Palestinian Christian groups are boycotting celebrations of Orthodox Christmas in Bethlehem, accusing their Church of selling land to Israelis.

At least 100 protesters gathered with banners saying: "The Holy Land is not for sale," ahead of festivities to mark Christmas Eve for the Orthodox Church.

They accuse the Greek Orthodox Church of selling and leasing land in the West Bank to Israeli organisations.

The Church said it would not comment, on such a festive occasion.

The Council of Arab Orthodox Institutions and Organisations in Palestine said the current patriarch, Theophilos III, had continued to allow Israeli investors to lease Church land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Could this be preparation of war with Iran?

Israel will begin distributing its entire population with gas masks in two months, though no reason has officially been given by the Israeli government.

No indication or threat has been made against Israel from any country that an attack is planned. No country in the Middle East is believed to be likely to engage in chemical or biological warfare with Israel, either.

The gas mask distribution has, however, raised questions as to Israel’s potential plans to launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Such an attack could cause an unconventional response from Iran. Iran’s chemical and biological weapons capabilities are currently not known.

Israel is the worst country on Earth.
Germany was bad but Israel is badder. Zionists are much more cruel.

What do you say about Israel; tell te truth, share your opinions?

[quote]

30 December 2009

[b]Israel: A monster beyond control?[/b]

By Alan Hart, researcher for ITN and BBC Panorama. (www.alanhart.net)

On the first anniversary of the beginning of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip -- in my view it was a demonstration of Israeli state terrorism at its most naked -- it’s not enough to say that the governments of the Western powers (and others) are complicit in Israel’s on-going collective punishment of 1.5 million Palestinians, 53% of whom are children.

Eruption of violence comes as Israelis who opposed the war a year ago say they are being silenced and vilified

sraeli troops yesterday shot dead six Palestinians in two separate incidents, as evidence emerged that an increasingly fragile ceasefire between armed groups loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement and Israel appeared to be in danger of breaking down.

The shootings, the most serious violence in months, came a day before today's first anniversary of the outbreak of Israel's war against Gaza in which almost 1,400 Palestinians died – and as allegations have emerged from Israeli human rights campaigners who opposed the war that they are facing concerted attempts to silence them.

Just to keep this separate from other topics.

and can we please keep this clear of:

1. Hyperbole.
2. insinuations and insults.

By this, what I mean is, a person has a right when asked to give his real opinion on a matter without recourse to "revenge" replies - I am more interested in what people think on these issues than the condemnation of those views if others disagree.

I very much doubt this will go according to plan, but I will start a question, something that I have wanted to ask.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned an attack on a mosque in the occupied West Bank and called for the arrest of those responsible.

Jewish settlers are suspected of launching the attack, burning books and scrawling hate-messages in Hebrew.

The main prayer hall and library of the mosque in the village of Yasuf were badly burnt in the attack on Thursday.

Clashes later broke out between villagers and Israeli troops sent to investigate the incident.

Israeli condemnation

In a statement, Mr Netanyahu "vigorously denounced the aggression against the mosque".

He said he had told security forces "to act with determination to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice".

Other Israeli leaders added their voices to the condemnation.

Activists break West Bank barrier

Palestinians and foreign peace activists have broken apart a section of the West Bank barrier.

They used ropes and at least one truck to pull down some of the concrete blocks forming the Israeli-built wall.

The activists carried out the protest to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The barrier, which separates Israel from the West Bank, is a mixture of fences, barbed wire, ditches and concrete slabs up to 8m (26ft) high.

Israeli armed police, who are reported to have arrived shortly afterwards, are believed to have used tear gas to force the activists to stop.

SUSYA, occupied West Bank (IPS) - Hundreds of impoverished Palestinian herders and farmers living in caves and tents in a remote area of the Palestinian West Bank have been provided free electricity due to the ingenuity of two Israeli physicists.

The goat and sheep farming community of Susya, comprising clans of about 25 large families, had until recently followed a centuries-old tradition of subsistence farming without access to electricity.

...

But following the intervention of Comet-ME, one of 12 finalists of the BBC's World Challenge, a global competition aimed at projects showing enterprise and innovation at a grassroots level, Susya made international headlines.

The UN's main human rights watchdog has begun a debate on a damning report into Israel's military operation against Gaza eight months ago.

It is seen as a test of US engagement with the Human Rights Council, which was shunned by President George W Bush.

The US, which is Israel's main ally, has criticised elements of the report.

The report, widely lauded by human rights groups, accuses both Israel and its militant Palestinian adversary Hamas of war crimes in the campaign.

Read more @ BBC News

RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank (IPS) - The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that Gaza's access to safe supply of drinking water could cease at any time. The World Health Organization (WHO) says outbreaks of disease could be triggered as a consequence.

The warnings follow a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report Monday that "Gaza's underground water system is in danger of collapse after recent conflict compounded by years of overuse and contamination."

"An outbreak of Hepatitis A and parasitic infections could occur at any time," Mahmoed Daher from WHO in Gaza told IPS. "Already the number of people, especially children, suffering from diarrhea has risen dramatically."