Palestinian Psychedelia

St Ives - East Anglia - UK is Building a 9 Meters High Wall, Today

2006-12-15T20:21:00.000+02:00

"A traditional church Nativity scene featuring live animals is to be replaced by a wall in a Christmas protest against the Israeli security measures in Bethlehem.
"Members of the church will start building the wall on Friday. It will be dismantled on December 27."

Click here for more, here and here

Collateral Punishment

2006-11-30T20:23:00.000+02:00

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

Israeli Ministry of Interior Raises the Finger in the Face of Internationals Married to Palestinians

2006-11-23T00:25:00.000+02:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: 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

2006-11-23T00:01:00.000+02:00

Created and written by Mary Rizzo

This petition is brought to my attention by DesertPeace

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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

Gaza Strip Victims of Israeli Military Offensive Since June 25 = About 20% Children and 6% Women

2006-11-17T15:19:00.000+02:00

"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."

Two Sisters Witness Undercover Israeli Operation in Ramallah

2006-11-16T14:44:00.000+02:00

From The Electronic Intifada Diaries

"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

A Wave of Kidnappings Over Sleepy Bethlehem

2006-11-10T13:23:00.000+02:00

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

Gaza Strip Death Toll Rises

2006-11-08T15:01:00.000+02:00

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.

"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."

Just In

2006-11-06T17:31:00.000+02:00

Palestinian girl from Jabalia refugee camp blows herself up amid Israeli soldiers; one injured

Maan News: Pope Benedict XVI condemns Israel's violent offensive on Gaza

2006-11-06T16:56:00.000+02:00

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

2006-11-06T16:09:00.000+02:00

"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."
More

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.]

Remember, Remember...

2006-11-04T20:36:00.000+02:00

… the 5th of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes (or Guido Fawkes), was born in York on 13 April, 1570, and was hung for treason on 31 January, 1606.

Portrait of Guy Fawkes by Anonymous

Fawkes is known for his involvement in a scheme to assassinate King James I by blowing up the Westminster Palace (Houses of Parliament) in London, on the 5 November. He was caught in the cellar with barrels of gunpowder before he managed to set them in place. Guy Fawkes was tortured until he signed a written confession.

Imagine 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 Moore

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Ideas Are Bullet-Proof!

Patient and Nurse Abduced & Militant Killed in House Demolition - Update for Bethlehem Under Attack

2006-11-04T19:24:00.000+02:00

"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."

More Updates from Bethlehem - Demo in Al Khader Met with Violence

2006-11-03T17:15:00.000+02:00

For more on this

Martyr in Bethlehem - Update for Bethlehem Under Attack

2006-11-03T16:24:00.000+02:00

"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 News

Link supplied in the previous post is constantly updated.

Bethlehem Under Attack

2006-11-03T10:58:00.000+02:00

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

50 Years - 50 Martyrs

2006-10-31T16:53:00.000+02:00

They were 50 who died in the Kufur Qasem massacre as a product of the nine waves of killing. 48 of them were from the town of Kufur Qasem, including a 9 months fetus, one was from Kufur Barra and the other from Taibeh. They were all caught up in the sudden curfew announced by the Israeli police, while they were working outside their towns. They all got the massage to hurry up to their homes. Some where followed by their children and wifes to their working places to warn them about the curfew. However, and on their way, they were met with some border police who opened fire at the terrified Palestinians. There were men, woman and children amongst them. It was the Tuesday, 29th Oct 1956.
A number of witnesses emerged from the incident. Some of them were amongst the injured and others were closely related to those who were killed. According to some of the witnesses on one of the waves, the Israeli border police asked them to stand in a line opposite to a wall. Some of the workers stated very clearly and more that once that they had permits and that they were just going home. They were hushed and ordered to stand with the others. The commander shouted to his men...

"Harvest Them!"

Paintings by Abdel Tammam - About the artist

Remembering a Christian Militant and Martyr

2006-10-30T23:10:00.000+02:00

Talking recently to a close friend of Daniel, I realised it has been a bit over six months since he was killed. Later that week, I found an announcement to his memorial service in a two-weeks old newspaper.

Taken from AlQuds Newspaper, this was an announcement for Daniel's sixth month memorial that took place on the 15th of December 2006 at the Nativity Church (Christ's birth place), Bethlehem.

Abu Hamameh was killed by Israeli special forces on Easter, 23 April 2006. He was with his family celebrating Easter before he joined some of his mates for a wonder in one of his friends cars. A couple of hours later, the special forces attached the car and shot dead Daniel and Ahmed Musleh, then arrested the third, who apparently was "wanted" by the IOF. The killing of Daniel Abu Hamameh was broadcasted on the local channels in Bethlehem. The horrible images did for sure send some shivers down some people's spines and for sure past on the message from the IOF for the people of Bethlehem to some messing around. The last means, Stop Resisting the Occupation. However, the spokesperson of the IOF pronounced an apology and "sorrow" for the killing of "the Christian". Was that to create a further breach the unity of the Moslem and Christian brotherly hood of the 'Little Town of Bethlehem', or was it not? Abu Hamameh was a militant. He was a Christian Palestinian, too. He always believed in fighting the occupation. He is dead now, leaving behind a traumatised neighbourhood, family and friends, who also carry him in their hearts wherever they go. Actually, that friend I spoke to a couple of days ago is still dealing with the bits left of the shock he received following the killing of Daniel. Yet, he's doing a lot better, much better than most Palestinians that I know and who went through similar grievs.

Daniel Abu Hamama, Funeral at the Church of Nativity, Bethlehem, 24 April 2006

A Palestinian Injured Badly by Settlers in Bethlehem While In an Attempt to Pick Olives

2006-10-28T12:12:00.000+02:00

Shouting was heard in one corner of the field, prompting the whole group, including the soldiers, to hurry over to the area where a loud argument was in full swing between an aggressive settler and an indignant farmer. The situation was quickly mollified, thanks to a mixture of the sudden presence of several dozen cameras wielded by internationals, and the soldiers forming a barrier to prevent the settler from becoming too violent. It later emerged that during the shouting, a young Palestinian man who was part of the group, had been attacked by two female settlers. The young man had been hit by a large rock and was cut very badly over the eye.

To read more, visit this article by JAI

Baby Monkey Born in the Only Zoo in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

2006-10-24T21:57:00.000+02:00

From Ma'an;

In Qalqiliya in the northwest of the occupied West Bank, there is an unexpected sight: a zoo, complete with a baby monkey born on Saturday.

This is no ordinary zoo as this is a zoo under occupation. In 2002, the Israeli army invaded the city and many of the animals died from tear gas. The resourceful owners decided to stuff their animals and many are now displayed.

The Qalqiliya zoo is the only zoo in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Some animals, however, survived. A female monkey in the zoo gives birth every year but, maybe as a result of the stress inflicted during the military siege, she ate her newborn every year soon after delivery. This year, the baby monkey was taken away from its mother shortly after birth for its own survival. The vets at the zoo are now caring for the baby monkey and feeding the monkey artificial milk.

The vet, Sami Abu Khader, reported that the newborn monkey was given the name Rambo and he is in good health. Rambo is receiving special medical care inside the zoo. He added that the phenomenon of a mother eating her newborn is a rare phenomenon amongst apes.

Another Bethlehemite Kidnapped by IOF

2006-10-24T13:44:00.000+02:00

This very morning, Nu'man Salahaat (36), a Palestinian citizen of Abu Njeim in Southern Bethlehem, was kidnapped by the Israeli Occupation Forces. Palestinian police stated that Israeli army vehicals raided the town in the morning. Soldiers surrounded Salahaat's neibourhood, then burst into his house and ransacked it before leading him to an unknown location.

- Based on WAFA - Palestine News Agency

Mozilla Firefox 2 - Midnight Release

2006-10-24T12:16:00.000+02:00

I just read on the news that FireFox 2 will be released on the 25th at 00:00 GMT.

A third version/candidate for the new Firefox - RC 3 - is available for download from Mozilla.org

According to the developers at the Mozilla.org, RC 3 includes;

* A new theme that updates Firefox’s familiar interface
* Built in Phishing Protection
* Enhanced search engine management and search suggestions for Google, Yahoo! and Answers.com
* Improvements to tabbed browsing, including the ability to re-open recently closed tabs
* Firefox will resume from where you left off after a system crash or browser restart
* Better support for previewing and subscribing to Web feeds
* Inline spell checking in Web forms
* The ability to create bookmarks with “Live Titles” for Web sites that offer microsummaries
* New Add-ons manager that simplifies management of extensions and themes.
* Support for JavaScript 1.7
* Extended search plugin format
* Updates to the extension system to provide enhanced security and to allow for easier localization of extensions
* Support for client-side session and persistent storage
* Support for SVG text using svg:textPath
* New Windows installer based on Nullsoft Scriptable Install System

For more information about Firefox 2 and its features, visit Release Notes on Firefox 2.0
or visit the Developers Blog for more information about RC 3, and more.

Thank You DesertPeace

2006-10-22T19:37:00.000+02:00

Apologies to visitors to this blog, who use Mozilla Firefox to surf the web, and therefore have been encountering some problems while viewing the posts. Thanks to our beloved DesertPeace, the problem has been identified and dealt with.
If you are still facing the same complications with this blog, I would appreciate it if you leave me a comment.

Salaam

CBS 2: A Meeting Out of the Twilight Zone

2006-10-21T17:31:00.000+02:00

I found this clip on the YouTube today. The meeting is from the 21st of September, however.

If you cannot view the clip, click here.

The event is also documented on Neturei Karta International (Gardians of the City) - Jews United Against Zionism

Six Palestinians from Bethlehem were Kidnapped By IOF Saturday Morning

2006-10-21T16:48:00.000+02:00

From IMEMC

"In Obadyeah village, East of Bethlehem, in the central West Bank, 10 army vehicles invaded the village. Troops stormed residents' houses, searched and ransacked them and took six prisoners to unknown locations.

Local sources identified the six as; Ali Shanaitah, 32, his brother Khalaf, 18, Salah Shanaitah, 17, Maher Shanaitah, 20, Naji Shanaitah, 19, and his brother Anouwar, 18."

------

Why 'kidnapped', but not 'arrested'?

Arrests are supposed to be done by army or police within the country's borders. When a person is arrested, he/she are given some explanation about the reason for which they are under arrest.
Non of those two apply to the Israeli Occupation Forces as for they snatch Palestinians from the Palestinian Territories while defying the kidnapped their rights according to international laws.
In addition, the kidnaping happened during the Jewish Sabbath. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Jews are supposed to "rest" on the day.

This is an open invitation for you to join the debate.

Salaam

What an Odd Coincidence?

2006-10-16T13:44:00.000+02:00

My plan for this post was nothing like it appears now. I intended to write about Ben-Gurion and how he is remembered differently by Jews and Arabs. However, and while I was reviewing certain pages, a realisation struck me causing shivers down my spine.
What is also weird is that I wrote about a coincidence in my last post. Maybe, I should rename my blog into “Coincidences Buster”, not that I believe in coincidences. I believe more in that things happen for a reason and they usually lead to certain actions and reactions, which might lead to what people define today as being a coincidence.
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On this day, four separate, yet related incidents occurred in the recent history of man, actually, the history of Israel. Taking them in chronological order;

- David Ben-Gurion - originally David Grün - was born in Poland in 1886. He was a leading Zionist, a co-founder of the Zionist State of Israel, a Mapai (Labour Party) leader, the first Defence Minister of Israel, the first Prime Minister of Israel, and the ideological father of Israel‘s nuclear weapons’ programme. He moved to Palestine in 1906, but was forced out in 1915 by the Ottomans. However, he came back to Palestine - with a family this time - after the WWI after he joined a Jewish Battalion of the British Army in 1918.
He eventually died in Israel in December 1973.

Some of Ben-Gurion’s Quotes:

"The present map of Palestine was drawn by the British mandate. The Jewish people have another map which our youth and adults should strive to fulfil -- From the Nile to the Euphrates."

“We must use terror, assassination, intimidation, land confiscation, and the cutting of all social services to rid the Galilee of its Arab population.”

“If I were an Arab leader, I would never sign an agreement with Israel. It is normal; we have taken their country. It is true God promised it to us, but how could that interest them? Our God is not theirs. There has been Anti - Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault ? They see but one thing: we have come and we have stolen their country. Why would they accept that?”

"The Achilles heel of the Arab coalition is the Lebanon. Muslim supremacy in this country is artificial and can be easily overthrown. A Christian state ought to be set up there, with its southern frontier on the river Litani. We would sign a treaty of alliance with the state. Thus, when we have broken the strength of the Arab legion and bombed Amman, we could wipe out Trans-Jordan; after that Syria could fall. And if Egypt still dared to make war on us, we would bomb Port Said, Alexandria and Cairo. We should thus end the war and would have paid to Egypt, Assyria and Chaldea on behalf of our ancestors."

- The largest Jewish Ghetto, Warsaw, was built in Poland in 1940.

DO YOU SPOT ANY SIMILARITIES?

- Ten politicians and officials, who where convicted during the Nuremberg Trials for their involvement in the making of the Holocaust, were executed, in 1946.
Those men were; Hans Frank - German, Alfred Jodl - German, Julius Streicher - German, Ernst Kaltenbrunner - Austrian, Fritz Sauckel - German, Wilhelm Keitel - German, Joachim von Ribbentrop - German, Wilhelm Frick - German, Arthur Seyss-Inquart - Austrian, and Alfred Rosenberg - Estonia.

- John Paul II - originally Karol Józef Wojtyla - was the first Polish cardinal to be appointed Pope, in 1978. He seemed to be in favour of Israel in his statements and leading actions of the Catholic Church. On one hand, His statements lacked condemnations of the atrocities made by the State of Israel against the Palestinians. While, on the other hand, Pope John Paul II condemned anti-Semitism - quoting him; “Once again, through myself, the Church, in the words of the well-known declaration Nostra Aetate, "deplores the hatred, persecutions and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews at any time and by anyone." I repeat, "By anyone.".

Sometimes, history goes in circles, trying to bite its own tail. Some other times, it passes the baton from one runner to the next.

Back on October, Friday, the 13th

2006-10-13T21:46:00.000+02:00

I lit up a candle, looked up to the sky to see the half moon over the Shepherds’ Field. There was also Venus twinkling over Mount Herod. Tonight, I remember the Knights Templar.

Today is actually the first Friday Oct 13th of the 21st century. The same combination will occur again in the years 2017, 2023 and 2028. It has been 699 years since the Knights Templar were accused of heresy, pursued, tortured, butchered and put on trials. This lasted until the last known Grand Master Jacques de Molay was burnt at the stake on the 19th March 1314.

Philip IV the fair (le Bel) of France (1268 - 1314) and Clement V (1264 - 1314) were immediately responsible for October, Friday the 13th.
Philip IV was king of France at that time. He had loads of enemies in the Catholic Church. When he placed high taxes on the clergy, mounting to half of their annual income, he scored himself even more enmity from the Roman Catholic Church and caused the issuing of the Papal Bulls “Clericis Laicos” and “Unam Sanctam” by the Pope Boniface VIII. The Bulls forbade transactions of any property of the church to the crown and put the salvation of sins and supreme spiritual rule in the hands of a united church, headed by the pope, and therefore, gave powers to the church over the monarchy. However, in 1305, Bertrand de Goth became Pope Clement V. This pope seemed to have worked in the favour of the king, as he disregarded the two offensive-to-the-king Bulls by the previous pope.

Around the time of the appointment of the new pope, there was a plan of uniting all orders under one to be called the Knights of Jerusalem. The Grand Master of the order of Knights Templar was involved in the creation of the plan, but he disapproved of the product. The order of the Knights of Jerusalem in the final product was to be headed by the king of France who is to be called the Supreme Ruler Rex Bellator (or war king). In addition, the Supreme Ruler was always to be the king of France at any point. Philip IV proposed the plan for the order of the Knights of Jerusalem in Rome. However, the order never became to life.

The 200-old order of the Knights Templar had influential and financial powers over the church and kingdom. All what king Philip IV needed to totally and exclusively rule the kingdom were a collaborator pope and the Knights of Templar's wealth and influence.

When Philip IV was done with oppressing the Jews and the Flemish, he turned to the Knights Templar. Pope Clement V issued secret orders for the arrest and killing of the members of the order, to be active on the Friday, 13th of October 1307. Indeed, the Knights were arrested by Philip’s men on that day. King Philip IV only cared about the gains from oppressing and pursuing the Jews, Flemish, priests, and the Templar.

When the Grand Master was burnt on stake in 1314, he, from behind the flames, invited both the king and the pope to join him in death within the year. The Pope died on the 20th April and the King on the 29th of November, of the same year. This might enhance the myth that told a connection of the order to magic.
Indeed, the Templar had different believes to the Catholic Church. Yet, that does not make their believes evil.

It is worth mentioning here that some stories state that a number of Knights Templar escaped the capture and sailed to Scotland where they fought with Robert the Bruce in the battle to gain independence from England. The stories say that those Knights carried with them the most valuable of treasures - the Holy Grail.

I personally think that the pope Clement V had some bad sense of humour. I am convinced that he chose the date for the arrest of the Templar deliberately. This might explain;
- Friday comes from Frigg or Freya, the female goddess in some pagan believes and mythologies, or Venus for the Roman pagans. On the Friday, some pagans worshiped the goddess Venus, the goddess of love and light. The Templar had a great respect for Venus, who symbolises the female, the feminine side of man, the chalice, and the universal balance of energy.
- Number 13 was always associated with witches and witch-craft. A coven of witches is always of thirteen - some say it is of 12 witches joined by a Frigg, which is turned in Christianity into the devil to denounce witches and paganism. The number also corresponded to the number of lunar (menstrual) cycles in a year.

The strange thing about tonight was the moon. It was the witches’ moon! HALF FULL, HALF EMPTY, symbolising balance. What a coincidence, don’t you think?

One IOF Violation of Human Rights Intensifies

2006-08-30T21:45:00.000+03:00

Thank you Davboz for commenting on my blog. It is always good to engage in debates, especially when it is between a Palestinian blogging and an Israeli who likes commenting on Palestinian and anti-Zionist blogs - and who has no blog of his own, only a bloggers ID. So, I hope to see you here again - with friends if you like - and lets debate.
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The central focus of this post is the Bil’in weekly peaceful demonstrations against the building of the Wall and the annexing of Palestinian land, brought as an example of the violation of the freedom of speech and expression by the Israeli Occupation Forces against the demonstrators.

It seems that the IOF were instructed to harden their blows on the Bil’in demo. It has been the trend, since the July war on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. The demonstrations have been going on since January 2005. Ever since and the demonstrators have been met with rubber-coated metal bullets, sound grenades, gas bombs, physical abuse, verbal abuse and arrest squads.

Basque Nationalist Musical group met with bullets and sound grenades
The Basque musical group joined Palestinians, internationals and Israelis in the Bili’n weekly demonstration on the 7th of July. They dressed in full fest costumes and carried bells on their lower backs, keeping the beat for the march that headed towards the Israeli gate in the Wall, which leads to the villages agricultural lands.
The Basques expressed their solidarity with the Palestinians and support for their resistance; "we too have been fighting an occupation of our lands for generations".
The arm manning the location threw tear-gas and sound grenades at the demonstrators and used rubber bullets. They also intended to arrest twice Iyad Buranat, a member of the Bil’in committee against the wall and settlements. The soldiers physically abused the Palestinians who came to his aid.
The demonstration ended with five reported injuries;
"Ahmed Mohammed Hamad, 55, of Bil’in suffered damage to his right ear from a sound bomb.
Mohammed Katib, 33, member of the Bil’in committee against the wall and settlements, suffered bruises and tears to the skin in his left torso from soldiers roughing him up.
Michael, 23, from the US, suffered tears in the skin of his forearms from shrapnel from a sound bomb. His right forearm was damaged when he was thrown by one soldier against another’s shield with extreme force.
Ashraf , 22, of Tulkarem, suffered a rubber bullet to his upper left thigh as he was walking by the soldiers.
Khaled, 18, of Bil’in, was hit with a rubber bullet in the leg.

Palestinian Wedding as part of the Demo Interrupted
Mansour and Iman, two happy couple from Bil’in, celebrated their wedding ceremony as part of the 14th of July Bil’in protest. The army manning the gate in the Wall to the village’s fields prevented the procession from holding the wedding celebration amongst the olive trees.
Few rocks were thrown at the Israeli military vehicles that said to activate a response from the soldiers. However, the response lasted for an hour and an incursion on the Bil’in village and ended up injuring 26 participants, including the bride.
The soldiers used sound grenades and brutal physical abuse against some protesters.

Injuries - 14 July
The bride was hit in the face, across the right jaw with a baton and afterward dragged back in a chokehold, her dress stained with dirt.
Yosi, an Israeli activist, was severely beaten and immobile.
The first round of injuries were from sound bombs:
Fernanado (35, Euskalaria)—bruising to his right thigh
Koldo (32, Euskalaria)—ruptured skin and bruising to his right hip
Rojay Mohammed (press)—beaten after being injured by a sound bomb; afterward the soldiers broke his camera.

Several injuries were sustained from the batons resulting in welts, bruises
and bumps—some several inches long leaving a few with difficulty walking:
Martin (24, Sweden)—bruising on his legs
Ashraf (22, Tulkarem)—bruising to his legs
Sean (20, Ireland)—multiple bruises to his arms and legs
Shees (23, US)—knees and legs beaten
Waji (50, Bil’in)—right arm and hand beaten
Elad (31, Tel Aviv)—knees and hands beaten and bruised
Woody (27, US)—right arm and left leg beaten
Allen (25, Scotland)—severe bruising to his right arm
Mohammed (35, Biddo)—severe bruising to his legs and knees
Amna (US)—legs and arms beaten
Falah Abu Rahma (30, Bil’in)
Megan (23, US)—hit with baton
Yosi (19, Tel Aviv)—knocked unconscious for a brief time
Othman Mansour (45, Bil’in)—needed to be carried to the village.

In addition the soldiers used rubber bullets which hit a few people:
Yasin Farras (14, Bil’in)—in his leg
Ashraf (22, Tulkarem)—in his back
Unnamed woman (36, Europe)—to the back of her head.

Exceptional Non-Violent Response from the IOF
The 21st of July demonstration was overshadowed with grief. The demonstrators carried posters and a 20 meters long black flag to mourn the killing of 425 Palestinian and Lebanese civilians killed since the 28th of June and until the 20th of July. Demonstrators also had sealed their mouths with a tape; "We are against the Arab and International apathy and silence towards the ongoing Israeli violations of human rights" Mohammed Al Khateeb of the Popular Committee of Bil’in explained.
This demo ended with no engagement from the Israeli soldiers manning the gate and, consequently, no injuries.

Demonstrators Being Alarmed for the First Time
The demonstrators on the 28th of July carried a coffin rapped in both the Palestinian and Lebanese flags with "The New Middle East" written on one of the sides. They laid the coffin of the barbed-wire of one of the fences blocking access to the village’s agricultural lands. Immediately, soldiers throw sound-grenades at the demonstrators and followed shortly by rubber bullet shots.
There was some fear and suspicion in the air that the soldiers might cause some severe injuries or deaths amongst the demonstrators. "We must be very careful," Mohammed Khatib, from the popular committee, said. "Four internationals were killed in Lebanon and the Israeli military is allowed to claim that they didn’t do it on purpose because everyone believes them." That fear was also attributed to the fact that the media attention was drawn away from a peaceful demonstration by what was happening in Lebanon at the time.
Fortunately, the demo ended with very few injuries caused amongst the protesters. However, the events uncovering in the following demos proved some of their doubts.

Two Scots in their 50s were amongst the injured and extinguishing fire attempt targeted
Palestinians, Internationals and Israelis carried the Palestinian, Lebanese and black flags on the demonstration of the 4th of August, while mourning the killing of more than a 1,000 Palestinian and Lebanese civilians. The demonstrators attempted to cross the Israeli military reinforced fences that separates the villagers of Bil’in from their agricultural lands that are annexed by the Israeli government. They were met with tear-gas bombs, sound grenades and rubber bullets.
Amongst the injured were Margaret, 52, and John, 53, from Scotland. Margaret was shot in the back with a rubber-coated metal bullet, while John sustained facial injuries from a concussion grenade thrown directly at him. Another Spanish participans, Yasir, was also shot in the back with a rubber-coated metal bullet.
During the demonstration, a tear-gas grenade ignited two fires that lasted for 40 minutes. Some participants from the demonstration attempted to distinguish the rapidly spreading fire, but were shot at and gassed by the IOF.

An Israeli and a Dan receive serious head injuries
Each demonstration in Bil’in has a theme and each one demonstrate a creative means of protest. The demo of the 11th of Aug had the title "New Style of Killing". Some demonstrators carried mock bodies of a Lebanese family killed during the war. Even before they reached their destination, which the site of the Wall, the demonstrators were met with sound bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets. That came despite the fact that an Israeli military court decision that people in Bil’in have the right of freedom of speech through "legitimate resistance".
An Israeli lawyer, Lymor, amongst the demonstrators was shot in the neck and head by rubber-coated metal bullet at close range and a Danish national was beaten by an Israeli soldier on the head by the butt of his gun causing sever concussion. Lymor underwent a successful surgery to remove the bullet and shards of his skull. However, his condition remains unstable. Rina, on the other hand, is still waiting for her test results, but is showing signs of recovery.
* Watch ISM film from the demo on the 11th of Aug, showing Israeli soldiers shooting Lymor and Israeli commander shouting "This is Lebanon!" - Click here

Injuries - 11 Aug
Lymor from Israel, shot with 3 rubber bullets at close range, with injuries to head and neck.
Two villagers, El Haj Wa’el Fahene and Nimer Mustafa Abu Rahma were both shot with rubber bullets to their backs and legs.
Gavin from UK, beaten
Martin from Sweden, beaten
Rina from Denmark, hit with a rifle butt on side of head
Jonathon from Israel, shot with rubber bullet
Uri, 20, from Israel, struck by rubber bullet
Rojo Didier, 43, from France, shot with rubber bullet in back and leg
Jonas from USA, struck with rubber bullets on hip and leg
Cheryl, 45, from USA, struck with rubber bullet to the back
Margaret from UK, struck by exploding sound grenade
Yoshki, 22, journalist from Japan, shot by rubber bullet
Abudullah Abu Rahma, beaten

Chemicals
On the morning of the 18th, the Israeli military threatened to use force against the demonstrators in a phone call to a member of the of the Popular Committee of Bil’in. During this demo, the IOF fired blue liquid from a massive tank at the demonstrators, colouring their hair, skin and cloths blue, and causing burning and irritation of skin for at least 7 hours.
"Tear gas was also used against the demonstrators as soon as the water canon was engaged, so it is unclear whether the burning was from gas being absorbed into the wet skin and clothing, or whether the water itself contained a chemical" (ISM 18th Aug report)

Injuries and Arrests - 25 Aug
The latest Bil’in demonstration was met with extreme physical abuse by the Israeli army. Many participants in the demo suffered injuries, one injury of which resulted in a concussion.

Andrianes an Italian activist beaten badly with a baton.
Mansour Mansour the Palestinian ISM Campaign Coordinator was severely beaten with a baton.
Saif Abu Keshek the Palestinian Coordinator living in Spain was beaten with a baton and shot with 3 rubber bullets in the back and one in the leg.
Anna from US suffered injuries on her hand as well as 2 rubber bullets, one in the back and hip.
Lina from Germany suffered a rubber bullet wound on her leg.
Jonathon Pollack from Israel suffered severe beatings with a baton.
Dave from Ireland suffered beatings and a rubber bullet wound to the back.
Magan from US suffered harsh beatings with the baton, including one to her head, resulting in a concussion.
Coby from Israel suffered beatings from a baton.
Adeeb a Palestinian suffered beatings and was detained and later released.
Mohammad Khatib local Popular Committee member was detained and later released.
David from Catalonia was detained and later released.

For more information visit ISM/Bil’in Village

Two Al Quds Brigades Members Assassinated and Long-Term Detainee Released - Bethlehem

2006-08-18T19:21:00.000+03:00

I was in bed when I heard the gun fire last night. It went on for at least an hour.
Unfortunately, I was trying to heal some of my scars while this was going on. I could not find out what was happening in the town, then. Well, I did not consider it as an option, really. Was thinking to myself, ‘what if it is a new Israeli invasion on Bethlehem?’, ‘what if I am going to be stuck at home for weeks under curfew, with gun fire and tanks roaring in the background’, ’what if… what if it is someone I know is shot’. I did not want to know.

Today, checking the news - on Ma’an News Agency and IMEMC - I learned that two members of Al Quds Brigades from Obeideyeh, East of Bethlehem City, were killed. One source said that the two parties were exchanging fire before the two assassinated were trapped in a cave. The other got a phone call from the spokesperson of Al Quds Brigade, who informed them that there has been two dozens Israeli military vehicles invading the town under the cover of an war-plane. Commonly, the two sources said that the two were killed by a rocket while in the cave.
“The two were released from an Israeli jail few months ago and soon they were claimed wanted by the Israeli military. An Israeli military spokesperson claimed that the two are involved in planning a shoot out at an Israeli military checkpoint near the West Bank village of Sheikh Sa’ad wounding three Israeli soldiers.” (IMEMC)
The person who carried the act on the checkpoint was killed by Israeli soldiers on the spot, Ma’an reported.

Now, why would those two Palestinian fighters from Bethlehem be released from jail the first place if the Israeli government thought they might still be a cause of ‘terror’.

Also, why would the IOF invade the town to kill them instead of actually detain them while they were trying to pass an Israeli checkpoint, granted that there are at least two Israeli checkpoints placed on Palestinian lands in every single Palestinian towns’ boundaries. Besides, the IOF violated, again, an international law by entering the town. To make my point clearer; soldiers of a “civilised and democratic” state crossing the borders to ‘area A’ - lands administered fully by the Palestinian Authority, scare the s**t out of residents of Bethlehem, hunt down and then kill brutally two Palestinians in their home town, is a bit too much to fathom, don’t you think?

The latest thing I read from Bethlehem news was concerning the release of a long-term administrative detainee from Al Nagav Israeli prison. Majdi al Shrouf served five years in Israeli prisons making him the second to serve the longest period of distractive detention in an Israeli prison.

Let us hope that we never hear the news of his assassination by Israeli soldiers next.

Ma'an News - IMEMC - Administrative Detention; Definition

ISM Film Shows Shooting of Israeli Activist at Peaceful Demo --- and Testimony of an Activist

2006-08-13T18:43:00.000+03:00

Click here to watch film from ISM showing the shooting of Lymor.

"an Israeli in critical condition who was shot on neck and just above his right ear with 3 rubber bullets at close range. He has had surgery at Tel Hashomer hospital to remove a rubber bullet that was lodged in his skull. Currently he is in a medical induced coma in moderate but stable condition, but has sustained brain damage of unknown severity. Today his condition is listed as stable but serious since the doctors do not know the extent of brain damage that has occured." Read more from ISM media release, 12 Aug
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Checkpoint Humiliation and Bullets at Peaceful Demonstrations
by Jenny Digi
11 Aug 2006
From Bethlehem Bloggers

On Thursday I left Nablus to travel to Bethlehem, Bil’in and Hebron, never an easy journey. The checkpoint just outside Nablus, Huwarra, was in a bad state when we arrived. 100s of Palestinians; men and women, children and the old, doctors, ambulances, Red Cross vehicles, trucks loaded with fruit and vegetables, students, everyone was being held in the burning hot afternoon sun. As my friend and I debated what to do, either to try and use our passports to get through the queue quicker (which always feels wrong), to leave the Palestinians behind, or to stand in solidarity with them, the decision was taken from us. Suddenly, at the front of one of the waiting groups, shouting broke out and we could see soldiers surrounding one of the men. We pushed our way to the front to try and intervene, both of us on the phone; myself to international human rights workers in the city who could come out to help with the situation, and my friend to an Israeli law group who are able to work on the Israeli commanders to stop them behaving so badly.

As the man who was being beaten was dragged away, the penned in crowd were shouting out to the soldiers to stop, to calm down and to let him go and the rest of them through the checkpoint. We questioned the soldiers about why they wouldn’t let people through, one young soldier, not even in his twenties, replied that the commander had given an order that no-one was to be let through, not even women giving birth. When asked what the justification was, he could give none, adding that just because he was serving in the army didn’t mean he didn’t have a conscience.

There was a family with three young children, the eldest, a girl of about seven, was cradled in the arms of her father - obviously quite unwell, and they were pleading with the soldiers to let them pass. Repeatedly, they were physically forced back by the soldiers pushing them away. I spoke to the soldiers, pointing out the obvious to them, that the child was ill, that she was just a child, and asking them to be let through, eventually after about 15 minutes they were. One of the soldiers kept on pushing towards the crowd, shouting angrily that they had to go back, others fingered the triggers on the guns and pushed them against those of us at the front, sometimes not even seeming to notice when they hit us in the face with them.

Another woman came up holding the hand of her son, a young boy of about 3 or 4 who had just been discharged from hospital, on his other hand was a bandage covering where his IV had been. The mother was unable to afford to pay for a taxi or ambulance to get him home so she was stuck at the checkpoint, having to ask permission from soldiers (who have no right to be there) to get her child somewhere safe. She asked me to help, passing me the letter from the hospital explaining that he had been treated for severe asthma and was only being allowed home under strict instructions, which included avoiding too much heat, dust and smoke. None of the soldiers would let her through, one claimed she was using her son, another kept telling her to go and wait in the immobile line. All the while we were trying to get the soldiers to open the checkpoint, and to at least let the women and children through the waiting crowd, who were getting understandably more agitated. One man who had been shouting at the soldiers was dragged off, his crying wife following behind him. As the woman got increasingly distraught, the crowd pushed forwards a little, then, with no warning the soldier I had spoken to earlier, grabbed hold of her child and as he stepped back towards the military vehicles behind him, the woman and I grabbed the bewildered child and had to pull him from the soldiers arms.

Behind us a young girl with a clown mask pushed up into her hair had her face screwed up in fear as she pushed torn plastic into her mouth to try and stifle her screams. Shortly after that, in an apparent acceptance that touching the boy had been very wrong, we were able to get them to let the woman and child through and we accompanied them to the other side. Soon after, other people started following us through in dribs and drabs, though it would have taken hours for them all to get passed, having to go through the ritual humiliation of ID checks and searches.

Today, there was a demonstration in the small village of Bil’in, near to Ramallah. There has been a weekly protest there for months now, against the construction of the Apartheid Wall, and an illegal Settlement, which is stealing yet more land, and more water, from the Palestinians. 10 Palestinians, internationals and Israeli peace activists gathered, at the front of the march, where there were about 10 of us carrying mock bodies of children, signifying those who have died in Palestine and Lebanon, to lay near the gate in the barrier. Before we got near to the site, a line of Israeli soldiers were waiting in a line across the road, in some of their hands were orange sound grenades, others had wooden batons and all had their guns. Our group walked peacefully towards them until we were within a few feet, then, with little warning, a soldier pulled the pin on a sound grenade and rolled it straight at us. The people behind us rushed backwards as we moved quickly to the side, our fingers pushed in to our ears to soften the deafening explosion that soon followed. As we took cover behind a pile of bricks, rubber bullets, more sound grenades and tear gas canisters were flying over us and landing around us.

A group of soldiers went by where we now stood, some people had their legs hit with the wooden batons and more sound grenades were thrown all over. None of us reacted in a violent manner; the Israeli activists tried to reason with the soldiers, some internationals and Palestinians just sat in the way of the soldiers - trying to calm the situation down. Still the soldiers fired at people, one passing by me, pushing his gun against me as he reached for more plastic bullets, most people had returned towards the village, not wanting people to be seriously injured. A young Swedish woman was screaming, holding her ears after a sound bomb had been thrown just in front of her whilst she sat in the road, the woman next to her was bleeding from her arm, hit by flying plastic from the same grenade. The young soldiers seemed both out of control and unsure of what they should be doing; some would start hitting out with the batons only after their colleagues did it, or load their bullets when reminded and when they ran towards the demonstrators it was with little coherence.

As I headed back to the village, between the two lines of soldiers, I saw a small group of people, soldiers and demonstrators, crouched by the side of the road with an obviously injured lad in the middle. Pulling my gloves on (first aid training coming to the fore), I ran up to them, I could see a heavily bloodied bandage lying next to his head, crouching down to get a better look I saw his skull was fractured and there appeared to be white matter showing through. Again, the soldiers didn’t know what they were doing, whilst treating him - doing the little we could under the circumstances - some of them were still firing from nearby, even through their colleagues asked them not to. When we were finally able to move him onto a stretcher the soldiers wouldn’t let us take him to the waiting vehicle at first, as some of the young Palestinians were throwing stones, holding the life of the shot lad hostage. The injured lad, one of the Israeli peace activists, was evacuated to hospital where he has just undergone emergency surgery to remove the plastic bullet lodged in his head.

Plastic bullets are supposed to be a “gentle” way to subdue protests. The unlawful, inhumane and immoral actions of the soldiers today at a peaceful protest are abhorrent. Using tear-gas, bullets, batons and sound grenades against peaceful protestors is another example of how out of control the military are in this country. This lad was shot twice, in the head and in the neck, his only crime was to try and demonstrate for a more peaceful and just world, he stood up against his country and spoke out about the crimes being committed in his name and now he is lying in hospital and may not live.
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For subsequent reports and photos, see the International Solidarity Movement website

Ma'an: Feathered foe foils fearless flying force...

2006-08-10T15:11:00.000+03:00

From Ma'an News Agency

The Israeli newspaper Maariv has stated that the Israeli Air Force will start to decrease the frequency of its sorties, not as a result of international pressure, but due to the expected arrival of half a million migrating birds in the coming few weeks.

According to the Air Force, those birds cause harm to more than 200 military air flights each year. Last year alone, 70 collisions with migrating birds ended in material losses for the Air Force, causing the deaths of three pilots.

The damage incurred is dependant upon two factors: the speed of the aircraft and the weight of the bird. A bird weighing 800 grams will strike an F16, flying at a speed of 1000 km per hour, as if it weighed 15 tons. If the bird weighs 10 kilograms, its strike will equal 100 tons, the weight of two military tanks combined.

Image from Carleton University/ Department of Physics

George Galloway: Hizbollah Is Not A Terrorist Organization

2006-08-07T12:40:00.000+03:00

Galloway may not be the most respected Member of British Parliament by the mainstream media or 'straights', but this might be worth watching for some.

The following is found on Information Clearing House

Click here if frame above doesn't work or here.

How Can We Ignore Their Death?

2006-08-06T21:23:00.000+03:00

Around 10 this morning, a demonstration was launched in Beit Sahour, a town in the Bethlehem district. The demo started from in front of the Greek Orthodox church in the town, immediately after the Sunday mass. There was about 300 people at the demo. There were women and children, Muslims and Christians, religious and secular people, and it was led by a scouts group from the town.
This demonstration was actually a funeral ceremony. People of Beit Sahour had buried three today.
In the town, when a Christian dies, his body is taken to a burial site after being marching through the town, carried by people in a coffin. The scouts usually lead the procession - especially when the deceased is very known - drumming a sad tune. The priests then pray over the body of the deceased; “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust”, asking his/her God to have mercy on their soul.
Today, the three coffins were for the Arab League, the United Nations and the International Conscience. They were carried by the scouts who marched them in the town while drumming that tune, then buried in the town-centre. The priests prayed on “their souls” as people started chucking stones at the coffins - instead of ashes. When that was done, the scouts led the procession back towards the starting point. They were playing a happy tune this time, as if to say, ‘We got rid of the bastards. We are better without them anyway.”

Thank you Gaialing - from Bethlehem Bloggers: Voices from the Bethlehem Ghetto - for providing the images

"Qana: Scars that Don't Heal" by Nour Odeh

2006-08-04T15:51:00.000+03:00

(Friday August 04 2006)
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"Twenty years from now, members of the international community who have led this campaign of hypocrisy and indifference, should not be surprised when the children who manage to survive these atrocities grow up to be adults revolted by their hypocrisy and still bearing the scars of their indifference."
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"Our fathers had reached the frontiers which were recognized in Partition Plan. Our generation reached the frontiers of 1949. Now the Six-day generation (referring to those who participated in 1967 war) has managed to reach Suez, Jordan and the Golan Heights. This is not the end. After the present cease-fire lines, there will be new ones. They will extend beyond Jordan - perhaps to Lebanon and perhaps to Central Syria as well."
-- Moshe Dayan, The Times of London (June 25, 1969)

Qana, again, comes back to haunt what little humanity remains in international politics. Qana, that small southern Lebanese village stands now as a testament to the inhumanity with which Arab victims are treated and the worthlessness awarded to their blood and lives. Three weeks and 900 civilian Lebanese victims into the Israeli war on Lebanon, the international coalition led by the United States remains adamant against calling for an immediate cease fire or even a cessation of hostilities, reinforcing the above-conclusion.

At approximately 1:00a.m. Sunday, 30 July 2006, Israeli warplanes attacked a number of buildings in Qana, pulverizing three homes and heavily damaging a three-story building, where the remaining Qana residents had been huddling. They were sleeping in the basement, using it as a make-shift shelter, thinking that the small sand hills around the building would protect them from Israeli artillery fire. They did not know that death would rain on them from the dark skies above because they thought the Israeli drones constantly over their heads would record the house was inhabited by women and children, thus saving it from an attack…

Over 60 people, mostly women and children, members of two extended families, were sleeping when the missiles rained down. Some were able to leave the building to assess the damage and look for help. In front of their horrified eyes and amidst the smoke, moans, and cries of the wounded, the building collapsed, crushing those inside. At 7:00 a.m. the air strikes resumed, killing most of those who were able to flee the targeted shelter… Lebanese Red Cross crews and other rescuers could not reach the village until 9:00 a.m. because the roads were so heavily damaged by the incessant Israeli bombing. In all, and according to Lebanese sources, 62 civilians were killed, including 42 children of whom 15 were disabled. These were the village residents too poor, sick, or old to flee the village. Some of them tried but couldn’t get out because of the bombed roads, others couldn’t afford the now-astronomical cabs fares for the often-deadly trip up north (up to $1,000).

The scenes of recovery operations were nothing short of heart wrenching. Rescue crews and survivors dug with their hands through the rubble, pulling out one tiny, limp, cold, and dusty body after another. One child was pulled out holding his mother’s hand, seeking comfort during death where protection became beyond reach. In another corner, a toddler is pulled out with his pacifier still attached to his pajamas. Next to him lay bodies of victims who died with their hands reaching out in what seems to have been a cry for help that no one heard or an attempt to reach out through the crushing rubble that was simply impossible.

In the hospital, a distraught mother recalls how she was able to dig out, with her bare hands, her disabled husband and youngest child. “But I couldn’t reach Zeinab. Zeinab died,” she kept repeating, with shock blanketing her bandaged face. Zeinab, her daughter, was buried deeper in the rubble. After a lot of desperate digging, the injured mother found her daughter’s tiny hand. She recalls from her hospital bed, “I felt a small hand and I knew this was my daughter’s hand. I caressed her hand and kissed it then I told her: I can’t get to you Zeianb. I don’t know how. I can’t. I’m sorry”. Zeinab’s mom offered her dying child all she could; a kiss, a caress, and a prayer.

Body after body, the massacre unfolded and the horror was revealed and relived: Entire families wiped out; helpless children twisted and entangled in the crushing rubble of what was home… Survivors kept screaming to journalists accompanying the rescuers: Why? But who could answer such a devastating question? Who could even dare?

The Israeli representative to the United Nations Ambassador Dan Gillerman addressed the Security Council later that day during its consultative meeting about the Qana massacre. “If there were no Hizbollah, this would never have happened”, Mr. Gillerman said, charging, “Israel has repeatedly beseeched the residents of Qana to leave. I would not be surprised if Hizbollah made them stay”. One could argue that this statement was the eloquent repetition of one made by the Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon on 27 July to the BBC in which he declared, “All those now in south Lebanon are terrorists who are related in some way to Hezbollah”. The haughty representative also declared that there was “a huge moral dis-equivalence” between the Israeli killing of Lebanese civilians and the Israeli deaths caused by Hezbollah attacks, a point made days earlier by his American counterpart, Ambassador John Bolton. Finally, Mr. Gillerman countered Lebanese and other requests to the Security Council to call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire by saying, “They [Hezbollah] want the Council to be called up to arms and to seize the fire…. I beseech members not to play into their hands”, accusing Hezbollah of “[sacrificing] their own people as human shields and as victims”. Not surprisingly, the US-led UN Security Council did not condemn the Israeli bombing nor call for an immediate ceasefire. Instead, it issued a bland statement in which it expressed its “shock and distress” and called for an “end to violence”.

Ten years ago, the Israeli army launched a sweeping offensive against Lebanon that also targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure. Most shockingly then, the Israeli air force fired at least 12 missiles at a UNIFIL post manned by a Fijian force in Qana, yes Qana, where 800 hundred Lebanese civilians had sought shelter from the Israeli offensive. One hundred and six civilians, mostly women and children, were literally burned to death.

Robert Fisk of the UK daily Independent wrote on 5 June 1996, how a UNIFIL observer told him that “in one [UNIFIL] observation post a colleague could hear – a mile away across the valley at Qana – ‘a sort of chorus of screams’ A set of still photographs of the shelling shows only one shell falling outside the compound – in the opposite direction to the Katyusha launch site at which the Israelis claim they were firing”. The horrific scenes of that massacre were earth shattering: charred remains of victims burned while sitting, having been consumed by the fires faster than they could fall, and babies beheaded by the shrapnel, as well as bloodied and deformed corpses of mothers huddling with their children – the signs of sheer horror still apparent on their faces.

Israel then, like today, denied any responsibility for that act of mass murder or knowledge of the presence of civilians in the targeted post and blamed Hezbollah for the atrocity. This is despite the fact that the Israeli Army’s Chief of Intelligence then admitted the army’s knowledge that 800 civilians had sought shelter in that post and that UN observers in nearby bases had confirmed hearing Israeli drones overhead before and after the air strike… Israel’s representative to the UN at the time though put those facts aside and told the Security Council, “We know that the Hezbollah have been cynically using civilians as a shield”.

Back to Southern Lebanon in July 2006. Israeli investigations have already revealed that the Israeli army had no intelligence about Hezbolla fighters, assets, or rockets being in, near, or around the targeted building. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported on 1 August, “It remains unclear at this stage why that specific house…was targeted. The Israel Defense Forces’ inquiry has yet to establish a connection between residents of the building and Hezbollah operatives”. Again in 2006, the Israeli military denies knowing that the building was inhabited by civilians, despite its prevalent deployment of drones in Southern Lebanon. That puts Dan Gillerman’s sinister remarks that one should not expect to wake up if he sleeps next to a missile into a disturbing perspective. It also makes the Israeli Prime Minister’s bravado and adamant declarations two days ago, “We will not apologize” and that Israel was in “no rush” to cease fire, all the more disturbing.

A day following the Qana massacre, journalists accompanied a Lebanese Red Cross and Civil Defense convoy to other cut off southern villages. They uncovered a horrifying series of an untold and yet unknown number of civilian deaths. In Srifa, also a small southern village, the scenes were unbearable. Up to forty civilians were killed and buried under their homes eleven days prior; only thirty bodies have been found thus far but the search remains for those still missing. “Eleven days ago, we received a call from the residents who informed us that their village had been struck and that there were a lot of injuries. A second air strike occurred and we lost all contact with the village after that,” a Lebanese Civil Defense officer told reporters. He went on to explain that despite his information about the injuries and possible deaths, his crews couldn’t reach the village before due to the incessant Israeli air strikes, which also targeted all moving vehicles. The camera lenses accompanying the despaired rescuers couldn’t transmit the stench of decomposing bodies under the rubble but the pictures were unmistakable. Fifteen homes and their residents turned to pebbles and dust while ten other homes were leveled to the ground. For health reasons, the decomposed body parts found were immediately buried, without a marking or a name, compounding the tragedy of the victims’ death with the inability to provide them with a dignified and proper burial. The rest of the victims remain under the rubble to date.

Qana and Srifa are not alone in their momentous tragedies. They share their pain with tens of other Southern Lebanese villages, where tens of lives and homes have been torn to bits by Israeli shelling. The stories keep pouring in, as do the haunting images of children who will never grow up and entire families that once were. To date, Lebanese officials report that 900 civilians are confirmed dead and 3200 others injured although the number is certain to rise once the bodies under the mounting rubble are recovered. The number of internally displaced persons has risen to nearly one million, one fourth of the Lebanese population. Human Rights Watch has condemned Israel for using cluster bombs against civilians in Lebanon during this war. It also confirmed documenting “dozens of cases in which Israeli forces have carried out indiscriminate attacks against civilians while in their homes or traveling on roads to flee the fighting”.

Sadly, the number of civilian casualties is not the only factor that makes this war unquestionably disturbing. Instead, it is the apathy that highlights international reaction to this monumental human catastrophe. Grave violations of international humanitarian law, the destruction of an entire country, and the literal obliteration of entire villages in Southern Lebanon have yet to move world leaders to call for an immediate cease-fire while they look for a supposedly “lasting” political solution. The death and destruction have not even invoked a forceful condemnation. Instead, the mounting death toll of Lebanese civilians is treated with utmost detachment. Contrasting this cold reaction are the repeated and impassioned expressions of grief regarding Israeli civilians killed as well as the vehement condemnation of the attacking party.

In 21 days, the international community has managed to convince an entire nation - and with them the rest of the Arab - world that the lives and dreams and rights of Arab victims are not worth more than the formal and mundane expressions of condolences. Twenty years from now, members of the international community who have led this campaign of hypocrisy and indifference, should not be surprised when the children who manage to survive these atrocities grow up to be adults revolted by their hypocrisy and still bearing the scars of their indifference. If they were interested in a different future reality, scenes from Qana 2006 would have been enough to turn the Israeli death machine off.

"The Achilles heel of the Arab coalition is the Lebanon. Muslim supremacy in this country is artificial and can be easily overthrown. A Christian state ought to be set up there, with its southern frontier on the river Litani. We would sign a treaty of alliance with the state. Thus, when we have broken the strength of the Arab legion and bombed Amman, we could wipe out Trans-Jordan; after that Syria could fall. And if Egypt still dared to make war on us, we would bomb Port Said, Alexandria and Cairo. We should thus end the war and would have paid to Egypt, Assyria and Chaldea on behalf of our ancestors." “The present map of Palestine was drawn by the British mandate. The Jewish people have another map which our youth and adults should strive to fulfill -- From the Nile to the Euphrates."
-- David Ben Gurion, Excerpts from his diary on May 21, 1947

Nour Odeh is a Palestinian Journalist who has worked in a number of Palestinian print and television media institutions, including the Palestine Media Center (as the Head of Communications Department), Ramttan News Agency (as the Chief Editor), and Palestine TV (as an English TV anchor). Read another recent article by Odeh; "Not in My Name"

This article was found on Media Monitors Network

War Crimes and Lebanon

2006-08-04T15:42:00.000+03:00

Letter by;
Tariq Ali, Noam Chomsky, Eduardo Galeano, Howard Zinn, Ken Loach, John Berger & Arundhati Roy

The Guardian, August 3, 2006

The US-backed Israeli assault on Lebanon has left the country numb, smouldering and angry. The massacre in Qana and the loss of life is not simply "disproportionate". It is, according to existing international laws, a war crime.
The deliberate and systematic destruction of Lebanon's social infrastructure by the Israeli air force was also a war crime, designed to reduce that country to the status of an Israeli-US protectorate. The attempt has backfired. In Lebanon itself, 87% of the population now support Hizbullah's resistance, including 80% of Christian and Druze and 89% of Sunni Muslims, while 8% believe the US supports Lebanon. But these actions will not be tried by any court set up by the "international community" since the US and its allies that commit or are complicit in these appalling crimes will not permit it.

It has now become clear that the assault on Lebanon to wipe out Hizbullah had been prepared long before. Israel's crimes had been given a green light by the US and its loyal British ally, despite the opposition to Blair in his own country.

In short, the peace that Lebanon enjoyed has come to an end, and a paralysed country is forced to remember a past it had hoped to forget. The state terror inflicted on Lebanon is being repeated in the Gaza ghetto, while the "international community" stands by and watches in silence. Meanwhile, the rest of Palestine is annexed and dismantled with the direct participation of the US and the tacit approval of its allies.

We offer our solidarity and support to the victims of this brutality and to those who mount a resistance against it. For our part, we will use all the means at our disposal to expose the complicity of our governments in these crimes. There will be no peace in the Middle East while the occupations of Palestine and Iraq and the temporarily "paused" bombings of Lebanon continue.

This letter was found on Chomsky.info

Hannouneh Case, Revisited

2006-07-26T20:35:00.000+03:00

The following are two interviews with Michael and Tina Hannouneh, 17 and 47 years old American citizens, who where beaten by Israeli guards at the Israeli controlled Allenby Bridge border crossing last week. The interviews are by the IMEMC audio team, on Monday, 24th July.

Read a previous post - click here.

Interview with Michael Hannouneh
Interview conducted by Saed Bannoura, transcribed by Hanin Amr

Q: Can you please describe your experience at the Allenby Bridge?

A: Ok, well we give the guy our luggage and our passports. Then he gives us back our passports and tells us to walk around. And when I was walking around, a guy, supposedly a security, but he wasn’t wearing, just a shirt and shorts, asks for my Ipod in Arabic, but I don’t understand him. So I say “What?” And he says it in English a second time. And I said “no, why?”. And the next thing you know, he throws me on the floor. And my mom tries to tell him I don’t understand. He hits her, and she falls on this poll that was by us, like a bench, and broke her nose. And then he jumps on me and starts hitting me, and pounds me head onto the floor. And I wasn’t resisting. I said “ok”. And he kept on hitting me. And he pulled me up and hand cuffed me. And he pushed me on the floor again and asked me why I didn’t give him my IPod. And I told him I don’t understand and he pulled me over to the side and talks to me.

And he was just asking me questions like “Do you have any weapons me and he looked at my IPod a few minutes, and he gave it back to me, I told him “no”, I don’t have any weapons or nothing like that, nothing. And he goes “Ok, Ok”. And then he said “sorry”, and tried to fix me up. I told them to fix up my mom. And we went to the main guy and he said “sorry for the inconvenience and stuff like that. And they we were talking for hours, two hours and checking out our passports, to make sure we’re ok to walk through and go on.

And then they said yes, you can go on, but we needed a Palestinian passport, and I did that yesterday, so now I’m good. And they said sorry, and that they will pay the medicals for my mom. She had to go to the hospital. She got two stitches on her right eye, on the eyebrow and she got a broken nose. So they said that they will pay for the doctor. And they called a cab for us to go home. And on the way home, we stopped to get directions. And cops saw, and they told us to follow them. We did a report at the police station.

Q: When they tried to take your ipod, did you think they were thieves, or did they - ?

A: No, no, it was one guy, on guy, he was asking for my IPod. And I said no, and I thought he was a thief. Because I haven’t been here for a while. So I don’t know what’s happening. Yes, I thought he was a thief

Q:Because he wasn't wearing anything that identified that he was security?

A: Yeah, and he hit me on the floor. And when I looked closely, he put on a quick hat; I don’t know what it says on it. I think it was a security hat. I couldn’t read what it said, it was written in Arabic or some other language. I don’t know because he had nothing (he didn’t have anything that showed that he is a security personal). He had a shirt and shorts. You know, if he had something to show me he was a cop, I would had given him the IPod.

Q: How does this incident make you feel about Israel?

A: I don’t think I really probably want to come back. This is the second time I came here. The first time I was too little to understand. And now I don’t want to come back. I don’t want to come back. I don’t want to deal with this stuff.

Q:Why, in your personal opinion, do you think they treated you this way?

A: I asked him what other evidence he had that there was something wrong, and he said I don’t know. I said “ok”. So I don’t know why he did it, I don’t know. I was confused.

Q: They tried to talk to you in Arabic?

A: Yeah, and I don’t understand Arabic, I don’t know why he used it. I understand like 3 or 4 words. I understand little, very little. I’m trying to learn.

Q: So they assumed you knew Arabic very well and started talking to you in Arabic. Did they give you a chance to explain that you don't know Arabic?

A: No, I said “what” than he said it in English. And then he hit me on the floor. Then my mom came, and told him I don’t understand. He hit her right away. He told her something, I don’t know what he told her. He hit her and then she fell.

Q: Thank you very much, and we hope you and your mother are both feeling better.

A: All right, thank you very much.

-----
Interview with Tina Hannouneh
Transcribed by Tania Tabar

Q: I’m speaking with Tina Hannouneh, an American citizen. Could you tell me about your experience at the Allenby Bridge border crossing?

A: Well, you know what, it was really terrible because as soon as we got in they jumped my son and they wanted to take his ipod and they didn’t even ask, ‘Can you give me this?’ He said to him in Arabic ‘give me this.’ My son, he doesn’t understand any Arabic. And he said ‘no’ and as soon as he said ‘no,’ they started hitting him. He hit him, dropped him on the floor and started punching him.

I started to interfere, I told him ‘you know, he doesn’t speak Arabic.’ Can you speak to him in English?’ I told my son to give him what he wants. He hit my face, hit my nose, and broke my nose. I fell down, I hit my nose and head, and have stitches, like deep ones on my left eye. I started bleeding. Another guy had his gun in my face, pointed between my eyes, and he said, ‘ if you say one word I will shoot you.’ I just stayed quiet. And it was really terrible. My son was so excited to come over here, and now he is not. He was so disappointed and he didn’t even go to a doctor because he is scared. So I don’t know what to tell you. It’s really awful.

Q: Did the men who assaulted your son identify themselves as officers?

A: No. Not at all. If they did none of this would have happened. If he did my son would have gave it to him. He thought that any guy wanted to take his ipod and he paid for it from his own pocket. He worked hard for it and he’s not going to let anybody take it. If that guy had identified himself as a police officer or security, my son would have given it to him.

Q: He thought it was someone trying to steal the device?

A: Yes.

Q: Why do you think that the security guards at Allenby pounced on your son in such an aggressive way? Why did they target him?

A: I really don’t know. I look like an Arab and he’s a young kid. As soon as they heard me speaking English to my son, they came from inside running outside, and they said ‘Arab-American.’ They knew that I’m Arab and my son is American. I think at that time they stopped and they started apologizing and they cleaned up my face.

He was hitting my son real bad. And I was yelling at him until that guy came who said he was going to shoot me if I said one more word. I have dark skin and I look like an Arab, because I was born here in Bethlehem.

Q: You are from Beit Sahour?

A: Yes.

Q: Are you Christian?

A: Yes, I am Christian. I have a Christian family. All of us are Christian.

Q: I think many Americans are not aware of the Palestinian Christian population.

A: Yes that’s true. I work in Arizona and I have a lot of people who are surprised to hear that there are Christians in Bethlehem. I tell them that this is the land of Christ and a lot of people are Christian over there. But most of them, they flee the country because they want to live. They fear for their families, their kids. There are still a lot of them there and they are still suffering.

Q: Now back to your son. Is this his first trip into Palestine?

A: Since 1997. He was a young kid back in 1997 and this is now his second trip and back then he didn’t know anything. He was a little kid. But now he knows everything, he wants to see everybody. He downloaded the bible on his ipod. He was listening to it from Arizona to here because he wants to see all those places where Jesus walked, and where he was born. All those places.

Q: And now?

A: And now to tell you the truth, he is scared to go anywhere. He is so scared.

Q: It this your first experience being treated this way by the Israelis?

A: Well, to this limit. Yes.

Q: Did you have to get medical treatment?

A: When they knew that there was an Arab-American on the bridge, they took me to the manager of the bridge. He called the hospital and arranged for the medical treatment so it’s on his expense. Otherwise, to tell you the truth, if I didn’t have the American passport, I wouldn’t get this treatment. I wouldn’t get this attention but because I have an American passport and I live in the United States, they did that.

Q: Do you think this is common?

A: For any other Palestinian, they don’t get anything. They just hit them and forget about it.

Q: Do you feel that the Israeli soldiers were seeing you as a Palestinian despite your American passport?

A: Yes. They didn’t know that I have an American passport, but they heard me talking to my son in English and some of the girls they said ‘American-Arab’, and they saw the passport on the ground, and the luggage, the backpack and they noticed the American passport. It was in my hand when he hit my face.

Q: And if you were a Palestinian without an American passport, do you think you would be hit in the same way?

A: I would be hit more and I wouldn’t get any treatment. That’s a shame, huh?

Q: That’s horrible.

A: It is.

Q: There isn’t any legal recourse for Palestinians?

A: I don’t think so. There are a lot of people I hear, here and there, they just get hit and they leave them. They don’t care and they’re not going to care about them. They are not going to take them to any doctor or get them any medical attention. They just leave them, they hit them and they walk away.

Q: Can I ask why you originally decided to go to the United States?

A: Well I married my husband and he used to live in the Arizona, he went to study over there. All of his family used to own a house in Jerusalem. The Jewish people, or the Israeli people, took over this house and they don’t have any house anymore here. So most of his family, all of his uncles, brothers, and sisters, all of them live in the United States. California Los Angeles, Arizona San Diego, and Washington. None of them are here. They used to own a big house, but not anymore. Overnight they came over and took it, and that’s it. So he was over there and he visited over here because he wanted to marry a young girl back from the old country so we met and we got married and we went over there. And that was it.

Q: Do you know anything about the Israelis denying entry to Americans of Palestinian origin? Did they attempt to do that with you?

A: No, not really. They told me my son cannot go in, but because of what happened to me, because I need to go in and take medical attention they would let him in. I didn’t remember that he is registered with me in my [Palestinian] ID, I didn’t even think about that. He was born in the United States, in Arizona. He is American, totally, 100% American. His mom and dad, fine, they are Palestinian. In 1997 I put him on the ID with me and I forgot about that. So on the bridge they said he couldn’t get in, he was supposed to go back to Jordan but because I needed medical attention, they made special arrangements and he went in with me. Other than that they would make him go back. They wouldn’t have let him in.

Q: The Israelis, despite him being born in the United States, were considering him a Palestinian?

A: Yes.

Q: That seems discriminatory.

A: It is.

Q: Are you planning to file a legal appeal against the Israeli authorities?

A: Yes. I consulted a lawyer and I sent an email to the consulate in Jerusalem and I would like to press charges against this guy. To me and my son, we saw death in our eyes. A guy pointing a gun between my eyes, and with his big eyes telling me, ‘If you say one word I will shoot you.’ God knows, if I said something, or if I just moved a little bit, if he shot me, no one would know anything about this. They would say something else or they would find me a crime, say that I did this and say I deserved this, and they would cover it for him.

My son was looking at my face and my whole face was full of blood. It was a really terrible scene for my kid. And he is having nightmares on his first week. Every night he wakes up in the middle of the night and he is saying something about what is happening on the border. That is not right.

Q: I bet you are not anxious to go back across that border when you leave?

A: To tell you the truth my son is asking if we can go through Tel-Aviv, but I told me it is impossible for them to let us do that. He doesn’t want to go through there again and he doesn’t want to come back here again. And I don’t blame him.

Q: Why would the Israelis not allow you to go through Tel-Aviv if you are both Americans?

A: Well even though we have American citizenship we’re considered Palestinians. As long as we have Palestinian IDs, we’re considered Palestinians, no matter what, no matter what identity or passport you have. And we’re not allowed to use that as a way out.

Q: Has the American consulate been helpful?

A: They’ve been considerate and they wanted to know what happened. I sent them the email and he said he will look at it and we will keep in touch if there is anything that they need to know. But I told him , yes, I want to press charges and they can do whatever it takes. And they are helpful, yes. I wouldn’t think they would stand by Israeli abuse.

Q: The US consulate has said in the cases where Palestinian-Americans have been denied entry that basically its not the American government’s place to intervene despite the fact that it violates the US law, this discrimination against people who are American citizens based on their country of origin. Do you think that they would stand up to the abuse, when they wont stand up for Palestinian-Americans who are denied entry?

A: I really don’t know how to answer that question, but I would rather think that they would be against this abuse. That’s what I would like to think but I really don’t know how to answer this question.

Q: Well, good luck, I really hope that you are able to get some justice for what happened to you and your son.

A: I hope so.

Q: Thank you so much for talking to me Tina

A: No problem.

ART Joins in the War

2006-07-24T21:26:00.000+03:00

"The noise that weapons make never lasts while words of wisdom never die" Clotaire K

"The organizers of the 2006 Locarno International Film Festival have dropped the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a festival sponsor because of that country's unremitting bombardment of civilian targets in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip."
Read more

"We unequivocally oppose the brutality and cruelty of Israeli policy, which has reached new heights in recent weeks. Nothing justifies the continued occupation, closure, and oppression in Palestine. Nothing justifies the bombing of civilians and the destruction of infrastructures in Lebanon and Gaza."
Read More

Electronic Intifada

The War in Lebanon: The Real Aim

2006-07-19T12:29:00.000+03:00

by Uri Avneri
Sunday, 16 July 2006
Posted on the Alternative Information Center (AIC)

THE REAL aim is to change the regime in Lebanon and to install a puppet government.
That was the aim of Ariel Sharon's invasion of Lebanon in 1982. It failed. But Sharon and his pupils in the military and political leadership have never really given up on it.
As in 1982, the present operation, too, was planned and is being carried out in full coordination with the US.
As then, there is no doubt that it is coordinated with a part of the Lebanese elite. That's the main thing. Everything else is noise and propaganda.
ON THE eve of the 1982 invasion, Secretary of State Alexander Haig told Ariel Sharon that, before starting it, it was necessary to have a "clear provocation", which would be accepted by the world.
The provocation indeed took place - exactly at the appropriate time - when Abu-Nidal's terror gang tried to assassinate the Israeli ambassador in London. This had no connection with Lebanon, and even less with the PLO (the enemy of Abu-Nidal), but it served its purpose.
This time, the necessary provocation has been provided by the capture of the two Israeli soldiers by Hizbullah. Everyone knows that they cannot be freed except through an exchange of prisoners. But the huge military campaign that has been ready to go for months was sold to the Israeli and international public as a rescue operation.
(Strangely enough, the very same thing happened two weeks earlier in the Gaza Strip. Hamas and its partners captured a soldier, which provided the excuse for a massive operation that had been prepared for a long time and whose aim is to destroy the Palestinian government.)
THE DECLARED aim of the Lebanon operation is to push Hizbullah away from the border, so as to make it impossible for them to capture more soldiers and to launch rockets at Israeli towns. The invasion of the Gaza strip is also officially aimed at getting Ashkelon and Sderot out of the range of the Qassams.
That resembles the 1982 "Operation Peace for Gallilee". Then, the public and the Knesset were told that the aim of the war was to "push the Katyushas 40 km away from the border".
That was a deliberate lie. For 11 months before the war, not a single Katyusha rocket (nor a single shot) had been fired over the border. From the beginning, the aim of the operation was to reach Beirut and install a Quisling dictator. As I have recounted more than once, Sharon himself told me so nine months before the war, and I duly published it at the time, with his consent (but unattributed).
Of course, the present operation also has several secondary aims, which do not include the freeing of the prisoners. Everybody understands that that cannot be achieved by military means. But it is probably possible to destroy some of the thousands of missiles that Hizbullah has accumulated over the years. For this end, the army chiefs are ready to endanger the inhabitants of the Israeli towns that are exposed to the rockets. They believe that that is worthwhile, like an exchange of chess figures.
Another secondary aim is to rehabilitate the "deterrent power" of the army. That is a codeword for the restoration of the army's injured pride that has suffered a severe blow from the daring military actions of Hamas in the south and Hizbullah in the north.
OFFICIALLY, THE Israeli government demands that the Government of Lebanon disarm Hizbullah and remove it from the border region.
That is clearly impossible under the present Lebanese regime, a delicate fabric of ethno-religious communities. The slightest shock can bring the whole structure crashing down and throw the state into total anarchy - especially after the Americans succeeded in driving out the Syrian army, the only element that has for years provided some stability.
The idea of installing a Quisling in Lebanon is nothing new. In 1955, David Ben-Gurion proposed taking a "Christian officer" and installing him as dictator. Moshe Sharet showed that this idea was based on complete ignorance of Lebanese affairs and torpedoed it. But 27 years later, Ariel Sharon tried to put it into effect nevertheless. Bashir Gemayel was indeed installed as president, only to be murdered soon afterwards. His brother, Amin, succeeded him and signed a peace agreement with Israel, but was driven out of office. (The same brother is now publicly supporting the Israeli operation.)
The calculation now is that if the Israeli Air Force rains heavy enough blows on the Lebanese population - paralysing the sea- and airports, destroying the infrastructure, bombarding residential neighborhoods, cutting the Beirut-Damascus highroad etc. - the public will get furious with Hizbullah and pressure the Lebanese government into fulfilling Israel's demands. Since the present government cannot even dream of doing so, a dictatorship will be set up with Israel's support.
That is the military logic. I have my doubts. It can be assumed that most Lebanese will react as any other people on earth would: with fury and hatred towards the invader. That happened in 1982, when the Shiites in the south of Lebanon, until then as docile as a doormat, stood up against the Israeli occupiers and created the Hizbullah, which has become the strongest force in the country. If the Lebanese elite now becomes tainted as collaborators with Israel, it will be swept off the map. (By the way, have the Qassams and Katyushas caused the Israeli population to exert pressure on our government to give up? Quite the contrary.)
The American policy is full of contradictions. President Bush wants "regime change" in the Middle East, but the present Lebanese regime has only recently been set up by under American pressure. In the meantime, Bush has succeeded only in breaking up Iraq and causing a civil war (as foretold here). He may get the same in Lebanon, if he does not stop the Israeli army in time. Moreover, a devastating blow against Hizbullah may arouse fury not only in Iran, but also among the Shiites in Iraq, on whose support all of Bush's plans for a pro-American regime are built.
So what's the answer? Not by accident, Hizbullah has carried out its soldier-snatching raid at a time when the Palestinians are crying out for succor. The Palestinian cause is popular all over the Arab word. By showing that they are a friend in need, when all other Arabs are failing dismally, Hizbullah hopes to increase its popularity. If an Israeli-Palestinian agreement had been achieved by now, Hizbullah would be no more than a local Lebanese phenomenon, irrelevant to our situation.
LESS THAN three months after its formation, the Olmert-Peretz government has succeeded in plunging Israel into a two-front war, whose aims are unrealistic and whose results cannot be foreseen.
If Olmert hopes to be seen as Mister Macho-Macho, a Sharon # 2, he will be disappointed. The same goes for the desperate attempts of Peretz to be taken seriously as an imposing Mister Security. Everybody understands that this campaign - both in Gaza and in Lebanon - has been planned by the army and dictated by the army. The man who makes the decisions in Israel now is Dan Halutz. It is no accident that the job in Lebanon has been turned over to the Air Force.
The public is not enthusiastic about the war. It is resigned to it, in stoic fatalism, because it is being told that there is no alternative. And indeed, who can be against it? Who does not want to liberate the "kidnapped soldiers"? Who does not want to remove the Katyushas and rehabilitate deterrence? No politician dares to criticize the operation (except the Arab MKs, who are ignored by the Jewish public). In the media, the generals reign supreme, and not only those in uniform. There is almost no former general who is not being invited by the media to comment, explain and justify, all speaking in one voice.
(As an illustration: Israel's most popular TV channel invited me to an interview about the war, after hearing that I had taken part in an anti-war demonstration. I was quite surprised. But not for long - an hour before the broadcast, an apologetic talk-show host called and said that there had been a terrible mistake - they really meant to invite Professor Shlomo Avineri, a former Director General of the Foreign Office who can be counted on to justify any act of the government, whatever it may be, in lofty academic language.)
"Inter arma silent Musae" - when the weapons speak, the muses fall silent. Or, rather: when the guns roar, the brain ceases to function.
AND JUST a small thought: when the State of Israel was founded in the middle of a cruel war, a poster was plastered on the walls: "All the country - a front! All the people - an army!"
58 Years have passed, and the same slogan is still as valid as it was then. What does that say about generations of statesmen and generals?

PNN: American Family Brutally Assaulted at Israeli Checkpoint

2006-07-18T14:19:00.000+03:00

(Bethlehem) Ayman Oghanna 17 July 06

A mother and son, both American citizens, were savagely beaten last week by Israeli security at the Israeli entry point from Jordan: Allenby Bridge. The victims were 47 year old Tina Hannouneh and her 17 year old son. Their crime was looking Palestinian.

Hannouneh, who was born in the West Bank, moved to Arizona in 1986, where she now works as banker. She and her son Michael had come to Palestine, on a holiday, to visit friends and family.
The incident occurred because 17 year old Michael, who suffers form a chronic heart condition, was listening to his i-pod.

Tina underwent surgery last week in Beit Jala. Afterwards, she spoke to PNN about her ordeal:

“We were entering through security when a guy dressed as a civilian approached Michael He grabbed Michael’s neck with his right hand and reached for the i-pod with his left hand, shouting ‘give me that’ in Arabic.”

Michael, who has spent most of his life in the US, does not speak or understand Arabic. He was unaware that the man choking him was a security officer, and refused to give him the mp3 player. Hannouneh added, “The security officer was not wearing a uniform. My son couldn’t have recognized him as army or police. He payed $400 for that i-pod, he’s not just going to give it to anybody.”

Confused and bewildered about what was happening, Michael held on to his i-pod. It was then that the officer became violent. Hannouneh explained that “the guy punched him, dropped him to the ground, and started banging his head against on the floor.” She continued, “He shouted in Arabic ‘you can’t say no to a police officer.’”

After trying to protect her son, the officer turned on Hannouneh. She commented, “As hard as he could he hit my face. I fell to the floor and hit my head on the metal bar in the security fence. I have two stitches and my nose is really smashed. My shirt and my pants were covered in blood”.

Humiliation

The terrorized family’s ordeal only came to an end when other officials realized they were American. Like all Palestinians, Hannouneh and her son were victims of institutional racism at the heart of the Israeli security service. Hannouneh told PNN, “They did this to me because of the color of my skin, because I’m Palestinian”. She continued, “I can’t even travel through the checkpoint and complain to the US Consulate in Jerusalem because I am Palestinian. It’s humiliating”.

Adi Dagan, from Machsom Watch, an Israeli human rights organization that monitors checkpoints, told PNN: “To them she is just a Palestinian. Palestinians are without protection. In 2004 we documented 100 complaints of violence and we only received about 10 responses, sometimes soldiers are punished, but often nothing happens. This is what ordinary Palestinians go through everyday.”

Machsom Watch has documented shocking cases of physical violence, including one incident where a Border Policeman attacked a Palestinian man in the face with a screwdriver. Yet Machsom Watch admit that they have difficulty getting the full picture. Dagan added, “it’s clear to us that the soldiers act cautiously around us, the watchers and reporters, but lose their restraint when we are absent.”

PNN has learned that often Palestinians are too afraid to make complaints, especially as it would involve further contact with Israeli security officials. PNN contacted the US Consulate and the Israeli police, but as of yet has failed to receive any response.

Internationals at checkpoints

The assault follows a Ha’aretz report stating that for the first time since 1967, Israel is implementing a new policy in the West Bank that prevents the entry of Palestinians with foreign citizenship, most of whom are Americans. As always, the reasons are connected to “security,” though the harassment and restrictions separate families and weaken humanitarian organizations.

Nidal Ibrahim at the Arab American Institute (AAI) in Washington, DC told PNN, “We at AAI are disturbed by continued reports that we're getting of Israeli mistreatment of American citizens of Palestinian descent, including both being denied entry as well as the rough treatment and harassment.” Referring to Hannouneh’s case, the AAI stated “it speaks of the lack of restraint and understanding on the part of Israel in general and the Israeli border guard specifically. Ultimately, these types of actions do nothing to but cast a black eye on the state of Israel itself.”

For Hannouneh and her son, the trauma will have a lasting effect. Hannouneh said “My son was so excited. He was listening to the Bible on his i-pod. He wanted to come a day earlier. He wanted to go everywhere- where Jesus Christ was, where he was born. Now he doesn’t want to go into town because he is too scared. He can’t look me in the eye because he feels responsible, that it’s his fault. He never wants to come back, neither do I. I’m never coming back for this again. That’s probably the point, they don’t want anybody to come back.”

Hannouneh, who is seeking legal action both in Israel and the US, ended the interview with a plea to the US government: “We need some help here, at least come and see how Palestinians are suffering.” Unfortunately, Hannouneh’s plea is not the first of its kind, and it certainly won’t be the last.

Palestine News Network (PNN)

Who is Violent; the Occupied or the Occupier?

2006-07-14T20:41:00.000+03:00

- This post is inspired while reading some comments on a couple of blogs regarding ‘Palestinian Suicide Bombers’ -

Pro-Israel justifications for storming the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the building of the Apartheid Wall, the killing of Palestinian civilians, demolishing Palestinian houses and infrastructure, annexing Palestinian agricultural land to Israel and Israeli settlements growth, range between "The Palestinians brought it on themselves because they are stupid" and "They strap bomb-belts to their children and send them to bomb ours".
The statistics bellow show that Israelis killed by Palestinians in suicide-bombings, since the out-break of the Second Intifada, are less than 50% of the total Israeli death toll. Only 13% of the Palestinian casualties by Israel were actually "wanted" by the Israeli government for "Terror Crimes", casualties of which were not put on trial. Why would a mighty security force, such as the Israeli one, fail to take out those individuals who make the State of Israel insecure and terrorised with fear, only, with minimum random casualties? The Summer Rain Offensive against Gaza is a good example for IOF’s screw-ups.
Some comments I read on blogs said things like, ‘Those civilians threw themselves in front of the danger’ or ‘The terrorists are more satisfied when the Palestinian civilians death toll goes up the roof’. An Israeli spokesperson recently said to a reporter on Al-Jazeera that all those who where killed or targeted in the Summer Rain Operation where armed and that the IOF distributed some leaflets amongst the Gazans, a week before the operation, to warn them of an offensive on Northern Gaza. Well, bollocks!
- It was very clear from different reports that there where children and civilians killed in their own houses or neighbourhoods;
- There were no such leaflets;
- The Israeli Occupation Authority closed Rafah border crossing on the 27th of June with no previous notice, trapping several hundreds of Palestinians - of whom 578 are of need of medical attention - for more than two weeks now [1];
- and, the IOF did target localities in Central Gaza and destroyed a main power generator and infrastructure.

Statistics
Palestinian Death Toll 08/09/2000 - 30/06/2006
Total Number of Palestinian deaths : 4285
(not including those who died after medical treatment was delayed due to restrictions of movement: 3554)

Palestinians killed by IOF in Occupied Palestinian Territories: 3453
(of them Armed: 1647)
(of them minors: 699)
Palestinians killed by IOF in Israel: 60
(of them Armed: 54)
(of them minors: 2)
Palestinians killed by Israeli citizens in Israel: (see Israeli Palestinian citizens killed by Israeli citizens in Israel)
Palestinians killed by Israeli illegal settlers in OPT: 72
(of them Armed: 15)
(of them minors: 8)
Palestinians killed as a result of Israeli shelling on OPT : 837 (included in those killed by IOF)

Deaths as a result of medical prevention at Israeli checkpoints : 117
(of them stillbirths: 31)

Palestinians extra-judicially assassinated : 579 (included in those killed by IOF)
(of them bystanders killed during extra-judicial operations: 257)

Palestinians killed in Gaza during Summer Rain IOF Offensive until 12/07/2006: 82 (not included in the statistics)

Error: - 0.14

Israeli Death Toll 08/09/2000 - 30/06/2006
Total Number Israeli deaths: 1008
(including Israeli-Palestinians killed by Israeli Police and IOF 1033)

Israeli soldiers killed by Palestinians in OPT: 243
Israeli illegal settlers killed by Palestinians in OPT: 236
(of them Armed: unspecified)
(of them minors: 39)
(of them killed in suicide-bombings: 16)
Israeli citizens killed by Palestinians in Israel: 443
(of them Armed: unspecified)
(of them minors: 80)
(of them killed in suicide-bombings: 381)
Israeli soldiers killed by Palestinians in Israel: 86
(of them killed in suicide-bombings: 48)

Israeli Palestinian citizens killed by the Israeli Police in Israel: 12 (in October 2000)
Israeli Palestinian citizens killed by IOF in Israel: 5 (in August 2005)
Israeli Palestinian citizens killed by Border Police: 1 (in July 2003)
Israeli Palestinian citizens killed by IOF in OPT: 4
Israeli citizens killed by Israeli Palestinian citizens in Israel: 3 (in October 2000 and September 2001)

Error: - 0.1

---
[1] According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health report of the 12th of July - in Arabic, 578 Palestinians of those trapped on the Rafah border crossing are in need of medical attention. Four of them who died while waiting on the border crossing were identified;
- Abu Khaled Daoud, 78, died following a heart attack on the 8th day on the border crossing;
- Muhamed Sharaab, 15, died following complications in his health and lack of medicine. He was on his way back to the Gaza Strip from Egypt after having a successful heart operation in Cairo;
- Muna Ismael, 19, died following complications in her health and lack of medicine after a successful operation in Cairo; and,
- Hamza Abu Daleb, 18 months, died of sun stroke and lack of food and medicine.
The MOF reported that the Israeli Occupation Authority has forbidden medical teams, medicine of food to be delivered to the Palestinians trapped on the border crossing. The PA was not allowed by the IOA to allocate teams to evacuate the dead amongst those trapped on the border. The reader knows what that means: The IOA is committing another crime against the Palestinians' Human Rights.
The MOF also reported that amongst the Palestinians trapped on the border crossing present families and first relatives to martyrs killed by the IOF during the Summer Rain Offensive on the Gaza Strip. These relatives to the martyrs have lost their rights to paying the last respect to their dead.
---

Notes on terminology:
IOF: Israeli Occupation Forces
IOA: Israeli Occupation Authority
OPT: Occupied Palestinian Territories
MOF: Palestinian Ministry of Heath
Israeli citizens: those who live to the east of the West Bank Armistice Line - mostly known as the Green Line- and East of the Gaza Armistice Line.
Israeli illegal settlers: those who live in illegal Israeli settlements on Occupied Palestinians Territories - within the Green Line.
---

Statistics based on Miftah: The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, B'Tselem: The Israeli Information Center For Human Rights in The Occupied Palestinian Territories and Palestinian Ministry of Health

Security in Israel

2006-07-14T13:33:00.000+03:00

Dr. Mona El-Farra, wrote;

2006-07-13T14:10:00.000+03:00

"Ministry of Health Statistics in Gaza

"Yesterday the Palestinian Mininstry of health officially declared that the number
of martyrs is 82 people and 271 injured from 30 - 6 - 2006 to 12 - 7 - 2006. Among
the martyrs 22 children. The number is expected to increase because there are
still casualties in the intensive care units."

From Gaza, With Love

Security, My Arse

2006-07-13T11:56:00.000+03:00

Yesterday, I was “illegally” roaming about in Israeli controlled area of Jericho of the West Bank, and no Israeli soldier cared to stop me once at a checkpoint or ask to show my ID.

I went to the Dead Sea with some of my friends in a yellow-plated rented car. My friends could get the car from Jerusalem because they are internationals as yellow-plated cars are allowed to be driven by Israeli citizens and internationals, only. They picked me up in Bethlehem and drove on Wadi Ennar road - the only road connecting the Bethlehem District with the Ramallah District. One would have to pass the Container Israeli Checkpoint to be able to proceed the journey. Not a single car or man was stopped for an identity check. All were waved through rather quickly. Now, what an arbitrary procedure to keep the Israeli State secure is this? It is worth mentioning here that once one gets through this checkpoint by the end of the Bethlehem District, one can get on the by-pass road of Ma’ale Adumim illegal Israeli industrial settlement. The settlement is treated as part of Great Jerusalem. So, technically, one can sneak into Jerusalem from there with no permit.
This did not stop there. Getting closer towards Jericho, we noticed that there were absolutely no checkpoints around. There used to be one there two months ago, but not today, strangely enough. Palestinians usually would have to drive all the way to central Jericho using that by-pass road. They are, supposedly, not allowed to take any turns from the main road until they get to central Jericho as for those turns would lead to either one of the Illegal Israeli settlements in the District of Jericho or to different Nature Reserve spots of Ein Jedi. Palestinians are not allowed there. However, would one not wonder about the reason of not having any Israeli checkpoints there to block the entrance of Palestinians into so-claimed-Israeli Territories? Well, we did get to the Dead Sea and Qumran - both places I am not allowed to enter as a Palestinian - because we simply could do so.
After enjoying a float and a look at some ancient ruins, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, we drove back towards Bethlehem. Just as we got back on the main by-pass road, a checkpoint immerged from the middle of nowhere. It must have appeared within the four hours, after we passed. The funny thing is that we discovered that it was a partial checkpoint, once we got closer. The Israeli soldiers were checking cars that drove towards Jericho, but not ones leaving Jericho. Amused by that, I started giggling to myself and shouting jokingly, while in the car, ‘I demand my right, as a Palestinian citizen, that my id be checked, and I be held for as long as it takes to, firmly and undoubtedly, show that I am not a threat to the State of Israel’.
Finally, we got back to the Container checkpoint to be stopped by a soldier. Apparently, yellow-plated cars are not allowed through though this specific checkpoint. We told the soldier that we were not stopped on the way out. He asked, ‘What time was that?’, ‘Around 11’, we said. ‘Oh, I was not here on duty, so it is not my fault’, he said while walking away towards the control to put the car registration number on the wire. He came back shortly after saying that the car cannot pass but that we can. He also suggested that we should go back and drive on the Jerusalem-Ma’ale Adumim road. Well, I cannot go there as I do not have a pass, meaning that I have to get off the car and get a transport back to Bethlehem. The soldier also said that my friends can meet me in Bethlehem after driving through at the Beit Jala DCO - District Coordination Office - checkpoint. At that point, I felt that I was pushing it a bit by asking, ‘Then, what difference does it make if my friends drive through this checkpoint instead of the other on the other side of the district. What is different about the DCO checkpoint’. However, the soldier responded calmly saying that he cannot tell me such information and that he is doing his job by applying the rules and instructions he was given. Eventually, and after a half an hour of “chit-chat”, he “made us a favour” and opened a gate to a shortcut to the Jerusalem-Ma’ale Adumim road, saving my friends an extra hour and a half drive. Well, there was no difference made on my case as I still had to get off and get myself into public transport.
Even when we were stopped at this checkpoint, the soldier did not ask for any ids or passports. I could have easily pretended to not speak Arabic and stay in the car with my friends, driving with them to Jerusalem. Besides, we were leaving so-claimed-Israeli Territories going to Palestinian Territories when we were eventually stopped by a soldier, while one would argue that this should have been done the other way round by the Israeli soldiers to insure the security of the State of Israel.

Gazans; Specimens for Israeli Weaponry

2006-07-12T19:37:00.000+03:00

This morning, I received some bad news from a friend of mine in Gaza. One of his friends was shot dead by the Israeli Occupation Forces. He was in his early twenties.
My friend also wrote me, in a previous letter, that he was "scared" and that he does not know when this all would end.
The alarming tone of the message reminded me with the Nativity siege in 2002. All these images and feelings from those 40 days came back to me. I remembered how it was to feel like dying everyday for 4 weeks.
I ask the gods to grand him the strength and courage to be able to deal with the after-math trauma when this is all over.
----

Palestinian Injuries Suggest Israel is Using Chemical Weapons in Gaza
Extracts from IMEMC report for 11 July 2006

"The Palestinian ministry of health revealed on Tuesday that the Israeli army has used a new type of explosive in its offensive on the Gaza Strip. These explosives contain toxics and radioactive materials which burn and tear the victim's body from the inside and leave long term deformities.
The ministry called upon the international community and the humanitarian organizations to send an international medical team to examine the victims and confirm the truth about these banned weapons that Israel appears to be using.

"Dr. Jom'a Al Saka the spokesperson of Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza [said], 'When the Shrapnel hit the body, it causes very strong burns that destroy the tissues around the bones. When these shrapnel enters the body, it burns and destroys internal organs, like the liver, kidneys and the Spleen and other organs and makes saving the wounded almost impossible. As a surgeon, I have seen thousands of wounds during the Intifada, but nothing was like this weapon.' "

Children Arrested in Bethlehem on Monday

2006-07-11T10:12:00.000+03:00

"Israeli troops arrested four residents from the village of Taqua east of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Monday morning.

Troops stormed the village and searched several homes before taking the following people prisoner: Nower Sobah, 19, Fadi Hamad, 18, Soliman Sobeh, 17 and Saleem Al Sha'er, 17, all were taken to unknown locations, local sources reported."

IMEMC

Bethlehem Explodes in an Outlet

2006-07-11T08:29:00.000+03:00

I was in bed when the city turned into a screaming horn. I have to admit that I am not a big fan of football, but what happened yesterday to the city was a bit too much, even for a fan.
Hearing people chanting from the restaurant next to my house, I managed to watch the World Cup on audio. I knew that France and Italy got a draw by the end of the official match. Then, no golden goals were scored, leaving Italy to win in penalty kicks. I got all that information just by listening to those football fans in the restaurant.
Well, that was nothing. The moment the fans realised that Italy won the World Cup, no one in the city was left sleeping. People were shouting and beeping their horns like crazy. Some put on some fire-works, Christmas lights or loud music. This lasted about an hour, no kidding.
In the morning, going to the shop to buy breakfast, I heard some people talk about what happened as being extremely mad. One man said that it sounded like as if we won our independence from the Israeli Occupation.
Palestinians need something to direct their energies into. I just wish it was something else. Something more meaningful and useful to them individually. I do not mean that being a fan of a sport is not something useful. I am just thinking that if one would explode with emotions - which last an hour - for football matches, every four years, that it might be useful for one to practice some other hobbies and activities. I mean such activities during which one can sing loudly, shout, hit or kick a ball, run for a mile, or go for demos.
Hopefully, one day, a similar outlet would be demonstrated when the Palestinian national football team wins the gold.

Two Women from Bethlehem Arrested on Day Italy Won

2006-07-06T12:25:00.000+03:00

The Israeli Occupation Forces invaded the town of Beit Sahour of the Bethlehem Municipal and arrested two women in their early twenties on Wednesday, 05 July 2006.
Niveen Dakka, 22, was arrested from her parents house a bit after midnight. The IOF detained a man from the town a bit before they arrested Niveen. It later was clear that the man was not detained for a reason other than to give directions to the soldiers to were the Dakka house is. The man was released within the hour.
The town was awake when seven army jeeps stormed into the village as they were watching football. Just as people were going around shouting victoriously 'ITALIA... ITALIA', the Dakka house was ransacked, and Niveen was taken by the troops to an unknown location.
Later on Wednesday, the IOF reinvaded the town of Bethlehem, arresting Shireen Abu Kamel, 25. It seems that the IOF have interrogated Niveen all night and morning long until they got hold of some information leading to Shireen.
Some Israeli resources say than Shireen Abu Kamel was part of a plan for a operation inside Israel.
It is worthy to mention that the Israeli resources usually do not give details whenever speaking of an operation. They never say whether it is a "suicide-bombing" or taking over a military post, or any of that kind. The public still has no clue whether Shireen was actually planning for an operation, whatever that is, or if it is all justifications given by the IOF or the Israeli sources to storm into town, or even for the reason of searching for an individual or a group with more of a political influence, through arresting people who might lead to them. Whatever the reasons are, the IOF has committed yet another crime against Human Rights. Arresting two women with no clear conviction as if they stole the World Bank, detaining a man from the town, randomly, scaring the s**t out of him and then release him, destroying property, and then leading the two women to an unknown location. Not to mention, the troops are Israeli and the people they arrested were Palestinians living in Area A - area under full Palestinian Authority control. The IOF broke the agreement and wandered into town as if it was Israeli property. Actually, they do that all the time. They have no respect to agreements neither to Palestinians. Also, they have no respect to the International Court of Justice - ICJ - and international resolutions that condemns the Wall, Israeli settlements illegally built in the West Bank, on Palestinian Territories, and Human Rights violations against the people of Palestine.
It is worthy to mention, as well, that the two locations from which the two women were arrested are less than 10 minutes apart.

Shireen Abu Kamel, 25, while being arrested from her parents house
Image from MA'AN News

Info based on IMEMC and MA'AN News

Palestine International Festival

2006-07-01T16:04:00.000+03:00

For more information, read;

http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=1775&ed=116

-- Will post the full time-plan of the festival soon.

This is where my robin lies at the moment

2006-07-01T15:51:00.000+03:00

This blog is an attempt to post news from Bethlehem - and sometimes from Palestine.
Posts will not only be political in theme. There will also be talks about arts from Bethlehem/Palestine, strangely enough to some people.

When it comes to personal information, I cannot be arsed. However, feelings following a specific incident, I believe, are valid to share with viewers.

This attempt hopes to add to people's awarness of what goes on in Bethlehem/Palestine - and not to be a mere waste of cyber space.

* Site Under Construction *

2006-06-30T16:01:00.000+03:00

Yes!

This is just a test. As far as you know, I will not be able to make changes on the blog if I have no posts.

The real work will kick in soon.

See you on the dark side of the moon.