John Ging, UNRWA’s Director of Operations in Gaza announced that the association will grant nearly 20.0000 NIS (nearly $ 6M) to the students of UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip in order to help them in buying stationary and supplies needed to start the new school year, the Palestinian Infromation Center reported.

During a celebration honoring high school graduates held by the UNRWA in Gaza, Ging said that the association is practicing utmost efforts to ease the situation in Gaza amidst the ongoing Israeli siege.

He demanded Egypt and Israel to act immediately and open the Rafah and Eretz Crossings in order to improve the situation in Gaza as the residents are living is despair and poverty.

Ging added that there are more than 300 students who are stuck in Gaza, and for the second year cannot reach their universities abroad which is a direct violation to the basic principles of human rights.

Ismail Haniyya, one of the prominent Hamas political leaders in Gaza, and the Prime Minister of the dissolved government, stated on Thursday that the Palestinians will not accept any peace deal that excludes Jerusalem.

He added that his government and the Palestinian people reject the “Shelf Agreement” which was presented by the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, and excludes Jerusalem and the Right of Return.

Haniyya also said that the Palestinians, and their upcoming generations, will never abandon their rights to liberate Jerusalem.

The Hamas leader stated that the siege on the Gaza Strip will never force the Palestinians to abandon their legitimate rights, and that the Palestinian people will always defend Jerusalem and its historic and Muslim sites.

“Liberating Jerusalem will be achieved by resistance, by sacrifice and not by negotiations, meetings, hugging and kidding the enemy”, Haniyya said, “Liberating Jerusalem is inevitable, and the Palestinian generations will always carry the flame of resistance, and only the Jihad is capable of achieving this aspiration”.

He added that Israel wants to destroy the Al Aqsa mosque, and that it is the responsibility of every Arab and Muslim to defend it.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ahmad Bahar, the acting head of the Palestinian Legislative Council, slammed on Thursday what he described as the Arabic and Islamic dreadful silence while Israel continue to attack the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the Arabic sites in the city.

He added that Palestine is not only for the Palestinians, but also the Arab and Muslim nations must defend Palestine and its holy sites.

Bahar also said that the Legislative Council issued a new ruling forbidding giving up Jerusalem in any peace talks with Israel.

Also, Taleb Abu Sha’ar the Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs, announced the launch of a popular campaign which comes as the Palestinians are marking the 39th anniversary of burning the Al Aqsa mosque by Israeli extremists.

The campaign includes collecting 7 million signatures  on a document which is considered a vow for Jerusalem as part of the Arab and Islamic faith. It also affirms the Palestinian right to have Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state without any concessions on the holy city.

 The Associated Press reported on Thursday that the European Union (EU) gave the Palestinian Authority an additional €40 Million in order to ensure public services are provided to the Palestinian people. The EU announcement was made by the European Commissioner on Wednesday. 

The new funding will be used for salaries, pensions, aid to families in need and fuel to the Gaza Electric Power plant which was repeatedly shelled by Israel.

 This donation is added to €440 Million which the European Commission pledged to the P.A during a donors’ conference which was held in December 2007.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, E.U. External Relations Commissioner, stated that the new funding is a clear indication that the EU is committed to aiding the Palestinian people.

 Moreover, EU Commission spokesperson, Martin Selmayr, stated that the EU had lived to its Paris pledge and called on all other countries to live up to their pledges.

Officials of the International Donor’s conference said during the Paris Conference last month that the international community paid approximately $1 billion  

The donor countries pledged during the conference to transfer $7.7 billion to the Palestinian Authority to be delivered over three years.

 Also, the EU Commission also said that it launched a €37 Million program which will be funded from the original €440 million pledge. This money is to be used to upgrade Palestinian infrastructure in the Palestinian areas, including law enforcement and electricity supplies.

 Part of the money will be used in building a new security forces headquarters in the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

Lieutenant General Keith Dayton, the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority (P.A), stated in his first interview with the Israel media that Israel and the United States agreed to help the Palestinian Authority in strengthening its security forces, the Arabs48 news website reported.

Dayton stated that Israel agreed to transfer 200 bullet-proof vests and 145 military vehicles to the Palestinian security forces, under the control of president Mahmoud Abbas.

The equipment was supposed to be transferred to the P.A a long time ago, but was not delivered due to Israeli objections.

Also, Israel agreed to ease the entry of Palestinian security men who underwent military training in Jordan.

Dayton also said that he is impressed by the capabilities of the Palestinian security forces and added that “with time, the Palestinians will be capable of maintaining security control over the West Bank, and will be able to curb attacks against Israel”.

He also said that his personal opinion, not the opinion of the US Administration, is that there is a need to create an organized Palestinian force as long as they have a political horizon to aspire.

It is worth mentioning that Dayton arrived in the area by the end of 2005 in order to help organize the Palestinian security forces. He intends to train five brigades which belong to the Palestinian security force. These brigades will act side by side with the Palestinian police force.

US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, threatened on Thursday that the United States will push for more sanctions on Iran after the Iranian leadership failed in responding to a bid by several European countries to persuade Iran to freeze its Uranium Enrichment plan.

Rice added that now Iran has a way out of this issue, and threatened that the US will “seriously seek sanctions if the Iranian government does not comply”.

She claimed that the United States does not view Iran as a “permanent enemy” but has been tough with the country and supported three sets of sanctions against it.

The United States is attempting to convince it allies that the Iranian Nuclear Program could be a cover-up for developing nuclear weapons, but Iran says that it has the right to develop nuclear technology which it uses in generating electricity for its increasing population.

Rice also stated that the United States does not support, object to or void the possibility of an attack against Tehran but will not Vito any attack carried by Israel.

In an Interview with Yahoo News, Rice said that the United States is having ongoing talks with Israel regarding this issue, and added that Israel prefers the political path in resolving the issue in addition to economic sanctions against Iran.

On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, said during a interview with an Italian newspaper that the Israeli army is “preparing for an overwhelming victory if Israel was attacked by Iran” and demanded the International Community to speed-up and tighten the sanction on Tehran.

In related news, the Russian ambassador at the UN, Vitaly Churkin, denied allegation that there are coordinated agreements or understandings to impose new sanctions on Iran.

Talking to reporters in New York, Churkin said that some countries are pushing the issue of sanctions from time to time but his country did not set an ultimatum to Tehran to respond to the European bid. He added that Iran might accept the offer.

A spokesperson of the US Foreign Ministry stated that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States) in addition to Germany expressed disappointment that Tehran did not present a clear response to what they described as the “generous offer”.

The new incentive is that in exchange for an Iranian freeze of uranium enrichment, Iran will be offered trade and technology incentives.

On Wednesday the United States and the United Kingdom said that the six countries (China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany) have no other choice now but to seek new sanctions as “Iran failed to give a clear and positive response”.

The United States and Britain said that there is an agreement now to discuss a new sanction resolution at the Security Council.

The United States and its allies believe that Iran’s nuclear program could be just a cover up to enable the country develop atomic weapons, but Iran says that it has the right to develop nuclear energy in order to generate electricity.