, since elected, wants to prove its being, and so, started adding to the public employees hundreds of pure Hamas members. Although, there is no money to pay the old or the new ones.

The problem has many factors:
1- Hamas is now taking the bigger positions in the institutions of course because it is elected to govern. Almost everyone down the pyramid is fatah, or got closer to fatah because of the salary issue. When i visited a couple of ministries, one like Ministry of Education, i know several employees there, they haven't been involved in political affiliations, but now it seemed much clearer that they simply "Hate" Hamas. A head of a department there said to me: " Things are getting worse and worse, I used to have several projects at the same time for the schools from donors all over the world. Today, I can barely find a pen and paper to work in the office, and I am in a ministry of education".
2- The concentration of Fatah members in the security forces, and their varying relationships with the "Al Aqsa Brigades" and all the other smaller ones, have been intensifying this tensions. Fatah members became party members in their profession rather than being policemen or security guards or whatever. Thus, the latest interesting turning point here in Gaza, was that the police and the presidential forces and all the others, (they are 17 type, by the way) were the ones who closed the streets the day before yesterday and blocking the traffic because they were demonstrating against the government! So what is this called exactly? Mahmoud Abbas criticized this in Al-Jazeera interview three days ago. even the demonstrations have been so obviously divided among the Fatah(s) and Hamas(s) to the extent that Hamas started arresting those who don't "obey" and who don't go to do their job instead of striking, and Fatah is forcing the employees out. if you go to the people who are not directly affiliated with anyone you would notice that it is not that organized as a real mobilzed movement that comes from within the peoples' beliefs. The other fact is that, right after any big demonstration a partial payment is suddenly paid and people start running at the ATM machines! So, to an extent it is working, even the way it is done, by using people, fighting, and creating just chaos in the streets, it gets the money out of the PA box! So why not then keep doing this again and again?
4- There is a historical hatred, I mean the word Hatred between Hamas and Fatah. I have always wondered about this, but it is true. Since I was in undergraduate in Ramallah, Fatah used to say in the elections " we can deal with the devil but not Hamas" Hamas on the other hand, they dislike everyone. But this dislike grown along with he previous positions that the PA (Fatah) at Arafat's time against Hamas. Many argue that Arafat was keeping things balanced and he used to be "good" to all, it is true but it was a very temporary solution that was just building up towards more tension between the two. On the other had, the small leftist parties, were mostly closer to Hamas politically (Only) because they shared the disagreement with the peace process and the Oslo agreement in particular.
Ok..Back to what is going on here...
Yesterday , I leave the house at 8:30 going to my volunteering missions... And I see a bigger group of armed men at the square near the house. It is a relatively big square that connects 5 streets. I see some in blue and others in black..It was confusing..! I see big beards and ones without. So I ask what is going today? I was told that the Minister of Interior (Hamas) gave orders to the force (3000 executive force from Hamas) to spread around the Gaza strip..Especially the intersections. Normally, the ones who stand at the square are the President's (Abaas) forces, just because the square is very close to the president's office and his house. The image was pleasant as we drove by. The two were talking and smiling...(ones in black and ones in Blue).
At about 13:00 pm. My husband calls, and tells me not et near the house.
Gaza turned into a big confrontation zone with fairly sophisticated kinds of weapons. Especially our square, that is usually the most "peaceful" one had the most intense clashes.
I had to stay at my mom's house, where the Israeli artillery is ! haha...it was safer.
i came back home at night..The area was extremely dark, I had to literarlly get out of the car and let the driver run before we are caught under the fire of ours.....

Now...9 funerals will take place. I hear them on the microphones...I don't know what their cause it anymore...Either for Hamas or Fatah. 100 were injured. 9 were killed. And funerals are usually expected to result in clashes.

The "Threat Letter"

Here we go again. News do not seem to move any of our nerves anymore. A threat sent through the Egyptian intelligence to the "leader" Mesha'al" in Damascus to liberate the prisoned Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. The threat is again..To give orders to the Israeli forces to go into the Gaza strip with unusual methods of ground offensive. I cant tell you much about reactions, because I barely knew about this news, and when I did, haven't seen much reaction from people.
A threat of a "big, creative, invasion" is no longer a surprising story. It has been said many many times by Israeli leaders. To clean up Gaza. Most of us here think that this will not happen for many rational reasons.There are more weapons in Gaza than the Israeli army would carry for offensive, maybe not the sophistication or the armed vehicles,"my exaggeration maybe, but this is the feel from here and what we see everyday and every hour".
I say..Whatever. But. There is an obvious irresponsibility, and maybe intention to keep the pressure and the situations unsolved in Gaza. Whether it is from Mesha'al or from the bunch here, from Fatah or Hamas, or both. A Gazan is not thinking now of his/her experience with governance or democracy, and not thinking in the process of change of power. He/she is fighting any change by imposing the personal/family/private equation.

The Israeli military court in the West Bank have released the PM deputy. and they are thinking about releasing more of the Legislative council's representative soon. Does that mean that the new government will be formed and the Israelis agreed to the terms discussed. Hamas didn't. They changed their minds while Abbas was at the United Nations in NY. Why all this is happening? Hamas leaders are not respecting their people. They are not even realizing that they are responsible for a whole society not a political party!

Note on Hasan Nasrallah. I was resisting to watch his speech in the festival of his victory. but i ended up watching every bit of a second. I was resisting because of shame, not because Palestinians couldnt do resistence well,,,if any. but because of the respect and honor he has and present to people, even to his enemy.

I cant really see anything positive coming. Maybe short term solutions. but even that, i hardly could see it.

Thanks to Shulamit Aloni...

Thanks for those who have been asking about me, and asking why i haven't been writing on the blog. It is just that there isn't a way to describe the situation. It needs stronger phrases, more philosophy rather than counting numbers. We all got tired from counting numbers, of pple killed, injured, arrested, or numbers of rockets, bombs, explosions...Planes.
This article by Aloni, made me feel good that I could post something at the blog. I just thought of thanking her, and encouraging readers to read it. Especially those who are unable to understand the Palestinian story.

No wonder they hate us - By Shulamit Aloni
Time to talk peace! Israel's leaders must change mindset, engage in dialogue with Palestinians.
In a few months, we will mark 40 years of "enlightened" occupation by our famed army in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. Israel pretends to be an enlightened state and signatory of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which rules that "The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies" (Israel ratified the Convention in 1951.)

Going Too Far.

I thought I would not be in a position to write about what is wrong with (us), because i never could vs what is wrong with Israelis and their occupations and aggressive actions. The time has come to talk a little but more about what has been concerning all of us here, especially in Gaza with the deep frustration, anger, and the chaotic daily life. Where are we going.?? I wonder.
Many Palestinians started, when getting angry about the Palestinian Authority, saying that "we wish the occupation is back...We were much better off than that dealing with the corruption, chaos and compromises with Israel on negotiations. Now...It is even worse, if Israel was a reasons for many problems and tensions that are taking place in the Palestinian society/system/whatever you call it, then the question is...When do we blame ourselves, and when should we criticize our actions. Most importantly..Who is we? I am confused. Many of my friends and relatives and including myself don't not relate to what is going on..However, many are changing some of their norms to be able to face the situation. Hundreds of groups filled with weapons...Are the ones who identify this society? The nice things of a small/closed town have gone and are being replaced with the most cruel and most unfair norms and values. We are losing ourselves.
Many have the interest to support these types of situations, support the groups, and make it the way you deal with things and business. If it is conspiracy what is leading now this discussion..I believe there are many tendencies in the society to behave according to how it is behaving now.
I always thought of staying away from this country is betrayal..Very romantic nationalistic..Now this is called stupidity. Well, that is normally the case. Why sacrifice when there is no confidence in any move you make. And I want to say something here about sacrifice..The people are willing to die literally from anything when they see some achievements taking place. We have passed this stage , and now we are fighting for survival. Gaza, is the crime. Gazans are the criminals and victims stand in the line waiting for their possible end. Palestine is lost, palesine doesn't belong to anyone, but belongs to everything and everyone. Not many people will understand what I am trying to describe here, because only the ones who are living in Gaza now..Know. It is not a place of conflict, or peace, it is not a marginalized piece of earth that is poor and full of diseases. It is a new experience in History and geography that I would invite many to learn about.
As I am still learning. But I would leave it and give up the learning very soon.
"Forgive me if i dont make sense"

Gilad Shalit's B-day is tomorrow! what a piece of info

GSH is the soldier prisoned by Palestinian resistance.

Mabrouk to Fox Journalists

I am glad this is over. I wanted to mention something about that stupid event. Now there is no need to. What is really making me worry is those new factions that are being created. Identity is seriously being threatened, whether we like to admit it or not. Gaza is expected to develop more of these many undefined loyalties and identities. Although many don't accept how Fox news work, but those were working amongst us.
If you are really interested to know the opinion here on this issue, every single person I saw was saying the same thing "this is stupid and doesn't make sense"

I need to say this...And I am laughing..I couldn't but laugh about the news that said that the Journalists accepted Islam....! I mean...I don't know. ut it is funny and many are laughing and talking about it as an amusing piece of news.

"Mabrouk: means: congratulations

From walls and blocks to the chains of tanks

Back from Rafah crossing..After stories and adventures. Got in by a miracle.

Their second night at home after the indescribable trip back from Egypt, there was an invasion close by their house.
At 11pm, I call them just to make sure things are ok, (there is 10 min distance by car from my house and theirs) mom said ...That she noticed some tanks on the border moving towards the military bases/crossing near us. They were far away but one could tell that something might happen. I hung up with her...Not taking this piece of info so seriously. I go to finish my day..With some work on my embroidery..And I turned on the little radio that is packed of local radio stations that can tell you the little details about what is going on in Gaza...When they happen.
The radio station started with this very known piece of music that comes before a "breaking news". The news was confirmed...Tens of tanks are moving along the east of Gaza..From the very north of the middle of the Strip. More movement was taking place close to our home there. I called mom, and I heard her voice so different than it was like 15 in earlier..And I heard the bullets coming from the Apache plane. Emergency status was declared....At least in my house. Me, the radio, and my embroidery that I kept on making the same mistakes while working on it again and again! The piece of cloth could not take more mistakes, as a man living near the border was screaming on the radio...With his big family that has at least 20 children. Thro four families live in the same building. Israeli tanks didn't even act as if there is people. They managed to hide and run away from the bulldozer destroying some parts of the house. And mom slept in the corridor...And then moved to her bed as the light came up.
I went to sleep and woke up at 5am...called her. They were fine. I went on with my regular day schedule.

The issue is not safety, really. It is many other things somehow related to this threat to your being. It is the exhaustion resulted from anxiety and fear that you experience each time you go to bed and you fear a bomb under it. This is simply what it is. It is the fear, anxiety, but mainly humiliation. Humiliation is what kills you,,,without realizing, because you face events one by one and you get excited sometimes, and you laugh you cry you care you don't..All those. Facing these noises and facing these scenes cause great feeling of disability of any humane element in you.

Rafah maybe today...?

For the 60 time maybe to hear the rumor. Rafah will reopen tomorrow. Now, it should be working, no one knows till when would it be able to operate. Palestinians yesterday attacked the crossing after threatening to bomb it if all parties don't agree to reopen it.
From Israel...The Europeans have to take the instructions.
From Egypt, the art of laziness and carelessness, and sometime evil towards Palestinians.
from Palestine..A mixture of corruption and carelessness...

My friend who managed to leave during the few hour reopening last week..Had to jump from the top of a bus to catch his suitcases. He ended up in the Egyptian airport prison because it is the law! If you are Palestinian and don't have anything to do in Egypt and you are a man between the age of 18-40 you simply should not be there. This was emphasized recently towards youth. This friend is on his way to Germany to do his Masters. And his Visa starts only on the 28th and his flight from Cairo is on the 29th. He remained in prison of the Egyptian airport for four days until he found out that his legs are almost broken from that move from the bus on the crossing.
He was taken to a hospital, that Egyptians have made for Palestinians to make them stay and not be able to "run away": and also have a shelter.
This friend spent exactly 24 hours at the crossing...Between the different phases procedures.
However, here you can only blame Palestinians for be the cause of this problem because of mess on the Palestinian side,,,thousands of people want to get out....How can you make it work? But you would also say..If those people were not deprived from their simple right to go to their families and buisnesses for about 2 months...They wont need to create a mess or cause problems.
Just imagine the trap...You go to Gaza...Be aware you may never come back..Or it may take a long while., you plan to visit a place outside of Gaza...You should be prepared to spend more than double the money you had on hotels or any kind of place you could stay at...For another journey of going back home.

Today, I expect my mother to be able to get in. I don't want to believe it till I hear her voice from the Palestinians side of the crossing.
Thousands want that day ..to pass smoothly. thousands are praying to get their kids out to schools, go back to their families on either side, save what remained from their buisnesses.

What should I do..?

It has been a while since I wrote here on the blog. The more i see people and interact with my surrounding the more I feel that I can't do anything.
Daily life....The little things...

• Gaza is very hot in the Summer...Very few people dared to swim after the terror that Palestinian family faced on the beach about 2 months ago...The beach is almost empty even on Fridays.(weekend)
• Gaza is very hot in the summer, Very few people have air-conditioning in their houses..If they do...The electricity is very limited..
• Gaza is very hot in the summer, very few people get regular supply of water...Because of problems originally existed from Israeli settlments and Palestinian mismanagement. Now a third reason is electricity ,,if the area gets its turn for water supply that means the municipality got electricity power...The area or the houses don't have electricity..So the water can not be pumped to the houses. It is either this or that, but in reality you don't get either one.
• Gazan employee cant get air-conditioning in the office, or even start up a computer because of bad network or limited supply through generators...
• Thousands have finally hoped to leave Gaza through Egypt to go to their schools, work, and families abroad. Yesterday it was the rumor that the Israel's have agreed with the European observers to reopen the Rafah crossing. Friends have left their houses in the middle of last night to reserve a place or a seat on the bus that transfer people from the Palestinian side to the Semi-Palestinian Semi-European (All checked through Israelis in the back of windows you stand in front of) and then Egyptian side....This trip, by the way, is beyond anyone's imagination..You cant but experience it to really know what it is like. And it gets harder every few months. Because my mom is still stuck for more than 45 days in Egypt, leaving from a house to the other a hotel to the other....I am following the news of the crossing more carefully. Have you ever thought of not being able to leave a geographical area not because you don't have money or your health doesn't allow you to travel...But because of ...Other reasons...Or other guilt.
• I started working for a local NGO (non-governmental organization), and I have started working on some project proposals that tries to get emergency assistance to those who have seriously harmed by the recent Israeli incursions. I met one person from Rafah...(very south of Gaza Strip), he is from a village called (Al-shokeh) whcih is at the very east and south of Gaza strip on the border. The guy seemed to be very decent and respectful...And he came to me saying ...I am not asking for money or food for my area...But I am only asking for media attention. He said..."Not many people in Rafah know what is happening with us" about 20 houses were demolished the past few weeks, and 17 killed, we have one school, Israelis have been shooting at the school that has become a shelter for those who lost their houses."
• Since I started to work with this ngo, I have suffered from the electricity problem so much. The office doesn't have a proper generator and buying a new one will cost lots of money that this little ngo cant afford. Especially with the high price of fuel. There is some sort of schedule to the electricity, for example, if there is electricity supply at 9 am that means it will stay for another 6 or 7 hours..If there is not, that means it will come at around 5pm. Most of the days, we go to work after 5pm and stay till midnight, in addition to few hours in the morning for meetings and phone calls. What kind of productivity do you expect..?
• about half of the Gazan population haven't gotten salaries for the sixth month now..Only two days ago..There was an exceptional act by the government that could provide a certain amount of money because it is schools time. Schools will start in 10 days ..Or so.