Israel, the mid-east, and Russia

[Shammu]

IDF officials: Terror cells using civilians as human shields

 
IDF officials said Thursday, “Terror cells in Gaza have been using civilians as human shields in the last few hours to protect against firing.”

 
According to officials, “The terrorists are shooting from inside populated areas and are endangering the lives of Palestinian civilians.”

IDF officials: Terror cells using civilians as human shields

[Shammu]

Israel Presses for Oil From Shale

With the help of homegrown technology, an Israeli company's proposed energy plant could help the country vastly reduce oil imports

With oil prices hovering around $70 a barrel, Israel is looking for ways to reduce its near-total dependence on energy imports. It's pondering the use of the nation's huge reserves of oil shale—a dark, crumbly rock loaded with hydrocarbons—located in the central and southern parts of the country. Thanks to a technical breakthrough, it should be possible to extract fuel oil from the shale for less than $20 a barrel. That could allow Israel eventually to cut its crude imports by up to one-third.

Israel Presses for Oil From Shale

[Shammu]

Hamas orders Palestinian forces to fight Israel
Up to 23 Palestinians, 1 Israeli killed as Gaza offensive intensifies

GAZA CITY (CNN) -- The Hamas-led Palestinian government ordered its security forces Thursday to fight back against the Israelis who have been hammering Gaza with airstrikes and artillery since one of their soldiers was kidnapped last month.

As many as 25 Palestinians may have died in Thursday's fighting, though there were conflicting death tolls. One Israeli soldier was killed near Beit Lahya, according to Israel Defense Forces.

Palestinian Interior Minister Saeed Siyyam told security forces to rise up and "confront this incursion and cowardly Zionist aggression," Reuters reported.

But it was unclear how many would heed his call and join the resistance.

Most of those forces in Gaza are loyal to the Fatah Party and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, not to Hamas or Siyyam. In the past, battling with the Israeli military has been left to militants, while security forces have been largely sidelined.

Abbas was not involved in the order to security forces to join the fray, said Palestinian legislator Saeb Erekat.

Israeli troops encountered intense fighting as they staged military operations in northern and southern Gaza, which Israel says are designed to stop Palestinian rocket attacks in the area and to find kidnapped army Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was abducted June 25 by Palestinian militants during a raid into southern Israel. Israel launched its Gaza offensive June 28.

Israel insists it has no intention to reoccupy Gaza, from which it withdrew its settlers and dismantled its military facilities in September 2005.

"The purpose of Israel's limited incursion into the northern Gaza Strip is to halt the barrage of rockets and missiles that have been hitting Israeli population centers and Israeli cities and terrorizing the population," said Mark Regev, an Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman. "We will be there to reduce the threat. We have no intention of re-occupying Gaza, but it is our obligation to safeguard the lives of our citizens."
Two dozen dead

Thursday's operations included two airstrikes in or near Beit Lahya. Palestinian security and medical sources said six Palestinians were killed in the first strike and four in the second. An IDF spokesperson said four were killed in the first, and the second targeted four militants in the Al Atatra area, northwest of Beit Lahya.

Israeli helicopters and tanks took positions among tightly packed Palestinian homes Thursday in Beit Lahya, as black-masked militants -- some openly carrying bombs with dangling electric cables -- crept through alleyways to get better shots with their AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades, according to The Associated Press.

Ali Ajrami, a tailor living in Beit Lahya, told the AP that he and his nine children were trapped in their farmhouse after an Israeli tank parked in a garden behind his home and special forces took rooftop positions on neighboring buildings.

"We are trapped. I don't know what to do," he said, adding that he had stocked up on food and diesel fuel before the offensive but he was having a hard time keeping his children indoors.

Another seven Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and eight more in Gaza as Israel strengthened its position in the northern part of the region, Palestinian sources said.

Palestinians have fired three rockets into Israel over the last two days, at least one of which reached Ashkelon, which marks the deepest point in Israel that any of the crude Qassam rockets have reached. There were no reports of casualties.
A call for negotiations

As the fighting became fiercer Thursday, the father of the kidnapped soldier called on both sides to show some restraint.

Speaking in Mitzpeh Hilla in northern Israel, Noam Shalit, whose son has been in captivity for 11 days, told reporters that Israel and the Palestinians need to work out their differences -- including the kidnapping of his son -- civilly.

"Everything has a price," Noam Shalit said to reporters when asked if Israel should talk with Hamas about its demand that Israel release some Palestinian prisoners. "I don't believe there can be any process to gain Gilad's release that won't cost a price. That's now how things work in the Middle East. The question is only -- why are they still waiting? I want to believe that negotiations are being held, in some secret channel, that we just haven't been told about."

Noam Shalit also asked his son's captors to give a serious offer to Egypt, which has been trying to broker a solution to the impasse, but has been rebuffed because Israel sees a prisoner swap as catering to terrorists.

It was unclear if Egyptian mediators had been able to resume talks with the three militant groups claiming to hold Shalit -- Hamas' military wing, the Popular Resistance Committees and the Army of Islam.

The elder Shalit said the proposal must be "a serious offer that the state of Israel can deal on this basis and can live with this offer."

This, Noam Shalit said, would be the only way to extinguish the agony his family is experiencing and the only way to save "thousands of innocent Palestinians that are suffering from this issue and feel it every day."

Hamas orders Palestinian forces to fight Israel

[Shammu]

Jordan strongly condemns Israeli military operations   

TEHRAN:  Iran's hard line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned yesterday that continued Israeli strikes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could lead to an "explosion" in the Islamic world that would target Israel and its supporters in the West. Again, Ahmadinejad questioned Israel's right to exist.  "This is a fake regime, it won't be able to survive. I think the only way (forward) is that those who created it (the West) take it away themselves," the president told a rally in Tehran in support of Palestinians.  Twenty-four Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have been killed in fighting since the Israeli army began invading northern Gaza on Thursday. Ahmadinejad, who last year called for Israel to be "wiped off the map," has repeatedly voiced fiery rhetoric against the Jewish state.

The Islamic republic's president joined thousands of demonstrators in the capital yesterday to condemn the Israeli strikes, and said Israel's Western supporters could be the target of revenge by Muslims.  "They should not let things reach a point where an explosion occurs in the Islamic world," he said.  "If an explosion occurs, then it won't be limited to geographical boundaries. It will also burn all those who created (Israel) over the past 60 years," he said, implicitly referring to the United States and other Western nations who support Israel.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza aims at freeing of soldier captured by Palestinian militants on June 25, and destroy the increasingly powerful rockets that militants are firing at Israel. After sunrise yesterday, Israel renewed its assault in northern Gaza with two airstrikes, killing one militant from the ruling Hamas Party, and wounding three, Hamas and hospital officials said. The representative for Hamas in Iran, Abu Osamah Abdulmota, said the Israeli soldier would only be set free in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.  "They (Israel) should know that Palestinian combatants won't release this Israeli prisoner (unless) Palestinian prisoners are freed from Zionist jails," he said in a pre-sermon speech before the weekly Friday prayers in Tehran.

In another development, Jordan's King Abdullah strongly condemned Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, a royal palace statement said yesterday.  Israeli forces have killed 24 Palestinians since invading the northern part of the strip Thursday with the declared objective of winning freedom for a captured soldier and lifting the threat of near-daily Palestinian rocket fire on southern Israel. Yesterday, it stepped up its assault with air strikes. Abdullah stressed that ending the cycle of violence and a return to the negotiating table was the only way to achieve peace in the region and resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Abdullah told Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in a telephone conversation that he will do his utmost to urge both sides to revive the peace process and spare the region from additional tension and instability.  The statement said that the monarch instructed his government to intensify its contacts with the international community with the aim of ending the Israeli attacks so as to contain the situation and end the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Jordan strongly condemns Israeli military operations

[Shammu]

Iran president criticizes Israeli offensive
ALI AKBAR DAREINI
Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's hard-line president warned Friday that Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip could set off an "explosion" in the Islamic world against Israel and its supporters.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told thousands of demonstrators gathered in the capital, Tehran, to condemn the strikes in the Gaza Strip that Israel's backers could be the target of revenge by Muslims.

"They should not let things reach a point where an explosion occurs in the Islamic world," he said. "If an explosion occurs, then it won't be limited to geographical boundaries. It will also burn all those who created (Israel) over the past 60 years."

Ahmadinejad once again questioned Israel's right to exist as he did last year.

"This is a fake regime ... it won't be able to survive. I think the only way (forward) is that those who created it (the West) take it away themselves," the president said.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center condemned the remarks by the Iranian president, saying the human rights group takes "Ahmadinejad's threat very seriously."

Arabs have staged only small and sporadic demonstrations and their governments have made few complaints since Israel invaded Gaza last week in a bid to force the release of the Israeli soldier held by Palestinian militants.

Egypt, the biggest Arab nation, has not formally criticized Israel's incursion. Instead it has tried to broker a deal between the militants and Israel.

Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and the Gulf states have condemned Israel's military offensive, particularly when Israeli aircraft buzzed the Syrian president's summer residence last week. But most of the criticisms sounded routine.

There has been little pressure from the Arab street.

Twenty-four Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed Thursday in fighting in Gaza. But on Friday, the usual day for demonstrations in the Middle East, there were no protests in Egypt or Lebanon. In Amman, Jordan, several hundred people gathered at a mosque.

Jordanian political analyst Labib Kamhawi said Arabs were not demonstrating because "they do not want to confront the security apparatuses of the Arab regimes."

People have found "that protesting in the streets does not have an effect anymore," he added.

Iranian analysts described Ahmadinejad's diatribe against Israel as populist bluster.

"Ahmadinejad is simply trying to attract global attention and create controversy. He likes it," said Yadollah Eslami, an analyst.

Iran president criticizes Israeli offensive

[Shammu]

 Syrian FM arrives in Tehran for Iraq conference
Tehran, July 7, IRNA

Iran-Syria-Moallem
Syria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Valid al-Moallem arrived in Tehran on Friday evening to take part at the Ninth Ministerial Conference of Iraq's Neighbors, and was received by Manouchehr Mottaki.

According to IRNA reporter at the airport, the Syrian top diplomat upon arrival in Tehran, in a brief talk with the reporters, condemned the Israeli inhumane atrocities against the Palestinian nation.

Al-Moallem said, "The Islamic countries have already asked the UN Security Council to intervene to end the problems with which the Palestinians are entangled."
He reiterated, "Syria and Iran have shared stands in that respect."
Referring to the possible outcomes of Tehran Conference, he said, "Syria is ready to cooperate with Iraq in all political, economic, and social fields and to have broad presence in the course of that country's reconstruction."
He also asked for restoration of peace and stability in Iraq.

The Iranian Minster of Foreign Affairs Manouchehr Mottaki, too, said during the official reception, "Tehran Conference on Iraq would be aimed at surveying the internal and security conditions in that country, keeping in mind that the permanent government has now taken charge there.

Syrian FM arrives in Tehran for Iraq conference

[Shammu]

Iran: IDF strikes will bring Islamic 'explosion'
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
TEHERAN, Iran


Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned on Friday that continued Israeli strikes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could lead to an "explosion" in the Islamic world that would target Israel and its supporters in the West.

Again, Ahmadinejad questioned Israel's right to exist. "This is a fake regime ... it won't be able to survive. I think the only way (forward) is that those who created it (the West) take it away themselves," the president told a rally in Teheran in support of Palestinians.

Iran: IDF strikes will bring Islamic 'explosion'

[Shammu]

 Turkish FM arrives in Tehran
Tehran, July 8, IRNA

Iran-Mottaki-Turkey
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul heading a political delegation arrived in Tehran on Saturday.

Upon arrival at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, he was welcomed by his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki.

Turkey's foreign minister will attend the 9th meeting of foreign ministers of Iraqi neighboring states plus Egypt and Bahrain. It is scheduled to open today.

Participants in the two-day meeting will discuss ongoing developments in Iraq and problems facing Islamic states.

The foreign ministers of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt will be the main participants in the Tehran meeting.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, will also participate in the event.

Observers following up regional developments attach special importance to the Tehran meeting as it comes in the wake of the establishment of the first popular government in Iraq under Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and efforts to achieve national reconciliation in the war-torn country.

The foreign ministerial meeting of the countries neighboring Iraq will be held at the Foreign Ministry building on Saturday and Sunday.

Turkish FM arrives in Tehran

[Shammu]

 Saudi FM arrives in Tehran to attend Iraq meeting
Tehran, July 8, IRNA

Iran-Iraq-S Arabia
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal arrived in Tehran earlier Saturday to attend the 9th meeting of foreign ministers of Iraqi neighboring states plus Egypt scheduled to open here today.

Participants in the two-day meeting will discuss ongoing developments in Iraq and problems of Islamic states.

The Saudi foreign minister's visit to Tehran is his second this year. He was also a guest here in June.

Al-Faisal, during his visit on June 12, held meetings with senior Iranian officials including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.

Foreign ministers of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt will be the main participants in the Tehran meeting over the weekend.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, are among the meeting's participants.

Observers of regional developments attach special importance to the Tehran meeting as it comes in the wake of the establishment of the first popular Iraqi government under Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and efforts to achieve national reconciliation in the war-torn country.

Saudi FM arrives in Tehran to attend Iraq meeting
==========================================

If y'all look at post #183, y'all will see Jordan is already there.

[Shammu]

 Iran sees bright horizons for cooperation with Iraq: Haddad-Adel
Tehran, July 8, IRNA

Iran-Iraq-Speaker
Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel said here Saturday that Iran saw a very bright horizon for bilateral cooperation with Iraq.

Haddad-Adel made the remarks while speaking to reporters at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport during a ceremony held for departing Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani who had just conclued a six-day official visit to Iran.

"The visit of the Iraqi parliament speaker was very successful.

We held good talks with al-Mashhadani and his entourage," he said.

He added that the Iranian and Iraqi parliaments enjoy very close stances on many issues have agreed on a technical cooperation for the near future.

He said that the Iranian side had made known its desire to the Iraqi speaker for establishment of an Iran-Iraq Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Haddad-Adel, describing the situation in Iraq as "very omplicated," said the rules of engagement since the fall of Saddam Hussein have been changed.

"But the situation has not changed as desired by the occupiers because the Iraqi people managed to change the plans of the occupiers in their favor through wisdom."
Haddad-Adel expressed his regret over Thursday's terrorist attack in the Iraqi city of Kufa, saying "such terrorist acts should be prevented in Iraq so the situation will not as so desired by the occupiers."
According to reports, a car bomb exploded at 7:15 (local time) Thursday morning close to a Shiite shrine in Kufa, 160 kilometers south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

The bomb exploded in a car stationed between two buses while Iranian pilgrims were trying to board the buses.

Pointing to the goals behind such terrorist acts, the Iranian Majlis speaker said the acts are aimed at discouraging Iranian pilgrims from visiting holy sites in Iraq.

"Terrorists seek to cause discord among the two nations and fan the flames of war between Shiites and Sunnis," he said.

"Such terrorist acts will neither prevent the new Iraqi government from achieving independence in administering its affairs nor create a wedge between the two nations," he added.

Haddad-Adel said a two-day meeting of foreign ministers of Iraqi neighboring states plus Egypt due to start in Tehran today would provide an excellent opportunity for participants to support the united Iraqi government, adding that no effort should be spared in helping this new government achieve stability and security for the country.

"All countries and not only the Iraqi people will sustain damage if the united Iraqi government cannot sustain itself," he said.

Al-Mashhadani, for his part, assessed the outcome of his visit to Iran as positive and successful.

He expressed his sympathy with the Iranian nation and government over martyrdom of Iranian pilgrims in Kufa.

He said the Iraqi government and parliament have approved special measures to deal with insecurity in the country.

For as long as Iraq remains in the grip of occupiers, terrorist acts will continue in Iraq, he said, adding that he has called on Iranian officials to help Iraq implement its security measures.

He called on foreign ministers of neighboring states to take part in the Tehran meeting to reach vital agreements for peace and security in Iraq.

The Iraqi parliament speaker, during his six-day stay in the country accompanied by a parliamentary delegation, held separate meetings with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Majlis Speaker Haddad-Adel, Judiciary Chief Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.

In the meetings, the two sides discussed latest regional developments as well as avenues for bolstering bilateral relations.

Al-Mashhadani also paid a visit to the holy city of Mashhad in the northeastern province of Khorassan Razavi.

His visit to Iran took place upon an invitation of his Iranian counterpart.

The visit was his first since his election in April and shows the significance Iraq attaches to its ties with Iran.

Iran sees bright horizons for cooperation with Iraq: Haddad-Adel

[Shammu]

 Gul heads for Tehran to attend Iraq meet
Ankara, July 8, IRNA

Turkey-Iran-FM
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul left here for Tehran to attend a meeting of foreign ministers of Iraqi neighboring states plus Egypt.

Foreign ministers of Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt are scheduled to hold their 9th meeting here today.

Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, are among the participants in this meeting.

The two-day meeting will discuss ongoing developments in Iraq and problems of Islamic states.

Talking to reporters ahead of his departure, Gul said this Tehran meeting of foreign ministers of Iraqi neighboring states would be the first after the establishment of the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Participants are expected to once again declare their support for Iraq's territorial integrity and political unity which is crucial to the success of the ongoing political process in the country, he said.

He added that Turkey has always endeavored to help establish democracy, peace and stability in Iraq, and expressed his country's readiness to help Iraq defend its territorial integrity and political unity and achieve reconciliation among all groups.

The Turkish minister further deplored ongoing developments in Palestine, describing them as "horrible," and called on the international community to put an end to the Zionists' air and ground attacks on Palestinians.

Gul heads for Tehran to attend Iraq meet

[Shammu]

 Israel's threats to assassinate Palestinian officials to be taken seriously
Beirut, July 8, IRNA

Iran-Israel-Assassination
Official in charge of the Political Department of Palestine Islamic Jihad Movement in Lebanon, Ali Abu Shahin, said here Saturday that Israel's threat to assassinate Palestinian officials, specially Prime Minister Ismael Haniya should be approached as a serious issue.

He told IRNA that many Palestinian officials including Yasser Arafat, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Fathi Shaqaqi have been so far assassinated by Zionist forces.

Abu Shahin underlined that once Israel decides to target Palestinian political or military leaders, it neither pays attention to being condemned by the world community, nor to ethics.

"The Zionist regime may assassinate the Palestinian state officials and members of parliament in the coming days and months, which proves that the Tel Aviv officials are facing psychological and security crisis," he added.

He said that the terrorist operations, air raids and ground attacks of the Zionist regime on Gaza aim to undermine the will of Palestinian nation , topple the Hamas government and make it reconcile, adding that prior to the kidnapping of a Zionist soldier in Gaza Strip the regime was prepared to attack the area.

"Given that the Zionist regime was not officially recognized by Hamas, the Zionists exerted more economic and financial pressure on the Palestinian people to turn them away from the Hamas government-elect and launch a civil war in Palestine.

"However, the Palestinian people did not give Israel such an opportunity through dialogue and agreement with Hamas, Fatah and other groups. That is why the Zionist regime attacked Gaza Strip," he said.

Turning to the agreement reached between member of Hamas and Fatah movements with other Palestinian groups, he said that based on it, a nationally unified government was formed to represent the majority of Palestinian political factions, in particular Fatah movement, as well as People's and Democratic Fronts for the Freedom of Palestine.

"The US is determined to uproot the Hamas government in July.

That is why Palestinian groups have decided to postpone revision of the government structure until next month," he said.

The Palestinian official said that the Islamic Jihad Movement will not participate in formation of government and election.

Israel's threats to assassinate Palestinian officials to be taken seriously

[Shammu]

 Hamas calls for cease-fire; Olmert rejects offer until soldier freed

IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer

July 8, 2006 6:37 AM

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - The Hamas-led Palestinian government called for a cease-fire in its violent two-week standoff with Israel but stopped short Saturday of offering to release an Israeli soldier held by Hamas militants.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rejected the proposal by Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Olmert will not agree to a truce until Hamas releases the soldier, officials in Olmert's office said.

Earlier, an Israeli Cabinet minister said Israel hopes the fighting, which has killed more than 40 Palestinians and an Israeli soldier, eventually will lead to a broader cease-fire deal.

In fighting Saturday, Israeli troops exchanged fire with Palestinian gunmen, and army bulldozers searched for militants' tunnels near Gaza City. In northern Gaza, tanks pulled out of the town of Beit Lahiya, leaving a wide swath of destruction after trying to carve out a buffer zone against rockets there.

Israel's two-week military campaign, prompted by the abduction of Cpl. Gilad Shalit has put the Hamas government under growing pressure. Israel has arrested several Palestinian Cabinet ministers and Hamas lawmakers.

On Saturday, Haniyeh issued a five-point cease-fire proposal, calling on Israel to halt its offensive and release prisoners but saying little about what Hamas is prepared to do in return.

''If we want to get out of the current crisis, it is necessary to return to calm, on the basis of a mutual halt to all military operations,'' said a statement issued by Cabinet spokesman Ghazi Hamad in Haniyeh's name.

Hamas also urged Israel to open negotiations over the fate of Shalit, 19.

However, Hamas often sends out conflicting signals, partly because of divisions between a more militant leadership in Syria and more pragmatic politicians in Gaza. Israel has largely held the Hamas political chief, Syrian-based Khaled Mashaal, responsible for the soldier's kidnapping.

Israel has said it would not engage in direct negotiations with the Islamic militant group, but Israeli officials said they were open to an Egyptian compromise proposal that would free Shalit without conditions and have Israel free some Palestinian prisoners later as a goodwill gesture.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Hamas must release the soldier and halt rocket attacks on Israel as a first step.

''Anyone who ignores these two fundamental issues cannot hope to solve this crisis,'' he said.

Cabinet minister Ofir Pines-Paz said Israel hopes to go beyond those two immediate objectives and eventually negotiate a comprehensive truce.

''We have a great interest in changing the rules of the game,'' Pines-Paz, a member of the moderate Labor Party and of Israel's Security Cabinet, told Israel Radio.

''If we reach a situation in which there are no kidnappings, no rockets, no tunnels, no raids into our territory, certainly Israel will have to reciprocate.''

The latest round of fighting, which claimed the lives of 35 Palestinians and an Israeli soldier over the past three days, began two weeks ago with a cross-border raid in which Hamas-allied militants seized the Israeli soldier and killed two of his comrades after sneaking through a tunnel.

Troops initially entered southern Gaza where Shalit is being held. Hamas said Friday he is being treated well, and a senior Israeli defense official, Amos Gilad, said Saturday that Israel also believes the soldier is alive.

On Saturday morning, dozens of tanks drove toward Gaza City, taking up positions about 500 yards from the outlying neighborhoods of Shajaiyeh and Zeitun. The army said forces were sent to the area to search for tunnels being dug by militants for possible attacks on soldiers.

The air force fired missiles at militants gathered at the outskirts of Shajaiyeh. Two Hamas gunmen were killed in the area, hospital officials said. Also, a Palestinian died of wounds sustained in earlier fighting.

The majority of the Palestinians killed since Thursday were gunmen, but one of the civilians killed was an 11-year-old boy.

Also, 65 U.S. citizens, many of Palestinian origin, left Gaza in a convoy escorted by U.S. consular officials. The visitors had asked to leave Gaza because of the fighting.

In northern Gaza, troops pulled back from Beit Lahiya on Saturday. Tanks driving through narrow streets had shorn off outer walls of buildings, torn down electricity polls, carved up asphalt. Facades of buildings were marked by bullet holes.

Bulldozers had torn up fields near homes, knocking down trees and greenhouses. As Palestinians picked through the wreckage Saturday, removing a dead goat from one heavily damaged dwelling, a U.N. truck arrived with drinking water.

Palestinian farmer Aref Sultan, 45, used the brief lull to move his wife and seven children, ages 2-16, to a relative's home further away from the fighting. Sultan said he and his family had been pinned down in their Beit Lahiya home during the past day.

''We went through 24 hours of terror,'' he said as the family loaded food and clothing into a pickup truck. ''Shots were coming from all directions ... and the tanks were approaching our house. The children, and especially my 2-year-old son Samir, were screaming all the time.''

Israeli military commentators have said it would be difficult for Israel to extract the soldier in a military operation. However, Israel also does not want to be seen as cutting a deal with Hamas.

Hamas calls for cease-fire; Olmert rejects offer until soldier freed

[Shammu]

Biblical names of modern countries.

Many people place little value in the old Biblical names, but they are still in effect today. You can't find most modern country names in the Bible like Brazil, Mexico, United States, Canada or Britain. Many countries have no Biblical name but their outcome goes back to the founding nation. This makes it difficult to see the outcome in some cases. When Israel became a nation it should have called itself by its proper name, Judah. This would have made it easier to follow events in the Bible.

So to help y’all out, I have compiled a list of these countries.…

Russia (Gog, Meshech, Rosh and Tubal)

Iran/Afghanistan/Iraq (parts of Iraq) (Elam)

Ethiopia (Cush) but also may refer to the black nations in that area including southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia.

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, and Ukraine are all a possibility, as are Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia (Gomer)

Georgia and Armenia (Beth-togarmah) The many peoples from the north in Ezekiel 38:6 are, I believe, the Muslim nations of the former Soviet Union like Kazakhstan, Tadjikistan, Chechnya, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, & Kirgizistan

Libya (Cub)

Egypt is called the king of the South in Daniel 11:40-43

Jordan is the modern nation which encompasses the ancient people of (Edom, Moab, and Ammon)

Syria (Assyria)

Jordan  (Edom)

Lebanon (Sidonians)

northern Africa (Lud)

[Shammu]

Hamas Rejects ‘Prisoner Offer’

Hisham Abu Taha, Arab News

GAZA CITY, 8 July 2006 — Israeli troops killed seven Palestinians in the Gaza Strip yesterday, a day after killing 24 over a soldier’s capture. But in a possible attempt to find a way out of the crisis, an Israeli Cabinet minister suggested that Palestinian prisoners might be released as a “goodwill gesture” if the captured soldier, Gilad Shalit, is freed and rocket attacks on Israel are halted.

Previously, Israeli officials had flatly rejected Palestinian demands for a prisoner swap, insisting on unconditional freedom for Cpl. Shalit, who was seized nearly two weeks ago in a cross-border raid led by Hamas gunmen. But Israel has negotiated the release of captured Israelis in the past — usually in deals that free far more Palestinians than Israelis — and privately, Israeli officials have said they did not rule out talks in Shalit’s case either.

Avi Dichter, Israel’s minister of public security, alluded to that history when he said that once Shalit is freed and Palestinians stop rocket attacks from Gaza, Israel could release Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture.

“The release of the soldier, Gilad Shalit, is a must,” Dichter said in a speech to Israeli business people.

If the Palestinians halt attacks, “Israel will need to, after some time, release prisoners as a reciprocal gesture,” Dichter said. “Israel knows how to do this. Israel has done this more than once in the past.”

Dichter also said Shalit is alive.

Hamas rejected the apparent overture, warning that Israel’s offensive had hurt efforts to free Shalit and said the Jewish state would “pay the price for every drop of blood.” “Our people have no faith in goodwill gestures,” Hamas lawmaker Mushir Al-Masri said. “There is no talk at the moment about the missing soldier. We are talking about 30 Palestinian martyrs and 100 wounded in an Israeli military aggression against our people.”

Earlier, the group said in a statement: “The issue of the captured soldier has become more complicated than before. The government of the occupation is wrong to think the Zionist massacres it is committing against our people will serve its goals of applying pressure to regain the captured soldier.”

Yesterday, Israeli aircraft struck Palestinian fighters in northern Gaza while ground troops backed by tanks pursued them in crowded towns. Six people were killed in the air assaults and heavy artillery barrages.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered tanks into Gaza after Hamas activists fired rockets into a major Israeli city for the first time. The offensive began last week with the main goal of freeing Shalit, captured in a raid on June 25. “The terrorists have paid a heavy price so far,” Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz said.

Hamas accuses Israel of using Shalit’s abduction as a pretext to topple its elected administration. Israel has detained more than a third of the Cabinet and hinted it could assassinate Hamas leaders if Shalit is killed.

Despite Israel’s push into Gaza, Palestinians fired at least five homemade rockets into the Israeli border town of Sderot yesterday, with one strike wounding three people, medics said.

The casualties came when one of the makeshift rockets hit a potato processing plant in the town. Another rocket hit a school without causing any damage or injury.

The European Union accused Israel of disproportionate use of force. “The EU condemns the loss of lives caused by disproportionate use of force,” a statement by the Finnish EU presidency said. The fighting has compounded the misery of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. International sanctions imposed to pressure Hamas to recognize Israel have resulted in nonpayment of government salaries. But yesterday, Palestinian officials said about one-fifth of the 165,000 civil servants would receive a small down payment.

The source of the money was in dispute. The Hamas government said it used internal revenues and brought funds through the land border to make the payments. Other officials said President Mahmoud Abbas drew on the first foreign aid transfer the Palestinians have received in months.

Hamas Rejects ‘Prisoner Offer’
=============================================================

Yet Hamas, calls for a cease-fire, go figure..................