Thursday, Jan 08th
Last update08:51:27 AM GMT
International Glance
A new report from Adalah shows how the courts and police attempted to stamp out opposition to Operation Cast Lead "This is a time of war, and every incident harms the people's morale."U.S. President Barack Obama has told east European states he is abandoning plans for an anti-missile shield there, in a move that may ease Russian- U.S. ties but fuel fears of resurgent Kremlin influence.
Russia said it would welcome cancellation of the program, promoted by Obama's predecessor George W. Bush and now a source of tension overshadowing U.S. efforts to enlist Kremlin support over Afghanistan, Iran and nuclear arms control.
The ongoing occupation and the denial of human rights to millions of people is truly not to their liking. However they have neither the emotional strength nor the spare time to take an interest in what is really happening there.
So it's important for me to tell you, my worldview-sharing compatriots, that many settlements have already almost swallowed up all the agricultural lands from villages in their vicinity.
There is evidence that both Israeli and Palestinian forces committed war crimes in the recent Gaza conflict, the official UN report says.
The report criticises Israel for using "disproportionate force" and "collective punishment" during the three-week attack ending January 2009.
TVNL Comment: Well deserved. Now, why has the US escaped similar condemnation for its invasion of Iraq? Just asking.
Next Monday, when the journalist walks out of prison, his 10 raging seconds, which came to define his country's last six miserable years, are set to take on a new life even more dramatic than the opening act.
Israel was linked to the interception of the missing cargo ship Arctic Sea last month, a senior figure close to Israeli intelligence has told the BBC.
The source said Israel had told Moscow it knew the ship was secretly carrying a Russian air defence system for Iran.
Two days after Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved the construction of 455 news housing units in the West Bank, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday said Israel's plans to continue building in settlements were "contrary to international law."
"Such actions and all settlement activity are contrary to international law and the Road Map," AFP quoted a statement released by Ban's bureau as saying.
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