Gaza Strip

Rami Almeghari writing from the occupied Gaza Strip, Live from Palestine, Workers in Gaza remove rubble from last winter's attacks. With no construction materials being allowed into the besieged territory, much of Gaza remains devasted. Azzam Salim used to be one of the leading construction contractors in the central Gaza Strip. Today, however, he spends most of his days idly chatting with other unemployed friends near a bank that he helped build several years ago. "As a human first and foremost, I need to live normally like before. This situation is unprecedented -- before the siege was enforced here, I didn't have time to ... Read Full Story

Jimmy Carter Judge Richard Goldstone and the United Nations fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict have issued a report about Gaza that is strongly critical of both Israel and Hamas for their violations of human rights. On Wednesday, a special meeting of the U.N. General Assembly began a debate on whether to refer the report to the Security Council. In January 2009 rudimentary rockets had been launched from Gaza toward nearby Jewish communities, and Israel had wreaked havoc with bombs, missiles, and ground invading forces. Judge Goldstone’s claim is that they are both guilty of “crimes against humanity.” Predictably, both the accused parties have ... Read Full Story

The UN was Thursday set to throw its weight behind Arab calls for Israel and the Palestinians to probe alleged war crimes in Gaza, despite fierce opposition from the Jewish state. The 192-member General Assembly was to vote on the Arab-sponsored resolution after a two-day debate on a controversial UN report that has accused both sides of war crimes during the 22-day conflict in the Gaza Strip earlier this year. The report, by a panel led by respected former international prosecutor Richard Goldstone, has been roundly condemned as one-sided by Israel and its main ally, the United States. "The Goldstone report and this debate ... Read Full Story

The UN General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly approved an Arab-sponsored resolution urging Israel and the Palestinians to probe war crimes allegedly committed in Gaza nearly a year ago. The vote, capping a two-day debate in the 192-member assembly on a controversial UN report that has accused both sides of war crimes during the 22-day conflict in the Gaza Strip, was 114 in favor and 18 against, with 44 abstentions. A simple majority was needed for adoption. Israel, which had strenuously opposed the non-binding resolution and the UN report that it endorsed, voted against it as did its staunchest ally, the United States, along with ... Read Full Story

The Israeli navy intercepted a ship carrying weapons 100 nautical miles (185 kilometres) off its coastline overnight, a military spokeswoman said on Wednesday. "During the night a special marine force intercepted a ship that was supposed to be carrying cargo around 100 (nautical) miles from our shore," the spokeswoman said, adding that the vessel was sailing under an Antigua flag. "We suspected it was carrying weapons and when we inspected it that turned out to be true," she said, adding that the ship had been taken to port for further investigation. The spokeswoman declined to say what kind of weapons were on board or ... Read Full Story