13 may 2014
An aid convoy from Algeria was denied entry to the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing on Tuesday, the convoy's coordinator told Ma'an.
Muhammad Abu Mirie said that the convoy was stopped by Egyptian authorities, who said the convoy's entry had been postponed to Sunday.
If allowed to enter the Strip, the convoy will deliver medicine and medical equipment to the Algerian hospital in Khan Yunis, Abu Mirie said.
Rafah has been the principal connection between Gaza's 1.7 million residents and the outside world since the imposition of an economic blockade by Israel in 2007.
There have been frequent closures of the crossing in recent months due to political unrest in Egypt and violence in the Sinai peninsula, placing an added burden on Gaza Strip residents.
After the July overthrow of president Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's army has repeatedly closed the Rafah border crossing and destroyed hundreds of tunnels that Gazans used for years to import fuel, building materials, and other goods.
Muhammad Abu Mirie said that the convoy was stopped by Egyptian authorities, who said the convoy's entry had been postponed to Sunday.
If allowed to enter the Strip, the convoy will deliver medicine and medical equipment to the Algerian hospital in Khan Yunis, Abu Mirie said.
Rafah has been the principal connection between Gaza's 1.7 million residents and the outside world since the imposition of an economic blockade by Israel in 2007.
There have been frequent closures of the crossing in recent months due to political unrest in Egypt and violence in the Sinai peninsula, placing an added burden on Gaza Strip residents.
After the July overthrow of president Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's army has repeatedly closed the Rafah border crossing and destroyed hundreds of tunnels that Gazans used for years to import fuel, building materials, and other goods.
A high-profile delegation of Israeli officials landed in Cairo on Monday, an Egyptian official told Ma’an.
According to the well-placed official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the delegation boarded a private plane which took off from Tel Aviv. They were welcomed at Cairo International Airport by Egyptian general intelligence officers.
The Egyptian authorities have not made any public announcements about what the source described as a "secret mission."
The official said the visiting Israeli officials would meet with their counterparts in the Egyptian foreign ministry and general intelligence service. They were expected to ask the Egyptians to help the new Israeli ambassador to Egypt with his daily operations.
They will also discuss mutual relations with Egypt and cooperation between both countries over security arrangements in the Sinai Peninsula, the source highlighted.
On Sunday, unidentified gunmen shot and killed an Egyptian soldier and injured another in the northern Sinai Peninsula, army sources said.
Egyptian military sources told Ma'an that unidentified gunmen opened fire at a group of soldiers in al-Joura village near Sheikh Zuweid, killing one and critically injuring another.
The soldiers fired back and the gunmen fled the scene, the sources said.
The injured soldier was taken to a military hospital in el-Arish.
Egyptian armed forces launched large scale military action against militants in the Sinai Peninsula in September, in what officials have described as the largest mobilization of force in the area since the 1973 war with Israel.
The military action comes in the wake of rising instability and almost daily attacks in the region, following a July coup by the Egyptian military which unseated President Mohammad Morsi.
Since then, Muslim Brotherhood activists have held weekly demonstrations in protest against the coup, while the army has consolidated its grip on power and violently repressed protests against its rule, killing around 1,400 according to Amnesty International.
At the same time, Wahhabi militant groups have stepped up a violent campaign of attacks against the government, particularly in the Sinai Peninsula.
According to the well-placed official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the delegation boarded a private plane which took off from Tel Aviv. They were welcomed at Cairo International Airport by Egyptian general intelligence officers.
The Egyptian authorities have not made any public announcements about what the source described as a "secret mission."
The official said the visiting Israeli officials would meet with their counterparts in the Egyptian foreign ministry and general intelligence service. They were expected to ask the Egyptians to help the new Israeli ambassador to Egypt with his daily operations.
They will also discuss mutual relations with Egypt and cooperation between both countries over security arrangements in the Sinai Peninsula, the source highlighted.
On Sunday, unidentified gunmen shot and killed an Egyptian soldier and injured another in the northern Sinai Peninsula, army sources said.
Egyptian military sources told Ma'an that unidentified gunmen opened fire at a group of soldiers in al-Joura village near Sheikh Zuweid, killing one and critically injuring another.
The soldiers fired back and the gunmen fled the scene, the sources said.
The injured soldier was taken to a military hospital in el-Arish.
Egyptian armed forces launched large scale military action against militants in the Sinai Peninsula in September, in what officials have described as the largest mobilization of force in the area since the 1973 war with Israel.
The military action comes in the wake of rising instability and almost daily attacks in the region, following a July coup by the Egyptian military which unseated President Mohammad Morsi.
Since then, Muslim Brotherhood activists have held weekly demonstrations in protest against the coup, while the army has consolidated its grip on power and violently repressed protests against its rule, killing around 1,400 according to Amnesty International.
At the same time, Wahhabi militant groups have stepped up a violent campaign of attacks against the government, particularly in the Sinai Peninsula.
11 may 2014
Husam Badran
Hamas denounced former Arab League secretary general Amr Mousa for calling on the movement to recognize Israel, describing his call as blatant intervention in internal Palestinian affairs. Husam Badran, a senior leader in Hamas movement, said in a statement on Sunday that Mousa’s call does not reflect the opinion of the majority of Arabs and Muslims who refuse to accept Israeli occupation of Arab land.
Mousa told reporters in Washington last Wednesday that Hamas, which is reconciling with the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, should accept the Arab peace initiative and recognize Israel.
Badran said that Palestinian reconciliation was in need of supportive positions rather than statements that “poison the atmosphere”.
He charged that such statements aim at gaining US and Israel’s satisfaction in order to achiever certain political and personal ends that have nothing to do with the Palestinian issue.
Such statements harm the Palestine cause and the reconciliation process and provide cover for prosecuting Palestinian resistance and tightening the blockade on Gaza Strip, Badran said.
The Hamas leader said that Mousa should have rather criticized the Israeli occupation for being the “major criminal” in the Arab-Israeli struggle.
Hamas denounced former Arab League secretary general Amr Mousa for calling on the movement to recognize Israel, describing his call as blatant intervention in internal Palestinian affairs. Husam Badran, a senior leader in Hamas movement, said in a statement on Sunday that Mousa’s call does not reflect the opinion of the majority of Arabs and Muslims who refuse to accept Israeli occupation of Arab land.
Mousa told reporters in Washington last Wednesday that Hamas, which is reconciling with the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, should accept the Arab peace initiative and recognize Israel.
Badran said that Palestinian reconciliation was in need of supportive positions rather than statements that “poison the atmosphere”.
He charged that such statements aim at gaining US and Israel’s satisfaction in order to achiever certain political and personal ends that have nothing to do with the Palestinian issue.
Such statements harm the Palestine cause and the reconciliation process and provide cover for prosecuting Palestinian resistance and tightening the blockade on Gaza Strip, Badran said.
The Hamas leader said that Mousa should have rather criticized the Israeli occupation for being the “major criminal” in the Arab-Israeli struggle.
Spokesperson of the Fateh Movement Fayez Abu Atiyya stated that the upcoming national unity government would be supervising the Palestinian side of the Rafah Border Terminal, on the Egyptian border, in southern Gaza.
Abu Atiyya said Egypt wants a Palestinian government run by President Mahmoud Abbas, and will deal with this government regardless of the border terminal agreement signed with the Palestinians in 2005.
The Egyptian official further stated that Egypt considers Abbas the core of Palestinian legitimacy, and is willing to deal with any authority or department running the Palestinian side of the border, as long as it represents president Abbas.
Commenting on Palestinian reconciliation and the recently reached understandings between Fateh and Hamas, Abu Atiyya said that the deal is now advancing towards full implementation.
He added that the Palestinian reconciliation team, headed by Azzam al-Ahmad of Fateh’s Central Committee, will likely visit Egypt in the coming days to finalize some issues, especially regarding the unity government that should be ready within the five-week period agreed upon.
The Egyptian-mediated agreement was reached two weeks ago; representatives of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Hamas agreed to form a government of national unity, and have called for general elections within five to six weeks.
Secretary General of the Palestinian People's Party (PPP), Bassam al-Salhi, a "road map plan" had been agreed upon.
The plan starts with the formation of a national unity government that will be in charge of organizing the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections to take place, at most, within six months.
Abu Atiyya said Egypt wants a Palestinian government run by President Mahmoud Abbas, and will deal with this government regardless of the border terminal agreement signed with the Palestinians in 2005.
The Egyptian official further stated that Egypt considers Abbas the core of Palestinian legitimacy, and is willing to deal with any authority or department running the Palestinian side of the border, as long as it represents president Abbas.
Commenting on Palestinian reconciliation and the recently reached understandings between Fateh and Hamas, Abu Atiyya said that the deal is now advancing towards full implementation.
He added that the Palestinian reconciliation team, headed by Azzam al-Ahmad of Fateh’s Central Committee, will likely visit Egypt in the coming days to finalize some issues, especially regarding the unity government that should be ready within the five-week period agreed upon.
The Egyptian-mediated agreement was reached two weeks ago; representatives of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Hamas agreed to form a government of national unity, and have called for general elections within five to six weeks.
Secretary General of the Palestinian People's Party (PPP), Bassam al-Salhi, a "road map plan" had been agreed upon.
The plan starts with the formation of a national unity government that will be in charge of organizing the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections to take place, at most, within six months.
10 may 2014
Amr Mousa
By Khalid Amayreh in Occupied Palestine
It seems that former Egyptian foreign minister and former Arab League Secretary-General Amr Mousa never tires of his pathetic efforts to obtain a certificate of good conduct from Israel and her supporters in Washington who more or less control American political life and vital institutions.
The latest act of depravity coming from this despicable figure is a call on Hamas to recognize Israel.
"Hamas must declare that it accepts the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, which formulates a plan to the recognition of the State of Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian state, as well as withdrawal from the territories," Mousa was quoted as saying this week.
In other words, Hamas, one of the last-remaining vestiges of Arab-Islamic honor and dignity in this age, would have to recognize as legitimate the usurpation of Palestine by Jewish invaders coming from Eastern Europe following the Second World War.
Mousa is either senile or traitor or both. He should know that the PLO did recognize Israel more than 20 years ago even without a reciprocal Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state. Yet the Zionist state reacted to this unilateral recognition by embarking on a rabid campaign of settlement-building all over the occupied territories, effectively killing any remaining chance for the establishment of a viable Palestinian state in the territories occupied by Israel in 1967.
I remember I asked a high-ranking PLO official why his organization recognized Israel without a reciprocal Israel recognition of a Palestinian state. The official told me this: "It was a stupid mistake we made under duress."
Hence, the question that begs itself is: Should Hamas make the same stupid mistake again?
The truth of the matter is that Mousa's "advice" to Hamas is nothing short of a poisoned chalice.
Hamas, upon recognizing Israel, would lose its soul and moral conscience. It would lose its raison d'être. It would be committing suicide since recognizing Israel represents the anti-thesis of national and Islamic commitment.
There are people who learn from other people's mistakes. There are other people who would only learn from their own mistakes. And there is a third category of people who learn neither from their own mistakes nor from other people's mistakes. Obviously, these people are a disaster upon themselves and their countries.
It is sad and lamentable that Mousa insists that Hamas walk in the same tried path of failure and disgrace, the path of the PLO, Arab regimes and Arab League.
But we shouldn't be surprised at all by Mousa's pandering to Israel. In the final analysis, Mousa epitomizes and embodies the school of defeatism in Arab politics.
In fact, the man's thoughtlessness, lack of personal dignity and cheapness of character are known to observers who follow Arab politics.
In 1995, when asked about the assassination by Israeli agents of Yahya Ayyash, a Palestinian national hero, Mousa laughed rather hysterically in a sign of disrespect to the man who carried out many resistance operations against Israel in retaliation for the genocidal murder by the Israeli army of thousands of Palestinian children and women.
Similarly, when Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan walked out of that famous televised debate at the Davos conference in January 2009,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrbQsHkVQ_4 in protest against the lies of Israeli president Shimon Peres, the hero of the Kana massacre of 1996, Amr Mousa refused to leave, opting to please his masters in Tel Aviv and Washington, even at the price of alienating hundreds of millions of Arabs and Muslims around the world.
Mousa disgracefully proved that he valued the "legitimacy" that came from Israeli and western acceptance more than the true honorable legitimacy that would come from the Arab and Muslim masses.
Now, with this man sycophantically trying to curry favor with Abdul Fattah al-Sissi, the murderous coup-maker who overthrew the only democratically-Egyptian president in Egypt's entire history, it is no surprise that the man is trying to keep himself relevant even by continuing to fornicate with truth and history.
I am confident that Hamas and the rest of the Palestinian people will not give the slightest attention to this little man who found nothing wrong in serving Husni Mubarak and other Arab tyrants for so many years.
The man is obviously a disaster upon himself, his country and Arab-Muslim honor. His ultimate abode should be the dustbin of history.
Khalid Amayreh is a Palestinian journalist and commentator living in Occupied Palestine.
By Khalid Amayreh in Occupied Palestine
It seems that former Egyptian foreign minister and former Arab League Secretary-General Amr Mousa never tires of his pathetic efforts to obtain a certificate of good conduct from Israel and her supporters in Washington who more or less control American political life and vital institutions.
The latest act of depravity coming from this despicable figure is a call on Hamas to recognize Israel.
"Hamas must declare that it accepts the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, which formulates a plan to the recognition of the State of Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian state, as well as withdrawal from the territories," Mousa was quoted as saying this week.
In other words, Hamas, one of the last-remaining vestiges of Arab-Islamic honor and dignity in this age, would have to recognize as legitimate the usurpation of Palestine by Jewish invaders coming from Eastern Europe following the Second World War.
Mousa is either senile or traitor or both. He should know that the PLO did recognize Israel more than 20 years ago even without a reciprocal Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state. Yet the Zionist state reacted to this unilateral recognition by embarking on a rabid campaign of settlement-building all over the occupied territories, effectively killing any remaining chance for the establishment of a viable Palestinian state in the territories occupied by Israel in 1967.
I remember I asked a high-ranking PLO official why his organization recognized Israel without a reciprocal Israel recognition of a Palestinian state. The official told me this: "It was a stupid mistake we made under duress."
Hence, the question that begs itself is: Should Hamas make the same stupid mistake again?
The truth of the matter is that Mousa's "advice" to Hamas is nothing short of a poisoned chalice.
Hamas, upon recognizing Israel, would lose its soul and moral conscience. It would lose its raison d'être. It would be committing suicide since recognizing Israel represents the anti-thesis of national and Islamic commitment.
There are people who learn from other people's mistakes. There are other people who would only learn from their own mistakes. And there is a third category of people who learn neither from their own mistakes nor from other people's mistakes. Obviously, these people are a disaster upon themselves and their countries.
It is sad and lamentable that Mousa insists that Hamas walk in the same tried path of failure and disgrace, the path of the PLO, Arab regimes and Arab League.
But we shouldn't be surprised at all by Mousa's pandering to Israel. In the final analysis, Mousa epitomizes and embodies the school of defeatism in Arab politics.
In fact, the man's thoughtlessness, lack of personal dignity and cheapness of character are known to observers who follow Arab politics.
In 1995, when asked about the assassination by Israeli agents of Yahya Ayyash, a Palestinian national hero, Mousa laughed rather hysterically in a sign of disrespect to the man who carried out many resistance operations against Israel in retaliation for the genocidal murder by the Israeli army of thousands of Palestinian children and women.
Similarly, when Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan walked out of that famous televised debate at the Davos conference in January 2009,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrbQsHkVQ_4 in protest against the lies of Israeli president Shimon Peres, the hero of the Kana massacre of 1996, Amr Mousa refused to leave, opting to please his masters in Tel Aviv and Washington, even at the price of alienating hundreds of millions of Arabs and Muslims around the world.
Mousa disgracefully proved that he valued the "legitimacy" that came from Israeli and western acceptance more than the true honorable legitimacy that would come from the Arab and Muslim masses.
Now, with this man sycophantically trying to curry favor with Abdul Fattah al-Sissi, the murderous coup-maker who overthrew the only democratically-Egyptian president in Egypt's entire history, it is no surprise that the man is trying to keep himself relevant even by continuing to fornicate with truth and history.
I am confident that Hamas and the rest of the Palestinian people will not give the slightest attention to this little man who found nothing wrong in serving Husni Mubarak and other Arab tyrants for so many years.
The man is obviously a disaster upon himself, his country and Arab-Muslim honor. His ultimate abode should be the dustbin of history.
Khalid Amayreh is a Palestinian journalist and commentator living in Occupied Palestine.
Member of Hamas's political bureau Mousa Abu Marzouk said that the 2005 agreement on the administration of Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt is outdated and no longer valid. "I do not think there is still a place for European observers in the management of the crossing. They used to be there in order to solve the problem of who entered and left Gaza, and this issue has become out of date," Abu Marzouk told Anadolu news agency on Friday.
"The Egyptian side is also no party to this agreement and it can coordinate with the coming Palestinian government in order to open the [Rafah] crossing like any other crossings between Egypt and its neighbors," he added.
In another context, Abu Marzouk said that senior Fatah official Azzam Al-Ahmed would visit Gaza alone to discuss with Hamas the names who will hold ministerial portfolios in the Palestinian unity government to be formed soon.
"We are keen on implementing everything we have agreed upon and we will move forward with that and remove all excuses that preclude its execution," the Hamas official underscored.
"The Egyptian side is also no party to this agreement and it can coordinate with the coming Palestinian government in order to open the [Rafah] crossing like any other crossings between Egypt and its neighbors," he added.
In another context, Abu Marzouk said that senior Fatah official Azzam Al-Ahmed would visit Gaza alone to discuss with Hamas the names who will hold ministerial portfolios in the Palestinian unity government to be formed soon.
"We are keen on implementing everything we have agreed upon and we will move forward with that and remove all excuses that preclude its execution," the Hamas official underscored.
8 may 2014
Amr Mousa
Hamas must recognize the existence of Israel if the Palestinians are to move forward with their hopes of establishing their own state, former Egyptian foreign minister Amr Mussa said Wednesday.
"It is normal for the Palestinians to reconcile," Mussa said of a recent unity deal struck between the Hamas militants who run the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
However, "I believe that Hamas should declare its acceptance of the Arab initiative of 2002, which is the map of normalization and recognition of the state of Israel together with the establishing of the Palestinian state and the withdrawal of the occupied territory," he insisted.
"If Hamas does do this, it would be a major step in the direction of formulating a favorable all-Palestinian policy towards the Palestinian-Israeli conflict."
Hamas and the PLO, which is dominated by President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, signed a surprise reconciliation agreement on April 23 in a bid to end years of bitter and sometime bloody rivalry.
Under terms of the deal, the two sides would work together to form an "independent government" of technocrats, to be headed by Abbas, that would pave the way for long-delayed elections.
The 2002 Arab Peace Initiative was launched by Saudi Arabia and backed by the Arab League.
Under the plan, Arab states would forge full diplomatic relations with Israel in exchange for a withdrawal from land it occupied during the 1967 Six Day War or mutually-agreed upon land swaps.
Mussa, who was Egypt's top diplomat from 1991 to 2001 before becoming secretary general of the Arab League until 2011, is close to former military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, who is tipped to win next month's elections in Egypt.
Egypt, which was once close to Hamas, has grown hostile to the movement after the Egyptian military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
Last year, an Egyptian court banned Hamas and ordered the seizure of the groups assets.
Abbas held "positive" talks with Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal in Doha Monday in the first meeting since their surprise unity deal last month, Palestinian officials said.
However, the deputy leader of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzouq, insisted earlier this week that despite the unity deal his group would never recognize Israel.
"We will not recognize the Zionist entity," he told a press conference in Gaza City.
Israel has never recognized the right of a Palestinian state to exist and many MKs in the current Israeli government openly oppose its creation.
Hamas must recognize the existence of Israel if the Palestinians are to move forward with their hopes of establishing their own state, former Egyptian foreign minister Amr Mussa said Wednesday.
"It is normal for the Palestinians to reconcile," Mussa said of a recent unity deal struck between the Hamas militants who run the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
However, "I believe that Hamas should declare its acceptance of the Arab initiative of 2002, which is the map of normalization and recognition of the state of Israel together with the establishing of the Palestinian state and the withdrawal of the occupied territory," he insisted.
"If Hamas does do this, it would be a major step in the direction of formulating a favorable all-Palestinian policy towards the Palestinian-Israeli conflict."
Hamas and the PLO, which is dominated by President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, signed a surprise reconciliation agreement on April 23 in a bid to end years of bitter and sometime bloody rivalry.
Under terms of the deal, the two sides would work together to form an "independent government" of technocrats, to be headed by Abbas, that would pave the way for long-delayed elections.
The 2002 Arab Peace Initiative was launched by Saudi Arabia and backed by the Arab League.
Under the plan, Arab states would forge full diplomatic relations with Israel in exchange for a withdrawal from land it occupied during the 1967 Six Day War or mutually-agreed upon land swaps.
Mussa, who was Egypt's top diplomat from 1991 to 2001 before becoming secretary general of the Arab League until 2011, is close to former military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, who is tipped to win next month's elections in Egypt.
Egypt, which was once close to Hamas, has grown hostile to the movement after the Egyptian military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
Last year, an Egyptian court banned Hamas and ordered the seizure of the groups assets.
Abbas held "positive" talks with Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal in Doha Monday in the first meeting since their surprise unity deal last month, Palestinian officials said.
However, the deputy leader of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzouq, insisted earlier this week that despite the unity deal his group would never recognize Israel.
"We will not recognize the Zionist entity," he told a press conference in Gaza City.
Israel has never recognized the right of a Palestinian state to exist and many MKs in the current Israeli government openly oppose its creation.
Gaza government Prime Minister, Ismail Haneyya, called on Egypt to pressure Israeli Occupation Authorities (IOA) to abide by the terms of the Karama agreement signed with the Palestinian hunger-strikers. Haneyya hailed the Palestinian hunger-strikers incarcerated in Israeli lock-ups during a conference held on Wednesday under the slogan “Towards a fruitful alms-giving (Zakat).”
Haneyya confirmed Hamas and Gaza Government’s unyielding support for the prisoners: “We will always stand by our prisoners and do whatever it takes to have all of their demands met”.
Haneyya further urged the Palestinian masses to stand up for Palestinian prisoners’ rights through popular, political, and media mass-campaigns.
The strike is the largest ever launched by administrative prisoners behind Israeli bars, including MPS, prominent national leadership figures, and civilian captives.
Hamas supreme leadership declared a wide-scale solidarity hunger-strike en masse is to be launched on Thursday in all Israeli prisons as a back-up move to their fellow administrative prisoners.
A mass hunger-strike was suspended in 2012 following the Karama agreement signed between Palestinian prisoners and the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) outlawing any potential renewal of arbitrary administrative detention with no legitimate charge. But the terms were sidestepped, in every possible way, by IPS.
Haneyya confirmed Hamas and Gaza Government’s unyielding support for the prisoners: “We will always stand by our prisoners and do whatever it takes to have all of their demands met”.
Haneyya further urged the Palestinian masses to stand up for Palestinian prisoners’ rights through popular, political, and media mass-campaigns.
The strike is the largest ever launched by administrative prisoners behind Israeli bars, including MPS, prominent national leadership figures, and civilian captives.
Hamas supreme leadership declared a wide-scale solidarity hunger-strike en masse is to be launched on Thursday in all Israeli prisons as a back-up move to their fellow administrative prisoners.
A mass hunger-strike was suspended in 2012 following the Karama agreement signed between Palestinian prisoners and the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) outlawing any potential renewal of arbitrary administrative detention with no legitimate charge. But the terms were sidestepped, in every possible way, by IPS.
6 may 2014
The Egyptian navy detained three Palestinian fishermen off the coast of the southern Gaza Strip, early Tuesday, according to a union official.
Spokesperson for the Gaza fishermen's union, Nizar Ayyash, told Ma'an News Agency that Egyptian naval squadrons obstructed a fishing boat off the coast of Rafah, upon which they took Amir Jamal al-Aqraa, along with his two brothers Muhammad and Fahd, into custody without providing further details, Ayyash said.
Egypt-Gaza relations have met a slow demise following the ouster of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, in July. In August, Egyptian forces fired on Gaza fishermen, injuring two men and arresting six others, according to Ma'an.
Gaza fishermen face severe restrictions imposed by both Israel and Egypt, whose navies often fire on boats which stray outside the "designated" fishing zones.
As part of the ceasefire agreement of November, 2012, Israel agreed to allow the Palestinians to fish within six nautical miles, but unilaterally decreased the allotted area to three miles.
Last May, Israel decided to allow the fishermen to fish within six nautical miles, but the Israeli navy continued to attack them, even within the three nautical miles.
Under the Oslo accords of the mid-nineties, Palestinians are supposed to be allowed to fish within 20 nautical miles off the Gaza shore, but Tel Aviv has constantly violated the agreement.
There are some 4,000 fishermen in Gaza and, according to a 2011 report by the International Committee of the Red Cross, 90 percent of them are impoverished -- a 40 percent increase from 2008, resulting from Israeli-imposed limits on the industry.
Spokesperson for the Gaza fishermen's union, Nizar Ayyash, told Ma'an News Agency that Egyptian naval squadrons obstructed a fishing boat off the coast of Rafah, upon which they took Amir Jamal al-Aqraa, along with his two brothers Muhammad and Fahd, into custody without providing further details, Ayyash said.
Egypt-Gaza relations have met a slow demise following the ouster of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, in July. In August, Egyptian forces fired on Gaza fishermen, injuring two men and arresting six others, according to Ma'an.
Gaza fishermen face severe restrictions imposed by both Israel and Egypt, whose navies often fire on boats which stray outside the "designated" fishing zones.
As part of the ceasefire agreement of November, 2012, Israel agreed to allow the Palestinians to fish within six nautical miles, but unilaterally decreased the allotted area to three miles.
Last May, Israel decided to allow the fishermen to fish within six nautical miles, but the Israeli navy continued to attack them, even within the three nautical miles.
Under the Oslo accords of the mid-nineties, Palestinians are supposed to be allowed to fish within 20 nautical miles off the Gaza shore, but Tel Aviv has constantly violated the agreement.
There are some 4,000 fishermen in Gaza and, according to a 2011 report by the International Committee of the Red Cross, 90 percent of them are impoverished -- a 40 percent increase from 2008, resulting from Israeli-imposed limits on the industry.
5 may 2014
Director of borders and crossings in Gaza Maher Abu Sabha said that his administration intensifies contacts with the Egyptian side to open Rafah crossing for humanitarian cases who were affected by the Israeli siege. He pointed out that the they were not informed that the crossing will be opening soon, hoping the Egyptian officials respond to this demand which is imperative to alleviate the suffering of the patients who are in need for urgent help.
Rafah crossing is the main border crossing that lies on the 12-km Gaza—Egypt border.
There have been frequent closures of the Rafah terminal in recent months after the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi on July 3, 2013. Egypt has repeatedly closed Rafah border crossing and destroyed hundreds of tunnels that Gazans used for years to import fuel, building materials, and other goods.
Rafah crossing is the main border crossing that lies on the 12-km Gaza—Egypt border.
There have been frequent closures of the Rafah terminal in recent months after the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi on July 3, 2013. Egypt has repeatedly closed Rafah border crossing and destroyed hundreds of tunnels that Gazans used for years to import fuel, building materials, and other goods.
28 apr 2014
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An Egyptian court sentenced 682 alleged Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie to death on Monday, a lawyer and prosecutor said, after two brief sessions the defense partly boycotted.
The same court in the southern province of Minya also reversed 492 of 529 death sentences it passed in March, commuting most of those to life in prison. The court, presided over by judge Said Youssef Sabry, had sparked an international outcry with its initial sentencing last month amid an extensive crackdown on supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. |
The crackdown has extended to secular-leaning dissidents who supported Morsi's overthrow but have since turned on the army-installed regime.
In Cairo, a court banned the April 6 youth movement that spearheaded the 2011 revolt which toppled strongman Hosni Mubarak, following a complaint accusing it of defaming Egypt and colluding with foreign parties.
In Minya, judge Sabry is set to confirm the death sentences on June 21.
Under Egyptian law, death sentences are referred to the country's top Islamic scholar for an advisory opinion before being ratified. A court may choose to commute the sentences, which can later be challenged at an appeals court.
Of the 683 sentenced on Monday, only 73 are in custody, prosecutor Abdel Rahim Abdel Malek said. The others have a right to a retrial if they turn themselves in.
Monday's hearing lasted just 10 minutes, said Khaled Elkomy, a defense lawyer who was in court.
The verdict was the first against Badie, spiritual head of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, in the several trials he faces on various charges along with Morsi and other Brotherhood leaders.
Some female relatives waiting outside the courtroom fainted on hearing news of the verdict.
"Where is the justice?" others chanted.
A fugitive from the trial who only identified himself as Gamal and a member of the Brotherhood lashed out at the court.
"This is a political trial against those who oppose the military," said the 25-year-old who was among the 683 sentenced Monday but who is in hiding.
"My cousin has also been condemned, but we will continue our lives and this process will not stop the youths" from demonstrating, he said.
The Brotherhood urged the world to act against "gross human rights violations and injustice committed by the military junta in Egypt against its own people".
It said in a statement it would "continue to use all peaceful means to end military rule and achieve justice".
Those sentenced on Monday were accused of involvement in the murder and attempted murder of policemen in Minya province on August 14, the day police killed hundreds of Morsi supporters during clashes in Cairo.
'Industrial scale' sentencings
Defense lawyers boycotted the last session, branding it "farcical" after the mass death sentencing, which the United Nations denounced as a breach of international human rights law.
Amnesty International condemned Monday's death sentences.
"Egypt's judiciary risks becoming just another part of the authorities' repressive machinery, issuing sentences of death and life imprisonment on an industrial scale," Amnesty's Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said in a statement.
Lawyer Elkomy claims 60 percent of the 529 defendants sentenced in March, including teachers and some doctors, have evidence that "proves they were not present the day they were accused of attacking the Matay police station" in Minya, said the Avaaz rights group.
Defense lawyers and relatives of defendants said those sentenced to death in March also included a man who was killed on August 14.
The government has defended the court's handling of the first mass death sentences, insisting they were issued only "after careful study" and were subject to appeal.
Prosecutor Abdel Malek defended the charges against the 529, saying the prosecution compiled videos and witness testimony.
"We have strong evidence that incriminates all those sentenced to death," he told AFP.
Last month's death sentences sent a chill through opponents of the military-installed regime, which has held mass trials of thousands of alleged Islamists since Morsi's ouster.
Amnesty says more than 1,400 people have been killed in the police crackdown since the army overthrew Morsi, Egypt's first elected and civilian leader.
In Cairo, a court banned the April 6 youth movement that spearheaded the 2011 revolt which toppled strongman Hosni Mubarak, following a complaint accusing it of defaming Egypt and colluding with foreign parties.
In Minya, judge Sabry is set to confirm the death sentences on June 21.
Under Egyptian law, death sentences are referred to the country's top Islamic scholar for an advisory opinion before being ratified. A court may choose to commute the sentences, which can later be challenged at an appeals court.
Of the 683 sentenced on Monday, only 73 are in custody, prosecutor Abdel Rahim Abdel Malek said. The others have a right to a retrial if they turn themselves in.
Monday's hearing lasted just 10 minutes, said Khaled Elkomy, a defense lawyer who was in court.
The verdict was the first against Badie, spiritual head of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, in the several trials he faces on various charges along with Morsi and other Brotherhood leaders.
Some female relatives waiting outside the courtroom fainted on hearing news of the verdict.
"Where is the justice?" others chanted.
A fugitive from the trial who only identified himself as Gamal and a member of the Brotherhood lashed out at the court.
"This is a political trial against those who oppose the military," said the 25-year-old who was among the 683 sentenced Monday but who is in hiding.
"My cousin has also been condemned, but we will continue our lives and this process will not stop the youths" from demonstrating, he said.
The Brotherhood urged the world to act against "gross human rights violations and injustice committed by the military junta in Egypt against its own people".
It said in a statement it would "continue to use all peaceful means to end military rule and achieve justice".
Those sentenced on Monday were accused of involvement in the murder and attempted murder of policemen in Minya province on August 14, the day police killed hundreds of Morsi supporters during clashes in Cairo.
'Industrial scale' sentencings
Defense lawyers boycotted the last session, branding it "farcical" after the mass death sentencing, which the United Nations denounced as a breach of international human rights law.
Amnesty International condemned Monday's death sentences.
"Egypt's judiciary risks becoming just another part of the authorities' repressive machinery, issuing sentences of death and life imprisonment on an industrial scale," Amnesty's Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said in a statement.
Lawyer Elkomy claims 60 percent of the 529 defendants sentenced in March, including teachers and some doctors, have evidence that "proves they were not present the day they were accused of attacking the Matay police station" in Minya, said the Avaaz rights group.
Defense lawyers and relatives of defendants said those sentenced to death in March also included a man who was killed on August 14.
The government has defended the court's handling of the first mass death sentences, insisting they were issued only "after careful study" and were subject to appeal.
Prosecutor Abdel Malek defended the charges against the 529, saying the prosecution compiled videos and witness testimony.
"We have strong evidence that incriminates all those sentenced to death," he told AFP.
Last month's death sentences sent a chill through opponents of the military-installed regime, which has held mass trials of thousands of alleged Islamists since Morsi's ouster.
Amnesty says more than 1,400 people have been killed in the police crackdown since the army overthrew Morsi, Egypt's first elected and civilian leader.
Egyptian authorities have been closing the Rafah crossing with the besieged Gaza Strip for the 28th day in a row. General administration for crossing in the Ministry of Interior in Gaza stated, '' 9500 Palestinians are waiting for the crossing to reopen, so that they can go to follow their study, do medical treatment, and attend their work abroad''.
Rafah crossing is the main border crossing that lies on the 12-km Gaza—Egypt border.
There have been frequent closures of the Rafah terminal in recent months after the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi on July 3, 2013. Egypt has repeatedly closed the Rafah border crossing and destroyed hundreds of tunnels that Gazans used for years to import fuel, building materials, and other goods.
Rafah crossing is the main border crossing that lies on the 12-km Gaza—Egypt border.
There have been frequent closures of the Rafah terminal in recent months after the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi on July 3, 2013. Egypt has repeatedly closed the Rafah border crossing and destroyed hundreds of tunnels that Gazans used for years to import fuel, building materials, and other goods.
27 apr 2014
A Palestinian human rights organization has warned of an unprecedented economic crisis afflicting the Gaza Strip since 2013. Head of Himaya Center for Human Rights in Gaza, Mohammad Nahal, revealed during a press conference on Saturday the inauspicious upshots of the siege imposed on Gaza especially during 2013.
According to Nahal, poverty rates have gone up to 40% during 2013, including 21% estimated to fall below the poverty line, due to the siege and the closure of border crossings and tunnels by the Israeli occupation authorities and Egyptian authorities.
Nahal further reported that unemployment rates in the Strip reached 40%.
Nahal called on the Arab League to take serious measures so as to lift the siege imposed on Gaza and to smooth the access of all humanitarian aids, passengers and goods out of and into the Strip.
Egyptian authorities continue to close the Rafah crossing, which is only partially opened before some humanitarian cases. This has led to a remarkable decline in the number of passengers from 8,444 travelers per day to 250 only, in the wake of the shutdown decision.
Data revealed Egyptian authorities limited free travel to those with residence permits abroad and foreign passport holders, urgent medical cases, and students.
27% of the essential drug lists in Gaza’s Central Drug Store were reported at zero stock levels while 16% of another 73-essential drug-list has almost reached zero levels. Several patients have also been denied medical treatment abroad.
Nahal called on the Egyptian authorities to take such a critical state of affairs into serious consideration and to open the Rafah crossing with no further delay so as to allow the unconditional access of goods and passengers out of and into the Gaza Strip, as already decreed by the International Law.
Nahal further urged the UN-affiliated Security Council, the General Assembly and Human Rights Council to take the necessary steps to lift the notorious Gaza siege.
According to Nahal the international community has also to assume its responsibility vis-à-vis the siege and the arbitrary mass punishment of civilian Palestinians, in addition to a flagrant violation of the terms of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
According to Nahal, poverty rates have gone up to 40% during 2013, including 21% estimated to fall below the poverty line, due to the siege and the closure of border crossings and tunnels by the Israeli occupation authorities and Egyptian authorities.
Nahal further reported that unemployment rates in the Strip reached 40%.
Nahal called on the Arab League to take serious measures so as to lift the siege imposed on Gaza and to smooth the access of all humanitarian aids, passengers and goods out of and into the Strip.
Egyptian authorities continue to close the Rafah crossing, which is only partially opened before some humanitarian cases. This has led to a remarkable decline in the number of passengers from 8,444 travelers per day to 250 only, in the wake of the shutdown decision.
Data revealed Egyptian authorities limited free travel to those with residence permits abroad and foreign passport holders, urgent medical cases, and students.
27% of the essential drug lists in Gaza’s Central Drug Store were reported at zero stock levels while 16% of another 73-essential drug-list has almost reached zero levels. Several patients have also been denied medical treatment abroad.
Nahal called on the Egyptian authorities to take such a critical state of affairs into serious consideration and to open the Rafah crossing with no further delay so as to allow the unconditional access of goods and passengers out of and into the Gaza Strip, as already decreed by the International Law.
Nahal further urged the UN-affiliated Security Council, the General Assembly and Human Rights Council to take the necessary steps to lift the notorious Gaza siege.
According to Nahal the international community has also to assume its responsibility vis-à-vis the siege and the arbitrary mass punishment of civilian Palestinians, in addition to a flagrant violation of the terms of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
26 apr 2014
An advisor to Gaza premier Ismail Haneyya has affirmed that Egypt was playing an important role in the Palestinian reconciliation process. Esam Da’alis, a special advisor to Haneyya, told the PIC reporter on Saturday that the Palestinian government was always in contact with the Egyptian leadership concerning developments of the reconciliation.
The advisor expected improvement in relations between Egypt and Gaza in the coming few days, adding that the Egyptian media campaign against Hamas had come to an end. He underlined, however, that the media incitement did not obstruct contacts with Cairo.
The Egyptian intelligence apparatus had supported the recent meetings in Gaza, which culminated in declaring national reconciliation, and allowed Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk, who lives in Cairo and who heads Hamas delegation to the reconciliation talks, to cross into Gaza to attend the meetings in another indicator of an Egyptian support for the reconciliation talks.
The advisor expected improvement in relations between Egypt and Gaza in the coming few days, adding that the Egyptian media campaign against Hamas had come to an end. He underlined, however, that the media incitement did not obstruct contacts with Cairo.
The Egyptian intelligence apparatus had supported the recent meetings in Gaza, which culminated in declaring national reconciliation, and allowed Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk, who lives in Cairo and who heads Hamas delegation to the reconciliation talks, to cross into Gaza to attend the meetings in another indicator of an Egyptian support for the reconciliation talks.
