Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Palestinians harassed in Hebron ‘cage’
Yifat Alkoby, a Jewish settler from the Hebron settlement of Tel Rumeida, is seen assaulting and swearing at women and girls from the neighboring Abu-'Ayesha family, who were forced to build a metal cage around their home to protect themselves from the repeated and violent attacks by Jewish settlers.
YNet: On tape: Palestinians harassed in Hebron ‘cage’
Ali Waked, January 10th, 2007
Abu-Aisha and his extended family live in a two-storey house. “The cage you see in the video is where we live. Not once do we open the door and not hear curse words or get stones and eggs thrown at us,” he said. “The latest fashion during this cold winter – the settlers spray us with cold water using a big fire hose located near the house.”
Abu-Aisha said “hell” is not a strong enough word to describe what his family is going through.
Press coverage of Hebron settler violence
ISM, January 11th, 2007
Senior official in West Bank Police responds to video clip revealed in Ynet showing settler cursing Palestinian family. Settler summoned for police investigation, but doesn’t show. B’Tselem, of all groups, asks not to turn her into scapegoat.
===================
Implement which law?
Meron Benvenisti, Ha'aretz, Friday, 19 January 2007
It's easy to condemn the vulgarity of the settler from Hebron, and it's easy to dismiss the Jewish enclave there as a gang of violent thugs. But they are only weeds that sprout from the rotten ground of the cruel regime that prevails beyond the Green Line. It's a regime based on ethnic discrimination and separation, double standards and an absence of the rule of law.
Perfect timing
Amos Harel, Ha'aretz, January 16, 2007
The video tape showing settler Yifat Alkobi abusing her Palestinian neighbors in Hebron was aired at a perfect time from the perspective of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz.
It gave them the chance to compete with each other in their expressions of shock over Alkobi's behavior and to promise, like so many prime ministers and defense ministers before them, to take care of settler violence in Hebron.
The truth is that as repellent as Alkobi's actions were, they are a marginal matter compared to the long-term unruly behavior of the settlers, who have been gradually banishing the Palestinians from their homes in Hebron's Israeli-controlled H2 sector surrounding the city's Jewish homes, with state backing.
Condemnations, not steps
It's likely that this time, too, the matter will end with condemnations rather than concrete steps against the settlers involved.
Yesterday Peretz's deputy, Ephraim Sneh, visited Hebron and expressed the requisite shock. True change? Not now. The army isn't interested in clashing with the settlers, the police are cautious and the courts support them, for the most part.
Here's the story: Jewish construction is continuing in Hebron while the state looks in the other direction.
The Israel Defense Forces boast about the economic improvement in the lives of Palestinians residing in the Palestinian-controlled H1 sector, thereby distorting the sad truth: At this rate, Palestinians won't be living in the H2 sector for much longer.
========================
Nigel Parry's Hebron Diary
A closer look at Hebron's 'Jewish community'
Thursday, 11 January 2007
Be consistent, Dr. Pedersen!
Be consistent, Dr. Pedersen!
Adri Nieuwhof and Jo Falk Nielsen, The Electronic Intifada, 7 January 2007
Veolia Environnement affiliated Veolia Transport is a partner in the Israeli project to build a tramway that will run on occupied Palestinian territory. This is a violation of international law. Veolia received a lot of criticism since it first announced its intentions to become involved in the illegal project. Institut Veolia is an academic institute of Veolia Environnement, aimed at creating prestige and respectability to Veolia's operations.
Dr Freddy Karup Pedersen has been involved in activities of Institute Veolia and is thus indirectly involved in this violation of international law.Dr Pedersen is also a member of the Standing Committee of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the former President of the Danish Red Cross.
The Danish Palestinian Friendship Association has urged Pedersen to distance himself from the Institut Veolia, until now without success.
In the past, Pedersen said it was his duty to "shout it out loud and clear" when the rules of war are not respected or when governments fall short of their human rights pledges under the Geneva Convention. Today he is affiliated with such violations.
International experts urged to withdraw from Veolia Institute
Adri Nieuwhof, The Electronic Intifada, 8 December 2006
Adri Nieuwhof and Jo Falk Nielsen, The Electronic Intifada, 7 January 2007
Veolia Environnement affiliated Veolia Transport is a partner in the Israeli project to build a tramway that will run on occupied Palestinian territory. This is a violation of international law. Veolia received a lot of criticism since it first announced its intentions to become involved in the illegal project. Institut Veolia is an academic institute of Veolia Environnement, aimed at creating prestige and respectability to Veolia's operations.
Dr Freddy Karup Pedersen has been involved in activities of Institute Veolia and is thus indirectly involved in this violation of international law.Dr Pedersen is also a member of the Standing Committee of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the former President of the Danish Red Cross.
The Danish Palestinian Friendship Association has urged Pedersen to distance himself from the Institut Veolia, until now without success.
In the past, Pedersen said it was his duty to "shout it out loud and clear" when the rules of war are not respected or when governments fall short of their human rights pledges under the Geneva Convention. Today he is affiliated with such violations.
International experts urged to withdraw from Veolia Institute
Adri Nieuwhof, The Electronic Intifada, 8 December 2006
Indeed there is Apartheid in Israel
Indeed there is Apartheid in Israel
Shulamit Aloni, Yediot Acharonot, 31.12.06
A new order issued by the GOC Central command bans the conveyance of Palestinians in Israeli vehicles. Such a blatant violation of the right to travel joins the long list of humans rights violations carried out by Israel in the [Occupied] Territories.
On one occasion I witnessed such an encounter between a driver and a soldier who was taking down the details before confiscating the vehicle and sending its owner away. “Why?” I asked the soldier. “It’s an order – this is a Jews-only road”, he replied. I inquired as to where was the sign indicating this fact and instructing [other] drivers not to use it. His answer was nothing short of amazing. “It is his responsibility to know it, and besides, what do you want us to do, put up a sign here and let some antisemitic reporter or journalist take a photo so he that can show the world that Apartheid exists here?”
From now on, Israelis and International humanitarian organisations’ volunteers are prohibited from assisting a woman in labour by taking her to the hospital. [Israeli human rights group] Yesh Din volunteers cannot take a robbed and beaten-up Palestinian to the police station to lodge a complaint. (Police stations are located at the heart of the settlements.) Is there anyone who believes that this is not Apartheid?
Shulamit Aloni, Yediot Acharonot, 31.12.06
A new order issued by the GOC Central command bans the conveyance of Palestinians in Israeli vehicles. Such a blatant violation of the right to travel joins the long list of humans rights violations carried out by Israel in the [Occupied] Territories.
On one occasion I witnessed such an encounter between a driver and a soldier who was taking down the details before confiscating the vehicle and sending its owner away. “Why?” I asked the soldier. “It’s an order – this is a Jews-only road”, he replied. I inquired as to where was the sign indicating this fact and instructing [other] drivers not to use it. His answer was nothing short of amazing. “It is his responsibility to know it, and besides, what do you want us to do, put up a sign here and let some antisemitic reporter or journalist take a photo so he that can show the world that Apartheid exists here?”
From now on, Israelis and International humanitarian organisations’ volunteers are prohibited from assisting a woman in labour by taking her to the hospital. [Israeli human rights group] Yesh Din volunteers cannot take a robbed and beaten-up Palestinian to the police station to lodge a complaint. (Police stations are located at the heart of the settlements.) Is there anyone who believes that this is not Apartheid?
Tali Fahima released from prison
Tali Fahima released from prison today
Dorothy Naor, January 4, 2007
Tali lost her job and spent 877 unnecessary days in prison, that is to say a total of 2 years, 5 months, and 26 days. Yet Tali claims that she has no regrets. Today I heard her say, after she’d been released, that she would even be willing to serve a life sentence if necessary, but not to give up her desire to learn.
Why Rebels Must Be Middle Class
Daphna Baram, 20 Sep. 2004
Perhaps Tali Fahima's misfortune is being poor and of Moroccan background. Israeli authorities don't treat ashkenazi university students with the same harshness.
It is not unheard of for Israelis to visit Zbeide, who has survived at least five Israel Defence Forces attempts on his life. I personally know of five lefty activists who have enjoyed his hospitality during the past month. None was arrested or interrogated. So why was Fahima?The answer is that her profile does not fit the bill. The Israeli security services know what a lefty activist should be like: a student or academic from a middle-class background, preferably of Ashkenazi (European Jewish) descent, who is a member of one of the tiny leftist groups. Such people are tolerated because they can be supervised and controlled.
My Personal Hero: Tali Fahima
Michael Warschawski, AIC, Thursday, 04 January 2007
While my arrest occurred following more than two decades of political activity, Tali began having troubles with the Israeli authorities already during her first political moves; while the forbidden relations I had with Palestinian activists were the result of a long process of political maturation, Tali’s decision to go to Jenin and meet with Palestinian activist Zakariya Zbeideh, was, as she explained during her trial, a “natural thing to do” as a free human being interested in understanding the roots of a conflict that is shaping our lives.
Dorothy Naor, January 4, 2007
Tali lost her job and spent 877 unnecessary days in prison, that is to say a total of 2 years, 5 months, and 26 days. Yet Tali claims that she has no regrets. Today I heard her say, after she’d been released, that she would even be willing to serve a life sentence if necessary, but not to give up her desire to learn.
Why Rebels Must Be Middle Class
Daphna Baram, 20 Sep. 2004
Perhaps Tali Fahima's misfortune is being poor and of Moroccan background. Israeli authorities don't treat ashkenazi university students with the same harshness.
It is not unheard of for Israelis to visit Zbeide, who has survived at least five Israel Defence Forces attempts on his life. I personally know of five lefty activists who have enjoyed his hospitality during the past month. None was arrested or interrogated. So why was Fahima?The answer is that her profile does not fit the bill. The Israeli security services know what a lefty activist should be like: a student or academic from a middle-class background, preferably of Ashkenazi (European Jewish) descent, who is a member of one of the tiny leftist groups. Such people are tolerated because they can be supervised and controlled.
My Personal Hero: Tali Fahima
Michael Warschawski, AIC, Thursday, 04 January 2007
While my arrest occurred following more than two decades of political activity, Tali began having troubles with the Israeli authorities already during her first political moves; while the forbidden relations I had with Palestinian activists were the result of a long process of political maturation, Tali’s decision to go to Jenin and meet with Palestinian activist Zakariya Zbeideh, was, as she explained during her trial, a “natural thing to do” as a free human being interested in understanding the roots of a conflict that is shaping our lives.
Monday, 8 January 2007
The Temples of Occupation
The Temples of the Occupation
Meron Benvenisti, Ha'aretz, 01.01.2007
So far, of the dozens of checkpoints promised to be removed from the West Bank in a "gesture" to Mahmoud Abbas, not a single checkpoint has been dismantled.It will be interesting to see what excuse they come up with after the weather improves. The plan to remove the roadblocks has been delayed over some excuse or another for several years, and in the meantime their number has multiplied.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Haaretz probe finds little has changed at West Bank roadblocks
Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz, 11 January 2007
Israel has made it only marginally easier for Palestinians to get through roadblocks in the West Bank, and in many cases, no changes have been made at all, a Haaretz investigation yesterday of roadblocks in the Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Nablus areas reveals. The insignificant improvements fail to meet the commitment Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas during their December 24 meeting in Jerusalem.
Virtual concessions / Making a mockery of the state
Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff, Ha'aretz, 11 January 2007
When the government and defense establishment declare their intention to mitigate some of the restrictions on the Palestinians in the territories, they're counting on the Israeli media's short attention span.
Announcing alleviations to the press is immediately rewarded with large headlines, the improvement of Israel's image overseas and an easing in U.S. pressure for concessions. Usually nobody checks whether the alleviations were actually carried out.
If the Palestinians complain that the mitigations were not implemented, we can always accuse them of ungrateful whining and issue a bunch of confusing data in response.
However, after a trip along West Bank roadblocks yesterday, Haaretz found that while the traffic flow in a small number of the roads improved, the situation is very far from the rosy picture Israel has painted.
Meron Benvenisti, Ha'aretz, 01.01.2007
So far, of the dozens of checkpoints promised to be removed from the West Bank in a "gesture" to Mahmoud Abbas, not a single checkpoint has been dismantled.It will be interesting to see what excuse they come up with after the weather improves. The plan to remove the roadblocks has been delayed over some excuse or another for several years, and in the meantime their number has multiplied.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Haaretz probe finds little has changed at West Bank roadblocks
Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz, 11 January 2007
Israel has made it only marginally easier for Palestinians to get through roadblocks in the West Bank, and in many cases, no changes have been made at all, a Haaretz investigation yesterday of roadblocks in the Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Nablus areas reveals. The insignificant improvements fail to meet the commitment Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas during their December 24 meeting in Jerusalem.
Virtual concessions / Making a mockery of the state
Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff, Ha'aretz, 11 January 2007
When the government and defense establishment declare their intention to mitigate some of the restrictions on the Palestinians in the territories, they're counting on the Israeli media's short attention span.
Announcing alleviations to the press is immediately rewarded with large headlines, the improvement of Israel's image overseas and an easing in U.S. pressure for concessions. Usually nobody checks whether the alleviations were actually carried out.
If the Palestinians complain that the mitigations were not implemented, we can always accuse them of ungrateful whining and issue a bunch of confusing data in response.
However, after a trip along West Bank roadblocks yesterday, Haaretz found that while the traffic flow in a small number of the roads improved, the situation is very far from the rosy picture Israel has painted.
Sunday, 7 January 2007
Israel conducts arrest raid in Nablus
January 07, 2007
Israel conducts arrest raid in Nablus
NABLUS, West Bank - Israeli troops carried out an arrest raid in this West Bank city early Sunday, surrounding a building and detaining at least four people, Palestinian security officials said.
About 20 army jeeps drove into Nablus before dawn, and the sound of explosions and gunfire could be heard across the city for several hours, residents said.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment.
The Nablus raid came just three days after a similar operation in the West Bank town of Ramallah, in which four Palestinians were killed and more than two dozen wounded.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
January 04, 2007 - Al Jazeera's David Chater said in Ramallah that the incursion was a routine operation for the Israelis." These sort of things happen most weeks in Nablus and Jenin. The only difference was that the brutality was captured on film."
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
PNN: “Invasions are a way of life in southwest Nablus town”
Amin Abu Wardeh, January 4th, 2007
Midnight raids carried out by Israeli patrols are the norm in the northern West Bank’s Nablus area. They hit the southwestern town of Sarra when residents are sleeping. Regardless of the frequency, the invasions still come as a shock and have turned lives into living nightmares.
Israel conducts arrest raid in Nablus
NABLUS, West Bank - Israeli troops carried out an arrest raid in this West Bank city early Sunday, surrounding a building and detaining at least four people, Palestinian security officials said.
About 20 army jeeps drove into Nablus before dawn, and the sound of explosions and gunfire could be heard across the city for several hours, residents said.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment.
The Nablus raid came just three days after a similar operation in the West Bank town of Ramallah, in which four Palestinians were killed and more than two dozen wounded.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
January 04, 2007 - Al Jazeera's David Chater said in Ramallah that the incursion was a routine operation for the Israelis." These sort of things happen most weeks in Nablus and Jenin. The only difference was that the brutality was captured on film."
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
PNN: “Invasions are a way of life in southwest Nablus town”
Amin Abu Wardeh, January 4th, 2007
Midnight raids carried out by Israeli patrols are the norm in the northern West Bank’s Nablus area. They hit the southwestern town of Sarra when residents are sleeping. Regardless of the frequency, the invasions still come as a shock and have turned lives into living nightmares.
Saturday, 6 January 2007
Israeli troops kill four in Ramallah raid - 4 Jan 2007
Israeli troops kill four in Ramallah raid
Report, Ma'an News Agency, 4 January 2007
The IDF and my daughter's hamburger
Sam Bahour, Fri, 05 Jan 2007 10:17:11 +0200
Living the New Year's Raid on Ramallah
Dana Shalash writing from Ramallah, occupied Palestine, Live from Palestine, 5 January 2007
I have just come back from Ramallah where together with my sister I was locked inside a building at Al Manara, Ramallah's city center, for four hours.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Footage from Al Jazeera:
Israeli incursion in Ramallah live on Al Jazeera Arabic
03:45
Israeli incursion in Ramallah live on Al Jazeera English -1
10:13
Israeli incursion in Ramallah live on Al Jazeera English -2
10:03
Al-Jazeera News Jan. 4, 2007
News from Al-Jazeera English, recorded at 15:30 hrs UTC on January 4, 2007. Israel's incursion into Ramallah, Israeli-Egyptian talks, Hamas-Fatah fighting in Gaza. 09:18
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
IDF enter Ramallah Again; Israel calls the invasion “routine”
January 4, 2007
On my first trip to Ramallah, I immediately noticed strange track patterns scrapped into many of the street curbs. I later learned that these markings were impressions made by the heavy weight of Israeli tanks as they policed the streets during frequent invasions into the West Bank city. It seems the whole of Palestine is littered with physical reminders of occupation, from checkpoints and home invasions and demolitions to travel restrictions and an archaic and discriminatory permit system forbidding many Palestinians from ever entering Al-Quds (Jerusalem).
The "Normal" Violence of Everyday Life in Palestine
Magdalen Hess writing from Ramallah, occupied Palestine, Live from Palestine, 11 January 2007
I am amazed at people's capacity for horror and kindness. In the middle of an outrageous Israeli attack (using American-supplied weapons) on civilians, a Palestinian woman gave me (an American) a ride to safety before she saw her own son safely home.
When I got back to my family's apartment -- when I was safe -- I fell apart, shaking uncontrollably from head-to-toe. Afterwards, when I watched English Al Jazeera and saw video clips of one of the shooting victims it hit me differently than those kinds of images ever have before.
What struck me most was the relative calm of my friend who drove me to safety. I was visibly frightened, but for her, and many other Palestinians, today's events in Ramallah were part of the "normal" landscape of daily life.
Magdalen Hess is a 26-year-old US citizen whose mother, step-father and brother live and work in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Though she has not lived in the West Bank since her girlhood, Magdalen continues to feel connection with and commitment to the Palestinian quest for statehood. She is visiting her family in Ramallah during the first weeks of January 2007 and witnessed the January 4 Israeli assault on Ramallah.
Report, Ma'an News Agency, 4 January 2007
The IDF and my daughter's hamburger
Sam Bahour, Fri, 05 Jan 2007 10:17:11 +0200
Living the New Year's Raid on Ramallah
Dana Shalash writing from Ramallah, occupied Palestine, Live from Palestine, 5 January 2007
I have just come back from Ramallah where together with my sister I was locked inside a building at Al Manara, Ramallah's city center, for four hours.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Footage from Al Jazeera:
Israeli incursion in Ramallah live on Al Jazeera Arabic
03:45
Israeli incursion in Ramallah live on Al Jazeera English -1
10:13
Israeli incursion in Ramallah live on Al Jazeera English -2
10:03
Al-Jazeera News Jan. 4, 2007
News from Al-Jazeera English, recorded at 15:30 hrs UTC on January 4, 2007. Israel's incursion into Ramallah, Israeli-Egyptian talks, Hamas-Fatah fighting in Gaza. 09:18
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
IDF enter Ramallah Again; Israel calls the invasion “routine”
January 4, 2007
On my first trip to Ramallah, I immediately noticed strange track patterns scrapped into many of the street curbs. I later learned that these markings were impressions made by the heavy weight of Israeli tanks as they policed the streets during frequent invasions into the West Bank city. It seems the whole of Palestine is littered with physical reminders of occupation, from checkpoints and home invasions and demolitions to travel restrictions and an archaic and discriminatory permit system forbidding many Palestinians from ever entering Al-Quds (Jerusalem).
The "Normal" Violence of Everyday Life in Palestine
Magdalen Hess writing from Ramallah, occupied Palestine, Live from Palestine, 11 January 2007
I am amazed at people's capacity for horror and kindness. In the middle of an outrageous Israeli attack (using American-supplied weapons) on civilians, a Palestinian woman gave me (an American) a ride to safety before she saw her own son safely home.
When I got back to my family's apartment -- when I was safe -- I fell apart, shaking uncontrollably from head-to-toe. Afterwards, when I watched English Al Jazeera and saw video clips of one of the shooting victims it hit me differently than those kinds of images ever have before.
What struck me most was the relative calm of my friend who drove me to safety. I was visibly frightened, but for her, and many other Palestinians, today's events in Ramallah were part of the "normal" landscape of daily life.
Magdalen Hess is a 26-year-old US citizen whose mother, step-father and brother live and work in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Though she has not lived in the West Bank since her girlhood, Magdalen continues to feel connection with and commitment to the Palestinian quest for statehood. She is visiting her family in Ramallah during the first weeks of January 2007 and witnessed the January 4 Israeli assault on Ramallah.
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