The “Israelis” assault on the Monitoring Committee (1):
No sooner had the French President Jacques Chirac ended his visit to Lebanon than the convoy of France’s Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Monitoring Committee Joseph Raban came under a light heavy machine guns of the “Israeli” occupation forces and their agents. It is note worthy that Chirac had called during his visit for an unconditional withdrawal from South Lebanon in accordance with the Resolution 425.

The incident occurred as the convoy was passing across Hamra-Bayada crossing point towards Naqoura town in order to participate with the meeting of Five-Nation Monitoring Committee.

A UN officer clarified that as the convoy tried to pass through the crossing point between the liberated and occupied regions, the members stationed there attempted to search it. The French delegation and UN officers refused the step. Then several machine gun rounds fired in the air. In the meantime, a hot debate happened between the officers and the “Israeli” agents after which the French delegation continued traveling without searching.

In Tyre city, security sources described the step as provocative. Also, they expected that this issue will subject to discussions, even if it is not scheduled, in order to prevent its recurrence.
It should be noted that this incident is considered as a precedent since establishing the Monitoring Committee in August 1996.

Press freedom is an “Israeli” hoax (1):
Sharq El-Awsat newspaper published an article in which it wondered about the press freedom in “Israel”. To answer this question,it is to be pointed out that there is an agreement between “Israel’s” media and the military censorship.

This agreement stated that the “Israeli” Press officials had become able to object, via the Supreme Court, the rules issued by the security apparatus.

It is worth noting that the censorship steps had been imposed for more than thirty years, but they are subjected now to certain amendments.

The “Israeli” authorities outlined the core of this mission as follows: “Any security issues that can really endanger state’s stability are forbidden”. The attracting point, in this regard, is about the nature and the flexibility of the restrictions imposed on all foreign journalists operating in “Israel” and the occupied territories.

One of these restrictions is that the reporter should sign a special commitment issued by the Official Press Office. “Any article or reportage that may endanger the state security should be exposed to the military censorship”, the commitment mentioned.

So, the commitment seems to involve several serious meanings, for it suggests that the reporter is perpetrating a crime or an offense upon presenting his press materials to the military censorship.
This situation raises the following question:

How would this decision be applied with its apparent flexibility while in its essence endangers the foreign journalists?

Finally, we can say it is so strange that the western press didn’t comment on these developments in a state which is still insisting that it is the only democratic one in the Middle East.

Detention (1):
In Eastern Sectors correspondent of As-Safir Lebanese newspaper Tarek Abou Hamdan reported that Lahd’s security apparatus had sent for the woman citizen Aisha Ghader, wife of Idriss Chraifeh, and her daughter, 18, from their village Shebaa to Zaghleh Security Center. Following a prolonged interrogation, the mother was released whereas the daughter taken to Khiam detention camp.

Piracy (2):
In Tyre, As-Safir’s journalist reported that “Israel’s” navy force intercepted yesterday afternoon a ship called “Mondial Rorou”. The “Israeli” soldiers searched the ship, which was bearing European second hand cars, for about half an hour and imposed illegal taxes. Then, they permitted it to continue sailing to Tyre port.

Green Peace and “Israel’s” Toxic Materials (1):
Green Peace announced that two of its rubber boats caught the “Israeli” ship “Ariel”, owned by the American Haifa Chemicals Company, casting industrial liquid wastes out of Haifa bay. It noticed that “these wastes contains heavy toxic minerals such as cadmium, mercury and zinc elements”.

“Green Peace activators lifted posters demanding that burying the materials must be stopped and that the ship has to come back to Haifa port, but its crew didn’t reply at all. The burial continued throughout the night”, it clarified.

Mario Damato, Executive Manager of Green Peace Office, quoted as saying: “ It is the first time in which burying operations of the block toxic liquid had been watched and filmed”.

He wondered: “ How can these practices be accepted in the Mediterranean Sea while at the same time are prohibited along the American Coast?”  He, also, demanded ‘Israel’ “to abide by Year of Oceans Declaration issued by the United Nations, knowing that it had promised two times that it will halt these infractions”.

Damato reiterated: “We call on the countries of Mediterranean Sea to support us so as to prevent this organized burial and limit the pollution impacts caused be their industries”.

It should be noted that Green Peace’s activators had sailed with their boats from Cyprus the past Sunday and waited in the international water. No sooner had they knew that the “Israeli” ship Ariel left Haifa port on Tuesday evening than they rushed to intercept it peacefully raising a placard on which they wrote: “Danger – Toxic Burial Area”.

Under an American protection and international ignorance “Israel” may think that it will be in safe by polluting the area with poisons that, certainly, harm the man and environment. But it willn’t take too longtime, for “Israel” to be affected by its environmental crimes beginning with the nuclear experiments and ending with the toxic wastes.

June Wednesday 24-1998:

"Israel exploits the foreigners (1)
Haaretz, an "Israeli" newspaper, reported that several ambassadors to "Israel" had accused it of exploiting the foreign workers domiciling at its territories.

This accusation came through a meeting of a Kenesset committee over the foreign workers.
Ganaian Ambassador to "Israel" "Koujo Wadsi" charged the "Israeli" authorities of detaining Ganaian workers and depriving them from salaries and social and health presentations.

It should be noted that "Israel" had brought thousands of foreign workers from Africa, East Europe and Far East so as to replace the lack of the Palestinian workers emerging from the blockade imposed on West Bank and Gaza Strip.

According to an official "Israeli" statistics, there are more than two hundred thousand foreign workers in "Israel".

Certainly, these charges indicate the nature of the alleged "democratic values" found among the Zionist society. Also, these accusations are nothing if we want to mention the "Israeli' infractions of the Palestine people rights, especially, of those working in the settlements.

Mossad protects a murderer (2)
The Norwegian newspaper "Ji" mentioned the Norwegian authorities asked Interpol for detaining an "Israeli" Mossad's retired officer Michel Harari, 71, who is responsible for assassinating a Norwegian citizen of Morocco origin in 1973.

The Norwegian authorities accuses Harari, now living in Tel Aviv suburbs, of supervising the killing of Ahmad Boshiki in Lilhamer in 1973.

Mossad, then, thought that he is Abou Hassan Salameh, Head of one of the Palestinian security systems, who had been assassinated later in Beirut.

"Ji" said the aim of issuing an international arrest memorandum is to exert pressure on "Israel" in order to "extradite the 'Israeli' officer" to be tried in Norway.

At time, "Israel" acknowledged that Boshiki had been killed by mistake and offered to present a ransom for his family. But Oslo rejected and asked for extraditing him.

The newspaper reported that Norway's intelligence system has documents that confirm Harari's participation in killing Boshiki.

Oslo, had demanded last year "Israel" a help in questioning Harari, but the latter refused.

  June Friday 26-1998:

What did the hostages say? (1):

Militant Adel Tormos:
Q: As a liberated hostage, how do you feel?
A: First of all, I greet the venerated martyrs and I wish for the live martyrs who are still in the concentration camps to be released. By the way two days ago, 62-year-old internee had died as a result of the Zionism’s barbarian and savage, after he had spent 28 years in the prison… God willing, we will do our best in order to release all detainees.

Q: Did you expect inside the prison that in a certain day you may be released?
A: No, we have known about the exchange operation when we were inside the jail. As a result of the “Israeli” obstinacy, I felt that there is no possibility for the hostage detained in “Israel’s” jails to be released… but, praise be to God!

Q: What about the detention conditions?
A: I had been interned in 1986 during Kounine operation, through which Hizbullah captured two Jews, as our group was retreating from the scene near Baraasheit village. Of the internees also was Mohammad Yassine.

Q: How do you outline your suffering inside the Jail?
A: I had sustained a solitary confinement for about six months. After I had been tried and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment, I had transported to Asqalan Central Prison where I suffered various kinds of physical and psychological torture. But praise be to God, the hostages’ morale were always very high. Were it not for my disease, I would prefer that another internee be released…

Q: From what did you suffer?
A: I had been sustained the meningitis. Over the past year, I had moved between three hospitals for treatment.

Q: But to a certain extent, you seem as if you are in a better state than your inmates?
A: This isn’t normal state. I am sustaining an inflation state because the cortisone medicaments that  I had taken them for about last six months!

Q: Did you easily acquaint with your family members?
A: Yes, I had known all my family members even my sister, 13, who had been born one month before I was arrested. This because they were sending their photographs with the International Committee for the Red Cross.

Q: Will you resume again the way of struggle?
A: Of course, it is a pledge I made it by myself that I will continue the way of struggle until the last inch of our occupied lands be liberated. God willing, we will overcome “Israel” and release the remaining internees whom I promise to do everything in order to release them.

Nabih Awada:
He was apprehended on September 1988 during a military operation at Deir Siryan area. He is one of 42 internees still captured inside the “Israeli” jails such as Asqalan, Nafha, Ramla and others.

“Their morale are very high and I don’t wish to talk about their sufferance which are very tough. Moreover, some are undergoing exceptional and arduous conditions such as Sheikh Abdel-Karim Obeid and Mustafa Dirani who had been put in solitary confinement since the date of their detention”, he said.

Awada added: “I had heard the news about the exchange operation via radios and the internees’ lawyers who were coordinating with the Follow-up Committee for the Support of Lebanese Detainees in “Israel’s” jails. At the beginning, I didn’t believe that I will among the released hostages. This is because we had been excluded from several past exchange operations”.

Awada is so glad “for it is extremely great for one to return his home, family and comrades”, adding “at the same time, I am missing, at these moments, my inmates. I willn’t feel deep happiness unless the other internees be released”.

He talked about the internee Anwar Yassine saying: “He rushed to applaud so high. This made us to feel with comfort and happiness on getting out of the capture”.

He, finally, asserted that the resistance should continue as long as the “Israeli” forces occupy our land.

As-Safir newspaper made several quick interview with the following internees:
 - Akram Alaouieh, Maroun El-Ras: “I have been held prisoner thirteen years ago during which I underwent several kinds of torture, but I remained firm. Now, it is so important to do hard for the remaining internees be released, because many of them are suffering dangerous diseases and have health problems”.

 - Ali Hazimeh, Srobbin: “I had been apprehended at Khiam concentration camp for about twelve years. We had paid the tax of liberating our land from the enemy. Our reward is that we had been released. Whatever the case may be, “Israel” shall be our enemy”…

 - Mohammad Fneish, Khiam: “I had been prisoned at Khiam detention center thirteen years ago. When I was arrested I was eighteen years old. The internees had suffered so much and this needs a lot of volumes to be interpreted. The Lebanese government and ICRC should work quickly for carrying out another swaps because some of the detainees are badly in need of the health care”.

 - Ahmad Ismail had served ten years imprisonment at Asqalan jail. We couldn’t talk with him because his family members rushed to embrace him. “ shortly, I’ll meet you and explain the internees’ conditions inside “Israel’s” jails, he said.

 - Fadi Ali: “I had spent twelve years imprisonment at Khiam concentration camp. When I was held prisoner I was seventeen years old. I had exposed to various kinds of torture…. Now, it is so significant to seek after releasing the left over hostages”. Upon getting out of Hariri’s palace, Ali demanded that he will drive the car in returning to his house in Beirut, and so was.

 - Ali Hamdoun: “The detention experience taught us how to be strong and that our people’s will shall overcome the occupier at the end”. He had served ten years imprisonment.

 - Afif Hammoud: “My morale is so high and more than you can imagine. The options that I had adopted will be the same”.

 - Zohair Daher: “I had been captured for about eight years. Currently, it is important to resume my life normally and think about how we should do to liberate the other internees left inside “Israel’s” detention camps”.