April 2006

World Health Organization: Life Quality Dramatically Deteriorated for Palestinians

Adri Nieuwhof 28 April 2006


In order to have a deeper understanding of the social suffering of the Palestinian people under occupation, a pilot Quality of Life study was undertaken by the World Health Organization - West Bank and Gaza and the Bir Zeit Institute of Community and Public Health in cooperation with the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. The investigation was completed one month before the Palestinian Legislative Council Elections on 25 January 2006. It can therefore be seen as a baseline study to measure the impact of the negative response of Israel and the West to the democratic victory of Hamas. Adri Nieuwhof looks at the survey. 

Seminar on Assistance to Palestinian People opens in Cairo, Secretary-General calls on international community to intensify support for Palestinians

26 April 2006


At the opening session of the United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he respected the decision of the Palestinian people in their election of a Palestinian Legislative Council and hoped the new Cabinet of the Palestinian Authority could address their aspiration for peace and statehood, as articulated by President Mahmoud Abbas. In a statement read out by Assistant-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Angela Kane, he called on both parties to work towards the implementation of the Access and Movement Agreement, and urged the international community to find ways of continuing and intensifying support for the Palestinian people. All must understand that the Palestinian Authority must provide the bulk of the basic services necessary to avert a humanitarian crisis. 

Cairo meeting addresses economic, humanitarian crisis in Palestinian Territory

26 April 2006


In his keynote address to the United Nations Seminar of Assistance to the Palestinian People this afternoon, Member of Palestinian Legislative Council Nabil Sha’ath said the new cabinet was willing to accept financial oversights or to have money transferred through President Abbas, but it could not accept the attempt to bypass the Palestinian Authority. 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 scope of the economic and humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. 

United Nations Seminar on Assistance to Palestinian People concludes

27 April 2006


United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Economic Affairs Officer Mahmoud ElKhafif said conflict, political instability, an elusive sovereignty and a policy of asymmetric containment had hampered the Palestinian Authority’s ability to ensure any governance, much less a corruption-free, best practice model. Speaking at the last panel discussion of the United Nations Cairo Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People, he said humanitarian relief and budget support were inadequate to reduce poverty and economic vulnerability under current conditions. Sustained economic recovery required either dismantling the politics of asymmetric containment or dealing with it as an external constraint in the short term while working towards its eventual elimination. 

Aid and the Palestine Financial Crisis: A viewpoint on an ongoing debate

Mohammed El-Samhouri 27 April 2006


The sudden ascent of Hamas to power after the January 25 parliamentary elections in the Palestinian Authority (PA) areas has put at risk two vital sources of Palestinian finance: an aid package by Western donors of about $1 billion a year in humanitarian, developmental and budgetary support; and a monthly transfer by Israel of about $55 million in customs and tax revenues that it collects on behalf of the PA. Preserving the status quo, where international aid and customs revenues transfers are maintained at their 2005 levels, would not prevent Palestinian economic conditions from deteriorating. 

I Complain, Therefore I Am

Laila El-Haddad Gaza City, Palestine 27 April 2006


I’m fairly certain I exist. Descartes tells me so, and before him, Ibn Sina. And when my son drags me out of bed to play with him in the pre-dawn hours, I really know I do. So you can imagine how distraught I was when my existence was cast into serious doubt by a major airline. sure enough, in the drop-down menu of countries, I found the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Isle of Man and even Tuvalu - but no Palestine. I was confused. Where in the world is Laila El-Haddad if not in Palestine, I thought? 

Gaza Strip Situation Report

26 April 2006


At just before 1pm today a suspect vehicle reportedly carrying explosives was apprehended by Palestinian security forces in close proximity to Karni terminal. Karni has now been closed and staff ordered to leave the crossing as investigations take place. As of 26 April, Karni crossing has been closed 55 days in 2006 (47% of the year). The crossing has been subject to periodic closure by the Israeli authorities since January 2006 on the grounds of security concerns. The extent of the recent closures is unprecedented when compared to a closure of 18% of the year in 2005 and 19% in 2004. 

Irish MP slams EU "hypocrisy," calls for suspension of EU-Israel agreement

26 April 2006


Commenting on a parliamentary question reply that he received from the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs in relation to the decision by the EU to block funding to the Palestinian National Authority, Irish MP and Sinn Féin Spokesperson on International Affairs Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh slammed the “on-going hypocrisy that characterises the positions taken by the EU in relation to the illegal occupation of Palestine,” and called on the European Union to “suspend preferential trade with Israel until such time as it renounces violence, recognises Palestine’s right to exist and accepts previous agreements and obligations.” 

Israeli attack: Extrajudicial killing of two Palestinians in Bethlehem

24 April 2006


On Sunday evening, 23 April 2006, Israeli armed forces extra-judicially executed two members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, in Bethlehem. Israeli forces also wounded and arrested a third member. Israel later claimed that one of the victims had died from his wounds following his evacuation to Hadasa Hospital in Jerusalem, but investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights refute this claim and prove that IOF executed the victim after his arrest. This latest attack comes after decisions taken by the Israeli political and military establishment to continue to target Palestinian activists. 

Abbas' Dangerous Game

Hasan Abu Nimah 26 April 2006


Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is playing a dangerous game, working at every level to undermine the democratically-elected Hamas administration in the Palestinian Authority. Hamas’ landslide election victory shocked the world and the Palestinian political establishment. Because Hamas won fair and square it has been hard for those unhappy with the result to overturn it outright. So a broad-based coalition of election result rejectionists presented Hamas with a long list of demands. That such a hostile siege and boycott should come from the usual suspects of Israel and its American and EU allies, as well as Kofi Annan’s discredited UN is no surprise in our unjust world. 

FAST Conference: Reconstruction of Memory

25 April 2006


Preservation projects can be as emblematic as the destruction that induces them. Construction can be used both to reinforce a violent separation of the built environment and destroy the fabric of a former life. The FAST conference on May 14 in Amsterdam will form an inquiry into the ways preservation projects are being appropriated by official institutions in order to promote ideological and political agendas. Some torn threads of antiquity include the destruction of Muslim history, religious monuments and buildings in Bosnia; the destruction of black history and heritage in South Africa under the apartheid regime; and the destruction and distortion of Palestinian past after the creation of the State of Israel. A poignant example of this eradication of local memory is the village of Lifta. 

Yes Mr. Solana, the EU has abandoned the Palestinian people

Ali Abunimah 25 April 2006


“Europe has always been at the forefront in defending Palestinian national aspirations.” So says Javier Solana, the European Union foreign policy chief. This used to be true, but Europe’s past record is now too threadbare to serve as a cloak for the scandalous bankruptcy of its present policies. The Palestinians are not in their predicament because of insufficient “technical assistance ” from EU bureaucrats, but because they live under a brutal foreign military occupation which they have few means to resist. True EU solidarity with the Palestinians, writes EI co-founder Ali Abunimah, would involve a total reversal of its current pro-Israeli approach. 

Trócaire seeks clarity from the Irish Government on aid to the Palestinian Authority

23 April 2006


Trócaire has written to the Department of Foreign Affairs to seek clarity on the Irish Government’s position with regard to the suspension of funding to the Palestinian Authority. It follows the European Union’s recent threat to freeze direct assistance to the Authority at a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg on 10 April. The European Council’s conclusions come at a time when Israel’s closure policies, particularly the restrictions on the movement of people and goods in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, are having a deep impact on social services and economic activity. 

Security Council warned of "dangerous deterioration" in Israeli-Palestinian conflict

24 April 2006


“We are witnessing a potentially dangerous deterioration of the situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Alvaro de Soto, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the Security Council in the monthly briefing on the issue. Israel has continued to “create facts on the ground” including settlement expansion and a route of the Barrier which deviates from the 1967 borders. The envoy warned that this raises “serious concerns” as to the possibility of achieving a viable and contiguous Palestinian State. “The first challenge is to stabilize the security environment, where the primary responsibility rests with the parties,” Mr. de Soto said. 

Review: "The Wall and the Checkpoints"

Maureen Clare Murphy 24 April 2006


In the near future, it would be worth doing a follow-up exhibition to The Wall and the Checkpoints, recently shown at the Darat al Funun in Amman, Jordan, which featured Palestinian artists’ work on that theme. To the individual fresh from the borders and checkpoints of the occupied Palestinian territories, the artwork already begs to be updated, for Israel’s grip there is becoming that more tight. Indeed, it is this timeliness that gives the work a sense of urgency. 

UN refugee report: Most protracted and largest of all refugee problems in the world remains unresolved

Arjan El Fassed and Laurie King 26 April 2006


As people return to former war zones, global numbers of refugees are falling. The most protracted and largest of all refugee problems in the world, however, remains unresolved, says UNHCR in a major report on refugees published on Wednesday. UNHCR’s report, “The State of the World’s Refugees: Human Displacement in the New Millennium,” examines the changing dynamics of displacement over the past half decade. In 2001, former UNHCR Commissioner Ruud Lubbers stated that it is neither morallly acceptable nor politically sustainable to ignore the plight of refugees who have been confined to small areas and a legacy of poverty for nearly four generations. 

Ehud Olmert's government accused of cynical maneuvering over "affirmative action" measures

21 April 2006


A fortnight before the elections, the Israeli government announced an “affirmative action” program to reverse discrimination against three groups - Arabs, Ethiopians and disabled people - in recruitment to the civil service.
The measures, announced on March 12 at the weekly cabinet meeting, will include creating 37 and a half jobs a year for the next three years in government ministries to be offered to Arab candidates “whenever possible”. A similar number of existing jobs in the various ministries will be made available to Arab candidates if vacancies arise. 

Land Day protests highlight Israel's continuing attempts at ethnic cleansing

21 April 2006


On 30 March, Palestinians across the Middle East staged demonstrations marking the 30th Land Day. Protests inside Israel have especial poignancy as the tragic event that Land Day commemorates occurred inside Israel, in the Galilee. In March 1976, the Israeli government under Yitzhak Rabin prepared to confiscate a swath of Arab farming land, following decades of similar expropriations, as part of renewed attempts at Judaising the Galilee (making it “more Jewish”). 

Extent of planned attack on Nazareth's Basilica of the Annunciation emerges weeks later

21 April 2006


Some weeks after the event was downplayed by the Israeli media, it was confirmed by police investigations that an attempt by an Israeli family to set off a large explosion in one of the Holy Land’s most sacred Christian sites, the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, had only narrowly been averted. After entering the church, the couple took up position in one corner while their daughter, Odelia, poured petrol on and around them. They then let off the sound bombs to terrify the congregation inside. When a church official tried to approach them, they doused him too in petrol and tried to set him on fire. 

The real meaning of deporting Hamas members of parliament

Jonathan Cook 21 April 2006


The policy of “hitnatkut”, or unilateral disengagement, developed by Ariel Sharon needed a swift facelift following the withdrawal of settlers from Gaza last year. And Israel’s prime minister-designate, Ehud Olmert, has found it in the related concept of “hitkansut”, variously translated as “convergence”, “consolidation” and “ingathering”. So convergence is usefully, and misleadingly, supplanting disengagement. Olmert’s consolidation, it is becoming clear, will embrace Palestinians too. 

Empty Pockets, Growling Stomachs in Gaza

Rami Almeghari 21 April 2006


Food for everybody in the world is a means to survive, to stay alive and maintain a normal, healthy life. But in Palestine, food has become increasingly hard to buy, as groceries and supermarkets have been unable to sustain the debts owed by their local customers. Because of a forced delay of more than 140,000 government employees’ salaries in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the customers have been unable to pay their supermarket tabs. Both grocers and customers have begun to complain about an increasing financial crisis due to such a delay. 

Terror and Occupation in Nablus

Linda Spence Nablus, Palestine 21 April 2006


17 April 2006 — This is just one personal account of a shocking situation I witnessed in in Nablus. In the week I have been here, Nablus and Balata refugee camp have been under regular daily and nightly attack from the IDF. All of the incursions have involved live ammunition, demonstrating little care for the hundreds of civilians in these highly populated areas. We recieved a call at 10 AM to say that a house in the center of Nablus has been occupied by the army, with the family held prisoner inside. 

The Little Mermaid on Highway Six: Rooting for ordinary Israelis to wake up

Deb Reich Palestine 21 April 2006


These are the thoughts that give me no rest, so that when a holiday comes around, as Passover did recently, I am unable to celebrate lightheartedly in the ordinary way. Occasionally, as I did this time, I go through the motions, but it seems obscene, somehow. I haven’t had a normal sort of holiday feeling in years. Lately, I finally figured out why. Going about your business as usual, insofar as possible, is an act of defiance when you’re being oppressed; but when you’re the oppressor, it’s an act of indifference. 

The West's strategy in Palestine will weaken civil society

Iain Guest 20 April 2006


The Palestinian group Hamas lost no time in approving Monday’s terrible suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, thus confirming the worst suspicions of the international community. But Western governments have still taken a huge gamble in withholding aid from the Hamas-controlled Palestinian National Authority. If past experience is any guide, the decision will fuel extremism, create a humanitarian crisis and also undermine Palestinian civil society, which has long been a voice for the rule of law in the Middle East. 

Punishing the Victim: Donors cutting aid to the PA

20 April 2006


Canada and the US, followed by the EU and Japan, have suspended their financial aid to the Palestinian Authority. This came in the wake of the Palestinian legislative council elections that were held last January, the resulting victory of Hamas that secured the movement a parliamentary majority, and the subsequent formation of the Palestinian government. These parties, in an attempt to compensate for their decision to cut aid to the PA, have decided to continue to provide humanitarian assistance through the United Nations and through NGO’s. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights outlines its position. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

20 April 2006


This week, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child in Beit Lahia. A Palestinian activist died from previous wounds. At least 40 Palestinians, including 19 children were wounded by Israeli gunfire. Israel continued to shell Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces conducted 35 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, particularly in Nablus. In these military raids, Israeli forces arrested 74 Palestinians, including 11 children. Israeli forces arrested wives and mothers of allegedly wanted Palestinians. Israeli forces turned ten Palestinian homes into military posts. Israel continues to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories. Settlers continue to attack Palestinian civilians and property. 

UN warns of humanitarian crisis in Palestine

20 April 2006


The current humanitarian emergency followed the outbreak of violence in September 2000 and is a result of restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement, military operations, land confiscation and levelling and the construction of the Barrier. A serious intensification of this situation is now possible following the victory of the Hamas party in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections held in January 2006. has stopped handing over to the PA VAT and customs taxes that it collects on Palestinian goods on its behalf. Recently however, the GoI has announced that it would use a proportion of this money to pay for electricity, water and fuel costs owed to Israeli companies. At the same time, Western donors signalled their intention to review their funding support to the PA. 

In the footsteps of his father

Rami Almeghari Gaza, Palestine 20 April 2006


8 April 2006—Last Saturday, crowds estimated at tens of thousands marched in the funeral procession of Eyad Abulineen, a Palestinian resistance fighter of Rafah, his 7-year old son Belal and four other people, who were all killed by Israeli missiles on Friday. Prior to heading to the Rafah cemetery east of the city, the crowd said a last farewell to their martyrs in a local mosque. Chanting angry slogans, with resistance fighters firing into the air, the crowd marched toward the cemetery, where the martyrs were laid to rest. 

Roger Waters Refuses to be Another Brick in Israel's Wall

19 April 2006


Ramallah — Reiterating his opposition to the Israeli occupation and expressing his support for the Palestinian people in “their struggle to be free,” the internationally renowned rock star Roger Waters has announced that he is relocating his Israel performance in recognition of the problematic nature of the previously planned Tel Aviv venue, particularly at a time when Israel is escalating its repression and apartheid designs to further dispossess, ghettoize and ultimately ethnically cleanse Palestinians from their homeland. 

Last chance for two states

Manuel Hassassian 19 April 2006


Monday’s suicide bombing in Tel Aviv rightly drew international condemnation, yet criticism of Israel’s relentless shelling of civilian population centres in the occupied Gaza Strip has been blocked by the US at the UN Security Council. This month alone, Israeli forces have killed more than 30 Palestinians, including at least six children, and injured 130 others, while about 200 shells have been fired into the Gaza Strip every day. As Israel’s illegal settlement and wall construction on occupied Palestinian land continues, the possibility of establishing a viable, territorially contiguous Palestinian state is being destroyed. “Permanent borders cannot be drawn by one party alone,” writes Manuel Hassassian. 

DCI/PS call to action on Palestinian Prisoners' Day

19 April 2006


17 April 2006 — It is a sad irony that Palestinian Prisoners’ Day comes this year as massive numbers of Palestinian children are being arrested and detained by Israeli forces. In the first quarter of 2006 alone, some 350 children were arrested — compared to around 700 child arrests in the whole of 2005. The vast increase in arrests is in turn leading to overcrowding in prisons as record numbers of juveniles are being held in unsuitable and unhygienic conditions. 

Palestinian refugees remain stranded on Jordan border

19 April 2006


About 150 Palestinians refugees fleeing from Iraq, including some 50 children, remain stranded near the Jordan-Iraq border, say aid officials. “The children are suffering due to a lack of protection and food,” said Ahmed Barak, a volunteer for the Iraqi Aid Association. “Medical provision in the area is very poor.” The refugees, many of whom fled their homes in Iraq in the wake of a recent spate of anti-Palestinian violence, have been waiting for Amman’s permission to enter the kingdom since 4 April. According to Barak, the International Committee for the Red Cross and the Iraq Red Crescent Society have been providing refugees with food, blankets and tents. Barak added, however, that their situation could worsen if no action is taken by the Jordanian or Iraqi governments. 

Dire situation for hospital, says director of Augusta Victoria in Jerusalem

18 April 2006


The international community’s financial boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority will likely lead to a humanitarian crisis, said Dr. Tawfiq Nasser, CEO of Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem. Speaking in a presentation in early April to staff of Lutheran World Relief, a U.S.-based member of the global alliance of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, Nasser said, “The Palestinian Authority operates many activities for the people – it’s very different from other governments in that it’s actually a deliverer of services. So refusing to pay money to the Palestinian Authority is creating a major humanitarian disaster, removing the biggest provider of healthcare to the Palestinian people.” Nearly 70 percent of Palestinians are insured by the government’s health insurance program, Nasser said. 

Compensation package for farmers urgently needed

12 April 2006


John Ging, Director of UNRWA’s Gaza Field Office, highlighted that “a compensation package is urgently needed for the hundreds of families whose livelihoods have been wiped out by bird flu.” Mr. Ging visited Juhr El-Deik Municipality, at the invitation of the Mayor, to meet with refugee farmers whose chickens have been culled due to recent outbreaks of avian influenza within the Gaza Strip. The culls were ordered and carried out by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. 

Security Council speakers, alarmed by escalating violence, urge Israeli, Palestinian restraint, return to peace process (2/2)

16 April 2006


With tensions escalating in the Middle East, Israeli and Palestinian diplomats both deplored the killing of innocents while trading accusations on the causes of the violence during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which heard from over 30 participants but did not pronounce itself on the issue. Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Observer for Palestine, said the Security Council has a “clear responsibility” concerning the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and praised the convening of the debate, given the deteriorating situation on the ground. “It is unfortunate that the Security Council has failed to shoulder its responsibility over this very grave situation,” he said. 

Security Council speakers, alarmed by escalating violence, urge Israeli, Palestinian restraint, return to peace process (1/2)

16 April 2006


With tensions escalating in the Middle East, Israeli and Palestinian diplomats both deplored the killing of innocents while trading accusations on the causes of the violence during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which heard from over 30 participants but did not pronounce itself on the issue. Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Observer for Palestine, said the Security Council has a “clear responsibility” concerning the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and praised the convening of the debate, given the deteriorating situation on the ground. “It is unfortunate that the Security Council has failed to shoulder its responsibility over this very grave situation,” he said. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

12 April 2006


This week, Israeli forces killed 19 Palestinians, including three children. Ten of them, including a man, his child and two brothers were killed in an extrajudicial execution. At least 94 Palestinians, including 32 children were wounded by Israeli gunfire. Israel continued to shell Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip, particularly the northern area. Israeli forces conducted 27 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, concentrated mainly in Nablus. At least 70 Palestinians, including five children and a girl, were arrested by Israel, while seven Palestinian homes were turned into military posts. Israeli forces busted into al-Ahli hospital in Hebron and arrested injured Palestinians. Israel continued to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories. 

The New York Times Whitewashes the Israeli Takeover of East Jerusalem

Patrick O'Connor 17 April 2006


Despite a practiced guise of objectivity, the US corporate media’s reporting on Israel/Palestine is dominated by the Israeli narrative. An April 16, 2006 feature article by Steven Erlanger, The New York Times’ Jerusalem Bureau Chief, “Jerusalem, Now” in the Times’ Sunday Travel section exemplifies how seemingly professional journalistic standards can mask insidious biases and misinform readers. Erlanger, guided around Jerusalem by Israelis, omits Israeli violence, stereotypes Palestinians, whitewashes Israeli settlements and covers up Israeli efforts to take over East Jerusalem. 

Young Boston Jews hold Passover seder outside AIPAC, JCRC offices

Hannah Mermelstein 17 April 2006


On Tuesday, April 11, at 5:00 pm, 20 young Jewish people gathered for a seder (traditional celebration of Passover) outside 126 High Street in Boston, the building that houses the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Boston’s Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). The group expressed their support for Palestinian human rights and opposition to AIPAC’s and JCRC’s unquestioning support for Israel and its governmental policies. With a banner that read “Passover means liberation for all. Justice for Palestine,” they conveyed the message to the organizations inside and to the media that AIPAC and JCRC do not speak for all Jews. 

WaSPR Delegation Diary 10: Two Traumatized Peoples: Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial

Bill Dienst East Jerusalem 17 April 2006


Friday, March 11, 2005, Jerusalem — Peter and I head out and descend the stairs into Damascus Gate. We climb our way through the Labyrinthine Old City and wind up at Jaffa Gate at the Green Line, the border between Jordanian and Israeli controlled Jerusalem prior to 1967. We hail a taxi and head for Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in West Jerusalem. We pass the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and then Hebrew University. To understand the sentiments of “Never Again!” and gain insights on the modern Jewish state’s obsession with security, it is essential to visit this place. 

As always, the dilemma...

Adam Keller 17 April 2006


One o’clock. In the noon news magazine on the radio, the commentator speaks in a rather bored way of the ongoing army raid into Nablus, words nearly identical to the reports of yesterday and of last week: “The Palestinians claim that the boy shot in central Nablus was unarmed… The soldiers assert that they had shot only at armed militants, as per orders…” Suddenly: “We interrupt this report. A large explosion just occurred at the Old Central Bus Station in Tel-Aviv. Dozens of casualties. Stand by for further details.” 

Hamas Being Forced To Collapse

Sam Bahour 17 April 2006


The greater fear is that if the U.S. and Israel are successful in collapsing the Hamas government and Hamas in turn decides to abandoned democratic means to express itself, we will be back where we started from, suicide bombings killing innocents and setting the agenda from outside any known political framework. Does this serve U.S. and Israeli interests? We are all wondering! Sam Bahour, a Palestinian-American businessman living in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian city of El-Bireh, the sister city of Ramallah, comments. 

Romantic moments under artillery

Sami Abu Salem Gaza, Palestine 18 April 2006


The charming fragrance of lemon filled the area when my wife and I were on the roof enjoying the warm breeze last night in Jabalia Refugee Camp, north of Gaza. My wife, Suha, was happy with the scene of the moon in the middle of the partially cloudy sky and the aura of sanctity. Suha’s eyes were glittering and her beautiful smile was shining in the middle of darkness. We were chatting and exchanging jokes. The innocent laughs of my wife added a special taste to the romantic moment. Suddenly, the explosions literally rocked the ground of my apartment building. The Israeli artillery shot tens of rockets on “unoccupied areas!” 

Whats mine is mind

Chris Brown Hebron 18 April 2006


“But I don’t know what my parent’s village looks like,” said Hammad, a young, energetic Palestinian boy who lives in Al Fawwar Refugee camp located near Hebron. I came to the camp at the invitation of a friend from The British Council to do a workshop on playwriting. Hammad along with 17 other young boys gathered at the cultural center to participate. I told the children about my own exposure to theatre and the power of it. Especially, protest theatre. Growing up in Apartheid South Africa, I could never go to the White areas to see productions. However, a man who performed all over the Cape Province, in various townships and squatter camps happened to be in our township. 

EI speaks about developments in Palestine on Flashpoints

12 April 2006


Israel continues to pound Palestinians trapped inside the occupied Gaza strip with 300 tank shells a day. Flashpoints speaks with Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada about the current situation in the Gaza Strip and the unraveling disaster in Palestine. Since the beginning of this year, 15 Palestinian children have been killed in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including eight from the Gaza Strip. Four of the eight were passers by - killed in Israeli extra-judicial assassination attempts against Palestinian activists; two Gaza children were killed by gunfire; one by unexploded ordinance while Hadeel, who was killed on Monday by Israeli artillery fire, is the eighth Gaza child to die so far this year. 

Médecins Sans Frontières refuses to be a "social palliative" of EU and US policies

12 April 2006


Médecins Sans Frontières considers the reallocation of funds for the PA to the UN and other international relief agencies so that they can offset the human and social consequences of sanctions unacceptable. “Although it is up to governments to decide whether to suspend aid, humanitarian actors cannot be ‘social palliative’ of retaliatory measures that impact on the entire population,” the medical relief agency said. “Humanitarian aid actors do not have the competence, the means or the responsibility to act as a substitute for the Palestinian Authority, to ensure provision of social services, to run ministries or public systems or to pay civil servants. It is not the role of humanitarian aid agencies to ensure that the basic needs of the civilian populations living in the occupied Territories are covered.” 

Another innocent child dies in Israeli bombardment of northern Gaza

11 April 2006


At 5.30pm on Monday 10 April 2006, at least six artillery shells fired by the Israeli military fell on the family house of Mohammed Rabe’eya Ghaban in Beit Lahiya, in the north of the Gaza Strip. Shrapnel from the shells pierced the skull of Mohammed’s eight-year old daughter Hadeel, killing her instantly. The shelling also resulted in the injury of eight other family members, including Hadeel’s brothers and sisters: Rawan Ghaban (18 months); Rana Ghaban (3); Munir Ghaban (4); Amneh Ghaban (9); Ghassan Ghaban (11); Bassam Ghaban (15) and Tahrir Ghaban (17). 

Food crisis again threatening Gaza, with crossing to Israel closed

11 April 2006


With the Karni commercial crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip still closed, a senior official of the main United Nations agency helping Palestinian refugees warned that the clock is ticking toward a dangerous lack of basic food. “If Karni remains closed, we are, once again, counting down to a food crisis,” said John Ging, Director of Gaza Operations for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), on which 765,000 refugees depend for flour, oil, sugar and other basic items. “The clock is now ticking and distribution will have to be shut down entirely for the second time in less than a month if the crossing does not open immediately,” he added. 

Made in Palestine NY Exhibit extended following 3,364 visitors in 3 weeks

10 April 2006


April 11th, 2006 — Organizers of the Made in Palestine exhibit announced today that the New York show will be extended until May 27th, after seeing 3,364 visitors pass through the Chelsea exhibit, in the heart of New York’s art world, during the first three weeks. Made in Palestine is the first museum quality exhibition devoted to the contemporary art of Palestine to be held in the United States. It is a survey of work spanning three generations of Palestinian artists who live in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, the Galilee, Syria, Jordan, and the United States. 

UN agency paints grim health scenario of possible cut-off of funds to Palestinians

7 April 2006


The Palestinian public health system faces a rapid decline towards possible collapse, with limited or no access to preventive and curative services for nearly half the population, particularly the poor, in the event of a cut-off in donations and an Israeli suspension of tax transfers, according to the United Nations health agency. Control and management of the public health system would shift away from the public sector to non-government organization (NGOs), UN agencies system and the private sector under the scenario developed by the UN World Health Organization (WHO). Analyzing the consequences of a cut-off after the election victory of Hamas, WHO said the public health system would suffer acute financial crisis. 

Oxfam criticizes EU decision to suspend aid to Palestinian Authority

9 April 2006


EU foreign ministers have agreed on a freeze of EU aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, according to newswire reports. Ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday (10 April) decided to continue the European Commission’s temporary suspension of payments to the Hamas-led government in the Palestinian territories. The commission announced the suspension on Friday (7 April). In a letter to the Middle East Quartet, Oxfam warned that Palestinians are on the edge of survival. It said that “one in four people depend on aid. Three in four live on 2 dollars a day. Their plight will worsen, if donors stop giving aid to the Palestinian Authority.” 

HRW: "Jordan should open its border to Palestinian refugees fleeing Iraq"

7 April 2006


Jordan should immediately reopen its border to Palestinian refugees fleeing violence in Iraq, Human Rights Watch said today. The international community should assist Jordan by offering to resettle these Iraqi Palestinian refugees in third countries acceptable to them. On April 4, a group of 35 Iraqi Palestinians arrived at the border, fleing from Baghdad, adding to the 94 Iraqi Palestinians already stranded on the Iraqi side of the border. They have fled lethal violence and threats to their lives in Baghdad, where they have lived for decades. The refugees told Human Rights Watch that they fled after seeing scores of their compatriots killed in Baghdad in recent months. 

ICRC concerned over deteriorating situation in occupied Palestinian territory

10 April 2006


The director of operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Pierre Krähenbühl, has just ended a week-long visit to Israel and the occupied and autonomous Palestinian territories. Under International Humanitarian Law, it is the responsibility of the State of Israel to ensure that the basic needs of the civilian population in the occupied territories are met. These needs include foodstuffs, medical supplies, means of shelter and other essentials. Moreover, the law requires all States party to the Geneva Conventions to allow the free passage of essential humanitarian supplies. 

Book Review: American author's debut novel, "The Woman I Left Behind"

Maureen Clare Murphy 9 April 2006


Khalid and Irene are like two tectonic plates - when friction arises between them, their relationship is shaken to its core. Coming from two separate experiences - American Irene, who lived a privileged East Coast childhood, and Palestinian Khalid, who lost nearly all of the significant people in his life to war — the two come together with great passion that later gives way to uncertainty and distrust, shaking their faith in each other. Their rocky journey towards mutual trust is at the center of Kim Jensen’s debut novel The Woman I Left Behind. 

Israel's Elections: A Decisive Vote for Apartheid

Omar Barghouti 9 April 2006


“Israel votes for disengagement and final borders” and “Israelis abandon the dream of Greater Israel” were the main themes in the spin that characterized mainstream, even some progressive, media coverage of the Israeli parliamentary elections which took place on March 28. In reality, the election results revealed that a consensus has emerged among Israeli Jews, not only against the basic requirements of justice and genuine peace, as that was always the case, but also in support of a more aggressive form of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and cementing Zionist apartheid. 

Just another Gaza Friday

Laila El-Haddad Gaza, Palestine 9 April 2006


I’ve always loved Fridays in Gaza. In the mornings, save for the lone garbage collector futilely sweeping the abandoned streets and Municipality park, littered with plastic cups, watermelon seeds, and strangled straws from the night before, the hustle and bustle of the city comes to a standstill. It is a serene if lethargic time, an escape from the sea of chaos, uncertainty and violence that grips our lives each waking day and night. For a few hours, things seem ordinary in a place where ordinary is an illusion. 

Highest rate of Palestinians killed in Gaza since Israeli redeployment

9 April 2006


Over a 36-hour period this weekend, the Gaza Strip witnessed the highest rate of fatalities than any other time since the implementation of the Israeli Disengagement Plan in September 2005. Following the extrajudicial killing of five Palestinians in Rafah, Israeli occupying forces committed two further executions in the Gaza Strip, killing 8 Palestinians. On Sunday mroning, a Palestinian civilian was killed as a result of continuous Israeli artillery shelling on the northern part of the Gaza Strip. This brings the total number of Palestinian casualties in the last two days to 14 and the number of injured to 30. 

Israeli attacks on Gaza: Extrajudicial killings

8 April 2006


On April 7, Israeli forces killed five Palestinians, including a child. Israel intensified shelling of Palestinian populated areas with fighterjets, gunboats and tanks. Israel continues to impose a siege on the Gaza Strip. Israeli aircrafts launched three missiles at a civilian car in Muwasai, Rafah. The missiles hit the car when members of the Popular Resistance Committees were about to enter the car. One of them was accompanied by his two children, Bilal and Mohammed. He, his child and one of his bodyguards were killed immediately. Shrapnel from the missiles also killed two others members. Six others, including two children were injured. 

African National Congress: An Inspiration for Palestinians

Bangani Ngeleza and Adri Nieuwhof 9 April 2006


On March 28, Rifat Odeh Kassis wrote here that a different political body must be build to represent the Palestinian people everywhere. “A body, which will reorganise the Paletinian struggle to achieve its aims. A body which will represent and use all political parties, civil society structures, NGOs, trade unions and individuals and organize their efforts internally and externally.” Bangani Ngeleza and Adri Nieuwhof write about the history of the struggle for freedom and democracy of the South African National Congress (ANC) in order to inspire Palestinians to explore new strategies. 

In deteriorating security environment, Palestinian refugees flee Iraq's capital

5 April 2006


The Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration is preparing an emergency plan to assist Palestinians living in Iraq, many of whom have been the victims of violence or have received recent death threats, according to ministry official Farhan Obaid. “We’ve been informed by international and local NGOs of their current situation,” said Obaid. “We’re dealing with the problem and we’ll try to prevent more Palestinians from being displaced or killed.” The step is being taken after international aid agencies and local NGOs expressed concern over the plight of Palestinian expatriates, many of whom have lived in Iraq for decades. 

I will not be silenced

Fadi Kiblawi 7 April 2006


“Last week, Hillel Director Robert Fishman sent an organizational e-mail over the Hillel listserv accusing me of being a terrorist,” writes GW law student Fadi Kiblawi, “The claims include that I have ‘led chants (of) ‘Death to Jews.’” In this contribution to EI, Kiblawi, a leading advocate of divestment from Israel, demands an apology for these falsehoods, calumny and intimidation, and warns he will take legal action to clear his name against those who launched this scurrilous campaign. He affirms that he and other students who insist on open debate about how to confront Israel’s human rights abuses will not be silenced. 

UN: "More Palestinians leave Baghdad for border"

4 April 2006


Over the weekend, another 35 Palestinians decided to flee insecurity in Baghdad and travelled to the Iraq-Jordan border to join a group of 94 others who arrived there 10 days ago. On Saturday, a group of 25 including 2 children travelled twelve hours from Iraq’s dangerous capital to the border, while on Monday an additional 10 people, three adults and seven children, also made it to the border. None of the 35 was allowed access into Jordan. UNHCR staff in Baghdad spent several hours on the phone convincing Iraqi officials to allow the 35 to join the other 94 Palestinians near the Trebil border point just inside Iraq, which in the end was allowed. 

Land Day 2006: "From Lid to Halhoul, from Ramle to Jenin"

Gabriela Becker Lid 4 April 2006


March 30 marked the 30th commemoration of Land Day throughout Palestine, in the Palestinian Diaspora, and internationally. This year’s central demonstration was held in Lid, near the Palestinian coast, occupied in 1948 when the majority of the people of Lid were expelled by the Zionist forces, thus made into refugees, awaiting return. Today, Palestinians in Lid face continued and escalating Israeli policies of ethnic cleansing. 

Another extrajudicial execution: Israel assassinates leader of Aqsa Brigades

3 April 2006


On Monday morning, 3 April 2006, Israeli occupying forces extra-judicially executed the leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, in Beit Sahour town in the West Bank. Another Palestinian was injured and arrested by Israeli occupying forces. This latest attack comes following decisions taken by the Israeli political and military establishments to continue to target Palestinian activists. Israeli occupying forces moved into Beit Sahour near Bethlehem, surrounded an apartment building, stormed in and opened fire. The blew open a door of one of the flats and killed Ra’ed Mohahmmed ‘Ebayat and wounded Ra’ed Suleiman al-Jawarish with two bullets in his shoulder and foot. 

Middle East parties must prevent crises in Palestinian territories: UN official

29 March 2006


Recognizing serious differences between Israel and the Palestinian Authority as they transition to new governments, a United Nations political official today called on both sides to keep the plight of residents of Gaza and the West Bank from deteriorating, as he briefed the Security Council on developments in the Middle East. “Despite the gulf between the parties, they and the international community share a common interest and duty to prevent a security or humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory,” said Tuliameni Kalomoh, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

30 March 2006


This week Israeli occupying forces killed five Palestinians, including a child. Israeli forces carried out an extra-judicial execution. Israeli gunfire wounded at least 18 Palestinians. Israeli forces continued to shell Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces conducted 27 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. At least 44 Palestinians, including four children, have been arrested by Israel. Israeli forces have turned six Palestinian homes into military sites. Israel continued to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories. Kalandia checkpoint has been turned into a border corssing. Israel continued to construct the Separation Wall in the West Bank.