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Whats mine is mind

Chris Brown Hebron 18 April 2006


“But I don’t know what my parent’s village looks like,” said Hammad, a young, energetic Palestinian boy who lives in Al Fawwar Refugee camp located near Hebron. I came to the camp at the invitation of a friend from The British Council to do a workshop on playwriting. Hammad along with 17 other young boys gathered at the cultural center to participate. I told the children about my own exposure to theatre and the power of it. Especially, protest theatre. Growing up in Apartheid South Africa, I could never go to the White areas to see productions. However, a man who performed all over the Cape Province, in various townships and squatter camps happened to be in our township. 

EI speaks about developments in Palestine on Flashpoints

12 April 2006


Israel continues to pound Palestinians trapped inside the occupied Gaza strip with 300 tank shells a day. Flashpoints speaks with Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada about the current situation in the Gaza Strip and the unraveling disaster in Palestine. Since the beginning of this year, 15 Palestinian children have been killed in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including eight from the Gaza Strip. Four of the eight were passers by - killed in Israeli extra-judicial assassination attempts against Palestinian activists; two Gaza children were killed by gunfire; one by unexploded ordinance while Hadeel, who was killed on Monday by Israeli artillery fire, is the eighth Gaza child to die so far this year. 

Médecins Sans Frontières refuses to be a "social palliative" of EU and US policies

12 April 2006


Médecins Sans Frontières considers the reallocation of funds for the PA to the UN and other international relief agencies so that they can offset the human and social consequences of sanctions unacceptable. “Although it is up to governments to decide whether to suspend aid, humanitarian actors cannot be ‘social palliative’ of retaliatory measures that impact on the entire population,” the medical relief agency said. “Humanitarian aid actors do not have the competence, the means or the responsibility to act as a substitute for the Palestinian Authority, to ensure provision of social services, to run ministries or public systems or to pay civil servants. It is not the role of humanitarian aid agencies to ensure that the basic needs of the civilian populations living in the occupied Territories are covered.” 

Another innocent child dies in Israeli bombardment of northern Gaza

11 April 2006


At 5.30pm on Monday 10 April 2006, at least six artillery shells fired by the Israeli military fell on the family house of Mohammed Rabe’eya Ghaban in Beit Lahiya, in the north of the Gaza Strip. Shrapnel from the shells pierced the skull of Mohammed’s eight-year old daughter Hadeel, killing her instantly. The shelling also resulted in the injury of eight other family members, including Hadeel’s brothers and sisters: Rawan Ghaban (18 months); Rana Ghaban (3); Munir Ghaban (4); Amneh Ghaban (9); Ghassan Ghaban (11); Bassam Ghaban (15) and Tahrir Ghaban (17). 

Food crisis again threatening Gaza, with crossing to Israel closed

11 April 2006


With the Karni commercial crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip still closed, a senior official of the main United Nations agency helping Palestinian refugees warned that the clock is ticking toward a dangerous lack of basic food. “If Karni remains closed, we are, once again, counting down to a food crisis,” said John Ging, Director of Gaza Operations for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), on which 765,000 refugees depend for flour, oil, sugar and other basic items. “The clock is now ticking and distribution will have to be shut down entirely for the second time in less than a month if the crossing does not open immediately,” he added. 

Made in Palestine NY Exhibit extended following 3,364 visitors in 3 weeks

10 April 2006


April 11th, 2006 — Organizers of the Made in Palestine exhibit announced today that the New York show will be extended until May 27th, after seeing 3,364 visitors pass through the Chelsea exhibit, in the heart of New York’s art world, during the first three weeks. 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, the Galilee, Syria, Jordan, and the United States. 

UN agency paints grim health scenario of possible cut-off of funds to Palestinians

7 April 2006


The Palestinian public health system faces a rapid decline towards possible collapse, with limited or no access to preventive and curative services for nearly half the population, particularly the poor, in the event of a cut-off in donations and an Israeli suspension of tax transfers, according to the United Nations health agency. Control and management of the public health system would shift away from the public sector to non-government organization (NGOs), UN agencies system and the private sector under the scenario developed by the UN World Health Organization (WHO). Analyzing the consequences of a cut-off after the election victory of Hamas, WHO said the public health system would suffer acute financial crisis. 

Oxfam criticizes EU decision to suspend aid to Palestinian Authority

9 April 2006


EU foreign ministers have agreed on a freeze of EU aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, according to newswire reports. Ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday (10 April) decided to continue the European Commission’s temporary suspension of payments to the Hamas-led government in the Palestinian territories. The commission announced the suspension on Friday (7 April). In a letter to the Middle East Quartet, Oxfam warned that Palestinians are on the edge of survival. It said that “one in four people depend on aid. Three in four live on 2 dollars a day. Their plight will worsen, if donors stop giving aid to the Palestinian Authority.” 

HRW: "Jordan should open its border to Palestinian refugees fleeing Iraq"

7 April 2006


Jordan should immediately reopen its border to Palestinian refugees fleeing violence in Iraq, Human Rights Watch said today. The international community should assist Jordan by offering to resettle these Iraqi Palestinian refugees in third countries acceptable to them. On April 4, a group of 35 Iraqi Palestinians arrived at the border, fleing from Baghdad, adding to the 94 Iraqi Palestinians already stranded on the Iraqi side of the border. They have fled lethal violence and threats to their lives in Baghdad, where they have lived for decades. The refugees told Human Rights Watch that they fled after seeing scores of their compatriots killed in Baghdad in recent months. 

ICRC concerned over deteriorating situation in occupied Palestinian territory

10 April 2006


The director of operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Pierre Krähenbühl, has just ended a week-long visit to Israel and the occupied and autonomous Palestinian territories. Under International Humanitarian Law, it is the responsibility of the State of Israel to ensure that the basic needs of the civilian population in the occupied territories are met. These needs include foodstuffs, medical supplies, means of shelter and other essentials. Moreover, the law requires all States party to the Geneva Conventions to allow the free passage of essential humanitarian supplies.