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Post by ninathedog on Apr 19, 2010 0:00:40 GMT 4
Hamas to execute suspected Israeli spies in Gaza(AFP) – 6 hours agoGAZA CITY — The Islamist Hamas movement which rules Gaza said on Wednesday it would soon begin executing people convicted of spying for Israel despite objections from human rights groups. "The death penalty will be implemented for (Israeli) agents who have been sentenced to death, regardless of the position of rights groups that reject these kinds of sentences," Hamas interior minister Fathi Hammad said. "The near future will witness the carrying out of the death sentences," he said in a statement. The Hamas-run government said the sentences had been handed down in the last two months, with some alleged informers given prison time. Hamas has approved the death penalty for informers, murderers and drug dealers but has not officially executed anyone since it seized power in Gaza in June 2007 after driving out forces loyal to president Mahmud Abbas. However, several alleged informers were killed by armed groups during the Gaza war at the turn of last year, according to rights groups. Last August, the New York-based Human Rights Watch accused Hamas of killing at least 32 political opponents and suspected informers during and after the war, and of maiming dozens of others. Palestinian law says the president must approve all execution orders before they can be carried out, but Hamas is likely to bypass this as it no longer recognises the legitimacy of Abbas, whose four-year term ended in 2009. Israeli security forces routinely use Palestinian informers in the occupied territories, who play a key role in thwarting attacks and assassinating top militants. Palestinian human rights organisations have condemned the extra-judicial killings and demanded that suspected collaborators be prosecuted in accordance with the law.Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j3VzMOiEUSugr0hMAcdyJA3XBr5w
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Strongly Condemns
Execution of Two Prisoners by Gaza Government Thursday, 15 April 2010 10:15Ref: 28/2010The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the implementation of two death sentences in the Gaza Strip this morning. These death sentences were carried out without the ratification of the Palestinian President. PCHR reiterates that the ratification of death sentences is an exclusive right of the President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) under the Code of Criminal Procedures (3) of 2001: the implementation of any death sentences without the President's ratification constitutes a violation of the law and constitution. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, on Thursday morning, 15 April 2010, the Ministry of Interior in Gaza executed by firing squad Nasser Salama Abu Fraih, 35, from 'Izbat 'Abed Rabbu area in Jabalya town in the northern Gaza Strip, and Mohammed Ibrahim Isma'il (al-Sabe'), 36, from the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah. Abu Fraih's brother, Sabri, 37, stated to PCHR that at approximately 23:00 on Wednesday, 14 April 2010, he received a phone call from his brother saying that he would be transferred to another prison and that the family could visit him at once. At approximately 00:30 on Thursday, members of the family went to Ansar Prison to visit him, and they were surprised by the presence of many people there wishing to visit detainees. According to Abu Fraih, at approximately 07:30 on Thursday, he received a phone cal from the Ministry of Interior in Gaza, in which he was informed that his brother had been executed and that he should bring 5 members of the family to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to bury him. Al-Sabe's brother, Nabil, 33, stated to PCHR that a police unit came to his house at approximately 00:30 on Thursday, and informed the family that they could visit Mohammed Al-Sabe immediately as he would likely be transferred to another prison. His family visited him that night. At approximately 07:00 this morning, the family received a phone call from the Ministry of Interior, in which they were informed that Mohammed had been executed, and that they should come to receive his body at 09:00. The official web site of the Ministry of Interior in Gaza quoted the chief military justice in Gaza today as saying that "the death sentences issued against two persons convicted of collaboration were implemented this morning." The Gaza Military Court had already sentenced Abu Fraih and al-Saba' to death by firing squad. On 22 February 2009, the court sentenced the former to death after convicting him of treasons and involvement in killing, and on 3 November 2009, the court sentenced the later to death by hanging after convicting him of treason and involvement in killing. PCHR issued press releases calling on the Palestinian Presidents not to ratify the two death sentences, and demanded the abolishment of the death penalty in Palestinian law. PCHR issued a press release also on 25 March 2010, following a statement by the Minister of Interior in Gaza, Fathi Hammad, that the government in Gaza would implement death sentences issued against individuals who collaborated with Israeli security services or those convicted of willful killing. In its press release, PCHR again demanded that no death sentences be implemented without the President's ratification, and called for the abolishment of the death penalty. In light of the above, PCHR: 1) Confirms that the ratification of death sentences is an exclusive right of the President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) under the Code of Criminal Procedures (3) of 2001, and the implementation of death sentences without the President's ratification constitutes a violation of the law and constitution. 2) Reiterates its position rejecting the death penalty, which is a grave and unjustified violation of the right to life and a form of torture and cruel and inhumane treatment. The death penalty is not a deterrent to crime as is evidenced by the experiences of other states applying this penalty. 3) Reiterates its position that the PNA has a duty to prosecute those accused of collaboration with Israel. Abolishment of the death penalty does no mean being tolerant of criminals; however, an appropriate deterrent penalty which complies with international law and maintains our humanity, should be considered. 4) Points to the developing international trend towards the abolishment of the death penalty and the necessity of joining such trends and reinforcing Palestinian efforts to abolish death penalty. www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6434:pchr-strongly-condemns-execution-of-two-prisoners-by-gaza-government-&catid=36:pchrpressreleases&Itemid=194 |
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 20, 2010 3:07:04 GMT 4
Bethlehem checkpoint, 4am (with French subtitles) December 14, 2007 — Short film made by Images for Life project from
Al-Rowwad center in Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, Palestine(because it's worth reposting) |
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 20, 2010 22:53:08 GMT 4
“Introducing the MV Rachel Corrie”Written by Free Gaza Team | 20 April 2010
Posted in News(Dundalk, Ireland, April 20, 2010) The 1200-ton cargo ship had been abandoned in July 2009, off the coast of Ireland. She was then impounded after an inspection by the International Transport Federation (ITF) discovered her owners had exploited their Lithuanian crewmembers - not paying their wages and subjecting them to humiliating treatment, and they had been left with just one day of food. The 42-year-old MV Linda languished for nine months, waiting in the port of Dundalk for just the right buyer to rescue her. On March 31, 2010, the Free Gaza Movement bought her at auction for €70,000 and will send her to the imprisoned Palestinians of Gaza loaded with cement, paper, and medical equipment, all banned by Israel from this battered and bruised slice of the Mediterranean. ITF Inspector and Union organizer Ken Fleming was ecstatic: “We are pleased to announce that this vessel which was used to subject workers to modern day slavery, will now be used to promote human rights for the people of Palestine”. Added Derek Graham the bidder for Free Gaza and one of the organizers of the flotilla, "We are doing this to show the people of Gaza that they are not alone. There's nothing going into Gaza, no aid. We are prepared to run the blockade to try and get aid in. We have done it before. Out of eight previous attempts, five were successful.” The Free Gaza Movement along with the Turkish humanitarian organization, IHH, the European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza and the Greek and Swedish Boat to Gaza organizations will sail 8 boats loaded with building supplies as well as taking 600 passengers and journalists at the end of May.
As the people from the town of Dundalk work on her every day, painting her, guarding her and collecting cargo, they have a vested interest in what was once a lonely and abandoned vessel, now slowly coming to life under their care. The ship has been renamed the MV Rachel Corrie, in memory of the 23-year-old solidarity activist crushed to death in 2003 by an Israeli military bulldozer as she attempted to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home in Gaza. On May Day weekend, a mini convoy of vans loaded with medical supplies from eight different cities in Ireland and England will be delivering and loading these badly-needed supplies on the ship. The people of Norway have donated more than 6 tons of paper and school supplies with a goal of 25 tons to be loaded as cargo. Israel refuses to allow paper and supplies in for the children. One of Free Gaza’s organizers, Caoimhe Butterly, stated, " The public response to the cargo ship has been immense, and we hope that in the remaining three weeks before we set sail, communities across Ireland will continue to mobilize and gather supplies. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a symptom of Israel’s siege and Occupation, and this flotilla will spot-light the devastating collective punishment that is being imposed on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip." With everyone’s help, the MV Rachel Corrie will be painted, outfitted, then filled with cargo and ready to leave shortly after May Day, a testimony to civil society doing what governments have refused to do…alleviate the suffering of the people of Gaza.Your donations for supplies are still vitally needed. You can earmark your donation for cement or school books and send through our donate page at www.freegaza.org/en/donate. Contact: Caoimhe Butterly, Ireland +353 876 114 553, sahara78@hotmail.co.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Niamh Moloughney, Ireland, 00353 85 774 7257, freegazaireland@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Greta Berlin, France, 0033 63 142 7577, Iristulip@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.freegaza.org/
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 21, 2010 19:52:52 GMT 4
Video:
US Jews break Israel's
"Law of Return"Electronic Intifada
April 20, 2010www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv6gskJN01wToday is Israeli Independence Day, which will be celebrated with parades and carnivals around the world. But Israeli "independence" in 1948 meant dispossession, exile, or death for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, for whom the founding of the state of Israel was a personal and collective catastrophe, or Nakba. As US Jews, we have an automatic right to Israeli citizenship under Israel's "Law of Return," while many Palestinians have not been able to return home in over 60 years. It is not right that we may "return" to a state that is not ours while Palestinians are excluded and continuously dispossessed. We join in the growing international chorus of voices opposed to Israel and its policies, and in support of boycotts, divestment, and sanctions. Join Ammiel Alcalay, Judith Butler, Ronnie Gilbert, Marilyn Hacker, Ricardo Levins Morales, the Shondes and hundreds of others to break the law of return on Facebook. Latest articles on EI:Palestine : Multimedia: Video: US Jews break Israel's "Law of Return" (20 April 2010) Palestine : Opinion/Editorial: Gil Scott-Heron: don't go to the moon (20 April 2010) Palestine : Human Rights: El Al sued for racial profiling (20 April 2010) Palestine : Human Rights: Israeli forces besiege Prisoners Day commemoration (20 April 2010) Palestine : Art, Music & Culture: Book Review: Norman Finkelstein's "This time we went too far" (20 April 2010) Palestine : Human Rights: Beit Sahour: a microcosm of Israeli colonization (19 April 2010) Palestine : Internet & Technology: Palestine's first independent think tank launched (19 April 2010) Palestine : Activism News: Medical solidarity with Gaza: in conversation with Mads Gilbert (19 April 2010) Palestine : Art, Music & Culture: Film Review: Simone Bitton's investigative documentary, "Rachel" (16 April 2010) Palestine : Human Rights: "In the eyes of the state, we don't exist here" (16 April 2010) electronicintifada.net/v2/article11221.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifada+%28Electronic+Intifada%29&utm_content=Yahoo!+Mail ...... Breaking the Law of Return, 20 April 2010www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv6gskJN01wBreakingLawofReturn — April 19, 2010 — bit.ly/a7hNqE -- We are Jews from the United States, who, like Jewish people throughout the world, have an automatic right to Israeli citizenship under Israel's "law of return."
Today there are more than seven million Palestinian refugees around the world. Israel denies their right to return to their homes and land—a right recognized and undisputed by UN Resolution 194, the Geneva Convention, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Meanwhile, we are invited to live on that same land simply because we are Jewish.
We renounce this "right" to "return" offered to us by Israeli law. It is not right that we may "return" to a state that is not ours while Palestinians are excluded and continuously dispossessed.
In 1947-49, Zionist militias destroyed more than 500 Palestinian villages and made more than 800,000 Palestinian people refugees in order to create a Jewish state on land where the majority was not Jewish. It is Palestinians who have the right to return to their own land.
Now in Gaza, where more than three quarters of the people are refugees, the State of Israel not only denies the population its right of return, but also incarcerates the entire Gaza Strip under illegal and inhumane siege conditions.
We reject the notion that Israel is a "safe haven" from anti-Semitism for Jews. No one is truly safe when the price of that "security" is oppression, inequality, and occupation of another people.
Today there is a growing transnational movement for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel, called for by Palestinian civil society and supported by activists, artists, and academics around the world, including an increasing number of conscientious Israelis. As part of this campaign, we pledge to boycott the "law of return." As an act of political and ideological divestment, we repudiate the claims the State of Israel makes on us as potential citizens.
We protest Israels colonial policies and discriminatory laws toward the Palestinian people, as well as the U.S. government's political and financial support of these policies.
We hereby renounce Israel's "law of return" and refuse to lend the state
our support, resources, or passports.
------
Note: This statement specifies the United States because of the enormous funding, political support, and international legitimization the U.S. supplies to Israel. Israel's "law of return," however, applies to Jews throughout the world, and we hope organizers in other countries will make use of the statement and adapt it for your own use.
We are inspired by the letter by UK Jews, "We Renounce Israel Rights," published in the Guardian: bit.ly/aidlq2
U.S. JEWS: TO SIGN THE "BREAKING THE LAW OF RETURN" STATEMENT: email your name, city, and any institutional/organizational affiliations to breakingthelawofreturn@gmail.com (We won't publicize institutional affiliations).
We welcome people from all backgrounds and countries who support this initiative to join the facebook group and invite your friends!
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=296967332350&v=info&ref=ts................
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 22, 2010 1:10:45 GMT 4
Israeli Order To Expel Thousands of
Palestinians and Internationals From the West Bankby Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies
Monday April 12, 2010 00:01The Israeli government is set to start the implementation of a new order that would lead to the expulsion of thousands of Palestinians, and even internationals living in the West Bank. Gazans living the in West Bank will be considered illegal and would be expelled. The order mainly targets Gaza Strip residents living in the West Bank, some since many years, but were not granted West Bank identity cards or residency permits. This also includes internationals married to Palestinians, and even Arab residents of Israel who are married to Palestinians, and persons living in the West Bank but Israel never granted them permits. The Israeli government decided to start the implementation of the new decision on Tuesday. >> edited for lengthThe decision is illegal and violated the International Law as it will lead to the expulsion of thousands of Palestinians and international. Dozens of thousands of Palestinians are married to internationals and this decision will break their families apart.www.imemc.org/article/58425............ JCESR:
”New Israeli Decision, As Dangerous As
the Nakba of 1948”by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News
Tuesday April 13, 2010 00:50The Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights (JSCER) issued a press release slamming the Israeli decision to expel thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank, and stated that this decision is part of Israel’s demographic violations against the Palestinians, and is not less dangerous that the Nakba of 1948 when Israel expelled thousands of Palestinians who became refugees. The center added that the ramifications of this decision will not only affect Gaza Strip residents who are living in the West Bank, but will also affect the Palestinians of Jerusalem, the Arabs in Israel and the Palestinians who carry international citizenships, mainly American and European. It stated that this is part of the Israeli violations against Jerusalem and as, according to UN figures, at least 165.000 Palestinians became outside the boundaries of Jerusalem. This will lead them to lose their residency rights in Jerusalem while 30.000 already lost their residency rights due to illegal Israeli measures targeting the Arabs and Palestinians. The JSCER reported that nearly 20.000 Palestinians from the West Bank have spouses from Jerusalem, some of them were deported to the West Bank and others were deported to Jerusalem as they were only granted temporary residency permits. It said that this new “law” allows ordinary soldiers stationed at roadblocks and crossing points to have the power to regard those residents as “infiltrators” and thus have the power to imprison and prosecute them.
>> edited for lengthwww.imemc.org/article/58430.......... www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1O8il0AxSI.......... Neturei Karta has a Solution to
the Middle-East Problem>>edited for length and because I just don't want to go down that road Consider the following remarks
on religious Jewish thought:Religious Judaism and
the Land of IsraelTwo thousand years ago, the Jews were sent into exile by God's decree, where they must remain until they are redeemed by God, as He has assured them through the prophets. The idea of a return to the country prematurely, without divine redemption, is wrong. In view of this, the Land of Israel belongs to those who have lived there for hundreds of years: the Palestinians. The idea of a premature return was first conceived of by the Zionists, who at the beginning were a small Godless group, completely rejected by mainstream Jewry. They forced their plan upon the Jewish world through years of political maneuvering. Their slogan was that the Jewish people would finally stop waiting for divine salvation. "It is now time to take our destiny into our own hands," they said. "We must forget our past; we must leave behind the Divine message and the ancient role of the Jewish people in the world. Israel, the people of the Bible, must be transformed into a secular nation." The majority of the Jewish people resisted this idea vehemently and wanted to know nothing of the Zionists' solution and their Zionist state. Thus Zionism went forward in the face of the strong opposition of the vast majority of Jews. Anti-Semitism and the HolocaustThe level of anti-Semitism in the world has now reached such proportions as we have known only in the years immediately before the outbreak of World War II. It is fueled by the Zionist atrocities against the Palestinian population. Eighty years ago, anti-Semitism was instigated and fanned by the Zionists. They cleverly organized defamation campaigns against the Jews of Europe, with the aim of causing the ground to burn under their feet, so that they should feel the need to flee and take refuge in the new "Jewish State ". It worked then, and it works again today. We look at today's Zionist activity in consternation, yet the Zionists tell the world that it is a duty and an honor to support their movement in any way. Whoever is negligent in this duty or, worse yet, exposes something about the Zionists, is branded an 'anti-Semite'. For this purpose, the Zionists have built a global lobby which, especially armed with the Holocaust card, is able to stifle any attempted criticism of Israel. How the "Israeli state" was FoundedAfter the great destruction of the Jews in Europe, the Jews were rootless and bleeding. For the most part, they succumbed to the thoughts and plans of the Zionists and willingly followed them into their so-called Promised Land. Only a small part, in particular the faithfully religious affiliated Jews, did not follow and have remained to this day bitter enemies of their idea and their state. The international community, out of compassion and a sense of duty, perhaps even a sense of guilt, agreed to the idea of a refuge and permanent homeland for the broken and uprooted Jewish people. For this the international community deserves recognition, praise and gratitude. The idea to use Palestine for this homeland seemed right and logical at the time, and was implemented in the historic UN decision of 1947. But this decision brought with it an equally historic injustice: the country was simply robbed from the Palestinian residents, who had been there over a thousand years. They abandoned their homes, and Jews settled there instead. The "State of Israel" was born! Wrongly. And wrongly, it is still standing today, after over 60 years. The Turning PointThe time has come when the "Zionist redemption" has suffered shipwreck, and the historical error of the Jewish people and the world community must be reversed. The former global enthusiasm about the creation of the "Jewish State" is no longer there. It has dissolved into thin air. The dream has become a nightmare. More and more people feel unease and opposition to the continued atrocities of the Zionist movement, today "the State of Israel." The truth - that "anti-Zionism" does not equal "anti-Semitism" - is beginning to surface. Zionism is not Judaism, and
Judaism is not Zionism.On the contrary, the two concepts stand in stark contrast to each other! The Zionists, now in the dress of the "State of Israel", are not entitled to represent the Jewish people. Nobody has assigned them to this role; they have taken it on their own. Today, fewer and fewer people believe in this fiction. More and more people understand that the whole Middle East, thanks to the existence of the State of Israel, has become one big explosive powder keg, which can ignite at any time and plunge the entire world into the abyss. At the same time people are also beginning to understand, that by dissolving this State that does not belong in this region at all, the situation in the Middle East will finally stabilize. This solution should actually be undertaken by the Jews who live there themselves, once they understand that it is a sin to break loose from a divinely-imposed exile, and that the way to repent of that sin is to go back to living in exile. However, the Israeli population is far from coming to such a recognition. The majority of the population is firmly rooted in fanatically-held beliefs that they live in the utopia of "redemption", and that they have returned to the land of their fathers. Meanwhile, however, their state represents a quickly growing threat in its region of the world, threatening to plunge the world into an inferno. >> edited for length
Neturei Karta International – www.nkusa.org – January 2010/Teves 5770 nkuk.org/............
Moscow Warns Against Israel’s
Decision To Deport Thousands of PalestiniansThursday April 15, 2010 06:26
by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement warning that implementing Israeli order #1650 regarding the deportation of thousands of residents from the West Bank could lead to further escalation and tension in the region. The new Israeli ruling came into effect on Tuesday April 13. The Ministry said that this ruling raises concern, and could even lead to further escalation in the Palestinian territories and further deterioration in the relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. The Ministry also stated that the Israeli conducts are negatively impacting the efforts of the International Community and the Quartet Committee (The United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia) to resume the stalled peace process. It called on Israel to reconsider its decision that would lead to deportation thousands of Palestinians in the first stage, and warned that such conducts predetermine the outcome of peace talks and could lead to serious escalation. The Israeli decision targets Palestinians who were not granted identity cards, international spouses of Palestinians, Palestinian spouses of Arab residents of Israel and any “undocumented” person in the occupied West Bank. Such documentations is supposed to be granted by Israel after the residents file the proper papers, but Israel refrains from approving such application and in most cases does not even look into them. category international | israeli politics | news report author email saed at imemc dot org
www.imemc.org/article/58447
factions unite at demonstration(AFP)
21 April 2010BEIT HANUN, Gaza Strip - The rival Palestinian movements Hamas and Fatah took part in a demonstration on Wednesday, reuniting for the first time since their violent 2007 split.Hundreds of Gazans as well as representatives of all Palestinian factions — including the Islamist Hamas movement and secular Fatah --- attended the rally near the Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The factions denounced two Israeli military orders that they said would allow the mass explusion of Palestinians from the West Bank by the Jewish state. “Hand in hand against the Zionist decision to expel Palestinians from the West Bank,” read one of the signs carried by the protestors. Speaking for all the factions, Hisham Abdelrazek, the representative of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, said “all Palestinians reject arbitrary Israeli measures against the entire Palestinian people.” On Monday, Abbas vowed to confront the Israeli military orders, which he said would target West Bank residents without proper IDs and amounted to a “provocation.” Israel denies it plans to carry out mass expulsions, saying the new orders which came into effect last week concern only people staying in the West Bank illegally and that the changes will allow oversight of deportation orders. www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/April/middleeast_April308.xml§ion=middleeast&col= |
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 22, 2010 1:13:48 GMT 4
Not much left to ease the pain in Gaza Strip
Hamas burns 2 million popular painkiller pills in latest crackdownPublished On Wed Apr 21 2010
Associated PressGAZA–Gaza's Hamas rulers burned nearly 2 million painkiller pills Tuesday that many Gazans take recreationally because they say it relaxes them and provides temporary relief from the territory's hardships. The drug disposal at a hospital incinerator comes days after the Islamic militant group confiscated cigarettes from Gaza shops to collect taxes on them. Hamas Health Minister Basim Naim said authorities burned some 1.7 million Tramadol pills seized from smugglers who sneak it by tunnel under the Egyptian border. The powerful painkiller is related to morphine and heroin but most countries do not treat it as a controlled substance. Experts have said those who stop taking the drug after regular use often develop flu-like withdrawal symptoms, though long-term effects are rare. Gaza's health ministry views the painkiller as addictive, Naim said, but allows its sale by prescription. Tramadol's popularity in Gaza has grown as quality of life here worsened. Hamas seized the territory from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007. That same year Israel and Egypt imposed a strict blockade, causing shortages of many basic goods. In late 2008, Israel launched a three-week offensive to stop Gazan rocket fire on Israeli towns. The war killed about 1,400 Gazans and left swaths of the strip in ruins. Violence and hardship increased demand for Tramadol, which Gazans who take it recreationally say takes their minds off their worries. Other say it enhances sex. A sheet of eight pills costs some 40 shekels, a bit more than $10. Naim said "some youth are addicted to this drug, and this makes them seek it out no matter what the cost." www.thestar.com/news/world/article/798363--not-much-left-to-ease-the-pain-in-gaza-strip
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 22, 2010 1:42:58 GMT 4
ANERA’s Bill Corcoran Describes Gaza
One Year Later: Picking Up the PiecesBy Delinda C. Hanley
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
Special Report, Pages 9–10IN A FEB. 18 talk entitled “Gaza One Year Later: Picking up the Pieces,” Bill Corcoran, president of American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), described current conditions in Gaza to a dismayed audience at the Palestine Center in Washington, DC. Corcoran, who had recently returned from his fifth trip to Gaza following Israel’s attack last winter, showed a short video of Gaza’s ruined industrial zone. The clip focused on an ice cream factory Israel destroyed which once employed 270 workers and was a favorite field trip destination for Gazan schoolchildren. Now the building is a shell, littered with smashed machinery and refrigerators that have been cannibalized for spare parts. Nothing in the industrial zone has been rebuilt—Israel forbids building materials from entering Gaza. Corcoran asked audience members to look at the situation in Gaza through the lens of what they see on TV from Haiti every day.  Haitian children study inside a tent in Petionville, on Feb. 16,
one month after an earthquake destroyed their school.
(AFP photo Eitan Abramovich)
 Palestinian children learn their lessons in a tent pitched in
the yard of their destroyed school in Rafah on Dec. 30, 2009,
a year after Israel began its three-week offensive.
(AFP photo/Said Khatib)
It’s impossible to compare the suffering of people, Corcoran acknowledged, because both are heartbreaking. “First of all,” he emphasized, however, “Haiti was a natural disaster. Gaza was manmade. This didn’t need to happen. Second, in almost any nation a year after a disaster you can see governments and NGOS rebuilding the lives of people.“ He predicted that a year from now many Haitian homes could be rebuilt and schools could be in session. “In Gaza 15,000 homes were damaged or destroyed,” he stated. “One year later not one single family home has been rebuilt.” There are 1.5 million Gazans living in an 140 square mile-area—twice the size of Washington, DC. Half the populace is under the age of 16. Gaza’s population density exceeds Hong Kong’s—but Gazans are living in isolation, behind borders which have been entirely shut down since November 2008. Prior to the closure, each month ANERA trucked in a million dollars of medical supplies to Gaza. When Israel launched its 22-day attack in December 2008, killing 1,400, hospitals already were short of medicines. Eighteen schools were destroyed, and Israel has only recently permitted trucks to deliver cement to repair U.N. schools. Israel prohibits spare parts for wells and irrigation pipes. As a result, every day 65 million liters of raw sewage are dumped untreated into the Mediterranean—an ecological disaster for the entire region. People can get sick from eating fish caught along the coast, depriving them of a valuable source of protein. Gaza’s power plant is on the verge of collapse, due to lack of fuel and spare parts. Between 40 and 50 percent of Gazans are unemployed, and the rest are underemployed. Gaza’s society is fractured, Corcoran said, with no ability to heal itself. ANERA provides boxes of food purchased and assembled in the West Bank to help feed Gazan families. “It’s quite pathetic to see people standing in line for food. They’re proud people,” he pointed out, “and we try to keep it as quick and dignified as possible in a situation that must be humiliating.” At least 10 percent of Gaza’s children are malnourished, and ANERA’s Milk for Preschoolers program has cut down the incidence of anemia from 39 to 19 percent. Before the Israeli attack, Corcoran says children would run up to visitors in Gaza. Now when they see a stranger, they hide behind their teacher or cry. Bedwetting is common in 11- and 12-year-old children. The psychological effects are obvious to all observers. When it comes to fixing things, Gazans are having to think creatively. For example, since Israel refuses to allow Gazans to import concrete or steel pipes, they decided to manufacture their own plastic and came up with an ingenious idea. Since fields and damaged greenhouses are littered with plastic sheeting, ANERA employs hundreds of workers to pick up the plastic, recycle it and melt it into irrigation pipes. A year after Israel’s attack on Gaza, thousands of homeless Gazans are still living in tents. Doctors Without Borders estimate that “500,000 people in Gaza are now using Tramadol, a synthetic opiate coming in through the tunnels. People are self-medicating because they’re so depressed,” Corcoran concluded. “That’s where they are right now, and that’s why the world needs to pay attention to this. It’s in the long-term interest of everyone, Israel, and world peace, that we not let this humanitarian disaster continue unchecked.” To view a video of Corcoran’s talk, visit [/b]< www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/display/ContentDetails/i/9289/pid/3584 >. Delinda C. Hanley is news editor of the Washington Report of Middle East Affairs. wrmea.org/component/content/article/349-2010-april/8824-aneras-bill-corcoran-describes-gaza-one-year-later-picking-up-the-pieces.htmlNot much left to ease the pain in Gaza Strip
Hamas burns 2 million popular painkiller pills in latest crackdownPublished On Wed Apr 21 2010
Associated PressGAZA–Gaza's Hamas rulers burned nearly 2 million painkiller pills Tuesday that many Gazans take recreationally because they say it relaxes them and provides temporary relief from the territory's hardships. The drug disposal at a hospital incinerator comes days after the Islamic militant group confiscated cigarettes from Gaza shops to collect taxes on them. Hamas Health Minister Basim Naim said authorities burned some 1.7 million Tramadol pills seized from smugglers who sneak it by tunnel under the Egyptian border. The powerful painkiller is related to morphine and heroin but most countries do not treat it as a controlled substance. Experts have said those who stop taking the drug after regular use often develop flu-like withdrawal symptoms, though long-term effects are rare. Gaza's health ministry views the painkiller as addictive, Naim said, but allows its sale by prescription. Tramadol's popularity in Gaza has grown as quality of life here worsened. Hamas seized the territory from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007. That same year Israel and Egypt imposed a strict blockade, causing shortages of many basic goods. In late 2008, Israel launched a three-week offensive to stop Gazan rocket fire on Israeli towns. The war killed about 1,400 Gazans and left swaths of the strip in ruins. Violence and hardship increased demand for Tramadol, which Gazans who take it recreationally say takes their minds off their worries. Other say it enhances sex. A sheet of eight pills costs some 40 shekels, a bit more than $10. Naim said "some youth are addicted to this drug, and this makes them seek it out no matter what the cost." www.thestar.com/news/world/article/798363--not-much-left-to-ease-the-pain-in-gaza-strip
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 22, 2010 2:05:08 GMT 4
"Gaza One Year Later: Picking up the Pieces"
with Mr. Bill CorcoranThursday, February 18, 2010
Edited Transcript of Remarks by Mr. Bill Corcoran
Transcript No. 324 (24 February 2010)To view the video of this briefing online, go towww.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/display/ContentDetails/i/9289/pid/3584The Palestine Center
Washington, D.C.
18 February 2010
Mr. Bill Corcoran:Thanks very much Yousef. I have a topic here which is not going to make an enjoyable afternoon for you. I think a number of people when they see me coming they say, ‘you are like the grim reaper because when you talk about Gaza all you do is you depress us’. And I’m guaranteed to depress you again today because the scene one year later, it is bleak. I want to present that to you, though, in a fashion which is not just an articulation of the statistics; you can read those in the newspaper. What I would like to do is give you a human insight into the conditions and the lives of the people by showing you a PowerPoint [presentation] that is going to bring this to your heart and to your head. We’ve also employed our staff in Gaza, we have 17 staff in Gaza, and we have one woman who is extraordinary in her abilities with video cameras and so we’ve used her to create a series we call our “Gaza Reality Series”. It’s all snippets of life in Gaza. Let me just start this whole session by giving you one image now. This is a short video of some of the destruction that was in Gaza approximately one year ago in the industrial zone.
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 22, 2010 23:15:33 GMT 4
South African Judge May Be Kept From
Grandson’s Bar MitzvahBy BARRY BEARAK
Published: April 16, 2010
The New York TimesJOHANNESBURG — For the past few days, many South African Jews have concerned themselves with a question perhaps better put to Talmudic scholars: Is it ever right for protesters to keep a grandfather from his grandson’s bar mitzvah? That grandfather is Richard Goldstone, one of this nation’s most eminent jurists and head of a United Nations investigation that said it found evidence of war crimes during Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Many of his countrymen not only took issue with the findings, they called the judge a traitor who had sold out his Jewish brethren. Next month, Judge Goldstone’s grandson is to celebrate his bar mitzvah at Beth Hamedrash Hagadol, an Orthodox synagogue in Sandton, a Johannesburg suburb. Ordinarily, this would be nothing but a joyous event, signifying the boy’s ascent into manhood. But Jewish leaders here recently began to speak darkly among themselves of threatened disruptions to the ceremony. Their concerns were taken to the synagogue, and the anxieties of its leadership were then shared with the family. In an e-mail message on Friday, Judge Goldstone, who is a visiting professor at Georgetown University Law Center, said, “Because of the threat of protests at my grandson’s bar mitzvah, I agreed in discussion with leaders of the Sandton synagogue that in the interests of my grandson, I would not attend the services.” The source of those threats carries an air of mystery. The story was first reported in the South African Jewish Report. No one quoted in the article took responsibility for the threats or reliably pointed a finger elsewhere. The South African Zionist Federation has been among the most vocal critics of the so-called Goldstone Report on the war in Gaza. On Friday, Moonyeen Castle, the chairwoman of the organization’s Western Cape Council, said the anger at Judge Goldstone was so great that it would “result in an almost certain barrage of protesters” on the day of the celebration. If so, the protesters may have to come from within the synagogue itself. Others would find that the large white building was accessible only by a single narrow street, and private security guards would allow congregants to enter through a zigzag course of yellow iron gates. But whatever their source, the threats were evidently taken quite seriously. Several Jewish leaders stressed Friday that the decision ultimately rested with the family — that no one had actually barred the judge from this happy event. Warren Goldstein, the chief rabbi of South Africa, said he had been involved in discussions about the possible disruptions to the ceremony. A severe critic of the Goldstone Report, he has written that the United Nations has an “anti-Israel agenda,” and that the investigation was “merely a cover for a political strategy of delegitimizing Israel.” But on Friday he issued a statement saying that he, like most involved, believed the judge should be allowed to attend: “It is simply a question of decency and compassion to the bar mitzvah boy not to ruin his day.” Judge Goldstone, 71, is certainly no grandpa retreating into retirement. After the end of apartheid, he served on South Africa’s highest court until 2003. He was also the chief prosecutor for the United Nations’ war crimes tribunals on Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. In early 2009, the United Nations Human Rights Council selected him to lead an investigation into possible violations of international law during the three weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in late 2008 and early 2009. He said he was “shocked, as a Jew” to be chosen. The Goldstone Report, released last September, concluded that, based on the available evidence, both Israel and Hamas had taken actions amounting to war crimes. But the findings focused mostly on the Israelis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel later said, “We face three major strategic challenges: the Iranian nuclear program, rockets aimed at our civilians and Goldstone.” Here in the judge’s home country, many Jews suddenly viewed him as a heretic. He was accused of faulty reasoning. He was accused of being co-opted. He was accused of being the worst kind of anti-Semite, a self-hating Jew. But does that justify keeping him from the bar mitzvah? “I want to speak as a grandfather,” said George Bizos, a well-known lawyer and friend of Mr. Goldstone. “I am shocked that pressure would be put on a grandfather not to attend an important ceremony in his grandson’s life. Those applying the pressure ought to hang their heads in shame.” Justice Arthur Chaskalson, who served with Judge Goldstone on South Africa’s Constitutional Court, said the threats “reveal a level of bigotry and intolerance meant to shut down any diversity of opinion.” He said he hoped his friend would reconsider — and come anyway. Dave Mayers contributed reporting.
A version of this article appeared in print on April 17, 2010, on page A1 of the New York edition.www.nytimes.com/2010/04/17/world/middleeast/17goldstone.html?src=me........... United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict
also known as "The Goldstone Report" --www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/9/FactFindingMission.htm
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 23, 2010 23:38:35 GMT 4
Brief History of Palestine and Israel --www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3bxj1uvDXUMore, along the lines of this topic -- Gisha:
Legal Center for Freedom of Movement
calls on the State of Israel to fully open Gaza's crossings and to allow the real victims of the closure — 1.5 million human beings — the freedom of movement necessary to realize their dreams and aspirations. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzqw7oBZT8kAbout Gishawww.gisha.org
Gisha is an Israeli not-for-profit organization, founded in 2005, whose goal is to protect the freedom of movement of Palestinians, especially Gaza residents. Gisha promotes rights guaranteed by international and Israeli law.
Since the 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel's military has developed a complex system of rules and sanctions to control the movement of the 3.4 million Palestinians who live there. The restrictions violate the fundamental right of Palestinians to freedom of movement. As a result, additional basic rights are violated, including the right to life, the right to access medical care, the right to education, the right to livelihood, the right to family unity and the right to freedom of religion.
Gisha, whose name means both "access" and "approach," uses legal assistance and public advocacy to protect the rights of Palestinian residents. Because freedom of movement is a precondition for exercising other basic rights, Gisha’s work has a multiplier effect in helping residents of the occupied territories access education, jobs, family members and medical care.
As part of its legal work, Gisha represents individuals and organizations in Israeli administrative proceedings and courts. Gisha’s legal activity is based on Israeli law, international human rights and humanitarian law.
As part of its advocacy work, Gisha reaches out to members of the public and opinion-makers using publications in various media, in order to promote awareness and sensitivity for human rights in the occupied territories. Gisha also advocates directly before decision-makers to promote policies that respect human rights.
Gisha is operated by a professional staff and guided by a board that includes legal academics and practitioners, women and men, Arabs and Jews, who have helped shape Israeli human rights law through their advocacy and writings.
Gisha is registered in Israel as an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit organization. Gisha is generously supported by donations from Israel and abroad.
............................
Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine:www.vtjp.org/ Mapping Israeli Apartheid in the Palestinian West Bank: Israeli settlements, apartheid wall and fence, closures, and territorial fragmentation. KEY: www.vtjp.org/background/MappingApartheidWestBank.htmThe Palestinian West Bank, bordered by the 1949 Green Line.• Israeli settlements and settlement blocks established since 1967 in violation of international law and UN Security Council Resolutions. • Completed and planned sections of Israel's "security fence" - the Wall. • Sections of the Wall under construction. • Palestinian areas completely surrounded by the Wall and/or additional barriers. • Palestinian areas trapped between the Wall and the Green Line. • Boundaries of Palestinian "enclaves" established by Israel. Travel between "enclaves" controlled by Israeli army. • Trisection boundaries established by Israel. Permits required to travel between sections. • Jordan Valley now virtually off-limits to Palestinians. This animated map is largely based on information from OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel works to support the survival of the Palestinian people and to end the illegal, immoral, and brutal Israeli occupation through education, advocacy, and action. We are committed to the principles of self-determination for the Palestinian people, the right of return for Palestinian refugees, and full civil and political rights for all Palestinians in order to promote the equality and safety of both Palestinians and Israelis. For more information, e-mail vtjp@vtjp.orgmission statement continues — www.vtjp.org/aboutus/aboutus.htm..............
Speech in Burlington, Vermont (USA)
by Holocaust survivor Nina Parris
www.youtube.com/watch?v=79DSpA9ZmYg
Nina Parris, an 83 year-old Jewish Vermonter and Holocaust survivor, spoke at a rally and march in Burlington, Vermont on January 17, 2009, which was held to protest Israeli atrocities in Gaza, Israel's crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the attempted genocide of the Palestinian people. Dr. Parris came to the United States from Berlin, Germany, in 1937 as an immigrant to escape the Nazis. Her father was Dr. Martin Gumpert, a German-Jewish poet and physician; her mother was Dr. Charlotte Blashko, also a physician. Ban meets evicted Sheikh Jarrah familiesPublished today (updated) 21/03/2010 15:26
Maan News AgencyJerusalem – Ma'an – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met on Saturday with two Palestinian families who were forcibly expelled from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem. UN Middle East special coordinator Robert Serry attended the meeting at the Notre Dame Hotel, as well as UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi and Barbara Shenstone, the director of UNRWA's operations in the West Bank. The UN delegation met with Maher Hanoun and his daughter Jana, as well as Nabil Al-Kurd, whose homes Israeli settlers occupied by force in August 2009. "We briefed the UN delegation on the Sheikh Jarrah troubles and demanded that the UN make serious efforts to stop home evacuations and demolition by Israeli settlers in Jerusalem," said Maher Hanoun. "We also asked the UN support to help evicted families regain their homes, and to protect other residents from eviction." He added: "We briefed Ban Ki-moon on our daily suffering after my own family, my brothers' families, the Abdul-Fattah and Al-Ghawi families, were evicted in August 2009. We told [Ban] that we live on the street, and we updated him on the daily assaults by Israeli settlers against Sheikh Jarrah, in general." Ban vowed to follow up with the families and do his best to stop settlement activities in Jerusalem. www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=270292..................... background -- Israel evicts Palestinian familieswww.youtube.com/watch?v=kdFVHlcxDGM2 August 2009
Israeli security forces have forcibily evicted two Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem after a court rejected an appeal against their eviction.
The al-Ghawi and al-Hanoun families who were evicted on Sunday have been living in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood since 1956.
Israel has reportedly set aside the land their houses were built on for a planned hotel project.
The eviction comes amid international calls for Israel to halt settlement activity on occupied Palestinian land.
A large police force was involved in the operation in Sheikh Jarrah, one of the most sensitive and upmarket Arab neighbourhoods closest to the so-called Green Line which separates east and west Jerusalem.
Violent scuffles
Sherine Tadros, Al Jazeeras correspondent in East Jerusalem, said: According to the Hanoun family, the members that I have spoken to, at about 6am as they were sleeping inside the house, Israeli police officers broke in and we can see the shattered glass all over the floor outside.
They say that the police were armed and they forcibly evicted both the international activists that were staying at the house and members of the family themselves.
Members of the family say the police officers beat them with batons and children as young as six were man-handled scuffles were seen and heard between the police and the two families trying to get back into their houses, she said.
Tadros said the international activists were arrested and personal items belonging to the families such as cameras, laptops and computers have all been confiscated. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrdsLf4n5Ugmany thanks to Tom V who says
"...this is really great reporting and I encourage everyone who cares about this issue to watch." SleeplessinGaza — April 05, 2010 —
April 5, 2010: Day 36:
Why would a Palestinian need a special permit to go from the West Bank to the West Bank? From his home to his adjacent land, and the trip takes half an hour! How come a whole village can only come out and in on certain hours? If people and vehicles need special permits what about a donkey?
• Join Ashira, Susan and Aleix to the villages of Ras Atiah and Habla around Qalqilya to see with your own eyes what the occupation is all about!
• Listen to what the Israeli women have to say about occupation and its practices and why are they watching checkpoints and documenting abuse!
• Meet "Machsom Watch" and tell us:
Do you think the checkpoint commander found Ashira cute or the most annoying person he had met on duty?
In Gaza:
Celebrate Child Day with Farah who has been working very hard to make this festival a great success for the children of Gaza! What is her purpose? To give children a day of play, music and joy!
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 23, 2010 23:51:20 GMT 4
Exclusive /
Despite row, U.S. and Israel sign
massive arms dealBy Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
Last update - 20:27 25/03/2010
Haaretz.com As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington this week absorbing the full wrath of the Obama administration, the Pentagon and Israel's defense establishment were in the process of sealing a large arms deal. According to the deal, Israel will purchase three new Hercules C-130J airplanes (sic. Israel isn't purchasing ANYTHING. U.S. TAXPAYERS are). The deal for the three aircrafts, designed by Lockheed Martin, is worth roughly a quarter billion dollars. Each aircraft costs $70 million.The aircrafts were manufactured specifically for Israeli needs, and include a large number of systems produced by Israel's defense industry. The deal will be covered by American foreign assistance funds. The Pentagon will issue a formal announcement on the matter on Thursday evening. America and Israel have still not reached an agreement regarding the purchase of the Lockheed F-35 war plane. It is still not clear when that deal, which is estimated to be worth more than $3 billion, will finally be sealed and carried out. If that deal is signed in the near future, Israel will likely receive its first F-35 in 2014. www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159155.html...... Written transcript available here: www.democracynow.org/2010/3/23/norman_finkelstein_responds_to_clinton_netanyahu
NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Well, I’m sure all of your listeners and your viewers are familiar with the magnitude of US aid to Israel. I think the important development is what Amnesty International said after the invasion of Gaza. It put out a very substantial report called “Fueling Conflict.” And it said that transferring weapons to a consistent violator of human rights is illegal under international law. Israel is a consistent violator of human rights, and therefore there has to be a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel. And the report went into each country in the world, how it supplies and transfers weapons to Israel. But it has to be said, the focus was on the United States.
And Amnesty International said three main things: number one, that the US is by far the biggest supplier of weapons to Israel; number two, supplying those weapons to Israel is not only illegal under international law, it’s illegal under domestic US law; and number three, it said—and I think it’s important for your viewers to hear it—Amnesty International said what happened in Gaza could—and they describe what happened in Gaza as twenty-two days of death and destruction—what happened in Gaza could not have happened were it not for US taxpayer money. If you’re appalled by what happened in Gaza, you’re appalled by the death, the destruction, the systematic attack on mosques, the systematic attack on ambulances, the systematic attack on hospitals, on schools—
SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: And these were detailed in the Goldstone report?
NORMAN FINKELSTEIN: Yes. The 6,000 homes which were all either completely or nearly completely destroyed, Amnesty International says all of that was paid for with US taxpayer money.
And now along comes Hillary Clinton, and she’s extolling US military aid to Israel. The part that she left out is, number one, it’s all illegal under international and domestic US law, and number two, it was that US aid that made possible—you have to bear in mind—I know your program chronicled the use of the white phosphorus—every white phosphorus shell they found—you can see it in the Human Rights Watch report on the white phosphorus—every one was made in the United States. We are responsible for that war. It’s not just a cliché. It’s a factual matter. We made that massacre happen. www.democracynow.org/2010/3/23/norman_finkelstein_responds_to_clinton_netanyahu  www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/Find your elected officials:hq-salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/301/getLocal.jsp?zip= |
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 24, 2010 20:12:40 GMT 4
Israeli troops shoot protesters at Gaza demo31 minutes agoGAZA CITY (AFP) - Israeli troops shot and wounded three Palestinians and a Maltese woman in the Gaza Strip on Saturday during a protest near the border with Israel, witnesses and medical sources said. The four were shot after they entered a 300-metre- (-yard) deep no-go zone previously declared by Israel on the Gaza side of the frontier. The incident occurred when some 150 people, including six foreigners, began a demonstration to protest against the ban, which prevents Gaza farmers from using the land. The Maltese woman, said to have been shot in the legs, was identified as Bianca Zimmit, 28, a member of pro-Palestinian group the International Solidarity Movement. The ISM said Zimmit was wounded as she filmed the demonstration, east of the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, some 100 metres from the border. An army spokesman said a "group of Palestinians approached the security fence in a provocative manner." "Some soldiers spotted them and fired warning shots. Three Palestinians were hit." No mention was made of a fourth person. The spokesman added that the army considers the area to be a "combat zone" and therefore out of bounds. ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/100424/world/mideast_conflict_gaza_malta_demo.......
Two Palestinians and an International activist shot with
live ammunition at a non-violent demonstration against the
Buffer Zone in Gaza
ISM Gaza
24 April 2010
El Maghazi, Deir Al Balah, Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territories, 24th April 2010, 12PM – At a peaceful nonviolent demonstration against the forceful cessation of farming within what Israel defines as a “buffer zone,” which was attended by 150 people, two Palestinians demonstrators and one International activist were shot. Israeli soldiers opened fire on the demonstrators from the border fence. Nidal Al Naji (18) was shot in the right thigh. Hind Al Akra (22) was shot in the stomach and is undergoing emergency surgery. Bianca Zimmit (28) from Malta was filming the demonstration when she was shot in her left thigh. The wounded are currently being treated in Al Aqsa Hospital. Shortly after 11 a.m., women and men, including 6 ISM activists, marched from Al Maghazi towards the Israeli fence closing off the Gaza strip. After being met with live ammunition upon cresting a ridge, some demonstrators continued walking forward. This group included six women, two ISM activists and 20 men. The 20 male demonstrators reached the border fence. Zimmit was shot while filming the demonstration between the ridge and the fence, at a distance of roughly 80-100 meters. Hind Al Akra, also standing between the ridge and the fence, was shot in the stomach, and Niadal al Naji was shot in the leg near the fence. Demonstrators carried the wounded back across rough terrain to taxis for transport to Al-Aqsa Hospital. The demonstrations are held in protest against the arbitrary decision by Israel to instate a 300 metre buffer zone as no-go area for Palestinians where “shoot to kill” policy is implemented. People have been shot regularly as far as 2 kilometres away from the border. Popular Campaign for the Security in the Buffer Zone, an umbrella organization that includes organizations representing farmers and Gaza residents living near the border, and also a number of political parties are present at many of these demonstrations. Those venturing to the border regions to gather rubble and steel do so as a result of the siege on Gaza which, along with Israel’s 23 day winter war on Gaza, has decimated Gaza’s economy, including 95 percent of Gaza’s factories and businesses, according to the United Nations. Additionally, these recycled construction materials are vital in Gaza where the Israeli-led siege bans all but under 40 items from entering. The siege prevents vitally needed construction materials from entering Gaza, where over 6,400 houses were destroyed or severely damaged in the Israeli war on Gaza, and nearly 53,000 sustained lesser damages. Hospitals and medical centres, schools, kindergartens and mosques are among the other buildings destroyed and damaged during the Israeli war on Gaza.
Updated on April 24, 2010
Posted under: Press Releases
Tags: demonstrations, Gaza, live ammunition, nonviolence palsolidarity.org/2010/04/12112
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 24, 2010 20:35:11 GMT 4
Bulldozers return to destroy children’s playground in
Beit Jala. Six activists arrested.Posted on: April 22, 2010
International Solidarity Movement
22nd April 2010UPDATE: Video from the demolition has been added to this report. See below. Abu Michel watching the destruction of
his children's playgroundIsraeli bulldozers today destroyed a garden and children’s playground in Beit Jala, and 100 fruit and olive trees in Al Walaja and Beit Jala, both in the Bethlehem district, to make way for the continued construction of their illegal apartheid wall. Soldiers present used violent force to remove Palestinian, Israeli and international activists who attempted to prevent the destruction. Two Israelis were arrested immediately, and six internationals were later arrested. Demonstrators in Beit Jala prevented from
accessing family's homeIn Beit Jala, this is the second time that this particular garden and playground has been bulldozed. A legal injunction preventing further destruction expired this week. Following the previous demolition, in early March, local Palestinian residents and international supporters rebuilt the playground and planted new olive trees in the garden. All these were today destroyed. Twelve people, representing six different nationalities, sat in front of the Caterpillar bulldozer as it moved up to the garden. Soldiers forcefully removed all twelve, several of whom sustained minor injuries, and one of whom was hospitalised with suspected broken ribs after his stomach was repeatedly stamped upon by one of the soldiers. Video:
Beit Jala playground destroyed by Israeli soldierswww.youtube.com/watch?v=PoczZtOTn4gAfter soldiers forced everyone but the owners of the garden up to the road above, they joined approximately 50 other internationals and local residents to hold a demonstration which lasted into the evening. Overlooking the wreckage of the morning’s destruction, the protesters chanted and sang, asking only to be allowed back down to the house, where bulldozing had finished, to speak with the family there. Late in the afternoon, six activists, from the USA, Italy, Spain, Germany and France, managed to access the house via a back route, bringing food in to the family, before being arrested by Israeli Border Police, accused of illegally entering a Closed Military Zone. In Al Walaja, Israeli military prevented any internationals or journalists from accessing the area to observe the uprooting of approximately 40 olive trees. The International Court of Justice has ruled that the building of Israel’s apartheid wall is in violation of international law. When complete, the wall will run for over 700km, the vast majority of it passing through and effectively annexing Palestinian land in the West Bank.
Updated on April 24, 2010
Posted under: Features, Reports
Tags: Apartheid Wall, demolitions, demonstrations palsolidarity.org/2010/04/12098
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Post by ninathedog on Apr 26, 2010 4:46:18 GMT 4
Israeli troops shoot protesters at Gaza demo31 minutes agoGAZA CITY (AFP) - Israeli troops shot and wounded three Palestinians and a Maltese woman in the Gaza Strip on Saturday during a protest near the border with Israel, witnesses and medical sources said. The four were shot after they entered a 300-metre- (-yard) deep no-go zone previously declared by Israel on the Gaza side of the frontier. The incident occurred when some 150 people, including six foreigners, began a demonstration to protest against the ban, which prevents Gaza farmers from using the land. The Maltese woman, said to have been shot in the legs, was identified as Bianca Zimmit, 28, a member of pro-Palestinian group the International Solidarity Movement. The ISM said Zimmit was wounded as she filmed the demonstration, east of the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, some 100 metres from the border. An army spokesman said a "group of Palestinians approached the security fence in a provocative manner." "Some soldiers spotted them and fired warning shots. Three Palestinians were hit." No mention was made of a fourth person. The spokesman added that the army considers the area to be a "combat zone" and therefore out of bounds. ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/100424/world/mideast_conflict_gaza_malta_demo.......
Two Palestinians and an International activist shot with
live ammunition at a non-violent demonstration against the
Buffer Zone in Gaza
ISM Gaza
24 April 2010
El Maghazi, Deir Al Balah, Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territories, 24th April 2010, 12PM – At a peaceful nonviolent demonstration against the forceful cessation of farming within what Israel defines as a “buffer zone,” which was attended by 150 people, two Palestinians demonstrators and one International activist were shot. Israeli soldiers opened fire on the demonstrators from the border fence. Nidal Al Naji (18) was shot in the right thigh. Hind Al Akra (22) was shot in the stomach and is undergoing emergency surgery. Bianca Zimmit (28) from Malta was filming the demonstration when she was shot in her left thigh. The wounded are currently being treated in Al Aqsa Hospital. Shortly after 11 a.m., women and men, including 6 ISM activists, marched from Al Maghazi towards the Israeli fence closing off the Gaza strip. After being met with live ammunition upon cresting a ridge, some demonstrators continued walking forward. This group included six women, two ISM activists and 20 men. The 20 male demonstrators reached the border fence. Zimmit was shot while filming the demonstration between the ridge and the fence, at a distance of roughly 80-100 meters. Hind Al Akra, also standing between the ridge and the fence, was shot in the stomach, and Niadal al Naji was shot in the leg near the fence. Demonstrators carried the wounded back across rough terrain to taxis for transport to Al-Aqsa Hospital. The demonstrations are held in protest against the arbitrary decision by Israel to instate a 300 metre buffer zone as no-go area for Palestinians where “shoot to kill” policy is implemented. People have been shot regularly as far as 2 kilometres away from the border. Popular Campaign for the Security in the Buffer Zone, an umbrella organization that includes organizations representing farmers and Gaza residents living near the border, and also a number of political parties are present at many of these demonstrations. Those venturing to the border regions to gather rubble and steel do so as a result of the siege on Gaza which, along with Israel’s 23 day winter war on Gaza, has decimated Gaza’s economy, including 95 percent of Gaza’s factories and businesses, according to the United Nations. Additionally, these recycled construction materials are vital in Gaza where the Israeli-led siege bans all but under 40 items from entering. The siege prevents vitally needed construction materials from entering Gaza, where over 6,400 houses were destroyed or severely damaged in the Israeli war on Gaza, and nearly 53,000 sustained lesser damages. Hospitals and medical centres, schools, kindergartens and mosques are among the other buildings destroyed and damaged during the Israeli war on Gaza.
Updated on April 24, 2010
Posted under: Press Releases
Tags: demonstrations, Gaza, live ammunition, nonviolence palsolidarity.org/2010/04/12112
Footagewww.youtube.com/watch?v=0LPHHl0KMb4(many thanks to Tom V)
The beginning of this video is surreal with the music and the festive atmosphere. It's almost like an art film in its strangeness as shots are fired and people are running but the music continues. Three activists are shot by Israeli soldiers. Mid-way through the video is a compelling statement by the 28-year old international activist, Bianca. Be warned that the ending scenes are in surgery but if I could handle it, so can you |
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Post by Eagles Disobey on Apr 26, 2010 6:56:16 GMT 4
NINATHEDOG: If we were to put one link, along with a description, on the front of Eagles Disobey showing the plight of the Palestinian People, what link would it be? Is there a really good "clearing house" kind of link that you could refer us to? (Dan and Marci have some notes for us, for near future things for the front page of Eagles, so I thought I would start gathering some of the information they need.) Frank  (Secret Squirrel) |
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