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Budrus tears down the Wall!

15 March 2005


Budrus, Ramallah, 11 March 2005 — In response to an unprovoked military invasion in the West Bank village of Budrus, villagers, who have been struggling against the Wall for more than one year, tore down pieces of the Separation Fence which is built on their land. During a wedding celebration early Friday afternoon in Budrus, Israeli military and border police jeeps invaded the village. After the military left through the gate in the fence, villagers followed and forced the gate open. They then damaged several dozen meters of the structure while shouting “No to the fence! Yes to peace!” 

Fatah in the throes of a power struggle

Khalid Amayreh 13 March 2005


A power struggle is taking place within the Fatah movement, the organisational and political backbone of the Palestinian Authority. The main contention is between the movement’s old guard, eager to retain power, and younger leaders at the intermediate levels, protesting against their marginalisation and what they call “rampant despotism and authoritarianism” by the senior leadership. The latest expression of the simmering discontent within Fatah’s rank and file took place on Wednesday when about 250 Fatah members in the Gaza Strip decided to quit, citing chaos and “personalisation” of leadership. 

Hamas move gets mixed reactions in Gaza

Laila El-Haddad 13 March 2005


Palestinians in Gaza have reacted to the Hamas decision to contest legislative elections this July with a mixture of ambivalence and approval. For some the decision was not particularly significant. Some are excited to hear about the decision and say they woul vote for Hamas candidates. Hamas won a significant majority in seven of the 10 municipalities and local councils that held elections on 27 January. The councils consist of 118 elected officials, 77 of whom are Hamas representatives. Hamas had previously boycotted legislative elections in 1996 because of its opposition to the 1993 Oslo peace accords that mandated the ballots. 

Hamas to contest legislative elections

Khalid Amayreh 12 March 2005


Hamas, has decided to participate in legislative elections in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip this summer. The decision on Saturday, which had been widely anticipated, was announced by Hamas leader Muhammad Ghazal during a news conference in Nablus in the West Bank. Ghazal said the decision was motivated by Hamas’ desire to serve the interests of the Palestinian people. “We are responsible to our people, not to Israel and the United States,” he said. Ghazal said the second Palestinian intifada against Israeli occupation effectively dismantled the Oslo agreement, making it possible for Hamas to take part in the elections. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

10 March 2005


This week, Israeli forces wounded 12 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children. Israel continues the construction of its Wall on occupied Palestinian land. Israeli forces condiscated more Palestinian-owned land for that purpose. Israel isolates Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. Israeli forces raided numerous homes and arrested at least twenty Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. A Palestinian civilian was used as a human shield during a house raid in the village of Mughraqa in central Gaza Strip. Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the West Bank. Israeli forces have continued to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories. 

Single minds, double standards, and plural societies: One month on in Lebanon

Laurie King 13 March 2005


Once again, it seems that US President George W. Bush has declared victory and “mission accomplished” far too early: The heralded Lebanese Spring, which Washington’s PR experts quickly dubbed the “Cedar Revolution,” has not been a slam-dunk validation of US Middle East policies after all. Just ten days after stepping down from the position of prime minister in President Emile Lahoud’s government, Omar Karameh is about to step back into place again. EI co-founder Laurie King-Irani, who lived in Beirut from 1993-98, reviews the last month’s tumultuous events and considers what they might mean for the future of Lebanon and its neighbors. 

Chicago Palestine Film Festival 2005: Official Selections

12 March 2005


The Chicago Palestine Film Festival is pleased to announce its official selections for its 2005 screenings. This year’s festival will occur from April 15 to May 7 at the Gene Siskel Film Center and St. Xavier Valley Community College. Now in its fourth consecutive year, the Chicago Palestine Film Festival is an independent, not-for-profit, non-sectarian project based in Chicago that exhibits and promotes films by Palestinian directors and films about Palestine. CPFF is dedicated to presenting a film festival that is open, critical, and reflective of the culture, experience and vision of the filmmakers. 

World must persuade Israel to tear down barrier on Palestinian land – UN meeting

10 March 2005


A United Nations International Meeting on the Question of Palestine has called on the international community to adopt measures to persuade Israel to dismantle a separation barrier it is building on occupied Palestinian territory and to make reparations for all damages caused by its construction. The two-day meeting, which ended yesterday in Geneva, called for Israeli compliance with international law and last year’s advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that the construction of a wall, which Israel says it is building for security reasons, is illegal where it runs on occupied territory and should be torn down. 

Nablus rocked by clashes

Omar Karmi 11 March 2005


In a hospital room in Nablus’ Specialty Hospital, two gunshot victims share a room. The young men are both awake and alert, and their room is filled with relatives and colleagues. They look fine, though one only speaks with some difficulty and the other has to lie on his side because of his injuries. The scene is not an unusual one in a Palestinian hospital after four years of the Intifada, but the circumstances of their shooting have rocked Nablus. The two are policemen and were wounded when clashes broke out between the police and members of an armed group, the Fateh-affiliated Al Awda Brigades, on March 4. Their colleagues are not only there to wish them well but to protect them from possible further attacks. A policeman is stationed at the entrance to the hospital. 

Beating Israel's activist deportation system, this time

Flo Razowsky 10 March 2005


On the 3rd of March 2005, I left my home in the United States for Israel. I was expecting trouble upon arriving at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, as I had been forcibly expelled by the Israeli Authorities one year before due to this same work against the occupation. My expulsion at that time was based on false charges brought against me by the Israeli Ministry of Interior stating that I had resided illegally in Israel. When I arrived to Ben Gurion on the 4th of March, I was pulled aside at passport control, as I had expected.