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The Israeli attack Jericho: Elections not to be won by force

16 March 2006


The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organisations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights and Al-Haq, express their deepest concern regarding the attacks by the Israeli Army against the Jericho Prison on Tuesday the 14th March 2006. On Tuesday, the 14th March 2006 the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) stormed the Palestinian National Authority’s detention center in Jericho. The aim was to seize six detainees wanted by Israel, in particular Ahmed Sa’adat, claimed to be the mastermind behind the killing of the Israeli Minister of Tourism Rehavam Ze’evi, in 2001, together with Fuad Shubaki, wanted by Israel on charges of smuggling weapons in Palestine and four others. 

Gaza facing humanitarian crisis

Laila El-Haddad 19 March 2006


Gaza’s 1.5 million Palestinians are now facing an unprecedented food shortage due to systematic Israeli closures that have prevented the import of wheat, among other things, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinians Territories (OCHA) said today. “The situation is extremely serious. In the next day or so all bread supplies will dry up. There is very little else around in terms of rice, which is also short in supply. Bread is the staple diet for Palestinians. It is also the food the poorest people so if that’s not available people will start to go hungry,” David Shearer, OCHA’s head of operations, said. 

Open Letter to Pink Floyd's Roger Waters

18 March 2006


Mr. Waters: The Palestinian arts community received in disbelief the news of your upcoming performance in Tel Aviv in June, at a time when Israel continues unabated with its colonial and apartheid designs to further dispossess, oppress and ultimately ethnically cleanse Palestinians from their homeland. We strongly urge you to cancel your plans to perform in Israel until the time comes when it ends its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory and respects the relevant precepts of international law concerning Palestinian rights to freedom, self-determination and equality. 

Photostory: Rachel Corrie remembered in Seattle

Edward Mast and Elliot Stoller 17 March 2006


In observation of the third anniversary of her death, Palestine Solidarity Committee/ISM-Seattle and the Theatersquad presented sidewalk readings of passages from Rachel Corrie’s writings in downtown Seattle at rush hour. Many members of the community read passages, while others wore tears-of-blood masks and held up door and window frames from demolished homes, along with enlarged photos of Rachel Corrie facing Israeli bulldozers.  The event was part of the national Rachel’s Words campaign in protest of the cancellation of “My Name Is Rachel Corrie” at New York Theater Workshop. 

Photostory: Made in Palestine Exhibit opens to packed crowds in New York

Nigel Parry 17 March 2006


Made in Palestine is the first museum quality exhibition devoted to the contemporary art of Palestine to be held in the United States. It is a survey of work spanning three generations of Palestinian artists who live in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, parts of Israel, Syria, Jordan, and the United States. The exhibition opened in New York on March 14th, and held its gala opening on March 16th. EI’s Nigel Parry, also working on publicity for the exhibit, contributed this photostory from the opening. 

Gaza is still a prison

Patrick O'Connor 16 March 2006


The media reports that the Gaza Strip is no longer under Israeli control, but two weeks ago I was blocked from entering Gaza from Egypt by Israeli agents. The day before, two French citizens were prevented from entering for a sister city project in Gaza. Israeli authorities invoked “security reasons” and false claims of links to terrorism, a typical strategy used against foreign supporters of Palestinian rights. Despite the fanfare over Israel’s August “Gaza disengagement”, Gaza remains a prison, with no visitors allowed. My case provides one small example, thousands of which are repeated every day, of how the Israeli government has exploited the cover of real security concerns to continue to control Gaza, denying Palestinians freedom and trapping them in poverty. Opportunities for progress through Israel’s Gaza withdrawal were squandered, and American promises on the Middle East were again shown to be empty. 

Sa'adat kidnap boosts Olmert's election campaign

Rifat Odeh Kassis 17 March 2006


There are many reasons for the raid on Jericho prison. One of them is the Israeli election. Palestinians know from experience that before every election Israel becomes more brutal. Another reason is to send Hamas a message: They will not be accepted and the agreements between Israel and the previous PA are no longer valid. The arrival of Israeli tanks just twenty minutes after the withdrawal of the British and American guards from the prison shows that Israel is not the only one sending this message. The attack on Jericho and the kidnapping of Ahmed Sa’adat and others proves once again that Israel is, for all intents and purposes, a country above the law writes Rifat Odeh Kassis. 

Corrie v. Caterpillar: The Struggle for Justice Continues

Emily Schaeffer and Garrett Wright 16 March 2006


The killing of American activist Rachel Corrie on March 16, 2003, brought home the horrific realities of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. Last March, Rachel’s parents filed civil suit against the Caterpillar corporation in a Washington federal district court, claiming that the corporation knowingly aided and abetted Israeli war crimes and human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Because this is a relatively new legal frontier, the plaintiffs may be facing an uphill battle. However, as the public’s demand for corporate accountability increases, there is hope that multinational corporations will take steps to ensure that their products do not fuel human rights abuses. 

Media watchdog calls for the release of three journalists kidnapped in Gaza City

14 March 2006


Reporters Without Borders has voiced concern about the kidnapping of two French journalists, Caroline Laurent of “Elle” and Alfred Yaghobzadeh of “Sipa”, and South Korean journalist Yong Tae-young of KBS on 14 March in Gaza City, hours after an Israeli army raid on a prison in the West Bank city of Jericho. “We call on the kidnappers to free their hostages, who were just doing their job as journalists and can in no way be held responsible for Israeli army operations in the West Bank, and we call on the Palestinian authorities to do everything possible to locate them and ensure they are returned safe and sound to their families,” the organisation said. 

Journalists, others kidnapped as prison siege sparks violence

14 March 2006


The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by reports that Palestinian gunmen abducted journalists and other foreigners in Gaza City today. A wave of violence erupted in Gaza and elsewhere in the West Bank, after Israeli forces laid siege to a Jericho prison to arrest militants believed responsible for the 2001 assassination of an Israeli minister. CPJ sources said as many as four South Korean and French journalists were abducted from Gaza’s Dira hotel. Armed kidnappers stormed the hotel this afternoon, according to news reports, which said one gunman was killed in a confrontation with Palestinian police.