Israeli Planes Continue to Bombard Gaza - Jordan/Facts Distortion/EU
Hisham Abu Taha & Mohammed Mar’i: 7/2/08
Israel warplanes continued to bombard the Gaza Strip yesterday. Three separate air raids were carried overnight and early yesterday, resulting in the injuring of five Palestinians, among them two members of Hamas, witnesses and medical sources said. In the last airstrike yesterday on the Jabliya refugee camp in northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli warplanes targeted a group of Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, while trying to fire number of homemade rockets toward Israel. The sources said that two members of Hamas were wounded, one seriously. During the night, the Israeli warplanes carried out two other airstrikes against Hamas fighters but they survived the strikes and three peoples were wounded.
See; http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=106547&d=7&m=2&y=2008
Israel must stop changing facts on the ground - FM
7/2/08
Jordan on Wednesday warned against Israeli measures “to alter facts on the ground” in the occupied Palestinian lands in a way that affects final status talks. During a meeting with US Undersecretary for Middle East Affairs David Walsh, Foreign Minister Salah Bashir called on Israel to stop its settlement activities, stressing the need to ease the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people through softening the restrictions on their movement. The two sides explored possibilities for helping the Palestinians and Israelis achieve profound progress in the peace process this year. Bashir emphasised the need to benefit from the supportive environment that emerged from the Annapolis Mideast peace meeting in November last year. He called on the US to maintain its efforts in helping the Palestinians and Israelis overcome their differences so as to ensure success in final status negotiations.
See: http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=5515
EU envoy warns Gaza could become the next Somalia
Barak Ravid;p 7/2/08
Israel’s policies in the Gaza Strip are likely to turn the territory into Somalia, European Union special envoy to the Middle East Marc Otte told Haaretz on Thursday in an interview. “Israel’s tactics in the Gaza Strip did not work,” Otte said. “The blockade and the sanctions against the population failed, and only strengthened Hamas and weakened [Prime Minister Salam] Fayyad and [President Mahmoud Abbas] Abu Mazen.” Otte added that “the implications of Israeli activity may be that Gaza becomes Somalia.”
See: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/951917.html