Palestine: Hamas Refuses An Independent Commission on Gaza "War Crimes"

As the deadline approaches for both Israel and Hamasto respond to the United Nations over the Goldstone Report on the Gaza War,  a report handed by a Hamas official to The Associated Press says that Hamas did not target civilians while firing hundreds of rockets at Israeli towns and rebuffs the UN call for an independent enquiry.

On Thursday, the New York-based Human Rights Watch harshly criticized Hamas, saying there was strong evidence the Islamic militant group intentionally aimed its rockets at Israeli towns. According to the group, Hamas not only committed war crimes against Israelis but also against Gazans since the militants fired rockets from populated areas inside the strip.

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Middle East Inside Line: War between Hezbollah and Israel?

This weekend, following The Washington Post's report that Hizbullah had moved long-range-missile launch pads into both northern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, Israel's Minister-without-Portfolio Yossi Peled said that another war with Hezbullah was "inevitable". Peled continued:

Without a doubt we are heading for another round (of fighting) in the North. No one knows when, but it's clear that it will happen. We did not know that the Second Lebanon War was going to break out.

However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not see eye to eye with Peled. A statement issued by his office assured, "The State of Israel does not want any confrontation with Lebanon."

Israel-Palestine: United Nations "Stop the Occupation of East Jerusalem"

On Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned Israelis about the continued settlement construction in East Jerusalem.

Having already expressed concerns over the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, Ban said at a meeting in New York:

Settlement construction violates international law and contravenes the Road Map, under which Israel is obliged to freeze all settlement activity, including the so-called ‘natural growth.’

This is in no one’s interest, least of all Israel’s. Settlement activity undermines trust between the two parties, seems to pre-judge the outcome of the future permanent status negotiations, and imperils the basis for the two-State solution.

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In the absence of talks, confidence between the parties has diminished. Tensions have risen in East Jerusalem. People in Gaza and southern Israel continue to suffer from violence. If we do not move forward on the political process soon, we risk sliding backwards.

It bears repeating that the international community does not recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, which remains part of the occupied Palestinian territory. A way must be found, through negotiations, for Jerusalem to emerge as the capital of two States living side-by-side in peace and security, with arrangements for the holy sites acceptable to all.

Gaza: Israel Pays $10.5 Million to UN for War Damage

Israel has paid the United Nations $10.5 million for damage to UN properties in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead.

“With this payment, the United Nations has agreed that the financial issues relating to those incidents referred to in the terms of reference of the Board of Inquiry are concluded,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesman Martin Nesirky told a news briefing on Friday. “The Secretary-General would like to record the cooperative approach that the Government of Israel has shown in the course of the discussions that led to this settlement.”

Gaza: United Nations Warning on Health Situation

The United Nations has warned that the health situation in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating and called on Israeli officials to immediately open the border crossings.

“The continuing closure of the Gaza Strip is undermining the functioning of the health care system and putting at risk the health of 1.4 million people in Gaza,” Max Gaylard, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, said in a joint statement with the Association of International Development Agencies.

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Repair and maintenance of facilities are hampered because construction materials are not allowed into the territory. (During Operation Cast Lead, 15 of Gaza’s 27 hospitals were damaged and 43 of its 110 primary health-care facilities were either damaged or destroyed.) Certain types of medical equipment, such as x-ray equipment and electronic devices, are very difficult to bring in, and health professionals in Gaza have been cut off from the outside world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also stated that many specialized treatments, such as for complex heart surgery and certain types of cancer, are not available in Gaza and patients are therefore referred for treatment to hospitals outside Gaza. However, many patients have had their applications for exit permits denied or delayed by the Israeli authorities and have missed their appointments, with some dying while waiting for referral.

“The Government of Israel has a legal duty to guarantee the right to health for people in Gaza. The humanitarian community calls for the crossings into Gaza to be reopened,” concluded the statement.