The Israeli Nuclear Reactor in Dimona

Today, 30m Indian rupees would translate roughly into 2.4m Israeli new shekels, which equals about 6.5bn Iranian rials. That is loose change going by the percentages handed out to middlemen in, say, a minor oil deal with Iran or the comfort money involved in talks presaging an arms deal with Israel.

Palestinian Leader Marwan Bargouhti

Families who lost loved ones in terror attacks filed a legal petition on 23 July against the Palestinian Authority (PA) and former head of the “Organisation” (Tanzim), Marwan Barghouti. The petition, filed in the Jerusalem District Court, demands compensation in the sum of NIS 450 million from the PA, Barghouti and seven additional terrorists (Sic., N. of T.) serving life sentences in Israeli prisons.

Barghouti, who served as secretary of the Fatah (Palestinian political party) in the West Bank and as a member of the Palestinian Legislature, was detained by Israeli security officials in Ramallah in April 2002, during the “Defensive Shield” Israeli military operation. Following interrogation, it was decided to try Barghouti in civilian and not military court. Barghouti was convicted of killing five Israelis in four different terror attacks. The court sentenced him to five life sentences and an additional 40 years in prison.

The 14 petitioners are family members of Ronen Landau and Yoela Chen, who were killed seven years ago in separate shooting attacks in the Givat Ze'ev region near Jerusalem. The attack at the petrol station near Givat Zeev, in which Chen was killed, was executed on the direct order of Barghouti, in retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Raed Karmi. Barghouti confessed his responsibility for the attack during interrogation. In his trial, Barghouti was convicted in the murder of Chen and the court ruled that he activated the cell which killed the two Israelis.

The petition was filed by attorneys Nitsana Darshan-Leitner and Roi Kochavi from Shurat Hadin Israeli Law Center (http://www.israellawcenter.org/), which provides legal representation to victims of terror attacks in Israel. The court petition argues that Barghouti personally directed, managed and activated terrorist actions against Israeli targets with the assistance of senior figures in the “Organisation”, who were responsible for the actual conduct of the terror activities.

The petition further argues that Barghouti led a policy that was set by the Palestinian Authority and Yasser Arafat even prior to the outbreak of the second Intifada.

Attorneys Darshan-Leitner and Kochavi noted this morning they are demanding that the court set a high and painful price for physical and mental damage to the residents of Israel. “Barghouti is a convicted criminal and murderer, and this is how he should be dealt with. This should be recalled especially now, when we hear voices calling for the release of this murderer. Making justice for the petitioners means making justice for all residents of Israel.”

First published in Ynet on 24 July 2008 and translated from Hebrew to English by the Alternative Information Center.

Lebanese citizens demonstrate support for Hassan Nassrala

My heart is with the Goldwasser and Regev families, who can finally mourn on the graves of their loved ones. My heart is with the family of Samir Kuntar who can, after thirty years, embrace him in his home. Goldwasser, Regev and Kuntar were prisoners of war who, in accordance with the laws of combat, were entitled to return home as quickly as possible. However, my feelings are not at all representative of those in my society. If in Lebanon the happiness was widespread amongst both political circles and on the street, in Israel despondency affected both of these groups. “Yet again we were forced to give in to terror, again we were defeated” – we endlessly hear and read these types of statements in the media, despite attempts by Israeli government speakers to present the prisoner exchange as an Israeli achievement. There is also, of course, a racist undertone to Israeli statements: the Jewish ‘value to life’ and the contempt for human life by all others. A reminder: in the last Lebanon war, it was not Olmert but Nasrallah who pushed for a cease-fire, despite the latter’s victory in the battlefield, in order to prevent additional casualties amongst the civilian population.  

This racism is further notable in the almost complete inability of the various Israeli commentators to correctly describe - and even less so to understand - what is happening on the other side of the border. Happiness and national solidarity were experienced by the entire Lebanese society, including the pro-American Prime Minister Siniora. Israelis explain the Hizbullah achievement as resulting from “pressure exerted by it on the people”, and the restrained response of Sheikh Nasrallah as stemming from fear of Israeli responses.

(photo: Cosimo Caridi, AIC)

The driver of a Caterpillar construction vehicle was shot and killed after wounding sixteen people and seriously injuring one just a few hours ago in West Jerusalem, on King David Street behind the King Solomon hotel.  The driver has been identified by the Maan News Agency as 22-year-old Ghassan Abu Teir, from Umm Tuba in occupied East Jerusalem.  Abu Teir struck public transportation bus 13 and crushed five other vehicles before being fatally shot eight times by Israeli security forces.