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Lebanon II: The Wider Picture

Yacov Ben Efrat 7 November 2006


The ramifications of Israel’s second Lebanon War should be gauged against the background of the dramatic events that the region has undergone in the last three years: the fall of Saddam Hussein, the Hamas electoral victory, and changes in Israel’s political economy. These events, in turn, should be viewed against the political vacuum created by the fall of the Soviet Union. The vacuum has been filled in two very different ways: 1) by the neo-liberal conceptions of the global capitalist regime, and 2) by Islamic fundamentalism. The Organization for Democratic Action (ODA-Da’am) opposed the war in Lebanon. 

Beit Hanoun: A People's Will versus an Army's Arsenal

Rami Almeghari Gaza Strip 7 November 2006


“The Israeli army soldiers are now blockading the mosque; while a number of resistance fighters are inside, where they have taken sanctuary for fear of being attacked. Dozens of women made their way into the mosque, to make a defensive shield for the helpless men inside,” Faten Sehwail of Beit Hanoun told me by cellphone while huddled inside her home, unable to go outside because of the Israeli army-imposed curfew. Beit Hanoun is a small Palestinian city in the northern Gaza Strip, where Israeli-created “autumn clouds” are now over the heads of its residents, making their days as black as their nights. 

Renewed violence in Gaza raises serious concerns for children's safety

Sabine Dolan 7 November 2006


Renewed violence in Gaza is again raising serious concerns about the welfare of civilians, including children. Now in its sixth day, the armed conflict has claimed the lives of an estimated 50 Palestinians - half of them civilians, and 8 of them children. “The situation in northern Gaza, and in particular in Beit Hanoun, is very serious and is getting worse,” says UNICEF Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Dan Rohrmann. “We have seen an extraordinary number of children being killed just in the last five days. There are tanks everywhere, shelling, house demolitions and there is fighting in the streets. People are getting quite desperate.” 

Palestine Children's Welfare Fund announces Jayyous support efforts

Riad Elsolh Hamad 6 November 2006


The Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund is pleased to announce that it was able to sponsor a party for the children of Jayyous to celebrate the Eid during the month of October 2006. The party was held in the center of the Jayyous Charitable Society where more than 100 children received bags that contained toys, crayons, children’s books and candy. Most of the children belonged to the English program that PCWF sponsors in Jayyous and funds the salaries of the teachers, books and computer equipment for the last three years. Funding of the program comes from generous sponsors such as Antar and Abla from Palestine and Lebanon and Dubai Women’s College and private donors who want to see an end for the suffering of the children in Palestine. 

The Conflict Cannot Wait

Roni Ben Efrat 6 November 2006


America’s entrapment in Iraq creates a vacuum through the Middle East. The way out of that war has become the great question of US politics. Mid-term Congressional elections are due on November 7, 2006, but whatever the result, President George W. Bush will be a lame duck. If he boldly signals a change of direction (for example, by firing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld), he will lose all credibility. On the other hand, if he doggedly “stays the course,” he will appear as a man out of touch with reality, unfit to lead his nation or the world. Either way, Bush’s lot will be that of the leaders his policy helped bring down: Asnar in Spain, Berlusconi in Italy, Blair in Britain. 

IOF Kill Child and Injure Seven Others in Extrajudicial Execution Attempt

6 November 2006


In a new Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) crime reflecting disregard for the lives of innocent civilians, a Palestinian child was killed and 6 others were injured, one seriously, in an Israeli air strike on the town of Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip. A teacher was seriously injured in the same strike. The victims were on their way to school when IOF fired a surface-to-surface towards the Jabalia Youth Club during the morning traffic of school children. The IOF rocket was fired after Palestinians fired rockets at Israel from the area in the pre-dawn hours. This crime is a continuation of the IOF aggression on the Gaza Strip, especially the northern part. 

Diary of Beit Hanoun under siege

Mona El-Farra Gaza Strip 3 November 2006


Khalil Hamad died waiting for a permit to go to the hospital! Israeli occupying forces launched a massive attack against northern Gaza, focused on Beit Hanoun village. At the start of this assault, the village was placed under strict siege. Nobody was allowed in or out of Beit Hanoun. At Al-Awda hospital where 45 injured were admitted for treatment, and 3 dead bodies received, I was told by our Emergency Room staff that one of these dead could have been saved easily. While bleeding and suffering from multiple injuries, Mr. Khalil Hamad had to wait for special arrangements and an army permit to transfer him via the Red Cross from outside the village to the nearest hospital (Al-Awda) 5 minutes away from the scene. 

European Parliament delegation witnesses destruction in Gaza

31 October 2006


Speaking from Gaza on the second last day of a European Parliament fact finding mission to Israel and Palestine, Italian parliamentarian Luisa Morgantini reiterated the delegation’s call for an end to the occupation, and end to the siege of Gaza and for Palestinian unity and independence. “The future of Palestine is at stake, we are calling on Palestinian political forces to work together and we share the position that the occupation must finish. We are aware of the siege, the related destruction and the devastation of Palestinian life caused by this occupation”. 

Beit Hanoun under Siege: Palestine Refugees Severely Affected

3 November 2006


The latest Israeli military siege on the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun began on 1 November, greatly disrupting the lives of residents, the overwhelming majority of whom are Palestine refugees. UNRWA operations in the area have been severely hampered. Three UNRWA humanitarian convoys entered Beit Hanoun on Friday afternoon, and delivered food, water, milk, blankets and mattresses. UNRWA also sent a medical team to the Beit Hanoun health clinic to provide much-needed health services to the population there. UNRWA staff delivering humanitarian supplies noted significant damage to roads and houses as well as the presence of several Israeli military bulldozers and five tanks, close to Beit Hanoun hospital. 

Dark clouds over Beit Hanoun

Yousef Alhelou Beit Hanoun, Gaza Strip 5 November 2006


While I was driving to Kamal Udwan hospital in Beit Lahiya and listening to a local radio station to get the news update, suddenly the Israeli army succeeded in occupying the airwaves for a few minutes. They played a recorded message warning the residents in the north to stay inside their houses and to keep away from militants and not offer them any assistance or protection. Zeyad Abdul Dayem, an ambulance driver, said, “We had to wait today for 15 hours until the Israeli army allowed us to evacuate the body of a dead man who was killed by Israeli snipers who were positioned on the rooftops of high buildings belonging to Palestinian residents of Beit Hanoun”.