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Der nachfolgende Pressespiegel soll dazu beitragen ein möglichst WAHRHAFTIGES Bild über die Geschehnisse in Nahost zu bekommen.
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1. NEUESTE KURZMELDUNGEN VON ISRAELNETZ....
   
   
   
   1. inn- Veranstaltungen zum Jerusalem-Tag fallen ins Wasser
      JERUSALEM (inn) - Wegen starker Regenfälle fallen fast alle Veranstaltungen zum Jerusalem-Tag aus. Nach dem jüdischen Kalender erinnern die Israelis am heutigen Mittwoch an die Wiedervereinigung der Hauptstadt im Sechs-Tage-Krieg vor 40 Jahren.
      An mehreren Orten in Jerusalem wurden Teilnehmer von Rundtouren durch die Niederschläge festgehalten und mussten evakuiert werden. Die Polizei sagte die Hauptzeremonie ebenso ab wie eine Graduierungsfeier für Fallschirmjäger. In mehreren Straßen wurde der Verkehr umgeleitet. Dies berichtet die Tageszeitung "Ha´aretz".
      Der Tag hatte in Jerusalem sonnig begonnen. Doch gegen Mittag begann es zu regnen und zu hageln.
      
   2. inn- Milliardär bietet Sderot-Bewohnern Erholung
      SDEROT (inn) - Der israelische Milliardär Arkadi Gaydamak will bei der Befestigung von Häusern in der raketengeplagten Wüstenstadt Sderot helfen. Nach der Raketensalve vom Dienstag schickte er zudem acht Busse, die Hunderten Bewohnern vorübergehend eine Erholung von den palästinensischen Angriffen ermöglichen sollen.
      Am Dienstag erhielt Gaydamak einen Brief von Menschen aus Sderot. Sie baten ihn, sie aus der Stadt zu evakuieren. Den Tag über waren fast 30 Raketen in Sderot eingeschlagen. Der Milliardär reagierte prompt auf die Bitte. Die Busse sollen die Bewohner in Hotels in Be´er Scheva und Aschdod bringen. Bereits früher hatte er zahlreichen Menschen aus der Stadt ein ruhiges Wochenende in Eilat am Roten Meer finanziert - er übernahm die Kosten für Fahrt und Unterkunft.
      Die Vorsitzende des örtlichen Elternkomitees, Batia Katar, sagte gegenüber der Zeitung "Jediot Aharonot", viele bemühten sich um einen Platz in einem der Busse. Zuerst würden Familien mit Kindern aus der Stadt gebracht. "Alle sagen, dass sie Gaydamak dankbar sind, aber dass der Staat Israel das hätte tun sollen. Die Leute wollen wegen der Schande, die sie erfahren, die Regierung stürzen."
      Gaydamak teilte bezüglich der geplanten Schutzmaßnahmen mit: "Wir verhandeln mit einer großen Baugesellschaft, die der Regierung bereits vor mehreren Monaten angeboten hat, ein Projekt auszuführen, um die Wohnhäuser in Sderot zu befestigen. Aber es wurde nicht ausgeführt. Ich arbeite nicht in der Regierung und weiß nicht, was sie tun sollen oder nicht. Ich weiß nur, dass ich verpflichtet bin, im Namen von Juden zu handeln." Er wolle einen finanziellen Beitrag zu dem Projekt leisten.
      
   3. inn- Israelischer Unternehmer bekommt Buber-Rosenzweig-Medaille
      BAD NAUHEIM  - Der israelische Unternehmer Stef Wertheimer soll im Jahr 2008 die Buber-Rosenzweig-Medaille erhalten. Das teilte der Koordinierungsrat der Gesellschaften für Christlich-Jüdische Zusammenarbeit am Montag in Bad Nauheim mit.
      Wertheimer hat einen metallverarbeitenden Betrieb in Israel. Zudem hat er einen erfolgreichen Technologiepark gegründet. Dadurch leiste er einen bedeutenden Beitrag zur Friedensbildung in Nahost, weil er Menschen in Lohn und Brot stelle, hieß es in der Begründung. Der Israeli soll die undotierte Auszeichnung während der "Woche der Brüderlichkeit" im März 2008 entgegennehmen, wie die "Frankfurter Rundschau" berichtet.
      Die Juroren formulierten Wertheimers Überzeugung so: "Wer darauf achten muss, seinen Aufträgen oder seiner Arbeit nachzukommen, ist für Gewalt und Terrorismus verloren." Der Israeli verkörpere wie kein Zweiter das Jahresthema des Koordinierungsrates, ein Zitat des ersten israelischen Premiers David Ben Gurion: "Wer nicht an Wunder glaubt, ist kein Realist".
      Mit der Buber-Rosenzweig-Medaille werden seit 1968 Persönlichkeiten, Institutionen und Initiativen geehrt, die sich um die Verständigung zwischen Christen und Juden verdient gemacht haben. Zu den bisherigen Preisträgern gehören der frühere Bundespräsident Johannes Rau, Ex-Außenminister Joschka Fischer (Grüne) sowie der Dirigent Daniel Barenboim. In diesem Jahr wurden die Fernsehjournalisten Esther Schapira und Georg Hafner ausgezeichnet. Die Medaille soll an die jüdischen Philosophen Martin Buber (1878-1965) und Franz Rosenzweig (1886-1929) erinnern.
      
      
2. KURZMELDUNGEN VON THE MEDIA LINE....
   
   
   
   1. TML- Olmert Ends Policy Of Restraint; Will Take "Harsh" Measures Vs. Rockets 
       
      Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Wednesday that "harsh measures" would replace his long-standing policy of restraint in the face of an escalating number of Qassam rockets landing inside of Israel. At least 30 rockets were launched on Wednesday alone causing two injuries. Olmert emerged from a meeting with defense officials and Defense Minister Amir Peretz on Wednesday and announced that restraint was no longer the order of the day. He said, "Israel will not be able to continue to show restraint when its citizens are being targeted, and therefore it was decided to respond harshly." "Harshly" was described as a return to carrying out targeted assassinations and taking "other unspecified measures." On Thursday, the influx of rockets into the town of Sderot continued, one striking a home. Observers believe that intelligence reports of plans to escalate attacks against Israel figured into the government's decision as much as the large number of rockets that have already fallen. Olmert is publicly sparring with Peretz over whether to evacuate Sderot – Peretz's home community. A ground incursion by Israel's army is now considered a strong possibility. On Wednesday, Israeli warplanes attacked a building used as headquarters by the Hamas Executive Force in the southern Gaza Strip, killing four. Another Hamas member was killed by a later air strike in the northern Gaza Strip.
      
   2. TML- 17 Die In Palestinians' Bloodiest Day Of Fighting… So Far
      Seventeen Palestinians died in Wednesday's internecine battles fought on the streets of Gaza City, with no sign of a let up in the violence. On Wednesday eight were wounded when they showed up at a rally against the violence and ended up in the crossfire between Fatah and Hamas.  The wounded were evacuated to Israeli hospitals. A statement by Hamas saying it would institute a unilateral cease-fire Wednesday was apparently ignored by the group itself when a Fatah loyalist was gunned down after the starting time for the truce.
      
   3. TML- India To Help Palestinians Erect Embassy In New Delhi
      The Palestinian Authority has expressed gratitude to the Indian government for becoming the first nation to assist in the construction of a Palestinian embassy. Plans for a building in New Delhi have been finalized and details of its implementation are expected soon. Officials are discussing providing diplomatic training for Palestinian diplomats at India's Foreign Service Institute. Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony defended the close alliance between India and Israel on defense matters. Responding to criticism from left-wing politicians, Antony told parliamentarians on Wednesday that all arms procurements from Israel follow strict procedural guidelines and that Israel will remain a “preferred ally.” In addition to military sales, India and Israel have more than 200 agreements on agricultural matters.
      
   4. TML- Mubarak Gloomy On Prospects Of Peace With Hamas
      Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told diplomatic officials on Wednesday that Egypt wants Hamas out and Mahmoud 'Abbas in charge in the Palestinian Authority. Mubarak dismissed any chance of Hamas ever signing a peace treaty with Israel. He also said Hamas in power was unacceptable to Egypt because of its growing ties to the Muslim Brotherhood – the force leading opposition against Mubarak in Egypt. Senior Hamas officials are finding the Egyptian border closed to them because of Mubarak's concerns.
       
       
3. SONSTIGE AKTUELLE KURZMELDUNGEN....
   
   
   
   1. MFA- PM Olmert holds security consultation on situation in Gaza Strip
      (Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)
      Prime Minister Ehud Olmert this afternoon (Wednesday), 16 March 2007, held a security consultation in order to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip and the upsurge in Kassam missile fire at Sderot and at other communities in the area of the Gaza Strip. Defense Minister Amir Peretz, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi, ISA Director Yuval Diskin, National Security Council Chairman Ilan Mizrahi and senior IDF and security establishment officials attended the consultation.
      Prime Minister Olmert, Defense Minister Peretz and Foreign Minister Livni decided to allow the IDF and the security establishment to carry out a series of actions in order to hit those who launch Kassam missiles and their commanders, to disrupt launch capabilities and to strike at terrorist infrastructures. The Prime Minister made it clear that Israel cannot continue to show restraint when its citizens are being attacked; therefore, a harsh and severe response was decided upon.
      Regarding the civilians that are suffering from Kassam rocket hits, Prime Minister Olmert directed that all of their needs be dealt with and that they be afforded all necessary assistance. Instructions to this effect were given to the security establishment, IDF Home Front Command and those Government ministries (Social Welfare and Social Services, Finance, Education, etc.) that assist populations that have been hit. "I oppose population evacuations," the Prime Minister said, "These are the exact pictures that Hamas has been waiting for and I am not prepared to grant any victory to terrorism.”
      Parallel to the military measures and the provision of assistance to the civilian population, Israel will make an informational and diplomatic effort to inform the nations of the world of the severity of the situation. "The Hamas government is behind the terrorist actions and it cannot be that it also seeks international recognition and economic assistance from the nations of the world," Prime Minister Olmert said. Foreign Minister Livni said that her ministry is coordinating an intensive informational and diplomatic effort to communicate Israel’s position on the issue and to receive international legitimacy for its response.
      Prime Minister Olmert telephoned Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal and updated him on the results of the consultation and its decisions. The Mayor updated the Prime Minister on the situation in Sderot.
      The Cabinet will discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip at its meeting on Sunday 20 May 2007.
      
   2. MFA- Press statement by FM Livni in response to Kassams on Sderot
      Israeli civilians are now under ongoing attacks by terrorist organizations which are part of the Palestinian government headed by Hamas, which is itself a terrorist organization. Israel views the Palestinian government as responsible for the situation.
      The situation in the last two days is unbearable. It is important to understand that the Israeli government has shown restraint in the last two months, but the last two days, in which Israeli civilians are being attacked on a daily basis with missiles from the Gaza strip - a place that Israel left in order to give the Palestinians the possibility to create a normal life and not to attack Israel - this is a situation that should be changed.
      The Israeli government will take all the necessary steps in order to give security to Israeli citizens, and we expect the international community to demand of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinians to stop this violence against innocent civilians in Israel.
      The army has received instructions to act in accordance with some of the proposals that were submitted to us. The fact that terrorist organizations that actually make up part of the government in the Palestinian Authority, headed by Hamas, are involved in this shooting is a situation that, from from Israel’s standpoint, is intolerable.
      We view the Palestinian government itself as responsible. We will act in order to provide the residents of Sderot with better security. That is our responsibility as a government and, as you have seen, we are appealing to the international community in order to highlight the situation in Sderot.
      We also want to clarify that, from out standpoint, this is a situation that cannot continue. We are making it clear to the international community that, until now, Israel has shown restraint, but for no reason and because of some internal disagreements in the Palestinian Authority, someone has decided to strike the residents of Sderot in such a massive and severe manner. This is something we cannot accept.
      I think that every citizen of Israel, and certainly we, as cabinet ministers, feel the pain of the people of Sderot. We identify with their feelings, but we also have a responsibility - and our responsibility is not just to identify with the situation, but also to try to decrease the quantity and to convey the message to the Palestinian Authority, both militarily and otherwise, that this situation, from our standpoint, is intolerable.
      We have shown restraint for a lengthy period of time, when the situation was different from what we have seen in the past few days. We must understand that no one has a magic solution. We will have to act, and the time period will be determined by the circumstances.
      
   3. BICOM Quotes of the Day - Israel to respond with harsher measures towards Qassam rocket attacks
      Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (Jerusalem Post, 17/5): "The Hamas government is behind the terrorist action, and it is inconceivable that at the same time it is trying to get international recognition and financial assistance."
      Read more
      
      
4. EINIGE AKTUELLE PHOTOS AUS NAHOST....
   
   
   
   1. 
      A Palestinian Hamas militant patrols a street in Gaza city May 17, 2007. (Mohammed Salem/Reuters)
      Reuters via Yahoo! News - 9 minutes ago
      
      
      
      
      Palestinian Hamas militants keep guard during the funeral of their colleague Mohammed al-Dalo, who was killed on Wednesday during clashes between Hamas and Fatah militants, in Gaza May 17, 2007. (Mohammed Salem/Reuters)
      Reuters via Yahoo! News - 9 minutes ago
      
      
      
      
      Palestinian Hamas militants patrol a street in Gaza city May 17, 2007. (Mohammed Salem/Reuters)
      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 17 11:40 AM
      
      
      
      
      A Palestinian Hamas militant takes up his position at a street in Gaza city May 17, 2007. Israeli air strikes on Thursday destroyed a Hamas security headquarters and a car carrying one of the Islamist group's top commanders in a powerful response to rocket attacks by Palestinian militants. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA)
      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 17 10:22 AM
      
      
      
      
      Palestinian Hamas militants keep guard during the funeral of their colleague Mohammed al-Dalo, who was killed on Wednesday during clashes between Hamas and Fatah militants in Gaza May 17, 2007. (Suhaib Salem/Reuters)
      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 17 9:50 AM
      
      
      
      
      Palestinian Fatah gunmen take up their positions during clashes with Hamas gunmen at the street of Rafah camp in the southern Gaza strip May 17, 2007. At least one Palestinian was killed in a clash between Hamas and Fatah gunmen in the Gaza Strip on Thursday despite a ceasefire deal, and Israel threatened to step up attacks on militants firing rockets across the border. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA)
      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 17 10:22 AM
      
   2. 
      Palestinians stand inside the burnt part of a Hamas training base after clashes between Hamas and Fatah militants in Gaza May 14, 2007. Two Palestinian gunmen were killed in Gaza on Monday in fighting between the rival Hamas and Fatah groups, despite an Egyptian-mediated truce aimed at ending the deadliest outbreak of factional violence in months. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA)
      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 14 3:29 AM
      
   3. 
      Palestinian boys watch a rally for the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the West Bank city of Nablus, May 11, 2007. A pregnant Palestinian woman was wounded and lost her baby during fighting between Israeli troops and militants in the occupied West Bank, local medical officials said. Residents of Ain Beit Alma refugee camp in the town of Nablus said Maha Katoumi, 30, had been shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers who fired at militants attacking them with explosives. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK)

      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 11 10:00 AM 
      
      
      

      
      Palestinian militants from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades brandish their weapons during a rally in the West Bank city of Nablus, May 11, 2007. A pregnant Palestinian woman was wounded and lost her baby during fighting between Israeli troops and militants in the occupied West Bank, local medical officials said. Residents of Ain Beit Alma refugee camp in the town of Nablus said Maha Katoumi, 30, had been shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers who fired at militants attacking them with explosives. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK)

      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 11 10:00 AM
      
      
      

      
      Palestinian militants from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades brandish their weapons during a rally in the West Bank city of Nablus, May 11, 2007. A pregnant Palestinian woman was wounded and lost her baby during fighting between Israeli troops and militants in the occupied West Bank, local medical officials said. Residents of Ain Beit Alma refugee camp in the town of Nablus said Maha Katoumi, 30, had been shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers who fired at militants attacking them with explosives. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK)

      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 11 9:55 AM
      
      
      

      
      Palestinian militants from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades brandish their weapons during a rally in the West Bank city of Nablus, May 11, 2007. A pregnant Palestinian woman was wounded and lost her baby during fighting between Israeli troops and militants in the occupied West Bank, local medical officials said. Residents of Ain Beit Alma refugee camp in the town of Nablus said Maha Katoumi, 30, had been shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers who fired at militants attacking them with explosives. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK)

      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 11 9:55 AM
      
      
      

      
      A Palestinian militant from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades points his weapon during a rally in the West Bank city of Nablus, May 11, 2007. A pregnant Palestinian woman was wounded and lost her baby during fighting between Israeli troops and militants in the occupied West Bank, local medical officials said. Residents of Ain Beit Alma refugee camp in the town of Nablus said Maha Katoumi, 30, had been shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers who fired at militants attacking them with explosives. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK)

      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 11 9:20 AM
      
   4. 
      Palestinian Fatah fighters patrol a street after a clash in the Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp in Sidon May 7, 2007. Two Palestinians fighters were killed and two more wounded on Monday in a clash between rival factions at a Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon, security sources said. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON)

      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 07 6:33 AM
      
      
      

      
      A Palestinian Fatah fighter and a boy walk past bloodstains in the Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp in Sidon May 7, 2007. Two Palestinians fighters were killed and two more wounded on Monday in a clash between rival factions at a Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon, security sources said. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON)

      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 07 6:32 AM
      
      
      

      
      A Palestinian Fatah fighter talks on his mobile phone after a clash in the Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp in Sidon May 7, 2007. Two Palestinians fighters were killed and two more wounded on Monday in a clash between rival factions at a Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon, security sources said. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON)

      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 07 6:32 AM
      
   5. 
      Palestinian security forces demonstrate their skills at a graduation ceremony after completing their training in Gaza May 7, 2007. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA)

      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 07 2:33 AM
      
      
      

      
      Palestinian security forces demonstrate their skills at a graduation ceremony after completing their training in Gaza May 7, 2007. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA)

      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 07 2:33 AM
      
      
      

      
      Palestinian security forces demonstrate their skills at a graduation ceremony after completing their training in Gaza May 7, 2007. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA)

      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 07 2:10 AM
      
      
      

      
      Palestinian security forces demonstrate their skills at a graduation ceremony after completing their training in Gaza May 7, 2007. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA)

      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 07 2:09 AM
      
   6. 
      An Israeli police explosives expert lifts the remains of a rocket fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza, after it landed in the southern town of Sderot May 17, 2007. Israel threatened on Thursday "severe" steps to stop rocket attacks by militants from the Gaza Strip, where a shaky truce between rival Palestinian factions appeared to be holding after fighting bordering on civil war. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL)
      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 17 2:56 AM
      
      
      
      
      An Israeli firefighter surveys the scene after a rocket, fired by Palestinian militants, landed in a high school classroom in the southern town of Sderot May 17, 2007. Israel threatened on Thursday "severe" steps to stop rocket attacks by militants from the Gaza Strip, where a shaky truce between rival Palestinian factions appeared to be holding after fighting bordering on civil war. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL)
      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 17 1:54 AM
      
      
      
      
      An Israeli firefighter stands at the scene after a rocket, fired by Palestinian militants, landed in a high school classroom in the southern town of Sderot May 17, 2007. (Gil Cohen Magen/Reuters)
      Reuters via Yahoo! News - 9 minutes ago
      
      
      
      
      An Israeli high school student reads a prayer book while taking cover under a desk in a classroom during a rocket attack in the southern town of Sderot May 17, 2007. Israel threatened on Thursday "severe" steps to stop rocket attacks by militants from the Gaza Strip, where a shaky truce between rival Palestinian factions appeared to be holding after fighting bordering on civil war. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL)
      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 17 3:53 AM
      
      
      
      
      Israeli medics evacuate a lightly injured woman from the scene of a rocket attack in the southern town of Sderot May 17, 2007. Israel threatened on Thursday "severe" steps to stop rocket attacks by militants from the Gaza Strip, where a shaky truce between rival Palestinian factions appeared to be holding after fighting bordering on civil war. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL)
      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 17 3:06 AM
      
      
      
      
      Israeli students embrace during a rocket attack at their high school in the southern town of Sderot May 17, 2007. Israel threatened on Thursday "severe" steps to stop rocket attacks by militants from the Gaza Strip, where a shaky truce between rival Palestinian factions appeared to be holding after fighting bordering on civil war. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL)
      Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 17 2:11 AM
      
      

Zurück nach oben 

TEIL 2 - LINKS zu empfohlenen Artikeln & Webseiten aus der WESTLICHEN Presse  
 

1. BRANDAKTUELL...   
   
    
   1. Y`NET - Rocket hits Sderot synagogue
      
      Prime Minister Olmert visits southern town, meets with Defense Minister Peretz at his home. Shortly after he leaves city, Qassam directly hits synagogue just minutes after end of celebration; a number of people suffer from shock
      Full Story . . . 
      
      
      
      1. YNET - Qassams ignored abroad
         
         
         Foreign media gives airtime to continuous rocket attacks on Israel only after IDF fights back
         
      2. YNET - Negev school hit by rocket (Video)
         
         
      3. JP - Kassam rocket lands in Sderot factory
         Residents storm mayor's office after evacuation halted; 19 rockets hit w. Negev
         
      4. HA'ARETZ - Defense Min. halts evacuation of Sderot after 2,500 leave city
         Evacuation cut short due to shortage of accommodation; 30 rockets land in W. Negev Thurs., 2 lightly hurt.
         
      5. HA'ARETZ - U.S. lauds Israeli restraint in face of Qassam rocket attacks
         U.S. also says Israel has right to defend itself; Netanyahu urges gov't to cut off water, power to Gaza.
         
   2. YNET - 'Hamas plotted to kill Abbas'
      
      
      
      
      1. JP - 'Hamas planned to assassinate Abbas'
         PA chairman cancels trip over warnings that his convoy would be attacked.
         
   3. LIZASWELT- Feierabendterrorismus
      Dass die Ärzte ohne Grenzen notorische Israelhasser sind, ist, zugegeben, nichts Neues. Mögen die Hamas und andere palästinensische Terrorgruppen auch noch so oft und unzweideutig die Auslöschung des jüdischen Staates propagieren und ihn mit Raketen und suicide bombings angreifen (und sich mit Regelmäßigkeit zudem untereinander metzeln) – stets ist es für die engagierten Mediziner Israel, das die Verantwortung für all dies trägt. „Ärzte ohne Grenzen arbeitet seit 1989 in den Palästinensergebieten“, heißt es mit einigem Stolz auf der Website dieser NGO, und weiter: „Seit 2000 konzentrieren sich die Mitarbeiter neben der medizinischen Hilfe auf psychosoziale Unterstützung für Menschen mit akuten Traumata. Derzeit arbeiten Teams in Nablus, Hebron und Gaza.“ „Akute Traumata“, aha. Da muss man es dann wohl verstehen, wenn einer der Ärzte-Doktoren die Konsequenzen zieht, wie die Jerusalem Post berichtet:
      
   4. THE JERUSALEM POST - My Truth: The UN's double standard on Jerusalem
      avigdor lieberman,
      The UN's double standard on Jerusalem
      UN Security Council Resolution 478 of August 20th, 1980 determines that the 1980 Knesset law (the "Jerusalem Law") declaring Jerusalem as Israel's "eternal and indivisible" capital was "null and void and must be rescinded forthwith". The resolution continued to sanction "those states that have established diplomatic missions in Jerusalem to withdraw such missions from the Holy City."
      In recent years we have witnessed a steady decline in the status of Jerusalem as our capital (El Salvador and Costa Rica - the two last remaining diplomatic missions in Jerusalem - moved their embassies to the Tel Aviv area last year).
      In the latest example, EU and US diplomats boycotted a special session of Knesset celebrating 40 years of the reunification of Jerusalem on Monday. It is my belief that we have no one to blame but ourselves for this situation.
      
   5. SPIEGEL ONLINE - ANGST VOR ANSCHLAG / Israel testete Anthrax-Impfstoff an Hunderten Soldaten
      Aus Angst vor einem irakischen Biowaffen-Angriff hat Israel ein Mittel gegen den Milzbrand-Erreger entwickelt - und an Soldaten getestet, enthüllt ein Fernsehmagazin. Dutzende Probanden erlitten offenbar bleibende Schäden.
      Der Vorwurf wiegt schwer, vor allem in einem Land, in dem Angehörige der Streitkräfte und Veteranen ein hohes Ansehen genießen. Die israelische Armee soll die Teilnehmer eines geheimen Impfstoffes mit dessen gesundheitlichen Folgen alleine gelassen haben
      
      
2. AKTUELLES ZUM THEMA IRAN...
   
   
   
   1. PRESS TV - Egypt keen on resuming ties with Iran
      Iran cut ties in 1980 in protest of Cairo's recognition of Israel. Egypt is the only Arab state with which Iran does not currently have normal relations.
       
   2. SIEHE AUCH EMAILS!!
      TAGESSPIEGEL- Spiel mit dem Kopftuch
      Frauenfußball im Iran entwickelt sich nur langsam – jetzt kommt die Nationalmannschaft nach Berlin
      Von Annette Kögel
      Berlin - „Das ist ein Wunder! Ein Wunder ist geschehen“, riefen die Iranerinnen. So wie die Kickerinnen vom Kreuzberger Frauenfußballteam Al-Dersimspor ist wohl noch nie eine Mannschaft begrüßt worden. Kein Wunder, denn die Begegnung zwischen der Mannschaft aus Deutschland und der iranischen Frauenfußball-Nationalmanschaft in Teheran war das erste öffentliche Frauenfußballspiel in einem Stadion seit der Revolution 1979. Zwei Teams, zwei Welten.
       
   3. Washington Post - Iran's Supreme Leader OKs Talks With US
      Dozens of hard-line students demonstrated Wednesday in front of the presidential palace in downtown Tehran to protest the decision to hold talks with the ...
      
   4. NCR-Iran.org - Workers protests continue in Iran
      520 workers of this factory staged a protest outside the Behshahr govenor's office on May 12. In southern city of Gonabad, workers of Road Building Company ...
      
   5. Persian Journal - Mullah leader backs US-Iran meeting
      Dozens of hardline students demonstrated Wednesday in front of the presidential palace in downtown Tehran to protest the decision to hold talks with the ...
      
   6. 
      
      
3. EINIGE AKTUELLE LINK-EMPFEHLUNGEN AUS DEM COP NEWSLETTER...
   
   
   
   1. News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:  
       
      1. Unity Fractures as Palestinians Battle in Gaza - Steven Erlanger
         At least 19 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday - more than 40 have been killed over the past four days - in fighting between Fatah and Hamas as their unity government fractures and rage rises on both sides. Hamas attacked symbols of Fatah power in Gaza; after a mortar attack, 200 armed men of the Hamas occupied the home of the chief security commander. He was not there, but six bodyguards were killed. (New York Times)
             See also Gaza City: "A City of Corpses and Ghosts" - Sakher Abu el-Oun
         "Even during the Israeli occupation the situation wasn't this terrible," says Um Mohammed, praying for an end to the lethal Palestinian infighting raging outside her Gaza City home. Fear reigns throughout the city, deserted but for prowling groups of armed men, loyal to rivals Hamas or Fatah, living on a daily diet of ambushes, kidnappings and assassinations. Dozens of snipers on the rooftops of the tallest buildings open fire seemingly on anything that moves. "We can't go near the window, let alone on the balcony. We have all become targets," says Um Mohammed. "This is a city of corpses and ghosts." (AFP/Yahoo)
             See also AP Reporter in Gaza: "This Is the Worst It's Been" - Ibrahim Barzak
         On Wednesday, I saw several people shot in front of my building, I heard the screams of terrified women and children in a burning building, and I argued with gunmen who tried to take over my home. I have seen a lot in my years as a journalist in Gaza, but this is the worst it's been. (AP/Washington Post)
             See also below Observations: Solution for PA Anarchy? - Ron Ben-Yishai (Ynet News); Salvation in Occupation - Avi Issacharoff (Ha'aretz)
         
         
      2. U.S. Urges Sanctions Against Tehran - David R. Sands
         The U.S. Tuesday called for tough international action against Iran after reports that international inspectors have concluded Tehran has made major technical strides in recent days toward processing nuclear fuel. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the Bush administration is prepared to press for a new round of UN sanctions if Iran defies resolutions calling on it to halt the enrichment of uranium. "What is obvious to everyone is that Iran has continued to act in defiance of the wishes of the international community," Casey said. "We need to continue to apply pressure and increase pressure with an additional Security Council resolution if they don't comply." (Washington Times
         
         
      3. New Bill Would Allow Iran Energy Divestments - Chris Baltimore
         U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday introduced new legislation that would protect fund managers and state pension programs from shareholder lawsuits if they divest stakes in energy companies that do business with Iran. Rather than taking punitive action, the new legislation would authorize state and local governments and private fund-managers to divest assets for companies that invest over $20 million in Iran's energy sector, which the U.S. government would publish in a list every six months.
             The Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2007 was introduced in the Senate by Illinois Democrat Barack Obama and in the House of Representatives by Democratic Reps. Barney Frank and Tom Lantos. Fund managers that choose to divest could do so "without breaching their fiduciary responsibilities to their investors," and thus dodge class-action lawsuits from disapproving investors, Frank said. A report by the Library of Congress' Congressional Research Service found more than $100 billion in energy investments in Iran since 1999 by such foreign firms as France's Total, Royal Dutch Shell, Italy's ENI and Inpex of Japan. (Reuters/Washington Post)
             See also U.S. Lawmakers Seek to Intensify Economic Pressure on Iran, Syria - Dan Robinson
         Tom Lantos, who heads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, asserts the divestment measure will also encourage moderate elements in Iran opposed to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's policies. "This will strengthen their hand, it will weaken the Iranian economy, and it will contribute we hope peacefully to undermining this regime which has been so negative, both in terms of the freedom of the Iranian people internally and Iran's global position." Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen introduced a bill last week to strengthen existing U.S. sanctions against Syria and support what it calls a transition to a democratically elected government in Syria. (VOA News)
         
          

   2. News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:  
       

      1. Palestinian Rocket Hits Israeli High School, Wounds Two - Shmulik Hadad
         A high school in Israel was directly hit by a Palestinian rocket Thursday. Two people were lightly wounded in the attack, and several others suffered from shock. The rocket landed on an unfortified classroom, which was empty at the time. (Ynet News)
             See also Palestinian Bombardment of Sderot Continues Thursday
         Kassam rockets continued to bombard Sderot on Thursday. By 9 a.m., four rocket hits had been reported. On Wednesday night, a Kassam rocket hit a four-story apartment building in the city. Another rocket hit a transformer, knocking out electricity in parts of the city. Earlier Wednesday, the Sderot Municipality prepared to temporarily evacuate 4,000 residents, 16% of the city's 24,000 residents. (Jerusalem Post)
             See also Sderot: Woman Wounded in Palestinian Rocket Barrage - Shmulik Hadad
         As Palestinian terror groups launched over thirty Kassam rockets at Israel in 24 hours, a 70-year-old Israeli woman was evacuated to Barzilai hospital in Ashkelon on Wednesday in moderate-to-serious condition with injuries to her limbs and stomach. A second resident was lightly wounded. (Ynet News)
             See also Constant Terror in Sderot - Masha Rifkin
         As I write this, Kassam rockets are hitting Sderot. Children are screaming, mothers are collapsing in despair, and doctors are pulling shrapnel out of the bodies of Jews. Cornell University junior Masha Rifkin of Newton, Massachusetts, is a volunteer at the Mishol social work office in Sderot. (Jerusalem Post)
         
         
      2. IDF Bombs Hamas Offices in Retaliation for Rocket Barrage - Amos Harel
         Israel Air Force jets bombed a Hamas headquarters in Rafah, the first such air strike against a Hamas target in more than six months, killing four Palestinians and injuring 20 others - all Hamas militants. The air force also killed a Hamas rocket crewman on the outskirts of Gaza City. (Ha'aretz)
         
          

   3. Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):  
       

      1. Death Rattle of Another Mideast Plan - Matthew Kalman
         Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton has joined a growing line of American mediators who have come up with intelligent and far-reaching security plans for the Palestinians, only to see their blueprints mown down in a barrage of automatic weapons fire. Dayton's benchmarks, circulated to Israeli and Palestinian leaders last month, called for a phased easing of restrictions on the movement of Palestinians and their goods, the removal of Israeli checkpoints, and the opening of a safe passage across Israel from Gaza to the West Bank. Israel was also to supply weapons and equipment to security forces loyal to Mahmoud Abbas. The Palestinians were to stop smuggling weapons, explosives and ammunition across the Gaza-Egypt border and to stop firing rockets at Israeli towns from Gaza. Dayton's plan - like those of his well-meaning predecessors - makes sense on paper, yet has proved to be far detached from the grim reality on the ground. (San Francisco Chronicle)
         
         
      2. Springtime for Iran - Editorial
         It's spring in Iran, a time when a hard-line Islamic regime's thoughts turn to repression and crackdowns. These days the Modesty Police roam the streets of Tehran, stopping women who dress inappropriately. Their targets: women who wear small head scarves or short, tight coats or cosmetics or bright nail polish or large sunglasses or short socks ... just about anything that may be deemed un-Islamic. Most get a warning, which is better than it was in the early days of the Islamic revolution. Then, violators were fined, jailed and flogged.
             We can understand why the rulers of Iran are sensitive. They're driving the country deeper and deeper into isolation - with two sets of UN sanctions in place and more likely coming - all to keep an outlaw nuclear program going. Despite the country's oil wealth, the Iranian economy is feeble; the good times promised by Ahmadinejad haven't materialized, and never will without serious market reforms. (Chicago Tribune)
         
         

   4. In-Depth Issues:  
      
      
      

      1. Shin Bet: Doctors Without Borders Staffer Plotted to Kill Israeli Prime Minister - Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)
             Mazab Bashir, 25, a Palestinian from Gaza who works for the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders, has been arrested for plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed Thursday.
             Bashir confessed that for months he had been collecting intelligence on senior Israeli officials - including Olmert and a number of Knesset members.
             He was picked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine to carry out the planned assassination and underwent arms training with the PFLP.  
          

      2. Next Target for Palestinian Rockets May Be Ashkelon, Defense Officials Warn - Ronny Sofer (Ynet News)
             Ashkelon could be the next target of Palestinian rocket attacks, defense officials warned during a security consultation at the Prime Minister's Office Wednesday.
             The defense establishment and the civil authorities were instructed to prepare for the possibility of long-range rocket attacks, which may come in response to Israel's decision Wednesday to discontinue its policy of restraint in the Gaza Strip.
             Officials said Hamas was trying to drag Israel into Gaza to force the battling Palestinian factions to unite and redirect their hostilities against Israel.
             Terror groups in Gaza have Soviet-made Grad (Katyusha) rockets with a 22-km. range.  
         
          

      3. Mubarak Expresses Concern Over Growing Strength of Hamas - Barak Ravid (Ha'aretz)
             Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak expressed great concern over the increasing strength of Hamas in talks with senior diplomatic officials on Wednesday.
             "Hamas will never sign a peace agreement with Israel if it stays in power," he said.
             Mubarak also said that Egypt did not accept Hamas in power, especially in light of its growing ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, which leads the opposition in Egypt.
             Egypt has begun barring senior Hamas leaders from entering Egypt due to concerns over their contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood.  
         
          

      4. Israel to Join OECD (Israel Foreign Ministry)
             The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Ministerial Council, meeting in Paris Wednesday, approved a decision to open accession discussions with Israel.
             The decision attests to respect for the Israeli economy and constitutes international recognition of the State of Israel's achievements as a democratic and developing country, and of its ability to contribute to the global economy.
         
          

   5. Observations:  
      
      
      

      1. Solution for PA Anarchy? - Ron Ben-Yishai (Ynet News)

         • Sderot and western Negev communities are not sustaining Palestinian rocket fire because the Palestinians hope to secure diplomatic-national objectives through their attacks, but rather, because this serves local political and extortion efforts by several dozens of clans and armed groups fighting each other over economic interests and political prestige. In simple terms, Hamas is "exporting" to Israel the responsibility for the massacre carried out by Palestinians against other Palestinians in order to avoid criticism and sanctions from moderate Arab states, and particularly from Saudi Arabia.
         • Control of the street and arms have shifted to dozens of armed groups and clans, with each one clinging to its own agenda and narrow interests. Intelligence officials have identified 47 such groups, with some working on behalf of Iran and others on behalf of global Jihad.
         • The chances of Abbas loyalists overcoming Hamas in a Gaza military clash are slim to none.

             See also Salvation in Occupation - Avi Issacharoff (Ha'aretz)

         • Hamas has won every confrontation since fighting started Sunday. Its military dominance and supremacy are clear. Hamas is conducting itself like a military organization: It moves its forces, positions snipers, uses light artillery (mortars, for example), sets up ambushes in strategic locations, and systematically targets Fatah's leadership in Gaza, based on hit lists it has drafted.
         • Fatah's leadership vacuum is the main reason for the group's defeat in the current round. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is still not showing signs of leadership. Mohammed Dahlan managed to rally Fatah's loyalists during the previous round of fighting, but this round caught Dahlan hospitalized in Cairo following back surgery.
         • The Gazans are repeating one clear message: only Israeli occupation will save them. There is no other solution on the horizon.
           
            
4.  ZUM THEMA "ISRAEL ALLGEMEIN"...  
   
   
   
   1. HA'ARETZ - OECD invitation ups Israel's credit rating
      
      Admission to global economic elite club accelerates integration into markets
       
   2. Tages-Anzeiger Online - Israel unter Raketen-Beschuss
      Militante Palästinenser beschiessen Wohngebiete in Israel. Als Reaktion darauf drangen israelische Panzer in der nördlichen Gaza-Streifen vor. 
       
      
      
      1. derStandard.at - Erneut Kassam-Raketen auf Israel abgefeuert
         Gaza/Tel Aviv - Militante Palästinenser haben am Donnerstag aus dem Gazastreifen erneut mehrere Kassam-Raketen in das israelische Grenzgebiet gefeuert.
         
      2. EuroNews - Erneut Raketen auf Sderot - Abbas besucht umkämpften Gaza-Streifen
         Heute wird Präsident Mahmud Abbas im Gaza-Streifen erwartet, wo dieser versuchen wird, zwischen beiden Seiten zu vermitteln.
         
      3. news.search.ch - Palästinenser feuern Raketen auf Israel
         Militante Palästinenser haben erneut Kassam-Raketen ins israelische Grenzgebiet gefeuert. Eines der Geschosse sei in der Stadt Sderot eingeschlagen, ...
         
      4. Basler Zeitung - Militante Palästinenser setzen Raketenbeschuss Israels fort
         Militante Palästinenser haben am Donnerstag erneut mehrere Kassam-Raketen in das israelische Grenzgebiet gefeuert. ... Islamabad/Kandahar.
         
      5. Businessportal24 (Pressemitteilung) - Militante Palästinenser setzen Kassam-Beschuss Israels fort
         Tel Aviv (dpa) - Militante Palästinenser haben erneut mehrere Kassam-Raketen in das israelische Grenzgebiet gefeuert. Eines der Geschosse sei in der Stadt ...
         
      6. honestreporting- Dear HonestReporting Subscriber, 
         If anyone still doubts the dangers and lethal potential of Qassam missiles, we invite you to view this short video of a missile strike in Sderot that knocked the videographer to the ground as a Qassam hit a neighbor's house, injuring a member of the family. 
          
   3. 20minuten - Israel schlägt zurück
      Nachdem erneut Raketen aus dem Gaza-Streifen nach Israel abgeschossen worden waren, flog die israelische Lufwaffe einen Angriff gegen die Hamas-Miliz.
      
      
      
      1. Reuters Deutschland - Hamas-Kreise: Israel beschießt verlassenen Hamas-Stützpunkt
         Gaza (Reuters) - Israel hat auf wiederholte Raketenangriffe durch palästinensische Extremisten mit einem Gegenschlag reagiert. 
          
   4. Netzeitung - Gewalt in Nahost eskaliert: Israel fliegt wieder Luftangriffe
      Israel hat angesichts andauernder Raketenangriffe auf sein Grenzgebiet die Waffenruhe beendet: Die Luftwaffe zerstörte ein Verwaltungsgebäude der Hamas und ...
      
   5. ISRAELINSIDER- 40 years after Jerusalem's liberation, when will Sderot be free?
      By Noam Bedein   May 16, 2007
      Today, the 28th of Iyar, May 16, 2007 on the civil calendar, educational institutions in Israel are celebrating 40 years for the liberation of Jerusalem.
      Not in Sderot. There is no school today in Sderot, because a Sderot school was hit by a Gaza rocket last night, among the 20 or so rockets that hit the region.
      It is as if Sderot is not part of Israel.
      
   6. WELT- Jerusalem - Die Stadt voller Widersprüche
      Israels Regierung hat zum Jahrestag der Wiedervereinigung Jerusalems am 16. Juni. eigeladen. Doch viele Botschafter, darunter die aus der Bundersrepublik und den USA hab