Hackers take down Palestinian servers, cut internet service across West bank and Gaza

The attack affected Internet service across the West Bank and Gaza, but the Palestinian communications minister said the Palestinian banking system had been isolated for its protection. (AFP)

By AFP
RAMALLAH Palestinian Territories
Hackers from around the world have attacked Palestinian servers, cutting Internet service across the West Bank and Gaza, the Palestinian communications minister said on Tuesday.

“Since this morning all Palestinian IP addresses have come under attack from places across the world,” Mashur Abu Daqqa told AFP on Tuesday afternoon.

“The sites have been attacked in an organized manner using mirror servers.

“I think from the manner of the attack and its intensity that there is a state behind it, and it is not spontaneous.”

The attack affected Internet service across the West Bank and Gaza, but Abu Daqqa said the Palestinian banking system had been isolated for its protection.

The incident came a day after the Palestinians won full membership of UNESCO, over objections from the United States and Israel, and Abu Daqqa suggested the Jewish state could be behind the attack.

“Israel could be involved as it announced yesterday that it was considering the kind of sanctions it would impose on us,” he said.

Hackers take down Palestinian servers, cut internet service across West bank and Gaza

UN report: Israel must end its illegal blockade on Gaza

GAZA, (PIC)-- A UN report has affirmed that Israel's blockade on the impoverished Gaza Strip is illegal and demanded an immediate end to it.

This came in the 43rd report that was submitted to the UN general assembly during its 66th session by the special committee that is commissioned to probe and report about Israel's violations against the Palestinians in the occupied territories.

The report mentioned at length the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza and its impacts on education, health, housing, employment and human development.

It condemned Israel's actions against Gaza as mass punishment against civilians, and a violation of the international humanitarian law, adding that Israel also violated its obligations under international law of human rights.

The committee demanded Israel to end its illegal blockade on Gaza and ensure regular and adequate entry of food, medicines and other vital need to it in compliance with resolution 1860 that was issued by the UN security council in 2009.

The committee also called on Israel to end its restrictions on fishing activities in Gaza territorial waters and allow Palestinian fishermen to go 20 nautical miles out to sea according to the Oslo accords it signed in 1994.

The committee recommended in its report that the UN security council and its general assembly should consider imposing sanctions against the Israeli government for its persistent refusal to cooperate with UN bodies and respect their resolutions.

UN report: Israel must end its illegal blockade on Gaza

Israeli Police Arrests Seven Palestinians in East Jerusalem

Palestine News & Info Agency - WAFA
JERUSALEM, November 1, 2011 (WAFA) – Israeli police Tuesday arrested seven Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem on the pretext of throwing Molotov cocktails and stones at police and Beit Orot religious school in the Mount of Olives, according to an Israeli police report.

The report said the detainees, three of whom are minors, are from al-Tur neighborhood in East Jerusalem.

Israeli Soldiers Arrest Palestinian Lawmaker

RAMALLAH, November 1, 2011 (WAFA) – Israeli forces arrested Hamas legislator Hassan Yousef and his son before dawn Tuesday at his home in Betunia in Ramallah, according to Legislative Council Deputy Ayman Daraghmeh.

He said Israeli soldiers stormed Yousef’s home before dawn, where they blindfolded him and his 24 year old son and took them to Ofer detention center.

Daraghmeh said this is the second arrest since Yousef’s release about two months ago, after spending six years in Israeli prisons.

He added that Israeli soldiers are targeting every figure that speaks on behalf of Hamas movement in the West Bank or those who advocate the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.

To be noted, 23 Palestinian Legislative Council deputies are currently detained in Israeli prisons.

Palestine News & Info Agency - WAFA

Israeli Forces Prevent Palestinian Farmers from Entering their Land

TULKARM, November 1, 2011 (WAFA) – Israeli forces Tuesday prevented Palestinian farmers from Kafr Jammal, a village north of the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm, from entering their agricultural land behind the Apartheid Wall for the olive picking season, according to local sources.

The village farmers told WAFA that Israeli forces stationed at the entrance of Sal’it, an Israeli settlement built illegally on the village land, prevented farmers from reaching their land through the only route to it which crosses the Apartheid Wall, forcing them to turn back at gunpoint.

Israeli authorities had seized the farmers’ tractors for three days, preventing them from reaching their land to pick olives.

Palestine News & Info Agency - WAFA

MADA Condemns Settler Attacks on Palestinian Journalists

On Saturday, 29 October 2011, a group of stone throwing settlers attacked four Palestinian journalists covering the weekly Beit Omar march near Hebron city. Of the journalists, French Agency photographer Hazem Bader, European Agency photographer Abdelhafiz Hashlamoun, Palestine TV cameraman Hussam Abu Alan, and Palestine TV correspondent Fida’ Nasir, Bader sustained the most serious injuries after a large stone struck his head causing substantial bleeding.

An Israeli soldier and a journalist at a protest in Qalandia on September 21, 2011 (Brendan Work, PNN).

Bader told MADA that he and his colleagues were covering the weekly demonstration when settlers began throwing large stones at the crowd. Israeli Occupation Force personnel were witness to the attack but did not prevent the settlers from continuing and instead began also targeting the peaceful demonstrators with tear gas projectiles. During the confusion a large stone struck Bader, resulting in severe head contusions for which he had to receive medical treatment. Bader went to the nearby hospital and received five stitches.

Abdulhafiz Hashlamoun added: "During our coverage of the weekly march the settlers attacked us with stones, one hit my waist and caused bruising. Two of my other colleagues were also injured, Hussam Abu Allan was struck on his waist and Fina’ Nasir was hit on the leg, both were bruised."

Yesterday’s events recalls the attack last week of an Al-Jazeera crew by stone throwing settlers, which left cameraman Majdi Al Safadi mild injuries.

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) strongly condemns the new settlers attack against journalists warns of its dangerous, which is ongoing under protection of the Israeli army, which stand in direct contravention to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. MADA reiterates its demand that the international community intervene immediately to protect Palestinian journalists, whose lives are constantly threatened by Israeli occupation forces and settlers attacks.

PNN - Palestine News Network

Egypt: Israel agreed to delay expanding Gaza offensive

Egyptian official says his country asked for 24 hours to try to bring all factions into an informal cease-fire after a recent escalation between Gaza militants and IDF forces erupted last week.

By The Associated Press

An Egyptian official said Tuesday that Israel has agreed to briefly delay expanding its military operations in the Gaza Strip to give Egypt time to try to persuade Palestinian militant factions to halt rocket fire on southern Israel.

Israeli aircraft have targeted rocket squads in Gaza in recent days, but the Egyptian official says Israel has also planned a wider operation. The official says Egypt asked for 24 hours to try to bring all factions into an informal cease-fire and Israel agreed to give Cairo until around midnight Tuesday.

	An IDF tank in Kerem Shalom region near the Gaza border, Oct. 4, 2011.
	Photo by: Eliyahu Hershkovitz

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss Egyptian mediation.

Israel's Defense Ministry had no immediate comment.

The military said there have been no Israeli airstrikes since around midnight Monday. Two rockets were fired from Gaza during that time. The relative calm prevailed through Tuesday afternoon.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned from the podium of the Israeli parliament that Israel would operate "vigorously and resolutely" against those who would threaten its security.

"A security philosophy cannot rely on defense alone," Netanyahu said. "It must also include offensive capabilities, the very foundation of deterrence."

Netanyahu summoned his top leadership for a closed meeting to discuss Gaza on Tuesday afternoon.

The recent flare in violence has been the worst in the area in months, killing at least 10 militants and an Israeli civilian.

The attacks have disrupted life in southern Israel, forcing schools to close. About 1 million Israelis live within range of rockets from Gaza.

The Islamic Jihad faction had led the rocket attacks that began last week, but on Sunday agreed to stop the violence if Israel also did. Rocket fire that drew retaliatory Israeli airstrikes persisted afterward, but it was claimed by a different militant group, the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Gaza's ruling Hamas group, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in past violence, has not directly been involved in the attacks. But Israel holds Hamas responsible for all violence from the territory.

Hamas, meanwhile, said Tuesday that the Israeli military had arrested one of its leaders in the West Bank, Hassan Youssef, overnight in his Ramallah home. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called the move "a dangerous Israeli escalation against Hamas and against one of the symbols of the elected Palestinian legitimacy."

Youssef was released from an Israeli prison in August after serving six years.

The Israel Defense Forces had no immediate comment.

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