Israel's New Gaza Blockade Policy - PMO Spokesman Mark Regev
TEACHING
Rev. Cheryl Hauer
- James, Part 2
Radio Bulletin:
Bridges for Peace IN ACTION
Recently, the latest census information was analyzed and data released to the press. One surprising bit of information was the fact that nearly 35% of the population lives in two-bedroom apartments. We have seen families of eight people living in such cramped quarters. Children share one room with bunk beds (some three high), and the more children, the less floor space as beds are crowded into the small rooms. Generally these same people are amongst those who live in poverty and cannot afford even basic home improvements.
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Rocket Explodes in Heart of Ashkelon
Jan'09 Ashkelon Attack Photo by Isranet
A rocket fired from the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun exploded in the heart of a populated area in the southern city of Ashkelon on Friday morning [July 30]. Two people suffered shock. Two empty floors of an apartment building, several cars and a nearby pavement sustained damage. Many windows were shattered. Police dispatched to the rocket's landing site urged the residents to stay in their homes for fear of additional rockets. "We heard the siren and ran into the fortified room," says Dudi Ben-Shlush, who lives on the fourth floor of the building hit by the rocket.
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Arab League Conditions Direct Talks on US Guarantees
en.wikipedia.org
The Arab League agreed to the principle of direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians on Thursday [July 29], but refused to call for their beginning immediately, according to Al Jazeera. The report from the Jerusalem Post was more positive, saying that the Arab League gave approval to the Palestinian Authority to begin direct talks, but left it up to the Palestinian Authority to decide when and if to begin them. Either way, based on the Palestinian response before and after the meeting, it appears they are not prepared to enter direct talks as of now. The American response to a letter sent from the Arab League will apparently be important in determining if the talks begin soon.
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Israel Pushing for More Solar Power
en.wikipedia.org/Mhaasan Abdollahi
Israel’s Public Utilities Authority has announced a new initiative aimed at boosting the volume of solar power produced in the country. The authority announced on Wednesday [July 28] that it would boost the volume of solar power the government is willing to buy, while reducing by 25 percent the rate it would pay solar power producers from 2.04 shekel [53 cents] to 1.55 shekels [40 cents] per kilowatt hour. Israel incentivizes the production of renewable energy by paying an enhanced rate to producers who pump energy from renewable sources into Israel’s electrical grid, thereby forcing the authority to limit the volume of renewable energy it can afford to buy.
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IDF: All Bodies Recovered from Crash Site
Boboc-Romania Photo by Isranet
An Israel Defense Forces [IDF] official announced Wednesday evening [July 28] that the army's search team had finished evacuating the bodies of six Air Force men killed in Monday's [July 26] helicopter crash. Earlier Wednesday, Israeli Consul General in Romania Lily Ben Harush arrived at the forensics lab in Brasov, where some of the bodies are already located, in order to begin the process of returning them to Israel. On Thursday two IDF choppers will leave from Israel to help pack up the equipment brought to Romania and to transport the bodies to Israel. The search party will hold a ceremony in honor of the six men, and fly back Thursday evening.
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In Turkey, British PM Likens Gaza to “Prison Camp”
David Cameron en.wikipedia/Flickr
Britain’s Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has indirectly attacked Israel by saying that Gaza was currently like a “prison camp.” During a visit to Turkey, he also harshly criticized Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in which nine Turkish activists were killed at the end of May. Addressing reporters in Ankara, he said: “The Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla was completely unacceptable.” In a reference to the blockade of the Gaza Strip, he said: “The situation in Gaza has to change. Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp."
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