http://www.imemc.org/article/46540
Rice: “Aim of peace talks must be a two-state solution”
Saturday January 13, 2007 22:47 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies saed at imemc dot org

U.S Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said during a Saturday meeting with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, that the aim of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians should be establishing a Palestinian state living next to Israel.

Rice arrived in Israel on Saturday afternoon and met with the Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Avigdor Lieberman, the minister of the so-called “Strategic Threats”.

Livni is expected to travel to Ramallah on Sunday for a meeting with the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. In a press conference before her meeting with Rice, Livni stated that the “goal of any peace process is a two state solution, Rice agreed and said that the most Palestinians want to live in peace and security.

Israeli officials said Livni and Rice had discussed the possibility of creating a Palestinian state with temporary borders following the line of a barrier Israel is building in and around the West Bank, Israeli online daily Haaretz reported.

Haaretz added that a senior Israeli official said Rice wanted to discuss some of the most sensitive issues, including the future of Jerusalem, with both sides "in order to see if there's space for progress on a Palestinian state in the next two years".

Moreover, Rice stated that she wants to discuss the issue of Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the stated Road Map Plan, Recently, the Bush administration has asked the Congress to authorize $86 million in military aid to boost security forces loyal to Abbas, Haaretz added.

Responding to a question whether transferring aid to Abbas would increase tension between Fateh and Hamas, Rice said that Hamas, which the United States and the European Union list as a terrorist organization, is also armed.Haaretz also reported that Rice will be visiting Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Germany and Britain.

http://www.imemc.org/article/46538
Olmert investigation is latest scandal convincing Israeli public of governmental corruption
Saturday January 13, 2007 16:17 by Polly Bangoriad - IMEMC & Agencies ghassanb at imemc dot org

The formal investigation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is the latest development in a series of scandals that are successfully convincing Israelis of their leadership's corruption.

Olmert, and other Israeli politicians are to be formally investigated after evidence of bribery, fraud and breach of trust is gathered by members of the Israeli police from the economic crimes unit.

The Israeli Prime Minister insists he is innocent in the affair, but if the evidence is substantiated he could face charges for the aforementioned crimes. It has also emerged that the Prime Minister's personal secretary is under house arrest as part of a corruption probe, and that the tax authority has experienced an extensive investigation into officials accepting bribes in return for tax breaks.

The inquiry into Olmert focuses on the privatisation of Bank Leumi, Israel's second largest bank. The allegations against him state that when he was the acting Finance Minister, he intervened in the wording of a tender to benefit close business associates. Moreover, the current Finance Minister, Avraham Hirshson, is currently under police investigation on suspicion of theft, fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.

In light of these events, Michael Eitan, a Likud member of the Knesset, has said that "there is no hiding from corruption in Israel." Regarding Olmert's popularity,only 14 percent of those polled said they were satisfied with him.

David Landau, of Haaretz daily has said that "We've come up against a situation where people, even people of good will, don’t know where is right and where is wrong" This confusion is understandable considering the fact that Moshe Katsav, Israel's president, is facing allegations of rape and sexual assault, eavesdropping, fraud, breach of trust and improprieties in gift distribution.

In a recent Israeli poll, 85 per cent of the Israeli public believes their political leadership to be corrupt.

http://www.imemc.org/article/46531
Bilen Weekly Demonstration, army injures at lest 11 protesters, including a journalist
Friday January 12, 2007 23:37 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC & Research Journalism Initiative ghassanb at imemc dot org

Approximately 150 Palestinian, Israeli and international demonstrators, accompanied by several journalists, participated in a demonstration at midday on Friday against the illegal Israeli Annexation Wall in Bilin village near the northern West Bank city of Ramallah.

Approximately 150 Palestinian, Israeli and international demonstrators, accompanied by several journalists, participated in a demonstration at midday on Friday against the illegal Israeli Annexation Wall in Bilin village near the northern West Bank city of Ramallah.

The procession approached an access point in the Wall and demanded the gate be opened. Residents held pictures of photojournalist Fadi Aruri, 24, of Ramallah, who was shot several times during an invasion of the city last Thursday. Aruri remains in a critical condition in an Israeli hospital.

Demonstrators took refuge on the adjacent hill as youth began throwing stones towards the soldiers. Israeli forces fired tear gas, percussion grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at the youth, before opening the gate to allow access for two Israeli Border Police units.

Residents and activists lay in the road and were initially successful in preventing the passage of the two jeeps. They were joined by resident Muhammad Alli Abu Sadi, 70, after he had been struck repeatedly by soldiers. Abu Sadi suffered exhaustion and collapsed shortly thereafter. After a scuffle in which soldiers attempted to prevent treatment, he was attended to and revived by Bilin medical relief volunteers.

The remaining protesters were beaten and dragged across stones as they were removed from the scene. Two Israeli Border Police units then pursued Palestinian youths several hundred meters into a residential area of the village, firing tear gas, percussion grenades and rubber-coated metal bullets. Three Border Police Officers attempted to arrest Sam Neil, 23, an American activist who retreated as the military approached. Neil surrendered after soldiers fired several rounds of rubber-coated ammunition at him, though he was not injured. He was forced to his knees and soldiers began binding his wrists when an Israeli videographer interceded. Neil was released shortly thereafter.

Border Police units retreated toward the access gate in two jeeps, firing tear gas and rubber-coated bullets from rooftop hatches on top of the vehicles. Bilin, has lost almost sixty percent of its land to the construction of the Wall and expansion of Modin Illit settlement. Residents here have held similar protests every Friday for nearly two years.

Abdullah Abu Rahma , from the local committee against the Wall and settlements in Bilin said: \\\\\\\"As usual soldiers were positioned on rooftops of the residents homes overlooking the village, another large Israeli army force was positioned at the gate of the wall, the army was very violent, soldiers attacked demonstrators, and as always journalists were targeted\\\\\\\".

Emilio, a journalist who works for AP was wounded and moved to the hospital. Among those also injured were: Adib Abu Rahma , 35, who was beaten with batons; Sameer Suliman Yassin , 30, who recieved baton injuries to the hand; Whail Famil Nasser, 29, who received baton injuries to the head and Khaled Shoukat Al Khatib ,20, whose back was injured by a gas explosion. Ashraf Muhammad Jamal Khatib , 27, was wounded by a rubber coated bullet in the leg, as was Zuhdia Ali Al Khatib ,40,and Motassem Ibrahim Abu Rahma , 20.

Jonothan Pollack an Israeli, 25, was injured by a rubber coated bullet in the stomach and Sarah, an international volunteer ,25, sustained shoulder injuries from an explosive gas bomb.

For more information, please contact Abdullah Rahman, international volunteer coordinator for the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Bilin at: (972) 054 725 8210.

http://www.imemc.org/article/46529
According to Human Rights Watch; Israel Excessively Restricts Movement of Palestinians
Friday January 12, 2007 23:03 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC&Agencies rami at imemc dot org

The Washington-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated that Israel has and continues to restrict the movement of Palestinians.

Human Rights Watch

In its annual report, the HRW explained that Israel has imposed ‘excessive’ restrictions on movement, particularly in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during 2006. The report maintained that in August 2006 Israel increased the number of roadblocks to 540, compared with 376 in 2005. HRW also pointed out that the Israeli government has withheld customs money due to the Palestinian Authority. However, only after the installation of the democratically elected Hamas-led government in January 2006.

In another human rights abuse, the report referred to the Israeli army's insufficient probes into the killings of civilians, with reference to the June 2006 Israeli army massive attacks on the Gaza Strip for the alleged release of corporal Gil'ad Shalit, who has been held by resistance groups in Gaza. Half of 449 Palestinians, killed by the Israeli army in Gaza, have not been involved in fighting, the report confirmed.

With respect to the Israeli separation barrier (Apartheid Wall), the HRW revealed that 85% of such a wall, which is delving deep into Palestinian-owned lands in the West Bank, has crossed the Israel-West Bank border line, known as the ‘Green Line.' The organization also warned that such a wall will likely be marked as permanent borders of Israel, which means 10% of the West Bank territories would be annexed to Israel.

Since June 2006, the Israeli army has been waging massive military actions on the Gaza Strip under the pretext of releasing Gil’ad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held by Palestinian resistance groups after a resistance attack on a military base. These military actions have caused destruction of many main infrastructures like ministerial buildings, bridges and the Gaza main power plant.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/463A879F-AF7F-4E2A-94E9-E36F4D5C1962.htm
Olmert to be investigated

Support for Olmert has fallen after last summer's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon [EPA]

Israeli police have evidence which could see Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, and other Israeli politicians charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Olmert's approval ratings have slipped to 14 per cent and a poll published on Friday said the opposition Likud Party could easily win control of the government in a new vote.

Israeli police from the economic crimes unit have collected enough evidence against Olmert to launch a formal investigation.

The inquiry centres around the privatisation of a prize state asset, Bank Leumi, Israel's second largest bank.

Allegations
Allegations state that when acting finance minister, Olmert intervened in the wording of the tender to benefit close business associates.

The Israeli prime minister insists he is certain of his innocence in the affair. But if the evidence is substantiated he could face charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

"We've come up against a situation where people, even people of good will, don’t know where is right and where is wrong"

David Landau, Haaretz daily

Michael Eitan, a Likud member of the Knesset, said that there is no hiding from corruption in Israel.

"In Israel there are vigilant investigators, rule of law and public opinion that applaud investigations there is no immunity, anyone can see himself tomorrow or the next day interrogated by the police."

The allegations against the Olmert are the latest in a series of scandals that have convinced ordinary Israelis there is something rotten in the body politic.

Avraham Hirshson, Israel's finance minister, is under police investigation on suspicion of theft, fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.

The prime minister's personal secretary is under house arrest as part of a corruption probe.

The director of Israel's tax authority has suffered a similar fate after an extensive police investigation into officials accepting bribes in return for tax breaks.

Moshe Katsav, Israel's president, is facing allegations of rape and sexual assault, eavesdropping, fraud, breach of trust and improprieties in gift distribution.

Public opinion
In a recent Israeli poll, 85 per cent of the Israeli public believes their political leadership to be corrupt.

A leading newspaper described Israel as "mafia-like".

David Landau, editor-in-chief of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, said: "We're basically still young country, a young democracy, and we've come up against a situation where people, even people of good will, don't know where is right and where is wrong.

"We're working it out, and it's an ugly, painful and bloody process, an there’s blood on many carpets."

Olmert's ruling Kadima party has plummeted in popularity, while according to a poll in Haaretz, the Likud party could easily win control of the government in a new vote.

Kadima was formed by former prime minister Ariel Sharon when he left Likud in 2005. Olmert took over after the popular Sharon was incapacitated by a stroke last year.

Support for Olmert has fallen after he was widely seen to have mishandled last summer's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Only 14 percent of those polled said they were satisfied with Olmert.