August 2005

Well-known UK graffiti artist Banksy hacks the Wall

Nigel Parry 2 September 2005


“How illegal is it to vandalize a wall,” asks Banksy in his website introduction to his Wall project, “if the wall itself has been deemed unlawful by the International Court of Justice? The Israeli government is building a wall surrounding the occupied Palestinian territories. It stands three times the height of the Berlin wall and will eventually run for over 700km - the distance from London to Zurich. The International Court of Justice last year ruled the wall and its associated regime is illegal. It essentially turns Palestine into the world’s largest open-air prison.” 

Israeli Army stops West Bank mural project, citing Gaza disengagement

31 August 2005


A Palestinian family from the town of Mas’ha, recently collaborated with US, Palestinian, International and Israeli artists and activists to paint a mural of hope and resilience on the 280 feet long by 24 feet high Occupation Wall that faces their front door. On 22 August 2005, the Israeli commander of the Salfit region threatened to take away the key that lets the family out of their home if the US, Palestinian and Israeli artists did not cease painting immediately and vacate the premises. He considered the mural of trees, flowers and birds a “provocation” to the Gaza settlers being relocated to the West Bank. 

Freedom for Palestine: Ticket-holders only?

Maureen Clare Murphy 31 August 2005


Invitations clutched in their hands, last week the audience members of the East West Diwan Orchestra squeezed past uniformed, armed guards and headed into the Ramallah Cultural Palace auditorium. The concert, performed by both Israeli and Palestinian musicians and conducted by world-renowned Israeli musician Daniel Barenboim, was definitely one of the more newsworthy cultural events in Palestine this year. Yet it was unadvertised, and only at the last minute were local photographers allowed to document the event for Palestinian papers. 

Rushing after a mirage

Hasan Abu Nimah 31 August 2005


There are striking similarities between Israel’s departure from southern Lebanon in May 2000 and the events in Gaza over the past two weeks. This is no surprise, as events in the Arab-Israeli conflict have been seemingly moving in circles for years, writes EI contributor Hasan Abu Nimah. The peace process industry of EU, American and UN officials, donor agencies, government-funded think tanks and NGOs, supported by the media, have created euphoria and false optimism following the passing away of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat last November, which has done much to pollute the political climate. With no lessons learned, the same forces are doing it again in the name of Gaza “disengagement.” 

In the wake of the Gaza disengagement, enforce a ban on settlements

George Bisharat 31 August 2005


“Palestinians observed Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip with a mix of contradictory emotions. Paramount, perhaps, was relief. Nearly 9,000 Israeli settlers, who had occupied a third of the land there while confining 1. 3 million Palestinians to the rest, were finally gone.” However, argues George E. Bisharat, “the Israeli design for permanent colonization of lands reserved by the international community for a Palestinian state is a formula for decades of conflict and violence.” 

Happy to be going back to school

Monica Awad 29 August 2005


For 12-year-old Sahl, riding a bicycle to school is a dream come true. Sahl lives in Aba’a which is a small picturesque village near Jenin. The vast majority of the 400 or so residents are kids below the age of 18. Ordinarily, the drive to Aba’a from Jenin would take less than five minutes. However, villagers avoiding the Israeli checkpoints have to travel more than 35 km. Poverty is pervasive in a community where most families depend on farming. Aba’a is surrounded by two small Israeli settlements – Jannim and Kaddim – among the hundreds that dot the West Bank. During the past years, the villagers at Aba’a have not had any problems with the nearby settlements. 

The Absence of National Unity: An Interview with Bassam Shaka

Arjan El Fassed 29 August 2005


In an exclusive interview with The Electronic Intifada, former and last elected mayor of Nablus, Bassam Shaka, stated that the Palestinian Authority has tried to coordinate the disengagement with Israel without results. Shaka has been a critic of the Oslo agreements, arguing they divided the Palestinian struggle for national independence into separate issues, thus dividing Palestinians and distracting attention from the national and human dimensions: “The Oslo agreements have left both sides disputing over the occupied territory and have given the security of Israel central importance. The construction of the Wall, along with other problems facing the Palestinians, will lead to the disintegration of the Palestinian cause as a national issue”. 

Behind the images of children with guns

29 August 2005


The event marked forty days since the assassination of the resistance fighter Mohammed Sufwat Al Assi (Nino), the shooting of sixteen-year-old fighter Khalid Mohammed Msyme and the anniversaries of many more killings. The last time the young girls in the traditional Palestinian embroidered dresses performed, Nino himself was on the stage. Then the girls sang in tribute to Nino’s friend Kalil Marshood, marking a year since his assassination by the Israeli occupation forces. Within a month of Kalil’s anniversary ta’been, Nino too was assassinated. Yesterday, the girls were singing again. This time, they had guns. 

In spite of doctor’s recommendation: three year old cancer patient without electricity

21 July 2005


Following the state’s refusal to connect her family’s home to the power grid, it is impossible to air condition the home of a three year old cancer patient – this leads to an unhygienic environment, which can cause further and fatal illnesses to the child. The family must keep her injections in a vessel which is refilled daily with ice. The father, a pediatrician who treats dozens of children each day stands astounded while the state turns its back on his sick child. Three year old Enass Al Atrash was diagnosed several months ago with cancerous growths in her chest and since then has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment at Soroka hospital. 

Failure to connect home of Palestinian child diagnosed with cancer to electricity may result in risk to her life

25 August 2005


The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel petitioned the High Court of Justice yesterday against the Minister of Health, the Minister of National Infrastructure and the Minister of the Interior, and demanded to connect the child�s house to the national electric grid and provide her house with electricity on a regular basis. The petition was written by Attorney Sonia Boulos from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. Three-year-old Enass from an unrecognized village in the Negev, where the Al-Atrash family resides, was diagnosed in January 2005 with a form of cancer-Rhabdomyosarcoma - which was detected in her chest cavity. The cancer was diagnosed at a very late stage and, as a result, doctors had to treat it with aggressive chemotherapy followed by surgery. 

Palestinian civilians living near Gaza settlements pay the "disengagement" bill

28 August 2005


Israeli forces have continued to demolish structures in the evacuated settlements in the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank. The demolition process is taking place while a suffocating closure is being imposed on Palestinian communities in the areas close to the evacuated settlements. In addition, Israeli forces have started to dismantle some military facilities in the Gaza Strip and replace them with tanks. Israeli forces have continued to impose a tightened siege on al-Sayafa area. In the past three days, Israeli forces raided and searched Palestinian houses in the area. Fieldworkers from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights report from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. 

UNRWA survey on Palestinian refugees underway

28 August 2005


The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) expects to complete one of the most comprehensive studies on the declining living conditions of over four million refugees, by the end of the year, according to UN sources. The first phase of the survey has already been launched in the countries where the UN agency operates in such as Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It will be critical in assessing how to improve heavily stretched services, UNRWA officials said. 

European Delegation calls on European Union and EU Member States to hold Israel accountable

28 August 2005


After visiting Israel and Palestine for five days and meeting with numerous civil society representatives on both sides, as well as several parliamentarians, a European Delegation of former ministers from The Netherlands, Ireland and Germany and a high-ranking former ambassador from France calls on the European Union and EU Member State officials and institutions dealing with Israel and Palestine, in particular their own governments, to act decisively and hold Israel to account for its ongoing violations of International Law. The delegation paid a fact finding visit to Israel and Palestine from 22 to 28 August and was lead by former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Andreas van Agt. 

Construction moves forward on Barrier around Ma'aleh Adumim

26 August 2005


In recent days, land requisitioning orders were issued for areas south of the Ma’aleh Adumim settlement in order to build the Separation Barrier. The Barrier around Ma’aleh Adumim and the adjacent settlements will encompass 74,000 dunums, and will further restrict the freedom of movement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians between the northern and southern portions of the West Bank. Some 30,000 residents of the villages Abu Dis and al-‘Azzaariya will live in an enclave surrounded by a wall on three sides. Building the Barrier along the current route continues Israel’s policy of severing East Jerusalem from other parts of the West Bank. 

Video: Balata Youth Drama and Dance Group Tours the UK

Jeff Handmaker 26 August 2005


The first international tour of the Balata Youth Drama and Dance Group travelled to the United Kingdom in August 2005. The Group are a project of the Yafa Cultural Centre (YCC), which is based in Balata Refugee Camp in Nablus. This was Balata’s ‘A’edoon tour - “we will return”. The tour got off to a difficult start. One child in the Group, 16-year old Mohamed, was arrested by the Israeli Occupying Force on the 25th of July as the group crossed the border from Palestine into Jordan. One-month later, Mohamed continued to be held in administrative detention, being interrogated without charge and without access to a legal representative or his family. Jeff Handmaker reports. 

Delegation headed by former Dutch prime minister Van Agt witness restrictions on movement

25 August 2005


From 22 to 28 August a delegation of former European politicians and representatives of civil society organisations will travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The delegation is headed by Prof. Andreas van Agt, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands. The delegation members have planned a 6-day tour through Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The delegation will observe the developments on the ground and the impact of the disengagement on the human rights situation and the prospects for conflict resolution. Special attention will be paid to infringements on the freedom of movement of the Palestinians. 

UNCTAD: "Palestinian preparations for statehood should focus on pro-poor economic reform"

25 August 2005


Years of economic retrenchment on top of almost four decades of occupation have increased poverty, reduced and distorted production, and heightened dependence on Israel. Prescriptions for Palestinian economic recovery must take into account the Israeli occupation, protracted conflict since 2000, and the imperatives created by the unilateral Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report warns. It recommends that the focus should be on forming institutions that will serve the needs of an upcoming Palestinian State rather than aiming solely at reforming a transitional government, and that efforts to economic revival should target poverty reduction while expanding production and trade. 

Sharon confirms fears of further Israeli expansion in the West Bank

25 August 2005


Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has vowed to keep expanding Israeli settlements on Palestinian land barely days after Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four smaller West Bank settlements. In a recent interview with the Jerusalem Post, Sharon stated his intention to expand the 400,000-strong Israeli population of the West Bank settlements, incorporate the larger blocs of Ariel and Ma’ale Adumim into the state of Israel, and to link the latter to Jerusalem. “There will be building in the settlement blocs,” Sharon declared. “Each government since 1967…has seen strategic importance in specific areas [in the Palestinian territories]. I will build.” He went on to say that Ma’ale Adumim will continue to grow and be connected to Israel and that the settlement of Ariel would be annexed as “part of Israel for ever”. 

Despite evacuation of settlers, Palestinians still under siege

25 August 2005


Israeli occupation forces maintain control of settlements and military posts as they demolish evacuated buildings and dismantle military posts. Palestinian civilians living near the evacuated settlements pay the “disengagement” bill. Fieldworkers from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights report from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Israeli forces have continued to demolish structures in the evacuated settlements in the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank, two days following the official announcement ending the evacuation of settlers. The demolition process is taking place under while a suffocating closure is being imposed on Palestinian communities in the areas close to the evacuated settlements. 

Israel orders Palestinian land seized

Khalid Amayreh 24 August 2005


Israel has issued orders to seize Palestinian-owned land to link a main Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank to Jerusalem, officials say, a step that could isolate Palestinians from Jerusalem. An Israeli government spokesman on Wednesday said orders were issued to seize four Palestinian-owned tracts of land around Maale Adumim, the largest Jewish settlement in the West Bank, last Thursday, Reuters reported. The planned Maale Adumim section of the barrier Israel is building in the West Bank has raised alarm in Washington because of Israel’s stated intention to build homes in Maale Adumim joining it to Jerusalem, 8km away. By looping in the enclave, Israel would effectively seal Palestinians off from east Jerusalem, which they want as their capital. 

Israeli exit fuels hope for Gaza economy

Laila El-Haddad 25 August 2005


As the Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip draws to a close, hopes for economic prospects in this impoverished, strife-torn land have been renewed. Already, the EU has pledged investments in Gaza, with 700 million-800 million euros of mainly infrastructure projects by June, according to Antoine Eric de Haulleville, head of the EU’s International Management Group mission in Palestine. But Gaza’s prospects of economic success are clouded if it remains cut off from the West Bank and from the rest of the world after the Israeli withdrawal, experts have said. According to the World Bank, a lot more than dollars and disengagement is needed if the Palestinian economy, now in shambles, is to revive. 

With Gaza pullout ending, Israel, Palestinians must remain true to Road Map, says UN

25 August 2005


With the first stage of Israel’s “watershed” disengagement from the Gaza Strip nearly completed – although the work for security forces on both sides is far from over – Ibrahim Gambari, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, told the Security Council today during its regularly monthly briefing on the situation in the Middle East. But while Israel’s “bold” first withdrawal is welcome, the situation elsewhere in the occupied Palestinian territory continues to fester, Mr. Gambari warned, with many Palestinians fearing that Israel is consolidating its occupation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. “It would be unwise to lose sight of the concern of mainstream Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank that their legitimate aspirations may be put off indefinitely.” 

Not so disengaged in Burqa

Ben Granby Burqa, Palestine 24 August 2005


There will be no celebrations in Burqa. This small northern West Bank town of 4,000 should have every reason to revel in the demographic shift imposed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s “Disengagement Plan”: the neighboring Israeli settlement of Homesh was cleared of its residents on August 23. But the reality for Burqa, as well as other Palestinian villages in the areas of the West Bank recently evacuated by Israel, is that little will change. There is no plan to return the land. According to its municipality, Burqa once boasted a population of over 30,000, but numerous pressures induced people to emigrate to Nablus, which lies about 10 km to the south. 

WaPSR Delegation Diary 1: Crossing Bantustans

Bill Dienst Palestine 21 October 2005


In March 2005, Dr. Bill Dienst traveled to Palestine and Israel as part of a delegation sponsored by Washington State Physicians for Social Responsibility (WaPSR). The delegation met with prominent Palestinians as well as members of the Israeli peace movement. They also traveled inside the Kiryat Arba’a settlement to hear a prominent member of the settler movement. In the first of a series of articles for EI’s Live from Palestine diaries section, Dr. Dienst describes these meetings. 

Gaza situation report

21 August 2005


On Thursday a further 6 settlements were evacuated - Netzer Hazani, Gan Or, Shirat Hayam, Kfar Yam and significantly Neve Dekalim and Kfar Darom. On Friday, Israeli Police and IDF completed the evacuation of Gadid settlement directly to the south of Neve Dekalim. Following the end of Shabat, Katif and Atzmona were evacuated on Sunday along with a small group of hardline supporters that remained in Elei Sinai. Haaretz reported that 30 homes have now been demolished in Nissanit and Dugit. The demolitions in Dugit are due to be completed by this afternoon. 

West Bank situation report

23 August 2005


On 22 August, settlers marched up from Khomesh to Sa’nur along road 60 and attempted to enter the Palestinian villages of Silat adh Dhar, Al Fandaqumiya, al Asa ‘asa and ‘Ajja along the road. The settlers reportedly knocked on the doors of Palestinian trying to enter their homes. All movement into Israel proper for Palestinian workers and traders has been suspended, and will remain suspended until end of the disengagement. Family visits from the area to Palestinian prisoners held in Israel have been suspended. The Governor of Jenin has appealed to the UN and ICRC for a presence in the villages closest to the settlements such as Silat adh Dhahr, Al Fandaqumiya, Jaba’ and Al Asa’asa to show support for the Palestinian community and reassure them in the face of settler harassment. 

USAID agrees to transfer $50 million to Palestinian Authority

24 August 2005


The US adminstration and Palestinian leaders have signed an agreement for the transfer of $50 million in direct assistance to the Palestinians. The U.S. officials made a formal announcement with Minister of Finance Salam Fayyad at the Palestinian Prime Minister’s office on Wednesday. The agreement between the Palestinian Ministry of Finance and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) underlines U.S. confidence in the Palestinian Authority’s reform program and aims to ensure that the Gaza disengagement is a success. 

Former Dutch Prime Minister heads visit of former European politicians to Israel and Palestine

22 August 2005


From 22 to 28 August a delegation of former European politicians and representatives of civil society organisations will travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The delegation is headed by Prof. Andreas van Agt, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands. The delegation members have planned a 6-day tour through Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The delegation will observe the developments on the ground and the impact of the disengagement on the human rights situation and the prospects for conflict resolution. Special attention will be paid to infringements on the freedom of movement of the Palestinians. 

Hamas rally celebrates Gaza 'victory'

Laila El-Haddad 23 August 2005


The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has held its first official victory celebration, wasting no time after the Israeli army reported that the last Gaza settlement was evacuated on Monday. The movement’s leaders seized the opportunity of the demonstration to reiterate their right to continue their resistance and their refusal to disarm. About 30,000 Palestinians rallied throughout Gaza City on Monday night in the largest celebration so far since the beginning of the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The rally also marked the anniversary of the attempted burning of al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem in 1969 and the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Abu-Shanab. 

Gaza: Kidnapped French TV soundman freed

22 August 2005


A soundman for French television was released unharmed today, eight days after unidentified gunmen seized him in the Gaza Strip. Mohammed Ouathi of France 3 television told reporters he was well but made no further comment when he appeared at a Gaza City police station, international news agencies reported. No group has claimed responsibility for Ouathi’s abduction, which triggered a protest last week by Palestinian and foreign journalists in Gaza. Reuters reported that a Palestinian militant umbrella group called the Popular Resistance Committees said it had helped mediate Ouathi’s release but it did not identify the kidnappers. 

More settler violence as Israel continues to impose siege on Gaza Strip

23 August 2005


Closures and checkpoints continue to limit access across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Meanwhile serious settler attacks in which civilians are injured continue to go unreported in the media. The occupying forces have continued to cause damage to property belonging to Palestinian civilians. Palestinian civilians continue to be victims of attacks by Israeli settlers who go unpunished by the military. Israeli occupation forces prevented Palestinian fishermen from fishing in the Sheikh Ejlin area in the south of Gaza City due to the evacuation of Israeli settlers from the Netzarim settlement. Fieldworkers from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights report from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 

The "disengagement" as seen from Gaza

Ghada Ageel 23 August 2005


In 2002, Moshe Ya’alon, then Israel’s army chief of staff, said that “the Palestinians must be made to understand in the deepest recesses of their consciousness that they are a defeated people.” “I wonder if Ya’alon would make the same statement today after the completion of Gaza settlers evacuation?” asks EI contributor Ghada Ageel who was born and lives in Gaza’s Khan Yunis refugee camp. Whether right or wrong, says Ageel, whether Ya’alon likes it or not, today most Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and in the diaspora, young or old, women and men do feel in the deepest recesses of their hearts that they are the victors. 

Real News: Disengaged in Gaza

Toufic Haddad 22 August 2005


PA Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Al Qidwa walked into a side room before his 11am press conference dressed in a dapper navy suit and smelling of aftershave. His sophisticated comportment refined by many years of service as PLO representative to the UN in New York, integrated well with the setting of the Palestinian press center hosting the event. As one of the Palestinians’ most internationally recognized talking heads, Qidwa no doubt had prepared a succinct list of talking points sufficient to provide the necessary sound bites to represent “the Palestinian perspective” for the evening news stories across the world. Too bad he never got a chance to say them though. 

Podcast/Documentary: Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon

Stefan Christoff 22 August 2005


A 30-minute radio documentary/podcast produced by the Independent Media Center of Beirut examining the current conditions and political situation facing the hundreds of thousands of stateless Palestinian refugees residing in Lebanon. Refugees in Lebanon are scattered in impoverished refugee camps throughout the country, originally displaced during the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Without the right to work in over 70 professions, barred from owning property and legally defined as foreigners, Palestinians live in Lebanon as second-class citizens without basic social or political rights. 

Disengagement: "A donkey, a goat and a cow"

Eóin Murray Gaza, Palestine 22 August 2005


The Israeli political and military establishment didn’t just put a donkey, a goat and a cow into the Palestinian lands they put in the whole zoo. This morning I received an e-mail from a friend in Washington D.C. He expressed his sympathy for the Israeli settlers who he had watched being removed from their homes. It is his birthday today. I thought that rather then e-mail him a moral lesson all the way from the Gaza Strip or tell him the stories of the 30,000 Palestinians who lost their homes during this Intifada I would send him an old Jewish proverb that sums up the situation in Palestine one week after the start of the redeployment. 

Evacuation of settlers hinders Palestinians' access to medical aid

22 August 2005


Closures and checkpoints are severely hindering ambulance services and access to medical centres in the northern West Bank. Palestinian civilians continue to be held under siege in Gaza and the West Bank, as the ‘disengagement’ process proceeds. Israel has declared northern West Bank a closed military zone prior to evacuating four settlements in the area. Israel has set up iron gates on key roads and closed the entrances of villagers and towns along the Nablus - Jenin road with earth barriers and cement blocks. Fieldworkers from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights report from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. 

Gaza siege continues

21 August 2005


Israeli Occupation Forces continued to impose a tight siege on the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian civilians remain trapped inside the enclaves and the main checkpoint inside of Gaza continues to prevent Palestinian civilians from traveling around the Gaza Strip. The closures of areas such as al Mawasi continues to illustrate the drastic effect will continue to have on the Palestinian civilian population in the world’s largest prison. A report from the field by fieldworkers from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza. 

Four murdered Palestinians not considered newsworthy during disengagement

Maureen Clare Murphy 22 August 2005


Given Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s recent promises to harshly punish any Palestinian attempts to disrupt the disengagement process, had last week’s gunman in the West Bank settlement of Shilo been a Palestinian rather than an Israeli, and the four dead Israeli rather than Palestinian, Gazans would have likely woken up the following morning to tanks in their streets. But as it stands, the shooting of four Palestinian laborers by an Israeli settler - whose motive is reported to have been to stop the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza - has not even merited putting the more ideologically extreme settlements under military curfew, which Palestinian population centers have experienced for thousands of hours during this Intifada. 

Gaza strip: An open air prison?

Justin Kilcullen 21 August 2005


Last December I turned up at a border crossing
leading from Israel to the infamous Gaza strip as
part of a delegation of Catholic development
agencies. I was looking forward to the visit, to seeing
first-hand the situation in which thousands of
Palestinians were living. But four hours later I walked
away, together with half the group, refused entry by
Israeli security because our papers for entry did
not have the required approvals. While the
Palestinians living within this small piece of land
could not get out, I could not get in. Trócaire’s Director Justin Kilcullen writes of the bleak and harrowing conditions facing the thousands of Palestinians living in the Gaza strip, where they are effectively prisoners behind barbed wire fence. 

Palestinian woman is first Arab woman to climb Europe's highest peak

19 August 2005


Well-known Palestinian female mountain climber, Suzanne Al-Houby, said on Sunday that she is to arrange a charity program for Palestinian children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Al Houby, who is originally from Yaffa, is proud to be the first Palestinian woman to climb Mt. Elbrus (5642m.), the highest point of Europe in August 1, 2005, Kilimanjaro (2002), the highest peak in Africa, Mont Blanc in France (2004), Everest Base Camp in Nepal (2003). 

Palestinian refugees learn new skills at an UNRWA run centre in Damascus

19 August 2005


The continuing needs of thousands of Palestinian refugees residing in Syria have created new challenges, the Syrian General Authority for Palestine Arab Refugees (GAPAR) said at the opening of its annual conference in the capital, Damascus. Management from GAPAR, along with representatives from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) are attending the conference from 15 to 18 August to review refugee needs and achievements thus far, and to plan ahead. According to GAPAR, the agencies will be focusing on the implementation of better infrastructure in the camps, including sewage systems, access to drinking water and maintenance of utilities. 

Four Palestinians Killed by Israeli Settler in the West Bank

18 August 2005


Al-Haq emphatically condemns yesterdays killing of four Palestinian civilians by an Israeli settler in the Shilo settlement, located between Ramallah and Nablus in the occupied West Bank. These killings are a brutal manifestation of the sustained and increasing violence inflicted upon Palestinian civilians by Israeli settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, whose aggressive actions, and indeed very presence in the OPT including East Jerusalem, are violations of international law. Al Haq calls upon the Israeli government to bring those responsible for the killing of the four Palestinians before the full process of the law and rigorously investigate all instances of settler violence committed against Palestinians and their property. 

Amnesty calls for urgent measures to end settlers' impunity

18 August 2005


Four Palestinians were shot dead and two others were injured by an Israeli settler yesterday evening as they were returning home from their work at a factory in the Israeli settlement of Shilo, in the West Bank. The settler, a driver from the Israeli settlement of Shvut Rahel, was transporting Palestinians who work in a factory in the Shilo settlement to nearby Palestinian villages. He shot dead three Palestinian workers at the gate of the settlement and then went back to the industrial area, where he shot at other Palestinian workers, killing one of them and injuring two others. There are conflicting reports as to whether he took the weapon he used for the shooting attack from a security guard of the settlement or used his own. 

UN’s Committee on Women criticizes Israel

Jeff Handmaker 22 August 2005


The government of Israel once again expressed its disregard for international law and the United Nations system during the 33rd Session1 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which oversees the implementation of the UN Convention on Women. The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, at its thirty-third session in New York, offered strong criticisms of Israel and its policies, particularly concerning the treatment of Palestinian women. Israel’s - almost predictable - response was simply that the UN Women’s Convention, which it ratified in 1991, “only extended to Israel” and not the Occupied Territories. Jeff Handmaker offers a brief assessment. 

Settler Attacks Escalate

18 August 2005


Israeli settlers have escalated their attacks against Palestinian civilians across the OPT - in one incident a number of Palestinian civilians were shot and killed by Settlers. In other incidents Palestinians have been attacked and injured while in others settlers have attacked the property of Palestinian civilians. Israeli settlers attacked greenhouses belonging to Palestinian farmers in Tal Ziedan area in al Mawasi west of Khan Younis. Palestinian civilians in many communities remain under a state of complete siege and severe restrictions on freedom of movement remain in place. A report live from the field by PCHR’s fieldworkers in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. 

On the streets of Gaza

Raji Sourani 18 August 2005


Many Palestinians are expressing delight over the pull-out of Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip. But as human rights lawyer Raji Sourani argues, the celebrations maybe premature. The streets of Gaza are full of flags, hats and t-shirts celebrating the end of occupation, the liberation of Palestine. There are nightly street celebrations by the political factions each of them claiming they were the ones responsible for the Israeli ‘withdrawal’. In the media speeches are made and songs are played all contributing to this euphoric atmosphere. As I walk around the dusty Gaza streets and watch these often colourful celebrations I understand that after 38 years (of occupation) people are looking for somewhere to place their hopes. The redeployment of the Israeli military to Gaza’s borders and the cementing of control of the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem should not be it. 

Abductions must stop and French media worker Mohammed al-Ouati must be released immediately

15 August 2005


Amnesty International calls for the immediate release of Mohammad al-Ouati, a sound technician with the French TV France 3, who was abducted by armed Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on 14 August and whose whereabouts remain unknown. Mohammed al-Ouati, a French citizen of Algerian origin, was seized by Palestinian gunmen outside his hotel in Gaza City as he was returning to the hotel with three colleagues. He was forced into a car at gunpoint by three gunmen and taken to an unknown location. The gunmen also tried to seize Mohammed al-Ouati’s three colleagues, all French citizens and members of the France 3 team. They reported that the gunmen were not wearing masks. 

Palestinians under withdrawal curfew

Laila El-Haddad 17 August 2005


Palestinian communities living near Jewish settlements are bracing themselves for a month-long Israeli-imposed closure set to start on Tuesday. Residents of the Maani area of Dair al-Balah, adjacent to the colony of Kfarm Darom in the central Gaza Strip, were lining up in front of the gate to their fenced in community on Monday morning, waiting for Israeli approval to enter ahead of the closure. Abdullah Maani, 34, said residents were allowed out of the village for a few hours to buy food and supplies before the closure would be enforced, adding that they had yet to see any evidence of a withdrawal. “If we weren’t hearing it from the radio and television stations, you would think there is no withdrawal going on.” 

Israel bans Palestinian journalists from covering Gaza disengagement

16 August 2005


The International Federation of Journalists today renewed its appeal to Israel to end the ban on accreditation for Palestinian journalists, which prevents local media from covering the end of the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip. “This is a historic moment for Palestinians,” said Aidan White, General Secretary of the IFJ, as the work to remove settlements in the area began, “but local journalists cannot cover the story because Israel discriminates against Palestinian journalists and refuses to grant them press cards that will give them access to the area.” Only a handful of Palestinian journalists have been granted a card allowing them to cross into Gaza to cover the story. 

Settler attacks, arrests and denial of access in the Gaza Strip

17 August 2005


The Israeli military has begun to move Israeli settlers from their illegal settlements inside the Gaza Strip. At the same time settlers have attacked Palestinian civilians while the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) continue to arbitrarily arrest and detain Palestinian civilians. The Israeli military have continued to detain Palestinian civilians, imprison them and place communities under siege across the Occupied Palestinian Territory. At the same time they
have prevent human rights defenders from gaining access. Settlers have been present near the main roads and have obstructed the movement of vehicles. Palestinian ambulances have not been able to move between the two parts of al-Mawasi area in Khan Yunis and Rafah. 

Special Envoy Gaza Disengagement left region with progress made

20 July 2005


Special Envoy on Disengagement, James Wolfensohn, returned to Jerusalem on Thursday 8th July 2005. During this visit, he focused on resolution of the six joint issues introduced in the last Periodic Report. When he left on 15 July much progress had been made on most of the issues with proposals being seriously considered by the parties: border crossings and trade corridors, a three phase approach to “back – to – back” for all crossings but Rafah, connecting the Gaza Strip with the West Bank, convoy transport immediately after disengagement, movement in the West Bank, air and sea ports, houses in settlements and greenhouses in the settlements. 

Special Envoy on Disengagement Wolfensohn concludes his fourth visit to the region

15 August 2005


James Wolfensohn, Special Envoy for Disengagement, concluded his fourth visit to the region on 10 August since his appointment at the beginning of June 2005. With Disengagement scheduled to begin in a week’s time, all efforts have been focused on resolution of the six joint issues: border crossings and trade corridors, the connection between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, movement in the West Bank, air and sea ports, settlement houses, green houses in the settlements. In addition there are three Palestinian issues: the fiscal crisis, the PA faces a budget shortfall of approximately $400 million; the three year plan for Palestinian development; and a package of quick impact economic programs. 

Despite Israeli disengagement, Palestinians continue to endure closures, arrests and attacks

16 August 2005


Israeli settlers have been given a forty-eight hour grace period (beginning midnight 14th August), within which to leave their illegal settlements in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Meanwhile the IOF is imposing increased closures across the OPT, severely restricting Palestinian civilians’ freedom of movement, while Palestinian civilians are also coming under attack from militant settlers. Israel is removing 8,500 settlers from the Gaza Strip, corresponding to only 2 percent of the total settler population (425,000) currently living in the OPT, including East Jerusalem, and this year alone Israel is building housing for 30,000 more settlers in the West Bank. The removal of settlers from Gaza must be viewed within this broader context of ongoing settler activity in the West Bank. 

Gazans cautious, but eager for pullout

Laila El-Haddad 16 August 2005


At the edge of the Khan Yunus refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, crumbling refugee homes face off with the red-roofed seafront villas of the Neve Dekalim settlement. The settlement, one of 21 chosen for evacuation in coming months, has been the source of much grief - and now speculation - for Palestinians here. Abo Ahmed’s home stands directly across from Neve Dekalim, the largest and most ideologically extreme of the Gush Katif settlements, a bloc established in 1970 - three years after Gaza was captured and occupied by Israel. Not far from the settlement is an Israeli sniper tower, stationed along with hundreds of soldiers, to protect the illegal settlers from their Palestinian neighbours and original inhabitants of the land. 

WFP stores food in Gaza for Palestinians affected by Israeli withdrawal

16 August 2005


The United Nations World Food Programme today announced it has stored food supplies in Gaza Strip to sustain tens of thousands of impoverished Palestinians ahead of the Israeli withdrawal which started early Monday. Anticipating possible logistic hurdles and uncertainty, the UN food aid agency in the occupied Palestinian territory pre-positioned 5,800 metric tonnes in 21 warehouses in the Gaza Strip. The food is sufficient to feed the 156,000 Palestinians who benefit from WFP rations until the end of October. In addition, WFP has already provided all beneficiaries in the densely populated Strip with a two-month ration for July and August. 

Slicing off Gaza is just a diplomatic nose job

Sharif Hamadeh 15 August 2005


A teenage soldier in Tapuah, a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, shot to death four Palestinian citizens of Israel and injured several others last Thursday on a bus in Shafa’amr, a quiet Arab town in the north of Israel where I work. Israel’s Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, denounced the shootings as an act of “terrorism” designed to “harm the fabric of relations among all Israeli citizens”, and threaten Israel’s “stability as a democracy”. For Palestinians living in Israel, however, his words were of little comfort. 

Israeli media: "Quiet, We’re Disengaging!"

14 August 2005


On February 8, 2005, at the Sharm e-Sheikh summit, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) declared a ceasefire after more than four years of Intifada. Since the summit, the two sides have exchanged mutual recriminations on intentional and unintentional violations of the understandings that were reached. Keshev examined how the major Israeli media outlets covered the ceasefire, how they interpreted the actions (both positive and negative) of both sides, and how they dealt with each side’s pronouncements concerning violations of the ceasefire by the other side. Keshev concludes that the Israeli media played down Israeli violations and covered criticism of Palestinians profusely. 

Seizing the initiative

Munther Younes 15 August 2005


The Israeli government is planning to leave the Gaza Strip. Its refusal to coordinate the pullout with the Palestinians has left the Palestinian leadership confused and helpless. Instead of watching helplessly and waiting for Israel to grant it permission to do this or that, why doesn’t the leadership seize the initiative and declare that if the settlers want to remain in Gaza and live in the territory as Palestinian citizens or even with dual Israeli-Palestinian citizenship, they are welcome to do so. By accepting the Jewish settlers of Gaza as equal citizens, the Palestinians can prove to themselves, to the Israelis, and to the world that they can treat their people as equal citizens before the law regardless of religion and ethnicity, something Israel has failed to do since its establishment. 

Talking Points: The Gaza "Disengagement"

15 August 2005


On 15 August, Israel began a unilateral “disengagement” from the Palestinian Gaza Strip by evacuating its illegal settlements and military bases there. Israeli officials announced in July that they will ask the United States to pay $2.2 billion for this disengagement. The following document, prepared by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, offers key talking points about the realities of the Gaza “disengagement” and what kind of life Palestinians in the Gaza Strip can expect following the move. 

Democracy Now: Israeli Settlers Resist Gaza Pullout, Palestinians Call for Withdrawal from West Bank

15 August 2005


Thousands of settlers are refusing to leave their homes in Gaza settlements today as Israeli soldiers and police order them to move out. The pullout is seen by some as a strategy by the Israeli state to consolidate its hold over the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Others see it as a necessary step in the roadmap to peace in Israel-Palestine. We speak with a resident of Gush Katif who is resisting the pullout, the director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, a journalist who spent time with soldiers and settlers and the founder of Electronic Intifada. The Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip began officially today. Gaza is currently home to 8,500 Israeli settlers and 1.4 million Palestinians. 

Palestinians hopeful but anxious

Laila El-Haddad 15 August 2005


Palestinians are greeting Israel’s pullout from the Gaza strip with high hopes but some anxiety, as the first televised images of settlers leaving are broadcast. “Pictures are now being broadcast to the world of what we thought would never happen. The withdrawal is now beginning,” said Palestinian Minister of Information Nabil Shaath earlier on Sunday. “There is a sense of happiness, relief, pleasure, mixed in with anxiety. The withdrawal is becoming a reality, no longer a conjecture. We are moving form total disbelief to anxious belief,” said Shaath. But he added that there were still many unanswered questions and that coordination between the Israelis and Palestinians was minimal if not non-existent. 

Palestinians urged to temper festivities

Khalid Amayreh 15 August 2005


As Israel has begun its unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, a number of Palestinian intellectuals have urged the Palestinian Authority and resistance groups to tone down celebrations and pay attention to Israel’s expansion in the West Bank. The calls came as the latest coordination meeting between Palestinian security minister Nasr Yousuf and Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz, which took place on Sunday night, failed to resolve the outstanding issues pertaining to the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Yousuf accused Israel of refusing to provide satisfactory answers for some of the most fundamental questions pertaining to the post-withdrawal arrangements at border crossings between the Gaza Strip and Israel. 

Gunmen kidnap France 3 soundman in Gaza

14 August 2005


Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders has condemned the 14 August 2005 kidnapping of France 3 television crew soundman Mohamed Ouathi by three gunmen in Gaza and urged the Palestinian authorities to do everything possible to ensure that he is quickly released. Ouathi and the three other members of the French television station’s crew - Gwenaëlle Lenoir, Michel Anglade and Franck Pairaud - were returning to their hotel when they were intercepted by three gunmen. The other crew members were able to escape but Ouathi was taken away at gunpoint. France 3 condemned Ouathi’s abduction as a “violation of press freedom” and called for his “immediate release.” 

Israel seals off Gaza, marks begin of disengagement

15 August 2005


As the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) begin to remove illegal Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip and redeploy their military forces along the border areas - Palestinian civilians are being affected by closures, arrests and attacks across the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Fieldworkers of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights report from Al Sayafa, a sealed Palestinian enclave between the Dogit and Elli Sinai settlements and from southern Gaza, Al Mawasi, a sealed Palestinian enclave inside the Gush Katif settlement bloc. Over the next three weeks, Israel plans to remove all 21 Jewish settlements from Gaza and four from the West Bank. 

Amnesty is concerned at growing lawlessness in Gaza

12 August 2005


Amnesty International is gravely concerned at the mounting loss of civilian lives, frequent abductions and other abuses, as violent clashes between Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces and armed groups have escalated in recent weeks. With lawlessness becoming more entrenched, civilians are left vulnerable to abuses. Endemic power struggles and in-fighting between rivalling PA factions and a multitude of armed groups have significantly increased in the lead-up to Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, due later this month. PA security forces have so far proved unable or unwilling to control the activities of armed groups and to hold them accountable for their crimes. 

Compensation if you are displaced, unless you are Palestinian

Jeff Handmaker and Adri Nieuwhof 14 August 2005


The world’s attention is focussed on the “plight” of settler-colonists from the Gaza Strip and some in the West Bank, who have to leave their homes. However, we have to remember that the settlements were illegally-constructed in the first place and that the settlers will receive substantial compensation. But without exception settlers knew that they were moving to an area that was conquered in war. In contracts for the sale or rental of land in the occupied territories there was a clause that explicitly stated their temporary nature. Jeff Handmaker and Adri Nieuwhof comment that, while US-taxpayers foot the bill for the so-called pull-out, virtually no attention is being paid to Palestinians whose property has been demolished over the years, not to mention those who were deprived of their homeland since 1948. 

Disengagement diary

Eóin Murray Gaza City, Palestine 14 August 2005


There is certainly something in the air. Gunfire, cheering - general celebrations. Outside the al Shawa Convention Centre in the heart of el-Rimal distract of Gaza City there are marches - last night by Islamic Jihad - to celebrate the redeployment of the Israeli military. On Friday Fatah held another demonstration in Gaza City. Hamas have been practising for redeployment all week by letting off random explosions. Each side is trying to claim the redeployment for its own. The PLO Flag Shop in Gaza City is decked out with special t-shirts celebrating what they call “withdrawal”. There are Palestinian flags hanging outside the shop with “FREE GAZA” printed on them in black. 

Photo of the Day

Najeeb Al-Anbarri 14 August 2005


Photo of the Day is a BNN feature which offers a photograph on a day, and calls it “Photo of the Day”. This is not to imply that this is a regular feature, nor that this photo is truly the mother of all photos for the day in question. Usual disclaimers apply. This photo of the day was taken by Marcy Newman, of a section of Israel’s Wall near Bethlehem. On the right, someone has stenciled part of BNN’s header showing Ariel Sharon and Star Wars character Jabba the Hutt! 

Jerusalem tense ahead of Gaza pullout

Khalid Amayreh 14 August 2005


Tension is rising in East Jerusalem as thousands of Jewish extremists have vowed to storm the Haram al-Sharif compound, one of Islam’s holiest sites, ahead of Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The threats coincide on Sunday with the annual commemoration of the destruction of an ancient Jewish temple, considered one of the bleakest days in the Jewish calendar. A mass gathering of extremist Jews is scheduled in Jerusalem’s Old City. Hundreds of police officers and paramilitary troops have been deployed in and around the Old City to prevent a possible clash between Jewish extremists and Palestinian Muslims. Thousands of Muslims already have arrived at the Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, compound to repulse any attempts to storm it. 

Photostory: Burj el-Shemali Refugee Camp - Lebanon

Stefan Christoff 14 August 2005


Burj el-Shemali is a Palestinian refugee camp, located in Southern Lebanon on the outskirts of the city of Tyre. Upwards of 20 000 refugees reside in Burj el-Shemali, which is one of Lebanon’s most impoverished camps. Similar to other refugee camps in the south of Lebanon, Burj el-Shemali is home to cases of extreme poverty, thousands of camp residents are essentially homeless, residing in make-shift shelters with zinc roofing, without basic plumbing, water supply and little income. 

'With' or 'Against' the Gaza Disengagement Plan

Tamar Amir 13 August 2005


As we waited at the Modi’in junction for the traffic light to turn green, Jewish settlement youth were distributing ribbons in two colors, orange and blue/white. The orange ribbons represent those ‘against’ the Gaza disengagement plan. The white/blue on the other hand represent those ‘with’ the Gaza disengagement plan. As these dedicated youth approached our car I contemplated for a moment which ribbon I would choose. I decided not to disappoint either team and took one of each. However, the main question is, which of these ribbons would I display on my car antenna to publicly reflect my political opinion? 

Gaza town to be closed during pullout

Laila El-Haddad 12 August 2005


Israeli forces have notified Palestinians living near a Gaza settlement of a month-long closure of their community, just days prior to the upcoming withdrawal from the area. Abdullah Maani, a local leader of the al-Ma’ani area in the Central Gaza Strip town of Dair al-Balah, told Aljazeera.net that Israeli forces notified him on Friday of a closure that would seal off his community from the rest of the Gaza Strip for three to four weeks, starting this coming Wednesday. “The soldier told us there will be a complete closure, and that he is giving us advance notification so we can stockpile water and food, adding that no one will be allowed in or out, except in extreme cases and with prior coordination,” Maani said. 

Gaza Smokescreen: An interview with Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Hind Khoury

13 August 2005


“The Gaza disengagement has been used by the Israeli government as a smokescreen to cover for what it is doing in East Jerusalem. These measures include the continued construction of the wall, and, as per their decision this July, to practically close off East Jerusalem from the West Bank starting September 1. People will then have to pass what they call crossings but are in reality de facto borders.” Palestine Report Online interviews Hind Khoury on Israel’s unilateral actions in East Jerusalem. 

Fire unextinguished

Issa Mikel Nablus, Palestine 17 August 2005


Once a lively city, the Nablus of today is the victim both of geography and racist geopolitics. With its back to the range of hills and few channels of intercourse with the rest of the country, the Israeli military has had little difficulty in isolating the town. A series of checkpoints choke Nablus economically and culturally, stifling what has traditionally been one of Palestine’s most important urban centers. As one of the centers of resistance, both violent and nonviolent, as well as a bastion of Islamist support in the West Bank, Nablus has earned pride of place near the top of the Israeli government’s hit list and has been targeted with great resentment and vitriol. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

10 August 2005


This week, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, including a child. Israeli forces conducted a number of incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli forces raided homes and arrested at least 45 Palestinians. Israeli forces turned ten Palestinian homes into military posts. Israeli forces continue to use Palestinian civilians as human shields during military operations. Israel continues to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel closed al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip and Israeli forces prevent Palestinians aged 16-35 from traveling through the Rafah border. Israeli forces arrested at least 8 Palestinians at military checkpoints in the West Bank and Israel continues to construct the Wall in the West Bank. 

UNICEF: "Children must be safe during Gaza withdrawal"

12 August 2005


UNICEF today urged that children be kept out of harm’s way during the planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank. “Palestinian and Israeli children have suffered terribly over recent years as a result of this conflict,” UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said Friday. “Next week’s events offer new hope for peace, and it’s critical to ensure the safety of the children in the region.” Along with the entire UN system, UNICEF expressed a hope that the withdrawal that is set to begin next week would occur smoothly and peacefully. If the disengagement does not proceed peacefully, children could be in particular danger, said Veneman, noting that children under 18 make up about half of the Palestinian population. 

Video: Al-Rowwad theatre group visits Louisville, KY

11 August 2005


Al-Rowwad Center is an Independent Center for artistic, cultural, and theatre training for children in Aida Camp trying to provide a “safe” and healthy environment to help children discover their creativity and discharge stress in the war conditions they are forced to live in. In July 2005, Al-Rowwad’s theatre group performed in Louisville, Kentucky. Multimedia producers Patrick Yen and Andrew Sturgill produced the profile on Al-Rowwad for EI. 

Palestine Red Crescent Society prepares for Gaza disengagement

10 August 2005


Israeli measures such as closures of Palestinian transportation routes near Gaza settlements and the planned relocation routes, dividing the Gaza Strip into four parts have the potentioal to directly and indirectly affect the Palestinian population through restriction of access to health care. Accessibility to sources of nutrition and safe drinking water may also be disrupted. Additionally, these closures may prevent the PRCS staff and volunteers from accessing the effected areas, the maintenance of an open supply line between headquarters store house and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) stations and PRCS sub-stores, in addition to the deployment of logistics and supplies to effected areas. 

UN to adopt pathbreaking new global standard which demands return of confiscated refugee land and housing

11 August 2005


The United Nations is expected to adopt a sweeping series of principles today that urge governments everywhere to ensure all refugees and persons displaced due to conflict and natural disasters are entitled to return to, recover and reside in their original homes, lands and properties. Prepared by the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Housing and Property Restitution, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro of Brazil, the ‘Pinheiro Principles’ will provide the first consolidated global standard on the housing, land and property rights of the displaced. “The best solution to the plight of millions of refugees and displaced persons around the world is to ensure they attain the right to return freely to their countries and to have restored to them housing and property of which they were deprived,” said Pinheiro. 

Knesset Enacts Racist Law

9 August 2005


On 27 July 2005, the Knesset amended the Nationality Law. The amendment restricts the family unification of Israeli citizens and residents, including residents of East Jerusalem, and Palestinians living in the occupied territories. The law does not apply to Israelis who apply for a legal status for their foreign spouse who does not live in the Occupied Territories. Couples who decide to reside together in Israel or in East Jerusalem in violation of the law, are unable to live a normal life and are in constant fear. If they decide to live in the occupied territories, the spouse holding an Israeli identity card violates the military commander’s order prohibiting Israelis to enter areas under Palestinian security control. 

Israel to keep control of Gaza access

Khalid Amayreh 10 August 2005


Israel has said it will probably retain control of Gaza skies and territorial waters after the implementation of its withdrawal plan from the area. “I think it is very likely that we will continue to control the skies and territorial waters of Gaza,” Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said on Tuesday. Mofaz did not say if Israeli troops would completely leave the Rafah border crossing as the Egyptians had been demanding. The defence minister told the Israeli cabinet on Monday that Tel Aviv could not allow a free flow of goods and services between Gaza and the rest of the world, suggesting that “alternative border crossings” be created where Israel can control cross-border movements between Gaza and Egypt. 

Annan reports about work UN agencies assisting Palestinians

9 August 2005


The year under review was marked by the announcement of Israel’s disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank, the death of Palestinian President Arafat, successful Palestinian presidential elections and cautious efforts towards a resumption of the peace process by both the Israelis and Palestinians, in spite of continued violence, which claimed lives on both sides. Internal and external closures and other measures taken by the Israeli military, although moderately alleviated towards the end of the reporting period, continued to create economic hardship for Palestinians and restrict the delivery of necessary emergency aid supplies. 

Palestinians in Israel Find Themselves Part of The Disengagement Debate

Jonathan Cook 9 August 2005


Until this weekend Israel’s one million Palestinian citizens had stayed out of the debate about the country’s imminent disengagement from Gaza. “It’s not our story,” they said when pressed, “this is an entirely Jewish conversation.” Although Israeli Jews have been flying blue and orange ribbons from their cars for months - showing respectively support for and opposition to the disengagement - car aerials in Israel’s Arab towns and villages have remained resolutely bare. That is no longer the case. At the weekend the Arab drivers in the Galilee could be seen flying black ribbons to commemorate the killings of four Arab citizens by a young Jewish extremist with his Israeli army-issued rifle. Now Israel’s Palestinian citizens find themselves part of the conversation, whether they like it or not. 

Palestinian appointed to Prince Claus Chair

1 August 2005


In May 2005, the Institute of Social Studies has appointed Dr Rema Hammami as holder of the Prince Claus Chair in Development and Equity 2005/2006, following her nomination by the Curatorium. The Prince Claus Chair is a rotating chair in the field of development and North-South relations and was established by Utrecht University and the Institute of Social Studies. Dr. Hammami is working in Palestine at the Institute of Women’s Studies, Birzeit University, Westbank Palestina. She has done research on civil society development, political movements, state formation and cross cultural relations between Palestinians and Israelis. Recent work includes an analysis of Palestinian - Israeli interactions at road blocks and border crossings, defining the social space of both parties. 

Palestinian militants kidnap then release UN staff in Gaza Strip

7 August 2005


A Palestinian militant group kidnapped three staff members of the main United Nations agency helping Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip this morning, releasing them several hours later following negotiations. The employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) were taken in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip just before noon local time. After talks, the nature of which has not been disclosed, they were released into the custody of UNRWA and of the Palestinian Authority. They have now returned safely to the Agency’s headquarters in Gaza. UNRWA has been providing education, health care, social services and emergency relief to Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip. 

Israeli Human Rights Groups Warn of Possible Wave of Settler Attacks

7 August 2005


Israeli human rights organizations have called on the Israeli government to take the necessary steps to protect Palestinians in case of an escalation in violence by Israeli civilians during and after disengagement. The organizations wrote last week to Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, demanding that law enforcement make advance preparations to protect Palestinians living near settlements known to contain violent individuals, and particularly in those areas where there has been rioting in the past. Some of the violence will be spontaneous, the letter states, “but there is concern that we will witness organized attacks intended to stop the disengagement process”. The organizations believe that the attacks may endanger dozens of Palestinian lives. 

Interview: Mohammad Samhouri is handling the Gaza disengagement

Laila El-Haddad 6 August 2005


Mohammad Samhouri has been assigned the task of coordinating the withdrawal on the Palestinian side. Samhouri, a US-educated economist by training, oversees a team of 40 experts who are handling the post-disengagement process, including what’s to be done with the evacuated land and remaining assets. Al Jazeera’s Laila El-Haddad spoke with Samhouri in his Gaza office about the disengagement that is set to start August 15, the importance of free access for Palestinians and the future of Palestinian economy. Mohammad Samhouri: Before we begin, I just want to give you some advice to make your job easier. Don’t ask me political questions, because I don’t have political answers. 

Presbyterian Church names companies for 'progressive engagement' over role in Middle East violence

5 August 2005


Today, the Mission Responsibility through Investment (MRTI) Committee of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) announced that it will begin its process of ‘progressive engagement’ with five companies it says contribute to the ongoing violence that plagues Israel and Palestine. The Committee’s action is in response to a resolution passed last year by the Church’s General Assembly and is consistent with the Church’s long-standing practice of ensuring its investments are used to further the Church’s mission. The companies selected for initial focus are Caterpillar, Citigroup, ITT Industries, Motorola and United Technologies. 

Palestinian factions are gearing up for celebrations with election campaigns

Laila El-Haddad 8 August 2005


With less than two weeks left before Israel evacuates the Gaza Strip, Palestinian factions are gearing up for celebrations with publicity campaigns that are equally intended to win Palestinian votes. The Palestinian Authority, which is spending an estimated $1.7 million on withdrawal celebrations, kicked-off its campaign on Thursday with an event it called a liberation and evacuation festival, held in front of Gaza city’s Legislative Council. In addition to the festival, the PA’s Withdrawal Committee, headed by Dahlan, launched a massive UNDP-funded publicity campaign this week under the slogan Gaza - Reclaiming Our Gem. They plan to wave 20,000 Palestinian flags during the evacuation. 

Palestinians say peace with Israel is no longer within the realm of possibility

Khalid Amayreh 7 August 2005


The proposed expansion of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank has convinced many Palestinians, intellectuals and laymen alike, that peace with Israel is no longer within the realm of possibility. A general belief among Palestinians is that the Israeli plan to “disengage” from Gaza is primarily aimed at consolidating Israel’s grip on the West Bank. Recent polls in Palestine have shown that a majority of Palestinians are convinced that a genuine peace with Israel - that is, one based on UN resolutions 242 and 338 and the land-for-peace formula - is no longer possible. As many as 65% of Palestinians in the occupied territories said they did not believe that a “permanent peace with Israel was possible”. Only 3.1% of respondents said such a peace was possible. 

Growing Grassroots in Beirut

Stefan Christoff Beirut, Lebanon 8 August 2005


Beirut is a city that vibrates with political culture and is defined by a history of social justice struggles. Currently, Lebanon is undergoing massive political changes, sparked by street protests following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February and the subsequent withdrawal of approximately 15,000 Syrian troops and intelligence officials last April. The future for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in refugee camps throughout Lebanon is also central to current political discussions in the region, as refugees continue to demand their right to return to occupied Palestine. 

Breathing life into Nablus

Maureen Clare Murphy and Zachary Wales 8 August 2005


Nablusi architect Naseer Arafat’s current project, “a ten year dream,” as he calls it, is the restoration of an estate that was once owned by an influential sheikh and housed a residence, soap factory and reception hall. The compound, which Arafat describes as having a “unique composition,” is nestled in Nablus’ Old City, home to 20,000 Palestinians and some 2,560 historic buildings, mostly constructed during the Ottoman period, as well as some from the Mameluke, Crusader, Byzantine and Roman eras. 

Photostory: Wavel Refugee Camp

Stefan Christoff 8 August 2005


Wavel is a Palestinian refugee camp located in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, on the outskirts of Baalbek. Originally a French military base during the colonial era, Palestinian refugees inhabited 12 military barracks shortly after the Palestinian el-Nakba (the Catastrophe) in 1948, as hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees were forced from Palestine through the creation of the state of Israel. Today Wavel is home to approximately 8000 refugees, a significant segment of which continue to reside in the now dilapidated French barracks. 

How to cover disengagement?

Jonathan Cook 7 August 2005


Journalist Jonathan Cook writing the letter one reporter in Israel wishes he could send news editors who ask him to cover Israel’s Gaza disengagement. Israel is not giving foreign journalists free access to the Gaza Strip, or even the settlements, during the disengagement. Apparently, the only way to “witness” the disengagement will be by applying to the Israeli press office for a place on a number of army coaches transporting reporters to individual settlements. I am opposed in principle to the idea of being shepherded around by the army while covering this event. How is this not just another form of “embedding”? But in any case I am told seats on the coaches will be extremely limited, maybe only a few dozen, and are bound to be snapped up by the media big-hitters. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

4 August 2005


This week Israeli forces killed a Palestinian in an extra-judicial killing. Israeli forces wounded eight Palestinians, including five children and two women. Israeli forces conducted a number of incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and one incursion into the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces raided Palestinian homes and arrested 36 civilians. Israel continues to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel has prevented Palestinian civilians aged 16-35 from traveling through Rafah International Crossing Point. Israel continues to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank and confiscated at least 800 donums of Palestinian land in Hebron and Qalqilya for this purpose. 

Tear gas injures Palestinian protesters

Laila El-Haddad 2 August 2005


Israeli soldiers have injured five Palestinian villagers after firing tear gas at the group protesting against a settlement road project threatening their land. Palestinians from the village of Kfar Harrs, along with foreign and Israeli activists, were marching towards a roadblock that cuts off traffic to the entrance of their village, when they were approached by Israeli forces on Monday. Soldiers then fired tear gas canisters directly at the crowd, according to Nasfat Khofash, coordinator of the Palestinian Committee Against the Wall in the Salfit area. Four adults and one child were injured, said Khofash. An Austrian peace activist was also arrested and detained in the nearby settlement. 

Gaza fishermen's livelihood on the line

Laila El-Haddad 2 August 2005


Though one of Gaza’s oldest active fishermen, Suheil Sa’dallah spends most of his time loitering around Gaza’s makeshift fisherman’s port, where dozens of docked boats, including his own, bob gently in the sea. In the face of stringent Israeli restrictions on Palestinian fishing zones, and the absence of a modern industrial port, many fishermen there, like Sa’dallah, can no longer make a living. He talks about the days their catches exceeded 700kg a day “of every fish your heart desires”, when the only limit on fishing zones were as far as the eye could see. A new port would mean better equipment, modern storage facilities for importing and exporting fish, and assuming Israeli restrictions are lifted, improved catches. 

Israeli soldier kills four in bus attack

Khalid Amayreh 5 August 2005


An Israeli soldier has been stoned to death by an angry crowd after he killed four Israeli Arabs and injured 13 others on board a bus. The shooting on Thursday took place on bus 165, which shuttles between a Druze neighbourhood of the northern Israeli Arab town of Shafa Amr and nearby communities. Four people were killed, including the driver. Police said the four apparently were all Shafa Amr residents. Israel Radio said the gunman - who police said wore a skullcap, identifying him as an Orthodox Jew - was later bludgeoned to death by an angry crowd. Medical sources said three of the wounded were listed in critical condition. Two policemen were among the wounded. 

UN Experts mark anniversary of ICJ "Wall Opinion"

4 August 2005


Eight Special Procedures mandate holders of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights issues an appeal shortly after the one-year anniversary of the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion (“Wall opinion”), concerning the Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In August 2004, the General Assembly called upon Israel and other parties to comply with their legal obligations as mentioned in the Opinion. Further to that resolution, the Secretary-General is taking steps to compile a register of the persons who have suffered as a result of the construction of the wall. However, neither the General Assembly nor the Security Council have considered the Opinion since. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

28 July 2005


This week, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, including a child who was run down by an Israeli settler vehicle. Israeli forces wounded 19 Palestinians among them a mother and child and seven other children. Israeli forces conducted various incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces raided Palestinian homes and arrested 33 Palestinian civilians. Israel imposed a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories and isolated the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Israel prevents Palestinians aged 16-35 from traveling through the Rafah crossing. Israel arrested twelve Palestinians, including two women and a child at military checkpoints in the West Bank. 

UNICEF boosts aid deliveries before Gaza disengagement

Michael Bociurkiw 28 July 2005


With less than a month remaining before Israel’s disengagement from the Gaza Strip, UNICEF has completed final deliveries of aid supplies to some of the most isolated enclaves in the area. In preparation for the mid-August disengagement, the organization has also expanded activities in psychosocial support, health and education. The disengagement plan calls for the evacuation of some settlements and installations. Because of their close proximity to the soon-to-be-evacuated settlements, many enclaves in Gaza are being sealed off, making humanitarian aid deliveries virtually impossible for the next several weeks. This is why special attention has been devoted to these areas, some of which are currently accessible only by a single gate for a few hours a day.