Reported from Jerusalem
1. ISRAEL CELEBRATES INDEPENDENCE; PALESTINIANS MARK ‘CATASTROPHE’… Israel is celebrating its 56th Independence Day on Tuesday, with ceremonies, competitions, award presentations and barbeques throughout the nation. At the same time, Palestinians mark the day they call the “Nakba”—‘catastrophe’— as they refer to the birth of the modern state of Israel. Israeli Arabs officially celebrate “Nakba” on May 15th, the day independence was declared according to the English calendar. Nevertheless, a march in the north of Israel was planned for Tuesday.
2. THREE PALESTINIANS KILLED BY THEIR OWN ROCKET… The body of a third Palestinian apparently killed when a rocket the trio was setting exploded prematurely was found on Tuesday morning. The explosion occurred in a refugee camp in central Gaza. Near the town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinians detonated a roadside bomb as an Israeli patrol passed, but caused no injuries. The Israeli military has been active in carrying out missions aimed at locating and apprehending Palestinians wanted for activities with terror organizations – particularly prior to Israeli Independence Day. Israeli security officials believe that terror groups have been planning attacks to disrupt the celebrations.
3. WORLD BANK: WITHDRAWAL WON’T HELP GAZA ECONOMY… The World Bank’s director for Gaza and the West Bank told the BBC that the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip will not help the economic condition there. Nigel Roberts said that, “The cause of depression and economic decline in the region is the security closure policy. It is the main engine driving unemployment.” Roberts acknowledged the realities of the situation, adding that, “Of course there are security reasons underlying this – but it is not a status quo that allows for economic growth, or that will attract donors.”
4. ISRAELI CHIEF OF STAFF ADDS FUEL TO THEORY OF SADDAM’S WMDs IN SYRIA… Israel Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya’alon told a Hebrew daily that prior to the Iraqi war, Israel had identified aircraft that the Iraqis modified in order to be used to deliver chemical weapons against the Jewish state. Asked why no WMDs had been discovered in Iraq, Ya’alon suggested that, “Perhaps they were transferred to a neighboring country, such as Syria. It is possible they buried (the weapons).” Ya’alon believes that Saddam Hussein failed to use the weapons for fear of retaliation. “The Iraqis decided at a certain stage to conduct a policy of survival,” he said.
5. NEW IRAQI FLAG UNDER FIRE: ‘LOOKS LIKE ISRAEL’S’… The design for a new Iraqi flag to represent the new Iraqi government has come under scathing criticism according to the Washington Post. The reason: it’s reminiscent of Israel’s flag. The nation’s new symbol was to have been a light blue crescent on a white background with two blue stripes running horizontally across the bottom to represent the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, divided by a yellow stripe representing the Kurdish minority. But Israel’s flag also contains two blue stripes and a blue star of David on a white background. The new flag was the winning entry in a design competition.