BIWEEKLY UPDATE FROM THE DAVID PROJECT

Palestinians fired on an Israeli patrol across the Gaza border fence. Israeli forces fired on Palestinians planting explosives on the Gaza border fence. A mortar was fired from Gaza into Israel.

The situation in Iran continues to develop.

More demonstrations are reported in Tehran. Security forces appear to have killed several demonstrators. An unconfirmed report suggests up to 2000 persons have been arrested.

The results of the presidential election have now been ‘confirmed’ by the 12 member ‘Guardian Council.’ A limited recount is claimed to have taken place and showed no significant electoral irregularities.

Nine local employees of the British Embassy in Tehran were arrested. Five were released and four have been charged with inciting demonstrations. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband described the arrests as “harassment and intimidation.” European Union (EU) officials have threatened to recall their ambassadors from Iran if the staffers are not released.

Reports indicate that Iran will be discussed at the Group of Eight (G-8) summit next week. Additional sanctions on Iran have been proposed.

The Iranian embassy in Stockholm was attacked by masked protestors. Non-violent demonstrations against Iran were also held in Paris, Warsaw, and The Hague.

Israeli diplomatic moves are continuing.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is visiting the U.S. for talks with American officials. He met in New York with U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell. Barak told reporters he and Mitchell were “not stuck on the issue” of settlements.

A diplomatic incident involving Israel and France has emerged.

Israeli sources indicate that French President Nicholas Sarkozy told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, “you must get rid of that man. Get him out and bring Livni in. With her and with Barak you can make history.”

Netanyahu is said to have responded that “during private meetings [Lieberman] sounds differently” to which Sarkozy replied that “in private talks Jean-Marie Le Pen is a very nice man.”

A statement from Lieberman’s office protested the report saying “If this report is correct then this is an unacceptable interference in internal Israeli affairs.”

A statement from Netanyahu reiterated his “complete faith” in Lieberman
Israeli President Shimon Peres is visiting Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.
Peres requested that Kazakhastani President Nursultan Nazarbayev stop selling uranium to Iran. Nazarbayev responded that Kazakhstan did not sell nuclear material to Iran.

Following the meeting, a space cooperation agreement was signed between Israel and Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan will purchase Israeli satellites and surveillance technology and Israel will continue to launch satellites from the facility at Baikonur. Israeli trade with Kazakhstan in 2008 was approximately $2.5 billion.

Peres then traveled to Azerbaijan for talks with President Ilham Aliev. Iran recalled its ambassador to Azerbaijan to protest Peres’ visit. Following Peres’ visit, joint Israeli-Azerbaijani economic talks were held.

Officials from the ‘Syrian Committee for the Freedom of the Golan’ threatened to take back the Golan Heights by force if a peace agreement returning the plateau is not reached with Israel.

A Hamas official has stated that the organization’s political leadership does not know whether Gilad Shalit is “dead or alive.”

Palestinian politics continue to be an issue.

Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas met with Palestinian Legislative Council speaker Aziz Dweik in Ramallah. It was the highest level meeting between the PA and a Hamas official since the Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007.

Abbas stated that Hamas members imprisoned by the PA in the West Bank would be released as a goodwill gesture. Thirty-eight Hamas members have apparently been released.

Hamas accused the PA of arresting seven of its members in the West Bank. Fatah accused Hamas of arresting over 90 of its members in Gaza.

The PA announced the arrest of a Hamas cell that it said admitted planning to assassinate senior Palestinian officials by July 7.

Lebanese politics continue to be an issue.

Saad Hariri has been formally designated Prime Minister of Lebanon. His father was former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated in 2005.

Lebanese reports indicate that Hariri held talks with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah regarding a unity government.General David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, also met Hariri.

Violent clashes between Hariri supporters and Hezbollah in Beirut killed one person and injured several others. The Lebanese Army separated the groups.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Lebanon “If Hizbullah joins the Lebanese government, then the Lebanese government is accepting responsibility for Hizbullah’s actions, including its actions against Israel.”
Allegations of Israel ‘war crimes’ remain an issue.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleges that during Operation Cast Lead unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched missiles that killed civilians. HRW’s accusation alleges UAV operators “either failed to take all feasible precautions to verify that the targets were combatants, apparently setting an unacceptably low threshold for conducting attacks, or they failed to distinguish between combatants and civilians and to target only the former. As a result, these attacks violated international humanitarian law (the laws of war).” Israeli sources criticized HRW for relying on “unnamed and unreliable Palestinian sources” with “unproven” military expertise.

The International Committee of the Red Cross released a report critical of Israel, saying that residents of the Gaza Strip are “living in desperation” due to their “daily struggle for existence.” An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman called the report “scandalous” and stated that the report “completely ignored the detention of an Israeli hostage under absolute isolation for three years, and in breach of every elementary human right.”

The National Court of Spain has halted an investigation of a 2002 Israeli air strike against a Hamas target in the Gaza Strip. Last month Spanish lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to limit the right of Spanish judges to investigate alleged human rights violations abroad.

The Dead Sea was removed from a global Internet contest for ‘World Wonders’ after Palestinian objections. Jordan and Israel had supported the inclusion of the Dead Sea.