All Content

Public Expressions about the Wall

Sonia Nettnin 4 March 2004


A controversial panel discussion and theater production against the construction of a security barrier along Israel and in the adjacent occupied territories resulted in heated debate over the delicate subject. The panel included Norman Finkelstein, Derek Jinks, Roxane Assaf, and EI’s Ali Abunimah. The build-up to the panel and theater events included intense criticism from pro-Israel student organizations. Students for Justice in Palestine organised street theater performances. 

Rights of Palestinian children "compromised"

Save the Children 8 March 2004


Ongoing violence and escalating poverty continue to have a detrimental affect on peoples’ lives and the lives of children in particular. Save the Children UK says that under current conditions the rights of children living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including their rights to survival, protection and to development, are being compromised. Children and their families have been cut off from accessing basic services such as health care facilities and schools. 

Women's Day: UN agencies concerned with living conditions of Palestinian women

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 8 March 2004


The living conditions of Palestinian women - including their access to health, education, food and employment - have been deeply affected by movement restrictions, military incursions and house demolitions, particularly in Rafah, where almost 10,000 Palestinians including many women, have been made homeless. “Today, as women all over the world celebrate international women’s day, Palestinian women continue to endure such hardship that their basic humanitarian needs are no longer guaranteed and protected,” says David S. Bassiouni, Special Representative, UNICEF in the West Bank and Gaza. 

Israeli forces kill 14 Palestinians and leave 80 wounded in refugee camps in Gaza

Palestinian Center for Human Rights 7 March 2004


An Israeli military attack in a Palestinian residential area in the central Gaza Strip conducted today, Sunday 7 March 2004, left dead 14 Palestinians, including four children, and more than 80 others, including 26 children, wounded. Israeli forces, including heavy military vehicles and aircraft, moved from the Netzarim settlement, southwards along Salah al Din Street to a point between Al-Nusseirat and Al-Bureij refugee camps.  Troops then moved from Salah Al Din Street west into Al-Nusseirat camp. Four children were killed and 26 children were wounded. 

Hope, out of Ramallah: The rise of the Palestinian alternative

Samah Sabawi 6 March 2004


Palestine eNews, a service of Canadian Friends of Sabeel, interviewed Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, during a Canada-wide tour, before carrying his message to the United States next week. Launched in 2002, Palestine National Initiative is a democratic Palestinian opposition movement that calls for a just and durable peace. It distinguishes itself from the current Palestinian Authority on key issues that touch the lives of Palestinians, not just in the Occupied Territories, but around the world. 

European Commission provides EUR 1 million for victims of house demolitions

European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) 5 March 2004


The European Commission has adopted an emergency decision for €1 million for victims of house demolitions in the Gaza Strip. 13,000 people who have lost their homes in recent months will be provided with emergency shelter and relief items, and with means for securing alternative accommodation. The funds, channelled through the Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), are directed to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), one of the main organisations providing assistance to victims of the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian Territories. 

Palestinian court house, built with Japan's aid, opens in Nablus

United Nations Development Program 5 March 2004


The Palestinian Authority has open a new court building in Nablus in the West Bank, the first of its kind in the occupied Palestinian territory. It houses two courts: the magistrate court of the Nablus area and the primary court for the northern governorates of the West Bank. Japan contributed US$ 2.5 million for the construction through the UNDP Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People. Izuru Shimmura, head of the Office of the Japanese Representative to the Palestinian Authority, said that Japan aims to support a unified authority with the responsibility for upholding the rule of law. 

McDonald's Confirms 'No Arabic' policy at its restaurants in Israel

Ali Abunimah and Nigel Parry 5 March 2004


McDonald’s Corporation today confirmed that it has a policy banning its employees from speaking Arabic in its restaurants in Israel, despite the fact that Palestinian citizens of Israel form 20% of its workforce, and Arabic is one of the two official languages of Israel. The Corporation denied, however, that Abeer Zinaty, a former “Excellent Worker 2003 — McDonald’s Israel,” was fired because she spoke Arabic on the job. 

McDonald's Israel reportedly fires employee for speaking Arabic

Ali Abunimah and Nigel Parry 5 March 2004


McDonalds claims “McDonald’s has a long-standing and distinguished record for diversity — as an employer, franchiser, and purchaser of goods and services. We recognize not only a responsibility to provide opportunity, but also the advantages of having a workforce with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.” The Electronic Intifada urges its readers to contact McDonald’s Corporation to ask for a full investigation of allegations of institutionalized racism and discrimination against Arab employees by its subsidiary in Israel. At least one employee has reportedly been fired because she spoke Arabic to a co-worker. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

Palestinian Center for Human Rights 4 March 2004


This week Israeli forces killed 14 Palestinian civilians. In three extra-judicial executions Israeli forces killed 7 Palestinians. Israeli forces raided a number of Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In Beit Hanoun, Israeli forces demolished dozens of shops. Israeli forces raided homes and arbitrarily detained Palestinians. Despite worldwide criticism, Israel continues the construction of the Separation Wall and seized more Palestinian land for that purpose. Israeli forces demolished two Palestinian homes and have indiscriminately shelled Palestinian residential areas in which a number of Palestinians were wounded.