Imams and rabbis meet to discuss peace

Imams and rabbis, many of whom came from Israel and the Palestinian territories, met on Monday in Paris to discuss "new actions" to promote peace in the Middle-East.

Hamas Kids 2009

Massive Israeli assault on Hamas smuggling tunnels, Egyptian ultimatum to Hamas

Wednesday, Jan. 7, Cairo presented Hamas with an ultimatum to reply to Egypt's ceasefire proposals by 6 a.m. Thursday, Jan.8.That night, Israel launched a massive air and artillery assault on Hamas arms smuggling tunnels running under the Philadelphi route along the Egyptian border and adjoining houses in Rafah.Leaflets dropped in advance by the Israeli air force warned the 30,000 dwellers in the targeted region to leave their homes.Hamas' Southern Brigade is deployed in this strategic sector of the southern Gaza Strip under the command of a high-ranking Hamas commander called Al-Attar.Its operatives tried and failed to stem the flight from the Yibne and Block O Rafah refugee camps and Rafah's Tel Sultan. DEBKAfile's military sources report that Israel has been pounding this Hamas lifeline for arms supplies and reinforcements by air and sea for days.Dozens of tunnels were demolished but enough of the system remained for Hamas to restore it if given the chance. With the new assault Israel is determined to destroy the entire network for good.For Hamas-Damascus and Hamas-Gaza alike, bowing to the Egyptian ultimatum and accepting the proposal intelligence minister Gen. Omar Suleiman put before its representatives in Cairo Tuesday would be seen as a surrender to the Israeli Defense Forces.The ultimatum may have been coordinated with the Israeli assault on the tunnels.Israeli defense ministry official Amos Gilad and Olmerts envoy Yoram Turbovitch fly to Cairo Thursday to start talks on Egypt's ceasefire proposals.DEBKAfile also discloses that the Israeli prime minister sent his political adviser Shalom Turjman to Washington Wednesday night. Earlier, the Israeli defense cabinet decided to continue the military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip while also discussing the ceasefire proposals received from Egypt. A growing number of cabinet ministers advocated expanding the military operation against Hamas and bringing it to the point of resolution, supporting the view held by prime minister Ehud Olmert and the military high command.

http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5834

As in the days of Noah...

Pro-Hamas Demonstration - Fort Lauderdale FL--

WARNING.....!!!!!!GRAPHIC LANGUAGE......!!!!!!

PS:These young muslim women shouting all these curses should thank God that here in America--LAND WHICH THEY HATE WITH THEIR GUTS--they have FREEDOM to shout vulgarities....Something they cannot do in their own countries of origin in the Middle East...
Is this the beauty of Islam like this bearded man says....?????
THANKS BUT NO THANKS.....!!!!!!!!
As in the days of Noah....

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Florida scream for Jews to 'go back in the oven'...

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator shouts 'go back to the oven' to a small group of Israel supporters during a confrontation last week in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Like many other protests of Israel's campaign in Gaza, this one ended badly-police had to cool an ugly fight between supporters of Israel and Gaza, breaking up the warring sides as their screaming and chanting threatened to turn into something worse.But some protesters at this rally in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., took their rhetoric a step further, calling for the extermination of Israel-and of Jews.Separated by battle lines and a stream of rush-hour traffic outside a federal courthouse last week, at least 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators faced off against a smaller crowd of Israel supporters.Most of the chants were run-of-the-mill; men and women waving Palestinian flags called Israel's invasion of Gaza a "crime," while the pro-Israel group carried signs calling the Hamas-run territory a "terror state."But as the protest continued and crowds grew, one woman in a hijab began to shout curses and slurs that shocked Jewish activists in the city, which has a sizable Jewish population." Go back to the oven," she shouted, calling for the counter-protesters to die in the manner that the Nazis used to exterminate Jews during the Holocaust."You need a big oven, that's what you need," she yelled.Millions of Jews were gassed and burned in crematoria throughout Europe during Adolf Hitler's rule of Germany. The protest organizers, asked to comment on the woman's overt call for Jewish extermination, said she was "insensitive" but refused to condemn her statement."She does not represent the opinions of the vast majority of people who were there," said Emmanuel Lopez, who helped plan the event, one of many sponsored nationwide on Dec. 30 by the ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism ) Coalition.Lopez, a state coordinator for ANSWER, admitted there is a problem with anti-Semitism within his organization's ranks. But then he went on to call the supporters of Israel across the street "barbaric, racist" Zionist terrorists."Zionism in general is a barbaric, racist movement that really is the cause of the situation in the entire Middle East," Lopez said.
The unidentified woman, who protest organizers said was a Muslim, wasn't the only protester who raised hackles that day. Other demonstrators held signs that said "Nuke Israel," and a number made comparisons to the Holocaust, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.More than 670 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, have been killed in the 12 days of Israel's campaign in Gaza. At least 30 were killed Tuesday by Israeli shelling of a U.N. school that had been housing refugees. (Israel said its forces fired at militants who launched mortars from that location.)"This is absolutely inhumane," said Ahmed Suid, who attended the demonstration, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel."This is a modern-day Holocaust." The comparisons of the Israelis to the Nazis has Jewish organizations concerned about a "growing trend" at protests in America, where they say hatred of Israel and Jews is being increasingly preached. "We're worried about hate speech. We're worried because hate speech eventually leads to pain and suffering and death," said Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League, which has been tracking Gaza protests."Comparisons of Israel to the Nazis are a deeply cynical perversion of history, an attempt to turn the tragedy that befell the Jewish people into a bludgeon against Israel," he said.Even though police had to intercede and break up a potentially violent confrontation between the two factions at the Fort Lauderdale protest, organizers called it a success, saying it drew crowds of new activists."It was not just an academic exercise...not just a protest," Lopez told FOXNews.com. "It's a material force."
By Joseph Abrams

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,477450,00.html

PS:It is UNFORTUNATE--to say the least--that this young woman shouts these things,digracing herself to be seen by millions of civilized viewers that wonder how can she be this way....But this is the reality of many muslims that are full of hatred against Israel and that are so blinded by it that cannot even see reality and make themselves condemn the fact that Hamas is a Terrorist organization as much as Hezbollah,Al Qaeda,etc....

Thank God that there are many moderate muslims out there that actually suffer persecution from nuts like this young muslim woman--for just being moderate and having a different view,not only about Islam,but about the world in general.

My heart goes out to the many muslims out there that live peacefully with their neighbours no matter that they are non muslims.Sincere and honest muslims that reject this retoric and want to take Islam back from these fanatics nuts

As in the days of Noah...

NWO WATCH:Kissinger:"Obama primed to create 'New World Order'"

According to Henry Kissinger, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former secretary of state under President Nixon, conflicts across the globe and an international respect for Barack Obama have created the perfect setting for establishment of "a New World Order."Kissinger has long been an integral figure in U.S. foreign policy, holding positions in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations. Author of over a dozen books on foreign policy, Kissinger was also named by President Bush as the chairman of the Sept. 11 investigatory commission.Kissinger made the remark in an interview with CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" hosts Mark Haines and Erin Burnett at the New York Stock Exchange, after Burnett asked him what international conflict would define the Obama administration's foreign policy."The president-elect is coming into office at a moment when there is upheaval in many parts of the world simultaneously," Kissinger responded. "You have India, Pakistan; you have the jihadist movement. So he can't really say there is one problem, that it's the most important one. But he can give new impetus to American foreign policy partly because the reception of him is so extraordinary around the world. His task will be to develop an overall strategy for America in this period when, really, a new world order can be created. It's a great opportunity, it isn't just a crisis."Kissinger's comments are captured at roughly the 2:00 mark of the following video:
****Editor's note: The video includes a balloon in the first several seconds promoting a MySpace page that includes profane language and music and is not endorsed in any way by WND.


The phrase 'new world order' traces back at least as far as 1940, when author H.G. Wells used it as the title of a book about a socialist, unified, one-world government. The phrase has also been linked to American presidents, including Woodrow Wilson, whose work on establishing the League of Nations pioneered the concept of international government bodies, and to the first President Bush, who used the phrase in a 1989 speech."A new partnership of nations has begun, and we stand today at a unique and extraordinary moment," said Bush before a joint session of Congress. "Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective – a new world order – can emerge: A new era … in which the nations of the world, east and west, north and south, can prosper and live in harmony."The phrase "New World Order" causes alarm for many Americans, particularly those concerned about an international governing body trumping U.S. sovereignty or those that interpret biblical prophecy to foretell the establishment of a one-world government as key to the rise of the Antichrist. Conspiracy theorists, too, have latched on to the phrase, concerned that powerful financial or government figures are secretly plotting to rule the world.Kissinger's ties to government and international powers – as well as his use of the phrase – have made him suspect in the eyes of many who are wary of what "new world order"might actually mean. "There is a need for a new world order," Kissinger told PBS interviewer Charlie Rose last year, "I think that at the end of this administration, with all its turmoil, and at the beginning of the next, we might actually witness the creation of a new order – because people looking in the abyss, even in the Islamic world, have to conclude that at some point, ordered expectations must return under a different system."As WND reported earlier, Kissinger was also part of last year's super-secret Bilderberg Group, an organization of powerful international elites, including government, business, academic and journalistic representatives, that has convened annually since 1954.According to sources that have penetrated the high-security meetings in the past, the Bilderberg meetings emphasize a globalist agenda and promote the idea that the notion of national sovereignty is antiquated and regressive.CNBC's Haines concluded the Kissinger interview by asking, "Are you confident about the people President-elect Obama has chosen to surround him?"Kissinger replied, "He has appointed an extraordinarily able group of people in both the international and financial fields."
By Drew Zahn
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=85442
As in the days of Noah...

UFO WATCH:Close Encounters Of The Jersey Kind?

MORRISTOWN, N.J.- Was it a UFO or is there an explanation for it? Strange, red, blinking lights could be seen across Morris County on Monday night, and officials thought they had figured out what caused them. Now, they're not so sure. Between 8:30 and 9 p.m., the Hurley family in Whippany captured images of a bizarre object in the sky and contacted WCBSTV.com. "It was unsettling for sure," said Cindy Hurley. "It was something you've never seen before, and a very strange pattern." Eleven-year-old Kristin was the first to spot them, a group of three lights together, and two lights together, seen in the horizon through the trees. "I looked up outside. I was really scared and saw five red lights," she said. The family all went out onto their deck to look at the strange sight. Paul Hurley, a pilot who works at Morristown Airport, said they weren't planes. "I've been in aviation for 20 years and never seen anything like it," he told CBS 2. Paul was one of several people who e-mailed WCBSTV.com after witnessing the lights. "Red lights in the sky over the Morristown-Morris Township area, 5 red lights in a weird pattern over the area," one viewer wrote. "The formation of 5 lights were first noticed over Cedar Knolls and then as they approached the Madison/Morris Township border the rear half of the formation slowly faded and appeared to drop from the sky and then the front part of the formation went out one by one," wrote another. At 8:28, the Hanover Township police received the first of seven 911 calls. "It looks like flares attached to balloons," said a caller.Paul Hurley, who called the Morristown Airport control tower, says the lights had also been spotted from there, and they caused no interference with flight operations. Between those officials and the Morristown Police, the best guess as to what the lights were: nothing more than a prank, roadside flares attached to helium balloons. Yet, they left rather quickly. "It like, it took off, very strange," said Paul.There's been no report of any recovered, and police don't know who released them.The Federal Aviation Administration tells CBS 2 news, with the exception of laser lights and weather balloons, there is no regulation on releasing balloons or lights into the sky.

Reporting John Slattery

http://wcbstv.com/local/strange.lights.ufo.2.901376.html

As in the days of Noah...

'Cybergeddon' fear stalks US: FBI

NEW YORK-Cyber attacks pose the greatest threat to the United States after nuclear war and weapons of mass destruction-and they are increasingly hard to prevent, FBI experts said Tuesday.Shawn Henry, assistant director of the FBI's cyber division, told a conference in New York that computer attacks pose the biggest risk "from a national security perspective, other than a weapon of mass destruction or a bomb in one of our major cities." "Other than a nuclear device or some other type of destructive weapon, the threat to our infrastructure, the threat to our intelligence, the threat to our computer network is the most critical threat we face," he added.US experts talk of "cybergeddon," in which an advanced economy-where almost everything of importance is linked to or even controlled by computers-is sabotaged by hackers.Michael Balboni, deputy secretary for public safety in New York state, described "a huge threat out there" against everything from banking institutions to municipal water systems and dams.Henry said that terrorist groups are working to create a virtual 9/11, "inflicting the same kind of damage on our country, on all our countries, on all our networks, as they did in 2001 by flying planes into buildings."An online attack of that scale has not yet happened in the United States but computer hacking-once something of a sport for brilliant delinquents-is rapidly evolving around the world as a tool of war.Russian hackers allegedly mounted huge assaults on Internet networks in Estonia and Georgia last year, while Palestinian sympathizers have orchestrated attacks against hundreds of Israeli websites in the last few days.Following years of fighting online criminal groups, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other countries' security services know hackers as the most elusive and innovative of foes."It used to be we'd chase people around, literally carrying duffel bags of cash," said Donald Codling, the FBI's cyber unit liaison with the Department of Homeland Security."Nowadays the guy can use his SIM chip and he can move money all over the world and his confederates can withdraw that money from an ATM in a currency of his or her choice. It's extraordinarily difficult for us to catch them."Codling, like other cyber crime fighters, expressed grudging admiration for the skills of his adversaries, who he said are highly motivated and often a step ahead."What the Internet has allowed you to do is make all the human frailities like greed, avarice and all those lovely things much more efficient," he said."We're seeing that the folks on the cutting edge of this tend to be the bad guys. There's a financial reason for them to be good at this."Christopher Painter, an FBI specialist focused on building international cooperation, described another basic weakness in the fight for cyber security: the threat is largely invisible and therefore not always taken seriously."It's not like a fire," he said. "It's hard to get your head around the threat. We often discover a company has been attacked and we tell them that and they don't know."
by Sebastian Smith http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090106/ts_alt_afp/uscrimeinternetsecurity_newsmlmmd
As in the days of Noah...

Floods in Brazil

Due to heavy rainfall, the floodwaters in Brazil caused havoc by destroying homes and people's lives. The floodwaters rose to disastrous levels causing major mudslides. Operation Blessing partnered with the governor of Santa Catarina to help bring relief supplies to get to the people affected by the floods. http://www.ob.org

Floods kill five in central Vietnam

HANOI-Unseasonable floods brought by rains this week have killed at least five people in central Vietnam while 10 others remained missing, the government and state-run media said Saturday.Waters were now receding in main rivers in the region but three including a woman drowned in Quang Nam province and another 44-year-old man died in floods in the neighboring province of Quang Ngai, the government said in a disaster report.A 22-year-old man died in Binh Dinh province while nine fishermen were among the missing after their boats sank, Saturday's Thanh Nien newspaper quoted provincial disaster reports as saying.Floods and storms often strike central Vietnam between August and November but heavy rains since Monday caused by a cold spell hit the region widely exposed to the sea and raised river waters.The government said more than 5,000 homes were submerged and floods also inundated a combined 74,400 hectares of rice in five provinces. The affected area is not the key growing region for rice and coffee, Vietnam's main agro-products for exports.
(Reporting by Ho Binh Minh; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

http://www.reuters.com/article/email/idUSTRE5020A220090103

As in the days of Noah....

Poor burn books to stay warm in chilly India, 55 dead

PATNA, India-At least 55 people have died over the past four days in northern and eastern India as a spell of cold weather swept the region, officials said on Monday.In the northern state of Uttar Pradesh,24 people have died from biting cold in rural areas, a disaster management official said from Lucknow, the state capital.Authorities in adjoining Bihar state said they have received reports of 31 deaths over the past four days.Police said a group of teachers used books meant for poor children in the impoverished state's Gaya district for a bonfire."They (teachers) burned some 500 books packed in two gunny bags to get warm," said Hansnath Singh, a senior police officer.Dense fog in most parts of India has already affected train and flight services, and homeless people can be seen huddling around bonfires after nightfall in the capital, New Delhi, and other cities.
(Writing by Bappa Majumdar; Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Sugita Katyal)http://www.reuters.com/article/email/idUSTRE5041GG20090105
As in the days of Noah...

India battles bird flu

PESTILENCE WATCH:China issues bird flu alert after woman dies

YANJIAO, China-China issued a bird flu alert Wednesday after a woman died of the virus, the first such death in the country in almost a year, and closed poultry markets for disinfecting in a province surrounding Beijing.The 19-year-old woman died of the H5N1 virus after coming into contact with poultry in Hebei province, bringing the total death toll in China to date to 21.In Hebei's Yanjiao, where the dead woman had bought ducks, poultry markets were closed and the sale of live birds stopped as workers in masks and white coats sprayed disinfectant.The World Health Organization said it appeared to be an isolated case."We are concerned by any case of human H5N1 infection, however, this single case, which appears to have occurred during the slaughtering and preparation of poultry, does not change our risk assessment," the WHO said in a statement."WHO expects the ministry will continue to keep it updated on this case, and is prepared to offer technical assistance if requested," it added, referring to the Health Ministry. The virus is generally more active during the cooler months between October and March, although the new Chinese case points to holes in surveillance of the virus in poultry.Chinese Health Ministry spokesman Mao Qunan was quoted in state media as saying the government would step up monitoring."This year we must, on the basis of what we have done in the past, increase monitoring for the transmission of the highly pathogenic bird flu virus in humans," Mao said.In Beijing, workers fanned out to inspect poultry markets and slaughterhouses in the capital city after the government issued a bird flu alert, the official Xinhua news agency said.
NO POULTRY OUTBREAK
Paul Chan, microbiologist at the Chinese University in Hong Kong, said it was worrying that this case was not accompanied by the detection of the virus in poultry nearby."The source of this infection seems to be poultry or the market (where the girl bought the ducks). If that is true, we need to know why we missed the outbreak of the virus in poultry or in the market,"Chan said."If there was an outbreak in the market, there should have been large numbers of poultry deaths.If people in the markets and the government can't recognize this, then we have a serious problem on our hands," he added.The H5N1 strain remains largely a disease among birds but experts fear it could change into a form that is easily transmitted from person to person and spark a pandemic that could kill millions of people worldwide.
By Phyllis Xu
To read more go to:
http://www.reuters.com/article/email/idUSPEK33777920090107
As in the days of Noah...

Snow causes European transport chaos

Women barred from Iraq shrine

Terror in Turkey for Bnei Hasharon

Bnei Hasharon experienced two hours of terror in Ankara on Tuesday evening.Moments before the tip-off of the Israeli team's Eurocup encounter against Turk Telekom some 3,000 Turkish fans shouted 'Allah Akbar' and, by some accounts, 'death to the Jews' in protest against the IDF's actions in Gaza.Other fans threw bottles at the Israeli players and stormed the court, forcing the Israelis to flee for the dressing rooms.The players and staff were only able to leave for their hotel thanks to a massive police escort after being stranded for two long hours in the locker room.
Bnei Hasharon chairman Eldad Akunis described the terrifying moments."We arrived at the arena under heavy security. There were 1,500 policemen in the arena, 500 of them in plain clothes. The fans waved Palestinian flags and shouted abuse towards Israel," Akunis said."As the game was set to begin they stormed the court and we raced towards the dressing rooms. Our players are in shock and all we want at the moment is to return back home."Team captain Meir Tapiro said only the police's intervention prevented the players from being attacked."The fans raced on to the court and ran towards us like madmen, but the police stopped them. It was really scary," he said.Amazingly, the game referee demanded that Bnei Hasharon play after all the supporters were cleared from the arena, but the team refused and is set to receive a technical loss."After a delay due to on-court disturbances before the game, the Turk Telekom vs Bnei Hasharon game was not played due to Bnei´s refusal to play despite clearing the arena of fans," a ULEB press release read."The situation will be reviewed by the disciplinary judge to give the final ruling. Under league rules the refusal to play a game by a team can be sanctioned and the game can be given to the opposing team 20-0."Earlier, a pro-Islamic group earlier set an Israeli flag on fire outside the arena.Turkey has harshly criticized Israel over the ground offensive in Gaza and has urged an immediate cease-fire. It has also called on the United Nations to take steps to end the violence.
AP contributed to this report.
By ALLON SINAI
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1231167284870&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
As in the days of Noah...

The Roots of Hamas Terror in Israel

Venezuela expels Israel envoy over Gaza attacks

CARACAS-Venezuela expelled the ambassador to Israel on Tuesday in protest over the offensive in Gaza only hours after leftist President Hugo Chavez called the attacks a Palestinian "holocaust."The socialist Chavez, a harsh critic of Israel and the United States, in recent years has frequently withdrawn Venezuela's diplomatic envoys amid bilateral disputes and last year kicked out the U.S. ambassador over a conflict involving allied Bolivia.The OPEC nation's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Israel's campaign constituted "flagrant violations of International Law" and the use of "state terrorism." "For the reasons mentioned above, the government of Venezuela has decided to expel the Ambassador of Israel and part of the personnel of the Embassy of Israel," the statement said.The Israeli embassy did not respond to phone calls requesting comment.Chavez in 2006 threatened to break ties with Israel over its military campaign in Lebanon in a war of words that led both nations to withdraw their envoys.On Monday he accused Washington of poisoning the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to destabilize the Middle East and justify U.S.-backed Israeli incursions into Arab countries.Israel is under international pressure to reach a ceasefire with Hamas militants and halt an offensive that has killed nearly 600 Palestinians, including more than 40 in a U.N. school sheltering civilians."The Holocaust, that is what is happening right now in Gaza," Chavez said in televised comments earlier on Tuesday. "The president of Israel at this moment should be taken to the International Criminal Court together with the President of the United States."The United States, which Chavez describes as a decadent empire, firmly backs Israel-its principal ally in the region.
(Reporting by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Sandra Maler)
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5056Y520090106
PS:This third class lunatic thug of Chavez has NO MORAL AUTHORITY to talk about any"holocaust",He has made his way up in power and tyranny BY KILLING...IF ANYBODY should be taken to INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT should be him and his buddy AHAMADINEJAD FIRST...He should be quiet.
As in the days of Noah...

HISTORY of VIOLENCE:Investigating Roots of Crisis in Gaza Strip

Olmert orders "humanitarian corridor" for Gaza

JERUSALEM-Israel will set up a "humanitarian corridor" for the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said on Wednesday, after aid agencies complained of a mounting crisis for the enclave's 1.5 million Palestinians.Israeli ground forces, which invaded Gaza on Saturday to counter rocket fire by armed Palestinian factions, have bisected the territory and encircled major populated areas.Olmert's office said in a statement that the corridor had been recommended by Israel's military chiefs and would entail granting periodic access to various areas of the strip to allow Palestinians to stock up on vital goods.An Olmert spokesman, Mark Regev, described the measure as a "special status to allow the transfer of people, foodstuffs and medicines" and said it could be implemented on Wednesday.
(Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Richard Williams)http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5057IM20090106
As in the days of Noah....

"THEY ARE NOT TERORISTS":Palestinian Envoy to the Un Refuses to Condem Hamas Attacks on Israeli Civilians as Acts of Terror

Al Qaeda No. 2 Blames Obama, Egypt's President for Gaza

CAIRO, Egypt-An intelligence monitoring center reports that Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader is blaming Barack Obama and Egypt's president for the Israeli offensive in Gaza.The SITE Monitoring Service says the audio statement by Ayman al-Zawahiri was posted on militant Web sites Tuesday.This is al-Zawahiri's first comment on the crisis since the war began eleven days ago. In a transcript of the statement released by SITE, he calls the Israeli offensive a "Crusade against Islam and Muslims" and "Obama's gift to Israel" before he takes office.Al-Zawahiri also calls Egypt's president, Hosni Mubarak, a "traitor" for keeping his borders closed to Palestinians.
by AP
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,477069,00.html
As in the days of Noah...

Obama speaks out on Gaza

Hamas' Overmatched Weaponry Could Prove Deadly to Israelis Nonetheless

A Palestinian terrorist plants an explosive devices, as children watch on.(Reuters)

Israeli soldiers are equipped with some of the most advanced personal weaponry available to a modern military, but they nonetheless face great danger on the ground in Gaza.The Islamist militant group Hamas, masters of asymmetrical warfare, has several key weapons that can inflict heavy casualties on an invading force, despite being overmatched. These weapons were not of great concern to Israel when it was attacking from sea and air. But the danger has increased exponentially since Israel launched its ground assault over the weekend.One significant danger every Israeli soldier faces in Gaza is a foe who is yearning to give up his life. Hamas has built a force of willing suicide bombers whose explosive vests are typically packed with an assortment of shrapnel to raise the casualty rate among their targets.While Israeli soldiers are prepared to die in the defense of their country, they are also trained to survive. The suicide bomber is, therefore, a weapon available only to one side of this conflict.Hamas has been talking tough in the face of superior military power; its leaders have vowed to inflict massive casualties."Gaza will be your cemetery," and "we will fight until the last breath,"Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan said in a written statement.As Israel pushes into Gaza on the ground, it does not know exactly what weapons-and how many of them-Hamas possesses."We don't know what has been smuggled into Gaza," said David Schenker, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute and a former Pentagon official specializing in Middle East issues."Syrians and Iranians have supplied Hamas with training and weaponry," Shenker said, pointing to a variety of weapons used during Israel's 2006 war in Lebanon as examples of what Israeli ground troops may face in Gaza."In Southern Lebanon, we saw the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) that disabled several Merkava tanks and killed the soldiers inside," Shenker said in a phone interview with FOXNews.com."In Lebanon, we confirmed the use of the Kornet anti-tank system," Shenker said, referring to a series of Russian manufactured wire-guided missile systems....

By Matt Sanchez

To read more go to:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,476884,00.html

As in the days of Noah...

Iran and Gaza

Turkey holds suspicious Iran-Venezuela shipment

ANKARA,Turkey-Turkey was holding a suspicious shipment bound for Venezuela from Iran because it contained lab equipment capable of producing explosives, a customs official said Tuesday. Suleyman Tosun, a customs official at the Mediterranean port of Mersin, said military experts were asked to examine the material, which was seized last month, and decide whether to let the shipment to go to Venezuela. Authorities detected the equipment during a search of 22 containers labeled "tractor parts," Tosun said. They were brought to Mersin by trucks from neighboring Iran, he said. Turkey's Interior Ministry said an investigation was under way."Experts from Turkey's Atomic Institute determined there were no traces of radioactive material, but said the equipment was enough to set up an explosives lab," Tosun said. "We have asked the military to send experts to determine whether to resume the shipment."Some barrels, labeled with "danger" signs, contained chemicals. Tosun said details were still unclear.An Iranian embassy official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the shipment contained "nothing important."Iran and Venezuela operate various joint ventures in Venezuela, including plants to assemble tractors and cars. The two countries also have agreed to team up on petrochemical projects.
By SELCAN HACAOGLU, Associated Press Writer
Associated Press Writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara contributed to this report.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090106/ap_on_re_eu/eu_turkey_iran_venezuela
As in the days of Noah...

UN takes on Gaza

Israel Hits Second U.N. School, Blasts Way Into Southern Gaza

Palestinian medical officials say an Israeli airstrike has hit a U.N. school in the northern Gaza Strip, the second deadly Israeli airstrike to hit a U.N. school on Tuesday.Israel's military said its shelling was a response to mortar fire from within the school, pressing its assertion that Hamas militants are using civilians as cover. Two residents of the area who spoke to the Associated Press by telephone said they saw a handful of militants firing mortar shells from a street near the school.Israel has accused Hamas of using schools, mosques and residential areas for cover and staging grounds for terrorist attacks.Earlier Tuesday there was an attack that killed three at a school in the Gaza city itself.U.N. and Palestinian medics said 40 Palestinians were killed in the attack, including children, women and elderly people.Palestinian health official Said Joudeh told the Associated Press the school was turned into a shelter for people displaced by Israel's offensive against Hamas militants.Also on Tuesday, Israeli tanks blasted their way into the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis for the first time, Palestinian witnesses said, as heavy fighting raged on the northern edges of Gaza City itself.Shells slammed into Gaza and ground forces edged closer to major population centers, taking more civilian lives after Israel declined mounting international calls for an immediate cease-fire on Monday. A Palestinian rocket attack wounded an Israeli infant....
To read more go to:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,476664,00.html
As in the days of Noah...

Is Egypt a Key Player in Mideast Peace...?

Egypt and France propose plan to end Gaza conflict

UNITED NATIONS-The presidents of Egypt and France have proposed a plan to end the escalating Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Tuesday.Kouchner told a high-level meeting of the U.N. Security Council that the plan would bring together the main parties, including the Palestinian Authority, to take "all measures" to end the conflict, including the key issues of protecting Gaza's borders and reopening all crossings.Kouchner said Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced the plan at a press conference."We are awaiting the Israeli response and we harbor hope that it will be a positive one," Kouchner said.When asked about a reported possible cease-fire proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev told AP: "We are holding off comments on that for the time being."The Mubarak-Sarkozy plan got immediate support from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority lost control of Gaza to Hamas in July 2007."I express my support for the plan set in motion today by president Mubarak and president Sarkozy," said Abbas who flew to New York to attend the council meeting in hopes of getting a legally binding resolution for an immediate cease-fire.Kouchner told the council that "president Mubarak has just proposed, together with President Sarkozy, at a press conference a plan for a resolution to the crisis to be found.""A halt to violence is the immediate priority," he said. "The Security Council must support and encourage these promising endeavors. All states in the region must assist this and contribute toward this hope favoring moderation."
By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090106/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_un_gaza_truce_proposal

As in the days of Noah...

Hamas Employs Human Shields

From Alan Dershowitz via The Jury Talks Back: In one recent incident, Israeli intelligence learned that a particular house was being used to manufacture and store rockets.It was a clear military target since their rockets were being fired at Israeli civilians.But the house was also being lived in by a family.So the Israeli military phoned the house, informed the owner that it was a military target, and gave him thirty minutes to leave with his family.The owner called Hamas, which immediately sent dozens of mothers carrying babies to stand on the roof of the house.Hamas knew that Israel would never fire at a house with civilians in it.They also knew that if, by some fluke, the Israeli authorities did not learn that there were civilians in the house, and fired on it,Hamas would win a public relations victory by displaying the dead civilians to the media.In this case, Israel did learn of the civilians and withheld its fire.The rockets that were spared destruction by the human shields were then used against Israeli civilians.
Animals. Barbarians. There is no epithet too vile to describe Hamas. Of course, the American liberals love them…
http://www.plnewsforum.com/index.php/forums/viewthread/45865
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Cash drain leaves Gaza stranded

After freezing money transfers to Gaza for more than a month, Israel has finally authorised the transfer of some 20 million euros. But with the embargo halting the flow of goods into the Strip, the cash is siphoned off to Egypt by secret channels....

France asks Syria to help end Gaza conflict

DAMASCUS-French President Nicolas Sarkozy asked Syria on Tuesday to help convince Hamas to cooperate in international efforts to end the Israeli assault in the Gaza Strip.Sarkozy said that he expected Syria to play a role in a regional push for a ceasefire to halt the Israeli offensive on Gaza, which has killed 588 Palestinians since Dec 27."I know the importance of Syria in this region and its influence on a number of players. I don't have any doubt that President Bashar al-Assad will throw all his weight to convince every one to return to reason," Sarkozy said after meeting the Syrian president in Damascus."Those who can work for peace must do it immediately," said Sarkozy, who is on a peace-brokering tour in the Middle East.Sarkozy said any ceasefire must provide "serious guarantees" for the security of Israel and the halt of rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel, the stated aim of Israel's offensive on Gaza.The French president, who held talks with Israeli officials in Jerusalem on Monday, emphasized the need to improve the humanitarian conditions for Palestinians in Gaza. He also called for a ceasefire."I hope that today European non governmental organizations will enter Gaza, that there will be humanitarian corridors and medicine (deliveries)," said Sarkozy, who headed after his talks with Assad to Beirut for meetings with Lebanese officials.Sarkozy will also stop in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on his return flight to Paris for further talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian officials said.Egypt has been critical of Hamas and helped Israel secure a blockade on Gaza.Hamas officials said the U.S.-backed Egyptian government was one of the better placed regional players that could broker a truce despite the group's misgivings about Egypt.Israel launched its offensive after Hamas called off a six-month truce last month and stepped up rocket attacks in response to Israeli raids and a blockade of the Gaza Strip.More than 588 Palestinians have been killed and some 2,700 wounded in the 11-day conflict. Four Israelis had also been killed and 60 injured by rocket attacks launched from Gaza into southern Israel, he said.Syria, along with Iran, is a main backer of Hamas and hosts members of the group's exiled leadership, including Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.Assad said that any initiative for a truce must stop what he described as Israel's war crimes in Hamas-run Gaza and lift the blockade in the besieged territory."The blockade is slow death. There will not be a ceasefire that holds if the blockade is not lifted," he said...
By Khaled Yacoub Oweis
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE5052PN20090106?virtualBrandChannel=10112

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Iraqi Shi'ites celebrate Ashura

Iran wants to show regional power over Gaza crisis

TEHRAN-Iran wants to send a message to the new U.S. administration and Arab governments that it is a power to be reckoned with in the region by championing the cause of its Palestinian ally, Hamas, in its fight with Israel.President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, expected to seek re-election in June, may also have found a cause to muzzle criticism of his economic management and tumbling oil revenues, analysts say.But Tehran's outspoken support for Hamas and criticism of the response by some Arab states could backfire if it wins over the Arab public but, in doing so, pushes wary Arab governments closer toward the United States in its dispute with Iran.Washington accuses Tehran of seeking a nuclear bomb, which Iran denies. The row is likely to be near the top of President-elect Barack Obama's foreign policy in-tray, though Gaza may now trump it bringing another benefit to Iran from the crisis. "The message from the Iranians (to Washington) is there is give and take. We can help you in Afghanistan, we can help you in Iraq, we can help you with Lebanon and Palestine, if you have good relations with us," said Iranian analyst Baqer Moin."We are a regional power and you have to acknowledge that and talk to us on that level if you want us to be cooperative on issues where you need us," the London-based analyst said. Gaza's plight-more than 560 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli attacks-has drawn sympathy from Iranians frustrated like many other Muslims at what they see as a limited international response to end fighting.But hardliners have been most vocal backing the Palestinian cause, a pillar of the Islamic Republic since the revolution and a way Iran has fashioned itself a leader of the Muslim world although it is mainly Shi'ite and most Muslims are Sunni...
By Edmund Blair
To read more go to:
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE5051WH20090106
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Israel demands Hamas disarm

Rice to consult Arabs, others about Mideast ceasefire

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will travel to New York Tuesday for consultations at the United Nations to "further efforts" on a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, a US official said."Secretary Rice will travel to New York today. She will consult with friends and allies, including Arab ministers, (Palestinian) president (Mahmud) Abbas and the Turkish foreign minister (Ali Babacan)," a State Department official said."She will also attend the UN Security Council meeting. She will remain overnight and have more consultations tomorrow," the official said on the condition of anonymity. "The purpose is to further efforts to achieve a ceasefire," he said."I don't have any prediction for the Security Council meeting," he said when asked if there would be a vote.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.49a46b2558a5465331c83a6bea36c351.81&show_article=1&catnum=0
As in the days of Noah...

Israeli Forces Surround Gaza City

Gaza conflict spreads to Europe with Jews attacked

The exterior of a synagogue is seen in Toulouse, southwestern France Tuesday Jan. 6, 2009 after a burning car was rammed into the synagogue's door on Monday. A burning car was rammed into a synagogue door in southwest France as the interior minister convened Muslims, Jews and police in Paris to warn against contagion from the Gaza conflict. Damage to the synagogue in a Toulouse neighborhood was limited to a blackened door, and there were no injuries even though a rabbi was giving a course to adults inside, said an official of the regional prefecture, Anne-Gaelle Baudouin. (AP Photo/Manuel Blondeau)

PARIS-Signs are mounting that the conflict in Gaza is starting to spill over into violence in Europe's towns and cities,with assaults against Jews and arson attacks on Jewish congregations in France, Sweden and Britain.Assailants rammed a burning car into the gates of a synagogue in Toulouse, in southwest France, on Monday night.A Jewish congregation in Helsingborg, in southern Sweden, also was attacked Monday night by someone who "broke a window and threw in something that was burning," said police spokesman Leif Nilsson.Neighbors alerted rescue services before the fire took hold.Someone also started a blaze outside the premises last week.And on Sunday slogans including "murderers... You broke the cease-fire" and "don't subject Palestine to ethnic cleansing" were daubed on Israel's embassy in Stockholm.In Denmark, a 27-year-old Dane born in Lebanon of Palestinian parents is alleged to have injured two young Israelis last week, opening fire with a handgun in a shooting that police suspect could be linked to the Gaza crisis.France has Western Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities and a history of anti-Semitic violence flaring when tensions in the Middle East are high. In 2002, some 2,300 Jews left France for Israel because they felt unsafe.President Nicolas Sarkozy warned in a statement Tuesday that France would not tolerate violence linked to the Gaza crisis. A day earlier, his interior minister said she was concerned about the prospect of contagion and met with the heads of the two main Muslim and Jewish groups and police officials to stress the need to "preserve national unity."Damage to the synagogue in Toulouse was limited to a blackened gate, and there were no injuries even though a rabbi was giving a course to adults inside, authorities said.They said unlighted gasoline bombs were also found in a car nearby and in the synagogue's yard. A local Jewish leader, Armand Partouche, said he believed the assailants had planned to torch the synagogue, but fled when the building's alarm went off."It could have been very, very serious," Partouche said in a telephone interview. "There were people inside; there could have been deaths."He said Jewish leaders are asking Toulouse authorities for reinforced security for the city's synagogues."We really fear that anti-Semitism will spring up again and that the current conflict will be transposed to our beautiful French republic," he said.In Britain, the Community Security Trust, a Jewish defense group, said it had seen a rise in anti-Semitic incidents since the start of Israel's offensive against Gaza. The group said it had recorded 20-25 incidents across the country in the past week that it believed were connected with Gaza, including an arson attempt on a synagogue in north London on Sunday.London police are investigating the attack, in which suspects splashed flammable liquid on the door and set it on fire.Community Security Trust spokesman Mark Gardner said that in another incident last week a gang of 15-20 youths walked along the main street in Golders Green, a largely Jewish neighborhood in north London, shouting "Jew" and "Free Palestine" at passers-by."It could get worse," Gardner said. "We tend to see these things happen in waves."The government in Belgium on Tuesday ordered police in Antwerp and Brussels to be on increased alert after recent pro-Palestinian protests ended in violence and dozens of arrests. Police said burning rags were shoved through the mailbox of a Jewish home in Antwerp last weekend. Damage was limited and no arrests were made.In the Danish shooting, one Israeli man was shot in the arm and another in the leg as they were selling hair care products in a shopping mall. Eli Ruvio, who owns the company that operated the stands, said his employees have been harassed by Muslim youths since they set up three kiosks in the shopping center in August."They kept cursing and shouting at us," Ruvio told The Associated Press. He added that the Muslim youths also threw mud and firecrackers at the employees and spat at them.Ruvio recalled an episode Dec. 27 when some of the youths shouted "slaughter all the Jews.""I told my employees not to speak in Hebrew and lie about where they come from, they should say there were from Spain or somewhere else. If people ask you where you are from, never say you're from Israel," he said.
By JOHN LEICESTER--Associated Press Writer
Associated Press Writers Jill Lawless in London, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Malin Rising in Stockholm, Robert Wielaard in Brussels and Audrey Sommazi in Toulouse contributed to this report.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D95HN1H02&show_article=1&catnum=0

As in the days of Noah...

RUSSIA TODAY:"Peace activist report from Gaza..."

A peace activist with the International Solidarity Movement, Eva Bartlett shares her views from Gaza...

PS:It amazes me how this so called"peace activist"mentions the "SO CALLED HAMAS MILITANTS"...WHy is it so difficult for people to see reality....?So what are they gonna say next,that HAMAS is an ISRAELI INVENTION...?That Israel has his own shooting rockets day in and day out from Palestine...???Unbelievable....
As in the days of Noah...

Pro-Gaza Demonstrations in Asia

Pro-Gaza demonstrators burned both Israeli and American flags at a rally in Thailand on Tuesday. The demonstrations attracted hundreds who support do not support Israel...

Israel Hits U.N. School, Storms South Gaza's Largest City

Israeli tanks blasted their way into the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis for the first time this morning,Palestinian witnesses said, as heavy fighting raged on the northern edges of Gaza City itself.Shells slammed into Gaza and ground forces edged closer to major population centers, including a U.N. school, taking more civilian lives after Israel declined mounting international calls for an immediate cease-fire on Monday. A Palestinian rocket attack wounded an Israeli infant.In fighting that raged early Tuesday morning, at least 18 people were killed in shelling up and down the Gaza Strip from tanks and naval craft, local hospital officials said. Two of the dead were confirmed as militants.Tanks rumbled closer to the towns of Khan Younis and Dir el Balah in south and central Gaza, witnesses said sounds of fighting could be heard from around the new Israeli positions. Israel already has encircled Gaza City, the area's biggest city.Israel launched its offensive on Dec. 27 in a bid to halt repeated Palestinian rocket attacks on its southern towns. After a weeklong air campaign, Israeli ground forces invaded Gaza over the weekend. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 100 civilians, according to U.N. figures. Nine Israelis have died since the operation began.The rising civilian death toll has drawn international condemnations and raised concerns of a looming humanitarian disaster.Many Gazans are without electricity or running water, thousands have been displaced from their homes and residents say that without distribution disrupted, food supplies are running thin.In one incident overnight, three people were killed when Israel attacked a U.N. school where hundreds had taken shelter."There's nowhere safe in Gaza. Everyone here is terrorized and traumatized," said John Ging, the top U.N. official in Gaza, blaming the international community for allowing the violence to continue."I am appealing to political leaders here and in the region and the world to get their act together and stop this,"he said,speaking at Gaza's largest hospital."They are responsible for these deaths." In Geneva, the international Red Cross said Gaza was in a "full-blown" humanitarian crisis. Its head of operations, Pierre Kraehenbuehl, said the few remaining power supplies could collapse at any moment.Israel says it won't stop the assault until its southern towns are freed of the threat of Palestinian rocket fire and it receives international guarantees that Hamas, a militant group backed by Iran and Syria, will not restock its weapons stockpile.It blames Hamas for the civilian casualties, saying the group intentionally seeks cover in crowded residential areas.The army says it has dealt a harsh blow to Hamas, killing 130 militants in the past two days and greatly reducing the rocket fire. At least 15 rockets were fired Tuesday. One landed in the town of Gadera, about 25 miles from the Gaza border, lightly wounding a 3-month-old infant, police said.Israeli forces have cut the main Gaza highway in several places, compartmentalizing the strip into the north, south and Gaza City itself and preventing movement between them. Israel also has taken over high-rise buildings in Gaza City and attacked destroyed dozens of smuggling tunnels-Hamas' main lifeline-along the Egyptian border.Late Monday, a paratroops officer and three Israeli infantrymen were killed in two separate friendly fire incidents, the military said. Heavy Israeli casualties could threaten to undermine what so far has been wide public support for the operation.The international community, on the other hand, has been more cautious, defending Israel's right to defend itself but expressing concern about the rising civilian death toll.A high-level European Union delegation met with President Shimon Peres on Tuesday in a futile bid to put an end to the violence. Commissioner Benita Ferraro-Waldner acknowledged Israel's right to self-defense, but said its response was disproportionate."We have come to Israel in order to advance the initiative for a humanitarian cease-fire and I will tell you, Mr. President, that you have a serious problem with international advocacy, and that Israel's image is being destroyed," she said, according to a statement from Peres' office.She said international relief organizations have complained that there is a serious problem distributing aid in Gaza.In Geneva, the international Red Cross said Gaza was in a "full-blown" humanitarian crisis. Its head of operations, Pierre Kraehenbuehl, said the few remaining power supplies could collapse at any moment, leaving 500,000 people without clean water and at risk of disease....

To read more go to:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,476664,00.html

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Thai Muslims warn of "unexpected" incidents in response to Gaza

Bangkok-Hundreds of Thai Muslims on Tuesday staged a second day of demonstrations outside the Israeli embassy to Bangkok, warning of 'unexpected' incidents around the world unless Israel ceases its attack and occupation of the Gaza Strip.About 700 members of the Muslim Group for Peace rallied in front of the embassy wearing 'Stop Gaza Slaughter' T-shirts and waving banners reading 'Boycott Israel' and 'Israel is the Real Terrorist.'' Muslim Group for Peace and Thai peace lovers severely condemn the barbaric behavior of Israel and call for Muslim leaders to get involved and solve the problems in order to stop Israel violating the International Agreements,' the group's leader Mureed Teemasean said in a prepared statement.'If the situation has been ignored it may result in many unexpected incidents to the world,' he warned.Mureed also called on the Thai government to take a stronger stance in criticizing Israel's invasion of Gaza that has claimed more than 500 Palestinian lives.The group, which organized a similar protest outside the embassy on Monday, then burned Israeli and US flags in front of the Ocean Tower II Building which houses the Israeli embassy on the 25th floor. Muslims are a minority in Thailand, accounting for about 5 per cent of the population which is predominantly Buddhist.An exception is Thailand's three southernmost provinces-Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala-where 80 per cent of the 2 million people are Muslim.The area has been the scene of constant violence since January, 2004, when Muslim militants attacks an army arms depot and stole about 300 war weapons, prompting several bloody reprisals on the rebels that inflamed local antagonism against authorities.Clashes, bombs, assassinations and beheadings have claimed some 3,000 casualties in the area over the past four years.The three provinces comprised the independent Islamic sultanate of Pattani more than 200 years ago before it fell under Bangkok's rule.A separatist struggle has simmered in the area for decades. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1451739.php/Thai_Muslims_warn_of_%26quotunexpected%26quot_incidents_in_response_to_Gaza_
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BIG BROTHER WATCH:"UN-MASKED":Washington cops making arrests with Facial Recognition Technology

N. Korea Mobilizes 100,000 for 'Military First' New Year Rally

Jan. 5: Tens of thousands of North Koreans rallied Monday at Pyongyang's main Kim Il Sung plaza in a display of might and loyalty.AP/Korean Central News Agency

SEOUL, South Korea-Tens of thousands of North Koreans rallied in Pyongyang in a display of might and loyalty underscoring their government's guiding "military first" principal amid tensions with rival South Korea.The government mobilized 100,000 North Koreans for Monday's annual New Year's rally, which honors leader Kim Jong Il and reaffirms full public support for his rule in the year ahead.Pumping their right fists in unison, they marched through Pyongyang's main Kim Il Sung plaza pledging their loyalty, some waving huge red flags as top officials watched from a viewing stand.Kim Jong Il did not appear among them in footage broadcast by APTN. The 66-year-old leader has not shown up at a mass event since reportedly suffering a stroke in mid-August, even missing the country's milestone 60th anniversary in September.But North Korean officials deny the reports of Kim's collapse. They say Kim has been busy touring farms, factories and military units across the country, with state-run media recording some two dozen trips since early October alone.On Tuesday, state media said Kim toured a newly built power plant on the east coast and dropped in on newlyweds whose home is powered by the plant.Many of the reports, photos and footage do not specify an exact location or date, and South Korean officials say they cannot confirm the visits with so little reliable information.Still, foreign officials and analysts pore over each photo, frame and statements for clues to what's going on in the reclusive communist nation.Kim kicked off the new year with soldiers, the Korean Central News Agency said-a change from his usual routine of paying tribute to workers at industrial sites or at the grave of his father, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung. The tank unit is North Korea's first; it once fell under his father's command and is considered the birthplace of North Korea's "songun" military policy, the report said.In Seoul, Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyeon said it was the first time since 1995 the leader spent New Year's Day with the military-one of several moves he said demonstrate North Korea's renewed efforts to show the military's primacy.Kim Jong Il rules the totalitarian nation in his capacity as chairman of the country's all-powerful National Defense Commission.The concept of "military first" was a focal point of the regime's New Year statement, a joint editorial from the country's three main publications that is the closest thing to an annual state of the union address in Pyongyang.Analysts say Kim Jong Il is reaffirming the military's might as a way to tighten his grip on the nation of 23 million at a time of economic hardship and political uncertainty. The regime also is setting the stage for a post-Kim Jong Il era, experts said.Kim inherited leadership upon his father's 1994 death but the "Dear Leader," believed to suffer from diabetes and heart disease, has not named any of his sons to succeed him."He will continue to put importance on the military until he completes naming his successor," said Yoo Ho-yeol, a professor at Seoul's Korea University.North and South Korea, which fought a three-year war in the 1950s, remain divided by the world's most heavily guarded border. Relations warmed under 10 years of liberal leadership in Seoul, but quickly turned frosty when conservative President Lee Myung-bak took office last February refusing to hand over aid unconditionally.Though reliant on Seoul's handouts, the North cut off all ties with the South, and it emerged Monday that the senior Pyongyang policymaker for inter-Korean relations was fired in the fallout. New names have appeared in KCNA reports in recent weeks, signaling a government shuffle in the capital.In Pyongyang, there was no sign of uncertainty about the future in footage broadcast by APTN, with scores turning out for the staged rally despite the bitter cold."The New Year is a year of a great change, which will be embellished with noteworthy events in the history of the construction of a great, prosperous and powerful socialist country," said Choe Tae Bok, secretary of the powerful Central Committee of the Workers' Party. He called it "a year of a revolutionary surge."

By AP

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,476526,00.html

As in the days of Noah...

Israeli Troops,Hamas Fighters Clash Near Gaza City

In a serious urban clash, Israeli troops and Hamas militants engaged in fierce gunbattles on the outskirts of the crowded Gaza City neighborhood of Shajaiyeh on Monday, while details emerged of an unsuccessful attempt by Hamas fighters to capture Israeli soldiers hours after the ground operation began Saturday with a withering round of artillery fire.Israeli forces seized control of high-rise buildings and attacked smuggling tunnels and several mosques in a campaign against Hamas militants that took an increasing toll on civilians.Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu told Israeli TV the assault was going according to plan with forces sweeping through Palestinian rocket launching locations near the border.Late Monday, the Israeli military said three soldiers were killed and 24 others wounded by friendly fire. It said an errant Israeli tank shell hit their position outside Gaza City, dismissing initial suspicions that a Hamas booby-trap caused the casualties. The military said a colonel who commanded an infantry brigade was among the injured.Israel ignored mounting international calls for a cease-fire Monday and said it won't stop its crippling 10-day assault until "peace and tranquility" are achieved in southern Israeli towns in the line of Palestinian rocket fire.Arab delegates met with the U.N. Security Council in New York Monday, urging members to adopt a resolution calling for an immediate end to the Israeli attacks and a permanent cease-fire. At the same time, diplomats and European leaders traveled the region in an effort to stop Israel's expanding ground and air offensive.Three young brothers were reported killed during shelling, five people died in a house hit by ship fire, and Palestinian wounded filled hospital corridors.Despite Israeli claims that casualties have been heavy among militants, no injured Hamas fighters were seen Monday by an Associated Press reporter at Shifa Hospital, the Gaza Strip's largest. Instead, the hospital was overwhelmed with civilians. Bodies were two to a morgue drawer, and the wounded were being treated in hallways because beds were full.Gaza health officials reported that since the campaign began on Dec. 27 more than 550 Palestinians have been killed and 2,500 wounded, including 200 civilians. U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes told reporters in New York on Monday that U.N. officials believe at least 500 people have been killed in the fighting and that as many as 25 percent are civilians...
To read more go to:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,475664,00.html
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Obama stays silent on Mideast

Hamas: Israel has legitimised the killing of its children

Fighting intensified on the northern outskirts of Gaza City yesterday as a Hamas leader warned that the Islamists would kill Jewish children anywhere in the world in revenge for Israel’s devastating assault. “They have legitimised the murder of their own children by killing the children of Palestine,”Mahmoud Zahar said in a televised broadcast recorded at a secret location. “They have legitimised the killing of their people all over the world by killing our people.”Mr Zahar made his first appearance since Israel launched its offensive.Dressed in a dark suit,he declared:“Victory is coming,God willing.”As night fell on the territory, most of which is without electricity,the sky above Gaza was illuminated by explosions and flares from the pitched battle on Gaza City’s northern fringes, where Israeli tanks, helicopters and artillery fought to dislodge Hamas guerrillas. Witnesses said that the battle had, for the first time, spilled into Gaza City itself, where the head of Hamas’s armed wing warned that thousands of his fighters were waiting.The Israeli military said last night that three of its soldiers were killed and 24 wounded by a shell from one of its own tanks in a battle near Gaza City.Abu Obeida, the leader of Hamas’s military wing, made his first appearance on Gaza television, his face masked in a red and white scarf, to goad Israeli forces massed outside the teeming city of 400,000 people.“We have prepared thousands of brave fighters who are waiting for you in each corner of the street and will welcome you with fire and iron,”he said.Despite growing international calls for a ceasefire, neither side has shown the slightest intention of backing down.Israel,supported by the outgoing Bush Administration in the United States, rejected European calls for an immediate ceasefire reiterated during a peace mission by President Sarkozy of France.Israel argues that it needs to break Hamas’s military capacity if a durable ceasefire is to be negotiated.“We cannot accept a compromise that will allow Hamas to fire against Israeli towns in two months’ time,”Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Mr Sarkozy last night.Hamas,meanwhile,kept firing rockets into southern Israel, launching about 40 of its home-made Qassam rockets and more sophisticated Grad missiles. They again hit Beersheba, about 25 miles from Gaza. While Israeli forces have stormed into the northeastern area of the Strip, from where Hamas usually launches its projectiles, the Islamists have maintained their fire from within Gaza City.Many analysts believe that Hamas wants to goad Israel into its stronghold, a hellish landscape for urban combat, which the Islamists have had 18 months to prime with booby traps, ambushes and tunnels.The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israeli soldiers raided the house of a Hamas militant only to find three tunnels underneath through which their quarry escaped. It added that Hamas’s reports of kidnapping an Israeli soldier stemmed from an incident in which the soldier became separated from his unit and the militants tried to drag him down a tunnel. He escaped after a scuffle, it said.Mr Sarkozy, part of a high-level EU effort in the region to negotiate a truce, told Israel that “the violence must halt”. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President and Fatah leader, whom he met in Ramallah yesterday, also called for an unconditional truce.Mr Sarkozy ran foul of Hamas when he said that it must bear most of the blame for the increasingly miserable plight of the 1.5 million Gazans it rules over. “Hamas acted in an irresponsible and unforgiveable manner...Hamas is to blame for the suffering of the Palestinians,” he said.A Hamas spokesman accused Mr Sarkozy of “total bias” towards Israel.
Casualty figures
550 Palestinians have been killed in Operation Cast Lead
100 of the dead are children
2,500 Palestinians have been wounded
4 Israeli civilians have been killed since the operation began, and four Israeli soldiers. Seventy-seven soldiers have been injured
Source: Gaza medical services, Israel Defence Forces
By James Hider in Jerusalem http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5454204.ece
As in the days of Noah...

Palestinian Casualties Overwhelm Gaza Hospitals

Doctors at Gaza City's biggest hospital say they're not prepared for the hundreds of patients they've been receiving since the Israeli assault began. The military operation is taking a heavy toll on civilians...