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Human rights lawyers: "The Gaza Strip Is Still Occupied"

21 October 2005


On 5-8 October the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network sent a delegation to visit the Gaza Strip to document the human rights situation in relation to the Israeli “Disengagement Plan”. The mission team concluded that following evacuation of the illegal Israeli settlements Gazans are now able to move within the Gaza Strip and have access the 40 percent land previously occupied by Israel. However the mission team also concludes that: the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip remains, and Palestinians’ right to freedom of movement is under Israeli control. The restrictions on freedom of movement hamper Palestinians’ possibilities to work for an improvement of the economy. The work of civil society is made more difficult as organisations and individuals cannot move freely to do their work. 

After Arab League criticism, Annan voices full confidence in Middle East envoy

19 October 2005


Voicing surprise at Arab League criticism of his Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today reaffirmed his full confidence in the official, Alvaro de Soto, and said he expected all parties to work with him in the common search for peace. Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa issued a statement yesterday criticizing Mr. de Soto for his briefing to the Security Council on 23 September. “There was nothing in that briefing that could be construed as supporting the construction by Israel of the barrier on occupied Palestinian land,” Mr. Annan said in a statement issued by his spokesman. “The position taken by Mr. de Soto was entirely consistent with decisions taken in the General Assembly and the Security Council on this issue,” the statement added. 

UN envoy stresses need for coordination to translate Gaza disengagement into peace

19 October 2005


Energetic coordination, cooperation and engagement by Israelis, Palestinians and the international community were needed to translate the disengagement from Gaza into a sustained and negotiated peace, Ibrahim Gambari, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, told the Security Council this morning. “An upsurge in violence has undermined the positive political developments and dulled the sense of optimism that had resulted from last month’s Gaza disengagement”, he said during the monthly briefing to the Council on the situation in the Middle East. “The political track has to be resilient to the inevitable ups and downs of this unstable post-engagement period”, he added. 

Israeli cabinet proposes new bill for harsher procedure laws against Palestinians

19 October 2005


On 14 October 2005, Adalah sent an urgent letter to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice, and the Attorney General (AG) demanding the cancellation of a bill which proposes new and harsher criminal procedure laws to be applied to individuals suspected of security offenses based solely on their nationality. The bill, entitled the “Criminal Law Procedures Bill (Powers of Implementation – Special Directives for Investigating Security Violations Perpetrated by Non-Citizens),” was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs on 9 October 2005. Recommended by the General Security Services (GSS), the bill would create a two-track criminal procedure law governing investigation, interrogation and detention – one for Israelis and one for Palestinians. 

Human rights group concerned about security in Gaza Strip

19 October 2005


The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights strongly condemns the murder of two Palestinian civilians in two incidents during the night of 13 October 2005 in the southern Gaza Strip. These incidents highlight the continuation of chaos resulting from the spread of weapons and misusing them in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The first incident occurred in Rafah, and resulted in the death of a Palestinian activist at the hands of comrades on the backdrop of an inter-factional dispute. A clan dispute in Khan Yunis resulted in the second incident, and led to the death of one man. PCHR is concerned about the escalation of incidents of misusing arms and other forms of security chaos. 

Abbas' backward agenda: all constants and no variables

Hasan Abu Nimah 22 October 2005


Leaders tend to stay at home in moments of crises. If caught out of their countries when trouble develops, they rush back. Nothing enhances the confidence of people in their leaders more than when they see them amongst them in hard times. This does not seem to be the case with the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. He embarked on an Arab and world tour just when at home he is most needed: his government is facing a possible no-confidence vote in the Palestinian assembly, and violence broke out between Israelis and Palestinians. EI contributor Hasan Abu Nimah explains this backward logic. 

NGO Monitor should not be taken seriously

Yacoub Kahlen and Robert E. Foxsohn 18 October 2005


NGO Monitor, founded by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, has for some time now been deliberately spreading false and misleading information about NGOs in an attempt to discredit them. Their targets include some of the most established and respected human rights organizations. While their efforts to stifle a critical dialogue have proved unsuccessful, their efforts are relentless and it is important that they be exposed as part of an extremist, right-wing institution, closely linked with the Israeli government and military commanders, who do not have specific interest in human rights. Therefore, NGO Monitor should not be taken seriously by anyone interested in peace and human rights. 

Extra-Judicial Execution in Jenin

17 October 2005


Israeli occupation forces committed another extra-judicial execution crime yesterday evening. The victim was Nehad Khaled Abu Ghanem, 33 years old from the village of Barqeen, west of Jenin. He died after sustaining several gunshot wounds in the upper body. IOF troops chased him and fired at him from close range, killing him instantly. Initial investigations indicate that Nehad Abu Ghanem was on his way from Qabatya to his home in Barqeen. When he reached an intersection off the Jenin-Nablus road, he noticed a number of Israeli military vehicles. Israeli soldiers noticed him and chased him. Accidentally, Abu Ghanem’s car hit the wall of a house. Soldiers got out of their jeeps, surrounded Abu Ghanem and opened fire at close range while he was in his car. He died instantly. 

Olive harvest begins under the shadow of restrictions on movement

13 October 2005


This year’s olive harvest season in the West Bank has begun. The harvest comes in the wake of extensive damage to the groves during the construction of the Separation Barrier, and strict restrictions on movement imposed on Palestinian farmers trying to access their land west of the Barrier. Many farmers received a permit for the harvest season, but were not allowed to reach their land during the course of the year. Since they were unable to work their fields during the year, they will now find their fields in poor condition. As a result, the harvest will be more difficult and yield a smaller crop. The restrictions on movement due to the barrier are in addition to those the IDF has imposed for a number of years on Palestinians whose agricultural lands lie near settlements and outposts. 

Forty percent Palestinians in OPT food insecure

13 October 2005


Better information on the number and the state of poor people without access to adequate food in the West Bank and Gaza Strip will help reduce the number of food insecure people there, FAO said today. A new FAO project aims to provide the Palestinian Authority with updated information on poor households and groups and the causes of their food insecurity. This analysis will enable decision-makers to better target vulnerable groups and improve the design and implementation of emergency interventions and sustainable development programmes. Food insecurity is a reality for 40 percent of the 3.6 million people living in the West Bankand Gaza Strip and a near constant threat for an additional 30 percent of the population, according to a 2003 FAO assessment.