http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/667E8080-F72A-4B4D-933B-EC7BEC1F2C68.htm
Haniya barred from entering Gaza

The Rafah border crossing is the only way in or out of the Gaza Strip which does not pass through Israel

Israel has closed the Rafah border crossing with Egypt preventing the Palestinian prime minister returning to the Gaza Strip.

Hamas supporters entered the terminal after hearing of the closure, sparking a gunbattle with the guards.

Israeli security sources said Amir Peretz, the defence minister, had ordered the closure.

Another Israeli source told Reuters news agency that Ismael Haniya was suspected of trying to bring in millions of dollars donated by Iran.

He had been on a two-week tour of the Middle East to raise money for the Hamas government.

The European Border Assistance Mission, which monitors the crossing point, said it was unclear when it would reopen.

"It is closed. The operation has stopped for a while until the situation with Haniya is clarified," a spokeswoman said.

Hundreds of Hamas supporters waving the group's green flags had gathered at the Rafah terminal to welcome Haniya's return.

"This is a political message to the Hamas government and the Palestinian administration as a whole."

Nour Odeh,
Al Jazeera's
Gaza correspondent
The crossing is the only way in or out of the Gaza Strip that does not involve travelling through Israel.

Nour Odeh, Al Jazeera's Gaza correspondent said: "This is a political message to the Hamas government and the Palestinian administration as a whole."

"This will reinforce the Palestinian conviction that Israel remains an occupying power in the Gaza Strip," she added.

Haniya received assurances of up to $350m in aid for next year during his regional trip, which included visits to Qatar, Iran and Sudan.

Egyptian security sources said that Haniya was carrying $35m.

The Hamas-led government has needed to secure funds this way because of an economic blockade by Western nations and the refusal of the Israeli government to hand over revenue it collects on the Palestinians' behalf.

Haniya had "moved up his return because of the situation in the Palestinian territories", Ahmad Yussef, a senior Hamas official told AFP news agency.

Hamas and Fatah have blamed each other for a series of killings in the Palestinian Territories, the most prominent of which was the shooting of the three young sons of a senior Fatah loyalist on Monday.

That attack was followed by the murder of a prominent Hamas member on his way to work in the southern town of Khan Yunis on Wednesday.

http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=18099
Israel preventing Haniyeh enter Gaza Strip through Rafah crossing
Date: 14 / 12 / 2006 Time: 17:20

Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli sources have told Ma'an on Thursday that Israeli defense minister Amir Peretz has given orders to prevent the entrance of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and his attendants into the Gaza Strip on Thursday.

It is reported that the Israeli authorities wishes to ensure he is not trying to "smuggle" money or other goods into the Gaza Strip.

Peretz' office said that Israel is suspicious of Haniyeh's luggage following his visit to Syria, Iran, Sudan and other countries.

Informed Israeli sources claimed that Haniyeh is attempting to bring a quarter of a million US dollars into the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian prime minister had been stuck in the Al-Arish area in the Sinai peninsular in Egypt for more than 4 hours at the time of writing.

It is also reported that fighting has broken out in the area of Rafah crossing between Hamas fighters and Fatah loyalist presidential guards.

http://www.imemc.org/content/view/23212/1/
MK's react on High Court order justifying assassinations
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies - Thursday, 14 December 2006, 15:34

After the Thursday ruling of the Israeli High Court of Justice justifying the Israeli targeted-killing policy, several Arab members of Knesset slammed the ruling and said that is authorizes War Crimes.

The court ruling stated that the assassinations do not categorically violate international law, but must be considered on individual basis.

Arab MK Jamal Zahalka, from the National Democratic Assembly said that the court authorized extrajudicial executions and war crimes.

He added that the issue must be taken to International Courts because it is not an internal Israeli issue and should be dealt with in an international framework.

MK Ahmad Tibi, from the Ra'am-Ta'a party, said that this ruling is a “continuation of the High Court's security-oriented stance, which since 1967 has authorized expropriation, expulsion, uprooting, and assassinations", Israeli online daily Haaretz reported.

Also, Hadash MK Mohammad Barakeh said that this ruling “gives legitimacy to the occupation, murder, crimes and assassinations”.

Meanwhile, Meretz member of Knesset Zahava Gal-On, said that the court should have forbid the assassinations because they are extrajudicial executions, and added that the positive side of the ruling is that it placed limitations and reservations on the policy.

Likud MK Yuval Steinitz welcomed the decision, saying that Israel is obliged to defend its citizens and called for limiting the High Court Authority to intervene on matters of war and peace, immigrations and terror, Israeli online daily Haaretz reported.

Effi Eitan, member of the National-Union Religious party, said that Israel must continue the targeted killings since it is an effective operations tools.

http://www.imemc.org/content/view/23205/1/
Israeli High court Okays targeted killings
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies - Thursday, 14 December 2006, 14:39

The Israeli High Court of Justice ruled Thursday that the targeted killings (assassinations) of Palestinian fighters do not violate the international law, and the “legality” of each targeted killing must be evaluated on individual basis, Israeli online daily Haaretz reported.

The court panel, headed by three justices ruled that the state cannot specify in advance that every assassination is not allowed according to the International Law.

The court was headed by Justice Aharon Barak, the former head of the Israeli Supreme Court, it will be his final ruling and could be considered as a precedent in international and war crime law, Haaretz added.

Haaretz also said that Thursday's ruling was issued by Barak along with current Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch and Justice Eliezer Rivlin.

According to the court ruling, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has the characteristics of an international armed conflict, and is subjected to the international law.

Barak said in the ruling that Israeli High court Okays targeted killings
Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies - Thursday, 14 December 2006, 14:39

The Israeli High Court of Justice ruled Thursday that the targeted killings (assassinations) of Palestinian fighters do not violate the international law, and the “legality” of each targeted killing must be evaluated on individual basis, Israeli online daily Haaretz reported.

The court panel, headed by three justices ruled that the state cannot specify in advance that every assassination is not allowed according to the International Law.

The court was headed by Justice Aharon Barak, the former head of the Israeli Supreme Court, it will be his final ruling and could be considered as a precedent in international and war crime law, Haaretz added.

Haaretz also said that Thursday's ruling was issued by Barak along with current Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch and Justice Eliezer Rivlin.

According to the court ruling, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has the characteristics of an international armed conflict, and is subjected to the international law.

Barak said in the ruling that Israel must “balance the security needs and human rights since not every efficient means is legal.

Also, the court ruling did not identify the Palestinian fighters are combatants, therefore they were classified as civilians, but noted that the civilians involved in attacks against Israel cannot be provided with the “protection granted to innocent civilians” in accordance with the International Law.

The ruling also stated that “a civilian engaging in an armed conflict is subjected to the risks of attack like those who carry the attacks, and cannot “enjoy the rights granted to prisoners of war”.

Moreover, the court ruled that targeted killings are justified because “they are carried against civilians who are involved in hostile activities”.

The High Court classified four categories for the justification of assassination, as reported by Haaretz;

The first base is providing a well based, strong and convincing information on the activities of individuals or groups

Second, any targeted civilians who is taking part of attacks, should not be assassinated if other less harmful means were found.

Third, the court said that there should be an independent and thorough investigation after each assassination in order to determine “the circumstances of the assassination and the precision in identifying the target”.

Fourth, all efforts must be taken in an attempt to minimize the harm to innocent civilians during the assassination. Civilians deaths during military attacks were be regarded as “collateral damage” and must be proportional, Haaretz added.
Also, the ruling states that assassinations will be carried out against operatives engaging in attacks against Israel, but should not be carried out against “former fighters who distanced themselves from any military activities.

In January 2002, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, and the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and Environment, filed a petition against targeted killings. The petition was put on hold in February 2005 following a joint cease-fire declaration by the former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. But in November 2005, the army resumed the assassination policies .

Last month, Yesh Gvul filed a petition against the high court justices for their failure to rule on a petition filed five years earlier.
The petitioners were represented by attorneys Avigdor Feldman and Michael Sfard.

Haaretz interviewed Feldman who said that since the beginning, the case was slowly handles, several delays with a great deal of time between the sessions, and was going from one preliminary hearing to another “which shows that the court was unwilling to decide on this matter.
.

Also, the court ruling did not identify the Palestinian fighters are combatants, therefore they were classified as civilians, but noted that the civilians involved in attacks against Israel cannot be provided with the “protection granted to innocent civilians” in accordance with the International Law.

The ruling also stated that “a civilian engaging in an armed conflict is subjected to the risks of attack like those who carry the attacks, and cannot “enjoy the rights granted to prisoners of war”.

Moreover, the court ruled that targeted killings are justified because “they are carried against civilians who are involved in hostile activities”.

The High Court classified four categories for the justification of assassination, as reported by Haaretz;

The first base is providing a well based, strong and convincing information on the activities of individuals or groups

Second, any targeted civilians who is taking part of attacks, should not be assassinated if other less harmful means were found.

Third, the court said that there should be an independent and thorough investigation after each assassination in order to determine “the circumstances of the assassination and the precision in identifying the target”.

Fourth, all efforts must be taken in an attempt to minimize the harm to innocent civilians during the assassination. Civilians deaths during military attacks were be regarded as “collateral damage” and must be proportional, Haaretz added.
Also, the ruling states that assassinations will be carried out against operatives engaging in attacks against Israel, but should not be carried out against “former fighters who distanced themselves from any military activities.

In January 2002, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, and the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and Environment, filed a petition against targeted killings. The petition was put on hold in February 2005 following a joint cease-fire declaration by the former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. But in November 2005, the army resumed the assassination policies .

Last month, Yesh Gvul filed a petition against the high court justices for their failure to rule on a petition filed five years earlier.
The petitioners were represented by attorneys Avigdor Feldman and Michael Sfard.

Haaretz interviewed Feldman who said that since the beginning, the case was slowly handles, several delays with a great deal of time between the sessions, and was going from one preliminary hearing to another “which shows that the court was unwilling to decide on this matter.

http://web.israelinsider.com/views/3998.htm
Ringworm and Radiation
By Barry Chamish August 19, 2004

On August 14, at 9 PM, Israel's Channel Ten television screened a documentary film which exposes the ugliest secret of Israel's Labor party founders: the deliberate mass radiation poisoning of nearly all Sephardi youths of a generation.

"The Ringworm Children" (translated in Hebrew as "100,000 Rays"), directed by David Belhassen and Asher Hemias, recently won the prize for "best documentary" at the Haifa International film festival, and in the past year has made the rounds of Jewish and Israeli film festivals around the world. But it had yet to come to Israeli television screens. The subject is the mass irradiation of hundreds of thousands of young Israeli immigrants from Middle Eastern countries -- Sephardim, as they are called today. The story goes like this:

In 1951, the director general of the Israeli Health Ministry, Dr. Chaim Sheba, flew to America and returned with seven x-ray machines, supplied to him by the American army.

They were to be used in a mass atomic experiment with an entire generation of Sephardi youths to be used as guinea pigs. Every Sephardi child was to be given 35,000 times the maximum dose of x-rays through his head. For doing so, the American government paid the Israeli government 300 million Israeli liras a year. The entire Health budget was 60 million liras. The money paid by the Americans is equivalent to billions of dollars today.

To fool the parents of the victims, the children were taken away on "school trips" and their parents were later told the x-rays were a treatment for the scourge of scalpal ringworm. 6,000 of the children died shortly after their doses were given, while many of the rest developed cancers that killed thousands over time and are still killing them now. While living, the victims suffered from disorders such as epilepsy, amnesia, Alzheimer's disease, chronic headaches and psychosis.

That is the subject of the documentary in cold terms. It is another matter to see the victims on the screen.

To watch the Moroccan lady describe what getting 35,000 times the dose of allowable x-rays in her head feels like. "I screamed make the headache go away. Make the headache go away. Make the headache go away. But it never went away."

To watch the bearded man walk hunched down the street. "I'm in my fifties and everyone thinks I'm in my seventies. I have to stoop when I walk so I won't fall over. They took my youth away with those x-rays."

To watch the old lady who administered the doses to thousands of children: "They brought them in lines. First their heads were shaved and smeared in burning gel. Then a ball was put between their legs and the children were ordered not to drop it, so they wouldn't move. The children weren't protected over the rest of their bodies. There were no lead vests for them. I was told I was doing good by helping to remove ringworm. If I knew what dangers the children were facing, I would never have cooperated. Never!"

Because the whole body was exposed to the rays, the genetic makeup of the children was often altered, affecting the next generation. We watch the woman with the distorted face explain, "All three of my children have the same cancers my family suffered. Are you going to tell me that's a coincidence?"

The majority of the victims were Moroccan because they were the most numerous of the Sephardi immigrants. The generation that was poisoned became the country's perpetual poor and criminal class. It didn't make sense. The Moroccans who fled to France became prosperous and highly educated. The common explanation was that France got the rich, thus smart ones. The real explanation is that every French Moroccan child didn't have his brain cells fried with gamma rays.

The film made it perfectly plain that this operation was no accident. The dangers of x-rays had been known for over forty years. We read the official guidelines for x-ray treatment in 1952. The maximum dose to be given a child in Israel was .5 rad. There was no mistake made. The children were deliberately poisoned.

David Deri makes the point that only Sephardi children received the x-rays: "I was in class and the men came to take us on a tour. They asked our names. The Ashkenazi children were told to return to their seats. The dark children were put on the bus."

The film presents a historian who first gives a potted history of the eugenics movement. In a later sound bite, he declares that the ringworm operation was a eugenics program aimed at weeding out the perceived weak strains of society. The Moroccan lady is back on the screen. "It was a Holocaust, a Sephardi Holocaust. And what I want to know is why no one stood up to stop it."

David Deri, on film and then as a panel member, relates the frustration he encountered when trying to find his childhood medical records. "All I wanted to know was what they did to me. I wanted to know who authorized it. I wanted to trace the chain of command. But the Health Ministry told me my records were missing." Boaz Lev, the Health Ministry's spokesman chimes in: "Almost all the records were burned in a fire."

We are told that a US law in the late '40s put a stop to the human radiation experiments conducted on prisoners, the mentally feeble and the like. The American atomic program needed a new source of human lab rats and the Israeli government supplied it. Here was the government cabinet at the time of the ringworm atrocities:

Prime Minister - David Ben Gurion; Finance Minister - Eliezer Kaplan; Settlement Minister - Levi Eshkol; Foreign Minister - Moshe Sharrett; Health Minister - Yosef Burg;
Labor Minister - Golda Meir; Police Minister - Amos Ben Gurion.

The highest ranking non-cabinet post belonged to the Director General of the Defence Ministry, Shimon Peres.

That a program involving the equivalent of billions of dollars of American government funds should be unknown to the Prime Minister of cash-strapped Israel is ridiculous. Ben Gurion had to have been in on the horrors and undoubtedly chose his son to be Police Minister in case anyone interfered with them.

Finance Minister Eliezer Kaplan was rewarded for eternity with a hospital named after him near Rehovot. But he's not alone in this honor. Chaim Sheba, who ran Ringworm Incorporated, had a whole medical complex named after him. Needless to say, if there is an ounce of decency in the local medical profession, those hospital names will have to change.

After the film ended, there was a panel discussion which included a Moroccan singer, David Edri, head of the Compensation Committee for Ringworm X-Ray Victims, and Boaz Lev, a spokesman for the Ministry Of Health.

TV host Dan Margalit tried to put a better face on what he'd witnessed. He explained meekly that "the state was poor. It was a matter of day to day survival." Then he stopped. He knew there was no excusing the atrocities which the Sephardi children endured.

But it was the Moroccan singer who summed up the experience best. "It's going to hurt, but the truth has to be told. If not, the wounds will never heal."

There is one person alive who knows the truth: Shimon Peres. The only way to get to the truth and start the healing is to investigate him for his role in the mass poisoning of over 100,000 Sephardi children and youth.

But here is why that won't happen. The film was aired at the same time as the highest-rated TV show of the year, the finale of Israel's talent-hunt show: "A Star Is Born." The next day, the newly-born star's photo took up half the front pages. There was not a word about "The Ringworm Children" in any paper, nor on the Internet. Until now.