Posted on March 25th, 2008 by Marian Houk
UNSG BAN Ki-Moon said to the UN Security Council monthly debate on the Middle East, today, that “This (peace) process is too important to be allowed to lose momentum through inaction or indifference, or to be overwhelmed by violence”, according to a report by the Agence France Presse. He added: “I believe all of us [...]
No Comments »
Filed under: Israel, Middle East Peace Process, Palestine & Palestinians, UN Security Council
Posted on March 25th, 2008 by Marian Houk
The Quartet’s special envoy Tony Blair told a European Parliament panel on Tuesday that “the present strategy in Gaza is not working”. The AP reported from Brussels that “Blair says the international community must rethink its strategy toward the Gaza area ruled by the anti-Israel Hamas organization. Blair says action must be taken to get [...]
No Comments »
Filed under: Gaza, Israel, Palestine & Palestinians, Quartet, Sanctions
Posted on March 24th, 2008 by Marian Houk
Dion Nissenbaum, McClatchy newspaper group’s bureau chief in Jerusalem has explained it in a post today on his Blog: Checkpoint Jerusalem. In Dion’s account, he explains that he complied with an order to drop his pants for a security check before the Saturday night press conference in Jerusalem of Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and [...]
2 Comments »
Filed under: Israel, Journalism and Journalists, Middle East Peace Process
Posted on March 24th, 2008 by Marian Houk
“What’s rare is that the spikes are hitting all major foods in most countries at once”., the AP has reported today. The story says that “In the long term, prices are expected to stabilize. Farmers will grow more grain for both fuel and food and eventually bring prices down. Already this is happening with wheat, [...]
No Comments »
Filed under: Global Economy, Human Rights, Millennium Goals
Posted on March 24th, 2008 by Marian Houk
Israel’s YNet news reported today that “A new system deployed by the IDF in the Gaza-region enables soldiers stationed in the operations room to fire at Palestinian terrorists near the Gaza fence, Ynet has learned. The systems, which are equipped with a camera and a machine gun, enable soldiers to watch any activity that takes [...]
No Comments »
Filed under: Gaza, Israel, Middle East Peace Process, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on March 23rd, 2008 by Marian Houk
According to Israel’s YNet, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said in remarks to the press after his brief meeting with the Palestinian President (Mahmoud Abbas) in the Muqata’a compound in Ramallah: “No one deserves to go through life in a climate of fear of deprivation … That should not be and must not be the [...]
No Comments »
Filed under: Israel, Middle East Peace Process, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on March 22nd, 2008 by Marian Houk
Today, I drove from Qalandia — the major crossing between Jerusalem and Ramallah — past Beit El and beyond, on a remarkably good road (not West Bank standards at all), heading up in a northerly direction to Tappuah junction, and past a string of four or five settlements. These places give the words “gated communities” [...]
No Comments »
Filed under: Israel, Middle East Peace Process, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on March 21st, 2008 by Marian Houk
Journalists from the Jerusalem Post actually expected Republican presidential candidate, Senator John McCain to know exactly where and in what areas East Jerusalem and the West Bank overlap (in the Palestinian view, which is shared by many UN member states). At least McCain was honest enough to admit he did not know: “On some matters [...]
No Comments »
Filed under: Israel, Journalism and Journalists, Middle East Peace Process, Palestine & Palestinians, Quartet
Posted on March 20th, 2008 by Marian Houk
An intriguing story in Haaretz today reports that Israeli and Egyptian representatives have “agreed in principle Wednesday to a deal that would have Egypt replace Israel as the Gaza Strip’s sole electricity provider”. The story also states that “Israeli security sources said the infrastructure minister and the Defense Ministry have been in talks with Egypt [...]
No Comments »
Filed under: Egypt, Gaza, Israel, Journalism and Journalists, Middle East Peace Process, Palestine & Palestinians
Posted on March 19th, 2008 by Marian Houk
“Signing agreements doesn’t make peace … The only lasting agreements are the fair ones”, veteran Palestinian peace negotiator Sa’eb Erekat said at a press conference in East Jerusalem today. He said he was under oath not to speak about or disclose the details of the current negotiations. “What I said is that what needs to [...]
2 Comments »
Filed under: Gaza, Israel, Middle East Peace Process, Palestine & Palestinians
