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Recent Articles about Israel Israeli Politics
Israeli Firms Accused of Profiting from Holocaust Jun 30 09 Upper Nazareth to build orthodox neighborhood on former Arab land to c... Jun 25 09 Latest News ArticlesIsraeli sub crosses the Egyptian Suez Peninsula. 11:01 Sat 04 Jul Bahraini officials arrive in Israel to take five Bahraini nationals back home 10:24 Sat 04 Jul Israel cuts off water to Arab Druze towns on hottest day of year 01:49 Sat 04 Jul Israel pledges to compensate UN for shelling its facilities in Gaza 23:53 Fri 03 Jul Three children diagnosed with swine-flu 23:31 Fri 03 Jul Soldiers attack the Nil'in weekly Protest 17:26 Fri 03 Jul Three Injured during the weekly Bil'in protest 16:13 Fri 03 Jul Israeli Housing Minister Concerned over increasing Arab population 11:32 Fri 03 Jul Soldiers wound a Palestinian woman at a roadblock in the Jordan valley 08:04 Fri 03 Jul Soldiers break into the Al Aqsa Mosque yard, kidnap three Palestinians 05:37 Fri 03 Jul Full StoryIsraeli leader admits Israel has been holding secret talks with Hamas Monday May 19, 2008 21:10 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News
 Israel’s Vice-Prime Minister, Haim Ramon, admitted Monday that the government of Israel has, for the last several weeks, been holding talks with the Hamas party, in contradiction with Israel’s stated policy of ‘isolating and attacking’ the elected Hamas-led government of the Palestinian people
The talks have focused on a negotiated release of the one Israeli soldier being held by Palestinian resistance groups, in exchange for some of the over-10,000 Palestinians (many of them civilians) being held in Israeli detention camps. In addition, Ramon stated that the Israeli government is attempting to pressure the Hamas government, elected to lead the Palestinian people during January 2006 legislative elections, to engage in a ceasefire with Israel. Ramon heavily criticized the alleged talks, stating that when the Palestinian people elected the Hamas party, they turned the group from a ‘terror organization’ into a ‘terror nation called Hamas-stan’. Hamas long ago denounced attacks against civilians, and has not claimed credit for any of the latest homemade shells fired blindly from the Gaza Strip across the border with Israel. In accordance with Ramon’s belief, the Israeli military has engaged in a massive military assault on the civilian population of the Palestinian occupied territories (the West Bank and Gaza Strip) since 2006. The Gaza Strip, in particular, has been placed under siege by the Israeli military and imprisoned without access to food, healthcare, work, imports or exports, or basic necessities for over two years. Contrary to Ramon’s belief, however, there is no Palestinian nation, whether under Hamas control or not, as the Palestinian territories (the West bank and Gaza) remain under complete Israeli military control. The Palestinian government does not control land, air, sea, or borders, and the Israeli military arranges all permits, identity cards, passports, vehicle registration, hospital permits, taxes, and every other aspect of the Palestinian people’s life and livelihood. Nevertheless, Ramon, speaking at a meeting of the Israeli party Kadima, stated that he hoped the Israeli government would soon take action to rid Israel of the presence of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. |
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