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NewsPapers
- -01-04-06 Sharon Crisis Casts Wide Shadow (BBC News)
"Presuming the worst regarding Ariel Sharon's health, we are looking at a vastly significant moment of change for Israel, the Palestinians and the wider Middle East."
"Like him or loathe him, the Israeli prime minister is a political colossus for Israelis. He has been at the centre of Israeli political life since the state's creation." 01-06
- -01-12-06 Israel's Epic Generation Passes Torch (USA Today)
" 'His generation was the heroic generation,' says David Witzthum, an Israeli television news anchor. 'He is the last mythological founding father.' "
Tom Segev, an Israeli historian and journalist for the daily Haaretz newspaper, "speculated that Olmert will have more difficulty dismantling Jewish settlements in the West Bank than Sharon, but is more likely to reach out to the Palestinians to avoid a flare-up in violence."
" 'In contrast to Sharon, he does recognize the Palestinians as a potential partner. His change is real,' he says. 'Without Sharon you suddenly realize that this shelf in the supermarket offers a decent selection of politicians. We are not orphans. There is life after Sharon.' " 01-06
- -01-12-06 Robertson Apologizes for Statement About Sharon (CBS News)
"Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson has sent a letter apologizing for suggesting that Ariel Sharon's massive stroke was divine punishment for pulling Israel out of the Gaza Strip."
"Robertson's comments drew widespread condemnation from other Christian leaders, President Bush and Israeli officials, who canceled plans to include the American evangelist in the construction of a Christian tourist center in northern Israel."
" 'My concern for the future safety of your nation led me to make remarks which I can now view in retrospect as inappropriate and insensitive in light of a national grief experienced because of your father's illness,' the letter said." 01-06
- -01-13-06 Sharon Fails to Come Out of Coma (USA Today)
"Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's failure to wake up from a coma nine days after suffering a massive stroke does not bode well for his recovery, some doctors said Friday." 01-06
- -01-14-06 Little Support for Sharon in Gaza (BBC News)
"Some in the Palestinian Authority argue that Mr Sharon had shown by withdrawing from Gaza that he was ready to uproot settlements and cede occupied territory, and that he appeared to be positioning himself to pull out of more of the West Bank."
"But many Palestinians would say that all that kind of thinking is naive."
"They would argue that Mr Sharon would never have given up enough of the West Bank to constitute a viable Palestinian state - that he was determined to keep large tracts of occupied land, including all of East Jerusalem."
"When one of Mr Sharon's leading advisers publicly described the disengagement plan as a means of putting the dreams of a Palestinian state in 'formaldehyde', most Palestinians took him at his word." 01-06
- -01-15-05 Sharon Undergoes Tracheotomy (MSNBC News)
"Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon underwent a successful tracheotomy Sunday to help wean him off a respirator that has been helping him breathe since he suffered a massive stroke 11 days ago, hospital officials said, but he remained in a coma." 01-06
- -02-05-06 Israelis to Transfer $54 Million to Palestinians (USA Today)
"Israel agreed to make a crucial payment of $54 million in tax and customs revenues to the Palestinians, but officials said future transfers will be halted once Hamas militants form the next Palestinian government." 02-06
- -02-16-06 Hamas Names New Prime Minister for the Palestinians (BBC News)
"The Palestinian militant group Hamas has chosen Ismail Haniya, one of its leaders in Gaza, to be the next prime minister, reports say." 02-06
- -02-19-06 Israel to Halt Payments to Palestine (CBS News)
"Israel branded the Palestinian government a "terrorist authority" Sunday and halted the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars in tax money after Hamas took control of the Palestinian parliament."
"The Cabinet decided to stop the transfer of the roughly $55 million a month it collects in taxes and tariffs on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. The order did not specify when the payments would stop, but government spokesman Asaf Shariv said the next payment, scheduled for early March, 'won't take place.' " 02-06
- -03-15-06 Palestinian President Denounces Israeli Raid on Palestinian Jail (USA Today)
"Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday toured the devastated Jericho prison where Israel spirited away six prisoners, denouncing the raid as an 'unforgivable crime.' " 03-06
- -03-18-06 Hamas Forms Government Without Moderates (MSNBC News)
"Hamas said Saturday it had completed the formation of its government without succeeding to bring in moderate parties, a step that looked likely to only increase the chances of international isolation." 3-06
- -04-05-06 Palestinian Government Broke (MSNBC News)
"The new Hamas-led government is broke and missed the April 1 monthly pay date for tens of thousands of Palestinian public workers, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Wednesday."
"Haniyeh offered no solutions to the cash crunch, pledging only to do his best to make up for tens of millions of dollars in aid being withheld by international donors and appealing to the Arab world to send more donations."
"Israel also froze the transfer of tens of millions of dollars in tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinians since shortly after Hamas’ January election victory." 04-06
- -04-09-06 Sharon Premanently "Incapacitated" (Fox News)
"Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma for three months, will be declared permanently incapacitated Tuesday, a decision that signals the official end of his tenure as Israel's leader, the Justice Ministry said Sunday." 04-06
- -06-08-06 Israelis Assassinate Palestinian Security Chief (ABC News)
"Abu Samhadana, a 43-year-old explosives expert, had been a key target for Israel, moving stealthily and switching cars and hideouts, despite his promotion to security chief by the Hamas-led government." 06-06
- -06-29-06 Israel Detains Palestinian Ministers (Guardian Unlimited)
"The Israeli army said that 64 Hamas officials, including eight ministers and 20 other parliamentarians, had been detained in the series of early-morning arrests.'' 06-06
- -07-14-06 Israelis Strike Hezbollah Headquarters in Beirut (Bloomberg.com)
"Israel extended air raids in Lebanon after Hezbollah fired rockets, hitting the Islamic group's stronghold in Beirut and a highway linking the city to the Syrian capital, Damascus." 07-06
- -07-19-06 Lebanese Prime Minister: Beirut "Torn to Shreds" (BBC News)
"The Lebanese prime minister has called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants, saying his country "has been torn to shreds".
"Fouad Siniora said more than 300 people had been killed and 500,000 others displaced in a week of Israeli attacks." 07-06
- -07-19-06 Random Violence Takes a Toll (MSNBC News)
"Twenty-five Israelis and more than 237 Lebanese people have died so far in the conflict. The violence has displaced an estimated 500,000." 07-06
- -07-20-06 Israel Invades, Warns Lebanese to Flee (MSNBC News)
"U.N. chief Kofi Annan warned of a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon and called for an immediate cease-fire, even as he admitted 'serious obstacles' stand in the way of even easing the violence. Annan denounced Israel for 'excessive use of force' and Hezbollah for holding 'an entire nation hostage' with its rocket attacks and snatching of two Israeli soldiers last week."
"As the death toll rose to 330 in Lebanon as well as at least 31 Israelis, Lebanese streamed north into the capital and other regions, crowding into schools, relatives’ homes or hotels." 07-06
- -09-16-06 Israelis Disillusioned by Political Scandals (MSNBC News)
"The president is being questioned on sexual harassment and wiretapping charges. The former justice minister is standing trial on accusations of sexual misconduct. The prime minister is being investigated for possible foul play in real estate deals."
"An unrelenting wave of corruption scandals — which many blame on an increasingly selfish political culture — has further disillusioned Israelis already furious with their leaders over the devastating war in Lebanon." 09-06
- -11-21-06 Advocacy Group: Israeli Map Shows Israeli Settlements on Private Palestinian Land (New York Times)
"An Israeli advocacy group, using maps and figures leaked from inside the government, says that 39 percent of the land held by Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank is privately owned by Palestinians."
"Israel has long asserted that it fully respects Palestinian private property in the West Bank and only takes land there legally or, for security reasons, temporarily." 11-06
- -Editorial: How America Can Help Reduce Violence in the Middle East (International Herald Tribune)
"Implementation of these five points would help America take the lead in ending the violence in the Middle East." 10-06
- 12-07-06 Iraq Report Criticizes Bush's Entire Middle East Strategy (ChicagoTribune.com)
"While intending to propose a rescue plan for the faltering U.S. military mission in Iraq, the Iraq Study Group on Wednesday delivered a broader rebuke of the Bush administration's policies there and throughout the Middle East." 12-06
- -08-27-06 Israel's Targeted Killings (MSNBC News)
"In Israel, targeted killing has become a select weapon. In Lebanon last month, Israel targeted a bunker that officials believed held Hezbollah's leadership, pounding it with 23 tons of explosives." 08-06
- Editorial: A Proposal for Peace (LloydKraus.com)
"All wars are caused over land. People fight over land. The solution for peace is a resolution over land. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all believe in the same Creator, the same Ten Commandments, the Old Testament Patriarchs and Prophets, similar beliefs in the Promised Land, . . ."
"The following Peace Agreement would resolve the formidable Issues of Land. The 'structure' of Jerusalem would remain the same. Israel would still be allowed to call Jerusalem their Capitol. No Person is asked to leave where they are living now – or for there to be a change in the 'Current User and Use' structure. Israeli’s living in Palestine would become Jewish-Palestinian Citizens – thus not going against the Promise to the Jewish People. Palestinian’s would have a Written 'Right of Return', although the Power of that Right would stay with Israel ( there could be a one-for-one transfer of people). Can the Jewish People living in Palestine accept the sovereignty and 'fairness' of their new State (The Rule of Law keeps Democratic Countries accepting their new 'Sovereignty' every Election)? There would be a full 8 Year period of De-Militarization to address and solidify real Israeli Peace and Security Concerns." 01-06
- Editorial: Jordan Valley, A Disaster in the Making (MidEastWeb.org)
"The situation vis-a-vis the Palestinians is so bad, that any solution that is proposed could probably be shown to be dangerous or unworkable and antagonize a large section of the voters. The Labor party favors a negotiated solution along the lines of the Geneva accord, clearly anathema to a large section of Israeli voters. Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, made it clear at the Herzliya conference that the Likud intends to keep the Jordan Valley settlements and to make the Jordan river the border of Israel in any settlement. Most Israeli voters might like that, but most Israeli voters, if they would reflect, could also understand that there is a problem with that idea: the rest of the world would not agree." 02-06
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