May 2005

EI's Ali Abunimah discusses the Bush-Abbas meeting on Chicago Public Radio

31 May 2005


President Bush met for the first time with Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas, promising $50 million to the Palestinian Authority. This promise of aid money has been called a vote of confidence for Abbas. Electronic Intifada’s Ali Abunimah offered his opinion on the offer on the 26 May 2005 edition of the Worldview program on Chicago Public Radio. 

One Hand Clapping: Applauding Tolerance and Pluralism in Israeli Academia

Sharif Hamadeh 31 May 2005


The walls and outposts of the Zionist enterprise are becoming ever more conspicuous, so too are the contradictions inherent in the 57-year-old experiment of establishing a state that is both “Jewish” and “democratic” in pluralistic Palestine. The recent, albeit short-lived, decision of Britain’s Association of University Teachers (AUT) to impose an academic boycott on Bar-Ilan and Haifa Universities attests to the growing realization abroad that Israel’s policies adversely affect Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line. 

Israeli army kills more Palestinians

Khalid Amayreh 29 May 2005


Israeli occupation soldiers have shot and killed a Palestinian man in the southern West Bank town of Hebron, hours after the killing of another Palestinian near the northern city of Jenin. Palestinian sources and witnesses said Israeli soldiers patrolling the streets of Hebron’s old town on Sunday killed Omar Mahmoud al-Ghafi Hoshiyeh, 200 metres from the Ibrahimi Mosque. Palestinian witnesses told Aljazeera.net there was a verbal confrontation between the victim and one of the Israeli occupation soldiers, after which the soldier shot him seven times. However, an Israeli army spokesman said Hoshiyeh tried to stab a soldier. 

Photostory: The Erez Crossing Point in Gaza

Rima Merriman 29 May 2005


These 10 photos were taken on 22 May 2005 and show the passage from the point of arrival at the border of Gaza to the point of entry into Gaza. A sign at the entrance to the passage says in faulty Arabic: “Continuing with violence results in the withholding of ease of access and luxury for the people.” The passage is similar to the design developed by Temple Grandin (an assistant professor at Colorado State University) for the routing of cattle as they are led to slaughter. The Israelis are on the scene through remote control. When a person exiting from Gaza approaches the turnstile, a disembodied voice, rough and rude, tells him or her to drop bags to the floor, to lift up clothes, turn around, etc. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

25 May 2005


This week Israeli forces wounded a number of Palestinian civilians, including three children. Israeli forces conducted 16 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Houses were raided and 14 Palestinian civilians were arrested by Israeli forces in the West Bank. Israeli forces used a Palestinian civilian as a human shield while searching his house in al-Mughraqa village in the central Gaza Strip. Israeli forces have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; IOF have continued to close a number of roads and border crossings in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the current Intifada and IOF arrested 14 Palestinian civilians, including three children, at military checkpoints in the West Bank. 

Situation of workers in occupied Palestine continues to deteriorate

27 May 2005


Despite a new climate of dialogue among Israelis and Palestinians, conditions of life for workers and their families in the occupied Arab territories continue to be extremely hard, according to a report issued by the International Labour Office (ILO). While domestic output grew in 2004 following four years of recession in the Palestinian economy, the unemployment rate in the occupied Arab territories increased to close to 26 per cent, reaching a record 224,000 unemployed, says the report. Fewer than half of all men of working age and only 10 per cent of women of working age are employed. As a result, every employed person in the region supports six persons in the total population. 

Take No Prisoners: The Fatal Shooting of Palestinians by Israeli Forces During Arrest Operations

26 May 2005


During the second intifada, Israel formally adopted a policy of assassinating Palestinians suspected of membership in armed organizations waging battle against it. In an attempt to counter the sharp criticism against this policy, Israel argued, among other things, that targeted assassinations were only carried out when it was unable to apprehend the persons targeted for assassination. According to B’Tselem’s figures, since the beginning of 2004, Israelis security forces have killed eighty-nine Palestinians during operations that the defense establishment refers to as arrest operations. At least seventeen of the persons killed were not wanted by Israel, but were civilians who were not suspected by Israel of having committed any offense. In addition, at least forty-three of those killed were unarmed, or were not attempting to use their arms against Israeli security forces at the time they were killed. None of these cases were investigated. 

Half-blind 15-year-old boy faces long jail sentence

26 May 2005


Zaki Mohammed Mansour (15) of Saffa village, West Ramallah, in the West Bank of Occupied Palestine was released on “bail” of 20 000 shekels (about $4800) two days ago. Zaki, who has been charged with making a roadblock and throwing stones, has lost two months of school this year. There is a strong possibility that when Zaki is called for final judgement in his case in about one month’s time, that he will either get a prison sentence or he will have to pay a hefty fine of 5,000 or 10,000 shekels, which will be deducted from the 20,000 shekels bail money he has paid. 

No man's land: Government mistreatment of Palestinian asylum seekers

Jeff Handmaker and Adri Nieuwhof 25 May 2005


Governments should be allowing Palestinians the opportunity to claim political asylum, but they are failing to do so and mistreating Palestinians in the process. In this article, the writers consider international law in relation to this. They also examine the case of Khalil, who has — contrary to international law — not been given an effective opportunity to claim refugee status in the Netherlands and instead has been confined to a bureaucratic ‘no man’s land’, with severe personal consequences. 

At the UN, Palestinian democracy tests American and Israeli limits

Michael Kagan 25 May 2005


Last week, an obscure UN body called the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations decided to “defer” the application from the Badil Resource Center, a Palestinian organization working for Palestinian refugee rights based in Bethlehem. Badil was asking for “consultative status” that would allow it to make statements at official UN gatherings. The committee was supposed to decide if Badil’s work was consistent with the purposes of the UN. Germany demanded that Badil provide a copy of every statement it has ever made on terrorism. The US demanded to hear Badil’s position on the land issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Then the US asked if Badil had anything to do with the International Solidarity Movement. 

Boycotting Israel Put High on the Agenda

Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel 25 May 2005


The Special Council of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) in the United Kingdom will be convening to reconsider the motions to boycott two Israeli universities passed less than a month ago. Considering the well-orchestrated campaign of vilification and misinformation aimed at demonizing and discrediting the idea of boycott and boycott activists in the UK and beyond, it will not be surprising if the Special Council revokes the boycott motions. Despite this anticipated setback, the inspiring process of awareness building and mobilizing that was launched in preparation for the AUT’s initial meeting will persist and can only grow. 

Academic boycott will lead to Israeli self-examination

Oren Ben-Dor 25 May 2005


Moving away, but only for a moment, from the issue of Nakba-denial in the academy, there are arguably very good reasons for a general boycott of Israel, in such areas as trade, sports and so on. Here, parallels with South Africa are not out of place. Such a boycott is separate from one directed against Nakba-denial in the Israeli academy. When academics are included in a general boycott, it is as a result of their belonging to a population which is boycotted because its various activities nourish a criminal state. 

Why Us? On the academic boycott

Tanya Reinhart 25 May 2005


A boycott decision — like that passed by Britain’s Association of University Teachers to boycott two Israeli universities — naturally raises a hue and cry among Israelis. Why us? And why now just when negotiations with the Palestinians might be renewed? In the eyes of the world, the question is what can be done when the relevant institutions do not succeed in enforcing international law? The boycott model is drawn from the past: South Africa also disregarded UN resolutions. At that time as well, the UN (under pressure from the United States), was reluctant to impose immediate sanctions. 

The Clash of Democratic Ideals

Omar Yousef Shehabi 25 May 2005


Two years ago a US magistrate judge pronounced al-Arian “a model of civic involvement” but denied him bail, substituting a nationalistic play for a real assessment of flight risk. The problem, evidently lost on the judge, is that Palestine cannot offer al-Arian or any other of its refugees safe haven; the Israeli military has occupied the Palestinian areas for 38 years and prohibits their return. Under US Supreme Court precedent, this flight risk makes al-Arian’s two-year pretrial stay in a Florida maximum-security prison, with 23 hours a day in solitary confinement, a constitutional administrative measure, not punishment. 

Federation of University Unions Calls on All Parties to Uphold Palestinian Call for Boycott of Israeli Academic Institutions

25 May 2005


During a press conference held at Birzeit University’s Media Institute on May 25, 2005, the Federation of Unions of Palestinian Universities’ Professors and Employees, Birzeit University Employees Union and the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), together stated their support for the courageous decision taken by the Association of University Teachers in the United Kingdom (AUT), on 22 April 2005, to boycott Haifa and Bar Ilan Universities in Israel as institutions complicit in the illegal and violent occupation of Palestinian land. They further voiced their strong condemnation of the signing of an agreement between the President of Al Quds University, Dr. Sari Nusseibeh, and the President of the Hebrew University. 

Palestinian farmers, women and youths support the AUT position to boycott Israeli universities

25 May 2005


The Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC) with its six affiliated associations and 400 hundred community-based organizations and grassroots committees in the West Bank and Gaza Strip would like to express their full support to the proposal of the largest British Association of University Teachers (AUT) to boycott two Israeli universities (Haifa and Bar Ilan) passed on April 22, 2005. We wish to stress our respect and high appreciation of this courageous and moral position, which signaled the globally rejected racist and colonial policies of the State of Israel towards the native Palestinian people with which some Israeli academic institutions identify themselves. 

Amnesty launches annual assessment of human rights

24 May 2005


Governments are betraying their promise of a world order based on human rights and are pursuing a dangerous new agenda, said Amnesty International today as it launched its annual assessment of global human rights. Speaking at the launch of the Amnesty International Report 2005, the organization’s Secretary General Irene Khan said that governments had failed to show principled leadership and must be held to account. The Israeli army killed more than 700 Palestinians, including some 150 children. Most were killed unlawfully — in reckless shooting, shelling and air strikes in civilian residential areas; in extrajudicial executions; and as a result of excessive use of force. 

ICG report: Mr Abbas goes to Washington

24 May 2005


As their leader, Mahmoud Abbas, prepares to visit Washington on 26 May, Palestinians are watching for signals from the White House to help them decide whether he deserves their continued support. Mr Abbas Goes to Washington: Can He Still Succeed?, the latest briefing from the International Crisis Group, examines the Palestinian President’s predicament. Although Abbas enjoys institutional and popular legitimacy for his agenda, that support will fade if his international partners fail to deliver on their commitments. “Abbas has international support Yasir Arafat could only dream of”, says Crisis Group Senior Analyst Mouin Rabbani. “But he has until now been no more successful in changing Israeli policies or fundamentally altering the U.S. approach”. 

Israeli Discriminatory Law Tears Apart Thousands of Families

24 May 2005


The Knesset should not extend a discriminatory law, due to expire on May 31, which prevents Israeli citizens and residents from living with their spouses from the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists said today in a joint letter to Knesset members. On May 15, the Israeli Cabinet endorsed a continuation of the law with limited exceptions based on the age and sex of the Palestinian spouse. The three human rights organizations called on Knesset members to reject this amendment, which is currently before the Knesset for a first reading, as insufficient. 

Palestinian teachers union calls for Sari Nusseibeh's dismissal

Khalid Amayreh 24 May 2005


A Palestinian teachers union has called for the dismissal of Al-Quds University President Sari Nusseibeh for “normalising ties with Israel” and “serving Israeli propaganda interests”. A statement by the Palestinian Union of University Teachers and Employees (PUUTE), published on the front page of the Ramallah-based daily Al-Ayyam, on Monday accused Nussaibeh of “normalising relations with the Sharon government” despite the Israeli prime minister’s policy of “bullying the Palestinians and stealing their land”. “This constitutes a strong blow to the Palestinian national consensus against normalisation with Israel,” said the statement. 

Reconstructing Internationalism with Labor For Palestine

Zachary Wales 23 May 2005


Those who follow Palestinian activism, from the McCarthyist “Campus Watch,” to the intrepid Jews Against the Occupation, are aware that Labor For Palestine (LFP) has emerged over the past year as a new campaign in labor internationalism. Yet as LFP prepares for its first national conference in Chicago on July 23, 2005, few know how it began. Officially, LFP was born in June 2004 when I met Michael Letwin in Manhattan’s Union Square to discuss drafting the Open Letter, LFP’s founding document. But the notions behind LFP were in the works long before this. They started in South Africa, where an international divestment movement threw a wrench in apartheid’s brutal turbines. 

Open letter from Palestinian Civil Society in Support of AUT Academic Boycott

16 May 2005


On 16 May 2005, a large number of Palestinian non-governmental organizations wrote to express their full support of the decision made by AUT delegates on the 22nd of April to launch immediate boycotts of Haifa and Bar-Ilan Universities. According to the signatories, the motion “marks an historic moment in the global movement to isolate Apartheid Israel as a means of forging effective solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom, self-determination and sovereignty.” 

Weekly report on human rights violations

20 May 2005


This week, Israeli forces killed five Palestinians, including a woman, and wounded a number of civilians. Israeli forces perpetrated a number of human rights violations, including shooting at and killing Palestinian civilians, incursions into Palestinian areas, house raids and arbitrary arrests. In violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, Israel has also continued to construct the ‘Annexation Wall’ inside the West Bank territory and expanded settlements, especially in Jerusalem and Hebron. They have also continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. 

USAID begins repairing seven critical West Bank roads

20 May 2005


The American government launched an ambitious $12 million road reconstruction program Friday to improve commerce and traffic between West Bank communities. The road renovation project is one of the development projects that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is accelerating as a sign of America’s commitment to support the democratically-elected Palestinian leadership. In consultation with the Palestinian Ministry of Planning and the Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing, seven key roads totaling 38.5 kilometers were selected for reconstruction. 

Reaching the un-reached

Monica Awad Hebron, Palestine 23 May 2005


On a sunny Thursday morning, we headed towards Mneizel to immunize children against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) as part of the national immunization campaign. The drive from Jerusalem to Mneizel, a Bedouin area south of Hebron took more than expected. The drive that should normally take two hours, took almost four hours. It was not for the drive, but for the delayed access as a result of the Israeli manned checkpoint few kilometers before reaching Mneizel. As we drove in two cars, heading towards Menizel, we reached an Israeli manned checkpoint. As part of the security procedures, both cars were stopped. Unfortunately for the news crew, Dr. Iyad and Hanan were driving with them. 

Jerusalem residents scramble to fight wall

Ahmad Sub Laban 22 May 2005


At the end of April, Israeli authorities announced the course of the northern section of the wall, which will not only divide Dahiet Al Barid but will confiscate approximately 26.2 dunams land in Beit Hanina and Dahiet Al Barid and will close northern Jerusalem to about 100,000 Jerusalem residents who live in Al Ram, Dahiet Al Barid, Bir Nabala, Kufr Aqab, Sameer Amis and other northern neighborhoods. When residents saw the blueprints, a collective sigh of relief could almost be heard from the people on one side, whose homes would fall on the “Jerusalem side”, while the other side realized with a heavy sigh that they would be isolated by the wall, unable to reach Jerusalem. 

Three Speakers Set for Protest Against Aipac's Promotion of Occupation of Palestine and War Against Iran.

21 May 2005


Demonstrators will protest against AIPAC’s support for Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian lands, its abuses of the rights of Arabs in the occupied territories and in Israel, and its promotion of wars against Syrian and especially Iran. We also protest Israeli leader Ariel Sharon’s appearance at the conference because of his involvement over 50 years in a series of war crimes, including the massacres at Sabra and Shatilla. And we protest any role of AIPAC or its employees, past or present, in passing highly classified information on Iran or any other topic from U.S. government employees to the state of Israel. 

Book Review: Sabra and Shatila 1982

Victor Kattan 21 May 2005


Day and night, for three days in September 1982, a massacre took place in Sabra Street and Shatila refugee camp in a popular residential area of Lebanon’s capital Beirut. Even today, few people are aware of the scale and extent of the killings that took place for 43 consecutive hours some 23 years ago. Palestinians were the target of this massacre, but they were not the only victims. Arabs of other nationalities, Turks, Bangladeshis and Iranians were also killed in their homes, in the streets, or marched to Sports City where they were shot in hastily-dug death pits. 

UNRWA shares hopes and fears for Gaza disengagement with donors and host authorities

20 May 2005


The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is holding a two-day meeting with 27 of its major donors and host authorities to discuss the humanitarian assistance provided by the international community to the 4.2 million Palestinians scattered across the Middle East. At the meeting UNRWA’s directors gave a major presentation on the Agency’s plans in the event of the removal of Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip. UNRWA is pre-positioning food stocks and other humanitarian supplies around the strip to allow it to cope with extended closures and possible conflict when the disengagement process starts in August. 

Occupation will lead to collapse of Zionism

Iqbal Jassat 19 May 2005


A fresh study by a Geneva-based institution confirms a growing consensus that Israeli land grab will be the foremost factor leading to an ignoble collapse of the Zionist colonial project. Centre for Housing Rights and Evictions, a respected Swiss human rights group warns that the continued existence of Israel on the basis of “two-states” has become a practical impossibility. And all due to the Jewish state’s continuing plundering of Palestinian property. It spells out that the rate of land confiscations underway and the continued construction of the apartheid wall - which Israel refers to as its “security barrier” - will leave Palestinian territory within the Occupied West Bank and Gaza reduced to less than eight percent of Mandate Palestine. 

Israel's silent nuclear attack revealed

Issa Samandar 19 May 2005


What are the consequences of Israel’s nuclear activities? There have been reports that Demona’s nuclear waste is dumped in El Dahriye, a Palestinian village, south of Hebron. The surrounding villages were not informed about these hazardous practices. Instead they learned about it through an increase of their communities’ alarming health problems, which are solely caused by being exposed to nuclear radio-activity. The uranium level in the Hebron valley is ten times higher than the permitted concentration. From El Dahriyè village, already 452 cases have been reported having contagious and lethal bacteria. Seventy from these 452 cases have cancer. Additionally, for the past four months there has been a 300% increase of birth defects. Infertility rates, spontaneous abortions, hair loss without indication are becoming commonly prevalent. 

UNRWA displays major achievements

17 May 2005


To the rhythm of Palestinian songs, a troupe of young UNRWA pupils leaped onto the stage for a traditional folklore dance, performing to a packed audience of senior diplomats, United Nations officials and representatives of the Syrian Government and professional community, who turned out at the Damascus Training Centre on 17 May to review the achievements of UNRWA. Some 200 people took part in the open day and talked with UNRWA officials, including Lex Takkenberg, Director of UNRWA Affairs in Syria over exhibitions showcasing the work of the Damascus Training Centre, schools and community centres and hearing about the Field’s priorities. 

Recent events in Middle East hopefully 'new start' on road to peace, Security Council told

17 May 2005


Recent events in the Middle East should hopefully be remembered as “a new start on the road towards peace” rather than a “slide back into conflict and violent confrontation,” the senior political affairs officer at the United Nations told the Security Council today. With violence between Israelis and Palestinians having declined since a meeting between their two leaders in Egypt earlier in the year, “We hope that in the near future Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas will continue the dialogue they began in Sharm el-Sheikh,” Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast said during his monthly briefing on the Middle East. 

Court orders repeat of local elections in Rafah

17 May 2005


A Palestinian court ruled that the local elections in Rafah have to be repeated in a number of polling stations in the town. Since Sunday morning, 15 May 2005, Khan Yunis Preliminary Proceedings Court were considering an appeal submitted by candidates of the ‘Sincerity to al-Aqsa’ List of the Fatah movement in Rafah against results of the elections of the municipality of the town, held on 5 May 2005. The appeal was submitted following the declaration of official results of the elections by the Higher Committee for Local Elections on 9 May 2005. According to these results, the candidates of the ‘Reform and Change’ List of Hamas won 12 seats out of 15 of the local council of Rafah. 

Consumption of Media Amongst the Arab Society in Israel

Amal Jamal 17 May 2005


On 17 May 2005, some 180 journalists from the Arabic and Hebrew media, as well as representatives of foreign embassies, media students, representatives of NGOs and the general public attended I’lam’s presentation on “Patterns of Media Consumption and Perceptions of Media Reliability in Arab Society in Israel.” The event was held at the Cinematheque in Nazareth. Dr. Amal Jamal presented a summary of some of the preliminary findings. The research forms part of I’lam’s “Responsible and Professional Media� project and is the first of a three-part comprehensive research project. 

Palestinians in Lebanon fear for the future

Laila El-Haddad 16 May 2005


Palestinian refugees in Lebanon look to Syria’s recent withdrawal from Lebanon, and their future, with anxiety and uncertainty. A week after Syrian military and intelligence units withdrew from their stronghold in Baalbak in the heart of the Beqaa Valley, there was little to indicate that they once controlled the streets of this sleepy town. Besides a few worn posters of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, change has come swiftly. Military checkpoints, once painted with the recognisable red and black of the Syrian flag, have been replaced with Lebanese cedars. Even a prominent sitting statue of the late Hafez al-Assad has been torn down and hauled back to Damascus. 

Safeguarding Palestine's past

Laila El-Haddad 15 May 2005


Hidden away in a squalid Palestinian refugee camp is a historical treasure trove that keeps the dreams of many alive. In a corner of the Palestinian refugee camp of Mashook in southern Lebanon, 68-year-old Muhammad Dakwar shows the way into a dusky two-room gallery that he guards with his life. Inside, ragged pieces of traditional Palestinian garments hang on thin metal racks; decades-old clay pottery and copper plates are neatly arranged on shelves amid a melange of traditional Palestinian household items. Rustically preserved samples of Palestinian earth - soil, rocks, and olive tree branches - are displayed on poster boards, crudely taped and labelled according to city or village of origin. 

Palestinians mark day of catastrophe

Khalid Amayreh 16 May 2005


Palestinians have observed the blackest day in their history with warnings that there will be no Middle East peace until they get independence and the plight of their refugees is solved. Millions of Palestinians at home and in the diaspora on Sunday commemorated the 57th anniversary of the Nakba (catastrophe). The term denotes the loss of Palestine to Zionism, the creation of Israel and the expulsion of most of the Palestinian people from their historical homeland. Sirens were sounded throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Palestinians were asked to stand silent for a minute in memory of the anniversary. Marches and rallies were organised throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, with speakers reasserting commitment to the right of return. 

Ronaldo hears of occupation woes

Khalid Amayreh 16 May 2005


In Palestine, Brazilian football superstar Ronaldo is a hero. But the visit of the Real Madrid striker to Ramallah as a good-will ambassador for the UN Development Programme is likely to bring only temporary cheer. The aim of Monday’s visit was to highlight poverty and to foster a positive atmosphere in an area ravaged by occupation and violence. Ronaldo made a number of appearances in Ramallah and its twin city, al-Bira, accompanied by Palestinian Authority Minister for Social Affairs Hasan Abu Libdeh. He inaugurated the Ronaldo Centre for disadvantaged children and school drop-outs below the age of 15. He briefly met Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei in the latter’s office where he autographed footballs. 

Al-Haq: Israel's land swap with Palestinians is illegal

16 May 2005


Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq is gravely concerned by recent reports that Palestinians whose land has been seized for the construction of the Annexation Wall will be offered alternative land in the West Bank. If implemented, such actions would be in gross contravention of Israel’s obligations under international law due to both the confiscation of the land affected by the Wall and the use of previously-confiscated land as an “exchange” for these recent confiscations. Moreover, such actions provide further evidence of Israel’s intention to de facto annex the territory affected by the Wall, in breach of the Palestinian right to self-determination. 

Separation Barrier route violates international law

6 May 2005


The Association for Civil Rights in Israel submitted to the Supreme Court a statement of opinion: the ruling issued by the International Court of Justice in The Hague is binding to Israel; If the barrier is required it should coincide with state borders. The route of the separation barrier that has been constructed, the majority of which is located within the West Bank represents a clear violation of international law, as determined by the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ), and therefore the route must be amended – as required – to adhere to the country’s borders. This was the explicit position voiced by ACRI in its statement of opinion that was submitted today to the Supreme Court. 

EI EXCLUSIVE: "Not prepared to concede one metre": Apartheid in the Galilee

Jonathan Cook 17 May 2005


In early March, the Electronic Intifada published a story about Ali Zbeidat and his family, Palestinian citizens of Israel whose home in the village of Sakhnin in the Galilee is threatened with demolition by a Jewish regional council called Misgav. For a decade Misgav has been seeking to prevent Ali, his Dutch wife Terese and their two teenage daughters, Dina and Awda, from living on land that has belonged to his family for decades. EI publishes for the first time some of the long-running correspondence between Misgav and Sakhnin which uncover a campaign of misinformation by Misgav to conceal from public view the apartheid land policies they enforce inside Israel. 

Football Star Ronaldo to Visit UNDP Anti-poverty Projects in the West Bank

15 May 2005


Ronaldo, the Brazilian soccer star, in his capacity as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will visit the West Bank city of Ramallah on 16 May for a first-hand look at UNDP youth and anti-poverty projects in the occupied Palestinian territory, announced UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP). During his visit to Ramallah, Ronaldo will inaugurate a new Centre for Disadvantaged Youth and will visit several anti-poverty UNDP projects, including UNDP’s “Football Workshops,” which have been designed to promote sport as a forum to teach leadership, confidence, and discipline, based on core principles of tolerance, cooperation, and respect. 

"Key of Return", a Marriage Gift in Gaza

Sami Abu Salem Gaza, Palestine 15 May 2005


“I was 17-year-old when I was arrested, I spent four years and a half in Israeli prisons, on the charge of fighting Israeli occupation. Through making keys, I feel as I am still fighting for my rights.” He said that his “biggest dream” is to return to his grandfather’s house. “I hope the UN resolution 194 will be implemented, to be able to return to our home and to be a warded compensation for tens of years living as a refugee.” Nasser Flaifel tells about his own way of commemorating the 57th anniversary of Nakba, his adherence to the right of return, and how he makes keys to remind us and the world that Palestinians will never forget their right to return. 

Time to confront reality: Nakba Day speech in Oak Park

Ali Abunimah 15 May 2005


In a speech at the Fourth Annual Walk for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine, at Oak Park, Illinois, EI co-founder Ali Abunimah said: “Today we have a proliferation of fake peace plans, from the Road Map to the Geneva Initiative, which seem to be designed for one purpose: to absolve those who advocate them from the moral responsibility of confronting the reality that they have allowed to develop. Peace plans and endless process have become little more than therapy for guilty consciences.” He also called on those engaged in divestment campaigns not to shy away from their calling, even in the face of unscrupulous pressure. 

Palestinian community in Europe adopts Vienna Declaration

11 May 2005


Palestinian Return Centre, London, the Palestinian Association in Austria and the Expatriate Society in Austria organized a well attended conference of Palestinian communities in Europe under the title ‘‘Palestine: Land and People - an integral and indivisible unit. No to the racist wall in Palestine’. Representatives and delegations of Palestinian communities from 21 European countries participated in the conference. Several members of the Arab diplomatic corps in Austria, officials from the Austrian government, as well as prominent members of Arab and Muslim communities participated. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

12 May 2005


This week, one Palestinian died from a previous wound inflicted by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). A number of Palestinian civilians were injured by IOF. IOF have continued to construct the ‘Annexation Wall in the West Bank; IOF fired at Palestinian civilians demonstrating in protest to the construction of the Wall. IOF beat Palestinian civilians whose land had been confiscated resulting in Palestinian pregnant woman miscarrying. IOF conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas. Palestinian houses were raided resulting in the arrest of 20 Palestinian civilians. Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the West Bank; Israeli settlers seized 18 donums in al-Mawasi area in the southern Gaza Strip and IOF seized at least 800 donums of land in Bethlehem and Nablus. 

US Gays Launch Boycott of Jerusalem Gay Pride

13 May 2005


A vote by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to support a Gay Pride celebration in Jerusalem, Israel, has sparked criticism from gay groups that oppose Israel’s policies in the Palestinian territories. They have announced a boycott of the celebration, slated to take place in the contested city of Jerusalem on August 18-20, saying Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians make a mockery of the theme of the event, “love without borders?”. “No city in the world could have more borders than Jerusalem,” said Kate Raphael-Bender of San Francisco-based QUIT. She said that those borders are constantly encroaching further and further into Palestinian territory, and are enforced by military checkpoints and cement walls. 

Birzeit University International Work camp: Volunteer in Palestine this summer

13 May 2005


Since 1981, Birzeit University has organized this two-week camp which gives
international students and others an opportunity to work side by side with
Palestinian students on community-oriented volunteer projects in schools,
municipalities, civil society organizations and more. Participants are also
given an opportunity to visit areas in the West Bank. The camp from 28th July - 7th August 2005 will include voluntary work, visits to Palestinian villages, cities, and refugee camps, opportunities to meet with Palestinian families, political and community leaders, and academics as well as exchange experiences with Palestinian university students. 

Gaza Strip access deteriorates

11 May 2005


During March and the first half of April movement in and out of the Gaza Strip steadily improved. However, the situation detriorated during the latter part of April following restrictions on Palestinian movement through Erez and periodic closing of Abu Houli junction. Access problems remain with the internal Gaza Strip enclaves, most notably Al Mawasi and As Siafa while a fourth enclave has now been created at Abu Nahiya. In the last four weeks, the Israeli authorities have not allowed United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to import petrol into the Gaza Strip. 

UN Committee on Palestine considers concrete action by international community

11 May 2005


Incessant human rights violations by the occupying forces; Israel’s continued illegal policies aimed at changing the legal status, demographic composition and character of occupied East Jerusalem; the dire socio-economic situation in Palestine; and the need to put an end to Israel’s colonization of Palestinian land were highlighted as critical issues that required concrete action by the international community, as the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People met this morning. Palestine’s Chargée d’Affaires Somaia S. Barghouti said that the situation remained very critical, for improvements on the ground had only been minor. 

Villagers Open Main Street Near Nablus

Ray Smith Nablus, Palestine 12 May 2005


What was planned as a demonstration became a direct action against the Israeli occupation: Hundreds of villagers and activists from Israel and abroad opened the main street from Nablus to Asira ash-Shamaliya, which has been blocked for many years. After the outbreak of the second Intifada the Israeli Occupation Forces blocked the main street leading from Nablus to the nearby village of Asira. This street connected more than 10’000 people from this town as well as villagers from Talluza, Far’a, Yasid etc. with Nablus. Besides that, this passage – also called “Saba’atash” (“17”) – is part of the route to the bigger towns in the north, Tubas and Jenin. 

Ruling Palestine: An interview with COHRE's Scott Leckie

12 May 2005


“[This] systematic analysis of the entire Israeli legal system as it relates to housing, land and property rights of Palestinians very clearly shows that there was every intent to dispossess Palestinians of their land over the past six decades. This was a systematic attempt, a very intentional outcome, and one that ultimately makes the proposed two-state solution a physical and practical impossibility.”Palestine Report Online interviews Scott Leckie, Executive Director of COHRE, the Geneva-based Center on Housing Rights and Evictions, about the human rights group’s conclusions, drawn from a new study entitled “Ruling Palestine: A History of the Legally Sanctioned Jewish/Israeli Seizure of Land and Housing in Palestine”, that a two-state solution is no longer viable. 

Checkpoint of No Return

Kasper Lundberg Hebron, Palestine 11 May 2005


In a time of empty talk of peace and celebrating Ariel Sharon as a man of moderate politics, because of extremists’ protest against evacuation from Gaza, the situation on the ground in Palestine sees remarkably little change. Everyday life in the occupied territories is as always a continuous chaos of military interference. One of the most obvious and constantly present exponents is the Israeli grip on Palestinian freedom of movement, suffocating the fragile infrastructure. “I’m here to protect my country against terrorists,” the young man tells me shrugging as if he is not completely confident with his answer. 

57th Anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba

10 May 2005


On 15 May, Palestinians commemorate their forced displacement and dispossession resulting from the establishment of the state of Israel. Commemorations of this year’s 57th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe) aim to draw attention to the need to halt Israel’s ongoing expropriation of Palestinian land and the necessity to recognize and implement Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their homes and properties in accordance with international law and UN General Assembly Resolution 194. Until mid-May, numerous events will be organized by local organizations in West Bank and Gaza Strip to be followed by a national memorial ceremony in Ramallah on 15 May. 

Study Reveals TV News Vastly Underreports Palestinian Children's Deaths

10 May 2005


On Capitol Hill yesterday, a two-year study of network news coverage of Israel/Palestine revealed extensive underreporting of Palestinian deaths, particularly of children’s deaths. In reporting on this situation, the organization found that the networks reported on Israeli children’s deaths at rates up to 13 times greater than Palestinian children’s deaths. In reality, 22 times more Palestinian children were being killed than Israeli children. “Since American taxpayers give Israel over $10 million per day, it is essential that we be accurately informed on this issue,” says executive director Alison Weir 

Middle East diplomatic Quartet meets in Moscow

9 May 2005


The Quartet working to restore peace in the Middle East – the United Nations, United States, European Union and Russian Federation – today reiterated its willingness to help Israelis and Palestinians with the hard work and difficult decisions needed to make positive use of what it called a “hopeful and promising moment” for both sides. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan summarized the Quartet’s conclusions at a news conference following the group’s meeting in Moscow. The Quartet said a new Palestinian State must be truly viable, with contiguity in the West Bank. No party should take unilateral actions that would prejudge the final status issues. “The Quartet urges both parties to fulfil their obligations under the Road Map,” Mr. Annan said. 

Democracy and Rights are also for Palestinian Refugees

Karma Nabulsi 10 May 2005


The Palestinian body politic is alive and united on a variety of central concerns, and has not been fragmented or destroyed in spite of more than 10 years of concerted attempts to do so. At this very moment Palestinians from all walks of life have been gathering together in large and small meetings to discuss the issues that concern them, in open debate. They choose the things they wish to speak about, and raise the issues that concern them. They discuss how to advance their rights - and there are certainly a multitude of them - legal, economic, civic, political, and social. 

Voting with their feet

Jeff Handmaker and Adri Nieuwhof 9 May 2005


The official role of Israel as sole protector of the Jewish people through the so-called Israeli right of return (or Aliyah) is increasingly tested. The law of return is an exclusive law benefiting only Jews and allows any Jew to emigrate to Israel. This role of Israel, as sole protector of the Jewish people, is being increasingly tested by a large and growing number of émigrés from Israel to other countries around the world, matched by a diminishing number of new immigrants. Jeff Handmaker and Adri Nieuwhof argue that this creates serious problems for Israel in seeking to maintain the exclusively Jewish character of the Israeli state. 

Health in Palestine: Access is the key

8 May 2005


The Red Crescent deploys mobile teams to provide primary health care to 25,000 vulnerable people affected by movement restrictions in the southern West Bank. Suheila Al-Hureibat, also known as Um Mohammad, is a 38-year-old mother of seven children, aged from two to 13. Still, she hopes for more. “We want another two, preferably boys,” she laughs, before adding more seriously: “It will be easier for them to make their living.” Um Mohammad is a resident of Beit Al-Rush, near Hebron. The southern West Bank is considered by many aid agencies as one of the areas with the worst humanitarian situations in Palestine. 

Palestinian poll shows Hamas strength

Khalid Amayreh 8 May 2005


The outcome of Thursday’s local elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has underscored the competition between Fatah, the quasi-secular and ruling party of the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas, the Islamic resistance group. According to initial unofficial results, Fatah did well in many villages in the West Bank, wining as many as 50 of the 84 contested councils. However, Hamas emerged the winner in large towns such as Rafah, Qalqilya, and Bethlehem, and seems to have won as many as 32 local councils in the West Bank. Hamas leaders have argued, justifiably, that while Fatah won significantly more council seats than Hamas, the Islamist movement actually surpassed Fatah in terms of the number of votes it received. 

Alvaro de Soto of Peru named new UN envoy to Middle East

6 May 2005


Veteran United Nations negotiator Alvaro de Soto will begin work immediately as the top UN envoy in the Middle East after Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appointed the Peruvian national to the post. On Monday, Mr. de Soto will accompany Mr. Annan to a working meeting of the Middle East Quartet — which comprises the UN, the European Union, the Russian Federation and the United States — in Moscow. De Soto succeeds Terje Roed-Larsen as UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and the Secretary-General’s Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. He will also act as Mr. Annan’s envoy to the Quartet. 

Video testimonies: One big prison

7 May 2005


For the past four and a half years, Israel has severely restricted freedom of movement to and from the Gaza Strip. These restrictions further strangled the Gaza Strip, so much so that the area resembles one gigantic prison. One Big Prison documents the ongoing violations of human rights and international law resulting from Israel’s restrictions on the movement of people and goods between Gaza and the West Bank, Israel, and the rest of the world. The report also warns against Israel’s attempt to avoid its responsibility toward residents of the Gaza Strip following disengagement. B’Tselem portrays affected people. 

Birzeit's Virtual Gallery: The university's latest means of cultural exchange

Maureen Clare Murphy 6 May 2005


This spring Palestine’s Birzeit University launched its latest means of cultural exchange. The new Paltel Virtual Gallery, which serves as an Internet portal for Birzeit students, Palestinians, and anyone else interested in Palestinian art, will also feature academic courses on Palestinian, Arab, and contemporary international art. In addition to highlighting a different Palestinian artist each month, the multiple functions of the bilingual Paltel Virtual Gallery intend to serve both those curious about Palestinian art, as well as Palestinians thirsting for more exposure to international art, which doesn’t enjoy a high priority in Palestinian schools. 

Oil and Palestine: The New Cold War

Am Johal 6 May 2005


Two significant events happened at the end of April - both of which carried more meaning than their literal interpretation. But they both had everything to do with the New Cold War and the reality of American hegemony. As Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, touched down in Israel on April 27th, he became the first Russian or Soviet leader to visit Israel or the Palestinian territories. In Ramallah, Putin was greeted with a cheering crowd as he became the first foreign head of state to visit Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas since the Palestinian elections earlier this year. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

5 May 2005


This week, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in the West Bank, including two children. On Monday morning, Israeli forces killed killed Shafiq ‘Abdul Ghani, 34, in Saida village near Tulkarm. On 4 May 2005, Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian children from the ‘Aassi family in Beit Liqia village near Ramallah. The children were with a number of Palestinian civilians who were throwing stones at the Israeli forces. This week, Israeli forces conducted at least 16 military incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank, including the Palestinian controlled town of Tulkarm. The widest of these incursions was into Saida village near Tulkarm (resulting in the death of a Palestinian civilian) and into al-Fawar refugee camp near Hebron (resulting in the injury to seven Palestinian civilians). During other incursions, IOF injured 8 Palestinian civilians, including four children, and arrested 10 others. 

The making of an Israeli factoid

Rima Merriman 5 May 2005


The scene is tragic and unnerving but it has become astonishingly routine — the deadly routine that imposes ordinariness on the outrageous and unconscionable. The checkpoint at Qalandia is taking shape irrevocably as a permanent bottleneck and border crossing that cuts off the illegally annexed East Jerusalem along with some 28 Palestinian villages from the rest of the West Bank. To add insult to injury, the new structure will be built by Palestinian labour, as was the wall. What’s truly unnerving about this scene at Qalandia is how easily and smoothly it is taking shape. 

Sharon's minimum solution

Charmaine Seitz 5 May 2005


The disengagement plan is intended to forestall international intervention and Israeli public dissension. As incomplete as Palestinians perceive the roadmap plan to be, this broadly accepted document talks about ending the occupation, establishing a viable Palestinian state, and incorporating an international framework outside the sole purview of the United States. “Sharon will fight with a few more settlers, everyone will say that is wonderful, and the roadmap will be discarded,” predicts Jeff Halper of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. In the meantime, the strategic settlement project will grow. 

Israeli military murders school children at anti-Wall protest

4 May 2005


Two cousins, 14 and 15 years old, were shot dead today by Israeli soldiers who opened fire on a demonstration against the Apartheid Wall in the village of Beit Liqya. After school ended for the day students went out to protest against the illegal Wall which is right now cutting through their homes and lands threatening the livelihood and freedom of movement of the entire region. Israeli soldiers, positioned on a hill above the demonstration, met the student’s confrontation with live fire. According to eye witnesses, the two boys were shot by the same soldier from a distance of 5 to 10 meters. 

UN records 605 closure barriers in the West Bank

4 May 2005


The West Bank closure system comprises over 600 physical barriers placed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on roads to control and restrict Palestinian vehicular traffic, which the Israeli Government states is designed to protect Israeli citizens from Palestinian attacks. As of 12 April 2005, 605 closure barriers were recorded in the West Bank compared to 680 in November 2004. The closures are the primary cause of poverty and the humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza and have restricted Palestinian access to health and education services, employment, markets and social and religious networks. Most of the closure barriers removed were earth mounds. 

Palestinians join human rights lawsuit against Caterpillar, Inc.

2 May 2005


The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and partnering law firms today added members of four Palestinian families as plaintiffs to their federal lawsuit against Illinois-based Caterpillar, Inc., charging the company with responsibility for human rights abuses in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The new plaintiffs are joining the case brought by the parents of Rachel Corrie, the 23-year-old American peace activist and student who was crushed to death by a Caterpillar D9 bulldozer on March 16, 2003. 

Knesset member demands criminal investigation into conduct Israeli forces against protesters of the Wall

28 April 2005


On 28 April 2005, Adalah wrote to the Attorney General (AG), the Director of the Ministry of Justice’s Police Investigations Unit (Mahash), and the Military Prosecutor General, in the name of Member of Knesset (MK) Muhammad Barakeh. Adalah demanded the immediate opening of an investigation into an incident in which members of the Israeli security forces assaulted demonstrators, including MK Barakeh, and the prosecution of those responsible. 

Protesters hospitalized after anti-Wall demo in Bil'in

2 May 2005


Ramallah, 1 May 2005 — 12-year old Ahmed has a metal fragment lodged in his skull. A Norwegian protester who was standing next to Ahmed was also hit by a ricocheting fragment of what he says were live rounds fired in their direction by Israeli soldiers two hundred meters away. 23-year old Hamze is suffering from an injury to the back of his head from a gas canister that was shot at him directly from short range. 

Success for Imagine Life ads in Boston

Tom Wallace 2 May 2005


It’s been a long time coming but two weeks ago several ads created by Imagine Life began airing in Boston. Many Boston area groups coordinated raising the money and arranging the airing. As in other markets — 80 cities around the country — it was very exciting to see honest portrayals on American television of the grotesque and oppressive circumstances under which Palestinian people live. These ads ran on CNN and MSNBC. Bostonians were jubilant. There was hope.