Egypt optimistic as truce in Gaza holds By The Herald, Scotland   August 7, 2014   A GAZA truce was holding on Wednesday as Egyptian mediators pursued talks with Israeli and Palestinian representatives on an enduring end to a war that has devastated the enclave. Egypt's intelligence chief met a Palestinian delegation in Cairo, the state news agency Mena said, a day after he conferred with Israeli representatives. The Palestinian team, led

5 August 2014 The Huffington Post By Irwin Cotler   The latest Israeli-Hamas war, with its evocative images of human suffering, has engaged hearts and minds the world over, particularly in this digital age of social media and instant communication. Indeed, the death of any innocent -- Israeli or Palestinian -- is a tragedy, and no one can fail to be moved by the human suffering and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But, while Hamas has rejected cease-fires

Cease-Fire in Gaza Begins, and Israel Says Its Troops Are Gone By STEVEN ERLANGER and BEN HUBBARD, The New York Times   August 5, 2014   JERUSALEM — As a 72-hour cease-fire mediated by Egypt took hold Tuesday morning, Israel announced that it had withdrawn its forces from Gaza and Hamas said it would engage in talks on a lasting arrangement to keep the peace. Most Israeli troops had already pulled back from populated areas in Gaza, and

Israel's seven-hour Gaza truce ends; violence hits Jerusalem BY NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI AND MAAYAN LUBELL, Reuters August 4, 2014   (Reuters) - A brief Israeli truce to allow aid to reach Palestinians ended on Monday amid accusations of strikes by both sides, while Jerusalem was rocked by two attacks that appeared to be a backlash against the war in Gaza. Palestinians said Israel had bombed a refugee camp in Gaza City, killing an eight-year-old girl

No place to hide for children of war in Gaza and Syria By Lyse Doucet, BBC 27 July 2014   The conflicts in Syria and Gaza are having  a devastating impact on the lives of children. The BBC's Lyse Doucet who has been following the lives of six Syrian children, and who has just returned from reporting in Gaza, reflects on how war will shape the futures of young people there for decades to come. "When you see it on TV, it's not like it is in real

Anti-Semitism Rises in Europe Amid Israel-Gaza Conflict By Melissa Eddy, The New York Times   August 1, 2014   BERLIN — Across Europe, the conflict in Gaza is generating a broader backlash against Jews, as threats, hate speech and even violent attacks proliferate in several countries. Most surprising perhaps, a wave of incidents has washed over Germany, where atonement for the Holocaust and other Nazi crimes is a bedrock of the modern

Palestine’s most uncommon ally By Stephanie Findlay, Maclean’s   August 2, 2014   Equating its apartheid past with Israel, South Africa has emerged as one of Palestine’s most outspoken supporters. Since the Israeli operation in Gaza began almost a month ago, South Africans have been experiencing a haunting sense of déjà vu. As the Palestinian death toll soars, South Africa is calling for radical action against Israel, likening the

UN's Investigation of Israel Should Go Beyond War Crimes to Genocide The Real News July 27, 2014 RATNER: The news is really, for me, particularly heartbreaking. It's about Gaza, Israel's assault on Gaza. And today I want to talk about Israel, but particularly its criminality--its war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and apartheid. Of course, it's a criminality that could not be carried out by Israel without the weapons and support of the

Israel's Genocide in Gaza will Not Achieve the Zionist Goal of Palestinian Submission By Ahmed Meiloud, Al-Jazeerah July 27, 2014 For over two weeks, the Gaza strip (already besieged for the past 7 years) has been subjected to continuous bombardment from air and sea. This is the third war waged on the Gaza Strip in the span of 5 years and it is more than likely going to be the deadliest. Approximately 1060 Gazans, mostly children and women, have

Egypt to reopen Gaza border on Tuesday   By World Bulletin   June 22, 2014   World Bulletin / News Desk Palestinian Ambassador in Cairo Jamal al-Choubaki on Monday said the Egyptian authorities had agreed to reopen the Rafah border crossing between Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. In a statement, al-Choubaki added that Palestinian medical patients, foreign passport holders and Gazans injured by Israel's ongoing