Sous le titre, "Israël voit dans l'Union européenne son « troisième socle » de survie", le Jerusalem Post en français, en date du 24/02/2008, révèle: 

"Le ministère des Affaires étrangères a entamé une révision stratégique de ses relations avec l'Union Européenne et ses pays-membres, et a décidé de s'impliquer de plus en plus dans les institutions de l'UE et de permettre à l'Europe de jouer un rôle plus important dans les processus diplomatiques et économiques israéliens.

Selon des diplomates interrogés par le Jerusalem Post, le ministère des Affaires étrangères pense qu'il est temps de réévaluer la confiance traditionnelle de l'Etat juif dans les "deux socles" de la survie israélienne : une armée forte et une alliance inébranlable avec l'Amérique. Étant donné l'importance de l'Union Européenne sur la scène internationale et au Moyen-Orient en particulier, les responsables ont déclaré qu'un troisième socle était devenu nécessaire : renforcer les liens avec l'Europe."

2. Confrontation imminente entre le Hamas et Israël à Gaza ?

25/02/2008. A son arrivée au Japon, Ehoud Olmert a évoqué le risque que les manifestants du Hamas forcent la barrière de sécurité ceinturant Gaza. Si le Premier ministre a jugé la probabilité « minime », il a toutefois indiqué que les forces israéliennes étaient prêtes à faire face à « tout scénario ».  (Guysen International News).

25/02/2008. Le Jerusalem Post titre : "Déploiement massif de troupes [israéliennes] le long de la barrière de Gaza". Pour faire face à une marche de protestation de grande envergure, organisée par le Hamas pour ce lundi, les forces de sécurité se sont massées dimanche soir le long de la frontière avec Gaza pour empêcher que se renouvelle le scénario du débordement de la frontière à Rafah, le mois dernier. Voir "Massive forces deploy along Gaza fence".

February 24, 2008 20h52 GMT

Israel Increases Its Gaza Forces

By ISABEL KERSHNER

JERUSALEM — The Israeli Army increased its forces on the Israeli side of the border fence with the Gaza Strip on Sunday after Palestinian advocates there had called on residents to form a human chain on Monday along the Gaza side, from Rafah in the south to the Erez crossing in the north.

The advocates are protesting the embargo imposed by Israel since the Islamic militant group Hamas took over Gaza last June. Israel recently tightened the blockade in response to intensified rocket fire from the strip.

There are concerns in Israel that a mass of Gaza residents might try to break through the border, as they breached the border with Egypt last month. Hamas militants blew holes in a wall separating the two, and residents poured into the Egyptian Sinai to shop. The border remained open for 11 days.

“The army has made the appropriate preparations in accordance with the Palestinian reports,” an Israeli Army spokeswoman said.

Israel’s Channel Two television reported that the army had increased its artillery units along the border.

An organizer of the march in Gaza, Jamal al-Khudary, a lawmaker who leads the Popular Anti-Siege Committee, told Reuters: “We do not have intentions of approaching the fence, either in the north or the south. We hope all the participants will abide by the instructions and we will try to prevent any violations.”

Faced with the prospect of continuing rocket fire against Israel by militants from Gaza, the Israeli cabinet also approved a plan on Sunday to build fortified rooms in thousands of Israeli homes within about 3 miles of Gaza.

More than $90 million has been allocated for the first stage of the project, a cabinet statement said. That will cover about 3,600 out of 8,000 homes within the designated range needing fortification, Israel Radio said. Legislation required homes built since 1992 to include protected spaces.

Homes beyond that range are to be protected by a new $225 million antimissile defense system, to become operational sometime in 2010, the cabinet said.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described the overall plan for countering the rocket threat from Gaza as “a combination of several systems.”

According to the Israel police, 13 Israeli civilians have been killed by the rockets, including two youths who were handling an unexploded rocket. According to the Israeli government, more than 200 Palestinian combatants have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza in recent months.

Relatives of three Palestinian men killed by an Israeli army missile in northern Gaza on Saturday insisted on Sunday that the men were not involved in any armed activity. Army officials had said on Saturday that the men were armed and on their way to fire mortar shells at Israel.

Palestinians identified the three as Muhammad Zaanin, 22, a student at the Islamic University and a member of the militant leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; Ibrahim Abu Jarad, 23, a Palestinian Authority employee and supporter of the mainstream Fatah faction; and Muhammad Hasanin, 23, an employee of the Bank of Jordan and also a Fatah supporter.

Sabir Zaanin, a cousin of the student, said on Sunday that the three had been sitting in an onion field making tea and preparing to have a picnic. “I kept searching for any evidence that can justify Israel’s action but didn’t find any,” Mr. Zaanin said.

Israel has continued to hold peace talks with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas, of Fatah. Israeli officials announced on Sunday that the scope of the peace talks was being broadened to include practical issues pertaining to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The leader of the negotiating team, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni of Israel, and Ahmed Qurei, a Palestinian former prime minister, held a meeting here on Sunday of 10 experts from each side. They will hold a series of meetings to discuss civil, economic and judicial issues, such as water and the environment, a spokesman for Ms. Livni said.

“Things are moving ahead,” said Arye Mekel, the spokesman for Ms. Livni. “The whole schedule is very intensive.”

Mr. Qurei said on Sunday that the meetings were being held in “good spirit and with good intention.”

----------------

JPOST 21h34 GMT

Israel warns Hamas against breaching border during demonstration

Israel will not intervene in any demonstrations that take place in the Gaza Strip, but should those demonstrations spill into Israeli territory, Hamas would be responsible for the repercussions, a joint statement issued by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Sunday.

"Israel will defend its land and prevent infiltrations of its borders and into its sovereignty," the statement read. "Hamas is behind the activities which, not for the first time, put the civilian population at the front."

The statement emphasized that the Islamic organization bares sole responsibility should the protests get out of hand.

PM says he's unaware of alerts for mass Gaza entry

By Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff, Barak Ravid, and Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz

Correspondents Last update - 08:07 25/02/2008 www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/957540.html

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, responding Monday to reports of a threat of a

mass penetration of Palestinian protesters from Gaza into Israel, said he

was unaware of alerts warning of such a move.

Hamas vowed early Monday to use any means to breach the Israeli embargo on

the Gaza Strip, hours before a planned mass rally in Gaza to protest

economic sanctions against the Hamas-controlled area.

As part of the demonstration, protesters are scheduled to form a human chain

the length of the 40 kilometer-long Gaza Strip at 10 A.M. There are

conflicting reports that the demonstrators may then attempt to brak throught

he fence and enter Israeli territory.

"Our people will not allow the continuation of this situation regardless of

the results, and we will work to break the siege by all possible means,"

said Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri, who nonetheless stopped short of

threatening to breach the border. "We hold them [Israeli leaders]

responsible for any harm to the participants in these peaceful

demonstrations"

Asked about the possibility of such a move, Olmert told reporters

accompanying him on a trip to Japan, "I do not know of warnings such as

this."

But Olmert added that "In the Middle East, every imaginary scenario is

something that must be related to and which we must be able to respond to at

the appropriate time." He said that Israel "always takes into account

scenarios in order to be ready for them."

IDF beefs up forces along Gaza border

The Israel Defense Forces has bolstered its forces along the border with the

Gaza Strip, fearing that the rally's participants will try to break into

Israel. Commanders have received orders to stop entry into Israel "by all

means," including sniper fire against the legs of the demonstrators.

The organizers of the demonstration are planning a "human chain" which will

stretch along the main highway running north to south in the Strip.

The head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege of Gaza, an independent

member of the Palestinian parliament, Jamal al-Hudari, who is close to

Hamas, said that the chain will stretch to 40 kilometers in length, from

Rafah in the south to the Erez crossing, and will include 40,000 children.

He said that the demonstration will wind down with a rally near the crossing

point.

Hudari insisted that the organizers have no intention of the human chain

becoming party to a confrontation with the IDF, and said their aim was only

to hold a peaceful protest. However, it appears that Hamas, which is behind

the planning of the march, intends to help with the transfering of thousands

to the area where the demonstration will be held.

It is also possible that the demonstrators will approach the Erez crossing

or other border crossings, in order to confront the army.

Palestinian journalists said Sunday that Hamas is likely to bring school

children to Erez and other potential sites of friction, who will be sent

near the crossings to throw stones, as the cameras are rolling.

The same sources said that the events will be similar to those at the

Western Wall Tunnel in 1996, and there will be no rushing the fence - only

challenging the troops from afar.

In Southern Command and the Gaza Division, special orders were issued Sunday

on how to prevent a possible breach of the fence by demonstrators, as

Haaretz repored Sunday.

The command decided to substantially bolster the presence of troops near the

fence, and the rules of engagement issued include various levels of warning,

including, in cases where it is necessary, the use of live ammunition

"selectively."

The commanders on the ground were granted a certain latitude of independence

in deciding when it would be necessary to open fire. Senior officers in the

Southern Command visited the fence area Sunday morning in order to closely

oversee the preparations to counter the demonstrations while means for

dispersing demonstrations were distributed to the troop.

Border Police units that specialize in crowd dispersal have also been sent

to the area while for its part, the police will also upgrade its readiness

level to a notch under maximum. Police units will also be transferred south

in order to bolster the IDF in blocking any breach to the fence.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday night that "Hamas is behind this

activity that is intentionally placing the civilians at the front - and not

for the first time."

"Israel does not intervene in demonstrations inside the Gaza Strip, but it

will defend its territory and will prevent a breach of its sovereign

borders," Barak added. "We are working to prevent a deterioration and we are

making it clear if something happens, the sole responsibility will be on

Hamas."

--------------------------------------------

IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis

Website: www.imra.org.il

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