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Racism thrives at Israel's Herzliya conference

Arjan El Fassed 18 December 2003


Speaking at the third annual Herzliya conference, Israeli Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his audience: “The most important thing is maintaining the Jewish majority in the country and improving the economy to encourage more Jews from the Diaspora to immigrate.” If the Palestinians in Israel “reach 35 to 40 percent of the Israeli population, Israel will become a state with two nationalities,” he said. Israelis — on both the left and right — will have to make a choice. To solve their “Palestinian problem” Israel can opt for four ‘solutions’ EI’s Arjan El Fassed lays them out. 

Nablus: Israeli forces kill four Palestinians

18 December 2003


Israeli occupying forces committed a willful killing and used excessive force in the slaying three other Palestinians, during a wide-scale incursion into Nablus. Israeli forces invaded Nablus and opened fire at residential areas. Israeli forces willfully killed ‘Alaa al-Din Dawaia. Three other Palestinians were killed. PCHR condemns the willful killing and the use of excessive force in the deaths of the three other casualties and calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to immediately intervene to protect Palestinian civilians. 

Two Israeli teenage refuseniks on hunger strike

29 January 2003


The two teenagers Hillel Goral (18) and Noam Bahat (19) are conscientious objectors to compulsory military service. At present they are serving their second prison sentence for refusing to enter the Israeli army. Israel has no alternative civilian service and Hillel Goral and Noam Bahat are currently on hunger strike. Hillel Goral was sentenced to 28 days, his second sentence was for the same duration. Noam Bahat was initially sentenced to 28 days, his second sentence was for 42 days. 

Trial of conscientious objector Jonathan Ben Artzi

12 March 2003


The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of their joint programme the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, would like to draw the attention on the case of Jonathan Ben Artzi, a 20-year old Israeli student, who is facing trial in his own country for having repeatedly refused to serve in the Israeli army. 

Conscientious objection at stake

14 December 2003


One month ago, on 12 November 2003, Jonathan Ben Artzi was convicted by the Military Court in Jaffa for disobeying an order by refusing to serve in the Israeli army. The Israeli military court in Jaffa is also hearing the cases of Noam Bahat, Adam Maor, Haggai Matar, Shinri Tsameret and Matan Kaminer, who are among more than 300 “Shministim,” or high school seniors, who refuse to serve in military forces involved in the occupation of Palestinian territories. 

Doing things the hard way - the verdict of five "refuseniks"

Adam Keller 16 December 2003


The courtroom at the Jaffa Military Court had never been so overcrowded. Special benches had been dragged in, filling the aisle and leaving hardly any room for passage. Activists, family members and journalists crowded into every available corner (there were four TV crews, who were chased out after the judges came in) and still as many as were in had to wait outside. At long last, the verdict in the trial of Noam Bahat, Matan Kaminer, Adam Maor, Haggai Matar and Shimri Tsameret was going to be delivered. 

Israel kills 21, injures 55 in two weeks

16 December 2003


Have you been wondering what has become of Palestinian life in the occupied territories as the world’s attention was turned towards Iraq? While there have been no Palestinian attacks inside Israel for ten weeks, Israeli attacks against Palestinians have not stopped for a single day. In the last two weeks alone, Israel has killed 21 Palestinians and injured 55 others. In an attack on Palestinian civilians and property yesterday, the Israeli military completely destroyed 18 homes in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, leaving 25 families (178 Palestinian civilians) homeless. AMJ calls for action. 

Permission to work?

Suraya Dadoo 15 December 2003


It is 12:30pm at the Nablus area District Civilian Affairs Office (DCO). It is over 40 degrees outside, where a long queue of Palestinians had been waiting in the oppressive heat (some for over three hours) with dust and dirt and no place to sit. They are here to request a permit, formal permission from the Israeli government to travel from the surrounding villages into Nablus to work. Palestinians need permits to move, to live, for everything. Suraya Dadoo takes a look at the nightmare involved in navigating the permit maze. 

Israelis, Palestinians Seek Corporate Sponsorship for Conflict

15 December 2003


Hoping to reverse their sagging/non-existent economies, and realizing that the prospects for a peaceful settlement in the near future are bleak at best, the Israeli and Palestinian governing authorities have finally agreed on something — selling the rights to aspects of the conflict to the highest corporate bidder (although who will collect and keep the profits is, of course, the subject of bitter debate). BNN special correspondent Barad Al-Roubeen investigates the latest in a long line of proposals to sustain the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, from Madrid to the Geneva Accord. 

Torture and ill-treatment of child detainees

12 December 2003


Over the past month, the International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by PCATI and Defence for Children International/Palestine Section (DCIPA), another member of the SOS-Torture network, of the alarming situation of many other Palestinian children in detention. OMCT is gravely concerned by the high number of allegations of unlawful arrests and detention, torture and ill-treatment of children while in police custody or in Israeli detention facilities, as well as the poor and often inhuman living conditions there.