LCCC ENGLISH
DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 01/09
Bible Reading
of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to
Saint John 1,1-18. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be
through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was
life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in
the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent
from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might
believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in
the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those
who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe
in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice
nor by a man's decision but of God.
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth. John testified
to him and cried out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'The one who is
coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.'" From his
fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law
was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has
ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father's side, has revealed him.
Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274),
Dominican theologian, Doctor of the Church
Commentary on St John's Gospel, I, 178f.
"The Word was the true light which enlightens everyone coming into the world"
«What we have heard, what we have seen
with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerning the
Word of life, we proclaim now to you» (1Jn 1,1-3)... The incarnate Word was made
known to the apostles in two ways: first of all they recognised him by sight, as
receiving knowledge of the Word from the Word himself; secondly by hearing, this
time by receiving knowledge of the Word from the witness of John the Baptist.
Concerning the Word, John the Baptist first of all affirms that: «We have seen
his glory»... For Saint John Chrysostom these words are connected with what
precedes in John's Gospel: «The Word became flesh». What the evangelist means
is: the Incarnation has bestowed on us the blessing, not merely of becoming
children of God, but of seeing his glory. For indeed, weak and feeble eyes
cannot of themselves look at the light of the sun, but when it shines through a
cloud or some other opaque body, then they can do so. Before the incarnation of
the Word human minds were incapable of themselves of beholding the light «that
enlightens everyone». But so that they might not be deprived of the joy of
seeing him, the Light himself, the Word of God, desired to be clothed with flesh
so that we might be able to see him.
Thus people «turned toward the desert, and lo!, the glory of the Lord appeared
in a cloud» (Ex 16,10), namely the Word of God in flesh... And Saint Augustine
comments that, so that we might be able to see God, the Word healed men's eyes
by making a healing eye-ointment of his flesh... That is why, immediately after
saying: «The Word became flesh», the evangelist adds: «And we saw his glory» as
if to say that, no sooner had the ointment been applied, than our eyes were
healed... This is the glory that Moses desired to see but of which he saw only a
shadow and a symbol. The apostles, on the other hand, saw his majesty itself.
Free Opinions, Releases,
letters & Special Reports
Iranian-Canadian 'blogfather' in custody -(AFP)
31/12/08
Where will Palestine's supporters be when the guns fall silent? -The
Daily Star 31/12/08
Hezbollah chief stirs Arabs to turn on rulers-Reuters
31/12/08
Israel's goal, and Hamas': a cease-fire on better terms-By
Mkhaimar Abusada 31/12/08
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for December
31/08
Israel rejects call for truce,
demolishes tunnels in Gaza-AP
Israel on High Alert in the
North Amid Fears of Rocket Attacks from Lebanon-Naharnet
Arabs, not Lebanon, Cancel New Year Celebrations-Naharnet
Lebanon in National Mourning Over Gaza-Naharnet
Hizbullah: Hamas Learns From Imam Hussein's Followers-Naharnet
Mubarak: Palestinian Blood
Not Cheap-Naharnet
Hariri Meets Sarkozy on
Friday, Date of French President's Visit to Beirut Unchanged-Naharnet
Gemayel Criticizes
Hizbullah-Naharnet
Lebanon on National
Mourning Over Gaza, Donates $1 Million in Aid-Naharnet
Jumblat Criticizes
Nasrallah's Attack on Egypt-Naharnet
Vulnerable Israeli homefront rethinks withdrawals-The
Associated Press
Israel Rejects Proposed Cease-Fire-Washington
Post
Israel on High Alert in the North Amid Fears of Rocket Attacks ...Naharnet
Syria boosts Mashaal's security-Ynetnews
Turkish PM tours Middle East for Gaza talks-International
Herald Tribune
Cyprus regrets Israeli blockage of aid boat for Gaza-Xinhua
US Senator hopeful for Syria-Israel treaty-International
Herald Tribune
Beirut earmarks $1 million to help Gazans, declares official day of mourning-Daily
Star
Army seizes cars, drugs, weapons, suspects in Bekaa-Daily
Star
War of words between Israel, Lebanon escalated in 2008-Daily
Star
Nasrallah urges Egypt to stop helping siege of Gaza-Daily
Star
Beirut Stock Exchange sees little trading activity amid holiday festivities-Daily
Star
Gaza-bound aid vessel limps into Tyre- (AFP)
Funding shortage fuels credibility gap over Nahr al-Bared-Daily
Star
Canadian Foreign Minister Cannon Expresses Concern over Iran’s Raid on Private
Office of Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi
December 30, 2008
No. 253
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today made the
following statement regarding the raid on the private office of Shirin Ebadi in
Tehran, Iran. “Canada is seriously concerned about yesterday’s raid and seizure
of files and computers from the private office of Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi.
This action follows the December 21 closing of the Defenders of Human Rights
Center in Tehran, headed by Ms. Ebadi. Winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, Ms.
Ebadi has a long and proud history as an advocate for human rights, and the raid
appears to be part of an effort to impede the important work being done by her
and other Iranian human rights defenders. “Canada continues to urge Iran to
fully respect all of its human rights obligations, both in law and in practice,
and to end the apparent targeting of human rights advocates like Ms. Ebadi.
Canada stands in solidarity with individuals such as Ms. Ebadi who courageously
advocate for the human rights of the people of Iran.”
Israel rejects truce call, attacks
Gaza
By IBRAHIM BARZAK and MATTI FRIEDMAN, Associated Press Writers Ibrahim Barzak
And Matti Friedman, Associated Press Writers – 5 mins ago Play
Gaza Strip – Israel rejected international pressure for a two-day cease-fire
with Hamas and sent warplanes Wednesday to demolish smuggling tunnels that are
the lifeline of Gaza's Islamic rulers. The diplomatic efforts to forge a truce
were set in motion by the scale of destruction in Gaza since Israel unleashed an
offensive Saturday against Hamas militants firing barrages of rockets that are
striking closer to the Israeli heartland than previous attacks.
Gaza officials say the five days of airstrikes have killed 390, including 200
uniformed members of Hamas security forces, and have wounded about 1,600. The
U.N. says at least 60 Palestinian civilians are among the dead. Four Israelis
have been killed by militant rocket fire, including three civilians.
The offensive has touched off protests across the Islamic world. In Iran on
Wednesday, fundamentalist students asked their government to authorize volunteer
suicide bombers to attack Israel. The Tehran government had no immediate
response.
On Tuesday, France urged Israel to halt its operation for 48 hours. Calls for an
immediate cease-fire have also come from the U.S., the European Union, the U.N.
and Russia. Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert discussed the idea of a two-day
truce with his defense and foreign ministers overnight, but the trio decided to
pursue the punishing aerial campaign. Olmert told ministers Israel launched the
operation to fundamentally change the situation in the south, and would not
leave the job half done with a unilateral cease-fire. "If conditions ripen to
the point that we assess they promise a safer existence in southern Israel, we
will consider it. We're not they're yet," Olmert said, according to a
participant in the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity because the
meeting was closed.
The chief of Israel's internal security services, Yuval Diskin, told Cabinet
ministers that Hamas' ability to rule had been "badly impaired." Weapons
development facilities have been "completely wiped out," and the network of
smuggling tunnels has been badly damaged, a participant in the meeting quoted
Diskin as saying. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was
closed to the media.
Underlying the Israeli decision to keep fighting are the more powerful weapons
that Hamas has smuggled into Gaza through underground tunnels along the border
with Egypt. Previously militants relied on crude homemade rockets that could
reach 12 miles north of Gaza to terrorize Israeli communities near the border.
Now they are firing more accurate weapons manufactured in factories in China and
Iran that have dramatically expanded their range and put more than one-tenth of
Israel's population in their sights, Israeli defense officials say.
More than two dozens rockets and mortar shells were fired by midday Wednesday,
including five that hit in and around the major southern city of Beersheba, 22
miles from Gaza. One hit an empty school. Another landed in a small farming
community about 20 miles southeast of metropolitan Tel Aviv, the country's most
populated urban area. No serious casualties were reported.
Before the latest offensive, rockets had only occasionally landed around
Ashkelon, a coastal city of 120,000 located 11 miles north of Gaza. Over the
past few days, a raft of new targets have come under fire including Ashdod,
Israel's largest southern city with a population of 207,000 located 23 miles
north of Gaza. Beersheba, with 186,000, is the second-largest city in southern
Israel.
School was canceled in large swaths of Israel's south because of the rocket
threat. The 18,000 students at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba, southern
Israel's only university, were also told to stay home. Early Wednesday, Israeli
aircraft pounded smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border in another
attempt to sever the lifeline that keeps Hamas in power by supplying weapons,
food and fuel. Israel and Egypt blockaded Gaza after Hamas violently seized
control of the territory in June 2007, and have cracked open their borders only
to let in limited amounts of humanitarian aid.
A huge explosion rocked a tunnel that housed a fuel pipeline, and aircraft also
smashed the house of a smuggling kingpin. In all, two tunnels were destroyed in
the raid, Egyptian security officials in Rafah said. An Egyptian official,
speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the
media, said Israel has destroyed 120 tunnels since the aerial campaign began.
According to conservative estimates, there were at least 200 tunnels before
Israeli warplanes began striking.
In Gaza City, powerful airstrikes sent high-rise apartment buildings swaying and
showered streets with broken glass and pulverized concrete. The Israeli military
said government buildings were hit, including an office of Gaza's Hamas prime
minister, Ismail Haniyeh.
A Palestinian medic was killed and two others were wounded when an Israeli
missile struck next to their ambulance east of Gaza City, Palestinians said. The
Israeli military said it did not know of the incident. Israeli navy ships also
fired at Hamas positions along the coastline.
Diskin, the Israeli security services chief, said Hamas was trying to smuggle
out some of its activists to Egypt through tunnels that were still passable.
Other militants were hiding in Gaza hospitals, some disguised as doctors and
nurses, and in mosques, where militants had set up command and control centers,
Diskin said.
Although Hamas leaders have been driven underground, spokesman Taher Nunu said
the Gaza government was functioning and had met over the past few days.
"What our people want is clear: an immediate stop to all kinds of aggression,
the end of the siege by all means, the opening of all border crossings, and
international guarantees that the occupation will not renew this terrorist war
again," Nunu said in a statement.
Israel fears that opening crossings with Gaza would allow Hamas — which remains
officially committed to Israel's destruction — to strengthen its hold on the
territory even further. Israel has been massing troops and armor along the Gaza
border in an indication the air campaign could morph into a ground operation.
The government approved a plan to call up an additional 2,500 reserve soldiers
late Tuesday, following a decision earlier this week to authorize a call-up of
6,700 soldiers. The call-ups have yet to be carried out. In two phone calls to
Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday and Tuesday, French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner appealed to him to consider a truce to allow time for
humanitarian relief supplies to enter Gaza, two senior officials in Barak's
office said.
While rejecting the truce, Israel said it would allow 2,000 tons of food and
medical supplies to enter Gaza on Wednesday, in addition to 4,000 tons the
military says have been allowed in since the offensive began. Several dozen
chronically ill Gazans have also been authorized to enter Israel for treatment
Wednesday, the military said. The U.N. planned to resume food aid distribution
on Thursday, after halting it two weeks ago because of shortages caused by the
blockade. Most of Gaza's 1.4 million residents rely on U.N. food handouts.
Britain and Indonesia also said they would send humanitarian relief.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was to travel Thursday to Paris for talks with
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has put his growing international stature
to use in other conflict zones, most recently to help halt fighting between
Russia and Georgia in August.
*Associated Press Writer Matti Friedman reported from Jerusalem and Sarah El
Deeb reported from Cairo.
Israel on High Alert in the North
Amid Fears of Rocket Attacks from Lebanon
Naharnet/The Israeli army has reportedly gone on high alert in the north for
fears that Palestinian factions backed by Hizbullah would launch rockets to
avenge the offensive on the Gaza Strip and open a new front with Israel. The
Israeli daily Jerusalem Post quoted defense sources as saying that time seemed
ripe for Palestinian factions to prove allegiance to Hamas and attack Israel
from south Lebanon. Israeli media also quoted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's
spokesman Mark Regev as saying the Jewish state was worried about the threat
posed by Hizbullah on Israel's northern frontier.
"Yes," Regev said, responding to a question about the possibility of an attack.
"We're watching the northern border very closely."
U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanese troops have also stepped up patrols along the
border with Israel after rockets were discovered in the south and following the
Jewish state's massive military operation in Gaza. Beirut media on Wednesday
quoted UNIFIL Deputy Assistant Spokesperson Andrea Tinti as saying that the
international troops have no information about Israel going on alert on the
other side of the border.
He said UNIFIL was working with all sides which are showing full cooperation.
The same defense sources told The Jerusalem Post that Israel feared a possible
attack on Israel as the anniversary of Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh's
assassination nears. They said the Lebanese Shiite group, which still seeks to
avenge Mughniyeh's murder in a Damascus car bombing last February, might take
advantage of the situation and attack Israel while it is busy on the Gaza front.
The mayor of an Israeli city in the north told the Post it would be the "mistake
of a lifetime" for Hizbullah and Lebanon to begin any sort of confrontation with
Israel now. "I have it from very senior military sources that the policy is, in
the event a missile is fired, to raze to the ground the village from which it
was fired. So if they want to reduce Lebanon to piles of rubble (then they
should attack)," Ma'alot-Tarshiha's Mayor, Shlomo Buhbut, said. Beirut, 31 Dec
08, 08:40
Arabs, not Lebanon, Cancel New Year Celebrations
Naharnet/Several Arab states have cancelled planned New Year celebrations in
solidarity with Palestinians in the Islamist-run Gaza Strip who suffered a fifth
straight day of Israeli bombardment on Wednesday. Egypt, Jordan, Dubai and Syria
have all cancelled festivities including concerts by renowned Arab singers.
As the Arab League met in the Egyptian capital to decide a political response to
one of Israel's deadliest-ever offensives on Gaza that has so far killed at
least 390 Palestinians, the cultural message was clear. Egypt's state-owned Al-Ahram
daily reported that official events planned for New Year's Eve had been shelved.
"In solidarity with the painful events in the Palestinian territories and the
massacres which Gazans are faced with... the ministries of culture and
information have decided to cancel New Year's festivities," it said. Cancelled
events include a special concert by famed Egyptian singer Mohammed Munir set for
Cairo's Opera House, and a variety performance due to be broadcast on state
television.
The planned New Year's Day launch by state television of a new channel called
"Nile Comedy" has also been postponed. In the Gulf tourism hub of Dubai, the
emirate's ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum decreed that several
planned concerts should not go ahead. He gave the order "as a sign of solidarity
with the brotherly Palestinian people and because of the death and destruction
perpetrated on the Gaza Strip by the Israeli war machine," his office said.
International Arab stars including Mohammed Abdu of Saudi Arabia, Iraq's Kazem
al-Saher, Nancy Ajram from Lebanon and Tunisian chanteuse Latifa had all been
due to perform in Dubai over the New Year. A concert by Colombian star Shakira
in the neighboring emirate of Abu Dhabi is still scheduled to go ahead. The
Syrian artists' union said in a statement festivities would not take place,
including a New Year's Eve concert by famed singer Sabah Fakhri in a top
Damascus hotel. Hotels in Beirut, capital of neighboring Lebanon, told AFP their
events would proceed as planned. In Jordan several five-star hotels and
restaurants in the capital Amman and other cities including the ancient
Nabataean city of Petra and the Red Sea port of Aqaba, cancelled New Year
celebrations. "The decision to cancel the celebrations has been taken in
solidarity with our people in Gaza," Michel Nazzal, head of the Jordanian Hotel
Association, said in a statement. Newspapers urged Jordanians to join a
candlelight vigil in central Amman at midnight instead to express their support
for Gaza.
"While the world is celebrating the new year, the people of Gaza are going to
welcome it with bombs, fire and blood. Let us affirm our solidarity with them,"
read an advertisement in Wednesday's papers. Emergency services inside the
battered Palestinian Gaza enclave say that since Israel unleashed its wave of
air strikes on Saturday at least 390 Palestinians, including 42 children, have
been killed and 1,900 wounded. During the same period, four people in Israel
have been killed by rockets fired by militants in Gaza.(AFP) Beirut, 31 Dec 08,
16:41
Lebanon in National Mourning Over Gaza
Naharnet/Flags flew at half mast in Lebanon on Wednesday in a day of national
mourning to express solidarity with Gaza victims.
Observing a day of national mourning was decided by the cabinet that met under
President Michel Suleiman at the Baabda Palace on Tuesday.
The cabinet also decided on a one million dollar relief aid to victims of the
Israeli attack on Gaza that has claimed at least 390 lives and wounded 1,750
people.
Beirut, 31 Dec 08, 14:19
Hizbullah: Hamas Learns From Imam Hussein's Followers
Naharnet/Hizbullah on Wednesday accused the United Nations of being a "partner
to Israel in crimes committed against women and children" in reference to the
ongoing Israeli attack on Gaza. The head of Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc
Mohammed Raad made the charge in an address to partisans marking Ashoura in the
southern village of al-Shhabiyeh. Raad also renewed a charge that Egypt was
taking part in imposing the siege on Gaza. "Why is the Rafah crossing closed and
who issues the order to close it??" Raad asked in an apparent attempt to target
Egyptian President Husni Mubarak. "We are not placing bets on any Arab regime,
we count on the patience of Gaza people and the bravery of resistance fighters,"
he added. Raad said "Hamas and the Palestinian People have learned the example
adopted by Imam Hussein's followers in south Lebanon when they confronted the
Zionist military machine and the international alliance in July, 2006." Beirut,
31 Dec 08, 14:07
Mubarak: Palestinian Blood Not Cheap
Naharnet/President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday rejected calls to open Egypt's
border with war-battered Gaza and hit back at critics of Cairo's response to the
Israeli offensive, accusing them of playing politics with Palestinian suffering.
He hit out at Arab politicians like Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who
has slammed his government's stance and called on the Egyptian people to take to
the streets to change it. "We say to those who are trying to make political
capital out of the plight of the Palestinian people that Palestinian blood has a
price," he said.
"We say loud and clear that Egypt is above such pettiness and will not allow
anyone to extend their influence over its affairs."
Lebanon, meanwhile, has tightened security around the Egyptian embassy in
Beirut. The roads leading to the building have been blocked and the area
surrounded by cement blocks and barbed wire. A security official told Agence
France Presse (AFP) on condition of anonymity the measures were "preventative"
in case of future protests in the area. Mubarak said that Egypt would only
reopen the Rafah crossing when the Islamist Hamas movement which seized control
of Gaza in June last year reconciled with Western-backed Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas and allowed him to reassert his authority over the territory.
He said the crossing in the divided border town of Rafah could only be fully
opened to people and goods if an international agreement, which Abbas signed
with Israel when it withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005, is
respected.
"We in Egypt are not going to contribute to perpetuating the rift (between Abbas
and Gaza's Hamas rulers) by opening the Rafah crossing in the absence of the
Palestinian Authority and EU observers in violation of the 2005 deal," Mubarak
said in a televised speech.
The deal provided for EU observers to monitor the border and operate
surveillance cameras to allow Israel to keep an eye on comings and goings.
It fell into abeyance when Hamas ousted forces loyal to Abbas. Egypt has come in
for strong criticism from the Islamists and their sympathizers around the Muslim
world for not fully opening the border in the face of Israel's devastating
four-day-old air blitz. It has allowed a handful of wounded Gazans to leave for
treatment and allowed some medical supplies in. But on Sunday Egyptian police
fired warning shots in the air to prevent large numbers of civilians fleeing
Gaza.
Mubarak held talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni just two days
before the start of the offensive, sparking charges of collusion that have seen
Egyptian diplomatic missions attacked in both Beirut and the Yemeni port city of
Aden. Mubarak insisted that he was totally opposed to the Israeli operation.
"We say to Israel that we reject and condemn its assaults which must cease
immediately," he said in the speech broadcast on state television.
"We say to our Palestinian brothers: restore your unity. We warned you several
times that any refusal to renew the truce would push Israel to attack Gaza."
He was referring to a six-month truce between Israel and Hamas, which Egypt
brokered and which expired on December 19. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul
Gheit on Monday accused Nasrallah of "declaring war on the Egyptian people."
Abul Gheit, responding to Nasrallah's address on Sunday without naming him,
vowed that "the Egyptian people would confront this war." "Someone yesterday
called on the Egyptian people to take to the streets and create an atmosphere of
anarchy. In other words, they want an atmosphere of anarchy similar to the one
they created in their own country," Abul Gheit told a press conference in
Ankara.
"This person (Nasrallah) also called on the Egyptian armed forces, but he is not
aware of the situation," Abul Gheit said after talks with his Turkish
counterpart Ali Babacan. "If you do not know, let me tell you that the Egyptian
armed forces are tasked with defending Egypt. If need be, they will also protect
Egypt against people like you," he told Nasrallah.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 30 Dec
08, 17:41
Hariri Meets Sarkozy on Friday, Date of French President's Visit to Beirut
Unchanged
Naharnet/French President Nicolas Sarkozy will discuss with Lebanese MP Saad
Hariri on Friday bilateral relations and the current situation in the Gaza
Strip, the Elysee Palace said in a statement. Hariri will meet Sarkozy at 10:30
am Friday, it said. An Nahar daily on Wednesday quoted diplomatic sources as
saying that Sarkozy's visit to Lebanon on Jan. 6 is still on. They said the
French head of state will meet during his trip to Beirut President Michel
Suleiman and visit French peacekeepers in south Lebanon. "The events in Gaza
won't change the French president's plan to visit Lebanon," the sources
stressed. Beirut, 31 Dec 08, 07:33
Gemayel Criticizes Hizbullah
Naharnet/Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Tuesday criticized attacks by
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah against Egypt and said they do not
reflect the opinion of the Lebanese majority. Gemayel also advised
President Michel Suleiman to be "cautious" against attempts by certain powers to
hurl Lebanon into siding with "attempts to split the Arabs." He expressed hope
that the proposed Arab Summit would "succeed" in tackling the Gaza issue.
Gemayel warned against using Lebanon's borders in "adventures that we had
experienced their catastrophic results." That was an apparent reference to
cross-border attacks against Israel.The Phalange Party leader also criticized
certain factions for directing street protests "against an Arab state," in an
apparent reference to Egypt. Beirut, 30 Dec 08, 17:28
Lebanon on National Mourning Over Gaza, Donates $1 Million
in Aid
Naharnet/The Lebanese cabinet on Tuesday approved a one million dollar immediate
relief aid to victims of the Israeli aggression on Gaza and called for speeding
up efforts to hold an extraordinary Arab summit conference. Information Minister
Tareq Mitri told reporters after the session presided over by President Michel
Suleiman that the Lebanese government "denounces the Israeli aggression on Gaza
and holds Israel responsible for the tragedy."The government called for
"immediate and unconditional ceasefire and lifting of the blockade imposed on
Gaza," Mitri said. It declared Wednesday a "day of national mourning … in
solidarity with Gaza." He said President Suleiman briefed the cabinet that
convened at the Baabda Palace on his initial approval to take part in the
proposed summit, hoping it would be the "summit of Arab solidarity." Beirut, 30
Dec 08, 17:06
Jumblat Criticizes Nasrallah's Attack on Egypt
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Tuesday criticized
verbal attacks targeting Egypt and other Arab states and called for focusing on
uniting Palestinian factions to confront the Israeli aggression on Gaza. Jumblat,
in a television interview, ruled out the possibility of "escalation from Lebanon
(in line with the Gaza confrontation).""What would such escalation from
liberated south Lebanon produce at a time the Syria regime makes no moves
although Israel occupies its lands. They negotiate with Israel, instead,"
Jumblat noted. He urged the "international community and the U.N. Security
Council to exert pressure on Israel to halt its barbaric aggression on Gaza."
Jumblat said the settlement is available in adopting the Arab peace initiative
that leads to the creation of a "viable Palestinian state."
The ongoing violence in Gaza, according to Jumblat, would only result in "more
terror." Beirut, 30 Dec 08, 15:02
Beirut earmarks $1 million to
help Gazans, declares official day of mourning
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
BEIRUT: Lebanon's Cabinet said on Tuesday it would donate $1 million to help
Palestinians affected by continuing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. "The
Cabinet has decided to provide $1 million in immediate assistance to aid the
injured and afflicted in Gaza," Information Minister Tarek Mitri told reporters
after the ministers met at Baabda Palace for a session presided over by
President Michel Sleiman .
The government also announced that it will also launch a drive to raise funds
for Gaza relief efforts. In addition, Wednesday was declared a day of national
mourning, with flags at state institutions to be flown at half-mast.
Mitri stressed the "necessity of lifting the blockade against Gaza and ensuring
access of medical and humanitarian assistance to the wounded."
The news came as Israel bombed Gaza for a fourth day in a row. A medical
official in the enclave said at least 368 Palestinians, including more than 50
civilians, had been killed in the raids. Since Saturday, militants in Gaza have
responded by firing more than 250 rockets and mortar rounds into Israel, killing
four people, one of them a soldier, and wounding two dozen more. The Cabinet
also called for "Arab and Palestinian unity" in face of the assault.
Mitri said the Cabinet called for "accelerating the convening of the emergency
Arab summit to take the required measures to counter this aggression, to stop
the bloodshed and to push the international community to live up to its
responsibilities."
Foreign ministers from the Arab League are due to meet on Wednesday in Cairo,
where the 22-member pan-Arab grouping is based, to discuss the Gaza onslaught.
An Arab summit due to take place in Qatar on Friday is in doubt because some
countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia are not in favor of it, Arab diplomatic
sources have said. Meanwhile, Health Minister Mohammad Jawad Khalifeh said that
meetings were being held with representatives from the Palestine Liberation
Organization and other Palestinian factions to coordinate the means to provide
Gazans with assistance.
In an interview on Tuesday with Voice of Lebanon radio station, Khalifeh said:
"The problem lies in the possibility to deliver this assistance or take the
wounded out of Gaza." He added: "Nothing is organized until now; however the
International Committee of the Red Cross and [the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency] are supposedly able to do this job, and we will receive a response
today."
The health minister also said the Lebanese authorities, in coordination with the
Palestinians, have set a "specific list of assistance urgently needed."
"The greatest share of this assistance will be provided by the Ministry of
Health, while nongovernmental organizations and civil groups also expressed
their willingness to help," Khalifeh added. The minister also said that the
ministry was willing to secure use of an airplane to help the delivery process.
Also, the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union is expected to hold an emergency
meeting in support of Gaza in the southern port town of Tyre on Thursday, upon a
request by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. The conference will discuss
the Israeli attacks on Gaza and means to support the Palestinian people.
According to a report carried by Lebanon's official National News Agency, Arab
delegations started to arrive in Beirut on Tuesday. The meeting is to be held at
the Bassel Assad Cultural Center in Tyre.
Meanwhile, a number of Lebanese politicians aligned with the US-backed March 14
Forces criticized Hizbullah's secretary general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who
urged Egypt's government on Monday to open its Rafah border crossing with Gaza,
in order to help Gazans survive the Israeli assault.
Nasrallah called on Egyptians to "massively" take to the streets to press their
government to open the crossing to allow aids to flow in and the wounded to be
evacuated. During a massive rally in support of Gaza in Beirut's southern
suburbs, he also urged Sleiman "to press for an Arab summit in support of Gaza."
The president was quick to respond, with Baabda Palace issuing a statement just
hours later calling for an Arab summit to be held with all haste.
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt on Tuesday rejected criticism
of Egypt and other Arab states and called for focusing on uniting Palestinian
factions to confront the Israeli aggression on Gaza. Jumblatt, in a interview
with Iran's Press TV station, also ruled out the possibility of "the situation
escalating between Lebanon and Israel" because of the Gaza onslaught. "Where
would such attacks against the Egyptian regime lead us?" Jumblatt asked.
"Why don't we criticize the Syrian regime for not fighting to liberate its
occupied territories?" he added.
Jumblatt urged the "international community and the [United Nations] Security
Council to exert pressure on Israel to halt its barbaric aggression on Gaza."
The ongoing violence in Gaza, he warned, would only result in "more terror."
Phalange Party leader and former President Amin Gemayel also criticized
Nasrallah's remarks about Egypt's acquiescence in the Israeli siege of Gaza,
arguing that they did not reflect the opinion of "the Lebanese majority."
Gemayel also advised Sleiman to be "cautious" against attempts by certain powers
to push Lebanon into siding with "attempts to split the Arabs." The Phalange
leader also criticized "certain groups" for staging street protests "against an
Arab state," in reference to Egypt.
Addressing the same issue on Tuesday, Lebanese Forces boss Samir Geagea warned
against what he called attempts to topple Arab regimes.
Geagea, speaking to reporters at Bkirki after meeting Maronite Patriarch
Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, asked whether "we are trying to rescue Gaza or sparking
a major revolution in the Middle East?""I urge the Lebanese Army to be on alert
to prevent anyone from hurling Lebanon into the ongoing confrontation in Gaza,"
he said.
He also warned against attempts aimed at changing the "Arab-Israeli conflict
into an Arab-Arab conflict."
Separately, Palestinians staged a demonstration in the Hay al-Sikkeh
neighborhood of Lebanon's largest refugee camp, Ain al-Hilweh, on Tuesday to
protest the Israeli bombardment of Gaza. US and Israeli flags were set ablaze
during the sit-in.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 Palestinian children, along with representatives of
Lebanese NGOs, held a demonstration in the Beddawi camp near Tripoli.
The children addressed a memorandum to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calling
for "providing international protection to the Palestinians in Gaza."
In related news, the area around the Egyptian Embassy in Beirut was calm on
Tuesday after Lebanese security threw up a cordon. The neighborhood had
witnessed clashes between protesters in support of Gaza and security forces on
Sunday. - The Daily Star, with AFP, and additional reporting by Mohammed Zaatari,
Nafez Qawas, and Maher Zeineddine
Army seizes cars, drugs, weapons, suspects in Bekaa
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
BEIRUT: The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) made a series of arrests on Monday
evening, cracking down on wanted criminals such as car thieves, as well as arms
and drug smugglers in the Bekaa Valley. "The army arrested wanted criminals,
seized 22 stolen cars and unlicensed medium-size weapons, as well as mines and
hand grenades," according to a statement issued by the Lebanese Army Command.
"The army also seized huge quantities of cannabis, enough to fill 10 trucks, and
100 kilograms of cocaine," it added. The army statement said the detainees were
being questioned, "so as to refer them to the competent judicial authorities."
The army made similar arrests in the Bekaa village of Bidnayel on Christmas Eve.
Seperately, Defense Minister Elias Murr discussed the army's readiness in light
of the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip with the LAF's commander, General Jean
Kahwaji, Murr and Kahwaji also presided over a meeting of the National Military
Council, which discussed army missions across Lebanon. - The Daily Star
Nasrallah urges Egypt to stop helping siege of Gaza
Resistance leader warns any Israeli invasion of coastal strip would be destined
for failure
By Andrew Wander /Daily Star staff
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
HARET HREIK: Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Beirut's southern
suburbs on Monday for a Hizbullah-led rally against Israel's continuing military
assault on the Gaza Strip. Senior Hizbullah officials attended the protest amid
tight security, as supporters packed into Raya Square in Dahiyeh to hear a video
address from the party's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Speaking to the crowd
live from a remote location via a big screen, Nasrallah echoed his rhetoric of
the 2006 war when he predicted that the Israeli assault against Gaza would
result in a "divine victory" for the Palestinians.
"To Gazans I say: Your pain is our pain and your wounds are our wounds," he told
the cheering crowd, who waved Palestinian flags distributed by Hizbullah
officials. "Israel's air force will fail to destroy the will of the fighters
firing rockets."
Nasrallah warned that any Israeli ground offensive into Gaza would be destined
for failure with the Israeli military incurring heavy losses and defeat at the
hands of Hamas fighters. Encouraged by Nasrallah's warm-up speakers, the crowd
chanted "Death to Israel," and "Death to America," as a homemade Israeli flag
decorated with swastikas was burned and songs paying tribute to the Shiite
resistance group were blasted out of oversized speakers.
Ali Hamdan, 17, one of a group of young men visibly enraged at Israel's latest
military offensive against the Palestinians, said he believed that the Israeli
military's actions in Gaza would come to be seen as a tipping point in the
Arab-Israeli conflict.
"Everything will change because of this," he said. "When I see the TV, I feel
angry and sad. Where is the UN? Where are those that defend freedom? Where are
the rights of the babies? I will fight with Hizbullah against Israel. They [the
Israelis] are the terrorists."
He jabbed his finger to a placard showing a sickening collage of dead and
wounded children. "Tell me - is this justice?" he demanded.
As the crowd waited for Nasrallah's second speech in two days, there were signs
that his fiery criticism of Egypt's role in the blockade of the coastal enclave
has struck a chord among his supporters. Even children spoke angrily about
Cairo's apparent indifference to the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.
As the big screen played videos of successful Hizbullah attacks on Israeli
soldiers, Mohammad Nasrallah, a bespectacled 11-year-old peering out from under
Hizbullah's trademark yellow headband, said that Arab governments should be
doing more to help the Palestinians. "Egypt should open their borders to help
the Gazan people," he said. "Egypt is sharing this war with Israel. They should
be fighting against them. I say that they are animals, murderers."
He added that the ultimate losers of the conflict would be the Israelis despite
their current military dominance of Hamas: "Whatever they do, victory will be
ours in the future. I'm sure of that."The protest, by far the biggest in the
Arab world so far, fell on Islamic New Year and the first day of Ashura, the
10-day religious period observed by Shiite Muslims to commemorate the martyrdom
of Imam Ali Hussein, one of their holiest figures.
Despite Nasrallah's pledge to support the people of Gaza, there is no suggestion
that Hizbullah will unleash its formidable arsenal of rockets and missiles
across the Israeli border. Such an act would almost certainly trigger another
bloody war in Lebanon and northern Israel, something which Hizbullah is said to
be keen to avoid.
Gaza-bound aid vessel limps into Tyre
Captain says ship was rammed by Israeli gunboat in international waters
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
TYRE: An Israeli warship collided on Tuesday with a boat carrying activists and
medical supplies that was trying to break the blockade of Gaza, forcing it to
divert to the Port of Tyre in Lebanon. Passengers on board the 20-meter Dignity
said the Israeli patrol boat rammed their vessel, causing extensive damage, but
Israel claimed the two boats collided as the Israeli Navy was trying to contact
its captain. Television pictures of the boat entering the Port of Tyre showed a
large gash in the bow of the vessel on the port side, with pieces of wood and
broken glass covering the deck.The boat was struck a "massive" blow, said
Australian passenger Renee Bowyer.
"The glass shattered over top us. I was thrown across the room. The tables and
benches broke around me," Bowyer told AFP.
"We were all pretty sure we were being shot at and that we'd sink," she added.
Another activist on the Gaza-bound boat, former American congresswoman Cynthia
McKinney, said the Israeli actions had been deliberate.
"Our mission of solidarity and humanitarian relief was deterred by the Israelis
purposefully to keep us from delivering the medical supplies to Gaza," McKinney
told AFP. She described the experience as "absolutely harrowing." No one
was injured in the collision between the patrol boat and Dignity - operated by
the Free Gaza Movement - which was trying to take three tones of medical
supplies into Gaza on day four of Israeli air strikes on the Palestinian
territory. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP that the
naval vessel tried to contact the aid boat by radio for identification and to
inform it that it could not enter Gaza.
"After the boat did not answer the radio, it sharply veered and the two vessels
collided, causing only light damage," Palmor said.
However, the boat's captain, Briton Denis Healey, 54, said on arriving in Tyre
that the Israeli Navy had made "no contact" with the Dignity.
"Two Israeli gunboats were on our port side distracting us with their bright
lights when another Israeli gunboat with its lights turned off rammed us from
the front. I think they were distracting us from the port side," Healey told AFP.
"The boat initially took in a lot of water," added Healey, who said he was "a
bit frazzled."
The Israeli spokesman accused the international activists of "seeking
provocation more than ever."
The Free Gaza Movement, which has run the blockade six times since August to
take humanitarian supplies into Gaza, said the vessel could still sail after the
ramming.
Paul Larudee, one of the group's founders, said the Dignity had been
"surrounded" in international waters about 70 kilometers off the Israeli coast
and 135 kilometers from Gaza. "It was surrounded by 11 Israeli naval vessels,"
he said. "They ordered the boat to stop, and we didn't. They began firing over
our boat and into the waters next to the boat. When the boat wouldn't turn back,
one of the naval vessels rammed the boat, but not enough to disable the boat."
On its website, the Free Gaza Movement said the Dignity was on a "mission of
mercy" carrying three tons of medical supplies "donated by the people of
Cyprus," from where it set off on Monday. The Dignity was given a rousing
welcome when it arrived in Tyre, with hundreds of residents riding aboard
fishing boats to greet the activists with cheers and a colorful display of
Lebanese flags as well as those of Hizbullah and Amal.
As it docked, several hundred flag-waving Palestinians from refugee camps in
Tyre gathered to welcome the activists.
President Michel Sleiman had announced earlier that the boat was welcome to dock
in any Lebanese port and that an escort would be provided once it reached
territorial waters. - AFP