Ha'aretz
The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned the British envoy to Israel to rebuke him over the arrest warrant issued for Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
......Livni served as foreign minister alongside Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak during the Israel Defense Forces offensive in Gaza. The three figures comprised the "troika" of top decision-makers who charted the course of the war. Full story
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Palestinian Man Prevented By Jewish Municipality From Building On His Own Land
IMEMC - Saed Bannoura
Aadel Suad, a Palestinian resident of the town of Mitzpe Ramon in southern Israel, has been prevented for twelve years from building on his own land, and continues to live in a temporary shack with his family.
He said that they made the reason very clear: they do not want Palestinians in their otherwise all-Jewish town.
According to Suad, “"We didn't invade the plot and we didn't take over the land. My grandfather has been here since the Turks. We have a land registry document proving ownership of three acres."
The Israeli town of Mitzpe Ramon was founded in 1979 on formerly Palestinian land. Most of the former Palestinian residents were displaced, but Aadel Suad managed to hold onto the land that had been in his family for generations. The new municipality then redefined his land as a ‘development area’, and split his plot into two parts.
He was allowed to remain on his land with his family, but prevented him from building a home.
.....Now, after finally receiving his construction permit in 2007, he has again been refused the ability to build on his land, with the excuse that there is no sewage line in the area. Full story
Aadel Suad, a Palestinian resident of the town of Mitzpe Ramon in southern Israel, has been prevented for twelve years from building on his own land, and continues to live in a temporary shack with his family.
Town of Mitspe Ramon (photo by Ben Tov)
He said that they made the reason very clear: they do not want Palestinians in their otherwise all-Jewish town.
According to Suad, “"We didn't invade the plot and we didn't take over the land. My grandfather has been here since the Turks. We have a land registry document proving ownership of three acres."
The Israeli town of Mitzpe Ramon was founded in 1979 on formerly Palestinian land. Most of the former Palestinian residents were displaced, but Aadel Suad managed to hold onto the land that had been in his family for generations. The new municipality then redefined his land as a ‘development area’, and split his plot into two parts.
He was allowed to remain on his land with his family, but prevented him from building a home.
.....Now, after finally receiving his construction permit in 2007, he has again been refused the ability to build on his land, with the excuse that there is no sewage line in the area. Full story
Haniyeh hails Hamas 'victory' on anniversary
Ma'an
Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters gathered in Gaza City’s central square on Monday to mark the 22nd anniversary of the of the movement’s founding.
Hamas leader and de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh hailed the gathering a sign of victory over what he said were Israel’s attempts to eliminate the group, including last winter’s three-week war.
"Those who planned the war and executed it did not expect these crowds to come today waving their flags ... Hamas did not collapse after the war; the enemy leaders collapsed," he said.
He also said Hamas would never give in to Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, which includes a ban on construction materials need to rebuild from the war, which left more than 1,400 Palestinians dead. Thirteen Israelis also died.
........Haniyeh also criticized the PLO leadership for an expected vote that will unilaterally extend President Mahmoud Abbas’ term without elections.
"We say to PLO Central Council members who will meet tomorrow in Ramallah that any decision that contradicts the constitution and contradicts the will of the people, will not be binding," Haniyeh said.
"Aziz Dweik, would remain as the legitimate head of the Legislative Council until elections are held, free and fair, in light of consensus and national reconciliation," He added, referring to the Hamas-affiliated speaker of the PLC.
Haniyeh said he supported reconciliation with Abbas’ Fatah party, but said Hamas would not succumb to a unity deal enforced through “pressure.”
He also dismissed critics who hold Hamas responsible for the ongoing political split: "We are not striving to form an Islamic emirate in the Strip. Our goal is to free Palestine – all of Palestine."
"Hamas participated in the elections and showed that they have a political system which is loyal and based on accuracy and honesty, in order to rule their own state," he said.
Hamas came to power in parliamentary elections in 2006, and in 2007 violently took full control of the Gaza Strip. The takeover caused Abbas to dissolve a unity government and appoint an unelected caretaker government in the West Bank.
According to the Palestinian Basic Law, Abbas’ term expired in January 2009. The PLO decreed then that he should stay on as president.
New presidential and parliamentary elections planned for January 2010 were indefinitely postponed due to the impossibility of holding a poll in a country ruled by two governments.
In his speech Haniyeh called for a united Palestinian “program” of ending the Israeli occupation, removing Israeli settlements, and establishing a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders. Full story
Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters gathered in Gaza City’s central square on Monday to mark the 22nd anniversary of the of the movement’s founding.
Hamas leader and de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh hailed the gathering a sign of victory over what he said were Israel’s attempts to eliminate the group, including last winter’s three-week war.
"Those who planned the war and executed it did not expect these crowds to come today waving their flags ... Hamas did not collapse after the war; the enemy leaders collapsed," he said.
He also said Hamas would never give in to Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, which includes a ban on construction materials need to rebuild from the war, which left more than 1,400 Palestinians dead. Thirteen Israelis also died.
........Haniyeh also criticized the PLO leadership for an expected vote that will unilaterally extend President Mahmoud Abbas’ term without elections.
"We say to PLO Central Council members who will meet tomorrow in Ramallah that any decision that contradicts the constitution and contradicts the will of the people, will not be binding," Haniyeh said.
"Aziz Dweik, would remain as the legitimate head of the Legislative Council until elections are held, free and fair, in light of consensus and national reconciliation," He added, referring to the Hamas-affiliated speaker of the PLC.
Haniyeh said he supported reconciliation with Abbas’ Fatah party, but said Hamas would not succumb to a unity deal enforced through “pressure.”
He also dismissed critics who hold Hamas responsible for the ongoing political split: "We are not striving to form an Islamic emirate in the Strip. Our goal is to free Palestine – all of Palestine."
"Hamas participated in the elections and showed that they have a political system which is loyal and based on accuracy and honesty, in order to rule their own state," he said.
Hamas came to power in parliamentary elections in 2006, and in 2007 violently took full control of the Gaza Strip. The takeover caused Abbas to dissolve a unity government and appoint an unelected caretaker government in the West Bank.
According to the Palestinian Basic Law, Abbas’ term expired in January 2009. The PLO decreed then that he should stay on as president.
New presidential and parliamentary elections planned for January 2010 were indefinitely postponed due to the impossibility of holding a poll in a country ruled by two governments.
In his speech Haniyeh called for a united Palestinian “program” of ending the Israeli occupation, removing Israeli settlements, and establishing a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders. Full story
Report: Prisoner going blind as Israeli officials refuse treatment
Ma'an
The People's Movement for Prisoners and Palestinian Rights demanded that the Israel Prison Service (IPS) allow a Palestinian detainee, held at Nafha prison, undergo treatment for his deteriorating health, a statement said Tuesday.
Shawqi Abu Athera, 37, is going blind as a result of the Israeli Prison administration's refusal to allow him to undergo treatment, according to the movement...
The statement added that Abu Athera remains in "unbearable pain" as a result.
Additionally, Abu Athera suffers from critical injuries to his left hand and back , which he sustained during the first Palestinian uprising.
Abu Athera, originally from Beersheba, was detained on 13 December 2003 at the Rafah border crossing in Gaza. He was sentenced to 15 years in Nafha prison for his alleged affiliation to Fatah's armed wing. Abu Aretha is married with four children. Full story
The People's Movement for Prisoners and Palestinian Rights demanded that the Israel Prison Service (IPS) allow a Palestinian detainee, held at Nafha prison, undergo treatment for his deteriorating health, a statement said Tuesday.
Shawqi Abu Athera, 37, is going blind as a result of the Israeli Prison administration's refusal to allow him to undergo treatment, according to the movement...
The statement added that Abu Athera remains in "unbearable pain" as a result.
Additionally, Abu Athera suffers from critical injuries to his left hand and back , which he sustained during the first Palestinian uprising.
Abu Athera, originally from Beersheba, was detained on 13 December 2003 at the Rafah border crossing in Gaza. He was sentenced to 15 years in Nafha prison for his alleged affiliation to Fatah's armed wing. Abu Aretha is married with four children. Full story
US transfers $75 million to PA
Ma'an
The US announced the transfer of 75 million dollars in budget support to the Palestinian Authority on Monday.
...[US Consul General Daniel] Rubenstein said the donation was part of US support for Fayyad’s plan to build the institutions of a state within two years.
“The president and prime minister have our strong support in fulfilling the goals and priorities of this program, which we see as integral to US efforts to help achieve a two-state solution ...
The donation is a 50% advance on the US overall pledged budget support to the Palestinian Authority over the coming year.
With this transfer, the US will have provided more than 575 million dollars in direct budget support to the PA. [The US gave Israel over $2.55 billion in military aid 2009. By 2013 it will give Israel $3.15 billion per year. There are often additional subsidies.]
The US claims the moniker of the largest single donor to the PA, although the European Union’s 22 states’ combined contributions are larger. Full story
The US announced the transfer of 75 million dollars in budget support to the Palestinian Authority on Monday.
...[US Consul General Daniel] Rubenstein said the donation was part of US support for Fayyad’s plan to build the institutions of a state within two years.
“The president and prime minister have our strong support in fulfilling the goals and priorities of this program, which we see as integral to US efforts to help achieve a two-state solution ...
The donation is a 50% advance on the US overall pledged budget support to the Palestinian Authority over the coming year.
With this transfer, the US will have provided more than 575 million dollars in direct budget support to the PA. [The US gave Israel over $2.55 billion in military aid 2009. By 2013 it will give Israel $3.15 billion per year. There are often additional subsidies.]
The US claims the moniker of the largest single donor to the PA, although the European Union’s 22 states’ combined contributions are larger. Full story
Gazans turn to painkillers to avoid reality - Samar Dremly
Ma'an
In the besieged Gaza Strip, many have turned to analgesics to avoid a harsh reality in the aftermath of the Israeli military offensive last winter, coupled with factional violence and joblessness. Full story
In the besieged Gaza Strip, many have turned to analgesics to avoid a harsh reality in the aftermath of the Israeli military offensive last winter, coupled with factional violence and joblessness. Full story
Detention of young children up 64%
DCI
According to the latest figures compiled by DCI-Palestine from sources including the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) and temporary Israeli army detention facilities, the number of Palestinian children detained in Israeli prisons and detention centres inside Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory at the end of November, was 306.
According to the latest figures compiled by DCI-Palestine from sources including the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) and temporary Israeli army detention facilities, the number of Palestinian children detained in Israeli prisons and detention centres inside Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory at the end of November, was 306.
In November, the number of Palestinian children held in Israeli detention facilities fell to 306, the lowest figure this year. However, the monthly average number of Palestinian children held in Israeli detention in 2009 still remains high, at 360 per month, compared with 319 in 2008. This represents an increase of 13%.
...DCI-Palestine continues to be deeply concerned by the high number of young children between the ages of 12 and 15 being detained. At the end of November 2009, 41 children in this age category were being held in Israeli detention facilities, compared with 25 children in November 2008. This represents an increase of 64%.
One child, Hamdi al Tamari, remains in administrative detention, being detention without charge or trial. Hamdi is currently serving his fourth consecutive administrative detention order.
As a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), Israel is legally bound to give effect to Article 37 which provides that 'the arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child... shall be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time.'
If you wish to take action, then please consider lobbying your elected representatives and demand that pressure be applied on Israeli authorities to cease the practice of prosecuting Palestinian children as young as 12 in military courts, and detaining them inside Israel. Full story
Related:
Israel Continues to Deny Palestinians’ Fundamental Human Rights
10-year-old boy beaten and detained for 11 hours
Report on the Medical Treatment of Palestinian Child Prisoners in Israeli Detention Facilities
Elderly refugee to join Gaza march
Ma'an
Palestinian refugee Yusif Barakat will return to Palestine with 1,000 international delegates of the Gaza Freedom March set for 31 December, the event's organizers said on Monday.
Yusif Barakat, 74, was born in Haifa, Palestine under the British Mandate. Barakat’s family was compelled to leave their home when Jewish immigrants were settled in Palestine after World War II.
In August 1947, as a 12-year-old shepherd boy, he landed at Ellis Island in the US with his family, not speaking a word of English. Four years later, his father died, leaving Barakat to take care of his mother and three sisters.
"He has been taking care of the needy ever since," the statement said. Now a retired psychotherapist, Barakat has devoted himself to working with the juvenile justice system, helping the youth develop trust and relationships through his treatment and rehabilitation program.
He also has deep emotional ties to his native Palestine and is deeply saddened that the US government is facilitating the suffering of Palestinians, the march's organizers wrote.
“I am appalled at the billions of US tax dollars that have gone to the Israeli government, which continues a 60-year-long occupation of Palestinian homelands. And when I saw all the death and destruction from the invasion of Gaza, I knew I had to do something. That’s why I’m joining the Gaza Freedom March.”
Departing for Egypt, Barakat and 1,000 other international activists will caravan into Gaza to witness the still remaining devastation of last year's attacks and on 31 December, will join local Palestinians in a nonviolent march from northern Gaza to the Erez border crossing into Israel. On the Israeli side of the Erez border Palestinians and Israelis will also call on the Israeli government to open the border.
...... other participants include Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker, leading Syrian comedian Duraid Lahham, South African anti-apartheid leader Ronnie Kasrils, French Senator Alima Boumediene–Thiery, author and Filipino Parliament member Walden Bello, former European Parliamentarian Luisa Morgantini from Italy, President of the US Center for Constitutional Rights attorney Michael Ratner, Japanese former Ambassador to Lebanon Naoto Amaki, French hip-hop artists Ministere des Affaires Populaires, among many others.
Families of three generations, doctors, lawyers, diplomats, 70 students, an interfaith group that includes rabbis, priests and imams, a women's delegation, a Jewish contingent, a veterans group and Palestinians born overseas who have never seen their families in Gaza will also join the march.
It is expected that 50,000 Palestinians will also participate in the event, spanning all segments of society and work, including NGOs, professors and students, and women's rights groups.
The march, set to take place in Gaza on 31 December, is described by the organizers as "an historic initiative to break the siege that has imprisoned the 1.5 million Palestinians who live there. Conceived in the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and nonviolent resistance to injustice worldwide, the march will gather people from all over the world to demand that the Israeli government open the borders." Full story
Palestinian refugee Yusif Barakat will return to Palestine with 1,000 international delegates of the Gaza Freedom March set for 31 December, the event's organizers said on Monday.
Yusif Barakat, 74, was born in Haifa, Palestine under the British Mandate. Barakat’s family was compelled to leave their home when Jewish immigrants were settled in Palestine after World War II.
In August 1947, as a 12-year-old shepherd boy, he landed at Ellis Island in the US with his family, not speaking a word of English. Four years later, his father died, leaving Barakat to take care of his mother and three sisters.
"He has been taking care of the needy ever since," the statement said. Now a retired psychotherapist, Barakat has devoted himself to working with the juvenile justice system, helping the youth develop trust and relationships through his treatment and rehabilitation program.
He also has deep emotional ties to his native Palestine and is deeply saddened that the US government is facilitating the suffering of Palestinians, the march's organizers wrote.
“I am appalled at the billions of US tax dollars that have gone to the Israeli government, which continues a 60-year-long occupation of Palestinian homelands. And when I saw all the death and destruction from the invasion of Gaza, I knew I had to do something. That’s why I’m joining the Gaza Freedom March.”
Departing for Egypt, Barakat and 1,000 other international activists will caravan into Gaza to witness the still remaining devastation of last year's attacks and on 31 December, will join local Palestinians in a nonviolent march from northern Gaza to the Erez border crossing into Israel. On the Israeli side of the Erez border Palestinians and Israelis will also call on the Israeli government to open the border.
...... other participants include Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker, leading Syrian comedian Duraid Lahham, South African anti-apartheid leader Ronnie Kasrils, French Senator Alima Boumediene–Thiery, author and Filipino Parliament member Walden Bello, former European Parliamentarian Luisa Morgantini from Italy, President of the US Center for Constitutional Rights attorney Michael Ratner, Japanese former Ambassador to Lebanon Naoto Amaki, French hip-hop artists Ministere des Affaires Populaires, among many others.
Families of three generations, doctors, lawyers, diplomats, 70 students, an interfaith group that includes rabbis, priests and imams, a women's delegation, a Jewish contingent, a veterans group and Palestinians born overseas who have never seen their families in Gaza will also join the march.
It is expected that 50,000 Palestinians will also participate in the event, spanning all segments of society and work, including NGOs, professors and students, and women's rights groups.
The march, set to take place in Gaza on 31 December, is described by the organizers as "an historic initiative to break the siege that has imprisoned the 1.5 million Palestinians who live there. Conceived in the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and nonviolent resistance to injustice worldwide, the march will gather people from all over the world to demand that the Israeli government open the borders." Full story
Qalqiliya village in 'dire economic' straights
Ma'an
The northern West Bank village of Azzun Atma, eastern Qalqiliya is reported to have the highest rate of unemployment in the West Bank, according to a report by the General Union of Palestinian Workers (GUPW) in the Qalqiliya district.
Azzun Atma has a population of 10,000 with an unemployment rate that exceeds 70%. ...more than 180 unemployed workers from the village have opted into the Food for Work program, funded by the UNDP and CHF, in turn under the supervision of the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture. However, the program was discontinued two years ago in Qalqiliya for unknown reasons.
...180 families used to get the basic food supplies from the FFW program in return for hiring one member of the family, yet after the program was discontinued, all these families remained without a source of income. He pointed out that the majority of Azzun Atma workers couldn’t obtain work permits in Israel. The reply to their applications was that they couldn’t be granted permits for “security reasons.” Only 100 workers can obtain such permits, he said.
“The farmers’ market in the village has closed due to the dire economic situation and the continuous closures of the village’s main entrances by Israeli forces,” ...
Acting mayor of Azzun Atma Iyad Khalaf described the economic situation as “disastrous.”...
The acting mayor also explained that many villagers couldn’t pay their utility bills to the municipal council, which in turn negatively impacted the services offered by the council. He asserted that an increase in poverty rates will necessarily lead to increase in violence and instability. Full story
The northern West Bank village of Azzun Atma, eastern Qalqiliya is reported to have the highest rate of unemployment in the West Bank, according to a report by the General Union of Palestinian Workers (GUPW) in the Qalqiliya district.
Azzun Atma has a population of 10,000 with an unemployment rate that exceeds 70%. ...more than 180 unemployed workers from the village have opted into the Food for Work program, funded by the UNDP and CHF, in turn under the supervision of the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture. However, the program was discontinued two years ago in Qalqiliya for unknown reasons.
...180 families used to get the basic food supplies from the FFW program in return for hiring one member of the family, yet after the program was discontinued, all these families remained without a source of income. He pointed out that the majority of Azzun Atma workers couldn’t obtain work permits in Israel. The reply to their applications was that they couldn’t be granted permits for “security reasons.” Only 100 workers can obtain such permits, he said.
“The farmers’ market in the village has closed due to the dire economic situation and the continuous closures of the village’s main entrances by Israeli forces,” ...
Acting mayor of Azzun Atma Iyad Khalaf described the economic situation as “disastrous.”...
The acting mayor also explained that many villagers couldn’t pay their utility bills to the municipal council, which in turn negatively impacted the services offered by the council. He asserted that an increase in poverty rates will necessarily lead to increase in violence and instability. Full story
Israeli forces storm Nablus village, search home
Ma'an
Israeli forces stormed a house in Beita in southern Nablus in the West Bank early on Monday morning and overturned the property, causing damage, eyewitnesses told Ma'an.
Seven Israeli vehicles raided the village at 1:30am and stormed the house of Jihad Hilal, 36, eyewitnesses said, adding that Israeli forces had police dogs with them
......Hilal was ordered to present himself at the Huwwara military outpost and has not been seen since. Full story
Israeli forces stormed a house in Beita in southern Nablus in the West Bank early on Monday morning and overturned the property, causing damage, eyewitnesses told Ma'an.
Seven Israeli vehicles raided the village at 1:30am and stormed the house of Jihad Hilal, 36, eyewitnesses said, adding that Israeli forces had police dogs with them
......Hilal was ordered to present himself at the Huwwara military outpost and has not been seen since. Full story
Ma'an
A demonstration will be held on Monday at noon outside the Jelemeh Prison in Haifa to protest the arrest of Palestinian grassroots activist Wael Al-Faqeeh Abu As-Sabe...
.....Al-Faqeeh was taken from his home by Israeli forces on 8 December, when 50 Israeli soldiers entered his house in the north of Nablus “aiming their weapons at Al-Faqeeh and his family,” the statement added.
Protestors said they will plant olive trees outside the prison, imitating Al-Faqeeh’s numerous tree-planting actions in Palestinian villages close to settlements.
“In the spirit of Al-Faqeeh's love and support of culture and the arts, demonstrators are encouraged to bring drums, musical instruments, and any other tools to gain attention and ensure our message is heard,” the ISM statement said.
Several Nablus districts were stormed on the same evening by 200 armed Israeli soldiers, in a raid targeting Palestinian activists, in which nine, including Al-Faqeeh, were detained. Among them were four leading members of the popular resistance, the ISM wrote.
From Nablus, forces detained a fifth activist from Awarta village and four young activists from Al-Ein Refugee Camp, named as Mayasar Itiany, 45, Abdul-Nasser Itiany, 38, Mussa Salama, 47, Nabih Abdul-Aziz Awwas, 47, Mahmud Huleiman, Muhammad Ibrahim Dahbour, Yousef Raja and Rubi Abu Khalifa.
Al-Faqeeh has worked with numerous local and international organizations which support Palestinian non-violent action, in addition to various youth-based organizations, farmers and villages. Full story
A demonstration will be held on Monday at noon outside the Jelemeh Prison in Haifa to protest the arrest of Palestinian grassroots activist Wael Al-Faqeeh Abu As-Sabe...
.....Al-Faqeeh was taken from his home by Israeli forces on 8 December, when 50 Israeli soldiers entered his house in the north of Nablus “aiming their weapons at Al-Faqeeh and his family,” the statement added.
Protestors said they will plant olive trees outside the prison, imitating Al-Faqeeh’s numerous tree-planting actions in Palestinian villages close to settlements.
“In the spirit of Al-Faqeeh's love and support of culture and the arts, demonstrators are encouraged to bring drums, musical instruments, and any other tools to gain attention and ensure our message is heard,” the ISM statement said.
Several Nablus districts were stormed on the same evening by 200 armed Israeli soldiers, in a raid targeting Palestinian activists, in which nine, including Al-Faqeeh, were detained. Among them were four leading members of the popular resistance, the ISM wrote.
From Nablus, forces detained a fifth activist from Awarta village and four young activists from Al-Ein Refugee Camp, named as Mayasar Itiany, 45, Abdul-Nasser Itiany, 38, Mussa Salama, 47, Nabih Abdul-Aziz Awwas, 47, Mahmud Huleiman, Muhammad Ibrahim Dahbour, Yousef Raja and Rubi Abu Khalifa.
Al-Faqeeh has worked with numerous local and international organizations which support Palestinian non-violent action, in addition to various youth-based organizations, farmers and villages. Full story
Gaza power cuts up to 32 hours per week
Ma'an
Electricity is to be distributed in Gaza on just four days a week, for eight hours a day, a spokesman for the local power company said on Sunday.
“Gaza is suffering a 25% shortage of electricity. It is expected that the shortage will increase to 35% because of winter and low temperatures which lead to an increase in [electricity] use during winter, as residents use electric heating appliances,” said Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) spokesman...
Palestinians living in Gaza are to expect between 18 to 32 hours without electricity per week, he said...
Ad-Dardasawi pointed to a number of factors as causes of the power cuts, including Israel’s refusal to allow in sufficient fuel, malfunctions with distribution lines, and the sudden cutting off of power from Israel.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), last week Israel allowed 2.46 million liters of industrial fuel into Gaza, about 78% of what the Strip’s only power plant needs to operate at full capacity.
In addition, Gaza’s electric network was badly damaged during Israel’s war on Gaza last winter. Due to the damage, some 40,000 people are without electricity all the time, OCHA reports.
“The only realistic solution to easing the electricity shortage is for Israel to increase the amount of fuel that is allowed into Gaza...
.......“what deepens the crisis is Israel’s denying access to the materials that are needed by the company such cables, columns and parts for maintenance. There are 240 different kinds of equipment that we are lacking, which are waiting for Israel to allow into Gaza.” Full story
Electricity is to be distributed in Gaza on just four days a week, for eight hours a day, a spokesman for the local power company said on Sunday.
“Gaza is suffering a 25% shortage of electricity. It is expected that the shortage will increase to 35% because of winter and low temperatures which lead to an increase in [electricity] use during winter, as residents use electric heating appliances,” said Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) spokesman...
Palestinians living in Gaza are to expect between 18 to 32 hours without electricity per week, he said...
Ad-Dardasawi pointed to a number of factors as causes of the power cuts, including Israel’s refusal to allow in sufficient fuel, malfunctions with distribution lines, and the sudden cutting off of power from Israel.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), last week Israel allowed 2.46 million liters of industrial fuel into Gaza, about 78% of what the Strip’s only power plant needs to operate at full capacity.
In addition, Gaza’s electric network was badly damaged during Israel’s war on Gaza last winter. Due to the damage, some 40,000 people are without electricity all the time, OCHA reports.
“The only realistic solution to easing the electricity shortage is for Israel to increase the amount of fuel that is allowed into Gaza...
.......“what deepens the crisis is Israel’s denying access to the materials that are needed by the company such cables, columns and parts for maintenance. There are 240 different kinds of equipment that we are lacking, which are waiting for Israel to allow into Gaza.” Full story
Rights group: Israeli soldiers detain two Gaza teens
Ma'an
Israeli soldiers detained two Palestinian teenagers on Sunday after entering the ruins of the Erez industrial zone in the northern Gaza Strip, a human rights group said.
The Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights in Gaza said the soldiers detained Mahmoud Jamil Hasan Al-Yazeji, 16, and Mohammad Hatem Qasem Al-Kafarneh, 17 and took them across the border into Israel. Al-Kafarneh was later released, and Al-Yazeji held.
Attorneys from the organization said in a statement that the Israeli military was interrogating Al-Yazeji in a prison in the city of Ashkelon. A court ordered that he be detained until Friday, the lawyers added.
A field investigation carried out by the center found that the teens were working in ruins of the industrial area, breaking apart rubble from destroyed buildings in order to sell the material to brick factories. This practice arose as a result of Israel’s ban on construction materials entering Gaza.
...On 18 November Israeli forces also arrested eight Palestinian workers from the industrial area, one of them a child, and took them into Israel. They were released the same day.
The Israeli-controlled joint industrial zone was abandoned by Israel in 2005 and the area was later bombarded by the Israeli military, including in last winter’s war in Gaza. Full story
Israeli soldiers detained two Palestinian teenagers on Sunday after entering the ruins of the Erez industrial zone in the northern Gaza Strip, a human rights group said.
The Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights in Gaza said the soldiers detained Mahmoud Jamil Hasan Al-Yazeji, 16, and Mohammad Hatem Qasem Al-Kafarneh, 17 and took them across the border into Israel. Al-Kafarneh was later released, and Al-Yazeji held.
Attorneys from the organization said in a statement that the Israeli military was interrogating Al-Yazeji in a prison in the city of Ashkelon. A court ordered that he be detained until Friday, the lawyers added.
A field investigation carried out by the center found that the teens were working in ruins of the industrial area, breaking apart rubble from destroyed buildings in order to sell the material to brick factories. This practice arose as a result of Israel’s ban on construction materials entering Gaza.
...On 18 November Israeli forces also arrested eight Palestinian workers from the industrial area, one of them a child, and took them into Israel. They were released the same day.
The Israeli-controlled joint industrial zone was abandoned by Israel in 2005 and the area was later bombarded by the Israeli military, including in last winter’s war in Gaza. Full story
Monday, December 14, 2009
Reports: UK issues arrest warrant for Tzipi Livni
Tzipi LivniMa'an
A British court has issued an arrest warrant for former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni over her involvement in Israel's assault on Gaza last winter...
There were conflicting reports over her whereabouts...
The London-based newspaper The Jewish Chronicle first reported that Livni, fearing arrest, cancelled a visit to the UK over the weekend. She was scheduled to speak at the Jewish National Fund's 2010 conference in London and meet British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the report said.
Approached by Ma'an, JNF chairman Samuel Hayek said in a statement Livni was "unable to attend" the conference, and that she sent a pre-recorded message in her stead. "I am not at liberty to confirm her precise reasons for not attending...
Human rights attorney Shawqi Issa, a specialist in international law, said the type of order supposedly issued in London would only apply if Livni were inside the UK. "Legally, the British court couldn't have issued an arrest warrant except in the event that it confirmed her presence on British soil," he said in an interview.
Meanwhile, Ma'an was told that police visited a residence in which the Israeli opposition leader was thought to be staying. According to this report, Livni was in the UK rather than Israel on Monday afternoon.
A spokesman for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to speculate. Calls to the British Consulate in Jerusalem went unanswered, and the country's embassy in Tel Aviv did not return calls seeking comment.
Livni's office denied the arrest reports, but affirmed that she cancelled the UK visit. "We declined the invitation to the annual JNF conference two weeks ago. Livni is proud of all the decisions she made regarding Operation Cast Lead," her office said in a statement, according to the Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth. Full story
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Daily Situation Report: Dec 11. 2009
PMG
Israeli actions in the Palestinian Occupied Territories
Israeli actions in the Palestinian Occupied Territories
- Caused Death — 1
- Physical Assaults — 13 Incl. protestors beaten in Jerusalem
- Injuries — 12 Incl. 9 in Ramallah and 2 in Bethlehem
- Attacks -- 12 Incl. 5 from mil. posts & 1 by the navy
- Raids — 14 Incl. 1 in Jerusalem and 1 in Ramallah
- Arrests (per person) — 5 Incl. a Palestinian security officer
- Detentions — 14 Incl. a mentally challenged civilian
- Wall Construction — 21 Incl. Jer., Raml’h., Salfit, & Qalqiliya
- Closure of Checkpoints — 8 Incl. access impeded at 5 checkpoints
- Flying Checkpoints — 24 Incl. 3 in Jericho and 7 in Hebron
- Closure (per District) — 7 Incl. Jerusalem and 4 areas in Hebron
- Closure of Main Roads — 38 Incl. 7 in Nablus and 15 in Hebron
- Closure of Crossing Points — 7 All crossing points closed completely
- Settler Violence — 3 Incl. access gained to civilian locales
- Palestinian Attack — 1 Fire opened and 1 mortar fired
- Pal. Security Measure — 1 An old mortar detonated in Tubas
- Demonstrations — 5 Incl. against settlers burning a mosque in Salfit Full report
Palestinian Christian leaders call Israeli occupation "a sin against God"
IMEMCA group of Palestinian Christian leaders released a document on Friday calling on Christians around the world to join them in calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. The 12-page document, entitled “The Kairos Palestine Document”, highlights the urgent need for peace with justice in the Palestinian Territories, “because today we have reached a dead end in the tragedy of the Palestinian people.”
In the document, the church leaders ask, “The hearts of the faithful are filled with pain and with questioning: What is the international community doing? What are the political leaders in Palestine, in Israel and in the Arab world doing? What is the Church doing?”
They state “The problem is not just a political one. It is a policy in which human beings are destroyed, and this must be of concern to the Church.”
Palestinian Christians make up less than 2% of the population of the West Bank and Gaza. Although the number used to be much higher, many Christians moved away due to enticement programs in which European nations offered them citizenship.
Many of the Christians in the West Bank and Gaza can trace their ancestry in the region back dozens of generations, and some have maintained the Aramaic language of Christ...
In the document, the church leaders state, “God created us not to engage in strife and conflict but together build up the land in love and mutual respect. Our connectedness to this land is a natural right. It is not an ideological or a theological question only.” Full story
Israeli forces detain 65-year-old Nablus woman
Ma'an
Israeli forces detained a 65-year-old Palestinian woman, Rabi’a Bilal, from the northern West Bank city of Nablus after ransacking her home on Sunday morning, a rights group said.
According to Ahrar Center for Prisoners Studies and Human Rights, five of Rabi’a’s sons were jailed in Israel, one of whom, Ubada, is blind.
Early in November, Ubada’s wife Nelly was also detained...
Israeli forces detained two other Palestinians in Hebron overnight Saturday, a military official said. Over 500 Palestinians were detained inside Israel over the weekend, allegedly for working without permits. Full story
Israeli forces detained a 65-year-old Palestinian woman, Rabi’a Bilal, from the northern West Bank city of Nablus after ransacking her home on Sunday morning, a rights group said.
According to Ahrar Center for Prisoners Studies and Human Rights, five of Rabi’a’s sons were jailed in Israel, one of whom, Ubada, is blind.
Early in November, Ubada’s wife Nelly was also detained...
Israeli forces detained two other Palestinians in Hebron overnight Saturday, a military official said. Over 500 Palestinians were detained inside Israel over the weekend, allegedly for working without permits. Full story
European Union 'dismayed' over settler vandalism
Ma'an
he presidency of European Union is dismayed at Friday's vandalization of a Palestinian mosque in the northern West Bank village of Yasuf, Swedish Consul General to Jerusalem Nils Eliasson said.
... the EU also welcomed the reaction of Israeli authorities "who have condemned this criminal act and initiated investigations."
...Israeli settlers set fire to the Al-Kabir Mosque in Yasuf on Friday morning. The fire destroyed copies of the Quran and other objects inside. Settlers also wrote graffiti in Hebrew on the mosque’s floor reading, “We will have our revenge” and “We will burn you all.”
...Even one settler added his condemnation late Friday night. The illegal settlement of Teqoa's chief rabbi, Menachem Froman, denounced those responsible for attack.
He told Ma'an the incident "does not represent the settlers, nor Jews." Full story
he presidency of European Union is dismayed at Friday's vandalization of a Palestinian mosque in the northern West Bank village of Yasuf, Swedish Consul General to Jerusalem Nils Eliasson said.
... the EU also welcomed the reaction of Israeli authorities "who have condemned this criminal act and initiated investigations."
...Israeli settlers set fire to the Al-Kabir Mosque in Yasuf on Friday morning. The fire destroyed copies of the Quran and other objects inside. Settlers also wrote graffiti in Hebrew on the mosque’s floor reading, “We will have our revenge” and “We will burn you all.”
...Even one settler added his condemnation late Friday night. The illegal settlement of Teqoa's chief rabbi, Menachem Froman, denounced those responsible for attack.
He told Ma'an the incident "does not represent the settlers, nor Jews." Full story
Medics: Israeli fire kills Gaza man
Ma'an
Israeli shelling killed a Palestinian civilian in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, a medical official said.
......Palestinian eyewitnesses reported clashes in the area where Khousah was injured. They said Palestinian fighters exchanged fire with the Israeli military, which fired artillery shells. Full story
Israeli shelling killed a Palestinian civilian in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, a medical official said.
......Palestinian eyewitnesses reported clashes in the area where Khousah was injured. They said Palestinian fighters exchanged fire with the Israeli military, which fired artillery shells. Full story
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Israeli forces disrupt UNRWA chief's farewell
UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen AbuZaydMa'an
Israeli police ordered outgoing UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen AbuZayd to leave an East Jerusalem home on Thursday during her last official visit as the head of the relief agency.
Ma’an’s reporter on the scene said AbuZayd left after police gave her five minutes to evacuate...
Amidst Israeli police and soldiers, AbuZayd visited Palestinians recently evicted from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem on International Human Rights Day. She spoke of Jerusalem as a “City of Dispossession,”
"On this day, and in this place, I wish to remind the international community of the unfinished business in Sheikh Jarrah and elsewhere in the West Bank,” she said.
“The dispossessed, the displaced must see their losses acknowledged, their injustices addressed,” she added. “Peace is possible, but only if we insist on our universal humanity."...
During a news conference before entering the Al-Kurd house, AbuZayd said, "As a colleague of mine said, we have 'failed with distinction' … I am leaving reluctantly, at a time of greater political uncertainty than at any time I've been here in nine years and at a greater time of economic and financial difficulties."
.....“The impact of this urban settlement activity being conducted with seeming impunity is manifold and acute,” AbuZayd continued..
UN condemnation of forced evictions
AbuZayd reaffirmed the UN's condemnation of the ongoing Israeli policy of forced evictions of Palestinians and house demolitions...
"To date, four of the 28 families have lost their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, affecting over 55 people including 20 children. At present, a further eight families are under direct threat of forced eviction, having been served with orders to vacate their homes, potentialy affected another 120 people. In all incidents to date, settlers have taken over with the active protection and assistance of the Israeli authorities. But the numbers don't speak to the human suffering and trauma that has been the unfortunate hallmark of these forced evictions."
Plight of the Bedouin
..."On International Human Right day, I would also like to highlight the plight of one of the most disadvantaged groups in this region, the bedouins of the West Bank."
"As the occupying power, Israel remains responsible for ensuring that the basic needs of the occupied population are met. But many refugee Bedouin and herding communities, originally displaced from their traditional lands in 1948, are now experiencing multiple counts of displacement from area C as they are forcibly moved from their homes."
"These groups are now sinking deeper into food insecurity and abject poverty, as grazing land continues to shrink and access to natural resources is severely restricted by the occupying power. Administrative demolition, forced evictions, collapsing livelihoods, poverty and settler harassment represent the key triggers to displacement for area C herding communities today and they're already stretched coping mechanism are now reaching their limits. They're full rights must be respected as a matter of utmost urgency."
........Israeli army soldiers were also on the scene.... The forces also dispersed journalists from the area... Full story
Boycott Committee applauds Christian call for sanctions
Ma'an
The Palestinian [boycott committee] applauded prominent Christian Palestinian leaders on Friday after they released a document calling on churches around the world "to say a word of truth and to take a position of truth with regard to Israel's occupation of Palestinian land."
...The [committee] issued the following statement after the document's release:
"... salutes the moral clarity, courage and principled position conveyed in this new document, which emphasizes that resisting injustice should 'concern the Church' and is 'a right and a duty for a Christian,' adding that it is 'a resistance with love as its logic.'
"The BNC keenly notes the importance of releasing this historical call on this day, December 11th , which marks the 61st anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194, issued in 1948, calling for the return of the Palestinian refugees to their homes of origin 'at the earliest practicable date.' .... Full story
The Palestinian [boycott committee] applauded prominent Christian Palestinian leaders on Friday after they released a document calling on churches around the world "to say a word of truth and to take a position of truth with regard to Israel's occupation of Palestinian land."
...The [committee] issued the following statement after the document's release:
"... salutes the moral clarity, courage and principled position conveyed in this new document, which emphasizes that resisting injustice should 'concern the Church' and is 'a right and a duty for a Christian,' adding that it is 'a resistance with love as its logic.'
"The BNC keenly notes the importance of releasing this historical call on this day, December 11th , which marks the 61st anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194, issued in 1948, calling for the return of the Palestinian refugees to their homes of origin 'at the earliest practicable date.' .... Full story
One injured by live ammunition at weekly demonstration in Ni’lin
Photo by Ahmad Mesleh Palsolidarity
More than 150 residents of Ni’lin, international and Israeli activists attended today’s [Dec 11] weekly Friday protest against the Wall.
After the Friday prayer, which was held on the village’s land, demonstrators marched towards one of the gates, chanting slogans against the confiscation of Palestinian land...
When the demonstrators reached the gate and started climbing the Wall, a small number of soldiers arrived in a jeep and started shooting large quantities of tear gas canisters into the crowd. After the crowd dispersed, clashes erupted between the soldiers and the village youth, with soldiers using live ammunition against the demonstrators.
Simultaneously, the main entrance to the village was blocked by Israeli forces, preventing everybody from both entering and leaving the village.
After about one hour, a large number of soldiers entered the village’s land from two sides and started chasing the demonstrators towards the village, using large quantities of live ammunition.
One protester (27 years old) was shot just above the knee and was taken to Ramallah hospital immediately... Full story
Friday, December 11, 2009
Bil'in leader Abdallah Abu Rahmah arrested during military night raid
Palsolidarity
As part of a recent escalation of political arrests in Bil'in, Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a school teacher and coordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee was arrested by Israeli soldiers
As part of a recent escalation of political arrests in Bil'in, Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a school teacher and coordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee was arrested by Israeli soldiers
At exactly 2 AM last night, seven Israeli military jeeps pulled over at Abdallah Abu Rahmah's residence in the city of Ramallah. Soldiers raided the house and arrested Abu Rahmah from his bed in the presence of his wife and children. Abu Rahmah is a high school teacher in the Latin Patriarchate school in Birzeit near Ramallah and is the coordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements. A previous raid targeting Abu Rahmah was executed with such exceptional violence on 15 September 2009, that a soldier was subsequently indicted for assault.
Abu Rahmah's arrest is part of an escalation in Israeli military’s attempts to break the spirit of the people of Bil'in, their popular leadership, and the popular struggle as a whole - aimed at crushing demonstrations against the Wall...
Following Abu Rahmah's arrest, Adv. Lasky, stated that "My client's arrest is another blatant illustration of the Israeli authorities' application of legal procedures for the political persecution of Bil’in residents. The Bil'in demonstrators are being systematically targeted while it is the State that is in contempt of a High Court of Justice ruling; a ruling which affirmed that the protesters have justice on their side and instructed 2 years ago that the route of the Wall in the area be changed, which has not been implemented to date."
Since 23 June 2009, 31 residents of Bil'in have been detained by the military. The Army has pursued Popular Committee members in its arrest operation, but all three detained members were released for lack of evidence. In the case of another member, Mohammed Khatib, the court even found some of the presented evidence to be falsified.
In addition to committee members, a leading Bil'in activist, Adeeb Abu Rahmah, who has been detained for over five months, is not suspected of committing any violence, but was indicted with a blanket charge of “incitement”, which was very liberally interpreted in this case to include the organizing of grassroots demonstrations. Full story
US Cutting Gaza Lifeline
Information Clearing House - Ann Wright
No doubt at the instigation of the Israeli government, the Obama administration has authorized the United States Army Corps of Engineers to design a vertical underground wall under the border between Egypt and Gaza.
In March, 2009 the United States provided the government of Egypt with $32 million in March, 2009 for electronic surveillance and other security devices to prevent the movement of food, merchandise and weapons into Gaza. Now details are emerging about an underground steel wall that wil be 6-7 miles long and extend 55 feet straight down into the desert sand.
No doubt at the instigation of the Israeli government, the Obama administration has authorized the United States Army Corps of Engineers to design a vertical underground wall under the border between Egypt and Gaza.
In March, 2009 the United States provided the government of Egypt with $32 million in March, 2009 for electronic surveillance and other security devices to prevent the movement of food, merchandise and weapons into Gaza. Now details are emerging about an underground steel wall that wil be 6-7 miles long and extend 55 feet straight down into the desert sand.
...The steel wall is intended to cut the tunnels that go between Gaza and Egypt.
The tunnels are the lifelines for Gaza since the international community agreed to a blockade of Gaza to collectively punish the citizens of Gaza for their having elected in Parliamentary elections in 2006 sufficient Hamas Parliamentarians that Hamas became the government of Gaza. The United States and other western countries have placed Hamas on the list of terrorist organizations.
The underground steel wall is intended to strengthen international governmental efforts to imprison and starve the people of Gaza into submission so they will throw out the Hamas government.>...America's super technology will again be laughed at by the world, as young men dedicated to the survival of their people, will again outwit technology by digging deeper, and most likely penetrating the "impenetrable" in some novel, simple, low-tech way.
I have been to Gaza 3 times this year following the 22-day Israeli military attack on Gaza that killed 1,440, wounded 5,000, left 50,000 homeless and destroyed much of the infrastructure of Gaza. The disproportionate use of force and targeting of the civilian population by the Israeli military is considered by international law and human rights experts as as violations of the Geneva conventions.
When our governments participate in illegal actions, it is up to the citizens of the world to take action. On December 31, 2009, 1,400 international citizens from 42 countries will march in Gaza with 50,000 Gazans in the Gaza Freedom March to end the siege of Gaza. They will take back to their countries the stories of spirit and survival of the pople of Gaza and will return home committed to force their governments to stop these inhuman actions against the people of Gaza....
A moment of truth: A word of faith, hope and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering
Ma'anWe, a group of Christian Palestinians, after prayer, reflection and an exchange of opinion, cry out from within the suffering in our country, under the Israeli occupation, with a cry of hope in the absence of all hope, a cry full of prayer and faith in a God ever vigilant, in God’s divine providence for all the inhabitants of this land. Inspired by the mystery of God's love for all, the mystery of God’s divine presence in the history of all peoples and, in a particular way, in the history of our country, we proclaim our word based on our Christian faith and our sense of Palestinian belonging – a word of faith, hope and love.
Why now? Because today we have reached a dead end in the tragedy of the Palestinian people. The decision-makers content themselves with managing the crisis rather than committing themselves to the serious task of finding a way to resolve it. The hearts of the faithful are filled with pain and with questioning: What is the international community doing? ... What is the Church doing? .... It is a policy in which human beings are destroyed, and this must be of concern to the Church.
We address ourselves to our brothers and sisters, members of our Churches in this land. We call out as Christians and as Palestinians to our religious and political leaders, to our Palestinian society and to the Israeli society, to the international community, and to our Christian brothers and sisters in the Churches around the world. Full text
Daily Situation Report: Dec 8, 2009
PMG
Israeli actions:
Israeli actions:
- Physical Assaults — 6 Beat a number of civilians in Beth. & Heb.
- Arrests (per person) — 16 Incl. 13 in Nablus & 2 in Jerusalem
- Expulsions — 7 Expelling 7 civilians from Sheikh Jarrah
- Detentions — 12 At checkpoints & in residential locales
- Raids -- 23 Incl. 1 in Central Gaza & 1 in Jericho
- Checkpoints — 8 Access impeded at 5 checkpoints
- Flying Checkpoints — 10 Incl. 3 in Hebron & 1 in Salfit
- Attacks -- 4 Incl. 1 by navy boats & 1 by mil. Posts
- Air Patrol — 1 Reconnaissance above Central Gaza dis.
- Wall Construction — 21 Jer., Raml’h., Qalq., Salfit, Heb., Beth.
- Closure (per District) — 7 Jer., Beth. (2 villages) & Hebron (4 areas)
- Closure of Main Roads — 38 Incl. 7 in Nablus & 3 in Ramallah
- Closure of Crossing Points — 3 Partial opening of 4 crossings
- Palestinian Attack — 1 Opening fire towards Israeli army patrol Full report
Alison Weir interviews Gideon Levy
CNI: Jerusalem Calling
Alison Weir, CNI board member and executive director of If Americans Knew, interviewed prominent Israeli journalist Gideon Levy on CNI Jerusalem Calling... Listen to interview
Alison Weir, CNI board member and executive director of If Americans Knew, interviewed prominent Israeli journalist Gideon Levy on CNI Jerusalem Calling... Listen to interview
Gideon Levy / Let's face the facts, Israel is a semi-theocracy
Ha'aretz
...From birth to death, from circumcision to funeral, from the establishment of the state to the establishment of the last of the illegal outposts in the West Bank - we are operating in the shadow of the commandments of religion.
.......People who are entirely secular also cite religious and biblical explanations for the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. We can't even say whether Judaism is a religion or a nationality - and in any event, there is no other country in the Western world where religion has its holy iron grip on the state as it does in Israel.
......There are no civil marriages or divorces, and there are almost no secular funerals. The Law of Return and the definition of who is a Jew - the most fundamental and significant of Israeli precepts - are based on halakha...
......Torah sages of various kinds make decisions on fateful political issues - at the homes of miracle workers, magicians and those passing out amulets - and the lines outside their doors are growing...
......None of us had ever heard of the New Testament, and no one would have dared teach it as part of the education we are trying to glorify. We were also afraid to even enter a church. Full story
...From birth to death, from circumcision to funeral, from the establishment of the state to the establishment of the last of the illegal outposts in the West Bank - we are operating in the shadow of the commandments of religion.
.......People who are entirely secular also cite religious and biblical explanations for the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. We can't even say whether Judaism is a religion or a nationality - and in any event, there is no other country in the Western world where religion has its holy iron grip on the state as it does in Israel.
......There are no civil marriages or divorces, and there are almost no secular funerals. The Law of Return and the definition of who is a Jew - the most fundamental and significant of Israeli precepts - are based on halakha...
......Torah sages of various kinds make decisions on fateful political issues - at the homes of miracle workers, magicians and those passing out amulets - and the lines outside their doors are growing...
......None of us had ever heard of the New Testament, and no one would have dared teach it as part of the education we are trying to glorify. We were also afraid to even enter a church. Full story
Israel seals Gaza borders
Ma'an
Israeli forces decided on to close all goods crossing points into the Gaza Strip on Friday, a Palestinian official said.
... all three main crossing points for food, fuel, and all other goods would be shut. The crossings have not been open on Fridays since August.... They are closed on Saturdays.
...Israel placed the Gaza Strip under a blockade in June 2007, slashing imports, banning exports, and prohibiting Palestinians in Gaza from leaving. Full story
Israeli forces decided on to close all goods crossing points into the Gaza Strip on Friday, a Palestinian official said.
... all three main crossing points for food, fuel, and all other goods would be shut. The crossings have not been open on Fridays since August.... They are closed on Saturdays.
...Israel placed the Gaza Strip under a blockade in June 2007, slashing imports, banning exports, and prohibiting Palestinians in Gaza from leaving. Full story
6 Palestinians injured at mosque arson protest
Ma'an
Six Palestinians fainted after inhaling tear gas fired by the Israeli military during a protest east of Salfit on Friday.
...Residents took to the streets in Yasouf, a village in the northern West Bank, after Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque earlier the same day and spray-painted hateful and threatening graffiti there.
Soldiers opened fire when the crowd arrived near the illegal Tapouh settlement, which was built on Yasouf village lands. Full story
Six Palestinians fainted after inhaling tear gas fired by the Israeli military during a protest east of Salfit on Friday.
...Residents took to the streets in Yasouf, a village in the northern West Bank, after Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque earlier the same day and spray-painted hateful and threatening graffiti there.
Soldiers opened fire when the crowd arrived near the illegal Tapouh settlement, which was built on Yasouf village lands. Full story
Dutch envoy: EU sees East Jerusalem as occupied land
Dutch envoy Jack Twiss Quarles van Ufford (R) in Bethlehem [MaanImages]Ma'an
The thrust of the EU foreign ministers’ statement passed on Tuesday was to confirm that East Jerusalem was occupied territory, Holland’s envoy to the Palestinian Authority said on Thursday.
Jack Twiss Quarles van Ufford, the head of the Netherlands’ Representative Office in Ramallah, said the ministerial statement “reconfirms that East Jerusalem is considered occupied territory, like the rest of the West Bank.” Full story
Israeli court upholds ban on family visits for Gaza prisoners
Ma'an
The Israeli Supreme Court rejected on Wednesday evening a petition requesting that Palestinians from Gaza be allowed to visit relatives in Israeli prisons.
Israel Radio reported the petition was brought by the Palestinian-Israeli human rights group Adalah. It added that the judges ruled that family visits do not fall under the ‘minimum humanitarian needs’ Israel is committed to allow in and out of Gaza.
Israel has rebuffed calls in the past from the International Committee of the Red Cross, which arranges family visits, to allow Palestinian families to visit the 900 Gazan prisoners. Rights groups say the ban amounts to collective punishment. Full story
The Israeli Supreme Court rejected on Wednesday evening a petition requesting that Palestinians from Gaza be allowed to visit relatives in Israeli prisons.
Israel Radio reported the petition was brought by the Palestinian-Israeli human rights group Adalah. It added that the judges ruled that family visits do not fall under the ‘minimum humanitarian needs’ Israel is committed to allow in and out of Gaza.
Israel has rebuffed calls in the past from the International Committee of the Red Cross, which arranges family visits, to allow Palestinian families to visit the 900 Gazan prisoners. Rights groups say the ban amounts to collective punishment. Full story
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Israel bans EU MPs from Gaza
Ma'an
Israel banned a delegation of European members of parliament from entering the Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing on Wednesday, despite previously approving the visit, the EU said.
“Israel had yesterday afternoon granted final permission for all members of our delegation to travel,” the European Parliament group said in a statement.
“However, some three hours later entry for all members of the delegation was rescinded ’on security grounds,’ without further explanation,”
“We insist on a full explanation of the security risks claimed by Israel,” the statement continued. “We received the news of the cancellation with bewilderment and dismay.”
“It is extremely curious that the cancellation came within a few hours of the announcement of the EU Council statement re-affirming Europe’s strong position in favor of an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders and an end to settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” the statement added.
...The European delegation said it planned to check on humanitarian conditions in Gaza, meet with UNRWA operations director John Ging, and hold talks with members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).
...Last week Irish Foreign Minister Michel Martin said he had been denied a request to enter Gaza.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto’lu and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner were also barred from Gaza recently.
The European delegation also said that the denial of access into Gaza was minor compared to Israeli violations of Palestinians’ rights: “The inconvenience caused to our delegation is minor compared to the constant tension and harassment to which Palestinians live with in the occupied territories including house demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem, and the appalling conditions under which the people are living in Gaza as reported to us by ECHO, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid office.”
They added that the ban “does not improve the relationship between this Israeli government and the European Parliament.”
“By denying elected members of the European Parliament the opportunity to meet our democratically-elected counterparts of the PLC is an unacceptable interference in the democratic process, and is contrary to international law,” the statement added. Full story
Israel banned a delegation of European members of parliament from entering the Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing on Wednesday, despite previously approving the visit, the EU said.
“Israel had yesterday afternoon granted final permission for all members of our delegation to travel,” the European Parliament group said in a statement.
“However, some three hours later entry for all members of the delegation was rescinded ’on security grounds,’ without further explanation,”
“We insist on a full explanation of the security risks claimed by Israel,” the statement continued. “We received the news of the cancellation with bewilderment and dismay.”
“It is extremely curious that the cancellation came within a few hours of the announcement of the EU Council statement re-affirming Europe’s strong position in favor of an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders and an end to settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” the statement added.
...The European delegation said it planned to check on humanitarian conditions in Gaza, meet with UNRWA operations director John Ging, and hold talks with members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).
...Last week Irish Foreign Minister Michel Martin said he had been denied a request to enter Gaza.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto’lu and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner were also barred from Gaza recently.
The European delegation also said that the denial of access into Gaza was minor compared to Israeli violations of Palestinians’ rights: “The inconvenience caused to our delegation is minor compared to the constant tension and harassment to which Palestinians live with in the occupied territories including house demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem, and the appalling conditions under which the people are living in Gaza as reported to us by ECHO, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid office.”
They added that the ban “does not improve the relationship between this Israeli government and the European Parliament.”
“By denying elected members of the European Parliament the opportunity to meet our democratically-elected counterparts of the PLC is an unacceptable interference in the democratic process, and is contrary to international law,” the statement added. Full story
Israeli court: Bethlehem student won't leave Gaza
Ma'an
Bethlehem University student Berlanty Azzam will not be allowed to enter the West Bank to finish her studies, a three-judge panel on Israel's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
In late October, the student was pulled out of a public bus on her way to Bethlehem because her place of residence is listed as Gaza on her ID card.
Her lawyers argued that her detention and subsequent deportation to Gaza was an illegal move. Israeli forces should have no control over which Palestinian area those with Palestinian Authority residence cards live, they contend.
Azzam was granted a permit to visit Jerusalem in 2005, and then nearby Bethlehem, an area under Palestinian Authority control, before her permit expired. She lived in the West Bank from 2005 until 29 October 2009.
Hesitant of setting a precedent, the State of Israel had urged its military to resolve the case itself, but the army countered that the deportation was appropriate because Azzam held no permit to be in the West Bank.
Elam, Azzam's attorney, countered that Palestinians do not need permission to live in PA-controlled areas, and that in any case the military did not issue such permits in 2005, when the business administration student first enrolled at the Catholic university.
"[I]n the midst of all of this, let us always remember that we are talking about the real life of a real young woman and her future goals and aspirations - all being placed 'on hold' without any accusation whatsoever of any criminal or other negative behavior being leveled against her," said Brother Jack Curran, the university's vice president for development, in a statement last week.
Since 2000, Israel has enforced a total ban preventing Palestinian students from Gaza from studying at West Bank universities.
.......In 2007, an Israeli Supreme Court ruling determined that students from Gaza wishing to study in the West Bank should be allowed to do so "in cases likely to have positive humane implications." In practice, however, Israel has not issued a single entry permit to students from Gaza for the purpose of traveling to study in the West Bank – despite numerous applications, according to Gisha. Full story
Bethlehem University student Berlanty Azzam will not be allowed to enter the West Bank to finish her studies, a three-judge panel on Israel's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
In late October, the student was pulled out of a public bus on her way to Bethlehem because her place of residence is listed as Gaza on her ID card.
Her lawyers argued that her detention and subsequent deportation to Gaza was an illegal move. Israeli forces should have no control over which Palestinian area those with Palestinian Authority residence cards live, they contend.
Azzam was granted a permit to visit Jerusalem in 2005, and then nearby Bethlehem, an area under Palestinian Authority control, before her permit expired. She lived in the West Bank from 2005 until 29 October 2009.
Hesitant of setting a precedent, the State of Israel had urged its military to resolve the case itself, but the army countered that the deportation was appropriate because Azzam held no permit to be in the West Bank.
Elam, Azzam's attorney, countered that Palestinians do not need permission to live in PA-controlled areas, and that in any case the military did not issue such permits in 2005, when the business administration student first enrolled at the Catholic university.
"[I]n the midst of all of this, let us always remember that we are talking about the real life of a real young woman and her future goals and aspirations - all being placed 'on hold' without any accusation whatsoever of any criminal or other negative behavior being leveled against her," said Brother Jack Curran, the university's vice president for development, in a statement last week.
Since 2000, Israel has enforced a total ban preventing Palestinian students from Gaza from studying at West Bank universities.
.......In 2007, an Israeli Supreme Court ruling determined that students from Gaza wishing to study in the West Bank should be allowed to do so "in cases likely to have positive humane implications." In practice, however, Israel has not issued a single entry permit to students from Gaza for the purpose of traveling to study in the West Bank – despite numerous applications, according to Gisha. Full story
Who will save Gaza's children?
UK Guardian - Victoria Brittain
Never mind Copenhagen, an environmental catastrophe is going on right now – contaminated water is poisoning babies in Gaza
Never mind Copenhagen, an environmental catastrophe is going on right now – contaminated water is poisoning babies in Gaza
Among all the complex and long-term solutions being sought in Copenhagen for averting environmental catastrophe across the world, there is one place where the catastrophe has already happened, but could be immediately ameliorated with one simple political act.
In Gaza there is now no uncontaminated water; of the 40,000 or so newborn babies, at least half are at immediate risk of nitrate poisoning – incidence of "blue baby syndrome", methaemoglobinaemia, is exceptionally high; an unprecedented number of people have been exposed to nitrate poisoning over 10 years; in some places the nitrate content in water is 300 times World Health Organisation standards; the agricultural economy is dying from the contamination and salinated water; the underground aquifer is stressed to the point of collapse; and sewage and waste water flows into public spaces and the aquifer.
The blockade of Gaza has gone on for nearly four years, and the vital water and sanitation infrastructure went past creaking to virtual collapse during the three-week assault on the territory almost a year ago.
What would it take to start the two UN sewerage repair projects approved by Israel; a UN water and sanitation project, not yet approved; and two more UN internal sewage networks, not yet approved? Right now just one corner of the blockade could be lifted for these building materials and equipment to enter Gaza, to let water works begin and to give infant lives a chance. Just one telephone call from the Israeli defence ministry could do it – an early Christmas present to the UN staff on the ground who have been ready to act for months and have grown desperate on this front, as on so many others.
Earlier this year, just one question face to face to the Israeli government, from Senator John Kerry after he visited Gaza, allowed pasta into Gaza. Who from Europe or the US will ask the Israeli defence minister the face-to-face question for the blue babies? ...
The science on all this is unchallenged. Last September a UN report spelled it out in stark detail...
Gaza's huge pale sandy beaches used to be society's playground and reassurance of happiness and normality, with families picnicking, horses exercising, fishermen mending their nets, children swimming and boys exercising in the early morning, but these days they are mainly empty, and not just because it is winter. Between 50m and 60m litres of untreated sewage have flowed into the Mediterranean every day this year since the end of the Israeli invasion in January, the sea smells bad and few fish are available in the three nautical mile area Palestinians are allowed in. This resource seems as ruined as the rubble of Gaza's parliament and ministries.
........ "We have run out of words to describe how bad it is here," says John Ging, director of operations for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza. Ging heads a team of 10,000 mainly Palestinian workers who run the aid supplies that are all that stand between the vast majority of Gazans and destitution. "We have 80% unemployment, an economy at subsistence level, infrastructure destroyed, etc, but even worse than the humanitarian plight is the destruction of civil society."
....Ging's great preoccupation is "the 750,000 children susceptible to an environment where things are moving rapidly in the wrong direction, where the injustice is bewildering, and every day worse".An international community that has accepted the "normalcy" of the degrading tunnel economy for Gaza, shames us all. Ending the water emergency should be the first step to breaking the blockade. Full story
Cardinal calls Israeli wall "human rights issue"
RomeReports
...Cardinal John Foley says the wall goes beyond the exercise of power and domination calling it a human rights issue because it limits the free movement of people in the West Bank.
The wall is a human rights issue because it separates people from the possibility of their work, of their education, of reaching land which they own, of reaching relatives they have, and of reaching the places of worship in Jerusalem which are so important to them.
Cardinal Foley is the Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. He's seen the wall's effects on residents of the Holy Land first hand.
... I think the wall is an overreaction, and also I think it causes resentment and the seeds of future problems.
The pope gave a speech at a refugee camp along the wall in May of this year and called it the saddest thing he had seen while on his trip.
The controversial wall isnt the only pressing issue in the Holy Land. Christians are fleeing the troubles of the Middle East by the masses and leaving behind their historical homeland.
One of the sad things is the departure of so many Christians from the Holy Land. Christians are probably among the best educated people in the Holy Land and the authorities in Jordan, in the Palestinian territories and in Israel all say that Christians help to promote peace in the Holy Land so it would be a tragedy for those areas if they left. Full story
...Cardinal John Foley says the wall goes beyond the exercise of power and domination calling it a human rights issue because it limits the free movement of people in the West Bank.
The wall is a human rights issue because it separates people from the possibility of their work, of their education, of reaching land which they own, of reaching relatives they have, and of reaching the places of worship in Jerusalem which are so important to them.
Cardinal Foley is the Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. He's seen the wall's effects on residents of the Holy Land first hand.
... I think the wall is an overreaction, and also I think it causes resentment and the seeds of future problems.
The pope gave a speech at a refugee camp along the wall in May of this year and called it the saddest thing he had seen while on his trip.
The controversial wall isnt the only pressing issue in the Holy Land. Christians are fleeing the troubles of the Middle East by the masses and leaving behind their historical homeland.
One of the sad things is the departure of so many Christians from the Holy Land. Christians are probably among the best educated people in the Holy Land and the authorities in Jordan, in the Palestinian territories and in Israel all say that Christians help to promote peace in the Holy Land so it would be a tragedy for those areas if they left. Full story
Twilight Zone /The third blow
Ha'aretz - Gideon Levy
A few days before the prime minister promised to suspend construction in the territories, the orders had already been issued: Buildings, tin shacks and tents in the tiny Bedouin hamlet of Hirbet Um al-Hir, adjacent to the settlement of Carmel in the south Hebron hills, were to be demolished.
This week, representatives from the U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem visited the site. A kitten lay on the rocky, arid ground, slowly dying. No one in the place gave a thought to rescuing it. Helpless, the kitten cast a desperate gaze at its surroundings. ..... The residents of the tiny village are helpless, too. With their last remaining strength they are clinging to the fence of the settlement of Carmel, part of which lies on their private land; clinging to the soil their father and grandfather bought after the family was forced to flee from the Negev in 1948; clinging in their tents and their tin huts and with their animals to the remainder of their land, from which Israel has for some time been threatening to evict them.
....On Monday of this week the diplomats from the U.S. consulate were struck by the injustice. They promised to help. Who knows? Maybe salvation for the residents of the hirbeh - the word means ruin - will come from them.
Alongside the yellow homes of the "southern neighborhood" the settlers have laid the foundations for another group of homes. These of course will not be included in the "freeze," because they are "building starts." .... the residents of the new neighborhood are worse than their predecessors.
......"Because they are young. Because they sabotage our property and steal our animals." Id tells of shepherds being attacked and sheep stolen, of people being struck and harassed. Complaints submitted to the Hebron police usually result in a visit by a team of police, but no one is brought to trial. And now have come the freeze orders, which Id calls "a big, big problem."
...Id was born here.... tribe, the Jahalin, which lived in the Negev and was scattered to the four winds in 1948. Id's grandfather arrived here at the beginning of the 1950s with his family and bought this land, on the remnants of which we now sit, from people in the town of Yatta.
Id's father, Suleiman.... "Three times you did us bad," he says. "The first time, in 1948. Everything went. No refugee camps were established for the Bedouin, and every tribe went its own way. We started to wander in the hills, until we got here.... My father bought the whole hill from them, and now Carmel is perched on it. The second time: the Six-Day War. We all became refugees....
"Then, in November 1980, the first Jewish National Fund tractor entered along with a high army officer, who said: We have to cut a road to Be'er Sheva here. Everyone will benefit from the road, he said. Then they put an army base on the hill...
"We are stupid Bedouin. We thought the settlers would not harm us. They did groundwork here, groundwork there, Carmel grew and expanded onto our land and we said nothing. In 1992 it snowed and we saw our situation, we were totally finished, and then we started to build with cinderblocks. The settlers called in the Civil Administration and they wanted to demolish our cinderblock structures. We were served demolition orders. I went to the Civil Administration in Beit El and there they told me: Aren't you ashamed? They are sitting on my land and building two-story homes and I will not build...
"Three weeks ago, on November 11, a Civil Administration officer came with an inspector. He came to this tent where we are now sitting - this tent also exists in the pictures taken by your plane - and told us that the tent has to be demolished. This tent has been here since the 1960s. I have a transistor radio and I hear that there is a tsunami in Asia or an earthquake in Russia. From Allah. And what happens? All the countries help. And how do they help? They bring tents to rescue the people. You are a wise nation. I ask you: What kind of law tears down a tent? What kind of law issues a demolition order for a tent? What happened to this world?......
....To Benjamin Netanyahu I say: I am not afraid. I told the officer: If you take down the tent we will sleep on the earth and the sky will be our blanket. We will not leave. How many times does a person have to flee in his life? Carmel is on my land....
"They started with these orders in 1995. This is our third blow. I have more than 60 orders and it's not finished yet...... Only if there will be a massacre here like in Kafr Qasem or in Kibiya. If they take down our tent, we will put up a new one. We are Bedouin.
"We have no objection to Carmel. In the 1980s we were friends. They knew all our children. At that time they were good people. Now they want to move us....You know that everything is in the hands of the settlers. And who guards them? The army and the Civil Administration... The whole nation of Israel works for the settlers.
.... Several months ago the villagers tried to build 11 gray-brick toilets; only two remain that were not demolished, one in this compound and one in the compound opposite. They are left with one toilet for 86 people...
Now they know what will happen: after the stop-work orders will come the second order and then the third and then the demolition. "We are already used to it," they say, laconically yet sadly.
A response by the Civil Administration was not available at the time of going to press. Full story
13 October 2009, Israeli soldiers and police prevented the residents of Umm al-Kheir, located in the South Hebron Hills, from finishing the construction of a new chicken house. The families are not allowed by the army to build houses and are therefore living in tents that are located just outside the gate to the illegal settlement of Carmel.
Treatment of Bedouins inside Israel
A few days before the prime minister promised to suspend construction in the territories, the orders had already been issued: Buildings, tin shacks and tents in the tiny Bedouin hamlet of Hirbet Um al-Hir, adjacent to the settlement of Carmel in the south Hebron hills, were to be demolished.
This week, representatives from the U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem visited the site. A kitten lay on the rocky, arid ground, slowly dying. No one in the place gave a thought to rescuing it. Helpless, the kitten cast a desperate gaze at its surroundings. ..... The residents of the tiny village are helpless, too. With their last remaining strength they are clinging to the fence of the settlement of Carmel, part of which lies on their private land; clinging to the soil their father and grandfather bought after the family was forced to flee from the Negev in 1948; clinging in their tents and their tin huts and with their animals to the remainder of their land, from which Israel has for some time been threatening to evict them.
....On Monday of this week the diplomats from the U.S. consulate were struck by the injustice. They promised to help. Who knows? Maybe salvation for the residents of the hirbeh - the word means ruin - will come from them.
Alongside the yellow homes of the "southern neighborhood" the settlers have laid the foundations for another group of homes. These of course will not be included in the "freeze," because they are "building starts." .... the residents of the new neighborhood are worse than their predecessors.
......"Because they are young. Because they sabotage our property and steal our animals." Id tells of shepherds being attacked and sheep stolen, of people being struck and harassed. Complaints submitted to the Hebron police usually result in a visit by a team of police, but no one is brought to trial. And now have come the freeze orders, which Id calls "a big, big problem."
...Id was born here.... tribe, the Jahalin, which lived in the Negev and was scattered to the four winds in 1948. Id's grandfather arrived here at the beginning of the 1950s with his family and bought this land, on the remnants of which we now sit, from people in the town of Yatta.
Id's father, Suleiman.... "Three times you did us bad," he says. "The first time, in 1948. Everything went. No refugee camps were established for the Bedouin, and every tribe went its own way. We started to wander in the hills, until we got here.... My father bought the whole hill from them, and now Carmel is perched on it. The second time: the Six-Day War. We all became refugees....
"Then, in November 1980, the first Jewish National Fund tractor entered along with a high army officer, who said: We have to cut a road to Be'er Sheva here. Everyone will benefit from the road, he said. Then they put an army base on the hill...
"We are stupid Bedouin. We thought the settlers would not harm us. They did groundwork here, groundwork there, Carmel grew and expanded onto our land and we said nothing. In 1992 it snowed and we saw our situation, we were totally finished, and then we started to build with cinderblocks. The settlers called in the Civil Administration and they wanted to demolish our cinderblock structures. We were served demolition orders. I went to the Civil Administration in Beit El and there they told me: Aren't you ashamed? They are sitting on my land and building two-story homes and I will not build...
"Three weeks ago, on November 11, a Civil Administration officer came with an inspector. He came to this tent where we are now sitting - this tent also exists in the pictures taken by your plane - and told us that the tent has to be demolished. This tent has been here since the 1960s. I have a transistor radio and I hear that there is a tsunami in Asia or an earthquake in Russia. From Allah. And what happens? All the countries help. And how do they help? They bring tents to rescue the people. You are a wise nation. I ask you: What kind of law tears down a tent? What kind of law issues a demolition order for a tent? What happened to this world?......
....To Benjamin Netanyahu I say: I am not afraid. I told the officer: If you take down the tent we will sleep on the earth and the sky will be our blanket. We will not leave. How many times does a person have to flee in his life? Carmel is on my land....
"They started with these orders in 1995. This is our third blow. I have more than 60 orders and it's not finished yet...... Only if there will be a massacre here like in Kafr Qasem or in Kibiya. If they take down our tent, we will put up a new one. We are Bedouin.
"We have no objection to Carmel. In the 1980s we were friends. They knew all our children. At that time they were good people. Now they want to move us....You know that everything is in the hands of the settlers. And who guards them? The army and the Civil Administration... The whole nation of Israel works for the settlers.
.... Several months ago the villagers tried to build 11 gray-brick toilets; only two remain that were not demolished, one in this compound and one in the compound opposite. They are left with one toilet for 86 people...
Now they know what will happen: after the stop-work orders will come the second order and then the third and then the demolition. "We are already used to it," they say, laconically yet sadly.
A response by the Civil Administration was not available at the time of going to press. Full story
13 October 2009, Israeli soldiers and police prevented the residents of Umm al-Kheir, located in the South Hebron Hills, from finishing the construction of a new chicken house. The families are not allowed by the army to build houses and are therefore living in tents that are located just outside the gate to the illegal settlement of Carmel.Treatment of Bedouins inside Israel
Meet Daniel Pinner - an extremist West Bank settler
Ha'aretz
Daniel Pinner, whose monologue follows, lives in the settlement of Kfar Tapuah, which was founded in 1978..... is defined as a "religious communal" settlement.
In 1990 Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane (the son of Meir Kahane, founder of the extreme right-wing Kach party, which was banned in 1994) moved there... Following the younger Kahane, others identified with the Kach movement moved to Tapuah. He headed a yeshiva there, and the entire settlement became known for its extremism.
In recent years, as a result of an expansion of the settlement, it is less identified with Kach, and at present it has mostly young families. The rabbi of the settlement, Rabbi Shmuel Cohen, is identified with the Shas movement.
Pinner says that he does not in fact officially represent the settlement in which he lives or the settlement movement. Some of his ideas have few supporters. He is not the leader of a community or an outpost. He is known on the fringes of the right, mainly to veteran activists. It is doubtful whether the youngsters who occasionally sing his song about Yitzhak Rabin (in which every stanza ends with the words: "He went to hell") even know who he is.
Dozens, if not hundreds more like Pinner, who represent only themselves; who believe in an ideology that is not the product of any yeshiva or any specific book. In that sense, his good friend, the suspected Jewish terrorist Yaakov Teitel, resembles him...
Pinner was interviewed at his home a few weeks ago......
".....I immigrated to Israel from England 22 years ago, because every Jew belongs in the Land of Israel. There's no complete Jew and complete Judaism outside the Land of Israel...
........."I knew Yaakov Teitel. [Teitel is under arrest on suspicion of being a terrorist]. Twenty years ago we were together at a yeshiva in Jerusalem. Afterward he helped me a little with my computer. I taught him a little Hebrew. I was in his house. He's nice, helpful. Generous.
......"I knew Rabbi Kahane personally, I spoke to him, I attended his Torah classes. I was in his house once. He had a great influence on me...
"I knew Baruch Goldstein [an American Jewish settler who shot and killed 29 Muslim worshipers in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron on Purim, in February 1994]. We met many times. ...... It wasn't a massacre, only one person was murdered, Goldstein. ..... Baruch Goldstein, may God avenge his blood, was not brought before a court, so it's impossible to say legally that he murdered. .....
"I knew Eden Natan-Zada, may God avenge his blood [an AWOL soldier who opened fire in a bus in the Arab town of Shfaram in April 2005]. Even a truly wicked Jew, who betrayed his people, and was murdered by an Arab - I would say: "May God avenge his blood" even about him, because it's a desecration of God's name for an Arab to murder a Jew.
....."I don't mention the name of Abu Yuval [referring to Yitzhak Rabin, the father of Yuval Rabin], on the same level that I don't curse and don't use dirty words........ I say: 'May his name be erased' after his name...
........"There is no Arab village and no Arab city in the Land of Israel, but only Jewish villages where Arabs are living for the time being.
......."At the moment I have no problem with Arabs moving to Transjordan, although that is also the Land of Israel... Full story
Daniel Pinner, whose monologue follows, lives in the settlement of Kfar Tapuah, which was founded in 1978..... is defined as a "religious communal" settlement.
In 1990 Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane (the son of Meir Kahane, founder of the extreme right-wing Kach party, which was banned in 1994) moved there... Following the younger Kahane, others identified with the Kach movement moved to Tapuah. He headed a yeshiva there, and the entire settlement became known for its extremism.
In recent years, as a result of an expansion of the settlement, it is less identified with Kach, and at present it has mostly young families. The rabbi of the settlement, Rabbi Shmuel Cohen, is identified with the Shas movement.
Pinner says that he does not in fact officially represent the settlement in which he lives or the settlement movement. Some of his ideas have few supporters. He is not the leader of a community or an outpost. He is known on the fringes of the right, mainly to veteran activists. It is doubtful whether the youngsters who occasionally sing his song about Yitzhak Rabin (in which every stanza ends with the words: "He went to hell") even know who he is.
Dozens, if not hundreds more like Pinner, who represent only themselves; who believe in an ideology that is not the product of any yeshiva or any specific book. In that sense, his good friend, the suspected Jewish terrorist Yaakov Teitel, resembles him...
Pinner was interviewed at his home a few weeks ago......
".....I immigrated to Israel from England 22 years ago, because every Jew belongs in the Land of Israel. There's no complete Jew and complete Judaism outside the Land of Israel...
........."I knew Yaakov Teitel. [Teitel is under arrest on suspicion of being a terrorist]. Twenty years ago we were together at a yeshiva in Jerusalem. Afterward he helped me a little with my computer. I taught him a little Hebrew. I was in his house. He's nice, helpful. Generous.
......"I knew Rabbi Kahane personally, I spoke to him, I attended his Torah classes. I was in his house once. He had a great influence on me...
"I knew Baruch Goldstein [an American Jewish settler who shot and killed 29 Muslim worshipers in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron on Purim, in February 1994]. We met many times. ...... It wasn't a massacre, only one person was murdered, Goldstein. ..... Baruch Goldstein, may God avenge his blood, was not brought before a court, so it's impossible to say legally that he murdered. .....
"I knew Eden Natan-Zada, may God avenge his blood [an AWOL soldier who opened fire in a bus in the Arab town of Shfaram in April 2005]. Even a truly wicked Jew, who betrayed his people, and was murdered by an Arab - I would say: "May God avenge his blood" even about him, because it's a desecration of God's name for an Arab to murder a Jew.
....."I don't mention the name of Abu Yuval [referring to Yitzhak Rabin, the father of Yuval Rabin], on the same level that I don't curse and don't use dirty words........ I say: 'May his name be erased' after his name...
........"There is no Arab village and no Arab city in the Land of Israel, but only Jewish villages where Arabs are living for the time being.
......."At the moment I have no problem with Arabs moving to Transjordan, although that is also the Land of Israel... Full story
Israel has made settlers of all its citizens
Ha'aretz - Amira Haas
Would any of the settlers who opposed the Civil Administration inspectors this week be living in the territories had the governments of Israel not established and encouraged them?
......Do the settlers clashing with the forces of law and order not know that those who have committed crimes - from racist threats and blocking roads, to wholesale cutting down of trees, arson and beating and murdering Palestinians - have not been investigated or have been forgiven and forgotten with a wink?
The settlers' feeling of betrayal is natural. Haven't the state and its institutions taught us that the settler is superior to everyone else?
Yes. The settler, in fact, is us.
The freeze orders will not change what exists now: an elite state for Jews and a sub-space for Palestinians - truncated, cut up, asphyxiated.
The distinction in the mind nowadays between the state of Israel and the settlers is artificial.
So is the distinction between the bad and the good, the violent and the law-abiding, the residents of the Migron outpost and the residents of Etzion Bloc settlements and the territories that have been annexed to Jerusalem, or those who live to the West of the separation fence.
Those who laud the freeze orders are thinking about relations with the United States.
The subordinated and occupied do not factor into their calculations. And indeed the land that was stolen from them in Beit Jala (for the benefit of Gilo) is like the land of Qalqilyah that Alfei Menashe coveted and is coveting.
The legitimacy of the settlement blocs exists only in the Israeli consensus. In reality, it is these blocs and Ma'aleh Adumim that are destroying the chance of a fair peace, because they and their separated roads are laying the groundwork for a crippled Palestinian political entity.
There is a lot of ingratitude in the media assault on the settlers, who have been manning barricades for the sake of a reality from which many Israelis are benefiting and accept as natural.
Had the governments of Israel been interested in containing the Golem they had created on time, they would not have cynically exploited the Oslo agreement to accelerate building and lure more and more Israelis with settlers' benefits.
Former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin would have evacuated the Hebron and Kiryat Arba settlers after the massacre Baruch Goldstein committed in the Tomb of the Patriarchs / Ibrahimi Mosque.
His government and subsequent governments would not have strangled Bethlehem with the Tunnels Road and with the "moderate" settlement of Efrat that snakes and twists along the hills.
They would have prepared the public for a just scenario by which to bring all the settlers back home and would have apologized for having lured them to transgression.
However, in 1993 we missed a one-time opportunity to develop as an entity, the aim of which is not territorial expansion at the expense of another people - who were prepared for very painful concessions for the sake of its independence and for the sake of peace.
We missed an opportunity to expel the deed of disposession from our state's institutional and mental chromosomes. Full story
Would any of the settlers who opposed the Civil Administration inspectors this week be living in the territories had the governments of Israel not established and encouraged them?
......Do the settlers clashing with the forces of law and order not know that those who have committed crimes - from racist threats and blocking roads, to wholesale cutting down of trees, arson and beating and murdering Palestinians - have not been investigated or have been forgiven and forgotten with a wink?
The settlers' feeling of betrayal is natural. Haven't the state and its institutions taught us that the settler is superior to everyone else?
Yes. The settler, in fact, is us.
The freeze orders will not change what exists now: an elite state for Jews and a sub-space for Palestinians - truncated, cut up, asphyxiated.
The distinction in the mind nowadays between the state of Israel and the settlers is artificial.
So is the distinction between the bad and the good, the violent and the law-abiding, the residents of the Migron outpost and the residents of Etzion Bloc settlements and the territories that have been annexed to Jerusalem, or those who live to the West of the separation fence.
Those who laud the freeze orders are thinking about relations with the United States.
The subordinated and occupied do not factor into their calculations. And indeed the land that was stolen from them in Beit Jala (for the benefit of Gilo) is like the land of Qalqilyah that Alfei Menashe coveted and is coveting.
The legitimacy of the settlement blocs exists only in the Israeli consensus. In reality, it is these blocs and Ma'aleh Adumim that are destroying the chance of a fair peace, because they and their separated roads are laying the groundwork for a crippled Palestinian political entity.
There is a lot of ingratitude in the media assault on the settlers, who have been manning barricades for the sake of a reality from which many Israelis are benefiting and accept as natural.
Had the governments of Israel been interested in containing the Golem they had created on time, they would not have cynically exploited the Oslo agreement to accelerate building and lure more and more Israelis with settlers' benefits.
Former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin would have evacuated the Hebron and Kiryat Arba settlers after the massacre Baruch Goldstein committed in the Tomb of the Patriarchs / Ibrahimi Mosque.
His government and subsequent governments would not have strangled Bethlehem with the Tunnels Road and with the "moderate" settlement of Efrat that snakes and twists along the hills.
They would have prepared the public for a just scenario by which to bring all the settlers back home and would have apologized for having lured them to transgression.
However, in 1993 we missed a one-time opportunity to develop as an entity, the aim of which is not territorial expansion at the expense of another people - who were prepared for very painful concessions for the sake of its independence and for the sake of peace.
We missed an opportunity to expel the deed of disposession from our state's institutional and mental chromosomes. Full story
More than 70% of donations in Israel come from foreign philanthropists
Ha'aretz
Foreign philanthropists donate the most money to Israeli charities, non-profit organizations, volunteer programs, education institutes, religious facilities and cultural events, the central Bureau of Statistics reported on Tuesday.
......."We are one of the largest money importers in the western world," said Professor Hillel Shmid from the research center on philanthropy in the Hebrew University. Full story
Foreign philanthropists donate the most money to Israeli charities, non-profit organizations, volunteer programs, education institutes, religious facilities and cultural events, the central Bureau of Statistics reported on Tuesday.
......."We are one of the largest money importers in the western world," said Professor Hillel Shmid from the research center on philanthropy in the Hebrew University. Full story
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