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| No slowdown in Gaza-Israel hostilities; Egyptian official optimistic on cease-fire - CNN Posted: 19 Nov 2012 09:16 AM PST STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Are you there? Share your story with CNN iReport, but please stay safe. Read more on CNNArabic. Gaza City (CNN) -- Warplanes, drones and rockets criss-crossed the sky over Gaza for the sixth day Monday as Israel pressed its air offensive against Gaza militants. Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal vowed continued resistance against what he called a "criminal enemy." "We do not want escalation nor do we call for a ground war," he told reporters at a news conference. "But we are not afraid of it nor will we back down." In Israel, air raid sirens wailed throughout the day and troops shepherded residents into bomb shelters as rockets arced overhead. In Gaza City, rockets streaked away toward Israel as smoke and fire poured from buildings struck by Israeli warplanes or drones. Most businesses were closed, the streets largely empty. At least two people died Monday afternoon in a strike on a Gaza City office building used by some media outlets, according to Palestinian sources. Ramez Harb, information leader of the military media office of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, died in the attack, the sources said. Among the wounded were two children, the sources said. The IDF said the strike targeted four senior Islamic Jihad members who it said were hiding in the building, including the information chief. The military described the others as key figures in military training, attack planning, long-range rocket operations and arms manufacturing within the organization. Israeli forces, who targeted the same building on Sunday, said on Twitter that the officials were using reporters as human shields. "We targeted only the 2nd floor, which is where the senior terrorists were," the IDF said on Twitter. "The rest of the building was unharmed. Direct hit confirmed." Palestinian health officials said 97 people have died and 750 have been wounded in Gaza since Israel's offensive -- sparked by months of what Israel characterized as incessant rocket attacks by militants -- began six days ago. Israeli officials say three people have died and 68 have been wounded in Israel as the result of rocket fire from Gaza. Despite the violence, a general in Egyptian intelligence involved in talks to broker a cease-fire expressed optimism Monday that a deal to stop hostilities could be reached. The general told CNN that Hamas gave Israel its conditions for a cease-fire through an intermediary, intelligence chief Mohamed Shehata. "We are optimistic about the negotiations so far," the general said. No details of the conditions were immediately available, nor was there any immediate confirmation of the letter from Israel. Earlier, senior Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath said Hamas is demanding that Israel stop the airstrikes and end its long blockade of Gaza. Hamas wants Israel to stop targeting the leadership of Palestinian factions and to expand the waters Palestinian fishermen are allowed to trawl from three miles offshore to 30, said Shaath, who is also a Fatah leader. "The attempt is to reach a real stable situation. That's why they are asking for commitment on Israeli typical aggression and periodic incursions and constant shooting and firing at the fishermen in the sea," he said. The territory has been under a crippling economic embargo since Hamas won control of the territory from the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank. Hamas, a militant fundamentalist Islamic organization, took political control of the Palestinian territory in 2007 after a landslide election. The United States, Israel and the European Union say it is a terrorist group. Israel, meanwhile, has demanded an end to the rocket attacks. In a news conference Monday afternoon, Meshaal sounded defiant, saying the morale of Hamas fighters is high and warning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that escalating the conflict with a ground invasion would "not be a picnic." "The goals of the enemy have failed," said Meshaal, who added that he plans to visit Gaza soon.   An Israeli soldier from a tank squadron attends a morning briefing at an Israeli army deployment area near the Israel-Gaza Strip border on Monday, November 19. Militants in Gaza have fired at least 1,000 rockets at Israel, officials say. Violence flares between Palestinians, Israelis HIDE CAPTION Mounting international pressure is on Israel and Hamas to end the hostilities, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flying to the region to personally appeal for a cease-fire. In addition to the special Israeli delegation that traveled to Egypt on Monday, a steady stream of Arab League, U.N. and European diplomats were arriving in the region to promote a cease-fire. Arab League Secretary-General Nabil el-Araby and 16 foreign ministers from the league's member states were to arrive in Gaza on Tuesday for talks, a spokesman for the organization said. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is expected to join the delegation, a ministry spokesman said Monday. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, will hold talks in the West Bank with the U.N. secretary-general during his visit to the region, said Saeb Erakat, a member of the PLO's executive committee and an Abbas ally. "This must stop," Ban said late Sunday. He called on both sides to cooperate with Egyptian-led effort to broker a cease-fire. "I am heading to the region to appeal personally for ending the violence and contribute to ongoing efforts to that end," he said. Ban joins a growing chorus of Western and Arab diplomats calling for end to the crisis that has raised fears of a repeat of Israel's 2008 invasion of Gaza following a similar spate of rocket attacks. At least 1,400 people were killed in that conflict. U.S. fears escalation to ground invasion Ban's call for a truce came on the heels of the single deadliest attack -- an Israeli airstrike that left a family of 10 dead within the building's broken concrete and mangled metal. Neighbors and family members used a ditch digger, shovels and their hands to dig through the debris of a two-story house blown apart by the Israeli airstrike. A ditch digger was used to lift a giant slab of concrete. Underneath, the bodies of two small children were discovered. Nearby, men dug through concrete blocks to find a missing woman. "She's my uncle's wife," a young man shouted as he tried to get to a debris pile where the woman was believed buried. "She lived here." A short time later, the body of the elderly woman was uncovered. On Twitter, the al Qassam Brigades -- Hamas' military arm -- called it a "massacre committed by Israeli occupation." Iron Dome is a game-changer, Israelis say The Israeli airstrike targeted Yehya Bayaa, "a senior Hamas member," said Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich, the Israel Defense Forces' chief spokeswoman. The IDF alleges Bayaa is one of the leaders of a Hamas rocket-launching unit. "When I say a senior Hamas member, I mean members that have Israeli blood on their hands -- members of Hamas that planned either the abduction of soldiers or are very much involved in targeting Israelis," Leibovich said. The house was Bayaa's home and suspected command center, according to Leibovitch. She said the Israeli military was examining video of the strike to look for signs of secondary explosions, an indication that there were explosives inside. Initially, the IDF reported it killed Bayaa in the attack. But late Sunday, Leibovich said she did not know for sure whether Bayaa had been killed. Rockets flew overhead as mourners gathered Monday at the al-Isra mosque for the funeral of some of the family members killed, CNN's Ben Wedeman reported. A short time later, the sound of the firing of more rockets could be heard. Hundreds turned out for the funeral, where some chanted, "revenge, revenge." Also on Monday, militants fired six rockets toward Eshkol in southern Israel, with one hitting a school that has been shuttered since the conflict began, the IDF said. Several more rockets fired at Ashkelon -- which has been repeatedly targeted by militants in recent days -- were intercepted by Israel's missile defense system, it said. Airstrikes Monday in Gaza targeted a stadium where the IDF alleges Hamas militants were launching rockets. Overnight, a fairly intense air campaign was carried out with a number of airstrikes targeting primarily government buildings. Militants in Gaza had fired nearly 1,000 rockets at Israel since the conflict began, the IDF reported. Roughly 570 rockets have struck Israel and another 307 have been intercepted by Israel's "Iron Dome" defense system, the IDF said. The rest have landed inside the Palestinian territory, the IDF said. Israel, meanwhile, carried out 80 strikes on Monday, raising to more than 1,300 the number of sites targeted since it began its bombing campaign on Wednesday, according to the IDF. The IDF has struck government buildings, police stations and the homes of Hamas officials as well as rocket-launching sites and suspected storage facilities. "We are exacting a heavy price from Hamas and the (other) terrorist organizations, and IDF is prepared for a significant expansion of its operations," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters Sunday. The Israeli government also has called up 75,000 reservists and massed tens of thousands of troops and tanks near the border of the border of the Palestinian territory. Opinion: Hamas can't be ignored The fighting has put new strains on Israel's relationship with Egypt, which is attempting to broker a cease-fire. The Muslim Brotherhood-led government that took power in June has pledged to maintain Egypt's peace treaty with Israel -- the cornerstone of what peace has been achieved in the turbulent region -- but sympathy for the Palestinians runs deep among Egyptians. The United States and several European countries have put the brunt of the blame for the current crisis on Hamas, saying Israel has a right to self-defense, while Arab and Muslim nations have accused Israel of being the aggressor. Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, repeated on Monday her previous calls for a long-term solution in Gaza. "I'm very concerned about the loss of life, but I've also been saying consistently for a long time that we need to find a long-term solution to Gaza," she said. "I've been there three times and we have to find a way to prevent the kind of violent rocket attacks that we've seen, and also to bring some security and peace to the people of that region." CNN's Sara Sidner and Arwa Damon reported from Gaza City; CNN's Chelsea J. Carter reported from Atlanta; CNN's Ben Wedeman, Fred Pleitgen, Amir Ahmed, Jessica Yellin and Mohamed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this report. |
| Obama lauds Aung San Suu Kyi, gives a nod to Myanmar - CNN Posted: 19 Nov 2012 09:05 AM PST STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Phnom Penh, Cambodia (CNN) -- Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Myanmar on Monday, praising the courage of fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi while also providing a symbolic nod to initial reforms in a nation once notorious for political repression. Later Monday, Obama held what an aide called a "tense"meeting with Cambodia's prime minister that emphasized the need for improving human rights in the nation hosting a summit of regional leaders. The president's trip, his first since winning re-election, overshadowed the focus his administration will place on Asia in a second term as part of a strategy to blunt Chinese influence in the region. Monday's highlight was the several hours Obama spent in Myanmar, the formerly secretive country also known as Burma. The president met with Suu Kyi at the lakeside villa where she spent years under house arrest for her pro-democracy activism. Obama called the meeting a new chapter between the two countries. "Here, through so many difficult years, is where she has displayed such unbreakable courage and determination," Obama told reporters, standing next to Suu Kyi. "It is here where she showed that human freedom and human dignity cannot be denied." Myanmar was politically and economically isolated from the rest of the world for decades until it ended military rule last year. In a diplomatic show of support, Obama referred to the country by the government's preferred name -- Myanmar -- rather than the colonial name of Burma used by Suu Kyi and democracy activists. Suu Kyi warned that Myanmar's reform process would be difficult. "The most difficult time in any transition is when we think success is in sight, then we have to be very careful that we are not lured by a mirage of success, and that we are working toward its genuine success for our people and friendship between our two countries," she said. Opinion: Myanmar faces unfolding crisis Before meeting Suu Kyi, Obama spent an hour with Myanmar President Thein Sein, whose reform drive has seen the release of hundreds of political prisoners and steps to open the country's economy. The democratic and economic reforms started by the president could lead to "incredible development opportunities," Obama said. Thein Sein, who wore a long purple sarong and white shirt, told Obama he was committed to strengthening bilateral relations. The name Myanmar was introduced by the former military regime 23 years ago and is preferred by the country's current leaders. But until Monday, the Obama administration had largely stuck to the British colonial name of Burma. As well as meeting Thein Sein and Suu Kyi, Obama delivered a speech at the University of Yangon in which he urged the country to continue its "remarkable journey." "The flickers of progress that we have seen must not be extinguished," Obama said. "Reforms launched from the top of society must meet the aspirations of citizens who form its foundation." After leaving Myanmar, Obama traveled to Cambodia for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that began with a first round of talks and a dinner on Monday night. The president also discussed human rights issues in the host country with Prime Minister Hun Sen, highlighting the case of a Cambodian radio broadcaster sentenced to prison for something he said on air about land seizures, according to Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes. Rhodes described the meeting as "tense," in keeping with past U.S. efforts to raise human rights issues with Cambodia. Hun Sen offered no promises, but expressed a desire for closer economic ties with the United States, Rhodes said. In essence, Rhodes said, Obama was delivering a similar message in both Cambodia and Myanmar. The president's visit to Myanmar created "Obama fever" in Yangon, with crowds waving U.S. flags lining the street from the airport to greet the U.S. president. His meeting with Thein Sein took place in the nation's largest city, rather than the isolated capital. Obama's image also featured on T-shirts and mugs for sale in city stores. Before his trip, Obama insisted the visit was "not an endorsement of the Burmese government." "This is an acknowledgment that there is a process under way inside that country that even a year and a half, two years ago, nobody foresaw," Obama told reporters in Thailand on Sunday, the first stop on his Asia trip. He added that the country was moving "in a better direction." Western governments have responded to Myanmar's progressive efforts by easing sanctions that targeted the military regime. On Friday, the U.S. eased restrictions on imports of most goods from Burma. But the country has also witnessed bouts of turmoil in recent months. Violence between Rohingya Muslims and local Buddhists broke out in the western state of Rakhine. What's behind sectarian violence in Myanmar? During the latest eruption of tensions, the United Nations said at least 89 people were killed over two weeks of violence and 110,000 were displaced. Obama urged Myanmar to use its "diversity as a strength, not a weakness." "I believe deeply that this country can transcend its differences, and that every human being within these borders is a part of your nation's story." He met briefly with representatives of civil society organizations, including an advocate for Burma's Rohingya population. However, some aid organizations questioned whether now is the right time for Obama to add legitimacy to Thein Sein's government. Burmese exile leaders and human rights advocates have expressed concerns that the visit is too soon, and may not yield the additional reforms that a presidential visit can deliver if it happens at the right time. Journalist Katie Hunt and CNN's Tom Cohen, Josh Levs, Holly Yan, Gabriella Schwarz, Paula Hancocks and Dan Rivers contributed to this report. |
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