This Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu will give a major policy address detailing his approach to the Palestinian diplomatic track.  He will be speaking at 8 PM Israel time (1 PM US Eastern Time) from Bar-Ilan University.  At that time, the University will be streaming live video of the address on its website.  We will provide further materials after the speech, when they become available.

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With the resumption of some rocket fire from Gaza onto Sderot, the town is once again making headlines. Sderot recently inaugurated a fortified play space for local children–complete with bomb shelters alongside the jungle gym –so kids would be able to experience some semblance of normality. Here’s what the Washington Post had to say on the subject:

In Sderot, the uncertainty about when and where the next explosion might occur hangs over the town. Homes are renovated to include blast rooms. A warning system — a woman’s voice calling out “Color Red” — in place of a siren that many found disturbing — is meant to provide a few seconds for people to seek cover.

For Israelis, “the numbers injured psychologically are much higher” than those wounded by the blast or shrapnel, [Eli] Ovitz said. “I am sure the children of Gaza are traumatized as well.”

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Well, the UN is reporting today that Hamas stole a bunch of it for its own people, illustrating the difficulties inherent in getting the donated humanitarian supplies to the people who need them.

From the official UNRWA press release:

“At 1430 on 3 February over 3,500 blankets and 406 food parcels were confiscated from a distribution store at Beach Camp in Gaza by police personnel. This took place after UNRWA staff had earlier refused to hand over the aid supplies to the Hamas-run Ministry of Social Affairs. The police subsequently broke into the warehouse and seized the aid by force. The aid was due to be distributed to five hundred families in the area.“

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The new American Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, affirmed Israel’s right to defend her citizens in a press conference today, after Israel responded to a Palestinian attack on an IDF patrol.  Reuters noted Clinton’s main concern would be to get a durable cease-fire on the ground and to attend to the needs of the civilian population.

However, she also noted,

It is regrettable that the Hamas leadership apparently believes that it is in their interest to provoke the right of self-defense instead of building a better future for the people of Gaza.

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From Haaretz.com:

“One Palestinian woman was already being treated in the clinic eight-bed clinic that includes a pharmacy, an X-ray machine and five consultation rooms. The patient blessed the clinic from her hospital bed, although her ailment was unclear. “

Click here for the original article.

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Born in the Shati Refugee Camp, a senior member of Hamas’s political echelon in Gaza, and a minister in the Palestinian government.

Full name: Sheikh Said Muhammad Sha’aban Siam (aka “Abu Masab)

Origins: Born in the Shati Refugee Camp, Gaza in 1959. Resident of Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City. His family comes from the village of al-Jouran, which was near Ashkelon (likewise the origins of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and Ismail Haniyyeh).

Family Status: Married, father of 6 children

Education: Studied at Ramallah Teachers Institute and certified as an instructor of science and mathematics. He completed his studies at the Open University of al-Quds with a bachelor’s degree in Islamic culture.

Notable activities: Worked in an UNRWA school in Gaza, but left his post amid conflict with his employers over his political leanings. Extensive ideology-based activities within the Gaza community and involved in social causes. Worked as a preacher and volunteer imam in Gaza mosques.

Hamas activities: Participated in the movement’s important forums. Represented Hamas in the “Monitoring Committee for the Nationalist and Islamist Forces.” Served as Hamas spokesman between December 2001 and April 2002. Responsible for establishing Hamas’s Gaza-based “Radio al-Aqsa.” Lately elected to the Legislative Assembly and gained many votes.

Detention by Israel: Detained four times between 1989-1992. Among the Hamas operative banished to Lebanon in 1992. Also detained by Palestinian security services (1995).

Political stances: Named as one of the more pragmatic members of Hamas

Statements after election: Upon election, he stated that he would not stop the “resistance” (i.e. terrorists operating against Israel) since, he felt, “Resistance is a legitimate right of the Palestinian people” (Ma’an News). This statement has great significance since, as Interior Minister, he controls elements of the Palestinian security services.

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Hamas turns a school into a trap for Israeli forces. Were the kids supposed to go to school in the wired building, too?

Also, the New York Times reports on Hamas’s fighting tactics in apartment blocks, booby-trapping corridors and living areas, while fighting out of uniform.

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The crowd of rally-goers came dressed in red coats and sweaters to symbolically amplify the “Red Alert” alarm that the residents of Sderot, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Be’er Sheva, Kiryat Malachi, and other cities are suffering through.

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Consul General Asaf Shariv interviewed this week on Shalom TV, American Jewry’s National Cable Television Network. The interview will be available from Sunday, January 11 through Saturday night, January 17. It is Free Video on Demand and so the program is available all the time on those days.
Before then, you can watch a preview, available on the Shalom TV homepage.  Also, if you have any questions about how to watch the show, see the station’s FAQ tab.

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