EU TO VISIT GAZA IN JULY

Europe foreign ministers to visit Gaza in July: Spain
10:10 AM JULY 5,10

MADRID (AFP) – The foreign ministers of Spain, France and Italy are to visit the Gaza Strip this month to check on Israel's plan to ease a blockade of the territory, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Monday.The three officials have a visit to Gaza in their calendars for this month to check on how the internal process of lifting of the blockade is going,Zapatero told a joint news conference with visiting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman last month invited Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini to lead an EU delegation to the Gaza Strip.Frattini will be joined by his Spanish and French counterparts, Miguel Angel Moratinos and Bernard Kouchner, Zapatero said, but did not indicate the exact date of the visit.In Rome, Frattini said the visit was likely in the next few weeks.We will see for ourselves how the Israeli blockade is being eased, and personnally I hope it will be completely removed, the ANSA news agency quoted him as saying.On Thursday, Italy said the visit had drawn initial support from the Palestinian prime minister and European governments.Two weeks ago, Israel announced a significant easing of its blockade of Gaza, moving from a policy of barring everything except items on a kosher list to a more open policy where everything is permitted except blacklisted items.

The new policy came in response to mounting international pressure on Israel to ease its four-year siege on Gaza after a naval raid on a flotilla of aid ships trying to run the blockade that killed nine Turkish activists.Zapatero said the Israeli government has pledged to progressively lift the blockade and we want Israel to fulfill this commitment.The more than one million residents have the right to receive food, medicines and the means to reconstruct the installations that have been destroyed.The governments of Spain and the European Union will help and support the reconstruction plans of the United Nations ... in a direct manner by sending the three-member delegation to the territory, the prime minister said.The Israeli government was to publish later Monday its revamped blacklist of items which are barred from entry into the Gaza Strip under the terms of its blockade on the Hamas-run Palestinian territory.The list was expected to include arms, explosives and dual use items which Israel fears could be used for making weapons or building fortifications.Ahead of the official publication of the list, a senior military official told reporters at Kerem Shalom terminal on the Israel-Gaza border that 10 categories of previously banned items would now be allowed into the coastal strip with international coordination.

Israel to allow most goods into Gaza Karin Laub, Associated Press Writer – JULY 5,10

JERUSALEM – Israel on Monday dropped its long-standing restrictions on allowing consumer goods into the Gaza Strip but retained limits on desperately needed construction materials, redefining the rules of its heavily criticized Gaza embargo on the eve of the Israeli prime minister's trip to the White House.The new rules, which come in response to an international outcry following a deadly Israeli raid on a blockade-busting flotilla, should bring some relief to Gaza's 1.5 million people.

The decision ends the use of a narrow and often arbitrary list of foods and consumer goods allowed into Gaza. And in a boost to the moribund Gaza economy, officials also said some raw materials would soon be allowed to flow to Gaza's shuttered factories.
But prospects for rebuilding the damage from a punishing Israeli military offensive last year remain uncertain. Materials like steel and cement, which Israel says can be diverted for use by the territory's ruling Hamas militants, would be allowed to enter only under Israeli supervision. And Gazans will still remained largely confined to their tiny territory.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the list was being released later Monday.Israel has been under intense international pressure to loosen its three-year embargo on Gaza since Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists in a May 31 raid on a flotilla carrying international activists trying to breach the blockade.President Barack Obama, who is to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, has called for the blockade to be significantly eased.Israel and Egypt closed Gaza's borders after the Islamic Hamas overran the territory three years ago. But the blockade has failed in its goals of weakening Hamas or winning the release of an Israeli soldier held by Hamas militants since June 2006.Sgt. Gilad Schalit's family, joined by thousands of supporters, has been marching across Israel for the past 10 days to press the Israeli government to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and win his release. On Tuesday, an estimated 15,000 Israelis marched with the Schalits through Tel Aviv, snarling traffic in Israel's commercial and cultural center.Israel has balked at Hamas' demand to free prisoners convicted in deadly attacks on Israelis. Security officials fear these prisoners will resume violent activities.

Under its old blockade rules, Israel permitted only a few dozen types of products, including basic food and medicine, into the territory. Now, everything will be allowed freely into Gaza, except for items on the list.An official familiar with the list said items like iron, steel, cement, cinder blocks, chemicals, fertilizer, cement and jeeps would only be permitted in coordination with the rival Palestinian government in the West Bank, the United Nations and other international agencies overseeing construction projects.Israel has previously allowed in only a trickle of construction materials for projects overseen by international aid agencies.Because it isn't clear how much of these materials Israel will now allow in, it is hard to predict how significantly the new rules will help Gaza rebuild the damage caused by Israel's three-week military offensive in the winter of 2008-2009. The operation, launched to stop Hamas rocket attacks, destroyed thousands of homes, buildings and public infrastructure.In another complication, Israel says it will only allow in restricted materials with the approval of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' government, which has controlled only the West Bank since Hamas overran Gaza. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak met Monday with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Jerusalem to discuss the details of easing the blockade.Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said Israel's new policy was worthless.The problem is not to approve new merchandise but to lift the blockade,Abu Zuhri said.Barak told a parliamentary committee Monday that a naval blockade on Gaza would remain in place to keep weapons from reaching Hamas, an official who attended the meeting said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the hearing was closed.

Other obstacles also remain.

Col. Moshe Levy, a top Israeli military official for the Gaza region, said Israel would ease its ban on raw materials for Gaza's devastated manufacturing sector. But he said there were no plans to allow Gaza factories to begin exporting on a large scale. The sanctions on the manufacturing sector have forced hundreds of factories to close and cost tens of thousands of jobs.Levy also said there were no immediate plans to open Israel's three additional crossings with Gaza. Israel currently operates one crossing on a daily basis.Omar Sahaban, a Gaza-based economist, estimated that Gaza needs 3 million tons of cement and 600,000 tons of steel just to rebuild the damage.To do business, Gaza needs all crossings to be operating fully for two years, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, just to make up for what happened in the past three years and cater to natural growth,Sahaban said.

Turkey wants Israel apology, but Israel rejects demand By Ibon Villelabeitia – JULY 5,10

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey will cut ties with Israel unless it receives an apology over a deadly Israeli raid on a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza, the Turkish foreign minister said, but Israel on Monday said it had no intention of doing so.It was the first time Ankara has explicitly threatened to cut ties with Israel, having previously said it was reviewing relations with the Jewish state.The public exchange between the two once close U.S. regional allies followed talks last week by Turkish and Israeli officials aimed at mending fences. Instead, their positions appeared to have hardened.Israel has three paths ahead: It either apologizes, or accepts the findings from an international commission investigating the raid, or Turkey will cut off ties,Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told Monday's edition of Hurriyet newspaper.Once Israel's closest Muslim ally, Turkey has said several times it wants Israel to apologize over the May 31 raid, pay compensation, agree to a U.N. inquiry into the incident and lift the blockade of 1.6 million Palestinians living in Gaza Strip.Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said his country has no intention of apologizing.We don't have any intention to apologize. We think that the opposite is true,he told reporters during a visit to Latvia.Davutoglu met Israel's Trade and Industry Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer last week in Brussels in a bid to repair ties. Turkey said then it conveyed its demands to Israel but Davutoglu told Hurriyet: We will not wait forever for an answer.It will be enough if their own commission rules that the raid was unfair and they apologize in line with the commission's verdict, but we have to see the verdict first,Davutoglu said.Nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists were killed when Israeli commandos stormed the Turkish-flagged ship Mavi Marmara as part of an operation to stop a relief aid flotilla headed for Israeli-blockaded Gaza.Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Israel, canceled joint military operations and barred Israeli military aircraft from Turkish airspace after the incident.

U.S. WANTS ALLIES TO PATCH UP DISPUTE

The United States wants Israel and Turkey, whose earlier friendship had benefited U.S. policy in the Middle East, to patch up the dispute. President Barack Obama is due to meet Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Tuesday.Israel said its commandos opened fire only after a boarding party was attacked by activists wielding clubs and knives.Israel says the Gaza blockade is needed to choke off the supply of arms to Hamas Islamists who rule the enclave.Relations between Israel and Turkey have been on a downward spiral since Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan spoke out forcefully against an Israeli offensive in Gaza at the end of 2008.The two had forged a friendship in the 1990s based on military cooperation and intelligence sharing.Turkey has improved relations with neighbors such as Iran and Syria in recent years and Erdogan became a popular figure among Muslim countries for championing the Palestinian cause. Lieberman said Israel had concerns about Turkey's foreign policy, including Ankara's decision to vote against a new round of U.N. sanctions against Iran over Tehran's nuclear program. Non-permanent members Turkey and Brazil, which had agreed with Iran to a nuclear fuel swap deal, were the only countries in the 15-member council to vote against the resolution.We really see some real dramatic changes in their policy. But it's their right, it's their decision.
(Reporting by Aija Braslina in Riga; Writing by Ibon Villelabeitia and Patrick Lannin; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Palestinians, Israel hold high-level talks
Mon Jul 5, 7:34 am ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad met Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Monday for the first high-level talks between the two sides since they began indirect peace negotiations two months ago.The meeting was taking place at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, ahead of talks in Washington on Tuesday between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama, who wants the two sides to move to direct peace negotiations.The ministers made no statements before their talks and officials said there would be no joint statement afterwards.Barak's office said on Sunday that he would discuss various issues related to relations between Israel and the Palestinians.Obama's Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, has been mediating between them since May with the aim of bringing them to the same table to resolve differences over the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.On Friday, an Obama adviser denied that little progress had been made, saying gaps have been narrowed.Netanyahu wants to move to direct negotiations as soon as possible. Palestinian leaders say the indirect talks have not yet made enough progress to justify face-to-face talks.They want clear answers from Israel on issues of borders and security -- meaning the frontiers of the future Palestinian state and an end to all military occupation.(Reporting by Tom Perry; writing by Douglas Hamilton; editing by Tim Pearce)

Captured Israel soldier family visit Gaza border site JULY 5,10

KEREM SHALOM, Israel (AFP) – The family of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit on Monday visited the site where he was seized along the Gaza border ahead of a massive solidarity concert.The visit to the Kerem Shalom crossing on the Israel-Gaza border was one of dozens of events to mark four years since the teenage soldier, who is now 23, was captured by Gaza-based Palestinian militants.Standing some 200 metres (yards) from the border fence, Noam Shalit said he felt both close to and very far from his son, who is being held by militants inside the impoverished territory.Gilad is physically close to us but at the same time very far from us, he told reporters at the scene. If people had done the right thing back then, Gilad would be with us now.The visit to Kerem Shalom came in the middle of a 12-day march by the family that began at their home in northern Israel and is set to end at the Jerusalem residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The march, which began on June 27 and has drawn tens of thousands of supporters, arrived in Tel Aviv on Monday and is due to reach Jerusalem by Thursday.Our journey is the beginning of the end of Gilad's suffering, his father said of the march -- to which they were to return later on Monday -- aimed at putting pressure on Netanyahu to reach a deal with Shalit's Hamas captors.

The Shalit family and thousands of others were on Monday to attend a free concert by the Israeli Philharmonic, under the baton of Indian-born maestro Zubin Mehta, calling for Shalit to be allowed visits by the Red Cross.The concert was to take place close to the Gaza border near the southern town of Sderot, which has been repeatedly hit by rockets fired from the coastal enclave.Gaza militants have fired more than 80 rockets and mortar rounds into southern Israel so far this year, according to the Israeli military.

Mideast buyers reported to be eyeing BP investment By ADAM SCHRECK, AP Business Writer – Sun Jul 4, 3:04 pm ET

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – BP may be looking to sovereign wealth funds in the oil-rich Middle East to fend off takeover bids amid mounting costs from the Gulf of Mexico oil leak disaster, according to reports published Sunday.The National, an Emirati newspaper, cited unnamed informed sources in the region saying that Mideast financial institutions have submitted proposals to BP advisers and are waiting for a response. Among the options being considered are the acquisition of key assets or a direct cash injection to help strengthen the oil giant's balance sheet, according to the English-language paper.The paper quoted a person it called an informed source as saying that BP knows there is potential support from the Middle East.The National is owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates federation. The sheikdom hosts the country's capital and controls nearly all the OPEC member state's oil reserves.BP spokeswoman Sheila Williams in London declined to say whether the company had been approached by investors from the region.We don't comment on financial issues,she said.The article coincided with a report in London's Sunday Times that BP is looking for a strategic investor to help fend off takeover attempts. It said the company's advisers are looking to rival oil groups and sovereign wealth funds to take a stake of 5 percent to 10 percent in the company at a cost of up to $9.1 billion (6 billion pounds).

BP has lost more than 50 percent of its stock market value since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in April, causing the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.Its share price plunge has put the oil giant at risk of an unwanted takeover approach from rivals like Exxon Mobil or Royal Dutch Shell.Middle East investors have ridden to the rescue of Western companies in past times of financial need.The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, believed to be the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund, agreed to invest $7.5 billion into Citigroup in late 2007, at a time when the bank needed cash to offset big losses from mortgages and other investments.State-backed investors from Abu Dhabi and the nearby gas-rich nation of Qatar injected billions of pounds into British bank Barclays a year later. Those investments allowed it to avoid taking on the British government as a major shareholder.

Spokesmen for ADIA and Qatar Holding, the investment arm of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, declined to comment on questions about a BP investment. Officials at another active Abu Dhabi fund, Aabar Investments, couldn't be reached.Rachel Ziemba, an analyst at Roubini Global Economics who monitors Middle East investments, said Arab Gulf states might be interested in BP as a way to diversify geographically.I could imagine there would be a lot of investors in the region interested in picking up a global oil major at what they see as an undervalued price, she said.It's a sector they know, and can better distinguish whether the assets are good.Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund, the Kuwait Investment Authority, already ranks among BP's biggest shareholders. It holds a 1.8 percent stake in the oil giant.British newspaper The Guardian, citing anonymous sources, reported late Sunday that the KIA's London branch was in talks with BP about boosting its stake significantly.Officials at the Kuwaiti fund could not be reached for comment. Government-backed investors outside the Middle East are also invested heavily in BP. Funds in Norway, Singapore and China each hold sizable stakes in the company.

Palestinians see Mideast progress as spin ahead of summit
Sun Jul 4, 1:07 pm ET

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – Reports of progress in the Middle East peace talks amount to little more than political spin ahead of a US visit by the Israeli premier, a Palestinian official said on Sunday.We don't know what they are talking about when they say progress, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.We are not aware of any progress and we have not been informed of any progress. They are trying to create a positive atmosphere to help make (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's visit to the US successful,he charged.A senior White House official on Friday said US-brokered indirect talks had made progress and the gaps (between the two sides) have been narrowed, in comments which surprised the Palestinians.His comments were made just days before Netanyahu holds talks with US President Barack Obama, with the two likely to discuss a move from indirect talks to direct Middle East negotiations.The official said Washington was pushing hard for a shift to direct talks -- a move which Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has insisted will only take place if there is progress on the key issues of borders and security.As soon as there is progress (on borders and security) we'll shift to direct talks, but up until now we haven't received even a single sign that might indicate progress on those issues,Abbas said last week in remarks published by several Israeli newspapers.

The indirect talks, which began on May 9, are regarded as a first step towards renewing direct negotiations which collapsed in December 2008 when Israel launched a devastating 22-day offensive on Gaza.Abbas has reportedly handed US special envoy George Mitchell a document outlining the contours of the Palestinian position on several key issues, the London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat reported on Saturday.
According to the paper, which quotes several unnamed Palestinian officials, the proposals lay out terms for an Israeli withdrawal from occupied and annexed east Jerusalem including the Old City but would allow Israel to retain sovereignty over the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites in Judaism.It also outlines the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with an exchange of territories amounting to 2.3 percent in a proposal based on the discussions at Camp David and Taba in 2000.Such a deal would allow Israel to keep settlement blocs like Gush Etzion and a strip of land near around Ben Gurion airport. In exchange, the Palestinians would receive an equivalent amount of territory in Israel, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, the paper said.Asked to comment on the report, a senior Palestinian source dismissed it out of hand.The information is totally false,he insisted.

Israel ministers reject bill to foil settlement freeze
Sun Jul 4, 10:56 am ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) – An Israeli ministerial committee on Sunday rejected a move that would have hampered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from extending a settlement freeze in the occupied West Bank, officials said.The move, in the form of a bill which would have given parliament a veto over any extension of the freeze after it ends in September, came a day before Netanyahu heads to Washington for talks with US President Barack Obama.A majority voted against the bill, an official present at the meeting said without giving details. Israeli media said eight of the 13 ministers present voted against the draft legislation.The attempt provoked a flurry of activity by Netanyahu who rang round ministers from his right-wing Likud party and urged them to vote against the proposal, army radio said.The 10-month moratorium on construction in the West Bank expires at the end of September but Washington is pushing for an extension -- with the issue likely to be on the agenda for Tuesday's talks between Netanyahu and Obama.Israeli settlements in the West Bank -- which the international community considers illegal -- are a major hurdle in the already hobbled Middle East peace process.

Senior Lebanese Shi'ite cleric Fadlallah dies
By Laila Bassam – Sun Jul 4, 10:38 am ET

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon's Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, one of Shi'ite Islam's highest religious authorities and an early mentor of the militant group Hezbollah, died in a Beirut hospital Sunday.Political leaders and clerics from Iran, Bahrain and Iraq paid tribute to Fadlallah, reflecting the loyalty he enjoyed from Shi'ites as far away as the Gulf and Central Asia.Fadlallah, who was 74, had been too frail to deliver his regular Friday prayers sermon for several weeks, and had been in hospital since Friday suffering from internal bleeding.Crowds gathered to pay condolences at the Hassanein mosque in southern Beirut where he preached, and Hezbollah said it would mark his death with three days of mourning. Fadlallah's office said he would be buried at the mosque Tuesday.Black banners and pictures of the white-bearded, black-turbaned cleric hung outside mosques and his charitable institutions in Shi'ite areas of southern Lebanon and the Beqaa valley in the east.

He was a guide not just for Lebanon but for the whole world and for Muslims,said mourner Abu Muhammed Hamadeh outside the Hassanein mosque where men and women wept openly, some of them clutching his picture.With his death, he has left a very large void in the Arab and Muslim world.Fadlallah was a supporter of Iran's Islamic Revolution and one of the first backers of the Iraqi Dawa Party of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. He was also the spiritual leader and mentor of the Shi'ite guerrilla group Hezbollah when it was formed after Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, though he later distanced himself from its ties with Iran.Today we lost a merciful father and a wise guide,Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said. That is what he was to this generation... since we were youths praying at his mosque and learning at his pulpit.We learnt at his school... to be people of dialogue, and to reject oppression and to resist occupation.A fierce critic of the United States, which formally designated him a terrorist, Fadlallah used many of his Friday prayer sermons to denounce U.S. policies in the Middle East, particularly its alliance with Israel.But he was also quick to denounce the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States which killed some 3,000 people.

ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS

Fadlallah survived several assassination attempts, including a 1985 car bomb which killed 80 people in south Beirut. U.S. news reports said the attack was carried out by a U.S.-trained Lebanese unit after attacks on U.S. targets in Lebanon.He distanced himself from the abduction of Westerners by Islamic militant groups in Lebanon during the 1980s, saying he was against kidnappings, and repeatedly called for their release.He was known in Shi'ite religious circles for his moderate social views, especially on women. He issued several notable fatwas, or religious opinions, including banning the Shi'ite practice of shedding blood during the mourning ritual of Ashura.Iran's main television news channel gave rolling coverage to Fadlallah's death, and clerics in the holy Shi'ite city of Qom mourned the demise of learned warrior and pious jurist.Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr declared three days of mourning among his followers, and a delegation from the Shi'ite al-Wefaq bloc in Bahrain's parliament will attend Fadlallah's funeral.Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, said Fadlallah contributed to the consolidation of the values of right and justice to resist injustice....He represented a voice of moderation and an advocate of unity among the Lebanese in particular and Muslims in general.Fadlallah was born in 1935 in the Iraqi Shi'ite city of Najaf, where he studied before moving to Lebanon in 1966. In his final sermon, delivered by a deputy Friday, he condemned Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and criticized the United States for giving cover to the enemy (Israel). A doctor at the Bahman hospital where he was admitted on Friday said he was conscious on arrival. The doctor said when a nurse asked the ailing cleric what he needed, he replied: For the Zionist entity to cease to exist.(Additional reporting by Frederik Richter in Bahrain, Mohammed Muhanad in Baghdad, and Ramin Mostafavi in Tehran; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Israel grants wider powers to Gaza flotilla inquiry
By Ori Lewis – Sun Jul 4, 5:45 am ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel's cabinet granted wider powers on Sunday to a commission investigating a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, enabling the panel to compel witnesses to appear and testify under oath.But the decision did not constitute a broadening of the inquiry's mandate to include an examination of Israeli political leaders' decision-making in ordering the May 31 interception in which nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists were killed.A government statement said the cabinet granted the five-man panel led by former Supreme Court Justice Jacob Turkel subpoena powers and that witnesses would be sworn in, effectively exposing them to perjury charges for any false testimony.Turkel had asked the government for those specific powers and has said he would summon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Israel's military chief, Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi to appear.Netanyahu has said he, Barak and Ashkenazi would testify. Other military personnel are not due to appear before the panel but will be questioned in a separate military investigation.Amid an international outcry over the raid, Israel had rejected a proposal by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for an international inquiry, but appointed two foreign observers -- David Trimble, a Northern Ireland politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Canadian jurist Ken Watkin -- to the panel.

INTERNATIONAL LAW

Turkel has said the commission's mandate calls for an examination of whether Israel's naval blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the flotilla's interception conformed with international law.It also will investigate the actions of the convoy's organizers and participants.Due to the limited scope of the inquiry, it is seen as unlikely to pose any political threat to Netanyahu's government.The flotilla incident has soured Israel's strategic ties with Turkey, an important Islamic ally, which recalled its ambassador and canceled joint military exercises.

Israel has said its commandos were enforcing a blockade necessary to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip and that they opened fire when activists with knives and clubs assaulted a boarding party.In response to Western criticism, including from its biggest ally, the United States, Israel has since eased a land blockade of Gaza where 1.5 million Palestinians live, allowing most civilian goods through, while continuing to enforce the naval embargo of the coastal territory.

Iran moves radar to Syria: US official
Fri Jul 2, 4:44 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Iran has moved radar to Syria that could provide early-warning against a possible surprise Israeli air attack against Tehran's nuclear sites, a US defense official said on Friday.The radar transfer was first reported in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday and prompted the State Department to voice concerns about cooperation between Syria and Iran.The sophisticated radar were deployed in Syria last year, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.The move could bolster Iran's position amid long-running speculation that Israel might stage a bombing raid against Tehran's nuclear enrichment facilities.Information from new radar also could potentially help the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah with its missile arsenal and air defenses.Israel and the United States have refused to rule out military action against Iran over its nuclear program, which Washington says is designed to secure atomic weapons.Iran has insisted its enrichment effort is purely peaceful and aimed at generating electricity.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley on Thursday said Washington had concerns about the relationship between Iran and Syria.We don't believe that Iran's designs for the region are in Syria's best interest, Crowley told reporters.While acknowledging that all countries have the right to protect themselves, the spokesman said the reported radar delivery would be of concern due to Syria's relationship with Hezbollah.President Barack Obama warned Iran Thursday it faced mounting isolation, signing tough new US sanctions he said would strike at Tehran's capacity to finance its nuclear program.The measures, on top of new UN Security Council and European sanctions, aim to choke off Iran's access to imports of refined petroleum products like gasoline and jet fuel and curb its access to the international banking system.

Argentina, Syria trade support on Falklands, Golan Heights
Fri Jul 2, 4:33 pm ET

BUENOS AIRES (AFP) – The presidents of Argentina and Syria Friday traded words of support for their respective territorial claims on Britain's Falkland Islands, in the South Atlantic, and the Golan Heights Israel annexed in 1967.The mutual back-patting came at the close of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's first tour of Latin America aimed at furthering friendly relations with Venezuela, Cuba, Brazil and -- his last stop -- Argentina, in the first visit here by a Syrian leader.I want to thank (Argentina's) support for Syria's bid to recover the Golan, just as we support Argentina for the Malvinas. We don't call them the Falklands, but Malvinas,said Assad, using the Spanish name for the archipelago Britain settled in 1833.Speaking ahead of a lunch in Assad's honor, President Cristina Kirchner, in turn, thanked Syria's permanent defense and support of Argentina's claim to the Falklands,just as we support the return of the Golan Heights to Syria.Kirchner also said Argentina wants to play a major role in achieving peace in the Middle East for which, she said, it backs the Arab League's peace proposal and the two-state solution for Palestinians and Israelis.Assad and Kirchner also signed three agreements on media, transport and cultural relations, and agreed to boost bilateral trade, which in 2009 reached 380 million dollars.Assad began his regional tour on June 24 in Venezuela, where he met with President Hugo Chavez. He then traveled to Cuba to meet President Raul Castro, and Wednesday and Thursday he was in Brazil to speak with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.After Argentina, Assad is expected in Spain for a two-day visit, Sunday and Monday.

Netanyahu rules out apology to Turkey over deadly raid by Charly Wegman – Fri Jul 2, 3:18 pm ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday praised secret talks with Ankara aimed at mending ties after a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship but ruled out any apology.On May 31, Israeli special forces stormed a flotilla of six ships carrying aid for blockaded Gaza, killing nine Turks on board one of the vessels and sparking international outrage and straining ties with one-time ally Ankara.Israel cannot apologise because its soldiers had to defend themselves to avoid being lynched by a crowd, Netanyahu said in an interview with Channel 1 public television.We regret the loss of life, Netanyahu said.The raid on the Mavi Marmara Turkish-owned ferry killed eight Turks and a dual US-Turkish citizen, prompting Ankara to recall its ambassador from Tel Aviv and cancel three planned joint military exercises.Netanyahu's remarks come two days after Trade Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu held secret talks in Brussels, to try and ease the feud sparked by the deadly raid.

Netanyahu praised the talks.This meeting was important in itself. It is important for Turkey and for Israel that such meetings take place to prevent the deterioration of relations,he said.Davutoglu told Ben Eliezer in Brussels that Turkey demanded an apology for the bloodshed and that Israel should compensate the families of the victims as well as agree to an international inquiry into the raid, Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin has said.But Netanyahu said that no compensation has been discussed and insisted that a commission set up by Israel to investigate the raid meets the demands of the international community for an investigation.

Israel has resisted calls for an international probe into the raid, but appointed a commission of inquiry headed by a retired Supreme Court judge with two international observers.This commission has asked for widespread prerogatives and we have agreed to its request because we have nothing to hide, said Netanyahu.The Israeli military also has launched its own internal investigation.Israel has defended the raid by its special forces saying it had to stop vessels from travelling to Gaza since they could be carrying weapons for the Islamist Hamas rulers of the blockaded coastal enclave.Meanwhile, the Brussels talks have sparked tensions in Israel as it emerged that Netanyahu gave the go-ahead for the meeting without informing hardline Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.On Friday, Netanyahu met Lieberman to mend ties.At the meeting, Lieberman reiterated that he does not want Israel to apologise or pay the compensation Turkey is seeking, saying it would harm Israel's international standing, an official said.Elsewhere, Netanyahu said that during a visit to Washington next week for talks with US President Barack Obama he will discuss Iran's nuclear programme and peace talks with the Palestinians.I will do everything possible to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and to promote the peace process,with the Palestinians, Netanyahu said of his July 6 talks with Obama. Netanyahu had to cancel a scheduled meeting with Obama to return home after the deadly May 31 raid.US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said on Thursday that he anticipated Netanyahu would give Obama a report on the early stages of the Israeli investigation into the flotilla tragedy.

UN warns of renewed violence between Hezbollah and Israel
Fri Jul 2, 1:22 pm ET

BEIRUT (AFP) – The United Nations has warned of renewed violence between Lebanese group Hezbollah and its archfoe Israel following accusations the Shiite militant party had received sophisticated missiles.Amidst allegations of continued arms transfers to Hezbollah... a perceptible increase in tension between the parties was recorded, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP in Beirut on Friday.This raised the spectre of a miscalculation by either party leading to a resumption of hostilities, with potentially devastating consequences for Lebanon and the region,read the 13th report on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.The resolution brought to an end a deadly war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006, which destroyed much of Lebanon's major infrastructure and killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mainly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mainly soldiers.The resolution also beefed up the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a peacekeeping force tasked with overseeing the ceasefire and monitoring the UN-drawn Blue Line separating Lebanon and Israel.Ban's report reiterated that Hezbollah's existing weapons were a clear violation of Security Council resolutions, but added it had no evidence of unauthorised transfer of weapons in UNIFIL's area of operations in southern Lebanon.

The allegations were sparked by Israeli President Shimon Peres in April when he accused Hezbollah's backer Syria of supplying the movement with long-range Scud missiles, a charge Damascus has staunchly denied.Washington further fed the controversy, with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad about the risks of triggering a regional war if he supplied the Shiite group with the missiles.Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has refused to confirm or deny the Scud allegations, saying his militant party had a legal right to own any weapons it wished.

Mideast envoy Blair eyes Gaza supplies deal
Thu Jul 1, 6:48 pm ET

PARIS (AFP) – Israel will likely agree in the coming days to develop the range of supplies flowing into the blockaded Gaza strip, the special envoy for Middle East peace Tony Blair said on Thursday.Former British prime minister Blair, who represents a diplomatic quartet of the EU, United States, UN and Russia, said he hopes Israel will finalise a list of products banned from Gaza when he visits the region in the next few days.Blair has proposed to replace the current regime whereby Israel enforces a list specifying what products Gazans can import with a new list that only details banned products including certain building materials.I hope very strongly... that within the next few days we will be in a position where there is such a finalised list, Blair told a news conference after a meeting on aid to Palestinians at the French foreign ministry.Once that happens it should create a wholly different framework in which Gaza operates, he added.Pressure on Israel over the impoverished territory, which is controlled by the armed movement Hamas, has risen since Israeli forces made a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May.

The United States has been trying to get Palestinian and Israeli leaders to the negotiating table later this year for face-to-face peace talks, but the process is faltering on issues such as borders and security.Alongside Blair on Thursday, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said she hoped to quickly and effectively reach an agreement for European countries to help police Gaza's border.Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad said after attending the Paris meeting that the US-backed indirect talks had so far failed to lay the groundwork for direct peace negotiations.What's really important is to begin to see some progress in those talks, he said.

US voices concern over Syria-Iran ties
Thu Jul 1, 4:23 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States voiced concern Thursday over cooperation between Syria and Iran after reports Tehran had sent a radar system that would boost defenses against Israel.The Wall Street Journal, quoting anonymous Israeli and US officials, reported that Iran last year sent the sophisticated radar that could help the Islamic republic detect an Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities.State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said it was hard for the United States to determine whether such a transfer had taken place, but added: We have concerns about the relationship between Iran and Syria.We don't believe that Iran's designs for the region are in Syria's best interest, Crowley told reporters.While acknowledging that all countries have the right to protect themselves, the spokesman said the reported radar delivery would be of concern due to Syria's relationship with the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah.Our concern, obviously, in the case with Syria is the transfer of technology to Hezbollah,Crowley said, noting the issue was something that we do raise with Syria in our periodic discussions with them.President Barack Obama's administration has been trying to engage Syria and has asked the Senate to approve the first US ambassador to Damascus in five years.The appointment has proven controversial in Washington, especially after Israeli President Shimon Peres said this year that Syria was supplying Hezbollah with Scud missiles that could cause major damage on Israeli cities.But Syria has denied transferring Scuds to Hezbollah and the United States has not publicly confirmed the allegations.

The Pentagon declined comment on the Journal's report.A senior US official said that even if Iran sent the radar system, it was unclear if the transfer broke any international resolutions as Syria is under only some military sanctions.Radars are by definition a defensive system by themselves, the official said on condition of anonymity.The real issue is what are they going to do with that and are those developments stabilizing or destabilizing.Hezbollah, which has close ties with Iran, showered rockets on Israel in 2006, triggering a devastating war.Israel and Western nations suspect Iran is developing nuclear weapons, although the clerical regime says its program is only for peaceful purposes.

Italy claims Palestinian, European support for Gaza visit
Thu Jul 1, 3:07 pm ET

ROME (AFP) – Italy drew initial support from Palestinian and European leaders as it prepares to lead a European ministerial delegation to the Hamas-run Gaza enclave, the Italian foreign ministry said on Thursday.Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini had the chance to gather the initial, positive reactions from the Palestinian side during a phone call with Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad, said a ministry statement.Frattini also told Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman during a phone call Thursday that the idea of a visit was greeted positively by European colleagues, with whom consultations are under way to define the terms of the visit,the text added.Frattini and Fayyad have agreed to remain in contact throughout the preparation phase to the visit, that will not only bring a message of solidarity, but will also support the proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinians.In late June, Lieberman invited Frattini to lead a European delegation to Gaza, a visit that would end the diplomatic blockade on the enclave.The invitation came after Israel said it was easing barriers on imports to Gaza and would allow all strictly civilian goods into the strip while preventing weapons and certain dual-use items from entering.

Export restrictions remain in force.Israel imposed the sanctions on Gaza after soldier Gilad Shalit was snatched by members of the Islamist movement Hamas and other militant groups on June 25, 2006.The closure was further tightened the following year when Hamas seized control of the territory.International pressure on Israel to lift sanctions soared after its forces killed nine Turkish activists during a May 31 raid on a flotilla of aid ships attempting to run the blockade.

Russia says Palestinians to get armored vehicles
Thu Jul 1, 11:36 am ET

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Moscow said on Thursday 50 Russian armored personnel carriers would soon be delivered to the Palestinians for internal security, a move Israel has blocked in the past.Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko told reporters the vehicles would be delivered to Jordan in the coming days and then handed over to Palestinian security forces in the West Bank.Palestinian government spokesman Ghassan al-Khatib told Reuters: There are about 50 armored vehicles in Jordan donated by Russia. These are not new armored vehicles and still awaiting Israeli approval.Nesterenko later clarified that the armored vehicles were already in Jordan and would be delivered to the Palestinians within days, according to Itar-Tass news agency. Nesterenko could not immediately be reached for further comment.Russia first offered to supply 50 armored vehicles to the Palestinians for internal security as early as 2005, stressing that they would be used only to maintain law and order.
Israel opposed the delivery, and there are no armored personnel carriers in the West Bank for the use of the Palestinian Authority's National Security Forces.(Reporting by Ben Judah, writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Steve Gutterman)

Golan UN peacekeeping force mandate extended
Wed Jun 30, 9:36 pm ET

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – The UN Security Council extended for six months the mandate of the UN force that for 36 years has monitored compliance with the ceasefire in the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria.The council's 15 members voted unanimously for the extension.The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) was established in May 1974 after the agreed disengagement of the Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights.The UNDOF since has remained in the area to maintain the ceasefire between the Israeli and Syrian forces and to supervise the implementation of the disengagement agreement,the UN says. It has 1,046 troops.Israel captured the strategic Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981.Syria has always demanded the full return of the territory in any peace deal, right down to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Israel's main water source.