JMCC DAILY PRESS SUMMARY POBOX 25047 * EAST JERUSALEM * TEL (02) 5838266 * FAX (02) 5836837 Monday, 12 January 2009 Vol. 16 Number 4575 18 Pages January 12, 2009 (First Part) FRONT PAGE_____________________________________________ PRESIDENT ABBAS DISCUSSES WITH THE JORDANIAN KING THE EFFORTS EXERTED TOWARDS A CEASEFIRE Palestinian President Abbas discussed with the Jordanian King yesterday the efforts exerted at the Arab and international fronts to reach a ceasefire. King Abdullah II was quoted saying that Israel has to abide by the UN Security Council resolution 1860, stop its aggression on Gaza, lift the siege imposed on the Palestinian people, and allow the entry of humanitarian and medical assistance. (al-Quds) ABED RABBO: HAMAS HAS BEEN GIVEN 24 HOURS TO AGREE TO THE EGYPTIAN INITIATIVE PLO Executive Committee Secretary Yasser Abed Rabbo revealed that the Egyptian leadership gave Hamas 24 hours to respond to the Egyptian initiative; the 24-hour ultimatum came after Hamas expressed reservations on the initiative. He affirmed that the PA believes that implementing the Egyptian initiative is a victory over the Israeli aggression against Gaza Strip and that any stalling will give the occupation justification to continue with the aggression and bloodshed. (www.alquds.com) HAMAS DELEGATION ENDS ITS TALKS IN CAIRO WITHOUT REACHING AN AGREEMENT MANY DETAILS IMPEDE AGREEMENT ON EGYPTIAN INITIATIVE Hamas delegation left Cairo yesterday to hold consultations with regards to the Egyptian initiative and to give the Egyptian side time to give its response to Hamas reservations before the movement gives its final response. A Hamas leading figure revealed that Hamas rejected an Egyptian offer for a long-term truce with Israel; he affirmed that there are many details that need to be discussed before we can say that we reached an agreement in principle. Hamas figures Imad al-Alami and Ayman Taha remained in Cairo waiting for the other members of the delegation who left to Damascus for consultations. A Hamas source said the meeting with Omar Suleiman lasted two hours yesterday and the long term truce is among the outstanding issues that Hamas expresses reservations against and need careful and detailed discussion, wondering why not have a six- month truce or truce for one year? Other reservations include the issue of presence of international troops in Gaza Strip and the issue related to the Israeli withdrawal because it is not clear what is meant by withdrawal: Will it be complete withdrawal or Israel maintaining control points and strategic areas and setting up a time framework to test the conduct of Hamas? And there are no guarantees to achieve this if Hamas stops rocket firing. Some unclear points also include the Monday, 12 January 2009 2 JMCC DAILY PRESS SUMMARY arrangements to operate the crossings and mechanism to operate them and the promise not to allow arms smuggling. He pointed out that the resistance doesn’t import weapons in a legal manner in order to make a commitment on this matter. He explained: Hamas wants to improve the conditions of the initiative and to see it become an integrated paper to be implemented in parallel and not through gradual steps without a specific mechanism or time ceiling. He added that the clause related to national reconciliation is not clear and needs further details and the initiative talks about the PLO as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people; he wondered: is recognizing the PLO and its commitments a condition to achieve the clause on national reconciliation? (al-Hayat) HEADLINES ____________________________________________ * Paltel group maintains the steadfastness of telecommunications network in Gaza Strip. (al- Quds) * The sixteenth day of the aggression: 900 martyrs and more than 4,000 injuries. Gaza is under the hell of raids and the phosphorus burning bombs cause more casualties. (Al-Quds) * Israeli officials: The aggression on Gaza Strip achieved its goals and ending it is soon. (Al- Quds) * During the 3rd meeting of the Higher Committee for Gaza Relief, Dr. Fayyad: The donations will be deducted from the taxable income. Ramallah and al-Bireh Committee demands coordinating efforts and marches. (al-Quds) * Gaza residents: the Israeli troops are disguised in Hamas men uniform. (al-Quds) * 25,000 citizens have sought refuge at UNRWA schools fleeing from the Israeli shelling. (al- Quds) * The Israeli three-hour truce included artillery shelling. (Al-Quds) * Obama promises to act quickly on the Middle East and Iranian nuclear file issues. (Al-Quds) * Administration of Obama might hold direct talks with Hamas. (Al-Quds) * New York Times: Bush’s government rejects an Israeli plan to attack Iranian Natanz nuclear plant. (Al-Quds) * Early this dawn: Israel decides to continue and expand the aggression and Amos Gilad will not travel to Cairo today. (Al-Ayyam) * Heavy shelling on the city of Gaza in preparation for invading it. (Al-Ayyam) * 54 martyrs yesterday, including 28 children, and 440 injuries. (Al-Ayyam) * The occupation troops conduct training on incursion of Gaza city. (Al-Ayyam) * Israeli reinforcements from reserve units into Gaza Strip. (Al-Ayyam) * Qassam announces targeting occupation helicopters and the factions continue to fire rockets towards Israeli towns. (Al-Ayyam) * An Israeli plan to occupy regions in Gaza Strip (especially on the borders with Egypt) for specific period. Olmert talks about the aggression to end soon. (Al-Ayyam) * Three Egyptian policemen and two children injured in Israeli shelling on Palestinian Rafah. (Al- Ayyam) * Amro Musa: Consultations to hold a new meeting for the Arab FMs. (Al-Ayyam) * Gunfire shooting from Syria towards Israeli soldiers in the Golan. (Al-Ayyam) * President Abbas discusses with Jordanian King the efforts exerted to reach a ceasefire. (Al- Ayyam) * Obama: We are preparing a working team to start working from the first day on the Middle East peace process in order to set up an approach that meets the aspirations of the Palestinians and Israelis. (Al-Ayyam) Monday, 12 January 2009 3 JMCC DAILY PRESS SUMMARY * Egypt intensifies efforts towards a ceasefire and Israel raises doubts on the efficiency of an international force. The Israeli officials focus on the tunnels. (Al-Ayyam) * Israel claims: Hamas leaders hide in headquarters of foreign missions. (Al-Ayyam) * The UNRWA: new Palestinians joined the people who sought refuge at the UNRWA schools. (Al-Ayyam) * Israel claims: Hamas leaders hide in headquarters of foreign missions. (Al-Hayat al-Jadida) * Israel reinforces its troops and talks about the aggression coming to an end soon. (Al-Hayat al-Jadida) * An Israeli court remands Shaheen and Sarhan, reporters of al-Alam TV station. (Al-Hayat al- Jadida) * Qatar rules out closing the Israeli commercial representative office as an individual step. Qatar requests holding an emergency meeting for the Arab FMs. (Al-Hayat al-Jadida) FRONT PAGE PHOTOS _________________________________ Al-Quds: A citizen carrying an injured baby who was hit by the Israeli shelling in Gaza yesterday. Al-Ayyam: 1) A citizen receiving medical treatment after suffering serious burns when the occupation troops used internationally banned white phosphorus in its shelling against the residential areas in Khan Yunis; 2) Citizens seeking refuge at UNRWA school in Jabalia Camp running away from the Israeli shelling. Al-Hayat al-Jadida: 1) Smoke coming out as a phosphorus bomb falls on Jabalia yesterday; 2) President Abbas and Jordanian King during their meeting in Amman yesterday. NEWS___________________________________________________ Two Egyptian children among 4 wounded in IAF strike near Gaza Reuters Two Egyptian children and two police officers were wounded by shrapnel from Israel Air Force bombs near a crossing point at Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday, security sources said. The children, aged two and five, and the two officers were the first Egyptians to be wounded by Israeli bombs since the Israeli offensive against Gaza began on Dec. 27, and were taken to hospitals in el- Arish. There were no details of the gravity of their wounds. Witnesses said Egyptian houses near the border and government offices at the crossing were damaged by shrapnel on Sunday. Israel has expanded its air campaign to the southern Gaza Strip, aiming at smuggling tunnels running under the border with Egypt. One Egyptian border guard has been killed and two have been wounded in clashes with Palestinians trying to enter Egypt since the Israeli offensive began. The Palestinian death toll in Gaza since the beginning of the offensive stands at 874, many of them civilians, Gaza medical officials said. Ten Israeli soldiers and three civilians have also been killed in the conflict. Earlier Sunday, witnesses said that Israel Air Force warplanes have been flying over Egyptian territory during their bombing runs along the border between Gaza and Egypt. The witnesses, who have spent many hours close to the Rafah crossing point between Egypt and Gaza, said they had seen the Israeli planes fly over on several occasions, often at such low altitude that it was clear they were over Egyptian territory. Israeli planes have been bombing on the Gaza side of the border, within a few hundreds of meters of Egypt, targeting tunnels which Israel says the Islamist movement Hamas uses for smuggling weapons into Gaza. The three witnesses said they wanted to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the matter. Monday, 12 January 2009 4 JMCC DAILY PRESS SUMMARY The Egyptian government has faced a barrage of criticism for cooperating with Israel in the blockade of Gaza over the past six months. Israeli and Egyptian Defense Ministry officials either were unavailable or had no comment on the reports, and it was not clear if Israel was giving Egypt any warning of the flights. Under the peace treaty which Egypt and Israel signed in 1979, Israel has the right to fly combat planes up to the international border, while Egyptian combat planes cannot fly east of a zone which covers roughly the western third of the Sinai peninsula.