"Israel" had the nuclear bomb in 1967… (1)
"Israel" built its first nuclear bomb shortly after the 1967 Six Day war, according to "Israeli" press reports on a book to be published soon in the United States. In the book "Israel and the Bomb," researcher Avner Cohen said he pinpointed the moment Israel entered the nuclear weapons club by studying thousands of "Israeli" and US government documents and interviewing hundreds of people involved in "Israel's" nuclear program."

"Israel" has never acknowledged having an atomic arsenal but experts estimate the Jewish state has built between 100 and 200 nuclear weapons in a program launched with French assistance in the 1950s. Mark Heller of Tel Aviv's Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies said there is no general consensus on when "Israel" built its first bomb except that it is believed to have occurred before the 1973 Arab-"Israeli" war." "Most accounts of the 1973 war include references to concerns, particularly in the United States, that "Israel" may have been preparing to use nuclear weapons" after severe setbacks at the start of the war, Heller said. He said US President Richard Nixon's decision to airlift weapons to "Israel" during the war was widely seen as designed to avoid "Israel" using its nuclear bomb in desperation."

"According to Cohen's book, it was also Nixon who convinced then-prime minister Golda Meir to maintain a policy of deliberate ambiguity about "Israel's" nuclear capability."

"Inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment'.

"Article 5; Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
                 19 August 1998

"Lebanon watch - Australia fears that Ghassan sa'id Lebanese national and member of the Lebanese national resistance front could be subjected to torture and ill-treatment by "Israeli" forces or the Antoine Lahd militias allied to "Israel", after being captured on 16 August 1998. The another Lebanese national Pierre Abu Joudi was reportedly killed during the same operation .against Lahd militias on the night of 16 August , in the eastern sector of the Israeli occupation zone in south Lebanon".

"According to a statement issued by the Amnesty International ,Ghassan Sa'id has been taken to "Israel" where he held incommunicado without access to lowyers or the international committee of the red cross ( ICRC) and subjected to torture ,or to the notorious Khiam Detention Center in south Lebanon , where detainees have been held for up to 13 years without charge or trail."

"We call on the international community and humanitarian organization as well as relevant the international and national bodies to apply pressure on "Israel" to:

Seeking assurances that Ghassan sa'id will not be subjected to any form of torture or ill treatment, as required by Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

Urging "Israel" and Lahd militias to ensure that he promptly resaves any medical treatment he requires;

"Calling for him to be given immediate regular access to the international committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a lawyer of his own choice and his family, in accordance with international human rights standards and humanitarian law;

"Calling for immediate release and fair trail."

West Bank settlement to add new neighborhood… (1)
"A Jewish settlement near the Palestinian-run West Bank city of Ramallah announced that it would build 190 new homes on an adjacent site now controlled by the army. Officials at the settlement of Beit El said bulldozers had already broken ground for the new quarter. In a first phase, 40 homes will be built at the site and local officials said many had already been reserved for purchase."

"Another 150 homes are to be added in a second phase, they said. Beit El, established 20 years ago, now has around 4,000 residents. "Israel's" policy of expanding Jewish settlements has been a key factor contributing to the 18-month-old deadlock in peace talks. Currently some 170,000 Jews live in 150 settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and thousands of new homes have been added to the enclaves since the nationalist government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to power in mid-1996."

"Palestinians view the settlement expansion as designed to prejudge negotiations on the final status of the occupied territories, where they hope to create an independent state."

After demolishing Palestinian's Home, "Israel" bulldozes his orchard… (1)
"Weeks after the "Israeli" army demolished Ata Jaber's home outside Hebron, troops returned Thursday to uproot scores of fruit trees on the land he cultivated. "They destroyed my house because they said I didn't have a permit to build it, but what permit do I need to cultivate my own land," Jaber shouted as an army bulldozer tore through the orchard."

 "This is barbaric, savage and I call on Ross to come here and see what kind of peace "Israel" is talking about," he said, referring to US peace envoy Dennis Ross who arrived in "Israel" on Wednesday. Jaber, 37, said his family's home was demolished by the army several weeks ago because he had not obtained an "Israeli" permit to build."

"Jaber's orchard and former home were located near a bypass road built by "Israel" so "Israelis" living in nearby Jewish settlements could reach their enclaves without passing through populated Palestinian areas. The "Israeli" army often targets for demolition homes built without formal authorization near the bypass roads or the 144 Jewish settlements in the West Bank."

"Palestinians complain that the military rarely grants them permission to build new houses or expand existing homes in the areas of the West Bank still under full "Israeli" control. "Israel" has declared wide swathes of the territory "state-owned land" when families cannot provide deeds proving the land is theirs, even if they have cultivated the plots for generations".

"Housing demolitions and the destruction of crops are among the most controversial and emotionally charged measures taken by the "Israeli" army in the occupied territories. The Palestinian Authority has demanded that "Israel" agree to halt the demolitions as part of a US-drafted peace package which has been under negotiation for months."

Anniversary of horror Sabra and Chatila survivors recall the days they saw their families massacred

"Sixteen years ago today, refugees at Sabra and Chatila woke up to one of the bloodiest chapters in Lebanon's history. Militiamen had stormed the shantytowns in Beirut's southern suburbs, slaughtering hundreds of civilians in a rampage that would shock the world. Today, few of those who survived remain in the camp. Those who could leave the country have done so. Those who couldn't afford to get out, live a daily reminder of the horrific massacre. The Daily Star's Reem Haddad has been talking to some of the survivors."

A lesson in hatred
Mohammed Srour, 35, can never forgive himself for leaving his family behind

‘It was Thursday at 5.45pm precisely. I was sitting on the roof and saw soldiers running in. Their caps were turned to the back. I knew they were attacking the camp. I told my father. He immediately gave me and my brother money and told us to run away. He and my mother and sisters would stay at home. He thought the soldiers would only want the young men. So we ran. I came back on Saturday when the Lebanese army came in. I opened the door. My father's and sister's bodies were crumpled on top of each other. Outside on the streets were piles of bodies, with flies sticking to them. I recognized some of our neighbors. The massacre taught me one thing ­ hatred. Hatred against the Jews and those who were with them."

Nohad Srour I pretended to be dead
Nohad Srour, 35, Mohammed's sister, has recurring nightmares and clearly sees one killer's face in her head

‘After my brothers ran off to hide, we went to bed. We never thought they'd come for us. I had two sisters and two younger brothers. I was 16 years old. At 5.40 in the morning, the door was kicked in and soldiers ran into our house. They dragged us out of bed and ordered us to stand against the wall. I carried my little sister and saw my two little brothers sneak off to the bathroom. We were scared. My parents and sisters were screaming. But I couldn't scream. I don't know why. One man had his gun pointed at us but he couldn't get himself to shoot. Another soldier said in Arabic: “shoot, what are you waiting for?” but the man wouldn't. The other one grabbed the gun and told my father to show him his papers. As my father turned to get the papers, the soldiers shot him then turned the gun on us and kept shooting. I was carrying my one year-old baby sister and she was yelling “Mama! Mama!” then suddenly nothing. I looked at her and her brain had fallen out her head and down my arm. I looked at the man who shot us. I'll never forget his face. Then I felt two bullets pierce my shoulder and finger. I fell. I didn't lose consciousness but I pretended to be dead. When they'd gone, I looked around and saw that my mother and my older sister were still alive but wounded."

"My mother and I could walk but my sister couldn't. We had to leave her lying in blood. I put a jug of water next to her and we ran to get help. For three days, she stayed there lying with the corpses."
"My two little brothers ran off from the bathroom and we found them later. My sister's still alive but she's paralyzed.'

On Ghazi Younes LL12,000 to spare a son's life

Um Ghazi Younes, 55 ­ eleven members of her family were killed

‘My daughter had been killed 40 days before in an "Israeli"" bombardment. Relatives had come from Tyre and Sidon for her 40th remembrance. We were more than 25 people. When the soldiers surrounded the house, we hid the men at one end and the women went out to meet the soldiers. We told them we were all women there. But the soldiers barged in and found the men. They ordered the women out and left the men inside. I had four teenage sons and a little girl. My youngest boy was 11 and came with me. The soldier ordered him to go in with the men. I said he was a girl. His hair was long and they believed me. I said “her” name was Hamdeh. “Hamdeh” was carrying her baby cousin but tripped and fell. When his sister came to help him, she called him by his real name and the soldier knew it was a boy. He cursed us and hit us. He grabbed the boy. I cried and pleaded. I had LL12,000 in my dress. In those days, it was a lot of money. I told him I'd give it to him if he would let my son go."

"He agreed and took us to the Sports City. There were a lot of women and children there. We had to sit in a huge hole. They said they were going to bury us. We ran off when soldiers went to investigate some explosions."

"I ran home and found my husband and children dead. Mohammed was the youngest at 14. They had burned his body with acid. They chopped up the others with a hatchet. I found my husband's head on the pillow. "

My life ended that day
Mohammed Abu Rodaina, 21, carries a picture in his wallet showing his father and uncles slain outside their home.

‘I was five years old at the time of the massacre but I remember every detail. We heard shelling and shots but my father didn't think it was anything serious. We joined my uncle's family downstairs and played cards and laughed. We were 15 altogether. Suddenly, a woman barged in on us. She had blood all over. She screamed that there was a massacre taking place. My father didn't believe her.

He told her to stop saying things like that because it would scare the children. But then we heard screams. We all ran into a small room to hide. It was tiny and we could barely breathe. Our old neighbor went outside to see what was happening. He was shot. His daughter followed him and she was shot. My parents told us to be quiet so the soldiers wouldn't hear us. We tried but we children couldn't help crying. One baby kept wailing. The soldiers heard and found us.

"They ran in and started breaking up everything. Then they grouped us ­ the men on one side and the women and children on the other. They marched the women and children out. Just outside the camp, an "Israeli" soldier grabbed me and gave me a biscuit. He asked me what my father was wearing. I knew he wanted to know whether my father was a fighter. I didn't say anything. The soldiers then took us to the Sports City. They said they were going to kill us. Suddenly, some explosions happened nearby and they ran off. One of the women suddenly yelled for all to run. And we did. Later we went back to the camp. My father and uncles had been killed."

"We found my sisters who were married and lived elsewhere in the camp also dead. Until this day, I still question how my father, having seen the woman covered in blood, did not believe her instantly. Maybe things would have been different. I desperately needed my father all my life. My mother died a few years later. She never got over what she'd seen. That left me and my sister, alone all these years. My life ended that day. Now, I just exist. I hate my life. I hate myself. I just want to leave this camp, this country. I want to start anew somewhere else. But I'm only a Palestinian. Who would help me?"

"To keep the memory of victims alive, the Faith Association for the Earth and People and the Palestinian Youth Center are hosting a picture exhibition of the massacre at the Chatila camp.

Victims’ families will be present to answer visitors’ questions. The exhibition will be held at Shouaaito Square today, tomorrow and Friday from 3pm until 7pm."