David Bedein

Hamas forces continued to consolidate their hold on the Gaza Strip on Thursday, seizing increasing numbers of positions that formerly were manned by Palestinian security services loyal to Fatah, chaired by Mahmoud Abbas, also know as Abu Mazen.

Human Rights Watch has accused Palestinian groups of committing "serious violations of international humanitarian law, in some cases amounting to war crimes."

Senior intelligence officials in Egypt and Jordan have warned the Israeli media that terrorists from al-Qaida are directing the bloody battles in the Gaza Strip. They say that al-Qaida was behind the violation of the Mecca agreement, which led to the establishment of the Palestinian national unity government.

At a time when Israel reels from Great Britain's academic boycott, the precedent of the Durban, South Africa, gathering of NGOs under the U.N. banner in 2001 - when renowned international, Israeli, Palestinian and International NGOs first gathered to unite behind the specious idea that Israel represents a racist apartheid entity - has not been forgotten.

Tempers between the two sides flared, prompting Israeli officials to threaten to mobilize AIPAC and causing American officials to bar Israel's return to the Joint Strike Fighter project until further notice.

During the period described as a cease-fire, Nov. 26 - May 15, Sderot and the southern region of Israel were struck with more than 300 missiles. Photo essay by Noam Bedein.

During the normal daily news coverage of the Kassam missiles that have hit Sderot, Israel (pop. 24,000), the human side of what people go through is often missed.

The Middle East Newsline reports from U.S. administration sources that President George Bush has decided that, barring a "catastrophic development," the United States would not attack Iran.

Forty years ago on June 5, 1967, at 7:14 a.m., the Six-Day War began when IAF jets flew towards the airfields in Sinai and deep into Egypt. Forty years after the Six Day war, Professor Michael Oren, author of the best-selling book Six Days Of War, observes that "The question of Israel's existence is still on the agenda in full force on the Arab street.... Muslim civilization has been taken over by forces that have no doubt in their hearts that Israel is still going to be wiped off the face of the earth."