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Photo of the Day: Christmas with Banksy

Najeeb Al-Anbarri 25 December 2005


Photo of the Day is a BNN feature which offers a photograph on a day, and calls it “Photo of the Day”. This is not to imply that this is a regular feature, nor that this photo is truly the mother of all photos for the day in question. Usual disclaimers apply. You’ll remember Banksy from his amazing summer graffiti project on Israel’s West Bank Barrier. Well Santa is back with Vandalised oil painting #031, 2005. Good job mate, the truth has to be spoken in weird ways in times when people aren’t listening to common sense. 

Photostory: Christmas in Palestine

24 December 2005


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

The Writing on the Wall: Claire Anastas

Toine van Teeffelen Bethlehem, Palestine 23 December 2005


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

Israeli troops assassinate three Palestinians in Nablus

22 December 2005


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

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

20 December 2005


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

Photostory: Bethlehem prepares for Christmas

21 December 2005


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

"Road map" will miss deadline, UN envoy

20 December 2005


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

Unrecognised villages in the Negev expose Israel's apartheid policies

Bangani Ngeleza and Adri Nieuwhof 20 December 2005


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

European NGOs defy EU secrecy on Jerusalem

20 December 2005


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

US Corporate Media Erases Israeli Role in Rise of Hamas

Patrick O'Connor 19 December 2005


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