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Correspondent for French daily "Liberation" shot in leg while covering clashes

18 December 2006


French journalist Didier Francois, the correspondent of the French newspaper “Liberation” and the French international TV news station France 24, sustained a bullet wound to the leg during the clashes that began early on 17 December 2006 in Gaza between the armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, and Fatah militants. “We urge President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh to appeal for calm and to do everything possible to ensure the safety of both Palestinian journalists and foreign correspondents in the Palestinian territories,” Reporters Without Borders said. 

Press Institute report says political instability undermining press freedom

19 December 2006


In a report titled, “Media in Lebanon: Reporting on a Nation Divided,” the International Press Institute (IPI) provides an assessment of the current challenges to press freedom in Lebanon. Commenting on the report, IPI Director Johann P. Fritz said “The Lebanese media offers diverse and wide-ranging opinion and analysis and enjoys a greater degree of press freedom than many of its regional neighbours, which are home to the some of the most restrictive media environments in the world.” “In recent years journalists have paid a high price for that freedom. From 8 to 13 December 2006, IPI carried out a fact-finding mission to Lebanon. 

Audio Report: Montrealers Denounce Israeli Apartheid

Stefan Christoff 20 December 2006


On Saturday, December 16th, 2006 Palestinian solidarity activists gathered on St. Catherine street in downtown Montreal to draw attention to a 2005 appeal from over 170 Palestinian civil-society organizations to, “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel Until it Complies with International Law and Universal Principles of Human Rights.” 

Language and the crimes we permit in Gaza

Scott Kennedy Gaza, Palestine 20 December 2006


As I entered the powerful new museum of the Holocaust at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem in early November, I was confronted by these words: “A country should be judged not only by what it does, but also by what it tolerates.” Kurt Tucholsky, WW1 veteran and pacifist, journalist and social critic whose books were burned by the same Nazi regime that stripped him of his citizenship, wrote the statement after Germany adopted the anti-Semitic Nuremberg laws. His sobering contention was brought vividly to mind during my visit to Gaza, Palestine ten days later. 

Number of cluster bomb deaths continues to rise

20 December 2006


The number of civilians killed and injured as a result of unexploded cluster bombs in south Lebanon, which were dropped by Israeli forces during the recent conflict between Israel and Hizbullah, is increasing steadily. Some 26 people have reportedly lost their lives, and some 186 have been injured. Cluster munitions spread small bomblets over a wide area, many of which do not explode on impact but remain live and lethal. Children are particularly vulnerable and some have been killed while playing in their towns and villages. Other people have been killed while investigating their homes for damage following the war and others while working on their land. 

Rate of cluster bomb casualties falling

20 December 2006


Despite one man being killed and two injured from an explosion on Tuesday in the southern Lebanese village of Marjayoun, mine clearance specialists say that the incidence of cluster bomb casualties in the country has fallen significantly over recent weeks. From an initial average of three accidents a day in the immediate aftermath of the summer war between Israel and Hezbollah, the rate has fallen to an average of three accidents per week. “Over the past three weeks, the rate of casualties has been as low as two victims in one week,” said Dalya Farran, media and post-clearance officer for the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre for South Lebanon (MACC). 

Haifa magistrate court dismisses indictments against parents

20 December 2006


On 19 December 2006, the Haifa Magistrate Court decided to dismiss indictments filed against 41 parents of children who study at the Hewar School for Democratic and Alternative Education, alleging violations of the Compulsory Education Law (1949) for sending their children to study at a school without a license. In the decision, the Court accepted the arguments of Adalah Attorneys Hassan Jabareen and Sawsan Zaher that the indictments were filed in breach of the Compulsory Education Law itself. 

Enclosing the village of 'Azzun 'Atmah

19 December 2006


‘Azzun ‘Atmah, a village with 1,800 residents located southeast of Qalqiliya, lies three kilometers from the Green Line (Israel’s 1967 border). The settlement Sha’are Tikva was built just east of it, on lands belonging to residents of the village. The settlement breaks the territorial contiguity between the village and two neighboring villages, Beit Amin and Sanniriya. On its western border, the settlement Oranit was built. The separation barrier in this area was completed in October 2003. The barrier separates the village from the rest of the West Bank and places it in the “seam zone,” the area between the barrier and the Green Line. 

Bethlehem surveys show support for town of Christ's birth - and confusion over its location

20 December 2006


Most Americans believe Bethlehem is an Israeli town inhabited by a mixture of Jews and Muslims, a pre-Christmas survey of US perceptions of the town has shown. Only 15 per cent of Americans realise that it is a Palestinian city with a mixed Christian-Muslim community, lying in the occupied West Bank. The nationwide survey, carried out by top US political pollsters Zogby International, canvassed 15000 American respondents. The poll, which is being released on the eve of the arrival in Bethlehem of the Catholic and Anglican church leaders in the UK, was commissioned by the campaign organisation Open Bethlehem. 

PCHR concerned about continuing violence despite ceasefire

20 December 2006


At approximately 01:30 on Wednesday, 20 December 2006, unknown gunmen fired live bullets and RBJ projectiles at a site of the Palestinian Riot Control Police near al-Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City. Earlier, at approximately 00:15, an exchange of fire erupted between members of Fatah movement and those of the Executive Force of the Ministry of Interior, who were on their way to arrest a member of Fatah movement accused of firing at a leader of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) in al-Sabra neighborhood in the east of Gaza City.