October 2006

UN agency concludes operation to feed 810,000 mostly displaced people

31 October 2006


The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today wrapped up a successful three-month operation in Lebanon to feed over 810,000 people displaced or otherwise affected by this summer’s fighting between Israel and Hizbollah, providing nearly 13,000 tons of food throughout the country. “The Lebanese government will take care of the few remaining pockets that may need some assistance to secure their basic food needs, but for WFP our mission is complete,” the agency’s emergency coordinator for Lebanon, Zlatan Milisic, said. 

Senior UN envoy for Lebanon 'particularly disturbed' by Israeli over-flights of Beirut

31 October 2006


A senior United Nations envoy today expressed serious concern at continuing Israeli over-flights of Lebanon, especially intensive mock air raids over Beirut this morning, calling them a breach of the Security Council resolution 1701, which ended this summer’s conflict with Hizbollah. Senior UN envoy Geir Pederson noted in his latest report to the Council on Lebanon that Israeli over-flights have continued since the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hizbollah on 14 August. 

Israeli court issues home demolition orders without presence of affected families

31 October 2006


According to a new report issued by the human rights organization Adalah, the ease with which the state (Israel) obtains ex parte orders for home demolitions from the Beer el-Sabe Magistrate Court, without the presence of the affected families, is a dangerous phenomenon. The state is exploiting legal procedures in order to compel residents of the unrecognized Arab Bedouin villages in the Naqab to evacuate their homes and villages and to relocate to government-planned towns. 

Analysis: The wait for Al-Jazeera's international channel

Steve Metcalf 31 October 2006


It is still not known when Al-Jazeera’s long-awaited English-language news channel will launch. First mooted in 2004, Al-Jazeera International (AJI) initially had a target launch date of late 2005. But despite regularly announcing the signing up of star names such as David Frost and Rageh Omaar, the launch date kept slipping. It is now thought that it may go on air sometime during November. One of the reasons cited for the delay is the ambitious technical nature of the project. During a 24-hour cycle the channel plans to broadcast for four hours from its Kuala Lumpur bureau, 11 hours from its base in Doha, five hours from London and four hours from Washington. 

Book Review: Ramzy Baroud's "The Second Palestinian Intifada"

Remi Kanazi 31 October 2006


Over the last five years, the Palestinian people have faced a host of obstacles in their fight for sovereignty, preventing them the opportunity to create a life those in the Western world brag about. A principal impediment facing the Palestinian struggle today is the constant reaffirmation that the Palestinian people — deemed by Israel and the US — are “terrorists,” “militants,” or animalistic beings lesser than those of the “civilized world.” In Ramzy Baroud’s new book, The Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of People’s Struggle, this myth is shattered. 

Photostory: Climbing the Hill to Jerusalem and Bethlehem

Bill Dienst East Jerusalem, West Bank 31 October 2006


Central Tel Aviv along the beach seems like such a relaxed and cosmopolitan place. From here one can ignore the cataclysmic events taking place to the north in Lebanon, to the south in Gaza, to the east in the West Bank and even further to the east in Iraq. I feel tempted to just go swimming here in the Mediterranean Sea, let my feet nourish the sand, and just relax on this beach to work on my tan. It would be easy to remain oblivious here in Tel Aviv to all the turmoil surrounding us here, but I must move on. I board the bus to Jerusalem, which is filled to capacity, and plop myself on the floor in the back, surrounded by young IOF soldiers. 

Palestinian Brain Drain

Rima Merriman 31 October 2006


Since Oslo, the Palestinians have been trying to establish and build sustainable institutions that would form the basis of an independent state. This necessitates investment by Palestinians in the diaspora both in terms of money and skills. Such a vital objective for Palestinians is now being severely undermined by the insistence of Israel and western countries on isolating and starving the Hamas-led Palestinian government that came into power in January 2006 after fair and democratic elections. Israel is currently withholding from the Palestinian Authority millions in Palestinian funds it has collected in the form of taxes and custom duties. 

"Popcorn" bombs: The casualties continue

Imad Martada south Lebanon 30 October 2006


Yasmine is 11 years old, from a small village in the south of Lebanon and a good tour guide around her family’s garden as she shows you the remaining unexploded cluster bombs. Two to give a count — one is hiding high in the grape vine and the other next to a little rock. They look nonthreatening, just little odd metal canisters calling to be removed. But Yasmine is good at protecting you. She firmly asks you not to touch them nor get close to them, only to laugh later as she teases you that you can never know when the one on the grape vine would fall, “so you’d better be ready to run”. 

Online Exhibition: Memorial of the 50th Anniversary of the Kafr Qasem Massacre

Samia A. Halaby 30 October 2006


Fifty years ago, on October 29, 1956, 49 Palestinian residents of Kafr Qasem were murdered by Israeli border police who at that time were officially attached to the military. Countless more were wounded and left bleeding and unattended. Their families were unable to offer aid because of a 24-hour curfew lasting for some two days and three nights. Violation of the curfew was punishable by death. In the following two days (while the families were thus imprisoned in their homes) the Israelis unceremoniously buried the victims without permission or the presence of witnesses. 

Spanish aid worker kidnapped in Gaza

30 October 2006


Unknown gunmen have on Monday afternoon, kidnapped a Spanish aid worker named Roberto Vila Xesto in the central Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses told Ma’an’s reporter that the Spanish citizen was accompanying another aid worker, Celine Gagne, and an interpreter in a car travelling on Salahaddin Street, in Deir al-Balah in the middle of the Gaza Strip, when a number of gunmen blocked the way and kidnapped him, taking him from the car. Vila Xesto, 34, from Ourense in Galicia, is in Gaza working for the institution “Cooperacion por la Paz” [Cooperation for Peace], which works closely with the International Committee of the Red Cross. 

Gaza's medical lifeline cut by border closures

30 October 2006


Hopes that the single border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt would reopen and bring relief to hundreds of Gazan medical patients have been dashed after reports of an imminent Israeli attack on the border were met by the deployment of thousands of Egyptian troops to the area. Maariv, an Israeli daily newspaper, reported on 27 October that the Israeli government had discovered tunnels allegedly used by Palestinian militants to smuggle weapons from Egypt to the Gaza Strip. It said the Israeli government planned to attack the border region with precision-guided rockets. 

Destruction and displacement hamper vaccination campaign

30 October 2006


The destruction in villages and displacement of residents in southern Lebanon from the recent war posed problems for medical volunteers on the first day of a national emergency polio immunisation campaign for children on Monday. “Usually, we would know exactly where to go to immunise the children,” said nurse Nawal Saab, a member of one of the teams carrying out door-to-door immunisations in Bint Jbeil, 110 km south of Beirut. “This year, because so many houses have been destroyed and so many families have had to move in with relatives, outreach has been rendered more complicated.” 

Photostory: Each Friday in Bil'in

Bill Dienst Bilin, West Bank 29 October 2006


I travel from Ramallah in a group taxi with several activists affiliated with the International Solidarity Movement to the agricultural village of Bil’in. We are here with Israeli activists as well. All of the major Israeli peace and justice groups are with us today, along with prominent members of their leadership. Peace Now (Gush Shalom), Rabbis for Human Rights, Israeli Anarchists against the Wall, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, Ta’ayush and There is a Law (Yesh-Din). This latter group was formed to document violence that settlers commit against Palestinians so that they can be prosecuted. 

Is Al-Jazeera International losing its Arab identity?

Khalid Amayreh 29 October 2006


As al-Jazeera Arab satellite television channel is celebrating its tenth anniversary, with achievements unprecedented in the history of Arab media, al-Jazeera International (AJI) which encompasses al-Jazeera.net/English plus the yet-to-be launched al-Jazeera English TV, is slowly but definitely losing its original Arab identity. Indeed, a fleeting look at AJI’s English website these days would be sufficient to make one realize how far and deep the Qatari-based media outlet has departed from its original defining character. 

UN lays out function of office for Palestinians to claim damages from Israeli barrier

27 October 2006


The United Nations has established the institutional framework for a registry of damages incurred by Palestinians to their homes, business and agricultural holdings as result of Israel’s construction of a barrier in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a report released today. The purpose of the “Register of Damage” is to document damages for possible future international adjudication, not to settle claims, he said in the report to the UN General Assembly. 

Refusenik Omri Evron: "Why I can't become a soldier in the IDF"

Amir Tibon 28 October 2006


Omri Evron, a 19-year-old from Tel-Aviv, is weeks away from earning his B.A. in ethical philosophy from the Tel-Aviv University. Omri is considered a criminal by Israeli authorities because he refused to enlist to the Israeli military, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). National military service is compulsory for all Jewish citizens of Israel, which means every Jewish Israeli must enlist in the IDF at the age of 18. But Omri Evron decided early on at the age of 16 that he would not become “a soldier in the forces of the occupation”. He reached this decision after many visits to the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT). 

West Bank under lockdown

28 October 2006


The number of roadblocks and checkpoints in the West Bank has risen by 40 per cent since the start of 2006, with 528 permanent and temporary checkpoints and physical roadblocks disrupting all aspects of Palestinian life, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Jerusalem. In addition to stifling Palestinians’ ability to work, these obstacles are causing increasing desperation among the population. “My city is nothing more than a big prison,” said Tamer Mohammed, a 26-year-old Nablus Municipality employee. 

Settlers attack Palestinian olive harvesters, soldiers stand by

26 October 2006


Today (Thursday, October 26), Hashem Abu-Akel from the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron went to harvest his olive trees. Usually settlers prevent him from reaching these trees, so Abu-Akel coordinated his arrival in advance with Israeli security forces. Some 20 minutes before Abu-Akel was to begin work, the soldiers had yet to arrive. B’Tselem called the Israeli DCO in Hebron to warn them that Abu-Akel had no escort. The Deputy Head of the DCO promised that representatives of the Israeli Civil Administration would come to the grove. 

Why I came to Nablus, despite my family's pleas to stay away

Michael Phillips Nablus, West Bank 26 October 2006


When I finished teaching my English class in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Nablus a week ago, the most pressing thing on my mind was getting to an Internet cafe to check my e-mail. It’s impossible to walk the streets of this crowded city without running into someone you know. Had I realized what was in store for me that night, I might have lingered with the friends who insisted I join them for a cup of coffee. Instead, I hurried on my way. But before I could get to the cafe, I was grabbed by two men, forced into a car and driven off. 

Christian Zionism: An Egregious Threat to Middle East Understanding

26 October 2006


Christian Zionism, a belief that paradise for Christians can only be achieved once Jews are in control of the Holy Land, is gathering strength in the United States and forging alliances that are giving increasingly weird shape to American policy toward the Middle East. The nature of the movement and its detrimental impact on policy was the subject of the 22nd Capitol Hill public hearing presented by the Council for the National Interest yesterday. 

Book Review: The Persistence of the Palestinian Question

Sally Bland 26 October 2006


Joseph Massad’s new book THE PERSISTENCE OF THE PALESTINIAN QUESTION comprises a collection of essays that address the question of Palestine from a number of new angles, covering a broad spectrum of fields in which history is made — official politics, sexual politics, popular resistance, national and social struggle, demography, ideology and state repression. In this review, Sally Bland writes that Massad recognises that the “peace process” has been a disaster for Palestinians, but rather than merely bemoaning this outcome, he seeks the roots of the problem, delving into awkward corners that most prefer to ignore. 

UN commander holds 'productive' talks on securing final Israeli withdrawal

26 October 2006


The acting head of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon today held further “productive” talks with senior Lebanese and Israeli officers aimed at securing Israel’s speedy withdrawal from the last position it occupies in the south of the country after this summer’s war with Hizbollah. “Minor administrative issues with relation to Ghajar residents are still pending, and UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) hopes they will be solved at the next meeting early next week,” the Mission said in a statement. 

Barred from Contact: Violation of the Right to Visit Palestinians Held in Israeli Prisons

26 October 2006


Israel holds in prison more than 9,000 Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The vast majority are held in prisons situated inside Israel’s sovereign territory, and not in the Occupied Territories. Holding these prisoners and detainees in Israel flagrantly breaches international humanitarian law, which prohibits the transfer of civilians, including detainees and prisoners, from the occupied territory to the territory of the occupying state. 

An anxious arrival in Tel Aviv

Bill Dienst Tel Aviv, Israel 25 October 2006


My main reason for being here in Israel-Palestine again for the fourth time is to do free lance photojournalism and further document widespread human rights abuses that Israel commits every day against Palestinian Arab people in the West Bank and Gaza; the Israeli government is trying to slowly suffocate them and steal their land, making life so miserable that they will leave. I can’t tell the Israeli security officer about my real reasons for coming here, for if I do, I will be detained. My passport will be stamped “Entry Denied,” and I will be placed on the very next flight back to Amsterdam. 

Hebrew University discriminates against Arab citizen visitors

25 October 2006


The Hebrew University of Jerusalem demands that Palestinian citizens of Israel who wish to visit its campuses present a character reference from the police as a condition for entrance. An email to this effect was received today by the Alternative Information Center (AIC), which was planning to host a publications stand at Hebrew University next week for the opening of the 2006-2007 academic year. The AIC received an email stating that “every participant [of a publication stand] planning to come to the university who is a minority member must bring an (official) character reference.” ‘Minority member’ is an oft-used racist term in Hebrew to refer to Palestinians. 

Lieberman out of the shadows: Israel's Minister of Strategic Threats

Jonathan Cook 25 October 2006


The furore that briefly flared this week at the decision of Israel’s Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, to invite Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beiteinu party into the government coalition is revealing, but not in the way most observers assume. Lieberman, a Russian immigrant, is every bit the populist and racist politician he is portrayed as being. Like many of his fellow politicians, he harbours a strong desire to see the Palestinians of the occupied territories expelled, ideally to neighbouring Arab states or Europe. Lieberman, however, is more outspoken than most in publicly advocating for this position. 

"I will only leave this house in a coffin"

25 October 2006


“Iraqis want us to leave their country. Militias started to target us and force us out from our houses accusing us of being Saddam’s followers. Sometimes I work as a vegetable seller to get some money since I lost my job and my family needs to eat. I am desperate and do not have a choice and don’t know where to go. … They [militias] killed my father, brother, sister and two nephews because they refused to leave their home and I am sure that soon they will come after me. What will I do having four children to look after, without a job and without money? God bless us, the landless Palestinians.” 

Israeli Supreme Court rules for cancellation of promotion of October 2000 commander

25 October 2006


In Landmark Decision, Supreme Court Orders Public Security Minister to Cancel Promotion of Senior Police Commander Benzi Sau as it Contradicts Recommendations of the Official Or Commission of Inquiry: On 24 October 2006, the Supreme Court of Israel ruled that the promotion of Benzi Sau, a senior police commander during the October 2000 protest demonstrations, by the Minister of Public Security should be cancelled as it contradicts the conclusions of the official Or Commission of Inquiry. The Court ordered Sau to resign from his current position as Head of the Minister of Public Security’s Operational Staff Unit within one month. 

UN Force Commander concerned at rising number of Israeli air violations

23 October 2006


The military leader of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) today voiced serious concern over the increasing number of air violations over South Lebanon by Israeli planes, with nine occurring during the past 24 hours. “It is in the best interest of all the parties on the ground to respect the terms of Security Council Resolution 1701 in letter and spirit,” said Force Commander Major-General Alain Pellegrini, referring to the text which ended the fighting in the area and expanded the UN force there. UNIFIL said today that almost all of its battalions have reported air violations taking place in their area of operations. 

"This will be the worst Eid of my life"

Yousef Alhelou Gaza Strip 24 October 2006


While Gazans should have been preparing for the Eid Al Fitr, the fight for survival became all the more pressing. As 46-year-old English teacher Majed Rashid said, “There is no taste for this Eid, it’s a sad Eid.” Rashid continued to speak candidly. “This will be the worst Eid of my life because we are facing the worst humanitarian situation yet. There are no salaries due to the siege imposed on us by the American administration. If you have children then you know what I mean. I don’t have enough money to buy new clothes, candies, toys and edeyyah [money given to children at Eid] for my four kids.” 

Kidnapped Spanish AP photographer freed

24 October 2006


Kidnappers released an Associated Press photographer late Tuesday, hours after he was seized at gunpoint in the Gaza Strip, the AP reported. Spanish photojournalist Emilio Morenatti, 37, was seen by an AP reporter at the office of a Fatah official after he was freed. The AP said no group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. Morenatti was abducted by unidentified Palestinian gunmen as he walked out of his apartment in Gaza City towards his driver and interpreter Majed Hamdan, the AP reported. Hamdan said four gunmen grabbed his keys and phone and told him to turn away, pressing a gun to his head, and threatening to harm him. 

Keepers of the Peace

Rima Merriman 24 October 2006


A few days ago on the first day of the holiday Eid al Fiter, a mother with children in tow, all in their Eid best, gave the border a try against all odds, hesitantly showing her West Bank ID to the Israeli police squinting behind his bullet-proof glass window, only to be promptly turned back. That she should even be trying at this point is in itself incredible. In her mind, the reality of this pop-up border is so unfair, so grossly callous, it is simply hard to accept. Or perhaps, she thought, innocently, that the Israeli border police would let her in just this once. After all, it was Eid al Fiter, wasn’t it? This is how little she understood the political dynamic all around her. 

No right to health: Abu Musa Jahalin's story

Angela Godfrey-Goldstein 24 October 2006


Abu Musa had to go back to his shack, under threat of demolition and ethnic transfer by the Wall and army (the very un-Civil Administration!), to find 20,000 shekels for treatment. If he does, he can go back and try to save his leg and life. Then he can start saving $15,000 for a back operation he hasn’t been able to afford for the past two years, without which he won’t get back on his legs — if one hasn’t had to be amputated by then. He’s only 52. His heart is starting to go. Abu Musa was told long ago by an Israeli professor that he needed an operation on his back. He was badly beaten by Israeli Border Police, when homes - tin and cardboard shacks — were bulldozed on his hillside. 

Only its name remains: Eid this year in Gaza

24 October 2006


The Eid ul-Fitr, typically a time of great celebration, literally means ‘the feast of the breaking of the fast;’ it marks the end of Ramadan, a month of daily fasting for Muslims. Traditionally, Eid is a joyful occasion; families and friends meet, gifts are exchanged, news clothes are bought and a great feast is eaten. The wearing of new clothes symbolizes the new beginning to which a month of fasting leads - the shedding of sins and the asking of forgiveness. This year, however, due to economic siege, there are few new clothes being given as Eid presents. 

Spanish AP photographer kidnapped by gunmen in Gaza

24 October 2006


Reporters Without Borders said it was extremely worried by the kidnapping of Emilio Morenatti, a Spanish photographer with the US news agency Associated Press, in the Gaza Strip this morning. “We firmly condemn Morenatti’s abduction and we call on the Palestinian authorities to do everything possible to get him released quickly,” the press freedom organisation said. “He is the eighth journalist to be kidnapped in the Gaza Strip since the start of the year. All were freed safe and sound but no investigation has ever been concluded and none of the kidnappers has been punished.” 

Suspending my signature from the cultural boycott petition

Elia Suleiman 18 October 2006


To whom it may concern, I hereby suspend my signature from the petition of Palestinian and Lebanese artists, which calls for a boycott of, what was supposed to have been, all cultural activities participated in and sponsored by the state of Israel. I signed and vehemently supported this petition against the barbaric Israeli war of destruction of Lebanon and its continuing ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. My suspension comes in protest of the practices of certain artist petitioners who recently participated in cultural activities around the world. 

PCHR Condemns Attack on Palestine Workers Radio

15 October 2006

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 23:10 on
Thursday, 12 October 2006, dozens of gunmen, including a number of masked ones, broke into the headquarters of the Union of Palestinian Workers Radio in al-Saftawi neighborhood to the west of Jabalya town. The gunmen held the guard of the offices, 70-year-old ‘Abdul Karim al-Hindi, in the car park. A number of the gunmen entered the 4-stotey building, and the other ones deployed in it yard. According to Rezeq al-Bayari, Director of Palestine Workers Radio, which is based on the fourth floor of the building, he and the other staff members of the radio closed the door of the office when they saw the attack on the building through windows. 

Two Palestinian journalists attacked by Israeli security personnel

19 October 2006


Reporters Without Borders has condemned the detention of Reuters cameraman Imad Mohammad Bornat by the Israeli authorities over the past two weeks and his possible mistreatment at the time of his arrest on 6 October 2006 in the West Bank village of Bil’in. The organisation also condemned the severe beating, which Agence France Presse photographer Jaafar Ashtiyeh and two of his assistants received on 1 October at a checkpoint at Hawara, near the city of Nablus. Bornat, who is accused of throwing stones at a border policeman while filming him, had a head wound that needed several stitches by the time he arrived under escort at the nearest police station. 

EI's Ali Abunimah discusses "One Country" on Flashpoints

23 October 2006


On October 20, EI co-founder Ali Abunimah appeared on Flashpoints Radio to discuss his new book: One Country, a Bold Proposal to the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. The program also features excerpts from his recent speech in Oakland, California. Listen to Ali discuss the need to break through the current impasse of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and hear his proposal for a better future for all concerned parties. “Flashpoints” is KPFA’s newsmagazine, regularly featuring voices of resistance, education and information from around the world. It airs every weekday at 5 PM PST on KPFK. 

Report: The impact of the economic strangulation on human rights in the OPT

23 October 2006


A mission of FIDH visited Israel and the OPT between 25 June and 2 July 2006. The mission was in close coordination with Medecins du Monde, which in parallel conducted an evaluation of the evolution of the health situation in the Gaza Strip on the basis of a large inquiry among the medical and health care personnel of hospitals and clinics. The mission was set up in order to examine the situation of economic and social rights in Gaza and the West Bank almost a year after Israel ‘disengaged’ from the Gaza strip and three months after Israel and the international community decided to suspend all contact with the Palestinian Authority government and to interrupt all aid channelled to and via that government. 

Boycotting Myself?

Juliano Mer Khamis 22 October 2006


This is an open letter to my colleague Elia Suleiman who has withdrawn his signature from a petition by Palestinian film-makers calling for a boycott of Israeli cultural events and of artists supported by Israeli government institutions. I myself am one of the signatories of this petition. Elia defines his act as a protest against what he considers as a total boycott of Israeli artists, regardless of their views or political activities; a boycott that does not distinguish between one Israeli and another “all of which is tainted by chauvinism and other heresies that stem from the dark side of nationalism”. 

World silent as fascists join Israel government

Ali Abunimah 24 October 2006


Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has brought Yisrael Beitenu into his coalition, a party that has openly advocated the “transfer” — ethnic cleansing —of Palestinians, and has made clear that a Jewish supremacist state is more important than a democratic one. Yet spokesperson for European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana affirmed that the EU would take no action against Israel. In contrast, the EU has imposed crippling sanctions on the Palestinian Authority, starving ordinary Palestinians for having elected a government of the which the European Union disapproves. EI co-founder investigates a new low in western double standards and appeasement of Israeli extremism. 

UNHCR alarmed by increased violence against Palestinians in Iraq

20 October 2006


A mortar attack last night in Baghdad’s Palestinian neighbourhood of Al Baladiya which left four Palestinians dead, a dozen wounded and many displaced is an alarming escalation of the violence engulfing this vulnerable community and may force others to flee, according to the UN refugee agency. Initial reports received by UNHCR said shelling began in the Baladiyat Palestinian area about 8:30 p.m. and lasted for about half an hour. UNHCR Baghdad staff began receiving phone calls from the terrified Palestinians almost immediately. They said at least a dozen were wounded, some of them children and women and some of them seriously. 

An uncertain Ramadan in Beirut

Mayssoun Sukarieh Beirut 21 October 2006


“I told my wife, you just buy clothes for our son. I do not need any new clothes for myself and if you postpone getting a new outfit for yourself too, it will be good. Who knows what will happen in the next few months. Whatever we have saved, we spent during this summer, and now we need to save so we can eat during the next war.” This is what the taxi driver tells me in response to my remarks that Beirut does not feel as it did during previous Ramadan seasons. He was trying to explain to me why there is no movement in the city, why the city is dead despite the holiday season. 

Twenty-eight Palestinians killed this week in OPT

21 October 2006


This week, 28 Palestinians, 17 of whom, including two children and a woman, are civilians, were killed by IOF. Each of the two children was killed together with the father of each. Six of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF in three separate attacks. Forty-five Palestinians, including 14 children, IOF have continued to launch air strikes on houses and civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip; five houses were destroyed and a number of others were severely damaged. IOF conducted 30 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and six others into the Gaza Strip. IOF arrested 48 Palestinian civilians, including seven children, in the West Bank, and eight others in the Gaza Strip. 

Death waits for no one in Balata refugee camp

Mohamed Farraj Balata refugee camp 21 October 2006


Skipper, the son of an electrician, grew up with his three brothers on the outskirts of the camp. Though his given name was Osama, most people in the camp called him “Skipper” and his close friends called him “Disco Skipper.” “Skipper” was a nickname given to him in school, and “Disco” came from his love for dancing. Skipper would be the first one dancing at all the wedding parties in the camp. Like many of his peers, in tenth grade Skipper left school to work for his father. However, he couldn’t stand working while the situation around him was worsening and his friends were being killed or arrested. His friend Ramzy says that Skipper would hang out with young men who were “wanted” by the Israeli army. Skipper was considered guilty by association and he too became “wanted.” 

"Nafas Beirut": A platform for artists bearing witness

19 October 2006


Espace SD and xanadu* present Nafas Beirut, a multimedia venue for artists bearing witness. The aim is to create a platform for artists, poets, writers and filmmakers to share their work produced during or in reaction to the Israeli siege of Lebanon of Summer 2006. Believing it crucial to highlight these works, Nafas Beirut documents the emotions and experiences, and brings artists and viewers together, historicizing the moment. Nafas Beirut is a platform for these immediate responses through a multimedia exhibition and a month long series of events including, video screenings curated by various organizations and collectives, concerts, an open mike poetry jam, and a lecture on the oil spill. 

Your Thoughts: Nuclear Proliferation in the Middle East

19 October 2006


BNN’s Your Thoughts is brought to you by the BNN Under Department of Tahta Maintenance, the department that exists to recycle graphics in a low maintenance kind of way, in order that we have to struggle less on our budget to come up with original content. Partially original content is what cable news is all about, so we’re definitely making big strides on the road to media professionalism here in our corner of the truth-telling universe, or as Stephen Colbert might have put it — if he’d thought of it first — the “Truthiverse”. 

Most blue helmets now in place in southern Lebanon, says UN force chief

19 October 2006


Considerable progress has been achieved in southern Lebanon since the Security Council resolution ending the conflict between Israel and Hizbollah, and most of the expected force of blue helmets to monitor the cessation of hostilities has now been deployed, the senior United Nations commander in Lebanon said today. Briefing reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, Maj.-Gen. Alain Pellegrini said the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has 7,200 soldiers on the ground, including a contingent of 1,500 Germans that is part of the taskforce designated to protect Lebanon’s maritime boundary. 

Top UN envoy says only dialogue with all parties in the Middle East will bring peace

19 October 2006


Warning that “crisis and opportunity” exist side-by-side every day in the Middle East, the top United Nations envoy for peace in the region told the Security Council today that only simultaneous dialogue with all parties in the conflict will bring a lasting end to the bloodshed. “A serious and systematic search for peace in the region requires dialogue with all the parties in the conflict, pari pasu, to ensure that crises are managed and opportunities explored, and that developments on one track are not undermined by developments on another,” said Alvaro de Soto, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. 

Palestinians apprehensive about CIA money

Khalid Amayreh 19 October 2006


Palestinian nationalist and Islamic leaders have strongly denounced efforts by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and affiliated foreign aide bodies to recruit Palestinian journalists, politicians and certain political groups to work against the Islamic group Hamas. Western news agencies last Friday reported that the US was quietly starting a campaign projected to cost up to $42 million to bolster Hamas’s political opponents ahead of possible early elections. The plan includes funding the Fatah group, providing training as well as offering “strategic advice” to politicians and some liberal secular parties opposed to Hamas. 

BBC publishes list of "key terms" used in Israel-Palestinian conflict

19 October 2006


The BBC Governors’ independent panel report on the impartiality of BBC coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict recommended that the BBC should make public an abbreviated version of its journalists’ guide to facts and terminology. The following list of terms used in the conflict, their definitions, and notes for their correct usage, reveals a news organization trying to find a balance between accurate reporting and leaning towards the semantics of the Israeli side in the conflict. 

Lebanon's irreplaceable cultural loss

Mulham Assir 19 October 2006


The loss inflicted by the Israeli war on Lebanon is measured in the 1,400 people killed, the thousands maimed (with more continuing to be killed and maimed by the hundreds of thousands of cluster bombs left behind), the hundreds of thousands displaced or left homeless, and the wholesale destruction of infrastructure essential to life. Colonial wars of aggression like the one waged by the US in Iraq or the slow genocide carried out by the Jewish state against the Palestinian people have a more profoundly destructive effect than the most brutal barbarian invasions of old because they aim deeper, into the very soul of the nations under attack. 

Fishermen survive on handouts

19 October 2006


Wissam Arab pointed sadly at shredded nets and broken pieces of wood in the dirty water in Beirut’s Ouzai Harbour. It is all that remains of his work over the past 11 years. Arab’s fishing boat was destroyed in the July-August conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. It lies 15 metres deep in the Mediterranean Sea, now polluted after an Israeli air strike on a nearby power plant created a massive oil spill. His livelihood is in tatters, he said. “The sea was my friend. Now, even divers are scared of going under the water to check on my boat. It was drowned by one of the rockets that hit the harbour,” Arab told IRIN. 

Photo of the Day: Only in Ramallah

19 October 2006


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. In this particular example, there is more than one photo, so a correct titling of the feature should really be “Photos of the Day”. However, this would become extremely confusing for branding reasons, kind of like the subject of these photos. Usual disclaimers apply. 

Photostory: Ramadan in Ramallah

Rima Merriman Ramallah, Palestine 19 October 2006


With the coming of Eid al Fiter and in spite of the depressed economy and Israel’s chokehold on Palestinian revenues and customs, traders and vendors in Ramallah are hoping to make some money. Some of them are children, since government schools have yet to open in the West Bank because of the strike by government employees. The vendors’ merchandise is all cheap, but it is colorful and maybe affordable. Popular items appear to be plastic weapons — plastic guns and swords. To Palestinian children, the scene in downtown Ramallah is as exciting as any Christmas season is in downtown New York to American children. 

Hardy souls return to clean up the mess in southern Lebanon

Annette Rehrl 18 October 2006


Haddatha is a mess. Located close to Lebanon’s border with Israel, the village was heavily damaged during the five-week conflict that ravaged the eastern Mediterranean country this summer. The village centre is unrecognisable, with a mosque, shops and about 100 houses reduced to rubble. Some families have returned to rebuild their homes, but with winter approaching and their rural livelihoods destroyed others of Haddatha’s displaced inhabitants whose homes were ruined are staying away. One of the returnees, Mustafa Nasser sits in what is left of his family’s living room. 

New school year gets underway with few hitches

16 October 2006


Thousands of children returned to school across Lebanon on Monday after a summer of war, destruction and displacement. “I am happy to be back in school,” said 11-year-old Fatima Aasi, who goes to school in her home town of Ansariyeh, 30km south of Beirut. “During the war we were very scared, but now I feel like things will be normal again.” After the United Nations-brokered ceasefire that ended the 34-day conflict between Israel and Hezbollah on 14 August, the Ministry of Education, in partnership with UNICEF, initiated a national back-to-school campaign with a commitment to ensuring that children in public schools could begin classes on October 16 - three weeks later than the usual start date. 

Lebanon's new disabled

18 October 2006


The fighting may be over, for now, between Hezbollah and the Israeli army but the scars of the devastation caused in Lebanon may never heal. Beyond the destroyed buildings, collapsed bridges and the estimated million pieces of unexploded ordnance littering the countryside, are the personal stories of injury, disfigurement and disability. ‘There are children who have been left disabled by the war and are now in wheelchairs,’ said Nizar Amine of Christian Aid partner Mouvement Social, which is repairing three schools damaged by bombing in the southern Lebanese village of Srifa. 

Report on failures of October 2000 investigations submitted to Israeli Atty. Gen.

18 October 2006


Today, Adalah submitted a comprehensive report entitled “The Accused” to the Attorney General of Israel, Menachem Mazuz. The report addresses the shortcomings and failures of the law enforcement authorities - first and foremost the Ministry of Justice’s Police Investigation Unit (“Mahash”) - in investigating the killings of 13 Palestinian citizens of Israel and the injury to of hundreds of others during the October 2000 protest demonstrations. The 133-page report primarily exposes Mahash’s negligent work and its failure to fulfill its duty to investigate the criminal offenses committed by police officers and commanders in October 2000. 

Israeli forces kill four in Gaza; major expansion of operations is feared

18 October 2006


In the midst of increasing assertions by Israeli government officials over the smuggling of arms in the Gaza Strip and impending military operations inside it, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) escalated its attacks on Gaza and killed four Palestinians during new incursions last night and today. According to field reports, at approximately 6pm yesterday, 17 October 2006, about 15 IOF tanks and armored vehicles entered the Ezbet Abedrabu neighborhood in the east of Jabalia, some 2km from the borderline. They leveled land and streets in the area under heavy firing. 

West Bank patients grow increasingly desperate for medical treatment

18 October 2006


According to international aid organisations, a five week health workers’ strike in the West Bank has prompted some Palestinians to threaten medical staff into treating them. “The strike has had a huge impact on health services. People are knocking on the doors of doctors who are at home and offering to pay for treatment,” said David, Shearer, head of the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Jerusalem. “People are also threatening medical staff to try to get themselves treated - and it’s going to get worse. We don’t have any numbers on how many people may actually have died, or how many babies may have died in childbirth, as they are not being registered.” 

Child dies and seven injured as a result of family clashes in Gaza

17 October 2006


At approximately 10:45 on Tuesday, 17 October 2006, armed clashes were resumed between the families of al-Masri and Abu Taha near the desalination plant in Khan Yunis. As a result, a child and a woman passing by the area were wounded. At approximately 13:30 on Sunday, 15 October 2006, members of the al-Masri family burnt to a house and four shops belonging to the Abu Taha family during the funeral procession of Eyad Maher al-Masri, 13, who died from a wound he had sustained on 8 October 2006 during clashes between the two families. Soon after, armed clashes erupted between the two families in Jourat al-Lout area. 

Denial of Entry: Rice's Probe and the Israeli Administration

Rima Merriman 17 October 2006


The good news that Condoleezza Rice “wants the Israeli government to explain restrictions on Palestinian-Americans traveling on U.S. passports in Israel and the Palestinian territories” spread like wildfire in the occupied Palestinian territories. Rice has apparently listened to something from the Palestinian side! Maybe she saw the ads that the Palestinian grassroots Campaign for the Right of Entry/Re-Entry into the oPt had placed in all the local papers during her most recent visit - a photograph of her and Abbas with the caption “Wish we could be there to help you!”, meaning that Americans, and Palestinian-Americans especially, are being denied entry to the oPt, and so are also denied the opportunity to play a role in the peacemaking she was seeking. 

Ten Palestinians Killed in Gaza Past Two Days

15 October 2006


In the past two days, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed 10 Palestinians and wounded 11 others, including a child, in the Gaza Strip. Six of the victims, including two civilians, were killed during an incursion conducted by IOF into the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalya. The remaining victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF in Beit Lahia and Gaza City. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 09:20 on Friday, 13 October 2006, an IOF drone fired a missile at a civilian car that was traveling in the center of the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia. 

ADC documenting Americans denied entry to Israel and OPT

13 October 2006


The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination (ADC) has noted increased reports which indicate Israel is discriminating against US citizens and other foreign nationals by denying them entry or re-entry into the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel. In late September, the US Consul General in Jerusalem also acknowledged a noticeable change in the number of Israeli refusals or denial of entry cases. More than 120,000 Arab Americans are believed to be impacted by this latest Israeli policy and the Consulate is urging people to document this information. Additionally, on October 11, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, “I will continue to do everything in my power … to ensure that all American travelers receive fair and equal treatment.” 

Police officers who shot Arab motorists not indicted

13 October 2006


On 6 October 2006, the Israeli Attorney General rejected an appeal filed by Adalah against the decision of the Ministry of Justice’s Police Investigations Unit to close the investigation file against Border Police officers who opened fire on and killed 28-year-old Mr. Moursi Jabali, and shot and injured his companion, Mr. Shihab Jaber. Adalah included in the appeal numerous testimonies from eyewitnesses, who indicated that the Border Police officers began to open fire on the car without issuing any prior warning, either by calling out to the two men, or by firing shots into the air as a sign for the car to stop, as they are obliged to under the internal police guidelines for opening fire. 

Israeli obstacles to free movement in Palestinian territories mount, UN reports

13 October 2006


Not only has there not been any significant improvement in Palestinian movement in recent months but the number of Israeli checkpoints and other obstacles has actually increased, hindering access to essential services, according to the latest United Nations update published today. “The closure system is a primary cause of the humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned. “It restricts Palestinian access not only to basic services such as health and education, but divides communities from their land and one another, places of work and sites of religious worship.” 

The BBC and Israel's plan for a military strike on Iran

Jonathan Cook 12 October 2006


The Middle East, and possibly the world, stands on the brink of a terrible conflagration as Israel and the United States prepare to deal with Iran’s alleged ambition to acquire nuclear weapons. Israel, it becomes clearer by the day, wants to use its air force to deliver a knock-out blow against Tehran. It is not known whether it will use conventional weapons or a nuclear warhead in such a strike. At this potentially cataclysmic moment in global politics, it is good to see that one of the world’s leading broadcasters, the BBC, decided this week to air a documentary entitled “Will Israel bomb Iran?”. It is the question on everyone’s lips and doubtless, with the imprimatur of the BBC, the programme will sell around the world. 

UN officials fear unexploded ordnance problem could worsen with winter

11 October 2006


United Nations de-mining officials, already worried by up to 1 million pieces of unexploded ordnance in southern Lebanon left over from Israel’s 34-day war with Hizbollah, voiced concern today that the problem could worsen as winter weather embeds the munitions deeper into the ground. “This will make the job more dangerous since it becomes difficult to detect and clear the suspected contaminated areas,” UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Spokesman Alexander Ivanko said of the unexploded ordnance (UXOs) and cluster bomb units (CBUs) still remaining from this summer’s conflict. 

Number of Palestinian children killed doubles

12 October 2006


The number of Palestinian children who have been killed so far this year in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip almost doubles the number killed for the whole of 2005, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Many of the children died after being shot by Israeli troops during military operations or were killed in Israeli air strikes on houses. On Thursday, 13-year-old Suhaib Kadiah became the 92nd Palestinian child to be killed this year when she was shot dead by Israeli troops during an incursion into the Khan Younis area of Gaza. 

Victims of insecurity increase in oPt

11 October 2006


The number of people killed in crimes in occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) has increased exponentially in 2006 compared to the previous years, according to statistics released Wednesday by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens’ Rights (PICCR). “This year has witnessed a significant rise in the number of insecurity victims,” said Ma’moun Iteily of the PICCR’s department which documents cases of insecurity and human rights violations. According to the PICCR statistics, 270 people were killed in the oPt by 10 October. By contrast, 93 people were killed in 2004 and 176 in 2005. 

Arab villages want equal compensation

11 October 2006


Business owners from four Arab villages in the north of Israel are waiting to see whether a court will grant them the same compensation as their Jewish Israeli counterparts for damage done during the recent war between Israel and the armed wing of Lebanon’s political party Hezbollah. Arab organisations in Israel say the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict [12 July to 14 August] may have hit Arab communities harder because they were generally poor to start with. The villages of Arab al-Aramshe, Fasuta, Ma’alia and Jesh, suffered serious damage during the conflict, but have been denied the full compensation package awarded to neighbouring Jewish villages. 

Stranded Palestinians should be allowed into the country, say UNHCR and rights group

8 October 2006


The Syrian Organisation for Human Rights in Syria (SOHR) said on Sunday that it was deeply concerned about “the deteriorating humanitarian conditions” of the Palestinians who are stranded on the Iraqi-Syrian border and who include about 150 children. “Their lives in Iraq are in real danger because of lack of security,” SOHR told IRIN. Among the stranded Palestinians is the Saeed family, which arrived at the Tanaf checkpoint on the border some five months ago after fleeing Iraq. As Palestinians, their lives in Iraq were in danger after they were targeted by unknown militants. 

Canada to resettle 46 Palestinian refugees

10 October 2006


Canada has accepted to host 46 Palestinian refugees from Iraq who have been languishing at al-Rweished refugee camp, some 250 km east Amman, for the past three years, said Robert Breen, the United Nation’s refugee agency (UNHCR) Representative in Jordan. “Representatives of the Canadian government interviewed 150 Palestinian refugees at the fenced camp a few months ago but accepted one third of them,” said Breen, who hoped a third country would be found to accept the remaining group before a deadline set by Jordan to close the camp expires. 

600 Attend Landmark BDS Conference in Toronto

10 October 2006


Over 600 people attended the landmark conference, Boycotting Israeli Apartheid: The Struggle Continues, held from 6-8 October in Toronto, Canada. The conference represents a watershed moment in the Palestinian solidarity movement, with leading anti-apartheid activists from Palestine, South Africa, Canada and England addressing the way forward in the global campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions. The conference was organized by the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA), a broad movement formed in response to the call by 171 Palestinian civil-society organizations in July 2005 for the international community to implement a comprehensive boycott, divestment and sanctions strategy against apartheid Israel as the focal point of solidarity efforts with the Palestinian people. 

A re-run of the Lebanon war in Palestine?

Hasan Abu Nimah and Ali Abunimah 11 October 2006


There are ominous signs that the long-contemplated plan to overthrow the democratically-elected Hamas-led Palestinian Authority cabinet is about to enter its most dangerous phase: a political coup, supported by local militias, with foreign and regional backing. This could ignite serious intra-Palestinian violence. EI co-founder Ali Abunimah and contributor Hasan Abu Nimah write that with Iraq providing a dreadful warning of how foreign occupation can foster civil bloodshed, everything must be done to expose and thwart this dangerous conspiracy. 

Prisoners' association shut down in Israel and West Bank

10 October 2006


On September 8, 2006, the offices of Ansar Al-Sajeen in Majd El-Kurum (Galilee) were raided and shut down by the police and the Israeli Shin Bet (General Security Service) in the early morning. The administrative order issued by the Israeli Defense Minister declared Ansar al Sajeen as an illegal organisation. The police also confiscated the organisation’s assets, including 14,000 shekels (around 2,555 euros) dedicated to prisoners and their families, hundreds of legal files and documents, phones, photocopying machines and computers. The closure occurred soon after the association launched a campaign to include the cases of 1948 Palestinian prisoners, citizens of Israel, in the current talks for the exchange of prisoners. 

Israel willfully kills two civilians at Nablus checkpoints

10 October 2006


At approximately 15:20 on Sunday, 8 October 2006, a number of Palestinian civilians were getting out of a car in al-Sateh area, nearly one kilometer away from Til village, southwest of Nablus. IOF soldiers in a military jeep, positioned on the bypass road located to the south of Nablus, opened fire at the car. As a result, Amjad Mohammed Mustafa al-Teerawi, 23, from Balata refugee camp east of Nablus, was killed by a live bullet to the head; and Ahmed Hazzaa’ Ramadan, 21, from Til village, was wounded by a live bullet to the shoulder. Less than 24 hours later, IOF soldiers positioned at Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus, committed a similar crime, when they shot dead a Palestinian civilian while attempting to cross the checkpoint. 

Call for submissions: "Poets for Palestine"

9 October 2006


Al Jisser is accepting submissions for its upcoming book: Poets for Palestine. Our goal is to bring together poets, spoken word artists, hip hop artists, Palestinians, Arabs, Jews, Americans and all those who choose to raise their voice for humanity and justice. In addition to its written works, Poets for Palestine will feature art created by Palestinians artists from the Occupied Territories and throughout the world. The book will primarily focus on issues pertaining to Palestine. We are, however, accepting poems on related subjects (i.e. Lebanon and Iraq). 

EI's Ali Abunimah releases new book "One Country"

9 October 2006


As the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rages on with relatively new leadership on both sides, we are led to ask what has become a perennial yet only more urgent question — will this conflict ever be resolved in a way that will finally bring peace to the region? The son of Palestinians who fled the country in 1948, Electronic Intifada co-founder Ali Abunimah makes the radical argument that what is needed is one state shared by Palestinians and Israelis in his new book, ONE COUNTRY: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. Ali will also be speaking throughout the country to coincide with the launch of his new book. 

Join Jenin childrens' struggle to break the Walls of Hatred through art

9 October 2006


The Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp and The Freedom Theatre Foundation of Sweden therefore call upon artists around the world to join the children of Jenin in their struggle to Break the Walls of Hatred through Art. We invite artists to join the children of Jenin in an art exhibition titled: “Do not forget - Lebanon, July 2006!” The exhibition will reflect on the war in Lebanon and its relations and implications on the Palestinian cause. Artists are invited to send their works (paintings, animations, video-art, sound-installations, poems, letters, songs) to The Freedom Theatre, by e-mail or by post, no later then the 15th November. 

Can War Be Over When Battles Remain?

Iqbal Jassat South Africa 8 October 2006


Less than a month after the guns fell silent - despite the ear-splitting roar of Israeli jet fighters regularly searing through Lebanese air space in violation of a UN brokered “ceasefire” - my recent trip to Beirut and the war-ravaged southern Lebanon brought home the brutal reality of Israeli savagery. In scores of places where we stood knee-high deep in debris and rubble of towns and villages, the signs of life are steadily becoming more and more visible. Noises emanating from the engines of front-end loaders, tipper trucks and bulldozers clearly signal the intent of the million plus displaced Lebanese not to allow Israel to succeed in turning their homes in picturesque southern landscape into no-go “ghost” areas. 

The King of the Jungle

Rima Merriman 8 October 2006


When it comes to imposing law and order on the Palestinians, what applies is not international humanitarian law, but the law of the jungle. And, of course, it is quite clear who the king of the jungle is. The Palestinian Israeli conflict is about survival, about the right of one strong party backed by a superpower to “exist” as a Jewish state at the expense of the indigenous non-Jewish population of historic Palestine and their descendants who are not allowed to “exist” in a separate but unequal state of their own. It is about the right of the weak party to negotiate for its own autonomous survival on bits and pieces of leftover “territories”, but only if it first concedes its dispossession, if it ensures the security of the strong party and remains its “client”. 

"You never know what's next": An interview with activist Barbara Lubin

Chris Brown 7 October 2006


Education plays a big part in Barbara Lubin’s life. In fact it was a broad-based education that made her realize that she was getting a distorted view of what went on in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Lubin was born into a conservative Zionist family. She had been taught that the Jews needed to establish a state of their own; that what had happened to her relatives during WWII; when their land was occupied, and family members murdered in camps, should never happen again. For much of her life Barbara Lubin felt that the Zionist ideal was the right thing. However, in 1982 her eyes were open to a new horror. 

Hazardous Intent: US Brokers in Palestine

Remi Kanazi 7 October 2006


Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is back in the Middle East and she is in a “very concerned” state. For someone who has played Israeli ambassador to the Middle East since her tenure began, her on again, off again concern for the plight of the Palestinian people has become more predictable than orange alerts during election season. In her newest stint, providing false promises and pernicious rhetoric, Rice vowed to “redouble” US efforts to “improve conditions for the Palestinian people.” Rice, however, came to the table empty handed, with photographers trailing closely behind to capture images of hope, concern, and heartfelt declarations. 

Mideast chaos, grief resound in the air

Alice Rothchild 7 October 2006


The “Solidarity with Israel” and “Free Lebanon” rallies have quieted, and a combustible mixture of grief, fear, and anger hangs like an ugly cloud over the rubble and ruin. As Israelis emerge from their bomb shelters and their shattered sense of security, they count 154 dead, 422 wounded, and a military embroiled in controversy. As the Lebanese survey their crumpled bridges, airports, and apartment blocks, they too grieve for thousands dead and injured and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes. In Gaza, 228 Palestinians were killed, 720 injured. The main power station was bombed; homes and businesses have no electricity or water; the medical system has collapsed; children are starving. 

Bleak Ramadan in Palestine

Khalid Amayreh West Bank 7 October 2006


Normally, the holy month of Ramadan is a festive season of heightened spirituality and good will. It is also an occasion where family members share the usually exquisite Iftar meals immediately after sunset at the end of the day-long fast. However, for many Palestinian families, hard-hit by extremely harsh Israeli-western sanctions, this Ramadan has the smell of real penury. Abject poverty is also becoming increasingly apparent among the traditionally weak sectors of society, such as day-laborers. Yousuf M. Suleiman is a school teacher of 30 years from the southern West Bank town of Hebron. He has a family of eight but can hardly get things “under control” when it comes to securing the basic needs such as flour, sugar and rice. 

The struggle for Palestine's soul

Jonathan Cook 7 October 2006


The message delivered to Condoleezza Rice this week by Israeli officials is that the humanitarian and economic disaster befalling Gaza has a single, reversible cause: the capture by Palestinian fighters of an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in late June from a perimeter artillery position that had been shelling Gaza. When Shalit is returned, negotiations can start, or so Rice was told by Israel’s defence minister, Amir Peretz. If Peretz and others are to be believed, the gunmen could have done themselves and the 1.4 million people of Gaza a favour and simply executed Shalit weeks ago. 

News updates over the past year

Jim Ashling 1 September 2006


Electronic Lebanon, however, is more of an electronic newspaper/magazine that combines editorial pieces, blog entries, news, and analysis. It is a project from the Electronic Intifada (EI), a nonprofit electronic publication devoted to the topic of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. EI was created 5 years ago by two Palestinians, an American, and a Scot, each with their own biases. But if you need a better analysis of the situation (other than comments from President George W. Bush when he was unknowingly recorded at the recent G8 Summit), they make much better reading. 

Reaching out to worried families in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley

Annette Rehrl 4 October 2006


Local and international attention has focused on rebuilding southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut since the end of Israel’s military incursion, but this area in the north was also badly hit during the summer conflict. Israeli air strikes caused substantial damage to houses, farmland, industrial plants and infrastructure, while thousands of traumatised and scared civilians fled from the Bekaa Valley to neighbouring Syria. They started flooding back across the border right after the August 14 ceasefire was announced, but many returned to scenes of devastation in their home areas. 

Major violations on both sides in Israel-Lebanon conflict, say UN experts

4 October 2006


A detailed study presented by four UN experts to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday concludes that serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law were committed by Israel during the recent conflict in Lebanon. In many instances, Israel failed to distinguish between military and civilian objectives; to fully apply the principle of proportionality; and to take all feasible precautions to minimize civilian injury and damage. The experts also concluded that Hezbollah violated humanitarian law in many instances by targeting civilian populations and by disregarding the principle of distinction. 

Factions Must Stop Endangering Civilians

6 October 2006


Human Rights Watch called today on the leaders of Palestinian factions and Palestinian government officials to bring an immediate end to the lawlessness and vigilante violence that has plagued the Occupied Palestinian Territories and to hold the perpetrators of this violence accountable. Eleven Palestinians were killed and more than 100 injured, mostly civilians, in the unrest on Sunday and Monday. Sporadic clashes and attacks on government institutions have continued during the week, with reports that three masked men shot dead a local Hamas leader as he left a mosque in Qalqilya on Wednesday. 

Arab-Americans denied entry into Israel and Palestine

6 October 2006


The Arab American Institute (AAI) is encouraging Arab Americans who have encountered problems or been turned away when entering Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to report details to the State Department and AAI. AAI believes that firsthand accounts from Arab Americans about difficulties in entering the region - believed to be as many as 120,000 - will help prompt the State Department to recognize the widespread, discriminatory and adverse effects of the policy and advocate for its change. AAI is also actively working with the Consulate General in order to assist Arab Americans who have been detained, turned away or harassed upon entry. 

Pregnant Palestinians give birth at Israeli checkpoints

6 October 2006


A report by the Palestinian Ministry of Health says that pregnant Palestinian women are often prevented by Israeli forces from reaching hospitals to receive appropriate medical attention, causing many miscarriages and the deaths of some women. Since the beginning of the second Intifada, a Palestinian uprising against Israeli military occupation, in September 2000, 68 pregnant Palestinian women gave birth at Israeli checkpoints, leading to 34 miscarriages and the deaths of four women, according to the Health Ministry’s September report. Thoraya Obaid, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said these figures underline the need to put an end to the agony of pregnant Palestinian women held at Israeli checkpoints. 

Palestinian Refugees Targeted With Death Threats in Iraq

6 October 2006


Shi’a armed groups have threatened to kill Palestinian refugees living in Baghdad if they do not leave Iraq within 72 hours, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch urged the Iraqi government and the Multi-National Forces to investigate these threats and provide greater security to Palestinians in Iraq. A new leaflet obtained by Human Rights Watch and bearing the name of the Al-Bayt Revenge Brigade Rapid Response Units states that “there is no place for Palestinians in the Iraq of Ali, Hassan, and Hussain.” The names refer to three revered Shi’a imams; in contrast, virtually all Palestinians are Sunni Muslim. 

Weekly report on rights violations: Nine Palestinians killed

5 October 2006


On 29 September 2006, IOF fired a missile at two Palestinian children, who passed near an abandoned rack used in launching home-made rockets at Israeli targets. The two children, who are brothers, were killed. On 30 September 2006, IOF extra-judicially executed two members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of Fatah movement, in Rafah. The attacks also wounded two civilian bystanders, including a child. On 2 October 2006, IOF shot dead a Palestinian fisherman opposite to Deir al-Balah seashore in the central Gaza Strip. On 3 October 2006, a Palestinian child was killed and his brother was wounded, when IOF bombarded a workshops adjacent to their house in Khan Yunis. 

Israeli forces kill three Palestinians, injure five and destroy property

5 October 2006


The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continue to target Palestinians and their property in the Gaza Strip. In the past three days IOF’s attacks resulted in the killing of three, injury of five and destruction of one home, four cars and one textile factory around the Strip. Al Mezan views that the international silence towards these violations, and many other violations of human rights in OPT, has encouraged Israel to continue and escalate them. Thus, the Centre calls on the international community, especially the High Contracting Parties to the Convention, to act with the view to bring to an immediate end the IOF’s breaches and provide effective protection to Palestinian civilians in OPT. 

ICG: "Now is the time to launch an Arab-Israeli peace initiative"

5 October 2006


Now is the time for a serious international push to launch an Arab-Israeli peace initiative. Catastrophic as the recent series of developments in the Middle East have been, they can give new impetus to the search for a comprehensive settlement. The Arab-Israeli Conflict: To Reach a Lasting Peace,* the latest report from the International Crisis Group, is a realistic analysis of all the obstacles to peace in the current climate. But it also charts a way forward that could succeed. “The Lebanon war must serve as a wake-up call”, says Robert Malley, Crisis Group’s Middle East Program Director. 

UN peacekeepers lay out rules of engagement, including use of force

3 October 2006


United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon have the authority to use force against hostile activity of any kind, whether in self-defence, to ensure their area of operations is not used for hostile activities or to resist attempts by force to prevent them from discharging their duties, according to guidelines published today. “Should the situation present any risk of resumption of hostile activities, UNIFIL rules of engagement allow UN forces to respond as required,” the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement, laying out the terms of the Security Council mandate that established it in August to oversee the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hizbollah. 

The Cooper Union "Israel Lobby" Debate

Terry Walz 4 October 2006


Last week the London Review of Books did a great service to free speech in this country by enabling Prof. John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago to have a debate on the Israel Lobby that he thought would never take place. The event was titled “The Israel Lobby - Does it Have Too Much Influence on U.S. Foreign Policy?” and its main purpose was to debate the pros and cons of a paper Mearsheimer wrote with Prof. Stephen Walt of Harvard University called “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy.” It was a perfect opportunity for the much criticized national media to report on a key issue in our foreign policy. 

Destruction and Violations: Gaza, Lebanon and Israel

4 October 2006


Two leading human rights organizations registered serious concerns over Israel’s recent actions in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip as well as Hizballah’s action against northern Israel. However, Curt Goering of Amnesty International and Joe Stork of Human Rights Watch pointed out at this recent Palestine Center event that the nature of the weapons used by Israel indicates that the principles of international humanitarian law had been disregarded and that the consequences to civilians was not considered. Read the transcript of this event held at the Palestine Center last month. 

UN sets up camps for Palestinian children hit by school strike in West Bank

3 October 2006


With 500,000 Palestinian children out of school due to a strike in the West Bank that has left most public schools closed, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has set up youth clubs to provide extracurricular activities, safe indoor and outdoor play areas, and centres to provide literacy and computer training. The lack of access to schools come on top of an already very difficult year in which the number of children killed and injured are close to record highs as youngsters continue to take the brunt of the unrest in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, UNICEF spokesman Michael Bociurkiw told a news briefing in Geneva today. 

The International Community Must End the Collective Punishment of the Palestinian People

3 October 2006


As non-governmental human rights organisations based in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), we are gravely concerned by the recent internal clashes between forces loyal to Fateh and forces loyal to Hamas. Six people were killed in Gaza on Sunday 2 October 2006, in the worst internal fighting for months, as striking government employees demanded the back payment of outstanding salaries. The following day gunmen forced businesses to shut their doors in several towns throughout the West Bank. The hardship created by Israel’s retention of tax revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and the cessation of international aid has brought the OPT to the brink of a civil war. 

Freshwater shortage leads to health problems in Gaza Strip

2 October 2006


Environmentalists and public health specialists are warning of escalating health problems due to a growing freshwater deficit and declining water quality in the Gaza Strip. Nahed Abu Dayyia, an ecologist with the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), says water pollution in Gaza is primarily caused by high salinity and high nitrate concentrations in groundwater. The Gaza Strip, bordering Israel and Egypt, has a population of more than 1.4 million, one of the most densely populated areas in the world. “Insufficient sanitation conditions and the absence of sewage conveyance systems pose serious threats to public health and are the major causes of environmental degradation,” Dayyia said. 

Deadly internal strife continues in West Bank and Gaza

3 October 2006


PCHR’s preliminary investigation indicates that in the evening of Monday, 2 October 2006, two civilians were killed and 23 were injured. Most of the injured are civilians; and the injured include three critical cases and seven children. The casualties fell during clashes between Fatah members and the Interior Ministry Executive Force in the Nejma Square in Rafah.The clashes broke out at approximately 20:00 during demonstration organized by Fatah movement to protest the violent events in the Gaza Strip the day before. Eyewitnesses stated that the clashes broke out when the demonstration came close to an Executive Force patrol near Nejma Square in the Rafah refugee camp. 

UNHCR deeply concerned by plight of Palestinian refugees in Iraq

3 October 2006


UNHCR is deeply concerned over the well-being of Palestinian refugees inside Iraq, as well as those who fled targeted harassment and violence in Baghdad and are now stuck at the border between Iraq and Syria and in camps in Jordan and Syria. The security situation of Palestinian refugees in Iraq has deteriorated – particularly since the Samarra bombings last February – and an increasing number of them have left or are trying to leave the country. Palestinians in Iraq lack protection, have serious problems obtaining identity cards, and have been the target of continuing harassment, threats, kidnapping and killings. 

Human rights council discusses situation in Occupied Palestinian Territories in context of follow-up of its decisions

29 September 2006


The Human Rights Council this afternoon discussed the follow-up of decisions and resolutions taken at its first session and the first and second special sessions and heard a follow-up report by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. John Dugard, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, said on 6 July 2006, the Human Rights Council had adopted a resolution in which it decided to “dispatch an urgent fact-finding mission headed by the Special Rapporteur”. As there was no reply by the Israeli Government to requests for consent to a fact-finding mission to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, he had been unable to head that mission as required by the Council. 

Information Brief: The Gaza Economy

Sara Roy 2 October 2006


One year after Israel’s 2005 “disengagement” from the Strip, which was hailed by President Bush as a great opportunity for “the Palestinian people to build a modern economy that will lift millions out of poverty [and] create the institutions and habits of liberty,” a “Dubai on the Mediterranean” according to Thomas Friedman, Gaza is undergoing acute and debilitating economic declines marked by unprecedented levels of poverty, unemployment, loss of trade, and social deterioration especially with regard to the delivery of health and educational services. 

Paralysis of the Palestinian 'Authority': What's to be done?

Rima Merriman 2 October 2006


For over a decade now, since the Oslo Agreement signed by the Palestinian Liberation Organization in 1993, the Palestinians, along with much of the world, have been laboring under a couple of misapprehensions. One is that, with Oslo, Israel had at long last recognized their aspirations, even if only partially. The other is that their leaders, as embodied by the presidency and the government that arose, had the wherewithal to move them towards a full-fledged Palestinian state on the 1967 borders in the face of Israel’s grand plans and intentions in the region. It’s the classic syndrome of desperate people believing what they want to believe. 

Eight killed, including child, in Fateh-Hamas clashes in Gaza Strip

2 October 2006


Eight Palestinians, including a child, and at least 115 others were injured in bloody incidents that included armed clashes in Gaza City on Sunday, 1 October 2006. PCHR strongly condemns these incidents, which extended to other areas throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), and calls upon the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), represented by the Attorney-General to investigate these incidents and bring those found responsible for them to justice. These clashes came in the context of increasing tension and mutual violence between Hamas and Fatah movements, especially as efforts to reach an agreement between the two sides and form a national unity government failed. 

Palestinian Dance Education under Occupation: Need or Frill?

Omar Barghouti 1 October 2006


Despite an almost obvious and persistent need to promote creativity, imagination and freedom of expression as crucial ingredients in cultural development, dance as a form of spiritual and cultural education as well as a useful medium in education has been virtually non-existent in the formal education system in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Music, drama and plastic arts may have fared relatively better, but not by much. It is high time to challenge this deficiency head-on, both from a cultural and a political perspective, particularly since its causes are self-inflicted, to a large extent. 

U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem expresses concern about Israeli refusals to issue visas

1 October 2006


U.S. Consul General Jake Walles and chief staff members of the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem and U.S. Embassy in Israel met with representatives of the Campaign for the Right of Entry/Re-Entry to discuss Israel’s new policy of denying entry into Israel of U.S. and other foreign nationals wishing to access the occupied Palestinian territory. The Campaign delegates presented Ambassador Walles with an overview of the Israeli practice and the detrimental effect it is having on family unification, economic and academic development, and the maintaining of a pluralistic social fabric needed to advance an environment for peace in the area. 

Israeli forces kill four, including two boys riding bicycles, in Gaza

1 October 2006


Two of the victims were children brothers, and were killed when IOF fired a surface-to-surface rocket at them without any justification. The other two were killed in Rafah in an extra-judicial execution crime, which also resulted in the injury of two others, one of them a child. PCHR’s preliminary investigation into the first crime indicates that at approximately 9:15 on Friday, 29 September 2006, IOF deployed inside the Gaza Strip near Nahal Oz checkpoint, east of Gaza City, fired a surface-to-surface rocket at two children riding their bicycles near El-Shawwa Gas Station on Salah El-Deen Road west of Beit Lahia.