The Dignity Boat !

(CNN) -- An Israeli patrol boat struck a boat carrying medical volunteers and supplies to Gaza early Tuesday as it attempted to intercept the vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, witnesses and Israeli officials said.

CNN correspondent Karl Penhaul was aboard the 60-foot pleasure boat Dignity when the contact occurred. When the boat later docked in the Lebanese port city of Tyre, severe damage was visible to the forward port side of the boat, and the front left window and part of the roof had collapsed. It was flying the flag of Gibraltar.
The Dignity was carrying crew and 16 passengers -- physicians from Britain, Germany and Cyprus and human rights activists from the Free Gaza Solidarity Movement -- who were trying to reach Gaza through an Israeli blockade of the territory.
Also on board was former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney.
Penhaul said an Israeli patrol boat shined its spotlight on the Dignity, and then it and another patrol boat shadowed the Dignity for about a half hour before the collision.

The Dignity arrives in Tyre, Lebanon, after it was reportedly rammed by an Israeli military vessel Tuesday

Resource:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/30/gaza.aid.boat/

Israeli vessel hits Gaza-bound boat

A small boat, damaged as it tried to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, has arrived in the Lebanese port of Tyre.The Dignity started taking on water after it was hit by an Israeli naval vessel as it approached the Israeli coast with its cargo of medical aid.
The Free Gaza Movement, which organised the attempt to reach the territory , said their boat was "rammed" and shots were fired when at least four Israeli vessels confronted them in international waters.Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for Israel's foreign ministry, denied there had been any shooting but said that the ships had made "physical contact".
He said that the crew of the Dignity had failed to respond to Israeli naval radio contact.'Rammed'Elize Ernshire, one of the activists onboard the boat, told Al Jazeera by telephone that the boat was rammed twice from the front and then once from the side.
"It has destroyed the front of the boat and the roof ... and has left the cabin, the wheelhouse quite destroyed," she said.
"... we were threatened directly by the Israeli navy that if we continued on our course towards Gaza they would attack us again"Elize Ernshire,activist onboard Dignity
" ... we were threatened directly by the Israeli navy that if we continued on our course towards Gaza they would attack us again."Mark Regev, an Israeli government spokesman, said that the incident was nothing more than a "propoganda stunt".
"Israel would never have done anything against international law, that is inconceivable," he told Al Jazeera.
"These people just want a headline, they don't really want to help the people of Gaza, if they wanted to help the people of Gaza they would be asking Hamas why they initiated the violence."Several small boats have arrived in the Gaza Strip carrying international activists and medical aid since August in defiance of the Israeli siege.Ernshire said that the incident would not stop the movement trying again to take aid to the impoverished territory."The majority of passenger here are determined, once we reach Lebanon, to keep continuing to organise such boats as these, to reach the people of Gaza," she said.Gaza's health system is struggling to cope with the casualties from four consecutive days of aerial bombardment by Israeli warplanes and helicopter gunships.ShortagesHospitals were already facing shortages of medicines and other medical products due to the Israeli siege imposed after the Hamas government seized full control of the territory in 2007.

As well as more than three tonnes of aid, the Dignity was carrying three doctors to help treat the more than 1,600 wounded in recent days.Avital Leibovitz, an Israeli military spokeswoman, said that humanitarian aid was being allowed into the Gaza Strip and the medical supplies on the boat would not have made much impact on the humanitarian situation.
"Lets not talk about a blockade because it does not exist, the humanitarian corridor is active, alive and working," she told Al Jazeera.
"There are a numerous number of trucks enetring Gaza with food and medicine according to the requests of the aid organisations." Three Al Jazeera journalists were among the 15 people onboard the boat."Al Jazeera holds Israel responsible for the safety of the Al Jazeera journalists and everyone on board the Dignity," Wadah Khanfar, director general of the Al Jazeera network said in a statement.
"Al Jazeera's presence on the boat is to cover the expedition for news and journalistic purposes. We are deeply concerned for the safety and well being of our journalists."

Resource:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/20081230121412669439.html

NO Comment !

Numbers for today,
About 390 died and 1750 injured.

Sad how we refer to other human...just numbers ?!

No by God...its tragedy...not just numbers !

على الأقل - At Least !

İ wanted to carry out from where we stopped,talk about history,food,traditions,things some know things some don't

But i couldn't...!

İ really couldn't !

Not while watching people dying on the TV,women and children and counting numbers!

Every hour a new number!

Not while watching a small boy and a smal girl crying and shaking with sadness and fear

Afraid to sleep and afraid to wake up too!

Not while watching this look in the eyes,wondering silently what have they done for that ?!

What am i going to do ?

What is in my hand to do ?

Honestly....i don't know !

Countries like Mısır -Egypt. Tükiye -Turkey,Qatar,Saudi Arabia,Libya,Jordan,Algeria,and many many other countries are sending humanitarian aids,food,and medical supplies to Mısır-Egypt so they cross to Gazza through Egypt-Gaza border.

Do they need more there in Gazza ?

Ohhh,YES,they need much...they have nothing actually !

Maybe i also can help?

Sending even a blanket through the Red Cresent or The Red Cross ?

İ dont know !

But at least,i can do this for a start...

İ can share this with you all,and dedicate this week for them.

İ beg your pardon,i know this is a new blog,and it is not about Palestine,and also that is not what you came here to read,but i don't find it in my conscience to continue as if nothing happening. Palestine is/was part of us and our history too.
And she is calling for help...i can't just skip an eye .

For Gazza,and people of Gazza,the Palestinians whose numbers have reached the 350 died and 1650 injured till now for just 3 days !

Light a candle

Make Doa,إدعوا

Pray

Even just hope

İt doesn't matter if we are Muslims,Christians,Buddist,Buddhist,Jewish...etc
They die there side by side,and fight there side by side,missiles don't target muslims but not none muslims,all are same,all are Palestinians!

So let's remember them in our,prayers,doas, thoughts,keep them in mind and wish them what we wish for our daughters,sons,women,and men

Safe and peace.

فلسطين Filistin - Palestine

Least we can do in time like this,is to have a momet of silence to pay our respect
And due to the event,we will talk a little about it..
Not about the event...opening TV would be enough,but about the facts lying behinde it
Misery of a whole nation !

1517 AD : The Ottoman Turks of Asia Minor defeated the Mamelukes, with few interruptions, ruled Palestine until the winter of 1917-18. The country was divided into several districts (sanjaks), such as that of Jerusalem. The administration of the districts was placed largely in the hands of Arab Palestinians, who were descendants of the Canaanites. The Christian and Jewish communities, however, were allowed a large measure of autonomy. Palestine shared in the glory of the Ottoman Empire during the 16th century, but declined again when the empire began to decline in the 17th century.
1831-1840 AD : Muhammad Ali, the modernizing viceroy of Egypt, expanded his rule to Palestine . His policies modified the feudal order, increased agriculture, and improved education. 1840 The Ottoman Empire reasserted its authority, instituting its own reforms .
1845 Jewish in Palestine were 12,000 increased to 85,000 by 1914. All people in Palestine were Arabic Muslims and Christians.
1897 the first Zionist Congress held Basle, Switzerland, issued the Basle programme on the colonization of Palestine.

1904 the Fourth Zionist Congress decided to establish a national home for Jews in Argentina.
1906 the Zionist congress decided the Jewish homeland should be Palestine.
1914 With the outbreak of World War I, Britain promised the independence of Arab lands under Ottoman rule, including Palestine, in return for Arab support against Turkey which had entered the war on the side of Germany.
1916 Britain and France signed the Sykes-Picot Agreement, which divided the Arab region into zones of influence. Lebanon and Syria were assigned to France, Jordan and Iraq to Britain and Palestine was to be internationalized.
1917 The British government issued the Balfour Declaration on November 2, in the form of a letter to a British Zionist leader from the foreign secretary Arthur J. Balfour prmissing him the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.
1917-1918 Aided by the Arabs, the British captured Palestine from the Ottoman Turks. The Arabs revolted against the Turks because the British had promised them, in correspondence with Shareef Husein ibn Ali of Mecca, the independence of their countries after the war. Britain, however, also made other, conflicting commitments in the secret Sykes-Picot agreement with France and Russia (1916), it promised to divide and rule the region with its allies. In a third agreement, the Balfour Declaration of 1917, Britain promised the Jews a Jewish "national home" in Palestine .
1918 After WW I ended, Jews began to migrate to Palestine, which was set a side as a British mandate with the approval of the League of Nations in 1922. Large-scale Jewish settlement and extensive Zionist agricultural and industrial enterprises in Palestine began during the British mandatory period, which lasted until 1948.
1919 The Palestinians convened their first National Conference and expressed their opposition to the Balfour Declaration.
1920 The San Remo Conference granted Britain a mandate over Palestine. and two years later Palestine was effectively under British administration. Sir Herbert Samuel, a declared Zionist, was sent as Britain's first High Commissioner to Palestine. 1922 The Council of the League of Nations issued a Mandate for Palestine.
1929 Large-scale attacks on Jews by Arabs rocked Jerusalem. Palestinians killed 133 Jews and suffered 116 deaths. Sparked by a dispute over use of the Western Wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque ( this site is sacred to Muslims, but Jews claimed it is the remaining of jews temple all studies shows clearly that the wall is from the Islamic ages and it is part of al-Aqsa Mosque). But the roots of the conflict lay deeper in Arab fears of the Zionist movement which aimed to make at least part of British-administered Palestine a Jewish state.
1936 The Palestinians held a six-month General Strike to protest against the confiscation of land and Jewish immigration.
1937 Peel Commission, headed by Lord Robert Peel, issued a report. Basically, the commission concluded, the mandate in Palestine was unworkable There was no hope of any cooperative national entity there that included both Arabs and Jews. The commission went on to recommend the partition of Palestine into a Jewish state, an Arab state, and a neutral sacred-site state to be administered by Britain.
1939 The British government published a White Paper restricting Jewish immigration and offering independence for Palestine within ten years. This was rejected by the Zionists, who then organized terrorist groups and launched a bloody campaign against the British and the Palestinians.

1947 Great Britain decided to leave Palestine and called on the United Nations (UN) to make recommendations. In response, the UN convened its first special session and on November 29, 1947, it adopted a plan calling for partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem as an international zone under UN jurisdiction.
1947 Arab protests against partition erupted in violence, with attacks on Jewish settlements in retalation to the attacks of Jews terrorist groups to Arab Towns and villages and massacres in hundred against unarmed Palestinian in there homes.
15 May 1948 British decided to leave on this day, leaders of the Yishuv decided (as they claim) to implement that part of the partition plan calling for establishment of a Jewish state. The same day, the armies of Egypt, Transjordan (now Jordan), Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq joined Palestinian and other Arab guerrillas in a full-scale war (first Arab-Israeli War). The Arabs failed to prevent establishment of a Jewish state, and the war ended with four UN-arranged armistice agreements between Israel and Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. The small Gaza Strip was left under Egyptian control, and the West Bank was controled by Jordan. Of the more than 800,000 Arabs who lived in Israeli-held territory before 1948, only about 170,000 remained. The rest became refugees in the surrounding Arab countries, ending the Arab majority in the Jewish state.
1956 Attckes incursions by refugee guerrilla bands and attacks by Arab military units were made, Egypt refused to permit Israeli ships to use the Suez Canal and blockaded the Straits of Tiran erupted in the second Arab-Israeli War.Great Britain and France joined the attack because of their dispute with Egypt's president Gamal Abdel Nasser, who had nationalized the Suez Canal. Seizing the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula within few days. The fighting was halted by the UN after a few days, and a UN Emergency Force (UNEF) was sent to supervise the cease-fire in the Canal zone. By the end of the year their forces withdrew from Egypt, but Israel refused to leave Gaza until early 1957.
1965 The Palestine Liberation Organization was established.

1967 Nasser's insistence in 1967 that the UNEF leave Egypt, led Israel to attack Egypt, Jordan, and Syria simultaneously on 5th of June.The war ended six days later with an Israeli victory. Israel occuiped Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, Arab East Jerusalem, West Bank, Golan Heights.
After 1967 war, several guerrilla organizations within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) carried out guerrillas attacks on Israeli miletary targets, with the stated objective of "redeeming Palestine.
1973 Egypt and Syria joined in a war against Israel 'sentence has been corrected by me'to regain the territories lost in 1967. The two Arab states struck unexpectedly on October 6. After crossing the suez channel the Arab forces gain a lot of advanced positions in Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights and manage to defeat the Israeli forces for more then three weeks. Israeli forces with a massive U.S. economic and military assistance managed to stop the arab forces after a three-week struggle. The Arab oil-producing states cut off petroleum exports to the United States and other Western nations in retaliation for their aid to Israel.In an effort to encourage a peace settlement, U.S. secretary of state, Henry Kissinger, managed to work out military disengagements between Israel and Egypt in the Sinai and between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights during 1974.
1974 The Arab Summit in Rabat recognized the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
1982 Israel launched an invasion of Lebanon aimed at wiping out the PLO presence there. By mid-August, after intensive fighting in and around Bayrut, the PLO agreed to withdraw its guerrillas from the city. Israeli troops remained in southern Lebanon.
1987 Relations between Israel and the Palestinians entered a new phase with the intifada, a series of uprisings in the occupied territories that included demonstrations, strikes, and rock-throwing attacks on Israeli soldiers.
1988 The PNC meeting in Algiers declared the State of Palestine as outlined in the UN Partition Plan 181.

For more information:
http://www.palestinehistory.com/history/brief/brief.htm

http://www.palestineremembered.com/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine

Gazza...Gaza...!

Sinking in blood !

Human rights?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Which human,and what rights ?!

Only some human but not the others ?!
Aren't they human ?
İt can be your daughter,son,brother or sister,
Husband ,wife,father or mother ,can't it?!

Don't they have right to LİVE same as you and i do?!!!!!!!!!!!

Israeli F-16 bombers have pounded key targets across the Gaza Strip, killing more than 200 people, local medics say.

Most of those killed were policemen in the Hamas militant movement, which controls Gaza, but women and children also died, the Gaza officials said.
About 700 others were wounded, as missiles struck security compounds and militant bases, the officials said.
Israel said it was responding to an escalation in rocket attacks from Gaza and would bomb "as long as necessary".

They were the heaviest Israeli attacks on Gaza for decades. More air raids were launched as night fell.

The operation came days after a truce with Hamas expired.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said "it won't be easy and it won't be short".
"There is a time for calm and a time for fighting, and now the time has come to fight," he said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate halt to the violence, condemning what he called Israel's "excessive use of force leading to the killing and injuring of civilians" and "the ongoing rocket attacks by Palestinian militants".
Middle East envoy Tony Blair and the French EU presidency also urged an immediate ceasefire.
Palestinian militants frequently fire rockets against Israeli towns from inside the Gaza Strip; large numbers of rocket and mortar shells have been fired at Israel in recent days.
In a statement, Israel's military said it targeted "Hamas terror operatives" as well as training camps and weapons storage warehouses.

Hamas bases destroyedA Hamas police spokesman, Islam Shahwan, said one of the raids targeted a police compound in Gaza City where a graduation ceremony for new personnel was taking place.

At least a dozen bodies of men in black uniforms were photographed at the Hamas police headquarters in Gaza City.
Israel said operations "will continue, will be expanded, and will deepen if necessary".
It is the worst attack in Gaza since 1967 in terms of the number of Palestinian casualties, a senior analyst told the BBC in Jerusalem.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni defended the air raids, saying Israel had "no choice". "We're doing what we need to do to defend our citizens," she said in a television broadcast.
Israel hit targets across Gaza, striking in the territory's main population centres, including Gaza City in the north and the southern towns of Khan Younis and Rafah.
Hamas said all of its security compounds in Gaza were destroyed by the air strikes, which Israel said hit some 40 targets.
Mosques issued urgent appeals for people to donate blood and Hamas sources told the BBC's Rushdi Abou Alouf in Gaza that hospitals were soon full.
In the West Bank, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas - whose Fatah faction was ousted from Gaza by Hamas in 2007 - condemned the attacks and called for restraint.

But Hamas quickly vowed to carry out revenge attacks on Israel in response to the air strikes, firing Qassam rockets into Israeli territory as an immediate reply.
One Israeli was killed by a rocket strike on the town of Netivot, 20 kilometres (12 miles) east of Gaza, doctors said.
"Hamas will continue the resistance until the last drop of blood," spokesman Fawzi Barhoum was reported as saying.
The air strikes come amid rumours that an Israeli ground operation is imminent.
Calls for ceasefire
World leaders urged both sides to halt the violence.
A White House spokesman said the United States "urges Israel to avoid civilian casualties as it targets Hamas in Gaza".
"Hamas' continued rocket attacks into Israel must cease if the violence is to stop," the spokesman, Gordon Johndroe, added.
The UK Foreign Office said: "We urge maximum restraint to avoid further civilian casualties."
At least 30 missiles were fired by F-16 fighter bombers. Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that about 60 warplanes took part in the first wave of air strikes.
Egypt opened its border crossing to the Gaza Strip at Rafah to absorb and treat some of those injured in the south of the territory.
Most of the dead and injured were said to be in Gaza City, where Hamas's main security compound was destroyed. The head of Gaza's police forces, Tawfik Jaber, was reportedly among those killed.

Residents spoke of children heading to and from school at the time of the attacks.
Palestinians staged demonstrations in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Hebron, and there were some scuffles with Israeli troops there.
Israeli security officials have been briefing about the possibility of a new offensive into Gaza for some days now, says the BBC's Paul Wood, in Jerusalem.
But most reports centred on the possibility of a ground offensive, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was not expected to authorise any operation until Sunday at the earliest.
Although a six-month truce between Hamas and Israel was agreed earlier this year, it was regularly under strain and was allowed to lapse when it expired this month.
Hamas blamed Israel for the end of the ceasefire, saying it had not respected its terms, including the lifting of the blockade under which little more than humanitarian aid has been allowed into Gaza.
Israel said it initially began a staged easing of the blockade, but this was halted when Hamas failed to fulfil what Israel says were agreed conditions, including ending all rocket fire and halting weapons smuggling.
Israel says the blockade - in place since Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007 - is needed to isolate Hamas and stop it and other militants from firing rockets across the border at Israeli towns.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7800985.stm

Gaza....
What is Gaza ?

The Gaza Strip is not recognized internationally as part of any sovereign country. It is claimed by the Palestinian National Authority as part of the Palestinian territories, though following the June 2007 battle of Gaza, actual control of the area is in the hands of the de facto government dominated by Hamas. Israel, which governed the Gaza Strip from 1967-2005, still controls the strip's airspace, territorial water and offshore maritime access, as well as its side of the Gaza-Israeli border. Egypt, which governed the Gaza Strip from 1948-1967 controls the southern border between the Gaza strip and the Sinai desert.

History of Gaza

Ottoman and British control (1517-1948)
In 1517 Gaza fell to the Ottomans and was part of the Ottoman Empire until the First World War.
Starting in the early 19th century, Gaza was culturally dominated by neighboring Egypt. Though part of the Ottoman Empire, a large number of its residents were Egyptians (and their descendants) who had fled political turmoil.[2]
The region served as a battlefield during the First World War (1914-18). The Gaza Strip was taken by the British in the Third Battle of Gaza on 7 November 1917. The British government has financially supported the maintenance of a cemetery for fallen British soldiers from WWI.[3]
Following World War I, Gaza became part of the British Mandate of Palestine under the authority of the League of Nations.[4]
Jews were present in Gaza until 1929 Palestine riots, when Jews were forced to leave Gaza. After that the British prohibited Jews from living in the area, though some Jews returned and, in 1946, established kibbutz Kfar Darom near the Egyptian border.[5]
British rule of Palestine ended with the Israeli War of Independence in 1948.

Egyptian occupation (1948-67)

Main article: Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt
According to the terms of the 1947 United Nations partition plan, the Gaza area was to become part of a new Arab state. Following the dissolution of the British mandate of Palestine and 1947-1948 Civil War in Palestine, Israel declared its independence in May 1948. The Egyptian army invaded the area from the south, starting the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
The Gaza Strip as it is known today was the product of the subsequent 1949 Armistice Agreements between Egypt and Israel, often referred to as the Green Line. Egypt occupied the Strip from 1949 (except for four months of Israeli occupation during the 1956 Suez Crisis) until 1967. The Strip's population was greatly augmented by an influx of Palestinian Arab refugees who fled or were expelled from Israel during the fighting.
Towards the end of the war, the All-Palestine Government (Arabic: حكومة عموم فلسطين hukumat 'umum Filastin) was proclaimed in Gaza City on 22 September 1948 by the Arab League. It was conceived partly as an Arab League attempt to limit the influence of Transjordan over the Palestinian issue. The government was not recognized by Transjordan or any non-Arab country. It was little more than a façade under Egyptian control, had negligible influence or funding, and subsequently moved to Cairo. Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip or Egypt were issued All-Palestine passports until 1959, when Gamal Abdul Nasser, President of Egypt, annulled the All-Palestine government by decree.
Egypt never annexed the Gaza Strip, but instead treated it as a controlled territory and administered it through a military governor. The refugees were never offered Egyptian citizenship.
During the Sinai campaign of November 1956, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula were overrun by Israeli troops. International pressure soon forced Israel to withdraw.

Israeli occupation (1967-1994)

Israel occupied the Gaza Strip again in June 1967 during the Six-Day War. The military occupation lasted for 27 years, until 1994. However, according to the Oslo Accords, Israel retains control of air space, territorial waters, offshore maritime access, the population registry, entry of foreigners, imports and exports as well as the tax system.
During the period of Israeli occupation, Israel created a settlement bloc, Gush Katif in the south west corner of the Strip near Rafah and the Egyptian border. In total Israel created 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip, comprising some 20% of the total territory. Besides ideological reasons for being there, these settlements also served Israel's security concerns. The Gaza Strip remained under Israeli military administration until 1994. During that period the military administration was also responsible for the maintenance of civil facilities and services.
In March 1979 Israel and Egypt signed the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Among other things, the treaty provided for the withdrawal by Israel of its armed forces and civilians from the Sinai Peninsula which Israel had captured during the Six-Day War. The final status of the Gaza Strip as with relations between Israel and Palestinians was not dealt with in the treaty. The treaty did settle the international border between Gaza Strip and Egypt. Egypt renounced all territorial claims to the region beyond the international border.
In May 1994, following the Palestinian-Israeli agreements known as the Oslo Accords, a phased transfer of governmental authority to the Palestinians took place. Much of the Strip (except for the settlement blocs and military areas) came under Palestinian control. The Israeli forces left Gaza City and other urban areas, leaving the new Palestinian Authority to administer and police the Strip. The Palestinian Authority, led by Yasser Arafat, chose Gaza City as its first provincial headquarters. In September 1995, Israel and the PLO signed a second peace agreement extending the Palestinian Authority to most West Bank towns. The agreement also established an elected 88-member Palestinian National Council, which held its inaugural session in Gaza in March 1996.
The PA rule of the Gaza Strip and West Bank under leadership of Arafat suffered from serious mismanagement and corruption. Exorbitant bribes were demanded for allowing goods to pass in and out of the Gaza Strip, while heads of the Preventive Security Service apparatus profited from their involvement in the gravel import and cement and construction industries, like the Great Arab Company for Investment and Development, the al-Motawaset Company and the al-Sheik Zayid construction project.
The Second Intifada broke out in September 2000. In February 2005, the Israeli government voted to implement a unilateral disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip. The plan began to be implemented on 15 August 2005 (the day after Tisha B'av) and was completed on 12 September 2005. Under the plan, all Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip (and four in the West Bank) and the nearby Erez bloc were dismantled with the removal of all 9,000 Israeli settlers (most of them in the Gush Katif settlement area in the Strip's southwest) and military bases. On 12 September 2005 the Israeli cabinet formally declared an end to Israeli military rule in the Gaza Strip. To avoid any allegation that it was still in occupation of any part of the Gaza Strip, Israel also withdrew from the Philadelphi Route, which is a narrow strip adjacent to the Strip's border with Egypt, after Egypt's agreement to secure its side of the border. Under the Oslo Accords the Philadelphi Route was to remain under Israeli control, to prevent the smuggling of materials (such as ammunition) and people across the border with Egypt. With Egypt agreeing to patrol its side of the border, it was hoped that the objective would be achieved.

More readings ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_Strip

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/200812279451509662.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/27/israelandthepalestinians

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-attacks-gaza-more-than-140-reported-killed-1213304.html

El Tarikh El Masri - The Egyptian History

Till now we haven't talked about.İt was like 'Hey ,and who don't know about the Egyptian history,enough that you type the word Egypt in google and you will get loads and loads of hits !'
Still,we cant talk about Misir-Egypt without talking about history,can we ?

They made the history,wrote it down years and years before any other civilization did.

We will try to have a wide look about it as much as we can,but brief one

Shall we ?

Introduction

Egypt enjoys a deep-rooted civilization which began when the ancient Egyptians established on the bank of the River Nile the first central state.
Throughout centuries, the Egyptians interacted with other civilizations and peoples. Yet, Egypt kept its cultural peculiarity which historians divide into Pharaonic Era which lasted for 3000 years, Greek Era which also lasted for 3000 years, Roman Era which interacted with Coptic Era after Christianity entered Egypt, and finally the Islamic Conquest of Egypt and the Ottoman Rule till the Modern Era launched by Mohamed Ali Pasha, the founder of modern Egypt.

Egypt in the Pharaonic Era

The Pharaonic Era dates back to 3000 years B.C. till Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 323 B.C. During the Pharaonic Era, Egypt witnessed many aspects of progress and renaissance in all fields. Historians divide the Pharaonic Era into three successive divisions: Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom and Modern Kingdom. The Pharaonic Era is thus divided into three dynasties as follows:

Ancient Age (Dynasties I & II)

In 3200 B.C. Menes managed to unify north and south of Egypt and he established the first ruling dynasty. To secure the unity of Egypt, Menes established the city of Memphis near Delta.

Old Kingdom (Dynasties from III to VI)

During the Old Kingdom, Egypt enjoyed stability, security and peace, a matter that achieved its economic, cultural and artistic progress in this time. The kings of the Old Kingdom ruled till 2800 B.C. after the throne of Egypt moved to Manf by Zoser, whose pyramid is the oldest known one at Saqqara. The Egyptian civilization flourished in this period, a matter represented in the building of the Giza Pyramids: Khufu (Cheops), Khafre (Chephren) and Menkaura (Mycerinus

The First Middle Age (Dynasties from VII to X)

This age began in 2200 B.C. when Menthotpe II (Mentuhotep) managed to reunify the country.

The Middle Kingdom (Dynasties XI& XII)

After Menthotpe II, the Prince of Thebes, managed to reunify the country and founded a strong government, Egypt flourished economically. In 2000 B.C. Amenemhet I played a great role in the renaissance of the Middle Kingdom. The kings and queens of Dynasty XII acquired fame all over the world in the fields of policy, war, culture civilization and religion such as Ahmos, hero of liberation, Amenhotep I who laid down fair standards for wages and incentives, Tuhutmos I, the warrior who expanded the Egyptian borders north and south, and spread out education everywhere, Tuhutmos III who possessed a unique military genius, Tuhutmos IV, the diplomat who was the first to record international agreements. This is in addition to Akhenaton who was the first to call for the oneness of the Creator and Tut Ankh Amun, who gained fame in the modern time. The most famous queens of this time were Ahmos Nefertari, wife of Ahmos I, Tee, mother of Akhenaton, Nefertiti, wife of Akhenaton and Hatchepsut who ruled Egypt for 20 years. The Second Middle Age (Dynasties XIII, XVII) In 1725 B.C. the Hyksos attacked Egypt and occupied the Egyptian lands. Yet, the princes of Thebes, led by Ahmos I, managed to expel them out of Egypt.

The Modern Kingdom (Dynasties XVIII, XX)

After Ahmos expelled the Hyksos, he worked on establishing a well-equipped army. Ramsis II, one of the most famous kings of the Modern Kingdom, signed the first peace treaty in history with the Hittites.

The Late Age (Dynasties XXI to XXX)

From Dynasty XXI till Dynasty XVIII, the Assyrians and the Persians occupied Egypt, till the rule of the Pharaohs ended during the reign of Dynasty XXX when Alexander the Great conqured Egypt.

Arts of the Pharaonic Civilization Architecture

Ancient Egyptians made outstanding achievements in architecture, as can be clearly seen from the everlasting monuments they have left behind. The first pyramid ever built in Egypt was Zoser's, then Midum's pyramid. However, the Giza pyramids together with the Sphinx, built during the 4th Dynasty, are the most famous of the 97 pyramids built to be tombs for Pharaohs.
During the period of the Middle Kingdom, many funerary temples were built. The 12th Dynasty kings were also interested in el-Fayyoum area where they attended to irrigation works. The most famous of those temples was the Labyrinth Temple or the “Maze Palace” as called by the Greeks. The temple was built in Hawwara by King Amenemehet III, who also built castles, fortresses and walls along Egypt's eastern borders.
The period of the Middle Kingdom was the heyday of architectural arts, where exquisite inscriptions and fine artworks were engraved on the walls of colossal temples, the most prominent ones were Karnak, Luxor and Abu Simbel.
The era of Thutmose I was a turning point in using pyramids as tombs. On the west bank of the Nile at Luxor, there were carved-into-mountains tombs with rich and luxurious funerary furniture. This can be clearly seen in the tomb of Tutankhamun.
In order to keep wall inscriptions intact, the artists of the Modern kingdom deliberately used deep slightly embossed engravings, thus, avoiding distortion or erosion.
The most recently discovered tomb of the Valley of Kings was that of the sons of King Ramsis II; a vast tomb containing 15 mummies. Pharaonic obelisks were cut out of granite and erected in two-somes at the entrance of temples. Some of the most beautiful examples of architectural art in the ancient Egyptian empire are the temples of Amun, Cheops in Karnak and Luxor, Ramsium and Hetshep-sut at ad-Deir al-Bahari as well as the rock-embedded temples such as the major and minor temples of Abu Simbel.
New trends in the architectural, plastic and applied arts emerged as can be clearly seen in the sculptured colossal and minor statues and ornamented temple columns and mural inscriptions. This elevated style is evident in thousands of small statues made from alabaster, wood or ivory and pieces of antiquities made of glass and earthenware and jewelry inlaid with precious stones.

Literature

Ancient Egyptian monuments still bear witness to their excellent talent in writing and literature. Humanity is indebted to ancient Egyptians for inventing writing, later called by the Greeks the “hieroglyphic alphabet”; composed of 24 letters. Writings were made in black or red ink on papyrus. Egyptians excelled in religious writing which tackled their religious creeds and theories of the after life, secrets of the universe, various myths of gods, prayers and songs. The oldest examples of which were “The Pyramids Texts” and “The Book of the Dead”.
Ancient Egyptian writers were excellent story writers. They used words as a tool to convey wisdom and rules of good conduct. Ancient Egyptians were bent on narrating their heritage of wise sayings and proverbs, chanting them in their feasts and ceremonies. They pursued the tradition of documenting current events of their times. This rich cultural climate was instrumental in generating several Egyptian men of letters and philosophers who left masterpieces indicative of a high level of culture and thought in Egypt.

Music

Music and songs were a favorite object for all Egyptians. Music was used for educating young people as well as in public and private ceremonies, particularly in the army. It was equally used in prayers and the burial of the dead.
Egyptians from the Old Kingdom knew wind and stringed instruments such as the “harp” known at that time as “Tipoti”. They also invented many new types of percussion instruments which were further improved across their history.

Ornamentation

Ornaments, characterized by high artistic precision and beautiful form, were also known to ancient Egyptians. Decorative elements were derived from natural surroundings including papyrus, palm trees, lotus flowers and precious stones. Amulets, believed to protect them against evil spirits, were used. Women, in particular, paid special attention to their own make-up and toilet. They were accustomed to use Kohl (as eye-liner), bracelets, necklaces, rings and henna. Costumes in Pharaonic Egypt varied from one class to another. Clothes were made of soft linen or silk fabrics imported from ancient Syria (Phoenicia). Clothes differed according to the occasion.

Next...

Source:

http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/History/Pharaohs/080200000000000001.htm

Further readings:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_ancient_Egypt
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/

http://www.ancient-egypt.org/index.html

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt/history/history.html

The Egyptian Women

From Warrior Women to Female Pharaohs: Careers for Women in Ancient Egypt (4)

By Dr Joann Fletcher



Wives and mothers



But with the 'top job' far more commonly held by a man, the most influential women were his mother, sisters, wives and daughters. Yet, once again, many clearly achieved significant amounts of power as reflected by the scale of monuments set up in their name. Regarded as the fourth pyramid of Giza, the huge tomb complex of Queen Khentkawes (c.2500 BC) reflects her status as both the daughter and mother of kings. The royal women of the Middle Kingdom pharaohs were again given sumptuous burials within pyramid complexes, with the gorgeous jewellery of Queen Weret discovered as recently as 1995.
During Egypt's 'Golden Age', (the New Kingdom, c.1550-1069 BC), a whole series of such women are attested, beginning with Ahhotep whose bravery was rewarded with full military honours. Later, the incomparable Queen Tiy rose from her provincial beginnings as a commoner to become 'great royal wife' of Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BC), even conducting her own diplomatic correspondence with neighbouring states.
'...Queen Tiy rose from her provincial beginnings as a commoner to become 'great royal wife' of Amenhotep III...'
Pharaohs also had a host of 'minor wives' but, since succession did not automatically pass to the eldest son, such women are known to have plotted to assassinate their royal husbands and put their sons on the throne. Given their ability to directly affect the succession, the term 'minor wife' seems infinitely preferable to the archaic term 'concubine'.
Yet even the word 'wife' can be problematic, since there is no evidence for any kind of legal or religious marriage ceremony in ancient Egypt. As far as it is possible to tell, if a couple wanted to be together, the families would hold a big party, presents would be given and the couple would set up home, the woman becoming a 'lady of the house' and hopefully producing children.
Whilst most chose partners of a similar background and locality, some royal women came from as far afield as Babylon and were used to seal diplomatic relations. Amenhotep III described the arrival of a Syrian princess and her 317 female attendants as 'a marvel', and even wrote to his vassals - 'I am sending you my official to fetch beautiful women, to which I the king will say good. So send very beautiful women - but none with shrill voices'!
Such women were given the title 'ornament of the king', chosen for their grace and beauty to entertain with singing and dancing. But far from being closeted away for the king's private amusement, such women were important members of court and took an active part in royal functions, state events and religious ceremonies.
With the wives and daughters of officials also shown playing the harp and singing to their menfolk, women seem to have received musical training. In one tomb scene of c.2000 BC a priest is giving a kind of masterclass in how to play the sistrum (sacred rattle), as temples often employed their own female musical troupe to entertain the gods as part of the daily ritual.

Next...

Waraket Lahma - meat in the oven

İ haven't eaten for ages it seems...but it is yummyyy



Warakat lahma (oven-cooked meat)



This is a very well known Egyptian dish usually served at intimate family gatherings especially in Ramadan.
Cuisine :Egyptian
Main ingredients :Veal, Potatoes, Carrots, Green peppers, Grean beans, Zucchini
Time of preparation : 20 Minutes
Time of cooking : 2 Hour(s), 40 Minute(s)
Serving :4


! You need to marinate meat for 24 hours before cooking it.

Ingredients
1kg Veal ,loin cut, sliced
2Zucchini ,large size, sliced
2Potatoes , peeled and cubed
1/2pack Mixed Vegetables
2Green Peppers ,medium size, sliced
1Onion ,large size, grated
1Onion ,medium size, sliced
1/2cup Lemon Juice
pinch Cinnamon ,(optional)
Salt and Pepper



Directions
In a large plastic bowl, put meat and season with lemon juice, grated onion, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
Heat oven to medium heat (180-190 C).
In a large metal baking dish arrange vegetables and potatos then onion slices, then arrange meat slices on top and pour its marinating sauce.
Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and put on the low oven rack. Put some wet newspapers under baking dish. Leave to cook for 2 - 2 ½ hours until thickest pieces of meat are tender.



Ps: whatever vegetables you like,you can add



Reference: http://www.wasfasahla.com/docs/recipe.cfm?recipe_id=1257

Edited :
As a feedback,i just made this one,and i can tell you there was a LOTS of lemon here !
For me at least !
İ would reduce the amount of lemon to just about 1 and half tbls,and add some spices
Whatever you like to taste,and also adding some soysauce to the meat would be great

Ana Bahebac...İ Love You

We have talked about many things here...and we will talk more too



Just we will take a small break and take our breath
We will do that with a poem
İt may not called İ love you...but to me,that is all what it say..


Shall we ? :)











Called,İn your eyes is my address by Faruk Gewede


في عينيك عنواني

وقالت: سوف تنساني

وتنسى أنني يوما
وهبتك نبض وجداني

وتعشق موجة أخرى
وتهجر دفء شطآني

وتجلس مثلما كنا
لتسمع بعض ألحاني

ولا تعنيك أحزاني
ويسقط كالمنى اسمي

وسوف يتوه عنواني
ترى..ستقول ياعمري بأنك كنت تهواني؟





فقلت:هواك ايماني ومغفرتي..وعصياني

أتيتك والمنى عندي
بقايا بين أحضاني

ربيع مات طائره
على أنقاض بستان

رياح الحزن تعصرني
وتسخر بين وجداني

أحبك واحة هدأت
عليها كل أحزاني

أحبك نسمة تروي
لصمت الناس..ألحاني

أحبك نشوة تسري
وتشعل نار بركاني

أحبك أنت يا أملا
كضوء الصبح يلقاني

أمات الحب عشاقا
وحبك أنت أحياني

ولو خيرت في وطن
لقلت هواك أوطاني

ولو أنساك يا عمري
حنايا القلب..تنساني

اذا ما ضعت في درب

ففي عينيك..عنواني


İn your eyes is my address.


And she said,you will forget me,

And forget that someday,i gave you my heart beats .

And fall in love with another wave, and abandon the warmth of my shores.

And sit as we used to sit,to hear some of my music, and you won't care my sorrow

And my name fall down like hope,and my address get lost.

İ wonder,will you say my love that you were in love with me ?!


İ said, your love is my faith,my forgiveness,and my disobedient.
İ came to you,and hopes were remains in my chest
Spring,has died its bird,in a lefted garden.
Winds of sorrow squeezing me, and make fun in my chest.
İ love you,a garden calmed all my sorrows,
İ love you,a soft wind tell to the silent people my music,
İ love you,enjoyment flow,and lighten the fire of my volcano,
İ love you,a hope,like a day light meeting me.
Love has murder lovers, And your love,makes me alive.
İf i to choose a country, İ would've said,your love is my countries.
And if i forget you my love, my heart will forget me!

İf i got lost in my way,
İn your eyes is my address !


İt was made a song and here it is by Somaya Caysar


Part 1





Part 2

Ana Asfa - İ'm Sorry

İ'm sorry,due to technical problem,i may not be active daily as i wish to be,please accept my apology .
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7792688.stm

Edited :Ohhhh, WAİT... !
İts fixed :)

Egga - عجه

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 leek, white parts julienned
A large potato, grated
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chopped parsley

Beat the eggs well in a bowl, and add the chopped onion, julienned leek, and the chopped parsley. Add the grated potato and the cumin. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well.

Heat butter to foaming in a large skillet and add the egg-mixture (It needs to be thinner than the traditional Spanish Tortilla.)

Turn down the heat immediately and cook very very slowly on the lowest heat you can provide, for about 20 minutes.

The picture is when you add some flour and put it in oven,but that above recipe is more crispy ,and..mmm actually its the way i make it ;-)

All Lyrics.com

More about Misir - Egypt

Before you go to any where or even read about it,first you want to get introduced to it,how is it like,what it consist of,same like being introduced to some people for the first time,you would have some interest about where they live,came from,do they live in a house or apartment there,does it has a garden..is it big or just small one ...etc

Wont you have some similer questions

Ok,let's try to have some answers here ,shall we ?

Egyptian Flag and the coat of arms

Egypt (/ˈiːdʒɪpt/ (help·info); Arabic: مصر‎, Miṣr or Máṣr) is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about 1,010,000 square kilometers (390,000 sq mi), Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.
Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East. The great majority of its estimated 82 million live near the banks of the Nile River, in an area of about 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq mi), where the only arable agricultural land is found. The large areas of the Sahara Desert are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with the majority spread across the densely-populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.
Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and some of the world's most famous monuments, including the Giza pyramid complex and its Great Sphinx. The southern city of Luxor contains numerous ancient artifacts, such as the Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings. Egypt is widely regarded as an important political and cultural nation of the Middle East.

Geography:

At 1,001,450 square kilometers (386,660 sq mi), Egypt is the world's 38th-largest country. In terms of land area, it is approximately the same size as all of Central America,twice the size of France, four times the size of the United Kingdom, and the combined size of the US states of Texas and California.
Nevertheless, due to the aridity of Egypt's climate, population centres are concentrated along the narrow Nile Valley and Delta, meaning that approximately 99% of the population uses only about 5.5% of the total land area.

The Coastline of Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city
Egypt is bordered by Libya to the west, Sudan to the south, and by the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east. Egypt's important role in geopolitics stems from its strategic position: a transcontinental nation, it possesses a land bridge (the Isthmus of Suez) between Africa and Asia, which in turn is traversed by a navigable waterway (the Suez Canal) that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea.

Apart from the Nile Valley, the majority of Egypt's landscape is a desert. The winds blowing can create sand dunes more than 100 feet (30 m) high. Egypt includes parts of the Sahara Desert and of the Libyan Desert. These deserts were referred to as the "red land" in ancient Egypt, and they protected the Kingdom of the Pharaohs from western threats.
Towns and cities include Alexandria, one of the greatest ancient cities, Aswan, Asyut, Cairo, the modern Egyptian capital, El-Mahalla El-Kubra, Giza, the site of the Pyramid of Khufu, Hurghada, Luxor, Kom Ombo, Port Safaga, Port Said, Sharm el Sheikh, Suez, where the Suez Canal is located, Zagazig, and Al-Minya. Oases include Bahariya, el Dakhla, Farafra, el Kharga and Siwa. Protectorates include Ras Mohamed National Park, Zaranik Protectorate and Siwa. See Egyptian Protectorates for more information

Climate :

Egypt does not receive much rainfall except in the winter months. South of Cairo, rainfall averages only around 2 to 5 mm (0.1 to 0.2 in) per year and at intervals of many years. On a very thin strip of the northern coast the rainfall can be as high as 410 mm (16 in), with most of the rainfall between October and March. Snow falls on Sinai's mountains and some of the north coastal cities such as Damietta, Baltim, Sidi Barrany, etc. and rarely in Alexandria, frost is also known in mid-Sinai and mid-Egypt.
Temperatures average between 80 °F (27 °C) and 90 °F (32 °C) in summer, and up to 109 °F (43 °C) on the Red Sea coast. Temperatures average between 55 °F (13 °C) and 70 °F (21 °C) in winter. A steady wind from the northwest helps hold down the temperature near the Mediterranean coast. The Khamaseen is a wind that blows from the south in Egypt in spring, bringing sand and dust, and sometimes raises the temperature in the desert to more than 100 °F (38 °C).
Every year, a predictable flooding of the Nile replenishes Egypt's soil. This gives the country consistent harvest throughout the year. Many know this event as The Gift of the Nile.
The rise in sea levels due to global warming threatens Egypt's densely populated coastal strip and could have grave consequences for the country's economy, agriculture and industry. Combined with growing demographic pressures, a rise in sea levels could turn millions of Egyptians into environmental refugees by the end of the century, according to climate experts.

Governorates of Egypt:

Egypt is divided into 29 governorates (singular muhafazah) and 1 self-governing city. This designation replaces that of "province" (muderiyah). Egyptian governorates are the top tier of the five-tier jurisdiction hierarchy. A governorate is administered by a governor (muhafez) appointed by the president of Egypt. Most governorates have a population density of more than one-thousand per km², while the 3 largest have a population density of less than two per km².
Governorates are either fully "urban" or else they are an admixture of "urban" and "rural". The official distinction between "urban" and "rural" is reflected in the lower tiers: i.e., fully urban governorates have no regions (markaz), as the markaz is, natively, a conglomeration of villages. Moreover, governorates may comprise just one city, as in the case of Cairo or Alexandria. Hence, these one-city governorates are only divided into districts (i.e. urban neighborhoods). Cairo consists of 23 districts; Alexandria consists of 6.
Two new governorates were created in April 2008, Helwan and 6th of October.

List of the Egyptian governorates

Alexandria
Aswan
Asyut
Beheira
Beni Suef
Cairo
Dakahlia
Damietta
Faiyum
Gharbia
Giza
Ismailia
Kafr el-Sheikh
Matruh
Minya
Monufia
New Valley
North Sinai
Port Said
Qalyubia
Qena
Red Sea
Sharqia
Sohag
South Sinai
Suez
Luxor
Helwan
6th of October

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt#cite_note-15

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governorates_of_Egypt

More to come ....

Fatta

Ingredients
3 cups Rice
1 1/2 kg Veal , shins, sliced or cubed
5-6 loaves Egyptian Bread
3 tbsp Garlic ,minced
1 tbsp Coriander
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 cup Vinegar
3/4 cup Almonds , fried
6 tbsp Margarine
3 Arabic Gum
2 Cardamom
Salt and Pepper

Directions

Preparing meat:
In a deep pan boil meat for 30 -50 minutes or until tender. Strain and reserve 2-3 cups of meat broth.
Preparing rice:
While meat is boiling, prepare rice. Wash rice well under running water and drain.
In a deep pan melt 2 tbsp margarine. Add 2 Arabic gums and 3 cardamoms and stir for a minute. Add rice and sir for another minute.
Add salt and 3 cups water and cook until water is absorbed. Cover and move to low heat and leave to cook for about 25 minutes.
Preparing sauce:
In a small saucepan heat and stir 1 tbsp margarine and garlic until golden. Add coriander and sugar and stir until golden brown.
Add ½ cup broth and ½ cup vinegar and leave to boil.
Preparing bread and nuts:
Cut bread into bite size squares. In a large skillet heat 2 tbsp margarine. Add bread and stir until crispy.
Add gradually 2-3 cups meat broth and stir until bread is just soft and drain any unabsorbed broth.
Serving fattah:
In a large oval serving platter, arrange bread then add meat to make a layer covering bread. Sprinkle half the quantity of sauce over meat and bread.
Add rice to form another layer and sprinkle the remaining sauce. Pour fried almonds with the margarine on top of dish.

http://www.wasfasahla.com/docs/recipe.cfm?recipe_id=240