Israel's 'Nowhereland': Security fence is doomed land grab

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Written by Gershom Gorenberg Gershom Gorenberg
Published: 08 October 2006 08 October 2006
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JERUSALEM -- Out on Highway 60, the bulldozers are at work.

Next to the road that leads south from Jerusalem to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the big yellow machines are scraping the earth, carving a flat, white, dusty shoulder. Along that strip, a high concrete wall is already being built, part of the newest segment of Israel's "separation fence." The planned route loops around the cluster of settlements known as the Etzion Bloc, putting them on the Israeli side of the de facto border.

Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy is stalled. The bulldozers are not. Once again they are changing the face of the land in a way that makes life far more difficult for Palestinians while damaging Israel's own long-term interests.

As described by Israel's Defense Ministry, the fence is purely a security measure intended to protect Israelis from Palestinian terrorists. Instead of running along the Green Line, the Israel-West Bank border, the route has been drawn to place major "settlement blocs" on the Israeli side -- supposedly only to defend them as well.

Read more: Israel's 'Nowhereland': Security fence is doomed land grab

Iraqi-Kurd bomb clearance team flies into Lebanon

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Written by Mine Advisory Group Mine Advisory Group
Published: 07 October 2006 07 October 2006
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The teams will be concentrating on clearing from homes, schools, gardens, access routes and other populated areas in the Nabatieh region, as well as providing education programmes to manage the risk to thousands of returnees. The UN recently stated that they have seen around 100,000 unexploded cluster bomblets at 359 separate sites in Lebanon and, according to figures from the Lebanese military, there have been 39 injuries and 8 deaths - though these figures are rising.

Read more: Iraqi-Kurd bomb clearance team flies into Lebanon

Almost double the number of Palestinian Children were killed in 2006 compared with 2005

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Written by Jane O’Brien, UNICEF Jane O’Brien, UNICEF
Published: 06 October 2006 06 October 2006
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NEW YORK, USA, 4 October 2006 – Ninety-one children have been killed already this year in the West Bank and Gaza, almost double the number killed during the whole of 2005. Fear and violence are part of daily life in the occupied Palestinian territory, and children are suffering from increasing levels of stress.

“They are confronted with regular military operations, shelling, house demolitions, checkpoints on their way to schools,” says UNICEF Child Protection Officer Anne Grandjean. “As a result, we find a high prevalence of signs of stress such as anxiety, eating and sleeping disorders, and difficulties concentrating in school.

“All of these signs need to be tackled as soon as possible to avoid a long-lasting impact on the child’s development.”

Read more: Almost double the number of Palestinian Children were killed in 2006 compared with 2005

Pro-Israel political funds in U.S. target friendly incumbents — and challengers

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Written by Ron Kampeas, JTA Ron Kampeas, JTA
Published: 04 October 2006 04 October 2006
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Republican Jews say Democrats have the problem, citing surveys that show rank-and-file Democrats much likelier to favor a more balanced U.S. approach to Israeli-Arab issues.

“We’re illuminating the fact that support for Israel is eroding within the Democratic Party,” said Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition. “They need to address the root causes.”

Read more: Pro-Israel political funds in U.S. target friendly incumbents — and challengers

Oregon House Speaker reveals trip to Israel in 2005

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Written by JANIE HAR, The Oregonian JANIE HAR, The Oregonian
Published: 04 October 2006 04 October 2006
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$4,000 omission - Karen Minnis says she thought the paid-for event had been reported

Other state legislators and public officials on the Israel trip were senators Ryan Deckert, D-Beaverton, and Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro, and State Treasurer Randall Edwards. Deckert and Edwards both reported the trips on their disclosure forms, which were filed in April and cover events in 2005. Starr did not report the trip.

"They can't have an effect on foreign policy, but . . . the point is many of them go from the state level to a national level." -- Charles R. Schiffman, Portland Jewish Federation.

Read more: Oregon House Speaker reveals trip to Israel in 2005

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