March 2007

Alleged POW Killings Spark Egypt-Israel Diplomatic Row

Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani 31 March 2007


CAIRO, Mar 30 (IPS) - Another diplomatic row has erupted between Cairo and Tel Aviv after a documentary film aired on Israeli television in February claimed that Israeli forces had executed hundreds of unarmed Egyptian prisoners of war (POWs) in the wake of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The foreign ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador to express “Egypt’s anger” over the revelations, but critics from across the political spectrum decried the step as inadequate. 

In South Lebanon, Ban Ki-moon stresses need for eventual permanent ceasefire

31 March 2007


United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today visited South Lebanon, where he voiced hope that a cessation of hostilities in place since the end of last year’s 34-day war between Israel and Hizbollah could be transformed into a permanent ceasefire. Responding to questions at a press conference in Naqoura, Mr. Ban said both Israel and Lebanon showed interested in this goal. “It is important that the current cessation of hostilities could be transferred and developed into a permanent ceasefire. I know that Lebanese Government is very much interested. 

Suzi Hazahza and the Pirates of Homeland Security

Greg Moses 31 March 2007


One by one, all the helium-inflated excuses for arresting and imprisoning Suzi Hazahza have been popped and now lie on the ground. And the single memory humanizing the government that still holds her unlawfully behind bars is the look on one Federal Magistrate’s face Thursday in Dallas when he was told by a US Attorney that Congress has stripped the federal bench of any right to order Suzi Hazahza freed until a full six months of illegal detention have passed. 

Film on "Radical Islam" Tied to Pro-Israel Groups

Khody Akhavi 30 March 2007


WASHINGTON, Mar 26 (IPS) - A controversial documentary on the threat of radical Islam, promoted by the two most-watched U.S. cable news networks, was marketed and supported in part by self-described “pro-Israel” groups, according to an IPS investigation. Abbreviated versions and segments of Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West ran on FOX News and CNN, but neither station disclosed the film’s connection to HonestReporting, a watchdog group that monitors the media for allegedly negative portrayals of Israel. 

The Jordan Valley, Land and Self-Determination

30 March 2007


In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Annexation Wall encroaches deep into occupied territory, confiscating land and exacerbating movement restrictions. When completed, the Wall will effectively annex 10 percent of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In parallel to the construction of the Annexation Wall, Israel has severely restricted Palestinian access to the Jordan Valley, which comprises some 25 percent of the West Bank. While no wall has been constructed, a near impenetrable system of permits, checkpoints and closures restrict the movement of goods and people into and out of the Jordan Valley. 

Economic developments in 2006: A First Assessment

28 March 2007


After having experienced a modest recovery in 2003-05, the Palestinian economy suffered another decline in 2006, as a result of the domestic and international political difficulties. Although hard data are scarce, real GDP is estimated to have fallen within a range of 5 to 10 percent in 2006, less than initially had been feared, but still leaving average real per capita GDP at almost 40 percent below its 1999 level. Stronger-than-expected official and private inflows have helped prevent a much sharper decline in incomes and consumption in 2006, thus cushioning the overall contraction. But with a larger decline in investment, from an already low level, this also signals a further hollowing out of the Palestinian economy. 

New settlement in Hebron violates Palestinian rights

28 March 2007


On 19 March 2007, a new settlement was established in the heart of a Palestinian neighborhood in Hebron . According to media reports, the settlement is composed mainly of Israeli yeshiva students. The Israeli army has redeployed in the city to protect the settlement. The Defense Ministry initially hinted that it was considering evacuating the settlement, but as time passes, it becomes clear that the political echelon has decided to leave the settlement in place. Establishment of the new settlement in the heart of a Palestinian community will lead to further restrictions on Palestinian movement. 

Arriving in Lebanon, Ban Ki-moon says dialogue is key to national unity

29 March 2007


Continuing a diplomatic tour of the Middle East, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Beirut today, where he said dialogue and compromise are key to Lebanon’s national unity. Mr. Ban, who has so far visited Iraq, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, said the trip has been instructive. “I have listened attentively and I have learned a great deal about the region and the challenges it is facing. I realize these challenges are particularly serious in Lebanon, where I trust a return to dialogue and reconciliation will prevail,” he said. 

Campaigners push electoral reform to end sectarian politics

29 March 2007


BEIRUT, 29 March 2007 (IRIN) - Electoral reform would combat the sectarianism that blights Lebanon and provide an exit from its political crisis, NGO’s say. Three civil society groups have stepped up a campaign for the adoption of a draft electoral law they say would create a stable democracy that is less prone to shocks. A four-month stand-off between the Sunni-dominated government and its opponents, led by Shia political party Hezbollah, has raised fears of civil war. 

Emergency Situation in Nablus

29 March 2007


Reports in the media indicate this week that Nablus is once again experiencing another incursion into the area with several fatalities. Since February 28, 2007, the city of Nablus has been the scene of repeated incursions. In response to calls for assistance to the city, Caritas Jerusalem has undertaken a distribution of humanitarian aid packages of food to 200 residents of Nablus’ Old City. The major problem that Nablus faces is the fact that the city is a virtual prison for its inhabitants. The region of Nablus is tightly monitored and movement restrictions in that area are very closely monitored by the Israeli army. The map on the previous page illustrates this very well. 

Prominent Jews to speak at Doha Debates

25 March 2007


Two prominent Jewish personalities from Israel and two Palestinians will speak at the next Doha Debates being held at the Qatar Foundation headquarters on Wednesday. The motion for the day will be: “This House believes the Palestinians should give up their full right of return.” Yossi Beilin, a member of the Israeli Knesset, who initiated the secret Oslo talks, and Bassem Eid will support the motion. Ali Abunimah, co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and the child of refugees and Dr Ilan Pappe, Israeli historian who teaches at Haifa University will speak against the motion. 

Doha Debates backs Palestinian refugees' right to return

29 March 2007


Should the Palestinians give up their right to return to their homeland after decades of misery and sufferings in refugee camps across the world? A huge majority of the participants at Qatar Foundation’s Doha Debates yesterday rejected the idea when they overwhelmingly defeated the motion that suggested Palestinians should give up their full right to return. Only 18.4 per cent of the participants voted for the motion. The debate was marked with the presence of two prominent Jewish personalities from Israel, opposing each other. Equally interesting was the presence of two Palestinians facing each other on the two sides of the panel. 

Palestinians: "We will continue to claim our land"

28 March 2007


On March 30th, as Palestinians in our homeland and the diaspora, we remember Land Day and strengthen our struggle for Land, Justice and Return. In 1976, 6 Palestinians were killed and a hundred injured by Israeli forces as Palestinians went on strike against a massive land confiscation scheme in the Galilee. More than 30 years later, we will be again out in the streets and in the fields confronting the Occupation in dozens of protests and demonstrations, uniting the people in villages and cities across the West Bank in a week of continuous mobilization. 

Class Struggle Until a Sectarian End

Joseph Samaha 28 March 2007


Karl Marx used to say that England was the country where class struggle will travel to its end. Can we say that Lebanon is the country where class struggle goes to its sectarian end? When observing the political spin of March 14th leaders and their media outlets in Lebanon it becomes clear that such fraudulent ideas are being directed toward the open sit-in in downtown Beirut. “Culture of death” is the key phrase for the downtown sit-in used by government leaders attempting to undermine all it represents. 

Film review: "Summer 2006, Palestine"

Shuruq Harb 28 March 2007


Summer 2006, Palestine — a crossover between film, video art, individual expression and a collective voice — is a unique experience in the Palestinian cultural scene. This collection of short films brings together 13 individual artists with different degrees of experience within the Palestinian film scene and other visual arts disciplines to convey the summer of 2006 in Palestine. The project is the result of an initiative led by several Palestinian filmmakers from the Palestinian Filmmakers’ Collective. 

United Nations aids victims of sewage spill in Gaza

28 March 2007


United Nations relief agencies are responding to the needs arising from the bursting of a sewage reservoir in an emergency filtration basin at the waste water treatment plant in Beit Lahia in Gaza. According to latest reports, waste flooding into the nearby Bedouin village of Um Al Nasser killed four people and injured 18, while 11 people remain missing. Ninety-six homes were destroyed or damaged. Between 250 and 300 families have been relocated to a temporary camp situated on higher ground between the Bedouin village and the former Israeli Nissanit settlement. 

Palestinian journalist's letter to Alan Johnston

Sami Abu Salem Gaza Strip, Palestine 28 March 2007


Dear Alan: From the depth of our hearts, I would like to say that we are really shocked and terribly sorry for what has been happening to you. Three years ago, the first time I met you at the French Cultural Centre when you were covering an art activity, I realized that you were the journalist the Palestinian people are in need of. The journalist who does not cover only bloodshed, violence and politics, but also knocks on all doors in Gaza: occupation, art, love, religion and all areas that show the entire world that we are human too. 

'Israel's right to exist': Is it a real issue?

Jeff Handmaker and Gentian Zyberi 28 March 2007


There are many aspects of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in urgent need of legal scrutiny as part of a much-needed critical dialogue. One such issue is Israel’s claim towards Hamas to acknowledge that it has a ‘right to exist’. This claim has not only been uncritically taken on board by the Quartet. It has become one of the top conditions to be fulfilled by Hamas for receiving aid by the Quartet and other international donors. At the risk of stating the obvious, we argue that this position lacks any basis under international law and will serve no constructive political purpose in seeking to resolve the conflict. 

Um El-Naser Environmental Disaster Victims Increase to Five

28 March 2007


The victims who were killed in yesterday’s environmental disaster in Um El-Naser (Bedouin) village increased to five after rescue crews recovered the body of Fatima Habban Abu Safra (70) yesterday afternoon. The body was found under the rubble of her house that was flooded by sewage water. It is noted that earth barriers around a sewage pool that was constructed last September broke and flooded the village. The pool was constructed by a joint council of municipalities in the northern Gaza Strip. Rescue teams recovered four bodies in earlier rescue operations. All of them were drowned by the sewage flood. 

Environmental disaster in Gaza, Sewage basin collapses

27 March 2007


In the most serious environmental disaster to hit the northern Gaza Strip, earth barriers in the sewage disposal pools broke, killing four Palestinians and rendering hundreds of families homeless in the bedouin village of Um El-Naser. Many remain missing. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights calls upon the international community and the Palestinian Authority to provide emergency shelters for the victims. As a result, sewage water flooded from the pool flooded the village, and the effect was more devastating due to the fact that the pool’s elevation was higher than the village, giving the flood more power and destructive force. 

Human Rights Council calls for fact-finding missions to probe alleged Israeli abuses

27 March 2007


The United Nations Human Rights Council today adopted a resolution without a vote which called for two urgent fact-finding missions to be dispatched to the occupied Palestinian territory, voicing concern that previous attempts to investigate potential human rights abuses had been hindered by Israel. The Council noted with regret that Israel had not cooperated with two previous resolutions which dispatched the missions. 

Palestinians call upon Arab Summit: "Protect Palestinian Refugees and Work for their Right of Return"

27 March 2007


“Recent Israeli statements claiming readiness to engage with the Arab Initiative, if Arab states dropped the clause on the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in accordance with UN Resolution 194, is nothing but yet another attempt to deceive Arabs and Palestinians and obtain free concessions … Any compromise of the rights of the refugees stands for the continuation of the Nakba (catastrophe) inflicted upon the Palestinian people since 1948 and perpetuates the conflict with Israel,” say Palestinian civil society organizations to Arab leaders convening today, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the summit of the Arab League. 

Call for boycott against the Israel Medical Association

27 March 2007


We, the undersigned, Palestinian Medical and Health institutions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, call on world medical and health institutions to immediately end cooperation with, and refrain from participation in, any form of collaboration or joint activities with the IMA; advocate for the condemnation of the IMA; support Palestinian medical and health institutions directly without requiring them to partner with Israeli counterparts as a condition for such support. IMA’s medical ethics record on torture has been well documented and the institution has never denounced or seriously confronted the Israeli government’s use of torture. 

UN meeting on Middle East peace urges support for new Palestinian Government

26 March 2007


The international community has an obligation to support the new Palestinian National Unity Government without preconditions and to lift the aid restrictions imposed on it, according to participants in a United Nations meeting on Israeli-Palestinian peace. The UN International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, held at the Rome headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on 22-23 March, welcomed the formation of the Government and voiced the hope that the development would allow the international community to restore much-needed economic and humanitarian aid and help to move the peace process forward. 

Israel, Palestinians must both take steps on path to peace, Ban Ki-moon says

26 March 2007


It is crucial that both Israel and the Palestinians take steps to reduce tensions in the Middle East in order to advance the peace process, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in Jerusalem today after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. “The long-term safety and security of Israel and the creation of a Palestinian State go hand in hand,” he added, a day after holding talks with Mahmoud Abbas, noting stressed the need to give some “political space” to the new Palestinian government formed by Hamas and Fatah. “We must use the weeks and months ahead to advance the political dialogue, since the alternative is renewed stagnation, which only means more extremism and violence,” he said. 

Welcome To Inspection Point (3/3)

26 March 2007


Israel has occupied the West Bank and Gaza for 39 years. In 1948, 900,000 Palestinians were expelled from present day Israel. Their six million descendants live in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza and the surrounding Arab States. An 8-12 meter high wall stretches 622km annexing 13.1 percent of the West Bank. Seven students and a camera visited the West Bank for three weeks in June 2006. They drove around the West Bank, spending time in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Aida Camp, Jenin, Ramallah among other areas. This is a glimpse of what they encountered. 

Welcome To Inspection Point (2/3)

26 March 2007


Israel has occupied the West Bank and Gaza for 39 years. In 1948, 900,000 Palestinians were expelled from present day Israel. Their six million descendants live in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza and the surrounding Arab States. An 8-12 meter high wall stretches 622km annexing 13.1 percent of the West Bank. Seven students and a camera visited the West Bank for three weeks in June 2006. They drove around the West Bank, spending time in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Aida Camp, Jenin, Ramallah among other areas. This is a glimpse of what they encountered. 

Welcome To Inspection Point (1/3)

26 March 2007


Israel has occupied the West Bank and Gaza for 39 years. In 1948, 900,000 Palestinians were expelled from present day Israel. Their six million descendants live in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza and the surrounding Arab States. An 8-12 meter high wall stretches 622km annexing 13.1 percent of the West Bank. Seven students and a camera visited the West Bank for three weeks in June 2006. They drove around the West Bank, spending time in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Aida Camp, Jenin, Ramallah among other areas. This is a glimpse of what they encountered. 

Montreal: Resistance and Hezbollah

Stefan Christoff 26 March 2007


MONTREAL: Over 100 people gathered at the Mile End Cultural Center on Tuesday, March 20th for a film-screening and public discussion entitled “Lebanon: Resistance & Hezbollah” organized by Tadamon! Montreal. In the shadow of the 2006 Israeli attack on Lebanon, widely opposed in Quebec and internationally, public discussion and debate on the Lebanese popular movement and political party Hezbollah has grown. The event featured a documentary film produced by Swiss Television, which focused on former Lebanese political prisoner Soha Bechara’s return to Lebanon after 2006 war. 

Judging Hassan Nasrallah

Sami Hermez 27 March 2007


Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, General Secretary of Hizballah, is the leader of a movement claiming to fight for the right of self-determination, in the same way that Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela were leaders of movements that claimed similar ends. However, Nasrallah will likely not be elevated to the status of a Gandhi, Mandela or other leaders of resistance movements of our time, nor will he be given the same revere and respect. Rather, he will be remembered as a violent man, a terrorist, appearing angry in pictures rather than with his innocent, almost childlike smile. 

BBC reporter still held two weeks after kidnapping

26 March 2007


In an alarming resumption of the abduction and detention of foreign journalists in the Gaza Strip, BBC journalist Alan Johnston was abducted on 12 March 2007 in the Al Rimal neighbourhood in the west of Gaza City. So far, Johnston’s whereabouts, the identity of his captors and the reason behind his abduction have not been explicitly confirmed. The targeting of foreign journalists constitutes a bewildering and dangerous phenomenon that threatens the very notion of personal security and public order in the Gaza Strip. This crime is a flagrant attack on the rule of law, and further constitutes an attack against individual freedoms. 

The crime of being born Palestinian

Anna Baltzer West Bank 25 March 2007


Almost two weeks ago, my friend Dawud, a high school English teacher from Kufr ‘Ain, called me nearly in tears to report the checkpoint hold-up that had cost him his six-month-old son. Shortly after midnight on March 8th, my friend’s baby began having trouble breathing. His parents quickly got a taxi to take him to the nearest hospital in Ramallah, where they hoped to secure an oxygen tent, which had helped him recover from difficult respiratory episodes in the past. As the family was rushing from their Palestinian town in the West Bank to their Palestinian hospital in the West Bank, they were stopped at Atara checkpoint, where an Israeli soldier asked for the father’s, mother’s, and driver’s IDs. 

The legacy of Martin Luther King: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere

Adri Nieuwhof 25 March 2007


On 4 April 1968, Martin Luther King was shot dead in Memphis, Tennessee, where he planned to lead a protest march. The powerful voice of King was silenced, but almost fifty years later, his ideas are still a source of inspiration for people who seek peace and justice. Israel claims to have a special relation with the legacy of King. Every year it marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a United States holiday, with a special session in parliament. 

Palestine Mozart Festival begins March 31 in Jerusalem

24 March 2007


Between March 31st and April 14th, the Occupied Palestinian Territories will host a major collaborative Arts Festival featuring over 200 local and visiting musicians. One of the largest performing arts projects ever staged in the Occupied Territories, the Palestine Mozart Festival (www.palestinemusicfestivals.org) will feature over 25 events staged in Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus and East Jerusalem. 

Tentative moves toward new Palestine government

Jim Lobe 24 March 2007


WASHINGTON, D.C., 23 March 2007 (IPS) - How seriously and to what ends is the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush willing to engage the new Palestinian government of national unity? As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice makes her seventh visit to the Middle East in the last eight months, that is the question that foreign policy analysts and diplomats here are asking, and the answers are as yet far from clear.Is the administration committed to resuming a genuine peace process designed to fill out the “political horizon” of a final settlement to which both Israel and the Palestinians, including Hamas, will be willing to commit? 

To Ban Ki-Moon: 40 years of occupation

24 March 2007


Dear Secretary-General Ban,
As Palestinian organisations dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights, we welcome your decision to visit the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) at this early stage in your tenure as UN Secretary-General. After 40 years of belligerent occupation, the current reality in the OPT is one of systematic violations of international human rights law, as well as serious breaches of international humanitarian law, which in many instances amount to war crimes. 

Weekly Report on Human Rights Violations

23 March 2007


During the reporting period two Palestinians, including a child were killed by the IOF in the West Bank. Thirteen Palestinian civilians, including seven children, were wounded by IOF. Eight of these civilians were wounded in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah; four were injured by IOF gunfire at checkpoints. The IOF also conducted 31 incursions into Palestinian communities in the OPT, including a minor incursion into the Central Gaza Strip. 

ADC calls for congressional inquiry into Bolton remarks

23 March 2007


The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) today calls on the United States Congress to conduct an investigation into remarks made by former US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton stating that the US deliberately resisted calls for an immediate ceasefire during the summer 2006 war in Lebanon. Bolton was quoted in an interview with BBC saying he was, “damned proud of what we did” to prevent an early ceasefire. 

Knesset extends racist entry law for another year

22 March 2007


Today the Knesset extended for fifteen months the validity of the racist Nationality and Entry into Israel (Temporary Order) Law, which prevents family unification of residents of East Jerusalem and citizens of Israel married to Palestinians who are residents of the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. The extension follows the High Court of Justice’s rejection last year of the petition filed by Adalah and the Association for Civil Rights to invalidate the statute. In addition, the Knesset expanded the application of the law to include a category “dangerous countries,” containing Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran, whose citizens are denied family unification under the provisions of the statute. 

Right to family life denied

23 March 2007


Enaya Samara is a 56-year-old US national of Palestinian origin. For 31 years she lived in Ramallah with her husband, Adel Samara, who is a resident of the OPT, and their two children. For three decades she had to travel abroad every three months to renew her tourist visa. The family’s repeated attempts to obtain family unification and establish Enaya Samara’s right to reside in the OPT were unsuccessful. On 26 May 2006, after more than 120 trips, she was denied entry when she tried to return home to the OPT. 

Two-year-old killed in renewed factional violence

23 March 2007


Gaza - Ma’an News Agency - The death toll due to the renewed clashes between Fatah and Hamas supporters in the Gaza Strip, which began on Wednesday, March 21, rose to three after a two-year-old infant died on Thursday evening. Security sources reported that the infant, Hassan Abu al-Nada, died from wounds sustained after being shot by armed men while in his house near the home of a leader of the Fatah-affiliated al-Aqsa Brigades, Samih al-Madhoun. 

UN meeting on Israeli-Palestinian peace emphasizes nature and value of dialogue

22 March 2007


The nature and value of dialogue and the importance of mutual respect within, between and among cultures were the focus of this afternoon’s discussion among participants in the first of three scheduled plenary sessions at the United Nations International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, held at the Rome headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization. During the session — whose theme was “Peace in the Middle East: A key to the advancement of the dialogue between cultures and civilizations” — participants responded to the presentations of five expert panellists, who discussed three themes, including the urgency of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

One-third of Palestinians 'food insecure'

22 March 2007


RAMALLAH, 22 March 2007 (IRIN) - One-third of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are food insecure, according to a report by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). About 34 percent of Palestinians cannot afford a balanced meal and another 12 percent are at risk of reaching this state, the organisations found in a Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Assessment published this month. Most affected is the Gaza Strip, where 51 percent of the population suffers from food insecurity. 

Parallel progress needed in Middle East, Ban Ki-moon tells UN meeting

22 March 2007


With a majority of both Israelis and Palestinians supporting a negotiated settlement to the Middle East conflict that would allow two States to live side by side in peace and security, it is vital that their leaders take concrete steps to achieve that goal, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a United Nations-sponsored meeting on the issue today. “It is clear that a parallel commitment by the parties is essential for advancing on key issues,” Mr. Ban said in a message at the start of the UN International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, held at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, urging participants to play their part. 

Existence is Resistance

Anna Baltzer Nablus, Palestine 21 March 2007


My last day in Nablus I got to discover another one of the city’s gems: An-Najah University. I immediately took to the old architecture mixed with modern sculptures on the main campus, but what inspired me most was watching thousands of students return to the frantic bustle of daily university life so soon after soldiers had released the city from hostage. Resilience is a defining character of Palestinian identity in my experience, and I was more impressed than surprised to see Palestinians asserting their determination to get an education even in the most difficult circumstances. 

United But Still Isolated

Peter Hirschberg 21 March 2007


Palestinian leaders heaved a sigh of relief over the weekend when the formation of the long- awaited Hamas-Fatah national unity government finally became a reality. But the Palestinians could quickly discover that while the formation of a unity government, after months of tortuous negotiations, may have averted the threat that growing internal strife would balloon into all-out civil war, it could fail to achieve its second and no less important goal — the lifting of crippling international sanctions. 

Situation of Palestinian Refugees: "Worse than ever"

21 March 2007


The decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict lies at the heart of 21st century world affairs, with numerous nations, international organisations and NGOs involved on both sides. The United Nations has long played a role in the conflict, on both political and humanitarian levels. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was established for the specific purpose of providing assistance to the Palestinian refugees the war created. 

Kick Apartheid Out of Football

21 March 2007


On Saturday 24th March England are playing Israel in a Euro 2008 qualifier match in Israel. The Boycott Israeli Goods campaign will hold a vigil in protest at the match and to call for a sporting boycott of apartheid Israel. The vigil will commemorate those Palestinian children killed while playing football. From September 2000 to December 2006, 869 Palestinian children have been killed, a quarter of those were under twelve. Every month an average of fourteen will die. Many have been killed just kicking a ball around. 

Diplomatic Quartet urges Palestinian Unity Government to commit to key principles

21 March 2007


Stressing the need for the new Palestinian National Unity Government to commit to non-violence, the recognition of Israel and the acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, the Middle East Quartet - the diplomatic grouping that includes the United Nations - indicated that the Government’s commitment will be judged on its actions as much as its composition and platform. In a statement released today, the members of the Quartet also endorsed the extension of a stop-gap measure for providing aid to the Palestinian people and voiced support for United States-led efforts to find a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

Video: Nightlife in Balata refugee camp

Research Journalism Initiative and a-films 21 March 2007


For the fourth consecutive night the Isaeli Occupation Forces (IOF) invaded Balata Refugee Camp on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Nablus. Israeli jeeps, bulldozers and other vehicles drove around the streets of the camp. Soldiers threw percussion grenades and fired randomly at residents’ homes. During recent years IOF invasions into Balata are a near-nightly occurence. 

Anti-Racism Day: "Israel is guilty of apartheid and colonization"

21 March 2007


Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the world comes together to reaffirm that racial discrimination is an assault on the foundation of the human rights system - the principle of equality. On this occasion, Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated, “a society that tolerates discrimination holds itself back, foregoing the contribution of whole parts of its population, and potentially sowing the seeds of violent conflict.” She added that despite the fact that many states have accepted to fight racial discrimination “a reality check demonstrates that formal commitments are not enough.” 

Israeli court upholds order to confiscate hundreds of Palestinian citizens' land

20 March 2007


On 18 March 2007, the District Court in Nazareth decided to permit the continued appropriation of approximately 200 dunams of land through an order of the Minister of Finance from 1953. Adalah states, “The Court’s decision is erroneous and dangerous as it legitimizes the illegal and unjustified seizure of land. This land was confiscated in 1953 for alleged ‘essential settlement and development needs,’ but it has not been used for such reasons at all. The Court agreed to delay the implementation of the decision, and we will investigate the possibility of lodging an appeal to the Supreme Court.” 

Evictions and demolitions continue in East Jerusalem

20 March 2007


EAST JERUSALEM, 20 March 2007 (IRIN) - Two months ago, the 12 members of the Abdullah family awoke at 7.30am to find their home in East Jerusalem surrounded by 2,000 Israeli soldiers. They were hustled out as two bulldozers from the Jerusalem Municipality tore it down — leaving them to face the winter cold with just a canvas Red Cross tent for shelter. “We have no money to rent a flat here and no relatives who can take us in. Years of saving money and work disappeared in 30 minutes,” said Milouk Abdullah, a 55-year-old scrap-metal dealer. 

Israel-Palestine: Time for a bi-national state

Leila Farsakh 20 March 2007


There is talk once again of a one-state bi-national solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Oslo peace process failed to bring Palestinians their independence and the withdrawal from Gaza has not created a basis for a democratic Palestinian state as President George Bush had imagined: the Palestinians are watching their territory being fragmented into South African-style bantustans with poverty levels of over 75 percent. The area is heading to the abyss of an apartheid state system rather than to a viable two-state solution, let alone peace. 

Chicago Palestine Film Festival 2007 starts April 14

19 March 2007


The Chicago Palestine Film Festival (CPFF) is proud to present its 6th annual festival which will take place at the Gene Siskel Film Center from April 14-April 26. Our shortlist for 2007 includes fifteen films by twenty-one Palestinian and eight other filmmakers. We value the opportunity to engage in discussions with experts and artists, so this year’s festival also includes several distinguished special guests. 

In Memoriam: Tanya Reinhart

19 March 2007


On Saturday, 17 March 2007, Israeli linguist and activist Tanya Reinhart passed away in New York at the age of 63. Tanya’s was a vital and rare Israeli voice that never wavered when it came to criticizing Israel’s systematic violations of Palestinians’ rights, including making a professional sacrifice by contributing to the discourse over the academic boycott of Israel. The following article, penned by Tanya and published by EI on 25 May 2005, reminds us what a void she leaves behind. 

Save Sami Al-Arian's life; demand his immediate release

20 March 2007


Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, calls on all people of conscience to demand that Dr. Sami Al-Arian is immediately freed from his political imprisonment. Dr. Al-Arian is a Palestinian former University of Florida professor who is currently on his 58th day of a water-only hunger strike. He is protesting his maltreatment by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) which violated an earlier plea agreement that absolved Dr. Al-Arian from any further cooperation with the government. 

HRW: "Israel: Stop forcing civilians to assist military operations"

16 March 2007


The Israeli army should immediately cease deliberately endangering Palestinian civilians by forcing them to assist military operations, Human Rights Watch said today. During recent military operations in the Old City of Nablus, Israeli soldiers forced at least three Palestinians at gun point, two of them children, to assist in searching apartments for suspects. International humanitarian law prohibits a party to a conflict from using the civilian population or individual civilians in order to attempt to shield military operations. “The soldiers’ actions fly in the face of the Geneva Conventions, an Israeli high court decision, and the IDF’s own prior commitments,”said Joe Saunders. 

Ban Ki-moon confers with key Middle East peace brokers on Palestinian unity cabinet

19 March 2007


United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held a conference call today with his key international partners in efforts to broker a Middle East peace to discuss a joint approach to the new Palestinian unity government between the Fatah and Hamas movements. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, current president of the European Union (EU), High Representative for European Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and European Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner took part in the consultations of the Quartet, which come ahead of Mr. Ban’s own visit to the region. 

Al-Haq Fieldworker Released from Administrative Detention

19 March 2007


On 18 March 2007, Al-Haq fieldworker and human rights defender, Ziyad Hmeidan, was dropped off by the Israel Prison Service (IPS) at the Dahiriya (Meitar) checkpoint, south of Hebron, at around 14:15, marking the end of almost two years of detention without charge or fair trial. From the checkpoint Ziyad travelled to the village of Sa’ir, where he met briefly with a number of Al-Haq’s staff, before heading on to Bethlehem, where he was reunited with his wife and two young children. Ziyad’s release, similar to the entire process which arbitrarily deprived him of his freedom for 20 months, was marked by obstructions from the Israeli authorities. 

UNRWA convoy attacked in Gaza

19 March 2007


The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns yesterday’s assault on Mr. John Ging, UNRWA’s Chief of Operation. The attack took place in the northern Gaza Strip and targeted his convoy. The Centre calls for serious legal action against the perpetrators of this attack, which is a continuation of security chaos that undermines the rule of law and tarnishes the Palestinian people and their just struggle for freedom and independence. 

Testimony: Settlers attack Palestinian farmers, including small children

19 March 2007


Two days ago [9 February], I went with my brother Salah to our fields to prune the grapevines. My children, who are six and eleven years old, and Salah’s children, who are four, six, and twelve years old, came with us. We reached the vineyards at nine in the morning and began the pruning. We finished working around three in the afternoon and left. We walked two kilometers to the north, toward ‘Ein al-Qasis, to land belonging to my cousins, Samer and ‘Imad Salah. They had asked us to plant sage in their field. Their plot is close to the part of the Neve Daniel settlement that has nine caravans. A settler named Hananya lives there. Everybody knows him because he attacks Palestinian farmers. 

Police raids spread panic among Palestinians in Iraq

19 March 2007


BAGHDAD, 18 March 2007 (IRIN) - The United Nations has reiterated its call for the protection of Palestinian refugees in Iraq after Iraqi security forces killed one and detained dozens in raids last week, causing a number of Palestinian families to flee to the border. “One Palestinian, [who was] a guard at a mosque, was killed with at least one gunshot to the head during the raid on Wednesday,” said Ron Redmond, chief spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva on Friday. The agency called for the immediate protection of Palestinians in Iraq. 

Nablus in the Aftermath of Operation "Hot Winter"

Cara Loverock 18 March 2007


The most recent Israeli invasion of Nablus, dubbed operation “Hot Winter,” ended on 1 March. A couple days later in the early morning hours, a few of us entered the city and headed to the Yasmina Hotel to meet a local man, Mohammed, who works with the International Solidarity Movement and had arranged for us to meet with some individuals who could explain their experiences during the Israeli sweep. While we sit down for coffee, Mohammed gives us a briefing of the facts: two men were killed, 35 injured and 150 detained. Many houses were occupied, shops were blown up and there was a 24 hour a day curfew over the old city. 

Gaza power supply under pressure

22 February 2007


The Gaza Strip in the Occupied Palestinian Territories continues to suffer daily power cuts eight months after Israel bombed its only power station, leaving health services relying on expensive generators and residents without regular electricity or water. The cuts have continued despite new transformers being installed in November 2006 at the privately owned Gaza Power Generating Company (GPGC) power station. All six of the original transformers were destroyed by Israeli warplanes days after Palestinian militants kidnapped an Israeli soldier last June. The cuts have left hospitals relying on diesel generators supplied with fuel financed by foreign donors. 

EU: Resumption of aid depends on new cabinet's acceptance of Quartet demands

17 March 2007


Responding to the formation of the Palestinian Unity Government and its program, the European Union welcomed the establishment of the eleventh Palestinian cabinet and stated in a declaration released through the EU’s Presidency that the resumption of aid will depend on an assessment of the cabinet’s acceptance of the demands stated by the Middle East Quartet. “The Presidency of the EU recalls the readiness of the EU to work with and to resume its assistance to a legitimate Palestinian government adopting a platform reflecting the Quartet principles. The EU will carefully assess the platform and actions of the new government and its ministers.” 

Norway normalises relations with Palestinian Unity Government

17 March 2007


“Norway welcomes the formation of the Palestinian Unity Government,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. “In its programme, the Unity Government is taking important steps towards complying with the international community’s demands. Norway will thus on this basis re-establish political and economic relations with the Palestinian Government,” said Mr Støre. “On the basis of the new government’s political platform, Norway expects the Palestinian authorities to respect basic international standards as regards compliance with previously concluded agreements, renunciation of violence and recognition of Israel’s right to exist.” 

Weekly Report on Human Rights Violations

16 March 2007


During the reporting period a Palestinian boy was killed by IOF when he attempted to infiltrate into Israel to search for a job. The Israeli police beat a Palestinian to death in occupied East Jerusalem. 15 Palestinian civilians, including three children, and an Israeli solidarity activist were wounded by IOF gunfire. The IOF conducted 40 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. And land confiscation in Qalqilya continues as the IOF confiscated another 17 donums of agricultural land. 

Palestinian refugee killed in Iraq raid

16 March 2007


In the latest of a long series of expressions of alarm over the fate of Palestinian refugees in Iraq after the ouster of Saddam Hussein, the United Nations refugee agency today voiced deep concern over a raid by Iraqi security forces this week in Baghdad, which left at least one Palestinian dead and nine others reportedly still in detention. “The violence reportedly broke out when the Palestinians tried to resist the raid,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman Ron Redmond told a news briefing in Geneva. 

Bush's Book List Gets More Islamophobic

Jim Lobe 16 March 2007


WASHINGTON, Mar 16 (IPS) - Accounts of a Feb. 28 “literary luncheon” at the White House suggest that President George W. Bush’s reading tastes — until now a remarkably good predictor of his policy views — are moving ever rightward, even apocalyptic, despite his administration’s recent suggestions that it is more disposed to engage Washington’s foes, even in the Middle East. The luncheon, attended as well by Vice President Dick Cheney and a dozen hard-line neo-conservatives, was held in honour of visiting British historian Andrew Roberts whose latest work, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900, Bush reportedly read late last year and subsequently sent to Prime Minister Tony Blair. 

Rachel Corrie's Voice

Bessy Reyna 16 March 2007


Rachel Corrie was a 23-year-old peace activist killed by a bulldozer driven by an Israeli army soldier. The time, day and place of her death are known, but, the question of whether she was murdered or whether her death was an accident continues to be as controversial today as it was when it happened March 16, 2003. With her death Corrie became an international symbol in the struggle against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. Today, the anniversary of her death, she is being remembered with vigils and readings of her writings in many cities. 

Gaza children commemorate fourth anniversary of Rachel Corrie's death

Mohammad Al-Jamal 16 March 2007


Children from the Mini Palestinian Parliament commemorated the fourth anniversary of the loss of the American solidarity activist Rachel Corrie by enacting a permanent exhibit for her that includes pictures and personal belongings at the parliament site in the center of Rafah governorate. The exhibit, which was attended by a large number of children and others concerned, included pictures of Rachel and statements and other documents released upon her loss, as well as some personal belongings and a symbolic coffin covered by the Palestinian flag. 

UN Secretary-General welcomes news of Palestinian unity government

15 March 2007


Welcoming reports that negotiations for a Palestinian national unity government have been completed, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he hoped the new administration would respect existing agreements and reflect widely held principles on the conflict in the Middle East. United Nations spokesperson Michele Montas told journalists at the daily briefing, in response to questions on the intra-Palestinian talks, that Mr. Ban is now looking forward to the formation of both the Government and its programme. She said he hoped that the Palestinian Government would respect all existing agreements and reflect principles outlined by the diplomatic Quartet. 

Audio Interview: Ali Abunimah on the problem of partition

15 March 2007


EI contributor and producer of the weekly podcast Crossing the Line Christopher Brown interviews EI co-founder Ali Abunimah on his new book One Country and the problem of partition as a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Abunimah explains, “From the very beginning partition was inextricably linked with what we would today call ethnic cleansing, and of course that’s what happened in 1948 in order for the State of Israel to be born.” 

Woman kidnapped and killed in Gaza

15 March 2007


The state of insecurity witnessed serious escalation across the Gaza Strip where killings of women augmented under mysterious conditions and armed clashes renewed. According to Al Mezan’s field investigations, at approximately 6pm on 14 March 2007 a woman was found dead in north Gaza beach. She was identified as a resident of Gaza City who was kidnapped and killed on the same day. The identity of the perpetrators remains unknown. On 12 March 2007, another woman was found on Beit Lahia beach after being shot in her legs. Three women had faced the same fate during March, raising to five the number women who were killed in 2007. 

Israeli university's age restrictions discriminates against Arab students

15 March 2007


On 12 March 2007, Adalah wrote to the President of Tel Aviv University and the Dean of the School of Medicine, demanding that new conditions which limit the entry of students into the school to those over twenty years of age be cancelled. As Adalah stressed, this restriction does not apply to students who wish to study before performing military service. This is a new requirement announced in a bulletin regarding registration at the university for the 2007-2008 academic year. 

Israel's right to be racist

Joseph Massad 15 March 2007


Israel’s struggle for peace is a sincere one. In fact, Israel desires to live at peace not only with its neighbours, but also and especially with its own Palestinian population, and with Palestinians whose lands its military occupies by force. Israel’s desire for peace is not only rhetorical but also substantive and deeply psychological. The only thing Israel has asked for, and continues to ask for in order to end the state of war with the Palestinians and its Arab neighbours, is that all recognise its right to be a racist state that discriminates by law against Palestinians and other Arabs and grants differential legal rights and privileges to its own Jewish citizens and to all other Jews anywhere. 

War and Irony in Hebron Hilltops

Anna Baltzer Hebron, Palestine 15 March 2007


The small Palestinian Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron is home to some of the most violent ideological settlers in the West Bank, who have moved into local homes by force and parade the streets with guns, terrorizing local residents including children on their way to and from school. Unlike most settlers in the West Bank who move to the Occupied Territories because the Israeli government encourages them to do so with financial subsidies and other programs, the settlers in Hebron are here because they believe the city of 150,000 plus Palestinians belongs exclusively to the Jewish people. 

The Religious Right's New Bugbear

Bill Berkowitz 15 March 2007


OAKLAND, CA, United States, Mar 14 (IPS) - Last Sunday, Pastor John Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, received a rousing reception at the opening dinner plenary of the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference.Hagee warned the crowd that “Iran poses a nuclear threat to the state of Israel that promises nothing less than a nuclear Holocaust.” Hagee claimed that the situation is like 1938, only “Iran is Germany and [President Mahmoud] Ahmedinejad is the new Hitler.” 

Lebanon Support Portal

14 March 2007


The Lebanon-Support portal was launched during the Israeli attack on Lebanon, and its services were launched fully by the time of the cease-fire and the beginning of the recovery phase. The portal was conceptualized after several discussions between the partners on the best manner to support coordination efforts where all actors can interact and share information. The portal had been designed to take into consideration the fluid situation regarding relief coordination in Lebanon. 

UNESCO: Israel must stop work near Al-Aqsa Mosque pending agreed plan

14 March 2007


Although Israeli archaeological work for an access pathway in Jerusalem’s Old City does not threaten the Al-Aqsa Mosque and complies with professional standards, Israel should at once stop excavations and consult on a final plan with Muslim religious authorities and other parties, according to a United Nations experts’ report. The report, drafted by a technical mission sent by UNESCO amid international concerns over the excavations, said Israel “should be asked to stop immediately” since work already undertaken was deemed sufficient to assess structural conditions for the pathway to the Mughrabi Gate after a partial collapse in 2004 due to heavy rain and snow. 

Legal action in France against Veolia and Alstom

Adri Nieuwhof and Maria Lherm 14 March 2007


Last week the Association France Palestine Solidarite (AFPS) has taken legal action in France against Veolia and Alstom because both companies are involved in the Israeli light rail or tramway project that will run on occupied East Jerusalem. The National Collective for Peace [1] gives full support to the legal steps taken by AFPS. Veolia and Alstom have closed their ears to widely voiced criticism that the Israeli tramway project is in violation with international law. Just like Israel the companies act as if they stand above the law. The aim of the action is the annulment of the contracts and to stop the construction activities. 

"New Territories" curator not transparent regarding Israeli government sponsorship

Alexandra Handal 21 March 2007


The week before the opening of the ‘New Territories’ exhibition in which she was to participate, artist Alexandra Handal writes, “I went to Brugges to install my work, and there I met the artists who were able to attend. … I was walking with two artists in the city and as we approached a big poster in front of the DeHallen Belfort, where the show was to take place, we noticed that there was an Israeli government seal on it. We were in complete disbelief. What was the Israeli government seal doing on the poster?” 

Nablus Invasion Diary I: Occupied Homes and Minds

Anna Baltzer Nablus, Palestine 14 March 2007


6 March 2007: We arrived on Sunday to help volunteers from the UPMRC (Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees) deliver food and medical services. Dozens of jeeps and hundreds of soldiers had surrounded the Old City and declared curfew on all of Nablus. Their stated mission was to capture or assassinate eight fighters from Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the armed wing of the Fatah movement. Meanwhile, the 40,000 residents of Nablus Old City were trapped in their homes, inside a war zone, unable to go to work or school, or even to buy food for their families. 

Nablus Invasion Diary II: Human Shields and Medical Obstruction

Anna Baltzer Nablus, Palestine 14 March 2007


7 March 2007: Most of the jeeps pulled out late Monday night, but we all knew they would be back. Israeli officials announced that the operation was not over, as they had not yet achieved their objectives. Typically, the army will withdraw for several hours or a whole day, hoping the wanted men will move around and be spotted by a collaborator working with Israel, and then the army can pounce. Soldiers also remained in occupied houses, where they typically set up hidden sniper nests. 

UN Committee urges Israel to abandon racist practices

10 March 2007


On 9 March 2007, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination issued its Concluding Observations, following its review last month of Israels implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD or the Convention). In its Concluding Observations, the Committee emphasized 25 areas of concern and recommendations regarding Israels compliance with the Convention concerning the rights of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel and Palestinians living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). 

Nablus Invasion Diary III: Resistance, Hypocrisy, and Dead Men Walking

Anna Baltzer Nablus, Palestine 14 March 2007


13 March 2007: What most struck me about the Nablus invasion wasn’t the killing of unarmed civilians. It wasn’t the obstruction of medical workers and ambulances, or the indiscriminate detention of males, or the occupied houses and curfews. What I will remember for the rest of my life is the steadfast resistance of the people of Nablus. I came to Palestine to document and intervene in human rights abuses and to support nonviolent resistance to the Occupation. As I delivered bread and medicine with medical relief workers throughout the invasion, I wondered if I was really fulfilling my mission. 

Haifa Planning Committee rules against confiscation of Arab land

12 March 2007


The decision of the Haifa District Planning and Building Committee prevented gross violations of Arab landowners rights to property and safeguarded their basic source of livelihood. It also removed all the limitations on land use proposed by the plan. On 8 March 2007, Adalah received the decision of the Sub-Committee for Objections within the Haifa District Planning and Building Committee to accept the objection of Adalah against plans to earmark an area of land cultivated by Arab farmers in the north of Israel as forested land. 

One Killed, 14 Wounded in Gaza Strip internal violence

14 March 2007


On Tuesday evening, 13 March 2007, a member of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) was killed and 10 other persons, including three members of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades, were wounded in Gaza City in an incident related to the clashes that took place last month in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, four persons, including a child, were wounded in clashes between members of Hamas and those of Fatah movement in the northern Gaza Strip. 

Obama loses ground in vital campaign rally

Ewen MacAskill 13 March 2007


A week ago they were competing for African-American votes in the Deep South. But late on Monday Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama went head to head for another key demographic group: Jewish voters. In one of the most important campaign stops yet, supporters from the Clinton and Obama camps, as well as other presidential hopefuls, flooded the hallways of the Washington Convention Centre distributing fliers and shouting through loudhailers in their bid to draw people in. Mr Obama made his pitch in room 150, and a few minutes later, in room 152, it was the turn of Mrs Clinton. 

The UN Anti-Racism Committee questions Israel's policy of apartheid

13 March 2007


On 22-23 February 2007, after nearly 10 years of evading its responsibility, Israel finally met with the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) to discuss its report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. A number of Palestinian, Israeli and international NGOs attended, including Adalah, ACRI, Al Haq, Amnesty International, Badil, B’Tselem, Habitat Coalition International, and National Lawyers Guild. Summarized are some of the issues raised by the members of the Committee during their discussion with the Israeli delegation and in their Concluding Observations. 

Palo Dutch Concept Factory returns to Ramallah

Arjan El Fassed 13 March 2007


The Palo-Dutch Concept Factory has a clear core business: generating ideas, for campaigning in the broadest sense. These ideas are born in Ramallah, Palestine. Generating ideas such as “Send a Friend” (connecting schoolkids in Palestine and the Netherlands), “Sell the Wall” (how to create awareness and involvement of mainstream Dutch with the Wall) and “Palovision”, the Palestinian entry for the Eurovision Song Competition in 2008, a mix of humor, irony, implicit politics and smart use of Dutch media, the Palo Dutch Concept Factory organizes its next workshop in Ramallah on May 4, 5 and 6, 2007. For this workshop PDCF is looking for Palestinian creative minds. 

Audio Download: "Palestine" from rapper Patriarch's debut album

13 March 2007


As an Arab-American rap artist living in a post 9-11 world, Patriarch speaks to the masses about the stereotypes, fear and anger towards the Arab world. He flawlessly delivers his message of political activism to relatively untouched US market of over four million Arab-Americans. With a blend of massive beats, politically charged lyrics, and a gift of determination, Son of a Refugee is sure to grab your attention, as well as make you think twice about the world you live in. 

Al Mezan condemns the kidnapping of BBC journalist

13 March 2007


Unknown persons kidnapped the BBC’s correspondent in the Gaza Strip. This incident brings to the fore the issue of the kidnapping of foreigners in Gaza and exerts a negative impact on the freedom of speech and access to information. According to Al Mezan’s field information, at approximately 14.45pm on 12 March 2007, four gunmen in a white Subaru blocked the way of the British journalist Alan Johnston, while he was driving down in Al Wehda Street, and forced him out of his car. No information on his whereabouts has yet been released. 

Olmert's leaked testimony reveals real goal of summer war

Jonathan Cook 13 March 2007


Israel’s supposedly “defensive” assault on Hizbullah last summer, in which more than 1,000 Lebanese civilians were killed in a massive aerial bombardment that ended with Israel littering the country’s south with cluster bombs, was cast in a definitively different light last week by Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert. His leaked testimony to the Winograd Committee — investigating the government’s failures during the month-long attack — suggests that he had been preparing for such a war at least four months before the official casus belli: the capture by Hizbullah of two Israeli soldiers from a border post on 12 July 2006. 

BBC's Alan Johnston second reporter kidnapped in Gaza this year

12 March 2007


Reporters Without Borders voiced concern today after British journalist Alan Johnston, who has been the BBC’s correspondent in Gaza for more than three years, was kidnapped by gunmen near his office this afternoon as he was returning from the Erez Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel. “We call for the immediate release of this journalist, who has lived and worked in the Palestinian territories for years,” the press freedom organisation said. “We urge both President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh to react at once to speed up his release. A response from all of us is essential.” 

Water supply is priority issue for the south

12 March 2007


KHIYAM, 12 March 2007 (IRIN) - Water supply to hundreds of thousands of people across southern Lebanon remains the priority development issue, say officials, seven months after Israel’s bombardment of the area severely damaged an already inadequate water and sanitation system. The UN Children’s Agency, UNICEF, is implementing a series of projects across Lebanon to improve water supply, through its Water, Environment, Sanitation and Hygiene (WESH) unit. According to WESH figures, only 56 percent of Lebanese are connected to the mains water supply, which in poorer rural areas sometimes only works one day a week. 

Report: The continued closure of Rafah Crossing Point

12 March 2007


In its continued occupation of Gaza, the Israeli government and armed forces have repeatedly and routinely violated both international humanitarian law and the non-derogable human rights of the 1.4 million residents of Gaza. The almost continued closure of Rafah Crossing Point is one of the most insidious examples of this, and, as one of the biggest disappointments following the ‘disengagement’. Israel has consistently shown that the opening of Rafah Crossing Point relies wholly on its own whims. 

Clashes between Fatah and Hamas renewed in Beit Hanoun

11 March 2007


Violent clashes broke out between Fatah and Hamas in Beit Hanoun before midnight on 10 March 2007. Clashes erupted in the area close to Omar Abdul Aziz Mosque in the town and spread to different neighborhoods at night. The clashes have continued until today, 11 March 2007. The clashes resulted in the killing of 26-year-old Hussein Al Kafarnah, a member of the Executive Force, and the injury of eight others. One of them is in a critical condition. 

Palestinian Refugees of Iraq

Rafeef Ziadah 11 March 2007


On the border between Iraq/Jordan and Iraq/Syria today live hundreds of Palestinian families who fled the US war to find themselves stranded in no-mans land. These families live in tents, in squalor, with little certainty or hope for the future, like their parents and grandparents did after their expulsion from their own homeland in the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe) by the Israelis. The Al-Hol, Al-Tanaf, Al-Ruweished and Al-Walid refugee camps in the Iraqi desert are examples of the on-going Nakba that Palestinian refugees face. The fate of the 34,000 Palestinian refugees who once lived in Iraq can be added to the many tragic stories of the US invasion and occupation of that country. 

Satisfaction, frustration and pride

Kaelen Wilson-Goldie Beirut 10 March 2007


BEIRUT: Nothing encourages artists to produce better work than competition. Last summer, for 34 days straight, two artists - one holed up in Achrafieh and the other holed up in Sin al-Fil - made drawing after drawing. When the power supply was on, they posted their pieces online, filling their respective blogs with diary-like accounts of living through the war in Lebanon. They each checked out the other’s work, as they each wondered how the other would respond to the day. Sometimes they felt the satisfaction of seeing a particularly trenchant piece of work. 

Report: Palestinian child prisoners in 2006

10 March 2007


In 2006, Israel continued its policy of arresting and imprisoning Palestinian children. Some 700 Palestinian children (under 18) were arrested by Israeli soldiers over the course of the year. Of these, around 25 children were held on administrative detention orders, imprisonment without charge or trial. The overwhelming majority of those arrested in 2006 were boys; there were eight girl child prisoners who served sentences at different points during the year. Of these, four had been arrested in 2006. At any given point during the year, there were between 340 and 420 Palestinian children held in Israeli prisons and detention centers in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. 

Journalists hit by Israeli stun grenades, tear-gassed

10 March 2007


New York, March 8, 2007 - The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned that two journalists were bruised by Israeli stun grenades at an Israeli military checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah today. Rami al-Faqih, a correspondent for the local Al-Quds Educational Television, and Iyad Hamad, a cameraman for The Associated Press, were each hit this morning as Israeli border police fired at journalists covering a peaceful protest marking International Women’s Day at the Qalandia checkpoint, the journalists told CPJ. 

BADIL: "Ongoing population transfer in OPT and Israel"

10 March 2007


Israel’s ongoing policies against the Palestinian people of land expropriation, house demolition, population transfer, colonial settlement expansion, denial of freedom of movement, and expropriation of water and other resources, present the Human Rights Council with one of the longest-standing, yet urgent cases of denial of internationally-recognized human rights. Under Israeli law and policy, only “Jewish nationals” exclusively enjoy a range of economic, social and cultural rights, including the “Law of Return” that allows free immigration for Jews, but denies the same to the Palestinian indigenous population tracing its ties to the land for thousands of years. 

“Future generations depend on our efforts”

Farid El Haffar 9 March 2007


“I want to be the first Palestinian woman to become president”, declares Suha, an ambitious 15 year-old Palestine refugee student from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. “And what would you do for me?” asks her English teacher Mervat. “I would hire you as my personal advisor!” responds Suha, as the two burst into laughter. Mervat and Suha are two very dynamic and enthusiastic women. Sitting in their school’s playground, Mervat explains, “I used to study in an UNRWA school like this one and I had an English teacher I liked very much, who inspired me to become a teacher”. “When I look at Suha and at the other students I have, I realise relationships have changed. 

Obama and the Jews

Harold Brackman 9 March 2007


Those looking for Obama’s views on the Mideast won’t find a great deal. In 2004, he disappointed Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada by giving a speech to Chicago’s Council on Foreign Relations endorsing the U.S. alliance with Israel. Speaking before Jewish audiences during his Senate campaign, he reassured them that his Swahili first name, Barack (“Blessed”), is a close relation of Baruch in Hebrew. His current bestseller, “The Audacity of Hope” — a carefully crafted manifesto positioning him for his 2008 run — has a page on a recent trip to the Mideast, where he talked to both Holocaust survivors and Palestinian villagers. 

Video: Interview with wounded son of man killed in Nablus Invasion

Research Journalism Initiative and a-films 9 March 2007


On 26 February 2007, the second day of the Israeli invasion, Anan Tibi was shot and wounded while on the rood of the the family’s home in the Old City of Nablus. Only seconds before, Tibi’s son Ashraf was also shot and wounded. From his hospital bed Tibi describes what happened: “When I went down the stairs that lead from the roof to our home I was shot in the arm. I told my father I was shot. … I sent my brother downstairs to get an ambulance. I reached our home and heard a second shot. When I looked up I saw my father lying on the stairs.” This video-interview was produced by the Research Journalism Initiative and the Anarchist Film Collective “A-Films”. 

Israeli soldiers use two Palestinian minors as human shields

9 March 2007


8 March 2007: Testimonies taken by B’Tselem reveal that during the army’s operation in Nablus in late February, soldiers used two Palestinian children, a fifteen-year-old boy and a eleven-year-old girl, and a twenty-four-year old man as human shields. The use of human shields constitutes a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law and is explicitly and clearly prohibited by Israeli military orders. B’Tselem wrote to the Judge Advocate General and demanded that he immediately order a Military Police investigation into the matter. 

Impunity for Violence Against Palestinian Women and Girls Must End

8 March 2007


Al-Haq takes the occasion of International Women’s Day, under the theme of ‘Ending Impunity for Violence against Women and Girls,’ to highlight the alarming situation of Palestinian women who not only live under the yoke of an oppressive military occupation that denies them the fundamental protections of international human rights and humanitarian law, but who, like women in countries across the globe, also suffer the denial of their basic rights within their own society. 

The Mecca Charity Show

Roni Ben Efrat 8 March 2007


At first glance, indeed, the Mecca Agreement may seem a great wonder, considering what we published here two months ago. We divided - and still divide - the Middle East into two axes. One included the US, Saudia Arabia and Fatah, and the other included Iran, Syria and Hamas. Under these circumstances, how was agreement possible? The answer lies in a temporary conjunction of interests between Saudi Arabia and Iran. When we unpeel a few layers, however, the dovish feathers fall away: the Mecca Agreement is a mere time-out - not the basis for a new beginning. 

Violence against women rises in the occupied territories

7 March 2007


Three Palestinian women were shot dead in the northern Gaza Strip last month — rumours say it had to do with ‘honour’. The corpses of the women — Ibtisam Mohammad Musallam Abu Qeinas, 31; Samira Tahani Debeiky, 45; and Amani Khamis Hosari, 40 - were found within a 24-hour period in Beit Lahiya and Gaza City, leaving residents shocked. “People are saying it was an honour killing, that the women were of loose morals…” 

Obama Pivots Away From Dovish Past

Larry Cohler-Esses 7 March 2007


Presidential candidate Barack Obama’s maiden speech to the pro-Israel lobby last week saw a man described by early supporters as an ardent dove on Israel take flight as a bird of considerably more hawkish mien reports The Jewish Weekly. But Ali Abunimah, a Hyde Park Palestinian-American activist, and co-Founder of The Electronic Intifada “said that until a few years ago, Obama was ‘quite frank that the U.S. needed to be more evenhanded, that it leaned too much toward Israel.’ It was vivid in his memory, said Abunimah, because ‘these were the kind of statements I’d never heard from a U.S. politician who seemed like he was going somewhere rather than at the end of his career.’” 

The lighter side of the Axis of Evil

Maureen Clare Murphy 8 March 2007


Since the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., Middle Easterners have found themselves under the microscope, especially in the US, and our polarized world is being misdiagnosed as a “clash of civilizations.” Thankfully, standup comedians Dean Obeidallah, Ahmed Ahmed, Aron Kader, and Maz Jobrani are here to skewer it all in the must-see Axis of Evil Comedy Special, which airs in the US on Comedy Central this Saturday. Comprised of American performers of Middle Eastern descent, the Axis of Evil Comedy Show is an ongoing tour that began in 2005 and has been greeted across the US with critical acclaim. 

Canadians and the International Boycott Movement

Freda Guttman 7 March 2007


We in Canada have our own AIPAC’s, devoted Zionists in bed with our government, and the Christian Right. However, we also have many Palestine solidarity and Arab organizations, as well as grass roots civil groups that have flowered here over the years, and take a dynamic, public position on the occupation, the right of return, the human rights abuses that Palestinians are subjected to, and have wholly embraced the movement to Boycott, Divest and Sanction Israel. We consider it our mandate to educate the Canadian public on these issues and as well, on our government’s untenable and right wing policies towards the Middle East. 

Video: Interview with child taken as human shield in Nablus

Research Journalism Initiative and a-films 7 March 2007


On 28 February 2007, during the Israeli invasion of Nablus, the IOF kidnapped 11-year-old Jihan Tahdush from her home in the Old City of Nablus. She was used as a human shield while Israeli forces conducted door-to-door searches in the Old City. Jihan says of the incident: “They gave me biscuits to persuade me to talk to them, but I didn’t tell them anything. When I brought them to the house they told me not to be afraid because they were with me. When I asked to go back to my mom, they said, ‘We have to keep you a bit longer.’” This video-interview was produced by the Research Journalism Initiative and the Anarchist Film Collective “A-Films”. 

Egypt Gov't Challenged over Israeli Action at Mosque

Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani 7 March 2007


CAIRO, Mar 7 (IPS) - In a rare show of unity, parties from across the political spectrum have condemned reported Israeli violations against Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque. They have warned of “dire consequences” if the site — the third holiest in Islam — were to be damaged. “Jihad [holy war] becomes incumbent on Muslims when violence is done against them or their holy places, dignity or possessions,” Mohamed Tantawi, grand sheikh of Cairo’s venerable al-Azhar University declared in a departure from his usually non-confrontational position. 

International Women's Day: Yes to Life, No to Death

7 March 2007


Women around the globe celebrate International Women’s Day tomorrow, 8 March 2007. This event is one of the most distinguished ones that renews commitment and stresses the importance of women’s enjoyment of all their rights in accordance with international standards and conventions. In addition, this day comes as a reminder of the pioneering role of women in different social, cultural, economic, and political spheres.The 8th of March comes this year upon Palestinian women as they face very difficult and harsh circumstances. 

Israel, Iran, U.S. Least Liked Countries

Jim Lobe 6 March 2007


WASHINGTON, Mar 6 (IPS) - A majority of people from around the world hold predominantly negative views of Israel, Iran, and the United States, according to a survey of more than 28,000 respondents in 27 countries. The survey, which was sponsored by the BBC World Service and designed by Globescan and the Washington-based Programme for International Policy Attitudes (PIPA), found that 56 percent and 54 percent of all respondents said they had mainly negative views of Israel and Iran, respectively. Fifty-one percent and 48 percent said the same about the United States and North Korea, respectively. 

Requesting Permission to Narrate: "Dreams of a Nation" Reviewed

Alexander Provan 6 March 2007


Since 1948, Palestinians have not only occupied the painful position of many oppressed peoples who are systematically displaced, disenfranchised, denationalized, brutalized and murdered; they have also been put in the awkward, even tragicomic, position of having to convince the rest of the world of their very existence. This problem of visibility lies at the heart of Dreams of a Nation: On Palestinian Cinema, an illuminating, if incomplete, anthology of essays on the efforts of Palestinians to represent themselves on film to the world and to each other. 

"My sheep were my life"

6 March 2007


MAROUN EL RAS, 6 March 2007 (IRIN) - Muhammad Zein el Abidyn Jaber is a 72-year-old farmer who lives with his family of five in the small Lebanese village of Maroun El Ras, on the border with Israel. During the July-August 2006 war between Israel and the armed wing of the political party Hezbollah, he fled his town and left his sheep and cattle behind. When Muhammad returned a few weeks later, he found they had died of hunger and thirst. 

OCHA: Nablus Situation Report

6 March 2007


At approximately 02:30 on 28 February, a large force of IDF soldiers and Israeli Border Police re-entered Nablus. This latest incursion marks the continuation of Operation “Hot Winter”, the largest military incursion in three years in Nablus city. Since re-entering Nablus in the early hours of this morning, as was the case with the first incursion, the IDF has placed the Old City and its surroundings under curfew. The IDF has again taken over the facilities of local television and radio stations to announce the names of seven wanted Palestinians they are specifically seeking. 

'Independent Australian Jewish Voices' issue call for free debate

6 March 2007


As Australians we are privileged to live in a democratic state that embodies the principles of tolerance and free speech. We feel there is an urgent need to hear alternative voices that should not be silenced by being labelled disloyal or “self-hating.” Uncritical allegiance to Israeli government policy does not necessarily serve Israel’s best interests. Our concern for justice and peace in the Middle East is a legitimate opinion and should be met by reasoned argument rather than vilification and intimidation. 

Volleyball and Civil War

Philip Rizk Gaza Strip, Palestine 6 March 2007


I heard my name called out as I walked swiftly past the main police station in Gaza City. One of the three policemen gathered there walked over to me, a cigarette dangling from his lips. I had met Ahmed the second week I was in Gaza, when I went to play volleyball with Palestine’s best team, located in the Jabalya refugee camp. Ahmed was their star player. Warming up that day I paired up with Ahmed, which lead to a slew of questions about my coming to Gaza and sparked the beginning of our friendship. 

No fake analogy

Arjan El Fassed 5 March 2007


Joel Pollak wants people to believe comparisons between Israeli policies and apartheid are nothing but a fraud, “The trouble with the apartheid analogy” (March 2). He castigates former US president Jimmy Carter for quoting a six-year-old letter from Nelson Mandela to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman making the apartheid comparison, and accuses me of perpetrating a hoax and admitting I made the whole thing up. There is no possible basis for Pollak to say I intended people to believe the memo was written by anyone other than myself. Although the Mandela memo was only a piece of satire, it is not necessary to believe it to understand the Israel-apartheid comparison is grounded in an ugly reality. 

Obama, Israel, and the Jewish Vote

Jake Tapper 4 March 2007


Seeking to assure supporters of Israel that he is as ardent a backer of the Jewish state as are rivals such as Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and John Edwards, D-NC, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, delivered a very pro-Israel address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee of Chicago at the end of last week. But now comes a very interesting blog entry by the pro-Palestinian blogger Ali Abunimah at The Electronic Intifada, who alleges that Obama has changed to a far more stridently pro-Israel position as his national aspirations developed. “The last time I spoke to Obama was in the winter of 2004 at a gathering in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood,” Abunimah writes. 

Anxiety and Cautious Optimism

Moussa Bashir Beirut 5 March 2007


Most of the posts in the Lebanese blogosphere reflect the atmosphere of anxiety, pessimism and mistrust that is the general mood of the Lebanese nowadays. Here is a summary of some of the posts. An attempt has been made to include one or two light posts with brighter outlooks, but they did not drown the overall disposition mentioned above. Let’s begin by mentioning Lebanon’s loss of Joseph Samaha, a very prominent columnist and political analyst, last week. Many bloggers posted about the man and his works. Jamal Ghosn wrote a post about Samaha which he began with: “Life Goes On, but it must not go on dumber, less informed, mentally poorer.” 

Open Letter to the People of Six Nations

Jamal Juma' 5 March 2007


On the anniversary of the Six Nations Land Reclamation we express our solidarity to you and to all those that are defending today their land and livelihoods against theft and colonization. On February 28th, 2006, after the Canadian government gave a construction company the permission to build a settlement on their land, the people of Six Nations took it back, demanding an end to the theft and destruction of their land and to settler encroachment on their territory. Many of them now face charges in Canadian courts for defending their land. This sounds tragically familiar to us in Palestine and to many others around the world. 

Gaza's fishing industry under siege

Rami Almeghari Gaza Strip, Palestine 5 March 2007


Since the abduction by Palestinian resistance groups of Israeli soldier Gila’d Shalit on 25 June 2006, Israeli gunships have prevented Palestinians from fishing off the Gaza coast. This has severely affected both fishermen and food security for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Thirty-thousand people are dependant on Gaza’s fishing industry, but since last June, the Israeli naval forces have harassed those Palestinian fishing boats that dare leave the dock. In the main fishing site of Gaza City, called Almina, there are dozens of fishermen trying to feed their children under harsh economic conditions. 

One Killed and Ten Wounded in Gaza Due to Weapons Mishandling

4 March 2007


In the past three days, a person was killed and two others, including two children, were wounded in the Gaza Strip in the context of the state of lawlessness and proliferation of weapons prevailing in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 19:30 on Thursday, 1 March 2007, Yasser Fathi Zannoun, 17, from al-Shaboura refugee camp in Rafah, was wounded by a bullet to the left foot when he was checking a gun inside his house. 

Palestinian youth in Bethlehem area fully support non-violent resistance

Adri Nieuwhof 4 March 2007


The Joint Advocacy Initiative (JAI), an initiative of YWCA of Palestine and East Jerusalem YMCA, carried out research among young people from the Bethlehem area, to examine the attitude of Palestinian youth towards non-violent struggle against the occupation and oppressive practices. The results published in a report recently show that almost sixty percent of the youth are affiliated to a political party and they fully support non-violent means of resistance against the Israeli occupation. The opinions voiced by the youth offer clear building blocks for a strategy of national resistance. A strategy that shows striking similarities to the strategy successfully used by the African National Congress of South Africa to fight apartheid. 

Wounded teen speaks about friend's killing at Gaza fence

3 March 2007


‘Abd a-Ra’uf al-‘Adini testifies to B’Tselem: Two days ago [23 January], the last day of school semester, I went to school and took an exam in mathematics. Then, around nine o’clock, I met my two friends. We sat together for about fifteen minutes. Mahran suggested that we quit school and look for work in Israel , anything other than this life of hardship in the Gaza Strip. Mahran’s father is a government clerk, and he lives off advances that he gets on his salary, which is not currently being paid. ‘Imad and I agreed to the idea of working in Israel ; in any case the situation there is better than it is here. 

Injured Palestinian dies after being held up at gate

3 March 2007


On 17 February 2007, around 9:40 P.M., three young men from ‘Azzun ‘Atmah were summoned to help free a car that was stuck in a field in the village. They drove to the area in a tractor without lights. The tractor went up onto a boulder and flipped over. One of the men, ‘Adel ‘Omar, 21, was pinned under the tractor and seriously injured. The village of ‘Azzun ‘Atmah is surrounded by the separation barrier, and lies between Israel ‘s green line and the separation barrier. The only way out of the village is through a gate in the barrier, which closes at 10:00 P.M.
 

How Barack Obama learned to love Israel

Ali Abunimah 4 March 2007


On March 2, Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama gave a speech that proved that when it came to supporting Israel he is “as strong as Clinton, as supportive as Bush, as friendly as Giuliani” in the words of one Israeli journalist. Obama blamed Palestinians for the failure of peace efforts and uttered no criticism of Israeli policies. Yet once upon a time Obama supported Palestinian rights and an even-handed US approach to solving the conflict. EI co-founder Ali Abunimah who has met the candidate half a dozen times over a decade analyzes the speech and traces Obama’s path into the hardline pro-Israel camp. 

Weekly Report on Human Rights Violations

2 March 2007


During the reporting period four Palestinian were killed by IOF in the West Bank, three of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF in Jenin. Twenty-eight Palestinian civilians, including two journalists, four children and four women, were wounded by IOF gunfire. On Sunday, 25 February the IOF launched a wide scale military campaign on Nablus during which over 150 Palestinians were arrested. On 26 February during the invasion the IOF shot and killed ‘Anan Mohammed al-Teebi and wounded his son, both resident of the Old City of Nablus. 

Sinn Fein leader calls for economic sanctions on Israel after Nablus incursion

1 March 2007


Sinn Fein Justice and International Affairs Spokesperson Aengus O Snodaigh TD has called on the Government to enforce emergency economic sanctions on Isreal after its latest illegal military incursion into Nablus in the West Bank. Deputy O Snodaigh said occupying Israeli forces have killed and wounded Palestinian civilians and forced young Palestinians to act as human shields. Speaking in the Dail today Deputy O Snodaigh said, “There is an urgent need for the government to respond to the latest illegal Israeli military incursion into Nablus in the West Bank by enforcing emergency economic sanctions on Israel.” 

Irish Bishops call for justice in Palestine/Israel

28 February 2007


At a media conference in Dublin yesterday, Bishop Raymond Field, Chair of the Irish Commission for Justice and Social Affairs (ICJSA), Bishop John Kirby, Chair of Trocaire and Rev Dr Eoin Cassidy of the ICJSA, launched a position paper Palestine/Israel, Principles for a Just Peace before a briefing meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern TD. Bishop Field said: “Today we shall meet with Minister Ahern and raise with him the issue of the EU-Israel Association agreement.” 

Video: Nablus Invasion, Day 4

Research Journalism Initiative and a-films 1 March 2007


On 25 February 2007 the Israeli Army invaded the West Bank city of Nablus in an operation dubbed “Hot Winter.” Curfew was imposed on Nablus and some surrounding refugee camps and villages and Israeli forces arrested at least 10, injured five and killed one civilian. Palestinian leaders claim this invasion is an attempt to undermine the recent Mecca unity government agreement. This video produced by the Research Journalism Initiative and the Anarchist Film Collective “A-Films” documents the fourth day of the invasion. 

UN official discusses latest situation in southern Lebanon with officials in Beirut

1 March 2007


A senior United Nations official today discussed with Lebanese officials full implementation of the Security Council resolution that ended last summer’s war between Israel and Hizbollah, following similar talks earlier this week with Israeli authorities. “We discussed many issues from the question of prisoners, Israeli prisoners in Lebanon, Lebanese prisoners in Israel — we would like to see more progress on that,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Advisor on the situation in the Middle East Michael Williams told reporters after meeting with officials in Beirut. 

Video: Nablus Invasion, Day 2

Research Journalism Initiative and a-films 1 March 2007


On 25 February 2007 the Israeli Army invaded the West Bank city of Nablus in an operation dubbed “Hot Winter.” Curfew was imposed on Nablus and some surrounding refugee camps and villages and Israeli forces arrested at least 10, injured five and killed one civilian. Palestinian leaders claim this invasion is an attempt to undermine the recent Mecca unity government agreement. This video produced by the Research Journalism Initiative and the Anarchist Film Collective “A-Films” documents the second day of the invasion. 

Video: Nablus Invasion, Day 1

Research Journalism Initiative and a-films 1 March 2007


On 25 February 2007 the Israeli Army invaded the West Bank city of Nablus in an operation dubbed “Hot Winter.” Curfew was imposed on Nablus and some surrounding refugee camps and villages and Israeli forces arrested at least 10, injured five and killed one civilian. Palestinian leaders claim this invasion is an attempt to undermine the recent Mecca unity government agreement. This video produced by the Research Journalism Initiative and the Anarchist Film Collective “A-Films” documents the first day of the invasion. 

Activists protest settlement real estate sale in New Jersey

Andrew El-Kadi and Abraham Greenhouse 1 March 2007


On a sunny but chilly Sunday morning, Rabbi Steven Pruzansky of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun was preparing to welcome temple members and other local Jewish families to his synagogue to “strengthen the Zionist dream” by purchasing new houses in the occupied West Bank. The enticement of Jews to move to restricted, Jewish-only enclaves on land seized from Palestinians is nothing new: whether through the lure of cheap housing or the dream of bringing about the coming of the Messiah by “redeeming the land”, religious and secular Jews alike have been drawn to these enclaves since the first settlement Kiryat Arba was established in 1968. 

After Mecca: Engaging Hamas

28 February 2007


The latest report from the International Crisis Group, examines the Saudi-brokered Mecca Agreement between rival Palestinian organisations Hamas and Fatah. Providing a detailed examination of the agreement and an analysis of Hamas based on extensive discussions with the Palestinian Islamist movement and others, it concludes there are significant challenges but also the chance of a fresh start: for the Palestinians to restore law and order and negotiate genuine power-sharing arrangements; for Israelis and Palestinians to establish a comprehensive cessation of hostilities; and for the international community to focus on a credible peace process. 

A Day in the Life of Nablus Under Curfew

Kirsten Sutherland Nablus, Palestine 1 March 2007


Nablus, 26 February 2007: Dr. Ghassan Hamdan, Director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society in Nablus, got up at five o’clock this morning after just two-and-a-half hours sleep. Until that time, he had been distributing medicines and food and providing emergency healthcare services to the residents of Nablus’ Old City, who had been under an Israeli-imposed curfew and thus forbidden from leaving their homes since early Sunday morning. He was woken up by a call saying that a house just outside the Old City had been set on fire by Israeli soldiers and that there may be civilian casualties.