December 2005

Turning the page, again

Sam Bahour 3 January 2006


Under a traditional leadership, with a stagnated political environment of internal hegemony and external military occupation, elections have been used over the years to entrench the already entrenched polity. Add to this the multi-pronged foreign interventions into Palestinian society � politically, economically, and socially � and elections have become watered down to the point where they are no longer enough of a force to turn the pages of history. Our future can only be shaped by our own hands. Are we ready, not only to turn the page, but to rip out and then rewrite the last chapter of the chronicle that has imprisoned us in occupation like never before?! 

Al Mezan calls for immediate relase of kidnapped worker and family in Gaza

29 December 2005


One day has passed since Kate Burton was kidnapped and at the time the PNA [Palestinian National Authority] is still unable to identify the place of kidnappers. Kate Burton is British of 24 years old; she has been working as International Coordinator at Al Mezan Center for Human Rights for the last three months. Ms. Burton has also taken part with the UNDP [United Nations Development Programme] in the Gaza Strip where she maintains excellent relationships with Palestinians. She actively supported the Palestinian cause, and worked hard on backing up Palestinians and exposing Israeli violations against Palestinian civilians. 

WaSPR Delegation Diary 5: Living In Isolation and Under Siege in Hebron and Bethlehem

Bill Dienst Palestine 29 December 2005


As stipulated by the 1997 Hebron Protocol, Hebron is divided into the H1 and H2 areas. The H2 segment is where the Jewish settlers live amongst the Palestinian population, and it is currently the segment of the city under curfew. Agoraphobia, the fear of leaving one’s home, is common amongst the Palestinian residents of H2. There they are surrounded by six settlements within the center of the city. The Palestinians in H2 become isolated within enclaves and are faced with daily harassment and violence. They become isolated from city services as well, and this is where Medecins Sans Frontieres and the International Committee of the Red Cross/Crescent come in. 

Photo of the Day: Christmas with Banksy

Najeeb Al-Anbarri 25 December 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. You’ll remember Banksy from his amazing summer graffiti project on Israel’s West Bank Barrier. Well Santa is back with Vandalised oil painting #031, 2005. Good job mate, the truth has to be spoken in weird ways in times when people aren’t listening to common sense. 

Photostory: Christmas in Palestine

24 December 2005


Last month, Israel finished building the wall and new security terminal that cut links between Jerusalem and the West Bank town of Bethlehem. The new security terminal, however, seems to be scaring away tourists and damaging Bethlehem’s already battered economy. In 2002, when the tension was at its worst, the number of visitors to Bethlehem dropped to an estimated 15,000, according to the municipality’s figures. There’s been a steady climb since, though: 100,000 in 2004 and 252,000 so far this year. Authorities have been frustrated by the timing as well as by delays caused by security checks, which are longer than anyone expected. Foreign visitors are now required to get off their buses and submit to a series of searches that can take up to an hour. 

The Writing on the Wall: Claire Anastas

Toine van Teeffelen Bethlehem, Palestine 23 December 2005


The Writing on the Wall is a series of interviews with Palestinians who live close to the Wall. Van Teeffelen asked three questions: How is your daily life influenced by the Wall and the checkpoints? What does freedom mean to you? What are your sources of energy? Claire Anastas is a Palestinian civilian living opposite Rachelas Tomb in Bethlehem. “In 2002, there was a lot of shooting. We lived in a cross fire. My children were paralyzed of fear and could not even use their hands. During some of the shootings the bullets entered our house. We did not know where to hide. Each night my children were waiting when the shooting would start. 

Israeli troops assassinate three Palestinians in Nablus

22 December 2005


On Thursday morning, 22 December 2005, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) extra-judicially executed three Palestinians in Nablus. This attack was the second of its kind in less than 24 hours, as IOF extra-judicially executed a Palestinian in Jenin on Wednesday afternoon. According to preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR Israeli troops moved into Rafidya neighborhood in Nablus. They besieged a 4-storey, under-construction building. The gunfire continued until six. A Palestinian ambulance arrived in the area, but Israeli troops did not allow the crew to enter the building until 8.30. The crew then found three bodies and moved them to Rafifya Hospital. 

Violence must be met with concrete political, economic actions, Security Council told

20 December 2005


In the present delicate period leading up to both Palestinian and Israeli elections, the forces of violence and despair must be met with concrete political and economic action — action that will build a foundation in which the “agenda of peace” could be made stronger than the “agenda of conflict”, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Ibrahim Gambari, told the Security Council this afternoon. In the coming weeks, the parties must strive for a return to calm. 

Photostory: Bethlehem prepares for Christmas

21 December 2005


Palestinians are barred from making the trip to Bethlehem unless they have special Israeli permits allowing them to leave the West Bank. A towering wall of gray concrete slabs, 30 feet high, cuts across what once was the main road into the town. Shops are shuttered or empty, and the streets are deserted. After more than five years of Israeli attacks, the Wall separating Bethlehem from Jerusalem has been completed and the Palestinian town revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus is preparing to celebrate Christmas behind a wall. “It is turning the city into a big prison for its citizens,” said Mayor Victor Batarseh. 

"Road map" will miss deadline, UN envoy

20 December 2005


With only 10 days left before the expiration of the original deadline of the Middle East Diplomatic Quartet’s so-called Road Map peace plan for a final and settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a top United Nations official stressed today that the plan is still the agreed framework for reaching a lasting peace in the Middle East. “This is surely an occasion for all parties to reflect on what more they can do to ensure that Road Map obligations are met,” UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari told the Security Council, in his regular monthly briefing, regarding the plan sponsored by the Quartet consisting of the UN, European Union, United States and Russia. 

Unrecognised villages in the Negev expose Israel's apartheid policies

Bangani Ngeleza and Adri Nieuwhof 20 December 2005


Eighty thousand Palestinian Bedouin Israelis live in unrecognised villages in the Negev desert in the south of Israel. The villages are deprived of basic services like housing, water, electricity, education and health care. With the adoption of the Israeli Planning and Construction Law in 1965, 45 villages in the Negev were not declared as existing. Recently, Bangani Ngeleza and Adri Nieuwhof visited the region. They write about the serious consequences this has had for villagers in these “unrecognised villages”. Bangani Ngeleza and Adri Nieuwhof say that pressure must be put on Israel to abandon its apartheid policies, including its refusal to recognize the existence of villages composed of its own citizens living within its national borders. 

European NGOs defy EU secrecy on Jerusalem

20 December 2005


European organisations today defied the refusal of EU Ministers to publish a report compiled by their own diplomats regarding Israeli violations of international law with regard to East Jerusalem. Over 30 Jewish, Palestinian, peace and anti-poverty groups from around Europe will publish the suppressed Report on their websites. The report, which states that “Israel’s activities in Jerusalem are in violation of both its Roadmap obligations and international law” was shelved by EU foreign ministers at their 12 December Foreign Affairs (GAERC) meeting in Brussels, for fear of alienating Israel and reducing the EU’s influence. 

US Corporate Media Erases Israeli Role in Rise of Hamas

Patrick O'Connor 19 December 2005


The US corporate media has started to examine Hamas’ victories in Palestinian municipal elections last Thursday. However, if The New York Times’ coverage is any indication, an honest evaluation of Israel’s role in increasing Hamas’ popularity is unlikely. Revelations over the last year have forced the US corporate media, with the New York Times at the forefront, to re-evaluate their role in promoting the Iraq war and occupation. Sadly, no such re-evaluation is underway with respect to Israel/Palestine. Israeli occupation, expansionism and human rights abuses still generally pass without comment. 

Breaking Down the Wall

Noura Khouri 19 December 2005


It is estimated that Israel’s Annexation Wall will be completed in the early part of 2006. When it is finished it will annex 47% of the West Bank, and hand it over to the settler population. At least 15% of Palestinians will be left outside the wall1, completely isolated from the rest of society, and over 222,098 refugees for the second or third times will experience, “land confiscation, destruction of property, and denial of access to their lands thus directly affecting their means of livelihood”2. In the end, it is not an over exaggeration to say that the entire Palestinian society will directly suffer by its completion, in addition to the seemingly unstoppable illegal Israeli practices that continue unhindered. 

Help EI Make Intelligent Noise

Ali Abunimah and Nigel Parry 19 December 2005


For four years, The Electronic Intifada has, with your support, worked to bring light to this darkness through award-winning original investigative reporting, sound analysis and features. At a time when the mainstream media’s attention is increasingly dominated by repetition of cliches and conventional wisdom, EI remains committed to making intelligent noise. In 2005, the Electronic Intifada saw over two million visitor sessions and the original material we produce continues to be picked up and used by journalists, activists and educators all over the world. 

Israeli warplanes strike on northern Gaza Strip

19 December 2005


Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have continued air strikes on the Gaza Strip, especially on its north. They have attacked a number of civilian facilities and agricultural areas. This escalation has come in the context of a plan made by the Israeli Ministry of Defense to respond to launching locally made rockets at Israeli towns located to the east of the Gaza Strip. PCHR is concerned that such attacks may endanger the lives of Palestinian civilians and destroy their property. On Sunday morning, 18 December 2005, IOF war planes launched 6 mock air raids on the same areas. They also attacked agricultural areas to the east of the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis. 

Latin American and Caribbean meeting on Palestine concludes with Caracas Declaration

13 December 2005


The Caracas Declaration, issued at the conclusion of the two-day United Nations Latin and Caribbean Meeting on the Question of Palestine in Caracas this afternoon, strongly condemned the continuing construction of the wall and the expansion of settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. The Declaration, which summarized the work of the Meeting, also condemned the recent resumption by Israel, the occupying Power, of military incursions and extrajudicial killings that threatened to unravel the fragile truce agreed to by Palestinian groups, provoked feelings of hatred and despair and undid what progress had already been achieved. 

Palestinian local elections: marked improvement, challenges remain

16 December 2005


“We have seen an impressive improvement in the organisation of the voting process during the fourth phase of local elections in the Palestinian Territories, compared to previous phases’, said Christopher Newbury, Head of the Council of Europe Congress Election Observation Mission, following the elections. “We are pleased that the Palestinian authorities have acted upon our recommendations”, he said, pointing out that two voter lists - based on the voter registration list and on the civil register - were replaced by only one electoral list, and that the question of overcrowding of polling stations has been efficiently addressed by breaking up large polling centres into smaller units. 

Racism in Israel

Savitri Groag 18 December 2005


In 2003, Susan Nathan moved from her comfortable home in Tel Aviv to Tamra, an Palestinian town in the northern part of Israel. Nathan had arrived in Israel four years earlier and had taught English and worked with various progressive social organizations. Her desire to help build a just and humane society in Israel took an unexpected turn, however, when she became aware of Israel’s neglected and often oppressed indigenous Palestinian population. Despite warnings from friends about the dangers she would encounter, Nathan settled in an apartment in Tamra. There she discovered a division between Israeli Jews and Palestinians as tangible as the concrete wall that surrounds the Palestinian towns of the West Bank and Gaza. 

Solana exposes European bias towards Israel once again

Arjan El Fassed 18 December 2005


The European Union threatened today to curb aid to the Palestinian Authority if Hamas wins next month’s Palestinian Legislative Council elections. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, following his recent shelving of a report critical of Israeli policies in Jerusalem, said during a visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories that if Hamas won the elections, it would be “very difficult that the help and the money that goes to… the Palestinian Authority will continue to flow”. Relations between Israel and the EU have warmed recently, with Israel agreeing to allow EU representatives to monitor the crucial Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. 

Lawsuit filed against Israeli General in U.S. Court for war crimes

15 December 2005


On December 15, 2005, in New York, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) served process papers on Lt. Gen. (ret.) Moshe Ya’alon, former Head of the Intelligence Branch and former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), for war crimes and other human rights violations. The class action lawsuit is in connection with the hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries in the 1996 shelling of a United Nations compound in Qana, in the south of Lebanon. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and process was served on the defendant this afternoon in Washington DC. The charges include war crimes, extrajudicial killing, crimes against humanity, and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. 

UN Latin American, Caribbean Meeting on Question of Palestine opens in Caracas

13 December 2005


Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the opening session of the UN Latin American and Caribbean Meeting on the Question of Palestine in Caracas this morning that Palestinians needed to know that the future viability of a Palestinian State would not be eroded by settlement activity and barrier construction; Israelis needed to be assured that their security would not be compromised by failure to act decisively against terror. Vice-Minister for External Relations of Venezuela Alcides Rondón said that today, there was a change in the international context, in which the least favoured countries and countries without a voice were beginning to exercise their inalienable rights. 

Israelis and Palestinians should accelerate peace efforts, Annan says

13 December 2005


With Palestinians and Israelis gearing up for their respective elections, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is urging both parties to accelerate existing efforts to build peace and mutual trust. “Their elections will have important repercussions on the peace process,” Mr. Annan said in a message to the United Nations Latin American and Caribbean Meeting on the Question of Palestine, being held in Caracas, Venezuela. But he added that the parties must act on their obligations under the Road Map, an outline peace plan which aims to achieve two States – Israel and Palestine – living side by side within secure and internationally recognized borders. 

Speakers at Caracas meeting explore situation in Occupied Palestinian Territory

13 December 2005


Coordinator, Israeli Committee against House Demolitions, Jerusalem, Jeff Halper, told participants this afternoon at the United Nations Latin American and Caribbean Meeting on the Question of Palestine, that given the facts on the ground, a two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was no longer viable. Israel’s unilateral moves created an illusion of a Palestinian State that would leave Israel in control. This afternoon’s session, part of a two-day meeting sponsored by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, heard presentations by experts on the question of Palestine. 

Paradise Now nominated for Golden Globes

Arjan El Fassed 14 December 2005


Yesterday at the Beverly Hilton, the motion picture ‘Paradise Now’ was nominated in the best foreign language film category for the 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards. The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards will take place Monday, January 16, 2006, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel with a live telecast airing on NBC. Last week, Philip Berk, President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced that sixty foreign language films have been qualified for the 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards. Earlier this week, it was announced that the film is a finalist for the Broadcast Film Critics Association award and has won the National Board of Review award. 

Olive harvest once again marred by settler violence

7 December 2005


During this year’s olive harvest, B’Tselem has once again documented attacks by settlers against Palestinian farmers and their property. In light of past experience, the Israeli security forces should have taken action in advance to protect the Palestinian harvesters. Instead, in many cases, IDF and police personnel have stood by and left the farmers to the mercy of their attackers, who sometimes even received assistance from security personnel. For example, on 9 November 2005, several female settlers arrived at an olive grove in the area of Ramallah and attempted to steal two bags of olives that had been harvested the same day. 

Letter: EU's Solana pushes cover-up of Jerusalem report

Ali Abunimah 13 December 2005


EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana successfully lobbied EU foreign ministers to suppress a report documenting the devastating effects of Israel’s separation wall and colonies in Occupied East Jerusalem. Solana argued that publishing the report would hurt Israeli sensitivities and would cause the EU to lose influence. Electronic Intifada co-founder, in a letter to Solana, argues that EU indulgence of Israel is like the action of “a person who provides an alcoholic with money for booze and a car to drive while drunk while saying that to do otherwise would offend the sensitivities of someone who is a great danger to himself and others.” 

Emergency Appeal targets $215 million for poorest Palestinians

8 December 2005


UN agencies and non-governmental organisations today are appealing for $215 million in emergency assistance for people in the occupied Palestinian territory. The reason for yet another Appeal in the occupied Palestinian territory - this is the fourth consecutive year - is because the humanitarian situation is largely unchanged. Poverty rates have increased in 2005 compared to 2004. Gaza, the northern and southern areas of the West Bank are the areas of most acute need. The Appeal is part of a global appeal of $4.7 billion launched by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, for 18 countries and regions facing humanitarian crises. 

Human Rights Day: Rule of law includes the right of return

10 December 2005


The right of refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes, lands and properties is a universal human right. The 2005 United Nations Principles of Housing and Property Restitution for Refugees and Displaced Persons reaffirm this right. The willingness of states to promote and facilitate the return of refugees and displaced persons is a key indicator of their respect for the rule of law. When Palestinian refugees and internally displaced talk about the right of return they are not asking for a special privilege. The Palestinian demand for the right of return is a demand for equal rights and application of the rule of law. Yet today, there is no law in Israel which constitutionally protects the right of equality for all. 

UNRWA inaugurates Saudi-funded Rafah Re-housing Project

11 December 2005


The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) today laid the cornerstone for the “Saudi Project to Rehouse Homeless Refugee Families”, funded through a generous contribution of $20 million from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This grant, administered by the Saudi Fund for Development through UNRWA, will cover the construction of new shelters for over 800 homeless refugee families, three schools, a health centre, a mosque, a community centre, a market area and all related infrastructure works. The project will help alleviate some of the hardship being felt in the Gaza Strip by providing several hundred thousand days of temporary employment. 

Commission contributes €14 million to the Euro-Palestinian Credit Guarantee Fund

13 December 2005


Today the Commission is signing its €14 million contribution to the newly established European-Palestinian Credit Guarantee Fund. The Guarantee Fund, led by the German Development Bank (KfW), will support Palestinian small and medium size enterprises’ financing from local banks in the form of soft loans and grants. This €29 million Fund will be made up of contributions from the Commission (€14 million), KfW (€5 million), and the European Investment Bank (EIB) (€10 million). In addition to the Fund’s capital, the financing partners are providing technical assistance to the European-Palestinian Credit Guarantee Fund and partner banks with a view to strengthening the financial sector in the Palestinian Territories. 

A Palestinian-Israeli Joint Declaration unveiled at World Bank conference on Economic Growth

13 December 2005


A group of Palestinian and Israeli private sector representatives presented today a joint Declaration at a Conference on “Promoting Economic Growth in the West Bank and Gaza through the Private Sector” in London. The conference was co-hosted by the World Bank and the United Kingdom Treasury. The Declaration identified priority areas, such as security, movement of goods, protection of investors, legal and regulatory reform and private sector participation in revitalizing the economy. The Working Group met for the first time last week in Jerusalem to discuss issues of common interest and develop a joint position on matters of economic development. 

Twenty countries pledge $73 million for UNRWA

6 December 2005


Twenty countries pledged approximately $73.5 million for the 2006 budget of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), during a meeting this morning of the General Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee for Voluntary Contributions. As he opened the meeting, General Assembly President Jan Eliasson ( Sweden) said the international community had spent 56 years seeking a lasting solution to the Palestine refugee situation and remained morally obliged to sustain that commitment. Indeed, the refugee population doubled every 20 years and had increased 500 per cent since UNWRA had begun its work. 

Al Jazeera reporter arrested in West Bank

2 December 2005


Reporters Without Borders has condemned the arrest of Palestinian journalist Awad Rajoub on 30 November 2005 at his home in Doura, 10 km from the West Bank city of Hebron. The organisation called on the Israeli military to explain why he is still being held. Rajoub reports for the Arabic-language website of the pan-Arab satellite television station Al Jazeera. “The Israeli army, which claims this has nothing to do with Rajoub’s work as a journalist, must say what it knows at once, otherwise there is no reason for holding him and he must be freed immediately,” the press freedom organisation said. Israeli soldiers took Rajoub’s computer and mobile phone when they arrested him. 

Former director of Israel's General Security Service sued in New York for death and injury of over 165 in Gaza

8 December 2005


The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) brought a class action lawsuit today against Avi Dichter, the former Director of Israel�s General Security Service (GSS), on behalf of the Palestinians who were killed or injured in a 2002 air strike in Gaza. The attack occurred just before midnight on July 22, 2002, when the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) dropped a one-ton bomb on al-Daraj, a residential neighborhood in Gaza City in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The attack killed seven adults and eight children, including plaintiff Ra�ed Matar�s wife and their three young children and plaintiff Mahmoud Al Huweiti�s wife and two of their young sons. It injured over 150 others, including plaintiff Marwan Zeino, whose spinal vertebrae were crushed. 

Haaretz.com runs ad discouraging Jewish abortions as "only solution" to Arab population growth

Nigel Parry 6 December 2005


In an incredible example of how acceptable even the most extreme manifestations of anti-Arab racism have become in Israel, the website of the leading English/Hebrew daily, Ha’aretz today ran a front page advertisement that warned: “If the Arab population in Israel will reach 40% the Jewish State will be nullified. For the only solution press here.” The link lead to the website of an Israeli group that campaigns against abortion and offers material and emotional support to pregnant mothers before and after their babies are born. 

A week of Palestinian calls for the release of the CPT hostages in Iraq

6 December 2005


Over the last week Palestinians from across the political spectrum have issued impassioned appeals and demonstrated for the release of the four Christian Peacemaker Team volunteers who were taken hostage in Iraq, three of whom had previously served in Palestine with CPT and ISM. Demonstrations calling for the release of the CPT volunteers were held in Hebron, At-Tuwani and Ramallah. More are planned over the next week in Nablus (tomorrow at 11am) and Ramallah (tomorrow at 4:30pm). 

WaPSR Delegation Diary 4: Hebron - Kiryat Arba settlement and the struggle for the heart of an ancient city

Bill Dienst Palestine 6 December 2005


After our visit with Elyakim Ha’itzni, we visit the gravesite of Dr. Baruch Goldstein. Dr. Goldstein was a physician born and raised in Brooklyn who became a Kiryat Arba settler. In 1994, he opened fire on Muslims worshiping at the mosque of Ibrahim, killing 29 worshippers and injuring more than 100, before he was bludgeoned to death by the crowd. In Kiryat Arba he is treated as a hero. Downtown Hebron looks like a ghost town. Yesterday, two Israeli soldiers were shot, so now the entire center of the city is under curfew and Palestinians cannot leave their homes. 

New documentary a family tale older than Israel itself

Jim Quilty 2 December 2005


Nizar Hassan’s latest documentary is a hybrid. Part oral history project, part detective story, Karem Abou Khalil (Abou Khalil Grove) tells one Palestinian family’s history from the Ottoman to the Israeli periods. It’s also an amused study of misplaced premises and faulty representation. It’s not a story of burning tires and bulldozed houses - a la Ijtiah, Hassan’s 2002 documentary on the Jenin invasion. It’s a family tale older than Israel, though its telling is fenced in by the tense courtesy of life under Israeli domination. 

General Assembly underscores need for international support to revitalize Middle East peace process

1 December 2005


The General Assembly today wrapped up its annual consideration of the question of Palestine and the situation in the wider Middle East, adopting six traditional resolutions, underscoring, above all, that sustained international involvement was urgently needed to support both the Palestinian and Israeli sides in revitalizing the peace process and towards the speedy resumption of negotiations leading to a final settlement. Convinced that achieving a final and peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine –- the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict –- was the key to stability in the Middle East, the Assembly adopted, by vote of 156 in favour to 6 against, a text stressing the need for Israel’s withdrawal from the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.