20 December 2006
On Saturday, December 16th, 2006 Palestinian solidarity activists gathered on St. Catherine street in downtown Montreal to draw attention to a 2005 appeal from over 170 Palestinian civil-society organizations to, “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel Until it Complies with International Law and Universal Principles of Human Rights.” Read more about Audio Report: Montrealers Denounce Israeli Apartheid
Gaza, Palestine 20 December 2006
As I entered the powerful new museum of the Holocaust at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem in early November, I was confronted by these words: “A country should be judged not only by what it does, but also by what it tolerates.” Kurt Tucholsky, WW1 veteran and pacifist, journalist and social critic whose books were burned by the same Nazi regime that stripped him of his citizenship, wrote the statement after Germany adopted the anti-Semitic Nuremberg laws. His sobering contention was brought vividly to mind during my visit to Gaza, Palestine ten days later. Read more about Language and the crimes we permit in Gaza
20 December 2006
The number of civilians killed and injured as a result of unexploded cluster bombs in south Lebanon, which were dropped by Israeli forces during the recent conflict between Israel and Hizbullah, is increasing steadily. Some 26 people have reportedly lost their lives, and some 186 have been injured. Cluster munitions spread small bomblets over a wide area, many of which do not explode on impact but remain live and lethal. Children are particularly vulnerable and some have been killed while playing in their towns and villages. Other people have been killed while investigating their homes for damage following the war and others while working on their land. Read more about Number of cluster bomb deaths continues to rise
20 December 2006
Despite one man being killed and two injured from an explosion on Tuesday in the southern Lebanese village of Marjayoun, mine clearance specialists say that the incidence of cluster bomb casualties in the country has fallen significantly over recent weeks. From an initial average of three accidents a day in the immediate aftermath of the summer war between Israel and Hezbollah, the rate has fallen to an average of three accidents per week. “Over the past three weeks, the rate of casualties has been as low as two victims in one week,” said Dalya Farran, media and post-clearance officer for the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre for South Lebanon (MACC). Read more about Rate of cluster bomb casualties falling
20 December 2006
On 19 December 2006, the Haifa Magistrate Court decided to dismiss indictments filed against 41 parents of children who study at the Hewar School for Democratic and Alternative Education, alleging violations of the Compulsory Education Law (1949) for sending their children to study at a school without a license. In the decision, the Court accepted the arguments of Adalah Attorneys Hassan Jabareen and Sawsan Zaher that the indictments were filed in breach of the Compulsory Education Law itself. Read more about Haifa magistrate court dismisses indictments against parents
19 December 2006
‘Azzun ‘Atmah, a village with 1,800 residents located southeast of Qalqiliya, lies three kilometers from the Green Line (Israel’s 1967 border). The settlement Sha’are Tikva was built just east of it, on lands belonging to residents of the village. The settlement breaks the territorial contiguity between the village and two neighboring villages, Beit Amin and Sanniriya. On its western border, the settlement Oranit was built. The separation barrier in this area was completed in October 2003. The barrier separates the village from the rest of the West Bank and places it in the “seam zone,” the area between the barrier and the Green Line. Read more about Enclosing the village of 'Azzun 'Atmah
20 December 2006
Most Americans believe Bethlehem is an Israeli town inhabited by a mixture of Jews and Muslims, a pre-Christmas survey of US perceptions of the town has shown. Only 15 per cent of Americans realise that it is a Palestinian city with a mixed Christian-Muslim community, lying in the occupied West Bank. The nationwide survey, carried out by top US political pollsters Zogby International, canvassed 15000 American respondents. The poll, which is being released on the eve of the arrival in Bethlehem of the Catholic and Anglican church leaders in the UK, was commissioned by the campaign organisation Open Bethlehem. Read more about Bethlehem surveys show support for town of Christ's birth - and confusion over its location
20 December 2006
At approximately 01:30 on Wednesday, 20 December 2006, unknown gunmen fired live bullets and RBJ projectiles at a site of the Palestinian Riot Control Police near al-Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City. Earlier, at approximately 00:15, an exchange of fire erupted between members of Fatah movement and those of the Executive Force of the Ministry of Interior, who were on their way to arrest a member of Fatah movement accused of firing at a leader of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) in al-Sabra neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. Read more about PCHR concerned about continuing violence despite ceasefire
22 November 2006
Palestinian armed groups must not endanger Palestinian civilians by encouraging them to gather in and around suspected militants’ homes targeted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Human Rights Watch said today. Calling civilians to a location that the opposing side has identified for attack is at worst human shielding, at best failing to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians from the effects of attack. Both are violations of international humanitarian law. According to media reports, on Saturday the IDF warned Mohammedweil Baroud, a commander in the Popular Resistance Committees, to leave his home in the Jabaliya refugee camp as they planned to destroy it. Read more about Civilians must not be used to shield homes against military attacks
20 December 2006
16 December - We regret that our press release below (“OPT: Civilians Must Not Be Used to Shield Homes Against Military Attacks”) gave many readers the impression that we were criticizing civilians for engaging in nonviolent resistance. This was not our intention. It is not the policy of the organization to criticize non-violent resistance or any other form of peaceful protest, including civilians defending their homes. Rather, our focus is on the behavior of public officials and military commanders because they have responsibilities under international law to protect civilians. Read more about HRW retracts statement about "human shields"