Israel's New FM Questioned on FRAUD

Anyone find the timing of this a wee bit suspect? Hmmmm, I just wonder if Netanyahu and the powers that be are trying to find a way to get rid of the racist arse. Given that within the last few days he has let his mouth overload his arse making vile statements. Maybe he has become a liability, or it could just be that he's a common crook. Either way I hope he's gone.............

Israel's foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman questioned in fraud probe
Avigdor Lieberman, the controversial new Israeli foreign minister who leads an ultranationalist Right-wing party, was questioned by police for seven hours on Thursday over allegations of corruption.

The allegations against Avigdor Lieberman concerned the receipt of large sums of money from abroad allegedly channelled through shell companies and illegal bank accounts Photo: AFP
Less than 24 hours after the Israeli parliament voted in the country's new government, Mr Lieberman answered questions from detectives concerning allegations of bribery, fraud, money-laundering and breach of trust.

Corruption dogged the last Israeli government with the prime minister, justice minister and finance minister all forced to stand down after allegations of malpractice.

Israel's head of state, Moshe Katsav, was forced to resign as president and is now facing charges of rape and sexual harassment.

The allegations against Mr Lieberman concerned the receipt of large sums of money from abroad allegedly channelled through shell companies and illegal bank accounts.

The Israeli police issued only a brief statement confirming he had been questioned.

Mr Lieberman, whose political career began in the mid 1990s in Israel, has twice before been connected to allegations of fraud.

The fact the Israeli police questioned him so publicly and for such a long time after his confirmation as foreign minister has raised questions about the judgement of the new Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Lieberman has already stirred political controversy by rejecting the Annapolis peace plan which is supported by America and the international community.

In a statement issued by his office, Mr Lieberman said he is "in a hurry to end this inquiry which has gone on for 13 years. The minister cooperated and answered the investigators' questions."

He has said that the allegations were politically motivated.

Mr Lieberman has been dogged by corruption allegations for years, but has never been charged. Police revived one probe just weeks before the election, but the move has only boosted his popularity as it was perceived as politically-motivated, according to pollsters.

HAMAS "Will Not Recognise" FATAH Deals with Israel

Hamas will not accept nor recognise deals made between FATAH and Israel. And why should they, those deals failed miserably and there has now been a genocide in Gaza. Hamas won a landslide victory in a democratic election, therefore it is time to negotiate a new deal with Israel.

The Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday emphasized it will not recognize the peace obligations signed by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) with Israel.

Salah al-Bardaweel, a Hamas lawmaker, told the press that " Hamas can not accept the PLO's deals because any upcoming government would be formed by Hamas and Fatah and will reflect our views and we will re-compile any word the government speaks."

The PLO issue is still one of the biggest obstacles that prevents Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah from reaching a unity deal in the Egyptian-hosted reconciliation talks.

The peace deals are mainly referred to the 1993 Israeli- Palestinian peace accords reached in Oslo which enabled the creation of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and stipulated the peace negotiations between the PLO and Israel.

Asked if Hamas can accept the PLO commitments, al-Bardaweel responded with a question: "Why should we put all the Palestinians in Oslo's ragged basket?"

The unity talks aim at forming a coalition mainly comprising Hamas, which won the parliamentary elections in 2006, and Fatah, to overcome several internal and external problems. But since the dialogue is comprehensive, the reforming of the PLO was put on the table.

Fatah demands that the new government must recognize the PLO commitments so the international community will deal with it in return, but Hamas refuses. link

Israel Admits Murdering Children

Another nail in Israel’s coffin

Wow, Israel under pressure from the world and running from war crime charges admit what we already know, they targeted and murdered children. The Israeli army murdered children in Gaza. Albiet Israel is only claiming it killed 189 children rather than the huge number of children they really murdered. Still, this admission proves that worldwide public opinion and outrage is taking it’s effect on Isarel. This admission, coupled with the fact that the Israeli Army, in fact, has a policy of killing children aged 12 and recently there was a report of Israel using children as human shields. It seems to me that a charge of war crimes is yet closer.

Israel admits killing 189 children in Gaza campaign

Israel's armed forces admitted on Wednesday that 189 Palestinian children under the age of 15 were killed during the assault on the Gaza Strip.

The first official figures released by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) of the casualties inflicted by the three-week campaign found that a total of 309 Palestinian civilians were killed.

The survey was disclosed as Benjamin Netanyahu, the incoming prime minister, presented himself as a peacemaker and assured Palestinians that his government would be their "partner". One day after enlisting the Labour Party into a broad coalition, embracing Left and Right, Mr Netanyahu focused on his plans to help the Palestinian economy.

"I think that the Palestinians should understand that they have in our government a partner for peace, for security and for rapid economic development of the Palestinian economy," said Mr Netanyahu

(I think the Palestinians know what you are Bibi, a liar and a right wing neo con Zionist not to be trusted, they also understand the kind of “peace” you want, the kind that comes when you exterminate all Palestinians and steal all their land, that is Israel’s version of peace)

But Mr Netanyahu did not go as far as to endorse a two-state solution, which forms the essential foundation for America's plans for a peace settlement. In the past, he has consistently opposed the creation of a Palestinian state on the West Bank and Gaza.

Under the coalition deal with Labour, Mr Netanyahu's Right-wing Likud party will adhere to previous international agreements made by Israel. This formula may leave open a window for a deal on Palestinian statehood.

But Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian negotiator, said that Mr Netanyahu would be judged by results. "Any Israeli government that accepts the two-state solution, negotiates with us on all core issues without exception, and agrees to stop settlement activity will be a partner," he said.

Even as Mr Netanyahu was addressing the conference, however, Israel's Army Radio reported that he had agreed to build more homes inside Jewish settlements on the West Bank inside an area known as E-1, a few miles east of Jerusalem. Construction in this vital region could sever the West Bank in two, making the creation of a viable Palestinian state even more difficult.

The radio station said this was part of a secret agreement with Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, who is likely to be foreign minister in the new coalition.

The IDF's survey of the casualties in Gaza found that 1,370 Palestinians were killed in the campaign, which began on Dec 27 after years of rocket fire into Israel's southern cities. Of these, some 600 were guerrillas and another 320 were unidentified and designated simply as "unaffiliated".

The IDF defines anyone under the age of 15 as a child and admits that 189 were killed. The Palestinian authorities list anyone under the age of 18 as a child.
Another point of contention is over how to identify the 200 Palestinian policemen who were killed in the first day of the fighting during an Israeli air raid on a graduation ceremony in Gaza City. Israel categorises them as Hamas fighters on the grounds that Hamas governs Gaza and controls the police.