Ma'an News Agency/Arabic Service reported today that the Israeli authorities changed the status of the Palestinian political prisoner Firas Ahmad Hassan, 33, into an administrative detainee.
Firas Hassan had already served four years in an Israeli prison. He is also the brother of Thaer Hassan, a sportsperson, who was killed by the Israeli Occupation Forces in Bethlehem following a house demolition, on the 3rd November, 2006. Thaer was accused of being a member of an armed wing of the Hamas party.
I am not going to say that the IA decision concerning Firas is any related with the fate of his brother, but surely anyone can see that it is blatant.
Learn more about Administrative Detention - a definition from B'Tselem (The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories)
Read previous posts related to the incident;
- Bethlehem Under Attack
- Martyr in Bethlehem
- Patient and Nurse Abduced & Militant Killed in House Demolition
- Elderly Woman Dies Following Serious Injury & Militant Killed Was Also a Footballer
Thursday, 30 November 2006
Wednesday, 22 November 2006
Israeli Ministry of Interior Raises the Finger in the Face of Internationals Married to Palestinians
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Basil Ayish Coordinator, Media Committee
+970-(0)59-817-3953
righttoenter.ps
November 20, 2006
Israel issues last permits to foreigners, splitting families
All foreign passports of spouses and children of Palestinian ID-holders who had applied for visa extensions were marked recently as “last permit” by the Israeli authorities. 105 passport holders are required to exit from Israeli controlled entry/exit points before the end of the year. The Israeli Ministry of Interior (MoI) office at Beit El began returning the passports on November 19 after a six-week strike by Israeli MoI employees. Those who overstay their allotted time will be considered “illegal” and are subject to immediate deportation from the Israeli occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). In an effort to avoid being considered “illegal” and threatened with arrest by the Israelis, some families are opting to relocate abroad. The pattern of refusing visa renewals for family members is part of an overall Israeli effort that denies entry to foreign nationals seeking access to the oPt.
The impact of Israel’s practice includes the forced separation of spouses from each other, parents from their children, educators and students from their schools, healthcare, NGO and humanitarian workers from access to needy communities, and business owners from their investments. According to the PA MoI, hundreds of applications for Israeli visa extensions following Israeli guidelines were submitted in October and are still pending. Also, Israel is refusing to process an estimated 120,000 family unification residency applications. Every denial of entry and visa renewal refusal impacts an estimated 10 people, many of whom subsequently resort to moving to another country. “This is a silent ethnic cleansing,” said Basil Ayish, a spokesperson from the Campaign for the Right of Entry/Re-Entry to the oPt.
Despite official complaints by foreign governments of discrimination against their citizens by Israel, Israel continues to disregard its obligations under international law and agreements and persists in its practice of changing the demographics within the oPt. The U.S. State Department, EU, and at least one Latin American country have all submitted demarches to Israeli officials since October. Foreigners wishing to reside in, visit or work in the oPt continue to be banned at Israeli-controlled ports of entry.
Because Israel refuses to permit non-Jewish foreigners from receiving residency status in the oPt, the only mechanism for foreign passport-holding spouses and children of Palestinian ID-holders to join their families has been to rely on a system of continuously renewable 1,2,or 3-month ‘visitor’ permits. This practice was widely expected to be a transitory measure until mechanisms were put in place to provide permanent residency status for non-ID holding family members. Some family members have been following this procedure for more than 30 years as the only option open to them.
---
Read a commentary by Ma'an News Agency
Palestinians are the Priority: an open statement of commitment to the Palestinian Solidarity Cause
Created and written by Mary Rizzo
This petition is brought to my attention by DesertPeace
---
There are individuals within the Palestinian solidarity movement seeking to create divisions by:
* deliberately shifting focus away from Israel's war crimes and its supremacist Zionist ideology;
* imposing unilateral agendas by presenting both sides as victims;
* sabotaging service to the just cause of the Palestinian people;
* ignoring the issue of right of return for the Palestinians;
* utilising the platform of the Palestinian discourse to argue about anti-Semitism, which is not a Palestinian problem and not created by Arabs.
Our primary and single concern is solidarity with the Palestinian people.
As ethical human beings we consider it our obligation to:
* do all we can to allow the information to be diffused as widely and as quickly as possible;
* ensure the argument of the oppression and disenfranchisement of the Palestinian people stays in the forefront;
* present as clear and honest a picture as possible of the meaning of Zionism and the Jewish State;
* to cross the divide and to unite in our war against the Zionist crime.
We accept and believe in equality of all persons, regardless of their race, religion, political or other orientation. We believe that full and unconditional support of the Palestinian people is a condition sine qua non for activists to adopt, and we recognise that their attachment to their homeland is a fundamental and unalterable condition. To that end we advocate for one unified State with equal rights for all its citizens.
Any attempts at censoring reasoned critique of Israel and Zionism must be refused a priori, as it is in conflict with the goal of seeking to protect and support the Palestinian people - as their empowerment is the only way to peaceful coexistence for all the populations of the Middle East. Any attempts at dictating what the Palestinians should do will be looked upon with great circumspection and suspicion. Palestinians themselves wish to construct their own future and are not pawns to be shifted on the chessboard.
We demand free speech for sincere critics of Zionism and call for an end to campaigns created in order to ostracise its most vocal critics. Smear campaigns will not be tolerated, as we recognise that they are the instrument of choice of Zionists, and detract energy from our work. We will not hesitate to expose the instrumental usage of them, no matter the claimed principles of those who are engaged in creating such campaigns. On the other hand, open dialogue and reasoned argumentation is welcome and greatly encouraged as a tool to understanding and collaboration.
The indigenous people of Palestine are facing extermination by the hands of the Jewish State, and the world keeps silent. The sooner we draw public attention to Israel's needless wanton destruction, the sooner we can do away with this horrifying, insufferable situation.
If you agree with this statement, please sign the petition.
http://www.petitiononline.com/grosveno/petition.html
This petition is brought to my attention by DesertPeace
---
There are individuals within the Palestinian solidarity movement seeking to create divisions by:
* deliberately shifting focus away from Israel's war crimes and its supremacist Zionist ideology;
* imposing unilateral agendas by presenting both sides as victims;
* sabotaging service to the just cause of the Palestinian people;
* ignoring the issue of right of return for the Palestinians;
* utilising the platform of the Palestinian discourse to argue about anti-Semitism, which is not a Palestinian problem and not created by Arabs.
Our primary and single concern is solidarity with the Palestinian people.
As ethical human beings we consider it our obligation to:
* do all we can to allow the information to be diffused as widely and as quickly as possible;
* ensure the argument of the oppression and disenfranchisement of the Palestinian people stays in the forefront;
* present as clear and honest a picture as possible of the meaning of Zionism and the Jewish State;
* to cross the divide and to unite in our war against the Zionist crime.
We accept and believe in equality of all persons, regardless of their race, religion, political or other orientation. We believe that full and unconditional support of the Palestinian people is a condition sine qua non for activists to adopt, and we recognise that their attachment to their homeland is a fundamental and unalterable condition. To that end we advocate for one unified State with equal rights for all its citizens.
Any attempts at censoring reasoned critique of Israel and Zionism must be refused a priori, as it is in conflict with the goal of seeking to protect and support the Palestinian people - as their empowerment is the only way to peaceful coexistence for all the populations of the Middle East. Any attempts at dictating what the Palestinians should do will be looked upon with great circumspection and suspicion. Palestinians themselves wish to construct their own future and are not pawns to be shifted on the chessboard.
We demand free speech for sincere critics of Zionism and call for an end to campaigns created in order to ostracise its most vocal critics. Smear campaigns will not be tolerated, as we recognise that they are the instrument of choice of Zionists, and detract energy from our work. We will not hesitate to expose the instrumental usage of them, no matter the claimed principles of those who are engaged in creating such campaigns. On the other hand, open dialogue and reasoned argumentation is welcome and greatly encouraged as a tool to understanding and collaboration.
The indigenous people of Palestine are facing extermination by the hands of the Jewish State, and the world keeps silent. The sooner we draw public attention to Israel's needless wanton destruction, the sooner we can do away with this horrifying, insufferable situation.
If you agree with this statement, please sign the petition.
http://www.petitiononline.com/grosveno/petition.html
Friday, 17 November 2006
Gaza Strip Victims of Israeli Military Offensive Since June 25 = About 20% Children and 6% Women
"The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) reported that Israeli troops killed 434 Palestinians, in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank since June 25; 271 of the casualties were civilians, among them 80 children and twenty-five women."More
Thursday, 16 November 2006
Two Sisters Witness Undercover Israeli Operation in Ramallah
From The Electronic Intifada Diaries
More from Anne-Marie's Diary, 15 Nov 2006
More from Emily's Diary, 15 Nov 2006
"Four hours ago my sister Emily, her curator Carolyn and I were shot at by the Israeli army. My nerves are still shaky. We've been drinking every since. My legs are weak. I feel I can't stand on them...I was alone in the front seat. Emily and Carolyn were in the back. Suddenly, there was a van directly in front of our car. He veered a bit towards our car. I slowed down, wondering how I was going to pass him. And then he emerged from his window... pointing an M-16 across the street and spraying bullets. The three of us hit the floor of the car. All around us... shooting, shooting, shooting. So close. So close."Anne-Marie Jacir, a Palestinian film-maker living in Ramallah
More from Anne-Marie's Diary, 15 Nov 2006
"Today is November 15th. Today is our supposed "Independence Day". A joke. Was almost killed today. This will be brief and inarticulate. I am still in shock...I peeked again, to see some Israelis beating the shit out of a Palestinian man and throwing him into their van. The mustarabeen next to us got back into their van. As we were in their way they smashed into our car and sped off. Meanwhile in front of us and to the right, the Israelis started to pull back. Kids started throwing stones. They shot at us again. They started pulling back again."Emily Jacir, a Palestinian artist who lives between Ramallah and New York City
More from Emily's Diary, 15 Nov 2006
Friday, 10 November 2006
A Wave of Kidnappings Over Sleepy Bethlehem
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) seems to have obtained a large quantities of speed recently. While the IOF is still launching the "Autumn Clouds" missiles at populated areas in the Gaza Strip and killing more than 70, including women and children, and injuring hundreds, their West Bank mates are scanning every single city and village for the "wanted".
Here is a list of the recent kidnappings and detentions of citizens of Bethlehem by the IOF
Friday, 10 Nov; 3 men were kidnapped. They are;
Khaled Da'dour, 42, from Al Khader village,
Ahmad Habeeb, 35, from Al Saf neighbourhood of Bethlehem city, 5 minutes from the Church of Nativity, and
Yaser Skafi, 35, Director of the Reform Society, from Bethlehem.
They were directed to an unknown location.
Wednesday, 08 Nov; 5 men were kidnapped from Tqu' and Harmaleh villages in the morning.
They are; from Harmaleh; the twin brothers Mohammad and Yasser Mahmoud Sabbah, 23, and Mohammad Abdur-Rahman, 44, and
from Tqu'; Ahmad Al Emour, 28, and Kamel Al Badan, 35.
Tuesday, 07 Nov; 19 citizens were kidnapped.
They are;
from Beit Jala; Musa Al Barmeel, 38, Zakaria Yousef Musallum, 31, Imad Jawareesh, 40, Hamza Masa'eed, 27, Taleb Al Walaji, 38, Adel Badarna, 40, and Khader Saqer, 20,
from Aida refugee camp; Raja' Harzallah, 33, Imad Ayyad, 40, Jameel Jawareesh, 33, Baha' Ayyad, 24, Saleh Jawareesh, 35, Usama Abu Jado, Mazen Faraj, 36 - who was released from an Israeli political prison last year after completing a 12 years sentence, Mahmoud Hussein Abed Rabbo, 23, and Ala' Jundieh, 23.
from Harmaleh village; Muhammad Sabbah, 23.
Monday, 06 Nov; 4 men were kidnapped from 'beidiyyeh (Obaydiyeh) village, they are; the Bethlehem director of Islamic endowments Sheikh Younes Muhammed Issa, 50, his son Bilal, 20, Hisham Radayda, 22, and Adbullah Hussein, 28.
Friday, 03 NOV; 2 citizens were kidnapped from the Beit Jala public hospital - Salah Al Laham, 30, and Ahmad Nawawra, 22. The IOF also kidnapped Muhammed Musa, 26, from an ambulance. Musa and Nawawra were injured during the IOF offensive over the Saf neighbourhood of Bethlehem City - bordering the Dheisheh refugee camp, 5 minutes from the Nativity Church.
Also, 2 of Thaer Hassan's brothers were detained in Al Saf neighbourhood. Thaer Hassan was found dead under the rubble of his father's house, which was demolished by the IOF. more about Hassan
Friday, 03 Nov - separate incident; 1 Palestinian and 2 Israelis were detained during a peaceful demonstration in Al Khader village.
Thursday, 02 Nov; 2 men were kidnapped from Rakhma village at dawn - Ayman Khalil Hassan 'Ali, 31, and 'Isam 'Ata Khalaf Al-Sha'er, 32.
Wednesday, 25 Oct; 11 citizens were kidnapped;
6 men from Beit Fajjar village;
Jabr Deireh, 45, Musa Thawabteh, 30, Ashraf Taqatqa, 32, Jamal Thawabteh, 65, Muhammed Thawabteh, 66, and Ayman Shmarkha, 56,
and 5 from Obaydiyeh;
the brothers Khaldon, Adnan and Atta Muhammed Shanayta, 21, 20 and 16,
Nayef Rabai'a, 17, and Nimer Rabai'a, 18.
Tuesday, 24 Oct; 1 man from Abu Njeim village - No'man Salahat, 19 - was kidnapped
Saturday, 21 Oct; 7 men were kidnapped from 'beidiyyeh (Obaydiyeh) village, they are 3 sets of brothers and a member of the same family;
Ali and Khalaf Radwan Shanayta, 33 and 20,
Anwar and Naji Radi Shanayta, 18 and 20,
Salah and Saleh Ali Shanayta, 18 and 20, and
Maher Muhammed Shanayta, 20.
They were taken to an unknown location.
Tuesday, 17 Oct; 1 man was kidnapped from Za'tara village.
Monday, 16 Oct; 3 men were kidnapped,
Ahed Al Zaghari, 45 from Dheisheh Refugee Camp,
Muhammed Masalmeh, 17, from Bethlehem city, and Hamadeh Sha'lan from the Seeda neighbourhood of Bethlehem city, next to the Nativity Church.
Friday, 13 Oct; 5 men were kidnapped and later detained for interrogation, of them
Hani Al Arouj, 33, from Tqu' village,
Ahid Al Wahsh, 24, from Za'tara village,
and Member of Al Khader Village Council Ramzi Salah.
Wednesday, 11 Oct; 2 men were kidnapped from Al Khader village, they are; Mahmoud Gneim, 24, and Maher Shehadeh, 28. The IOF also detained Mahmoud's father and his brothers at their house until the forces retreated from the town.
Sunday, 08 Oct; 6 were detained during a peaceful demonstration in Al Khader village, of them
Mohammed Salah, who was badly beaten and dumped in the woods near the Illegal Israeli settlement of Betar Ilit,
his brother Ahamd Saleh, who was later released,
three Israelis, one of whom was later released
and one international.
- based on Ma'an News/English and Ma'an News/Arabic
Wednesday, 8 November 2006
Gaza Strip Death Toll Rises
Why Can't They Leave Us in Peace? Does it Have to be in Pieces?
Maan News reported today that at least 20 Gazans were killed and 35 were injured, including women and children, this morning. Amongst the dead were 11 members from the same family, including one year old girl, Dima.
Maan News reported today that at least 20 Gazans were killed and 35 were injured, including women and children, this morning. Amongst the dead were 11 members from the same family, including one year old girl, Dima.
"The medical services are identifying the rest of the dead but it is proving difficult to identify them due to their fragmented bodies and the critical condition in which they arrived at the Kamal 'Udwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya. In Kamal 'Udwan Hospital, there are 12 dead and in Kamal Naser Hospital there are 4 dead. The number of people killed is raising by the minute."More
Monday, 6 November 2006
Maan News: Pope Benedict XVI condemns Israel's violent offensive on Gaza
Pope Benedict the XVI condemned on Sunday the recent wave of Israeli aggression against Gaza. He said that he feels deep sympathy with the civilians suffering the consequences of the offensive. In his weekly address to Christian worshippers in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, he called for the resumption of direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians in order to end the bloodshed. He added, "I watch with great concern the news of the serious deterioration of the situation in Gaza and I want to express my sympathy with the civilians who suffer the consequences of these acts of violence". He urged the worshippers to pray that God guides the "Israeli and Palestinian authorities, and the countries that bear a special responsibility in the region."
Maan News
Elderly Woman Dies Following Serious Injury & Militant Killed Was Also a Footballer - Update for Bethlehem Under Attack
"Palestinian medical sources in Bethlehem reported that an elderly woman [Fatima Abdel Fattah Zahran] died of wounds sustained during an Israeli military offensive in the West Bank city of Bethlehem."
This is a photo of the late Thaer Hassan. He was killed by the Israeli Occupation Forces on the 3 November, 2006, when they demolished his father's house with him inside. The IOF accused him of contributing to a shooting and an attempted bombing in the Gush Etzion block of illegal Israeli settlement - built on illegally annexed Palestinian properties. More
One would think that Thaer Hassan would be "arrested" and put on trial, but not killed by destroying a three-stories high building on top of his head, after invading the peaceful Little Town of Bethlehem and kill 2 more people - a teenager and an elderly woman - and cause injury and trauma to some more Palestinians.
Moreover, Hassan was also an active member of a local football team in Bethlehem, called Islamy Bethlehem. His father is a member of the Central Committee of Referees in Bethlehem. A congregation of more than 200 athletes and referees from Bethlehem pay a visit to Hassan's father to pay their condolences for the loss of their colleague and peer *.
[* Found on the Arabic site of Maan News. I will supply you with the link to this peice of news in English as soon as it is posted.]
Saturday, 4 November 2006
Remember, Remember...
… the 5th of NovemberGuy Fawkes (or Guido Fawkes), was born in York on 13 April, 1570, and was hung for treason on 31 January, 1606.
The Gunpowder Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Portrait of Guy Fawkes by AnonymousImagine how the world would have been if the plot took place. Alas,
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
T. S. Eliot
Alan Moore, a comic book writer, novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, musician, artist, magician, created a Fawkes-like character called ‘V’ in his comic ‘V For Vendetta’. V is an anarchist, anti-fascist-government, and pro-power-to-the-people who wears a Guy Fawkes mask. He plots to blow up the Houses of Parliament, just like Fawks, but sometime in a future 5 November.
The comic is adapted into a film directed by James McTeigue. The release of the film was supposed to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Fawkes’ gunpowder plot. It was released instead in March, 2006, for reasons traced back to the July London bombings.
Alan MooreVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
Ideas Are Bullet-Proof!
Ideas Are Bullet-Proof!
Patient and Nurse Abduced & Militant Killed in House Demolition - Update for Bethlehem Under Attack
"Israeli soldiers broke into the Bethlehem Governmental hospital, in the West Bank city of Beit Jala, Bethlehem District, abducted a wounded resident and a nurse, Palestinian medical sources reported."
"Palestinian medical sources in Bethlehem reported that the body of Tha'er Ahmad Hassan, 27, member of the Islamic Jihad was found under the rubble of his home that was demolished by the army earlier on Friday, the Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, reported."
Friday, 3 November 2006
Martyr in Bethlehem - Update for Bethlehem Under Attack
"Two other Palestinian teenage boys were injured around 2pm when the Israeli soldiers started firing live ammunition in the area. One of the teenage boys was killed instantly by a gunshot to the head." Maan NewsLink supplied in the previous post is constantly updated.
Bethlehem Under Attack
I felt very sleepless last night. There was some tension in the air. Dogs were barking and an Israeli war-plane was flying over the city. I went and spent some time at a friend's. On the way back home, a bit before dawn, I heard the plane whooshing over my head.
I could not help but wonder if something bad would happen this morning. I even thought, 'The plane is flying quite close to the neighbourhood. What would I do if it starts launching missiles now. What if it happened to me and I became one of those "in the wrong place, at the wrong time".' I hushed those thoughts and quickly rushed back home.
I s**t you not. Half an hour after I got to bed, and was dossing off, a thud woke me up. The church bells started a minute later and I thought that it must have been the bells. I got a negative answer almost immediately when a second thud went. 'Was that an explosion? It sounds like an explosion'. Few minutes later, I heard a third.
I rushed to the television to check up the news. Nothing. Actually, it was quite weird. The Israeli Occupation Forces were having different operations at the same time in different parts of the Occupied Territories. You hear the explosions in Bethlehem and then you watch the news about four killed in Alshuja'iya in the Gaza Strip after their car was targeted by a missile, and more Palestinians killed in Beit Hanoun.
The mosques' call of prayers started by that stage. In the news, IOF demolishing a mosque in Beit Hanoun, with dozens of worshipers and militants, who sought refuge, in it.
Mad morning.
There were no details about what was happening in Bethlehem until an hour ago. You see, it is Friday - people's day off. Besides, all that started around 4 before dawn, and the city was surrounded.
I finally managed to realise what was going on.
The Israeli military operation in Bethlehem is still running.
An Islamic Jihad affiliated member is sought by the IOF, who were faced by some resistance from armed Palestinians. The IOF responded with arbitrary gunshots and tear gas grenades at the residents of the surrounded area. Did the IOF - or you - expect the Palestinians to stand still while the Israeli army is intruding over their peaceful day? If your house was stormed by thieves in the middle of the night, would you not try to resist the burglary?
Until this instant, an 80-year old women and a 10-year old child are in serious condition, a 30-year old man and a woman are moderately wounded, and another woman suffers slight injuries. In addition, a 22-year old man was arrested by the IOF. Apparently, he belongs to the same tribe to whom the sought man belongs.
Read more on this on the news
I could not help but wonder if something bad would happen this morning. I even thought, 'The plane is flying quite close to the neighbourhood. What would I do if it starts launching missiles now. What if it happened to me and I became one of those "in the wrong place, at the wrong time".' I hushed those thoughts and quickly rushed back home.
I s**t you not. Half an hour after I got to bed, and was dossing off, a thud woke me up. The church bells started a minute later and I thought that it must have been the bells. I got a negative answer almost immediately when a second thud went. 'Was that an explosion? It sounds like an explosion'. Few minutes later, I heard a third.
I rushed to the television to check up the news. Nothing. Actually, it was quite weird. The Israeli Occupation Forces were having different operations at the same time in different parts of the Occupied Territories. You hear the explosions in Bethlehem and then you watch the news about four killed in Alshuja'iya in the Gaza Strip after their car was targeted by a missile, and more Palestinians killed in Beit Hanoun.
The mosques' call of prayers started by that stage. In the news, IOF demolishing a mosque in Beit Hanoun, with dozens of worshipers and militants, who sought refuge, in it.
Mad morning.
There were no details about what was happening in Bethlehem until an hour ago. You see, it is Friday - people's day off. Besides, all that started around 4 before dawn, and the city was surrounded.
I finally managed to realise what was going on.
The Israeli military operation in Bethlehem is still running.
An Islamic Jihad affiliated member is sought by the IOF, who were faced by some resistance from armed Palestinians. The IOF responded with arbitrary gunshots and tear gas grenades at the residents of the surrounded area. Did the IOF - or you - expect the Palestinians to stand still while the Israeli army is intruding over their peaceful day? If your house was stormed by thieves in the middle of the night, would you not try to resist the burglary?
Until this instant, an 80-year old women and a 10-year old child are in serious condition, a 30-year old man and a woman are moderately wounded, and another woman suffers slight injuries. In addition, a 22-year old man was arrested by the IOF. Apparently, he belongs to the same tribe to whom the sought man belongs.
Read more on this on the news
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