Israeli leaders reject immediate Gaza truce

JERUSALEM – Israeli officials say the country has decided to reject an immediate 48-hour pause in a devastating five-day offensive against Hamas in Gaza.

Israel's leaders are facing growing international pressure to halt the assault. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert discussed a cease-fire proposal floated by France's foreign minister with his foreign and defense ministers overnight.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting's contents were classified.

The officials say the meeting ended with a decision to continue operations. A top forum of Cabinet ministers entrusted with security matters will discuss the continuation of the offensive Wednesday.

Israeli jets and assault helicopters continued to pound targets Wednesday through pouring rain as the Gaza Strip entered its fifth day of battle.

By MATTI FRIEDMAN, Associated Press Writer

Pakistan: India moves troops toward shared border

By MUNIR AHMAD, Associated Press Writer Munir Ahmad, Associated Press Writer

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan said Tuesday that India had moved troops toward their shared border, following Islamabad's own redeployment of forces toward the frontier amid tensions over the Mumbai attacks.

Indian officials would not comment on the claim, but denied another allegation that they had activated forward air bases.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the claims in a televised address that included overtures toward India to help improve the frayed ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors, who have already fought three wars in the past six decades.

"I understand India has activated their forward air bases, and I think if they are deactivated, then it will be a big positive signal," Qureshi said. "Similarly, as far as their ground forces are concerned and which have been deputed and deployed, if they relocated to their peacetime positions, then it will also be a positive signal."

Qureshi further offered to send a high-level delegation to New Delhi to help investigate the November assault in Mumbai, which killed 164 people.

The foreign minister, who was among several Pakistani leaders who have been calling for calm in the region, reiterated that India had not turned over any evidence backing up its claims that Pakistani militants had staged the Mumbai assault.

However, he noted that Indian officials had said that was because their own investigation was not over.

"And the government of Pakistan wants to assure them that when the evidence will come to us, our thinking from day one was constructive and peaceful and we will do our best to reach the bottom of the matter," Qureshi said.

An Indian military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters, denied that key air bases had been activated. "We have not activated any of our forward air bases," he said.

There was no immediate comment by India's defense ministry on the statement that the South Asian giant had moved some troops to forward positions.

Intelligence officials said last week that Pakistan is shifting thousands of troops away from its militant-infested northwest regions bordering Afghanistan and toward India. Witnesses in towns along the Indian border have reported seeing more troops than usual, but there have been no signs of a massive buildup on the Pakistani side.

Defiant Hamas hits Israel with dozens of rockets

By IBRAHIM BARZAK and JASON KEYSER, Associated Press Writers

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Palestinian militants sent a deadly barrage of missiles flying deep into Israel on Monday, demonstrating that Hamas still had firepower three days into Israel's punishing air offensive in Gaza.

Four Israelis, including a soldier, were killed and eight wounded. Palestinian health officials put the three-day death toll in Gaza at 364; the U.N. said the total included at least 62 civilians.
In Monday's attacks, Israel focused its bombing on the houses of Hamas field operatives in a campaign meant to tear at the roots of the extremist group ruling Gaza. Israel's defense minister promised a "war to the bitter end against Hamas" and allied militants.

Early Tuesday, Israeli aircraft dropped at least 16 bombs on five Hamas government buildings in a Gaza City complex, destroying them, setting fires and sending rubble flying for hundreds of yards, witnesses said. Rescue workers said 40 people were injured.

Intensified rocket strikes by Gaza militants, which triggered the Israeli offensive, have revealed the expanding range of missiles that are making larger cities farther inside Israel vulnerable.
In a barrage Monday night, a missile crashed into a bus stop in Ashdod, 23 miles from the Gaza Strip. A woman died and two others were wounded, one seriously — the first casualties in the city of 190,000 residents.

The military said an Israeli soldier was killed later in a mortar strike, the first soldier to be killed in the conflict. Five others were wounded, one seriously, according to a military statement.
Earlier Monday, an Israeli was killed and one seriously wounded by a rocket strike in the Negev desert community of Nahal Oz, closer to the Gaza border. A rocket also killed an Israeli construction worker in the city of Ashkelon. In all, five Israelis have been killed since the Gaza offensive began Saturday, bringing to 19 the number killed in rocket attacks from Gaza this year.

Early Tuesday, Hamas released a statement saying its squads had fired 43 homemade rockets, 17 longer-range Grads and six mortar shells at Israel. Other militant groups also fired rockets at Israel.

The targets chosen by Israel on Monday pointed to an intention to chip away at Hamas' foundation. Israeli aircraft staged five separate strikes on the houses of field operatives, though there was no confirmation that any of them were killed.

A grainy video taken by an Israeli drone airplane showed several men loading a pickup truck with what the Israeli military said were medium-range Grad rockets. Moments later, a big explosion from an Israeli missile strike envelops the image.

One Israeli attack targeted a house in the Jebaliya refugee camp, killing seven people, but the Hamas activist was not there, Hamas security and relatives said. Another hit the Jebaliya home of Abdel-Karim Jaber, a Hamas political figure who is a senior administrator at Gaza's Islamic University. He was not at home and it wasn't immediately clear if anyone was hurt in the strike.
In another air assault, an Islamic Jihad commander was killed as he was walking near his house, said Abu Hamza, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad's military wing.

Israel's airstrikes on more than 325 sites since midday Saturday reduced dozens of buildings to rubble, overwhelmed hospitals with wounded and filled Gaza's deserted streets with smoke and fire. The military said Israeli naval vessels had also bombarded targets from the sea.

On Monday, aircraft pulverized a house next to the home of Hamas Premier Ismail Haniyeh, a security compound and a five-story building at a university closely linked to the Islamic group — all symbols of Hamas strength in the coastal territory it has ruled since June 2007.

Israel's offensive has rattled the Middle East and capitals around the world, triggering street protests and fiery speeches by adversaries of Israel like the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. In the day's biggest outpouring of anger, tens of thousands of Hezbollah's supporters stood in a pouring rain in a Beirut square to condemn Israel.

Stone-throwing clashes broke out in about a half-dozen spots in the Palestinians' West Bank territory as well as in several Arab-populated areas inside Israel. Israeli police and soldiers fired rubber bullets and tear gas at rioting youths, but it did not appear anyone was injured.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned Israel's offensive as excessive and demanded an immediate cease-fire. He said key international and regional players — including foreign ministers of the Arab League nations holding an emergency meeting Wednesday — must "act swiftly and decisively to bring an early end to this impasse."

The U.S. government said it was "vigorously engaged" in trying to restore a cease-fire.
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe defended the Israeli response, but added that the Bush administration was urging Israel to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza.

With Israeli troops and tanks massing on the Gaza border, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told parliament he wanted to strike a devastating blow against Hamas. However, later he indicated a ground assault was not inevitable, issuing a warning that he was giving Hamas a last chance to halt its rocket fire.

Speaking in Hebrew, Barak told the lawmakers: "We have a war to the bitter end against Hamas, and the home front, which has turned into a battlefront, will continue to be a source of strength for the Israeli military." Some news organizations translated the start of the quote as saying "an all-out war on Hamas."

Short of reoccupying Gaza, however, it was unlikely any amount of Israeli firepower could completely snuff out militant rocket attacks. Past operations all failed to do so.
The Cabinet's decision over the weekend to call up 6,500 reserve soldiers could be a pressure tactic. Military experts noted no full combat units had been mobilized and said Israel would need at least 10,000 soldiers for a full-scale invasion.

For the first time, Israel also hit one of a series of tunnels prepared by Hamas along the border with Israel for use in attacks on invading ground troops, several Israeli TV networks said. One tunnel was packed with explosives and several militants inside were killed, Channel 1 said.
Most of those killed in three days of airstrikes were Hamas members. A Hamas police spokesman, Ehab Ghussen, said 180 members of Hamas security forces were among the dead.
But the U.N. agency in charge of Palestinian refugees expressed concern about civilian casualties. A rise in civilian casualties could intensify international pressure on Israel to end the offensive.
In New York, U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes said his agency had not been able to determine a precise number of civilian casualties, but knew of at least 62 women and children killed. He said 1,400 people had been injured. Eight children under the age of 17 were killed in two separate Israeli airstrikes Sunday night, Palestinian medics said.

Holmes said he was very worried about a shortage of humanitarian supplies in Gaza.
"Because of the effective blockade that's been in place for many months now, and because of the increasing tightening of this blockade in recent weeks around Gaza, stocks of vital items are either very low or nonexistent, and that's particularly the case, for example, with wheat flour," he said.

Israel opened one of Gaza's border crossings Monday to allow several ambulances and 62 trucks carrying medical supplies and food to cross. "Obviously these supplies are better than nothing, but they remain wholly inadequate," Holmes said, saying that his agency needed 100 truckloads of flour every day to meet needs.

In Gaza, some families left their apartments next to institutions linked to Hamas, fearing they could be targeted. Suad Abu Wadi, 42, kept her six children close to her on mattresses in her Gaza City living room. Her husband sat with them, chain-smoking. Abu Wadi said he had not said a word since seeing their neighbor carrying the body of his child, killed in an airstrike Saturday.

Gaza's nine hospitals were overwhelmed. Dr. Moaiya Hassanain, who keeps a record for the Gaza Health Ministry, said 364 Palestinians had died and more than 1,400 wounded. Some of the injured were being taken to private clinics and even homes, he said.

Egyptian officials said ambulances were ferrying wounded Gazans to hospitals in Egypt from Gaza's Rafah border crossing. Tariq al-Mahlawi, Egypt's deputy health minister, said 32 patients had been brought in by nightfall and that 500 beds were ready to treat Palestinians.
Around mid-afternoon, ambulances ferried the wounded from Gaza toward the crossing in the border town of Rafah, where over a dozen Egyptian ambulances waited to take over the casualties.

Despite Israel's battering attacks, sirens warning of incoming rockets sent Israelis scrambling for cover throughout the day as more than 40 rockets and mortar rounds rained down.
Israeli security officials warned that the militants' rockets are powerful enough now to reach Beersheba, a major city 30 miles from Gaza.

Mazal Ivgi, a 62-year-old resident of Beersheba, said she had prepared a bomb shelter. "In the meantime we don't really believe it's going to happen, but when the first boom comes people will be worried," she said.

Hamas calls 'reservists' to foil attack

Hamas's armed wing, Izaddin Kassam, on Monday announced that it was recruiting an additional 1,000 militiamen ahead of a possible IDF ground operation in the Gaza Strip.

The group said that thousands of volunteers from the Gaza Strip had also asked to be recruited to the movement in the past 48 hours so that they could fight against IDF soldiers.

The announcement came as sources close to Hamas said that the movement's armed wing had hardly been affected by the IDF operation that began on Saturday.

The sources told The Jerusalem Post that many of the casualties in the first two days of the operation were "ordinary" policemen who had been recently recruited to various branches of the security forces.

"These policemen were being enlisted to direct the traffic and fight crime," the sources said. "These are not the militiamen who are responsible for the rocket attacks on Israel."
This explains why Hamas did not rush to evacuate the headquarters of the "civilian" police force in Gaza City before the IDF offensive.

On the contrary, the police chiefs decided to go ahead with plans to hold a graduation ceremony for the cadets on Saturday because they did not believe that they would be targeted by Israel.
According to the sources, these policemen were not members of Izaddin Kassam. As such, they were never asked to participate in armed attacks on Israel. Nor had they been asked to prepare for the possibility of having to fight against the IDF when and if it invades the Gaza Strip.
"Almost all the policemen who were killed in the past three days were responsible for imposing law and order in the Gaza Strip," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum. "Many of them were not even Hamas members."

Another Hamas operative said that Izaddin Kassam, which functions as the official Hamas "army," has over 15,000 men throughout the Gaza Strip who are better trained and equipped to fight against the IDF.

This is the same paramilitary force that defeated tens of thousands of US-backed Fatah policemen and security officers in the Gaza Strip in June 2007.

Ever since taking full control of the Gaza Strip, the Hamas militia have been busy training its men for the possibility of an IDF invasion or a revolt by Fatah loyalists.

The preparations included the construction of a vast network of underground tunnels and bunkers in various parts of the Gaza Strip, as well as the smuggling of tons of explosives and missiles across the border with Egypt.

A former Palestinian Authority security official estimated that Izaddin Kassam has over 20,000 rockets and mortars, as well as tens of thousands of tons of explosives.

The official said that according to reports emanating from the Gaza Strip, most of the group's commanders have survived the IDF offensive.

"Israel has managed to kill only a small number of Izaddin Kassam members," said a Palestinian journalist in Gaza City. "The Kassam doesn't have offices and public security bases. This is a clandestine organization entrusted with carrying out special missions."

The Hamas militiamen have now been entrusted with the task of repelling an IDF ground attack. Spokesmen for the group said on Monday that their men are determined to fight to the end.
"We have many surprises for Israel," said one of the spokesmen. "We are just waiting for the ground attack to teach them an unforgettable lesson."

HAMAS looking to change picture

Dec. 28, 2008

Herb Keinon ,

THE JERUSALEM POST

Israel delivered a heavy blow to Hamas Saturday and the organization's leadership was in shock, but looking for ways to surprise Israel and "change the picture," Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Yuval Diskin told the cabinet at its weekly meeting Sunday.

"Hamas has not yet responded, and may even try to surprise us," Diskin said. He said the organization viewed Saturday's attacks as the"first blow," but was now looking for courses of action that would change the situation.

Diskin was among the top security officials who briefed the cabinet Sunday, including Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The purpose of the meeting was to hear briefings on the situation, and not to debate the goals of the operation, one government official said. That discussion, which lasted four hours, was held last Wednesday in the Security Cabinet, where the military operation was approved.

Diskin, who is mandated with having his finger on the pulse of the mood in the territories, said that a not unsubstantial part of the Palestinian population understood that the operation was against Hamas, which had inflicted great suffering on them, as well. He did not say upon what this assessment was based.

The cabinet was also told that Israel had knocked out an estimated 50 percent of Hamas's underground rocket launching capacity on Saturday, but that the organization still retained a significant arsenal of short-and long-range missiles.

One cabinet official said that Hamas had not turned to Israel to negotiate a cease-fire and that no international player had contacted Israel in an attempt to mediate.

According to Ashkenazi, Israel had expected that Hamas would fire a volley of rockets into Israel after the first wave of air strikes, and therefore 15 minutes after the initial strike Israel knocked out the missile launchers located in underground pits throughout the Strip. Nevertheless, the cabinet was told that Hamas still retained thousands of missiles.

Ashkenazi said that most of the Palestinians' 230-250 casualties on Saturday were uniformed, armed Hamas personnel. Ashkenazi said the IDF would continue with the operation for as long as necessary, and would call up additional reservists in the coming day.

In light of that, the cabinet approved the Defense Ministry's request to call up 4,500 reserve troops, in addition to the 2,000 mobilized on Saturday. The additional troops were to be allocated to the home front as well as to reinforce ground forces.

The cabinet also approved a continued "special situation" in the Gaza periphery, a situation that went into effect Saturday and is expected to continue until March 31, 2009. This status enables the Home Front Command to instruct local authorities to close down factories, keep people in their homes and other emergency regulations.

In addition, ministers okayed the initiation of Melah (Economy in Time of Emergency) in the Gaza periphery, a plan that would mobilize civilians, along with government and security service infrastructure, to help in times of crisis.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the cabinet that "the patience, determination and stamina of the residents of the home front will, in the end, determine the ability of our military, security, civilian and diplomatic frameworks to function in order to complete the mission that we think must be attained."

Olmert said the government had launched the operation "to restore normal life and quiet to residents of the South who - for many years - have suffered from unceasing rocket and mortar fire and terrorism designed to disrupt their lives and prevent them from enjoying a normal, relaxed and quiet life, as citizens of any country are entitled to."

RESULTS OF MAHMOUD ABBAS VISIT TO RUSSIA

Palestinian leader MahmoudAbbas visited Russia.His visits to the United States and Russia over, Palestinian leaderMahmoud Abbas will complete his world tour in Egypt, today.

"Theamount of problems we are facing does not go down but we must continue," President Dmitry Medvedev told Abbas in Moscow."Complicated situation" in the region (Middle East) was also discussed in the talks with Premier Vladimir Putin late at night, yesterday. Russia transacted $20 million to the Palestinian Autonomy in twoinstallments in two years. The monies were spent on health care and education. What information is available indicates that the Palestinians will receive two helicopters from Russia in 2009. Moscow also intended to give the Palestinians some armored vehicles but theIsraelis hit the roof claiming that weapons mounted on the vehicles might end up in terrorists' hands instead of being used against them.

Tourism and investments were discussed at the talks with RussianForeign Minister Sergei Lavrov, yesterday. Meanwhile, investing in the region in question at this point certainly takes courage. Israeli-Palestinian negotiations failed to result in the coveted peace accords and agreement to establish the state of Palestine. HAMAS retains control over part of the autonomy.

"The Russian leadership views Abbas as the leader of the Palestinian people," Lavrov said. Dissatisfied with HAMAS nowadays, the Russian Foreign Ministry backed its criticism by the visitor. As for Abbas, he made numerous references to the mistakes HAMAS was making. To be more exact, Abbas said that it was wrong for HAMAS to refuse to attend Palestinian unity talks and to "manipulate religion". As for the faith, Abbas elaborated on this subject in the course of his unexpected trip to Chechnya. The Palestinian leader came to Grozny on the night preceding his arrival in Moscow. Abbas met with Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov and visited the grave of Akhmad Kadyrov assassinated on May 9, 2004.

"Geography of your trips is getting increasingly more extensive. You visited the Chechen Republic which we consider nice and useful," Abbas heard from Medvedev, yesterday.

Source: Vremya Novostei, No 238, December 23, 2008, p. 5

Abbas in Grozny: "A lot binds Palestinians"

Deutsche Presse-Agentur

December 21, 2008 Sunday 12:29 PM EST

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas predicted "a bright future" for the semiautonomous Russian republic of Chechnya during a visit to the capital Grozny on Sunday.The region, which has gone through two wars since the 1990s, "had to pay a high price" for its future, Abbas said after meeting the Chechen leadership loyal to the Kremlin. The Palestinians and Chechens had a lot in common, he was quotedby Interfax news agency as saying. Abbas and Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov visited the grave ofKadyrov's father, former president Akhmad, who was killed in a bomb attack on a stadium in Grozny in May 2004.Kadyrov called the Palestinian president "a true Muslim." Abbas, who arrived in Chechnya during the night, said he followed developments in the republic very closely. He said he felt "at home" in the North Caucasus region as he arrived at Grozny airport in sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall. On Sunday evening, Abbas was due to fly on to Moscow, where he was scheduled to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during a three-day visit. Immediately ahead of Abbas' trip, Russia, which is one of the international quartet that is negotiating peace in the Middle East, accused the radical Islamist Palestinian Hamas movement of doing too little to maintain a ceasefire with Israel.

Muntazer Al Zaidi - Hero of Arabs

MUNTAZER AL ZAIDI is a name that climbing fast to stand in the same line with Abu Mushab Al Zarqawi, Ayman Az Zawahiri if not Osama Ben Laden.

Throwing shoes to a world leader, is definitely disgusting and embarrassing. But Muntazer as a reporter cant take it anymore. He had no choice. He had only shoes to throw, and yet Bush should thank him for not throwing other than shoes (yes.. that 10 size shoes as you mentioned).

The question should be asked is why he throw his shoes to Bush? The answer is, he threw his shoes to show his anger on what Bush (America) had done to the people of Iraq – the women and the children by killing their husband, father and son.

Though Muntazer missed his target, none of the shoes hit Bush but it has done enough damage to the image of the President of United States of America. His PR has to do something to control the damage.

In Middle Eastern and Indo-Pak regions, hitting someone with shoes is a very embarrassing torture to them. It shows clearly on the day when they brought down the statue of Saddam, they hit the statue with their shoes and sandals. In Pakistan, I saw once, when someone start hitting a suspect with shoes, the others will joint him without much question.

Obama should watch this lesson carefully, the one that Muntazer had taught Bush right infront him. Attacking and destroying other country should not be the foreign policy of US.

Muntazer was reported hurt and beaten while being detained by the Iraqi authority. I believe he was beaten by those bodyguards, yes the failed and slow moving bodyguards, they were not there to protect Bush. I estimated by the time those slow bodyguards reached Bush, should Muntazer have other things to throw, he might have chances to make another two “throwings”. Those bodyguards should be sacked or send them to guard some mental hospital that doesn’t need them to move fast.

Anyhow, please released Muntazer. He was provoked by speech made by Bush. He deserved his freedom.

By the way, Mr. Bush - beside size 10 it was made by Turk.

Shahrul Peshawar

Kota Bharu, Kelantan

UNPO Treasurer Calls for Italian Government to Receive Guantanamo Uyghurs

Rome, 16 December 2008-

Senator Marco Perduca, treasurer of the UNPO has tabled a parliamentary question to the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs about the future of Guantanamo Bay prisoners. Seventeen Uyghurs are amongst up to 60 so-called “critical case” prisoners who cannot be repatriated for fear of being subjected to state persecution. China accuses the Uyghurs of partaking in acts of terrorism against the state in an effort to gain independence. Mr Perduca, acting alongside Senator Donatella Poretti inquired into the possibility that Italy will offer asylum to the prisoners and push for a united “European” solution to Guantanamo.Portugal became the first and only country to offer asylum to Guantanamo Bay inmates last Thursday [11 December 2008] since Albania’s acceptance of 5 Uyghur detainees in 2006. Portugal’s move is significant since it marks a departure from the long held European position of non-assistance with Guantanamo Bay repatriation. Portugal’s new approach has been viewed as a step to ensure that President elect Barack Obama’s promise to close the prison will not be broken. Portugal’s Foreign Minister stated that the European Union should “step forward” and assist the US to resolve the Guantanamo Bay problem. Over 250 inmates are currently being held by US authorities in Guantanamo Bay, around 60 of whom have already been cleared, but have nowhere to go.In October this year [2008], a federal judge ordered the US government to provide asylum to the 17 Uyghur detainees, an order whose implementation the legal advisor to the US Secretary of State, John Bellinger judged highly difficult due to tight US immigration law. As such Bellinger welcomed the Portuguese move to accommodate released prisoners saying it marked a positive shift away from vocal European criticism without offering alternatives.It is the hope of Senator Perduca and the UNPO as a whole that Italy will follow the Portuguese example and offer asylum to released Guantanamo detainees, especially the Uyghurs who face almost certain persecution in China if they return unprotected. It is also hoped that if Italy make such a commitment, other European countries will follow suit providing the US with the collaborative assistance that they claim has been lacking.

Where my focus will be:-

Bismillah

I will write and spread the news of Muslims in these areas:-

1. Palestine
2. Kashmir
3. Chechen and surrounding areas
4. Mindanao
5. Pattani (Thailand)
6. Xinjiang
7. Rohingya
8. Sri Lanka
9. Afghanistan
10. Iraq
11. Sudan
12. Indonesia

If there is any other places where muslim were opressed, kindly let me know and I'll make sure they will be reported in this blog.

Shahrul Peshawar

Awal Kalam

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

I would like to dedicate this blog to the muslims outcry, which normally being represented from OTHERS point of view.

I pray that ALlah will guided me and advise from brothers and sisters to assist me in reporting the truth and the real condition and situation of our Muslim brothers and sisters who are deprived from their rights and haq.

Ilal Liqa'

SHAHRUL PESHAWAR
Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia