Mel Frykberg

RAMALLAH – An international chorus of condemnation has blasted Israel over its human rights abuses in Gaza. Operation Cast Lead, into its 12th day, has now claimed the lives of over 700 Palestinians. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) demanded safe access Thursday for ICRC officials and Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC) ambulances to … Continue reading “Gaza Children Found Starving”

RAMALLAH – Israel has committed war crimes and should be prosecuted in an international court, says Raji Sourani, head of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) in Gaza. "The repeated bombing of clearly marked civilian buildings, where civilians were sheltering, crosses several red lines in regard to international law," Sourani told IPS. Palestinian Authority … Continue reading “Israel May Face Charges for War Crimes”

RAMALLAH – At least 42 Palestinians sheltering in a UN school in the Jabaliya refugee camp near Gaza City were killed Tuesday afternoon after two Israeli tank shells exploded outside the school. Hundreds of terrified Palestinians, desperately trying to escape the bombing, had sought shelter there assuming that a clearly marked school would not be … Continue reading “Israel Attacks Schools, Ambulances”

RAMALLAH – Israel is again preventing journalists from entering Gaza to report firsthand on the escalating crisis there as its military operation, codenamed Operation Cast Lead, enters its fifth day. Israel imposed an unprecedented news blackout in November and banned foreign journalists from the Gaza Strip for an entire month. This followed an Israeli cross-border … Continue reading “Media Banned From Gaza as Humanitarian Crisis Escalates”

RAMALLAH, West Bank – Israel’s devastating bombardment of Gaza, and the mounting death toll continue as Operation Cast Lead entered its fourth day Tuesday. Despite massive damage to Hamas’ infrastructure and the enormous loss of life inflicted on Gaza, the Islamic resistance organization continues to fire rockets at Israel, with three Israelis killed to date. … Continue reading “Gaza Becomes a Chessboard for Israeli Leaders”

RAMALLAH, West Bank – Anger, shock, and revulsion at the continuing carnage in Gaza has ignited spontaneous demonstrations and riots across the West Bank and Israel, sparking concerns of a possible third Palestinian uprising, or Intifada. More than 300 Palestinians were killed and at least 900 wounded following an intensive Israeli air bombing campaign over … Continue reading “Gaza Carnage Sets West Bank Aflame”

RAMALLAH – Israel released over 200 Palestinians from Israeli jails in a "goodwill gesture" Monday. This followed the Muslim feast of Eid Al-Adha and was an attempt to boost the waning popularity of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Several prisoners spoke to the assembled local and international media about their time in detention. They accused the … Continue reading “Israelis Continue to Abuse Palestinian Prisoners”

RAMALLAH, West Bank – Israeli-Palestinian peace talks appear to have hit a dead end, while efforts to bridge the yawning chasm that divides Hamas and Fatah politically and ideologically appear to be going nowhere. The two main streams of Palestinian politics are already locking horns over when the next legislative and presidential elections will be … Continue reading “Palestinian Politics on the Road to Nowhere”

JERUSALEM – Israel has published tenders for the construction of 1,761 illegal housing units for Israeli settlers in occupied east Jerusalem alone, according to the Israeli rights group Peace Now. The expansion plans come despite promises by the Israeli government at last year’s peace summit at Annapolis, Maryland (in the US) to freeze all settlement … Continue reading “Israel Pushes Ahead with Settlement Expansion”

A YouTube video, uploaded on the Internet this week and showing a blindfolded and handcuffed Palestinian being fired on at close range by an Israeli soldier in the presence of a Lieutenant-Colonel, has made international and regional headlines. On Jul. 7, Ashraf Abu-Rahma, 27, from Bi’ilin village near Ramallah in the central West Bank was … Continue reading “Palestinian ‘Che’ Blindfolded and Shot”