LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 18/09

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 2,13-17.  Once again he went out along the sea. All the crowd came to him and he taught them. As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"Jesus heard this and said to them (that), "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

Saint Ambrose (c.340-397), bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church
Commentary on Saint Luke's Gospel, 5, 23.27 (SC 45, p.191f. rev.)
"Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do"
The apostle Paul said: «Take off the old self with its practices and put on the new self» (Col 3,9-10)... This was the work Christ accomplished when he called Levi; he refashioned him into a new man. Similarly, it is as a new person that the former publican prepares a banquet for Christ since Christ takes pleasure in him and he himself merits to have a share in happiness with Christ... He followed him now, happy, gay and overflowing with joy. «I have the aspect of a publican no more,» he said, «I don't carry around the old Levi any longer; I put off Levi when I put on Christ. I flee from my earlier life; my Lord Jesus, you alone, who heal my wounds, I desire to follow. Who shall separate me from the love of God in you? tribulation? anguish? hunger? (Rom 8,35). I am bound to you by faith as by nails, I am held fast by the good bonds of love. Your commandments will all be like a cautery that I will apply firmly to my wound; the remedy stings but it takes away the ulcerous infection. Lord Jesus, with your powerful sword cut away the corruption of my sins: come quickly, lance my hidden and varied passions. Purge all the infection in the new bath. «Listen to me, you people who are fixed to the earth, you whose thoughts are intoxicated by your sins. I, Levi, was also wounded by similar passions. But I found a doctor who dwells in heaven and pours his remedies on earth. He alone can cure my wounds since he himself has none. He alone can remove the heart's pain and the soul's lethargy, for he knows everything that lies hidden.»


Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Ahmadinejad…Look Who’s Talking! By Tariq Alhomayed/ Asharq Al-Awsat, 17/01/09
Hezbollah plots bloody vengeance-By: Nicholas Blanford/Times Online 17/01/09
Israel Must Defeat Hamas.By: Ronald Radosh/Pajamas Media 17/01/09
Gaza vs. Congo: A Tale of Media Double Standards.By: Eli Bernstein/ Pajamas Media 17/01/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for January 17/09
Ban Concerned About Situation in the South, Stresses Tribunal Starts Operations in March-Naharnet
UN chief in Lebanon to discuss Gaza siege-NDTV.com
Gaza crisis: key maps and timeline-BBC News
Hamas says will fight on unless demands met-Reuters
Suleiman Remains Under Minority Fire-Naharnet
Qassem: Liberals of the World Unite-Naharnet
Thousands Demonstrate Against Gaza War, Protestors Demand Syria to Open Golan Front-Naharnet
Rocket Launcher False Alarm-Naharnet
Sarkozy Hopes 2009 Would be Decisive for Lebanon-Naharnet
Berri 'Not at Ease' with Anti-Suleiman Chants-Naharnet
Strict Security Measures Around U.S. Embassy in Awkar-Naharnet
Naval Base on the Shores of Nahr al-Bared Camp-Naharnet
Egypt demands immediate cease-fire in Gaza-AP
UN chief meets Lebanese leaders-AFP
Israel puts pressure on Hamas before truce vote-AP
Report: Syria ready to cooperate with US-International Herald Tribune
Fears Hamas will be severely damaged if truce not reached-WorldNetDaily
Hezbollah plots bloody vengeance-Times Online
Turkey says severing ties with Israel is wrong, doubts unilateral ...Africasia
Exclusive: CRC Open-Source Intelligence Briefs-Family Security Matters
Aoun: There are no Moderate Arab States-Naharnet
Hamas in Lebanon: Fighting to continue despite ceasefire-Monsters and Critics.com
Syria's Assad Makes Overtures to Obama-Spiegel Online
Official and Popular Farewell to Mansour Rahbani-Naharnet
Israel to vote Saturday on possible Gaza Strip truce-AP
Thousands Demonstrate in Lebanon Against Gaza Offensive-Naharnet
Strict Security Measures Around U.S. Embassy in Awkar-Naharnet
Lebanese Naval Base on the Shores of Nahr al Bared Camp-Naharnet
How Bush and Olmert Could Help Each Other-Washington Post
UNIFIL, Lebanese, Israeli army representatives met in S Lebanon-Xinhua
It's hard to determine the justification for military action ...guardian.co.uk

Ban Concerned About Situation in the South, Stresses Tribunal Starts Operations in March
Naharnet/U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon reiterated Saturday that the international tribunal starts functioning in March and told Lebanon's parliament he was concerned about the situation in southern Lebanon.
"Its (the court's) objective is to identify the perpetrators of" the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, he said. "There are great expectations of this new body."
"Lebanon provides a ray of hope" for a peaceful Middle East, he said as he addressed the Lebanese parliament during a brief visit as part of a tour of the region aimed at ending the war in Gaza.
Ban also listed progress made since the adoption of the Doha accord which ended the country's political crisis last May.
"You have brought this parliament back to life," he said. "You proved your desire for progress. I congratulate you and all Lebanese on your collective achievement."
He said he was encouraged about the adoption of an electoral law and that June 7 was set as the date for holding the polls.
"These elections are your responsibility," the U.N. chief told the Lebanese.
He said he continued to follow the process of national dialogue, adding "dialogue is the best way to address" issues of armed conflict.
As Ban spoke to the Lebanese parliament, hundreds of people held a noisy protest near the U.N. headquarters in downtown Beirut.
The protestors burned an effigy of Ban on which Israeli and American flags were plastered on the eyes.
The demonstrators also threw shoes at pictures of the U.N. chief, along with those of Israeli leaders and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.
About the firing of rockets from the south into northern Israel, Ban said: "I m very concerned about the situation in southern Lebanon."
"I urge all parties in Lebanon and in Israel to continue to show restraint during this tense time in the region," he said.
Although Ban said he was "encouraged" that Beirut and Damascus established diplomatic relations, he called for "tangible progress" in areas such as border control and dealing with the issue of missing Lebanese in Syria.
The U.N. secretary-general also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza saying that the level of violence in the Palestinian territory was unprecedented in recent history.
"Both sides must stop the fighting now," he told Lebanese MPs.
He urged Hamas to stop firing rockets into Israel and the Jewish state to end its offensive and withdraw its troops.
"The Israeli aerial and land offensives against Hamas targets are inflicting heavy civilian casualties, widespread destruction and tremendous suffering for the entire population," the U.N. chief said.
"The level of violence in Gaza is unprecedented in recent decades."
Ban also said "the Palestinians must be reconciled under the legitimate authority of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas."
Ban earlier held separate talks with President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and Speaker Nabih Berri.
After his address to parliament, the U.N. chief headed to the south to meet peacekeepers from the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon.
Ban's tour of the region has already taken him to Egypt, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Turkey.
On Sunday, he heads to Syria before going to Kuwait to attend an Arab League summit on Monday.(Naharnet-AP-AFP) Beirut, 17 Jan 09, 13:38

Suleiman Remains Under Minority Fire
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman returned to Beirut Friday night as minority forces continued their campaign against him for objecting to the reference of suspending the Arab peace initiative and insisting that its objection would be mentioned at the Doha summit's concluding statement.
The pro-minority Al-Akhbar daily described Suleiman's speech as being out of the context of the summit, adding that the president used wording aimed at evading "the anger of Arab and Western capitals and the (majority) March 14 forces in Lebanon."
The newspaper also said the president's presence at the meeting seamed "obligatory."
Proposals adopted in Doha call for "an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces and suspension of the Arab peace initiative," while accusing Israel of "committing crimes of war and genocide," the final statement said.
Other demands mentioned in the statement were "the opening of all border crossings, lifting of the blockade, and holding Israel responsible for paying compensation."
The Arab peace initiative, adopted in Beirut in 2002 and again in 2007, offers Israel peace if it retreats from all territories it has occupied since 1967.
As-Safir daily said there were three reasons for Suleiman's decision to object to the reference of suspending the Arab peace initiative.
One of the reasons is that the initiative was adopted during an Arab summit held in the Lebanese capital. Another reason is that the suspension of the initiative is inconsistent with the Lebanese government's policy statement and Suleiman's oath.
Third, Suleiman made it clear to the Arab leaders attending the Doha summit the initiative is the only document that adopts the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
The issue of Palestinian refugees is a sensitive topic in Lebanon, particularly when the Constitution's prelude clearly rejects naturalization.
According to An Nahar, official sources welcomed Suleiman's speech at the Doha summit. The president held onto the Arab peace initiative, stressed that the meeting should not worsen inter-Arab relations and all participants should reach a common stance in support of Gaza.
The sources also lauded Suleiman's objection to the reference of suspending the Arab initiative in the summit's concluding statement, saying such a stance is in line with the cabinet's position. Beirut, 17 Jan 09, 09:50

Qassem: Liberals of the World Unite
Naharnet/Hizbullah's Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naeem Qassem has called on liberals of the world to unite against imperialism.
"We have the right to live with our heads held high. Let everyone know that we won't be slaves. Our resistance is our response," Qassem said Friday.
He was speaking at the "International Forum for Resistance and Opposition of Imperialism and Solidarity Among Peoples" which began its works on Friday at the UNESCO palace. The Forum was organized by the Consultative Center for Studies and Documentation, the National Coalition For Supporting the Choice of Resistance, the International Campaign Against Imperialism and Solidarity Among Peoples and Stop The War Campaign.
Qassem also attacked the U.S., saying: "Look for America, it is the number one enemy in the world. All of our problems come from America ... America arms Israel to kill and destroy."
"When we meet here we must put our vision openly in front of all honest men and liberals of the world regarding Hizbullah," Qassem said.
He pointed to the following:
First: We are an ideological Islamic party. We seek to strengthen the role of man based on three foundations: mercy, justice and resistance.
Second: We believe that resistance is the only way for liberation and change. In this sense, we call for smuggling more rockets. If it wasn't for the smuggled rockets, Gaza would have fallen into Israeli hands.
"So Israel has the right to arm itself with arms worth billions of dollars and receive airlifted arms, while the resistance can't?" he asked.
Third: We should join hands to form a pressing and effective force, regardless of color, ethnicity, language, religion or creed. "Liberals of the world unite. In Lebanon we have united the leftists, with the secularist, the committed Muslim and the nationalist," Qassem said. Fourth: In my opinion the world is now divided between two camps, that of America and that of the resistance. What is important is that the America and Israel camp is the enemy; it is a camp of corruption that we must stand against. Fifth: There is no solidarity without the support of the resistance. Sixth: Gaza today is the symbol of resistance and human dignity. We call upon you all to stand with Gaza to scatter the darkness of imperialism and Zionism. Beirut, 17 Jan 09, 11:05

Berri 'Not at Ease' with Anti-Suleiman Chants
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri has criticized pro-March 8 demonstrators who chanted slogans against President Michel Suleiman on Thursday.
"I didn't feel at ease about the chants against President Michel Suleiman," Berri told An Nahar daily in remarks published Saturday. The anti-Suleiman slogans "were uncalled for," he added. Thursday's pro-Gaza protest near the U.S. embassy in Awkar raised fears that the implications of the Israeli war on Gaza have moved to Lebanon. Berri also told An Nahar he was relieved that Suleiman traveled to Doha to attend the emergency summit on Gaza. Beirut, 17 Jan 09, 08:16

Thousands Demonstrate Against Gaza War, Protestors Demand Syria to Open Golan Front
Naharnet/Thousands of people demonstrated across Lebanon on Friday denouncing Israel's offensive in Gaza, leaving coffins outside Arab embassies in the capital and slamming Arab states for failing to unite and act decisively to stop the war. In Beirut, a convoy of dozens of vehicles drove through the city, stopping in front of the embassies of various Arab countries, including Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt, to place a black coffin at the entrance of each diplomatic mission.
The coffins carried an inscription that read, "We are all Gaza" as well as a personalized message for each country. A group of protestors arrived at the Syrian embassy on Hamra Street. An embassy employee who said, "Syria is the symbol of resistance" confronted them. Protestors replied by placing a coffin in front of the embassy chanting, "open the Golan Front and liberate it." The mock casket in front of the Syrian embassy carried a message that read: "Resistance is in Palestine and Lebanon. There are no alternatives to resistance in the Golan."
"Providing assistance to the wounded won't wash away your shame," read the message addressed to Saudi Arabia, which along with the region's other political heavyweight Egypt, had rejected calls from Qatar to hold an emergency Arab League summit on Friday.
An inscription left in front of the Egyptian embassy read: "Oh Egyptians, what are you doing? (President) Hosni Mubarak is a CIA agent."
Dozens of women and children also demonstrated in front of the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Beirut waving Palestinian flags and carrying dolls wrapped in bloodied clothing to illustrate the plight of children in Gaza.
"Israel, mother of terrorism", read one placard while another showed a picture of a child and a butcher's knife carrying the inscription, "the Arab silence", on the blade.
Doctors and staff at the American University Hospital in Beirut meanwhile held a sit-in to protest the Israeli offensive that has killed more than 1,100 people in 21 days.
Thousands of Palestinians and Lebanese also demonstrated in the northern city of Tripoli and the coastal town of Sidon.
In Sidon, the protesters angrily denounced Arab states that have failed openly to back Hamas, notably U.S. allies Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
"There is a martyr every minute and Mubarak keeps it shut," shouted the protesters, referring to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who has refused to open the Rafah border post with Gaza. "Where is the international community and our enslaved leaders," the protesters added as they burned an American and Israeli flag.
A garbage bin plastered with a sign that read "history dustbin" was rolled onto a central square in Sidon containing effigies of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, U.S. President George Bush and Mubarak.(AFP/naharnet) Beirut, 16 Jan 09, 22:06

Rocket Launcher False Alarm
Naharnet/Tensions remained in south Lebanon on Friday following the announcement of a discovery of a Katyusha launcher close to the Lebanon-Israel border at the Marjayoun region that turned out to be false. Joint Lebanese military and UNIFIL inspection of the region proved that no launcher was present.
On Thursday evening, an army intelligence unit found south of the Habariyeh village a wooden rocket launcher fixed to the ground ready to be used for launching rockets into Israel. An army unit removed it. On Wednesday morning, rockets were fired from the same village region towards Israel. Israel responded by firing artillery shells. Three rockets were fired last week towards Israel causing two slight injuries. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Israel fired its artillery in responding to the attack. Israel has warned that in case the rocket launching continues from Lebanon it would respond with its air force next time. Beirut, 17 Jan 09, 13:13

Aoun: There Are No Moderate Arab States
Naharnet/The head of Change and Reform Parliamentary bloc Gen. Michel Aoun has attacked so-called "moderate" Arab states.
"There is no such thing as a moderate Arab axis, there is no moderation between right and wrong," Aoun told Hizbullah's al-Manar television in an interview Friday evening. "Moderation is in accepting the other side and in holding a dialogue with him," Aoun added. "So-called moderate Arab states should be termed states of submission," he said. Aoun also attacked Israel's continued lack of respect for international resolutions and agreements.
"Israel surpasses all international agreements in using banned weapons. The Palestinian people die and no one cares," he said. "Arab pressure exerted by moderate Arab states did not prevent Israel from targeting Palestinian civilians in Gaza," he said.  "Which of the U.N. Security Council member states denounced the (Israeli) violation of signed international agreements?" Aoun wondered. "The Qassam rockets are not the real cause of the war on Gaza, the real cause is to kill the Palestinian will," Aoun said. He linked the tragedy of Gaza with that of Qana in south Lebanon, saying: "The massacres are one and the same."
Aoun commented on the Doha summit resolution on suspending the Arab peace initiative (launched at the 2002 Beirut Arab summit) saying: "This was necessary, particularly when this initiative was not followed up by any implementation. Israel continues to reject the Palestinian right of return." "The Arab initiative is suspended to begin with. The Qatari and Mauritanian decision for severing ties with Israel is a positive thing," he said. Concerning the recent criticism by Beirut demonstrators against President Michel Suleiman, Aoun said: "The president's position was not ambiguous and we at the Free Patriotic Movement did not press the president." "We are not against the president we are competing against him politically at the upcoming elections. All those that are not allied with us are against us," he said. "We at the Free Patriotic Movement spearhead the objectionable stance," Aoun affirmed, adding that people express their political views freely."I do not understand what is centrism, what is their agenda? Today we hear about centrists independents, what does that mean?" Aoun asked. He went on to add that the centrist political bloc is another name for March 14 Forces that are attempting to influence public opinion. Beirut, 17 Jan 09, 08:29

Sarkozy Hopes 2009 Would be Decisive for Lebanon
Naharnet/French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday that Lebanon was rebuilding itself slowly and hoped 2009 would be decisive for the country.
"Lebanon is rebuilding itself step-by-step on the road to peace and reconstruction," Sarkozy told foreign diplomats based in Paris.
"I hope that 2009 would be a decisive year for Lebanon which has made progress in internal stability and a change it is relation with Syria in the past months," An Nahar daily quoted Sarkozy as saying. He told diplomats that Lebanese President Michel Suleiman would make an official visit to Paris mid March.
During Suleiman's visit, "France will stress … that it stands by all the Lebanese," the French president said. On Iran, Sarkozy said Tehran's nuclear enrichment program has no civilian purpose and is dragging it into a dangerous confrontation with the international community. "The moment is coming when Iran's leaders will have to make a choice," he warned, as part of an annual foreign policy address. "Either they provoke a serious confrontation with the international community or, and this is what France wants, we come to a negotiated deal in these talks which have been going on for, mark this, five years." Beirut, 17 Jan 09, 08:46

Egypt demands immediate cease-fire in Gaza
By IBRAHIM BARZAK and JOSEF FEDERMAN, Associated Press Writers Ibrahim Barzak And Josef Federman, Associated Press Writers – 21 mins ago Play Video Reuters – Israel suggests violence could end  Slideshow: Israeli troops invade Gaza Play Video Video: Israel says its Gaza offensive is almost over AP Play Video Mideast Video: UN school in Gaza hit by shells Reuters AP – Flares are seen during an Israeli military operation in the northern Gaza Strip as seen from the Israeli … GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Egypt's president has demanded Israel immediately end its offensive in Gaza and withdraw its forces, hours before the Israeli government was set to vote on an Egyptian cease-fire proposal. President Hosni Mubarak called on Israel to "stop its military operations immediately" and withdraw all troops from the Gaza Strip. Egypt has been one of the few Arab countries that has blamed Gaza's Hamas rulers for rocket fire on Israel that provoked the 22-day assault on Gaza. More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials.

Hezbollah plots bloody vengeance
By: Nicholas Blanford
Times/17.01.09
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5533205.ece
Israel’s bloody offensive in Gaza may be drawing to a close but there were growing fears last night that a new conflict may be looming with Hamas’s ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah. Nearly a year after suspected Israeli agents assassinated Imad Mughniyeh, the group’s military commander, sources on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border predict renewed conflict. The Shia militant fighter, credited with transforming his troops into one of the world’s most effective irregular armies, passed on to Hamas in Gaza some of the tactics that enabled Hezbollah to battle the Israeli army to a standstill in south Lebanon in 2006.
Hezbollah has vowed to avenge Mughniyeh’s death in a car bomb blast in Damascus on February 13 and, with the first anniversary coming up, Israel fears an imminent attack.  The Israelis have reason to be concerned. Speaking two weeks ago, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, said: “The Zionists will discover that the war they had in July was a walk in the park if we compare it to what we’ve prepared for every new aggression.”
The Times has learnt that at least one attack was foiled in Azerbaijan weeks after Mughniyeh’s assassination when Azeri Intelligence discovered a plot to blow up the Israeli Embassy there. Recently, intelligence sources say, Egypt broke up an alleged Hezbollah cell in the Sinai headed by a Lebanese citizen, Sami Shehab, which included Palestinians and was planning to attack Israeli targets.
There are concerns that Hezbollah, operating through its external security organisation, is planning further attacks on Israeli or Jewish targets outside Israel. Hezbollah’s ‘1800 Unit’ is said to be working on possible attacks inside Israel.
Hezbollah has avenged past Israeli assassinations of its leaders. In February 1992 Israeli helicopter gunships attacked the motorcade of Sheikh Abbas Mussawi, then Hezbollah leader, killing him along with his wife and five-year-old son. A month later the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was blown up by a suicide car bomber in an attack allegedly planned by Mughniyeh himself.
“We will retaliate because the Sayyed made that promise,” Abu Hassan, commander of a 25-man Hezbollah squad, told The Times, referring to Sheikh Nasrallah. “The Israelis have killed our leaders in the past but we have always grown stronger. Nothing can shake Hezbollah.”
Analysts believe that the retaliation will be planned carefully and executed at a time of the group’s choosing.
“This was never going to be a tit-for-tat immediate response but a strategic retaliation, one that will take time,” said Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, a Lebanese expert on Hezbollah. Some expected a response during Israel’s three-week assault on Gaza, which has killed at least 1,100 Palestinians. Hezbollah did put its forces on alert and some rockets were fired from south Lebanon by unknown militants but so far the response has been limited to street protests and rhetoric.
Nevertheless, the group said that it would seek revenge. “The account is known and it is a large one. Revenge is coming from us and from others,” Nawaf Mussawi, in charge of Hezbollah’s foreign relations, said.
Lebanon holds a general election in June when Hezbollah and its political allies are well placed to form the new parliamentary majority. The replacement of the current Western-backed Government with one dominated by Hezbollah’s allies will relieve some of the pressure the group faces to dismantle its military wing. Triggering a fresh war with Israel for the sake of Hamas could however backfire at the polls.
One option open to Hezbollah is to help to rebuild Hamas. “The symbol of Hamas as a resistance is now far greater in the Arab world than before,” said Mr Mussawi.
Ibrahim al-Amine, of Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper and a confidant of Sheikh Nasrallah, wrote last week that up until his death Mughniyeh was obsessed with the idea of passing on Hezbollah’s military secrets to Hamas.
Dozens of Palestinian fighters travelled to Lebanon, Syria and Iran for training, he wrote. Mughniyeh taught Hamas that communications was a strategic weapon. Hezbollah has installed a complex internal communications system, including a fibre-optic landline network, linking its military bases and command centres.
The military assistance to Hamas apparently continued after Mughniyeh’s assassination. A European intelligence source told The Times that two Iranian teams, including communications and rocket specialists, were working with Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza last summer.
Hamas reportedly has constructed a network of war bunkers in Gaza similar to those built by Hezbollah in south Lebanon before the 2006 war.
Hezbollah has built new lines of defence farther north, extending to its heartland in the northern Bekaa Valley. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of volunteers have been recruited.
Israeli officials say that Hezbollah has tripled the number of rockets in its arsenal since 2006. Hezbollah fighters have hinted that in the next war Shia militants could launch commando raids inside Israel.

Israel puts pressure on Hamas before truce vote
AP/GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israeli forces pounded dozens of Hamas targets early Saturday as the army kept up pressure on the Islamic militant group ahead of a crucial vote on whether to end Israel's punishing three-week-long campaign against Gaza's rulers.
The military said it struck some 50 Hamas targets. In one attack, a shell struck a United Nations school packed with refugees fleeing the fighting, witnesses and the U.N. said, killing two Palestinians and drawing a sharp condemnation from the U.N.
Israel had no comment on the incident, the latest in a string of attacks to hit a U.N. installation.
Israel was pressing ahead with its offensive hours before a vote by its leaders late Saturday on whether to accept an Egyptian-brokered truce.
The vote followed Friday's signing of a "memorandum of understanding" in Washington between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni that calls for expanded intelligence cooperation to prevent Hamas from rearming. Livni called the deal, reached on the final working day of the Bush administration, "a vital complement for a cessation of hostility."
Israel's 12-member Security Cabinet was expected to approve the Egyptian proposal, under which fighting would stop immediately for 10 days. Israeli forces would remain in Gaza and the territory's border crossings with Israel and Egypt would remain closed until security arrangements are made to prevent Hamas arms smuggling.
Under the deal, Egypt would shut down weapons smuggling routes with international help and discussions on opening Gaza's blockaded border crossings — Hamas' key demand — would take place at a later date.
It remained unclear whether Hamas supports the proposal, sending mixed signals about whether it would accept the cease-fire proposal. In Turkey, a spokesman for the movement, Sami Abu Zuhri, said Saturday that militants would keep fighting.
Hamas "will not bow to invading forces, will not raise the white flag," he said.
But after weeks of heavy losses, leaders inside Gaza have signaled they are ready for a deal. A Hamas delegation was headed to Cairo on Saturday for more negotiations.
"Our movement is a main player and it cannot be ignored," said Ghazi Hamad, a Gaza-based Hamas official.
Hamas, which overtook the Gaza Strip in a violent coup in June 2007, has demanded an immediate Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the opening of blockaded border crossings.
Israel launched the offensive on Dec. 27 to try to halt near-daily Hamas rocket attacks against southern Israel. Palestinian medics say the fighting has killed at least 1,140 Palestinians — roughly half of them civilians — and Israel's bombing campaign caused massive destruction in the Gaza Strip. Thirteen Israelis have been killed, four by rocket fire and nine in ground battles in Gaza, according to the government.
Israel Radio reported that a truce summit could be held in Cairo as early as Sunday with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Israeli leaders in attendance.
In the meantime, there was no slowdown in the offensive. A total of 11 Palestinians were killed in battles throughout Gaza on Saturday, Palestinian medics said.
Israeli warplanes dropped bombs throughout the night on suspected smuggling tunnels in the southern border town of Rafah. The bombs could be heard whistling through the air, shook the ground upon impact and left a dusty haze in the air.
In the northern town of Beit Lahiya, an Israeli shell struck a U.N. school where 1,600 people had sought shelter to flee the fighting, said Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.
He said several shells struck the school compound, including a direct hit on the top floor of the building. The shell killed two boys, and turned a room on the building's into a blackened mess of charred concrete and twisted metal bed frames. Near Gaza City, Palestinian officials said three more civilians were killed by a naval shell, and a militant was killed in an airstrike.
Gunness condemned the school attack, saying the U.N. has given Israel the coordinates of all its operations in Gaza to avoid such violence. "There have to be investigations to see if war crimes have been committed," he said.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment, saying the matter was still under investigation. But in similar instances, including an attack that heavily damaged the U.N. headquarters in Gaza earlier this week, Israel has accused Hamas militants of staging attacks from U.N. and other civilian buildings.
The military said its planes struck 50 Hamas locations overnight, including rocket-launching sites, smuggling tunnels, weapons storehouses, bunkers and minefields. Some five rockets were fired into Israel, causing minor damage but no injuries, the army said.
Israeli troops entered a small central Gaza town and nearby housing project, taking over houses and positioning on rooftops. Hamas militants fired assault rifles, mortars and rockets at the Israeli forces in tanks and military vehicles, the sound of clashes audible from Gaza City. Warplanes fired missiles at buildings and nearby farms, witnesses said.
"A shell landed in my bedroom and we are now sitting in the kitchen. We are 17 people here," said Jihan Sarsawi, a resident of the housing project. Speaking by telephone, she said residents were trapped in their homes.
The violence followed Israeli envoy Amos Gilad's journey to Cairo on Friday. He returned to report "substantial progress" in truce talks with Egyptian mediators, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office announced. The Israeli vote comes ahead of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration on Tuesday, and Israeli elections next month.
In an interview with the Israeli YNet news Web site, Livni indicated that Israel would renew its offensive if Hamas militants continued to fire rockets at Israel even after a truce agreement was reached.
"This campaign is not a one-time event," she said. "The test will be the day after. That is the test of deterrence."
Speaking in Washington, she said the deal with the U.S. was meant "to complement Egyptian actions and to end of the flow of weapons to Gaza."
The agreement outlines a framework under which the United States commits detection and surveillance equipment, as well as logistical help and training to Israel, Egypt and other nations to be used in monitoring Gaza's land and sea borders.
Earlier, Rice said she hoped European countries would work out similar bilateral agreements with Israel.
**Ibrahim Barzak reported from Gaza City, Alfred de Montesquiou reported from Rafah, Gaza Strip, and Federman reported from Jerusalem.

Israel Must Defeat Hamas
By Ronald Radosh
Pajamas Media | Friday, January 16, 2009
As Israel goes deeper into Gaza, and intensifies its bombardment of Hamas in Gaza City, a chorus is beginning to be heard: Israel is now committing war crimes; the conditions of the people there constitute a humanitarian crisis; the only solution is negotiations with Hamas for a cease-fire that will give Gaza’s beleaguered and innocent population breathing space to begin rebuilding its shattered city.
As awful as the situation in Gaza is, an important point was made today by law professor Irwin Cotler of McGill University. Cotler shows that Hamas is violating six different provisions of established international law: deliberate targeting of civilians; attacking with rockets from within civilian areas; abusing humanitarian instruments to launch attacks, such as using ambulances to transport weapons; public incitement to genocide; and the recruitment of children into armed conflict.
Cotler’s main point: The situation in Gaza is tragic, but “there has to be a moral and legal clarity as to responsibility. When Israel responds and civilians are killed because Israel is targeting an area from which rockets were launched, then it is Hamas which bears responsibility for the deaths, and not Israel.”
Despite Hamas’ actions, foreign policy experts like Richard N. Haass, president of The Council Foreign Relations, believes that diplomats can easily reach an agreement. As he sees it, the final outcome is clear: “Hamas will agree to stop firing rockets into Israel; the Israelis will pull back their forces from Gaza.” It all seems so doable to Haass. All it takes, he thinks, is to learn the lessons of the agreement in Northern Ireland that led the IRA to give up armed struggle and work within the political system. It worked, according to Haass, because the British Army convinced the IRA that it could not “shoot its way into power.” And British diplomats showed the minority Catholics that they could get a fair deal by renouncing arms and embracing politics.
The problem with Haass’ analogy is that Hamas is not the Catholic population of Northern Ireland. They suffered from a lack of civil rights and access to scarce jobs, which were reserved for Protestants. Catholicism was not an ideology that vowed death to Irish Protestants simply for being Protestant.
Hamas has revealed that its goal is non-negotiable. Its very raison d’etre is to destroy Israel as a nation, and to kill Jews as a religious duty. Watch this video provided by Memri. Here you will see one Hamas leader saying “Killing a single Jew is the same as killing 30 million Jews.” Another vows that “the annihilation of Jews here in Palestine is one of the most splendid blessings.” As Marty Peretz writes, “they are not fooling.” And no one has put it as well as The Atlantic’s correspondent, Jeffrey Goldberg, who in yesterday’s New York Times wrote: Both Hamas and Hezbollah, fierce competitors for the Muslim’s allegiance, both “share a common belief that Jews are a cosmological evil, enemies of Islam since Muhammed sought refuge in Medina.” And like Peretz, he agrees that its anti-Semtism is sincere. As the Hamas leader Nizar Rayyan, who was killed by Israel a few weeks ago, told Goldberg: Jews “are a curse to anyone who lives near them.”
As for a cease-fire, any such act would be a tactical withdrawal until Hamas could achieve its final goal, eradication of Israel by the forces of Islam. Hamas, Goldberg concludes, “cannot be cajoled into moderation.” And so I ask Richard Haass, how will he and other diplomats - even skilled ones like Dennis Ross- show Hamas “they will get a fair deal by renouncing arms and embracing politics?” They can’t and they won’t be able to. That would only occur if the diplomats promised them that they can attain the destruction of Israel by diplomatic means and with the world’s cooperation.
Haas claims that “talking - negotiating-will deliver more than fighting.” Hamas does not want what Haass would like to believe they will accept: “a viable Palestinian state based on 1967 lines.” Fatah’s leadership might accept such a deal, but it is Hamas that is at war with Israel, not the Palestinian authority in the West Bank. One thing is certain; Haass’ dream that the “radicals [will] evolve and become more moderate” is a pipe dream, as is his hope that they will learn the only way to gain a Palestinian state is by “trading in their guns.” This is the erroneous thinking that led to their being allowed to run in the elections. The only Palestinian state they would accept is the one currently known as Israel-all of Israel, and not just a portion.
Diplomats like Haass say they want a Jewish State that remains “democratic, Jewish, prosperous and secure.” So do I, and so do most Jews. That goal, however, cannot be met unless Hamas suffers a major defeat from which it cannot recover.

Ahmadinejad…Look Who’s Talking!
16/01/2009
By Tariq Alhomayed
Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat,
The second bout of verbal attacks has been launched by those trading in the blood of Gaza after it became apparent that the Egyptians were close to achieving a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. This came in conjunction with Arab efforts spearheaded by Prince Saud al Faisal in the Security Council, which resulted in a UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. The Egyptian initiative came to be the catalyst behind that and this came about as a result of Saudi-Egyptian efforts; not as a result of the weapon of rhetoric used by Iran and its allies.
Today, after more than a thousand deaths and five thousand injured in Gaza, with the end of Israeli aggression in sight, the traders investing in Gaza’s wounded have emerged in preparation for the next stage. This is a major scandal and their number will increase after the atrocities of Israel’s crimes become visible on the ground. At the beginning of the attacks, we said, “The blood of Gaza is a business venture,” and today we will see who the merchants really are with our own eyes.
Those investing in the Gaza crisis emerged with their microphones, headed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He appeared at a press conference, in which he expressed a similar message to Hassan Nasrallah the day he attacked Egypt.
Ahmadinejad said, “It is unfortunate to see a number of Islamic and Arab governments in the region condone this unprecedented genocide with their silence and smiles of satisfaction”. But the question here is: what has Iran done for Gaza? Its Supreme Leader issued a fatwa against any suicide bombers going to Gaza and Saeed Jalili pledged that Hezbollah would not get involved in the battle.
Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad’s Syrian ally has his own land occupied and shares a long border [with Israel], so why hasn’t it been opened so that Iranian suicide bombers could be dispatched from there? In actual fact, the Syrian said on Wednesday that he agreed that weapons should not be smuggled into Gaza and that there should be a halt to rockets being launched, so how can Egypt be accused of treachery? And why haven’t the Qataris closed the Israeli trade office in Doha?
That was not enough for Ahmadinejad; he published a letter to the Saudi monarch on his website saying, “It is expected of you to break your silence on the catastrophic events and on the murder of your children.” All I can say is look who’s talking!
It was King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz who brought the Palestinians together in Mecca whereas Iran and its allies are the ones who pushed Hamas to violate the agreement and carry out the coup in Gaza.
It was King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz who told the Palestinians in Mecca, “Do not destroy yourselves and destroy us,” whereas Ahmadinejad and his allies destroyed the Palestinians, divided the Palestinian rank and caused the split. They are responsible for the bloodshed of innocent people in Gaza.
The Saudi monarch is the one who threatened to cut Saudi-US ties because of the Palestinian cause during the 2000 Palestinian Intifada.
We watched as King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz’s Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal told the international community, “Don’t force us to turn our backs on you,” whereas Ahmadinejad, through his disrespect to the Arab world, is testing US President-elect Barack Obama. In reference to Obama’s upcoming tenure, Ahmadinejad said, “We have enough time and patience and we will wait and see.”
Even though that it was Iran that called for cutting petrol supplies, in reference to the danger of an oil embargo on Israel’s supporters, Ahmadinejad said that it was “a good idea but was not on the agenda yet.”
Didn’t we tell you that they were the ones trading in the blood of Gaza?

Gaza vs. Congo: A Tale of Media Double Standards
Two conflicts with remarkably similar characteristics yet shockingly disparate press coverage.
January 17, 2009 - by Eli Bernstein
 Pajamas Media
While the conflict between Israel and Hamas unfolded in Gaza over the past few weeks, many innocent Gazan civilians stuck in the middle have no doubt suffered much. Meanwhile, another group of civilians further south has been going through a nightmare of no lesser proportion. You may be forgiven if you haven’t heard about the dire situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where over 1,000 civilians have been killed by a Ugandan rebel group since Christmas (Source: ResolveUganda). After all, the papers were so filled with coverage of the situation in Gaza, they had left little space to report this story; the late-night news devoted half its time to scenes of death and destruction in Gaza, running out of time before they had the chance to update you on the massacres in the DRC.
There are longstanding complaints about mainstream media bias in its reporting on Israel and websites such as honestreporting.com and bbcwatch.com seek to highlight this ongoing phenomenon. The contrast in reporting between the coverage of Israel’s war on Hamas and the massacres of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) presents an interesting case study in media bias, and a disturbing one at that.
There are a remarkable number of similarities between the two conflicts:
Hamas is a radical Islamic militia headed by an imam with the aim of creating a state under Sharia law. The LRA is a Christian militia headed by a “spokesman of God” with the aim of establishing a theocratic state based on the Ten Commandments (Source: GlobalSecurity).
Hamas and the LRA have both refused to sign peace agreements with their enemy, a U.S. ally. Both are designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. Department of State.
Following the end of a negotiated truce period and responding to ongoing Hamas rockets, Israel launched Operation Cast Lead on December 27, 2008. The ongoing conflict has lead to the deaths of 1,000 people to date, a third of whom are civilians. Meanwhile, two days earlier on Christmas Day, following the end of a UN peacekeeping mandate, the LRA attacked civilians with machetes, sparking the current conflict. To date, there are reports of 1,000 dead, all of whom are civilian.
The most newsworthy anecdote of the Gaza conflict has been the reported deaths of 40 civilians, including women and children, by an errant Israeli shell as they gathered to seek shelter at a safe haven, a UN school. Meanwhile, in the village of Doruma, more than 100 people, including women and children, were hacked to death by the LRA as they sought refuge in a safe haven, a Catholic church. Body parts were scattered all around the church and village (Source: The Monitor; ABC News).
Given the similarities, one would expect to get an equal level of media coverage on the two conflicts. I must admit that until yesterday, I knew nothing about the situation in the DRC and I think it would be a safe bet that most of you have not heard about this conflict until today. Here’s why.
A Google News search I ran on a mix of keywords relating to the two conflicts, the respective terrorist organizations involved, and the newsworthy anecdotes of the conflicts showed that reporting has been evidently skewed. When adjusted to factor in the newsworthiness of the story, as measured by the number of civilian deaths involved in the incident, the bias is beyond just proportion.
Without getting into a debate about the morality of the operation in Gaza (see my other article on that subject), surely you would have to agree that a story about a civilian killed by an errant shell (aimed at rocket launchers 30 meters away) is not 807 times more newsworthy that a civilian hacked to death in a church on Christmas Day. While admittedly a higher standard of responsibility is rightly applied to a democratic state than an African terrorist group, surely the responsibility for the safeguarding of civilian life in enemy territory is somewhat mitigated by its right to defend the citizens of its own territory.
Confronted with two crises of a similar scale evolving over the same timeframe, the media chose to devote its full attention to one while blankly ignoring the other. Looking at these statistics, the mainstream media has little right to preach the doctrine of proportionality.
So, what makes a reporter decide to write yet another article about the crisis in Gaza rather than break the news from the DRC? The only plausible explanation for this disproportionate coverage is racism. It seems that while no one wants to read about another thousand dead Africans, everyone wants to read about those “warmongering Jews.” And so a pogrom of media reporting begins.
***Eli Bernstein is a commentator on Middle Eastern affairs and Energy Economics. He can be contacted at eli.bernstein@gmail.com.