UNSC, GCC, AL slam settlers’ violence in Hebron

UN expert says Israeli aggressions crime against humanity

Arab, int’l condemnation to comprehensive Israeli siege on Palestinians

Disagreement among Israeli leaders on military actions on Gaza

Egyptian FM urges EU to stop Israeli violations

The UN Security Council has slammed the rampage by Israeli hardliners against Palestinians in Hebron but welcomed the eviction of Jewish settlers from a disputed compound in the West Bank city.

After meeting at the request of Arab UN ambassadors, the 15-member council issued a non-binding statement late Friday that "welcomed Israel's evacuation of settlers from the compound in Hebron on December 4".

It also "condemned the resulting settler violence, including against Palestinian civilians and property".

Council members urged "respect for the rule of law without discrimination or exception and welcomed the efforts of the Israeli and Palestinian security services to restore calm."

In a letter sent earlier on Friday to Croatia's UN Ambassador Neven Jurica, who chairs the council this month, Egyptian Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz said that the UN Arab group "expresses its grave alarm at the recent escalation of Israeli settler violence, harassment, intimidation and provocation against Palestinian civilians."

The Arab ambassadors urged the council to "take the necessary measures to prevent further escalation of violence and deterioration of the situation on the ground in the Occupied Palestinian Territory which could have serious implications on the already-fragile peace process."

Israeli security forces meanwhile braced for more violence after the rampage by Jewish hardliners against Palestinians in retaliation for the eviction of settlers from the Hebron compound.

The entire southern West Bank was declared a closed military zone to prevent Israelis from converging again on the flashpoint city where a mob of Jewish extremists shot and wounded three Palestinians, hurled rocks at others and torched homes, fields and cars.

Dozens of young Palestinians burned tires and hurled rocks at an Israeli military position in Hebron on Friday and soldiers responded by firing teargas while in Gaza City, about 2,000 Palestinians took part in a Hamas-led protest against the settler violence.

Right-wing Israelis have vowed to exact revenge for Thursday's forcible eviction of some 250 settlers from the house that had come to symbolize hardliners' determination to fight for what they consider their God-given right to all the biblical land of Israel -- including Palestinian territories.

President Mahmoud Abbas called on the Israeli Government to evacuate Jewish colonizers from Hebron, and called for an urgent Security Council meeting.

Secretary of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee stated that President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership call on the Israeli Government to evacuate Jewish colonizers from the old city of Hebron, in order to put an end to their crimes against the Palestinian citizens. He added that the President has decided to call for an urgent UN Security Council meeting to discuss the critical situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

On his part, Dr. Saeb Erekat, Chairman of the Negotiations Affairs Department in the PLO condemned the crimes committed by Jewish colonizers against the Palestinian citizens in Hebron. Erekat held Israel responsible for these crimes which he considered, 'a flagrant violation of the international law, and the Fourth Geneva Convention. He demanded the Quartet to intervene immediately to end these criminal actions like setting houses on fire and assaulting citizens and their property.

On the other hand, the Palestinian Presidency Spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeinah warned of the continuation of such attacks on the heart of the city of Hebron. He stated that, 'the Israeli government is responsible for this dangerous escalation,' and demanded the international community to intervene and stop this continuous aggression.

Meanwhile, Palestine's Islamic Jihad will not support a truce with Israel in light of the Gaza blockade and daily attacks against Palestinian civilians.

Khalid al-Batsh, a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad said that the group firmly rejects a 'unilateral truce,' that is only in favor of the Zionist regime.

“Israel is the sole beneficiary of a truce, while we are starving to death,” he said pointing out to Israel's deadly siege of the Gaza Strip that has caused a severe shortage of basic supplies such as fuel, food and medicine in the impoverished Strip.

Batsh said halting the resistance in exchange for meager food rations was is not a choice for the Islamic resistance movement. “We in the Islamic Jihad movement rather die in the trenches of resistance, than in hospitals of starvation,” he said.

He added that Hamas has not imposed any position on his party over the prospects of the future of the truce. If they wanted to impose the acceptance of the truce on all parties, Al-Batsh asked, than why did they consult us in their decisions?

He said that resistance is the only option, which will restore unity and break the Israeli siege.

The Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the violent acts waged by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in Hebron and the West Bank.

The secretariat general urged the international community and the Security Council to take all necessary measures to protect Palestinians in Hebron and the West Bank.

Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa on Saturday condemned Israeli settlers who launched violence against civilians in the West Bank city of Hebron and other parts.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Moussa said such violence indicates that the Israeli settlement activities remain the major obstacle to reach progress in the resumed Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.

Warning against serious repercussions of such incidents, Moussa called on the UN Security Council and the international Quartet to take immediate measures to protect the Palestinians from Israeli settlers' attacks.

The Israeli Defense Forces declared the area surrounding Hebron a close military zone, after Israeli settlers rampaged through Palestinian neighborhoods in Hebron.

The settlers, who opened fire on Palestinians and vandalized their property, were responding to evacuation by Israeli security forces of a disputed house in Hebron earlier in the day.

The Israeli security forces stormed Hebron's so-called "house of contention," dragging out some 250 settlers who barricaded themselves inside hurled rocks.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit has called on the European Union (EU) to push Israel further concerning the Middle East peace process.

Speaking in Brussels, Aboul Gheit told Egypt's online TV Channel Nile News that the EU must put pressure on Tel Aviv in order to move forward the stalled peace process.

The Foreign Minister's comments came as Egypt continues attempt to resolve infighting among Palestinian groups since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007.

Aboul Gheit said he asked the EU to put pressure on Tel Aviv by hinging the advancement of bilateral relations on the progress achieved in Middle East peace process.

Asked about the European interference in the human rights file of Egypt, Ahmed Abul-Gheit said he believes "the European Parliament was under foreign pressure and had not accurately studied the situation in Egypt".

Abul-Gheit also talked about the "Friends of Egypt" group in the European Parliament, which he said works to boost ties between the Egyptian and European parliaments. The group understands Egypt's needs and defends its stands, the top diplomat said, adding that it also conveys European views to Cairo.

Relations with the NATO are good, Abul-Gheit said in reply to a question by Nile News, stressing at the same time that this does not mean that Cairo needs the organization.

"We don't need the NATO ... Egypt has its diplomatic ties and armed forces ... Egypt is a country of advanced potentials ... and is capable of drafting a wise foreign policy and an integrated national security policy," he said.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said that his country is surprised by a recent decision of the European Union (EU) to upgrade its relations with Israel.

The EU decision is "strange" since the European bloc has repeated its assertion that enhancing ties with Israel should be based on the improvement of the Middle East peace process, Abul Gheit said in a statement.

The EU's 27 foreign ministers unanimously approved to upgrade relations with Israel.

It is a move that "is difficult to understand," especially considering that no tangible progress has been achieved in the regional peace process since its relaunching in November last year, Abul Gheit said.

On the contrary, Israeli policies toward the Palestinians escalated their sufferings, he said.

The continued Israeli settlement activities, the building of the separation wall and the siege on the Gaza Strip caused "an unprecedented deterioration in living conditions (of the Palestinians)," the Egyptian foreign minister stressed.

Israel has sealed off the Gaza Strip, allowing only limited humanitarian aid into the impoverished territory, since the Islamic Hamas movement wrestled control of the enclave from rival Fatah movement loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas in June 2007.

Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) resumed talks under the auspices of Washington in November 2007, with an aim to create an independent Palestinian statehood before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office in January.

With no conclusive agreement in sight, Israel, the United States and the Palestinians have all accepted that the target cannot be achieved.

Foreign ministers representing the seven Mediteranean Dialogue (MD) countries called on their counterparts from NATO and the international community for a joint action against the growing phenomenon of piracy in the Red Sea saying it’s a common threat that needs to be dealt with immediately, an MD diplomat said.

“We had an extensive discussion over the issue of piracy in the Red Sea and have called on the UN and its Security Council to work on setting up a legal and political framework through which we can tackle piracy,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul Gheit told reporters. “This issue needs a joint action by all”, under the auspices of the UN, he added.

Abul Gheit’s statements came following a two-hour working luncheon between foreign ministers of the 26-member North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and their counterparts from MD countries.

According to NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the issue of piracy is a growing international problem. “Pirates are getting bolder and bolder and it is very important that we all deal with it… It is not a problem in the Gulf of Aden alone,” he told a press conference, noting that there were five attempts to hijack a ship that were adequately treated by the NATO mission.”

He said MD and NATO foreign ministers discussed the problem and shared the view for the need of a much more comprehensive international approach led by the UN Security Council, adding that there were legal complications of the issue of piracy that should be tackled.

The talks focused on demands for NATO to act amid growing alarm over the repeated attacks on shipping. According to diplomats, in spite of a six-week NATO mission in the Gulf of Aden, attacks continue in the area unabated leaving the international community scrambling for a solution.

According to news agencies, international warships patrol the area off the Horn of Africa and have created a security corridor under a US-led initiative. Pirates have hijacked about 40 ships this year, including an Ukrainian freighter loaded with 33 battle tanks that was seized in September, and a Saudi oil tanker carrying $100 million worth of crude that was captured November 15.

According to Scheffer, MD ministers discussed the issue of a possible follow-up anti-piracy mission after the current taskforce leaves the region in mid-December and to be replaced by an EU mission.

NATO has four warships and an oiler on station, tasked with escorting cargo ships bearing UN humanitarian aid to Somalia. The alliance has safely escorted WFP’s ships and delivered about 29,000 tonnes of aid to the region. The mission will be replaced by an EU mission.

Scheffer also told reporters that Tuesday’s MD-NATO meeting, the third such gathering since 2004, also discussed the situation in the Middle East and the frozen peace process.

“Even though it is not a direct NATO issue, but the peace process was discussed and I believe it was a good opportunity for an exchange of views by countries deeply engaged in the Middle East peace,” he said.

According to one diplomat who attended the noon meeting, the mood upon discussing the Middle East peace process was somber and the parties felt that the process that was relaunched in the Annapolis, Maryland conference in November last year was almost dead and the goal of reaching an independent Palestinian state was getting much harder. But according to French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Annapolis is a very important and huge benchmark for peace in the Middle East.

“I believe in the Annapolis process, the Palestinians and the Israelis both believe in the Annapolis process… And I hope the new US administration will push forth for the achievement of the peace,” he told reporters.

Kouchner said that the issue of Gaza and the continued Israeli siege was also discussed during the meeting, saying that there were European calls on Israel to lift up the siege. “Yes it is a very difficult situation, people have no access to anything and are cut off from all supplies…l hope they will open the gates soon.”

The Czech government said it would press its partners in the European Union to strengthen its links with Israel once it assumes the presidency in January.

Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg told reporters that not all EU governments support broadening relations with Israel but such a move would also be in the interest of the Palestinian people.

"This is a club of 27. It's our intention to start the discussion," he said.

Since last June, the EU and Israel have been exploring ways to grant Israel better access to the vast European market and give it a role in a range of EU advisory panels.

But deepening political and security exchanges needs the unanimous backing of all 27 EU governments.

The Palestinian Authority opposes the EU plan to expand relations with Israel in the political, economic, scientific, security, health and other spheres.

It wants Israel to do more to ease the humanitarian crisis in Palestinian territories and halt the spread of settlements.

But Schwarzenberg said Israel has been easing West Bank travel restrictions and allowed Palestinian security forces to maintain law and order there in recent months.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is current president of the European Union until 31 December when the Czech Republic assumes the rotating EU presidency.

Israel's policies against the Palestinians are tantamount to a "crime against humanity", the United Nations' human rights rapporteur has said.

Richard Falk said in a statement that the UN must "implement the agreed norm of a responsibility to protect a civilian population being collectively punished by policies that amount to a crime against humanity".

The statement came on the same day that the UN Human Rights Council urged Israel to implement 99 measures to improve its rights record.

Falk said it would seem "mandatory" that the UN's International Criminal Court investigate Israel’s policies in regard to the Palestinians.

"[The court could] determine whether the Israeli civilian leaders and military commanders responsible for the Gaza siege should be indicted and prosecuted for violations of international criminal law," he said.

The Israeli government has faced a level of criticism by "normally cautious UN officials" not seen since the "the heyday of South African apartheid," Falk said.

"And still Israel maintains its Gaza siege in its full fury, allowing only barely enough food and fuel to enter to stave off mass famine and disease."

Israel has maintained tight controls on what supplies enter the Gaza Strip, home to about 1.5 million Palestinians, since Hamas, a Palestinian group, took control of it in June 2007.

The Israeli and US governments say that Hamas is a terrorist organization. The Human Rights Council said in its list of 99 recommendations that Israel must completely end its blockade of Gaza, while also calling for it to release Arab detainees.

Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva said that "Israel remains committed to reinforcing areas in which we are succeeding and bettering those areas that need improvement."

Aharon Leshno Yaar said the dialogue had been "positive and productive".

Israel is due to report to the UN council in March on how it will address the recommendations.

The Israel military allowed dozens of lorries carrying humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and permitted the delivery of diesel to Gaza's main power plant.

The Karam Abu Salam crossing allowed about 40 lorries carrying supplies into the territory, while 30 lorries with grain, wheat and bird feed passed through the Karni crossing.

The Nahal Oz fuel terminal allowed in some industrial fuel for Gaza's only power plant, as well as cooking gas for the general public and petrol for UN operations.

The Erez crossing was also open for journalists and humanitarian workers coming into Gaza.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad prayed the Eid Al-Adha prayer in the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, as a gesture of solidarity with the harassed and violated local population.

The Ibrahimi Mosque, or Tomb of the Patriarchs, is minutes south of the site where two Palestinians were shot by an angry Israeli settler participating in a riot targeting the indigenous population.

In a press conference following the morning prayers Fayyad noted the importance of making an effort to show solidarity with the people of Hebron and reinforce their strength against the settler attacks.

Fayyad put flowers on graves in Hebron and visited those injured in Thursday’s attacks. He congratulated all Palestinians celebrating the Eid and wished people and the land would be blessed, the blockade is lifted and the people released from suffering.

Fayyad met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, where he called the Israeli government of responsible for the attacks against Palestinians, and demanded they shoulder the burden of stopping them. With that in mind Fayyad called on Israel to stop all settlement construction and to immediately remove illegal outposts.

Fayyad also voiced his continued concern over the siege on Gaza, and stressed the need to remove the barriers and allow food and materials into the area. Currency has become the latest crisis issue, and Fayyad warned of an escalated economic disaster in the area.

President Mahmoud Abbas said that there will be no Peace without releasing all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons, and that Israel must put an end to colonizers' aggressions against Palestinian citizens.

In a speech pronounced in Mecca on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, President Abbas said that, 'Hamas is responsible for Gaza's Muslim pilgrims to Mecca not being able to leave the Strip.' He added that those pilgrims will have the priority in next year's list of pilgrims, in addition to the annual number of pilgrims that can go to perform the Hajj.

The President asserted that the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons must be released, saying that this is one of the fundamental Final Status issues. He stressed that there will be, 'no peace without freedom to all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons,' adding that the 11,000 prisoners suffering behind Israeli bars must be released, and that a number of them are to be released very soon.

He condemned the Jewish colonizers' continued aggressions against Palestinian citizens and demanded Israel to put an end to these aggressions because the Israeli Government and Army are responsible for the colonizers.

Israel opened at least two border crossings to allow trucks with humanitarian cargo to enter Gaza, said Raed Fattouh, a Palestinian official who coordinates supplies into the territory.

Some 20 trucks with humanitarian aid and 25 with commercial loads are waiting to enter southern Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, while a limited amount of wheat and cattle feed will be allowed into Gaza via the Karni crossing.

Israel is also expected to open the Nahal Oz border terminal for fuel supplies to Gaza's sole power plant.

Israel opened its border crossings with Gaza, but sealed it a day later following intensified rocket attacks from Palestinian militants. At least two rockets landed in Israel, bringing to 250 the total number launched into Israeli territory since November 4.

Meanwhile, a boat with 11 people onboard, including journalists, a surgeon and human rights activists, left the southern Cypriot port city of Larnaka in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade. The 20-meter (65-foot) "Dignity" has 1 metric ton of medical supplies and high-protein baby formula onboard.

"We are unarmed civilians carrying desperately needed supplies to other unarmed civilians," delegation leader Lubna Masarwa said in a statement released before the departure.

Earlier this month, Al-Marwa, a Libyan vessel with 3 tons of humanitarian cargo for Gaza onboard, was intercepted by Israel and escorted to Egyptian territorial waters.

Israel's opposition Likud party has selected a hawkish slate of candidates for upcoming parliamentary elections.

This makes peace moves with Israel's Arab neighbors increasingly unlikely if Likud wins the Feb. 10 national vote.

Leader Benjamin Netanyahu hoped to present a more mainstream list of candidates to broaden his party's support.

But party members voting in primary elections ending early Tuesday preferred candidates with uncompromising views on territorial withdrawals. Cabinet minister Haim Ramon of rival Kadima party says the results show Likud is a "party of the extreme right."

Israelis and Palestinians are moving toward a peace deal as more Israelis than ever back a two-state solution and Arab leaders back Mahmud Abbas, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said.

Rice said last month that the Palestinians led by Abbas should soon have their own state, but made it clear she does not expect a breakthrough before Barack Obama moves into the White House.

In an interview with Fox television, Rice dismissed any notion the two sides were further from agreement than ever.

“I don’t agree with that,” she told her interviewer.

“These parties, Israel and the Palestinians, have been negotiating seriously on all the so-called core issues, borders, refugees, etc,” she said.

“They are moving toward that agreement. There is a better situation on the ground with Palestinian institutions, security institutions, beginning to take responsibility,” Rice added.

Arab states have thrown their support behind the US-backed Palestinian Authority led by Abbas, she added.

“The major Arab states are backing Mahmud Abbas to try a find peace deal with Israel,” she said.

“Israelis, since Ariel Sharon, the father of the settlement movement, said it was going to be necessary to split the land, Israelis have been united, more united behind the two-state solution than at any other time as well,” she said.