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Palestinian militants kidnap then release UN staff in Gaza Strip

7 August 2005


A Palestinian militant group kidnapped three staff members of the main United Nations agency helping Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip this morning, releasing them several hours later following negotiations. The employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) were taken in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip just before noon local time. After talks, the nature of which has not been disclosed, they were released into the custody of UNRWA and of the Palestinian Authority. They have now returned safely to the Agency’s headquarters in Gaza. UNRWA has been providing education, health care, social services and emergency relief to Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip. 

Israeli Human Rights Groups Warn of Possible Wave of Settler Attacks

7 August 2005


Israeli human rights organizations have called on the Israeli government to take the necessary steps to protect Palestinians in case of an escalation in violence by Israeli civilians during and after disengagement. The organizations wrote last week to Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, demanding that law enforcement make advance preparations to protect Palestinians living near settlements known to contain violent individuals, and particularly in those areas where there has been rioting in the past. Some of the violence will be spontaneous, the letter states, “but there is concern that we will witness organized attacks intended to stop the disengagement process”. The organizations believe that the attacks may endanger dozens of Palestinian lives. 

Interview: Mohammad Samhouri is handling the Gaza disengagement

Laila El-Haddad 6 August 2005


Mohammad Samhouri has been assigned the task of coordinating the withdrawal on the Palestinian side. Samhouri, a US-educated economist by training, oversees a team of 40 experts who are handling the post-disengagement process, including what’s to be done with the evacuated land and remaining assets. Al Jazeera’s Laila El-Haddad spoke with Samhouri in his Gaza office about the disengagement that is set to start August 15, the importance of free access for Palestinians and the future of Palestinian economy. Mohammad Samhouri: Before we begin, I just want to give you some advice to make your job easier. Don’t ask me political questions, because I don’t have political answers. 

Presbyterian Church names companies for 'progressive engagement' over role in Middle East violence

5 August 2005


Today, the Mission Responsibility through Investment (MRTI) Committee of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) announced that it will begin its process of ‘progressive engagement’ with five companies it says contribute to the ongoing violence that plagues Israel and Palestine. The Committee’s action is in response to a resolution passed last year by the Church’s General Assembly and is consistent with the Church’s long-standing practice of ensuring its investments are used to further the Church’s mission. The companies selected for initial focus are Caterpillar, Citigroup, ITT Industries, Motorola and United Technologies. 

Palestinian factions are gearing up for celebrations with election campaigns

Laila El-Haddad 8 August 2005


With less than two weeks left before Israel evacuates the Gaza Strip, Palestinian factions are gearing up for celebrations with publicity campaigns that are equally intended to win Palestinian votes. The Palestinian Authority, which is spending an estimated $1.7 million on withdrawal celebrations, kicked-off its campaign on Thursday with an event it called a liberation and evacuation festival, held in front of Gaza city’s Legislative Council. In addition to the festival, the PA’s Withdrawal Committee, headed by Dahlan, launched a massive UNDP-funded publicity campaign this week under the slogan Gaza - Reclaiming Our Gem. They plan to wave 20,000 Palestinian flags during the evacuation. 

Palestinians say peace with Israel is no longer within the realm of possibility

Khalid Amayreh 7 August 2005


The proposed expansion of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank has convinced many Palestinians, intellectuals and laymen alike, that peace with Israel is no longer within the realm of possibility. A general belief among Palestinians is that the Israeli plan to “disengage” from Gaza is primarily aimed at consolidating Israel’s grip on the West Bank. Recent polls in Palestine have shown that a majority of Palestinians are convinced that a genuine peace with Israel - that is, one based on UN resolutions 242 and 338 and the land-for-peace formula - is no longer possible. As many as 65% of Palestinians in the occupied territories said they did not believe that a “permanent peace with Israel was possible”. Only 3.1% of respondents said such a peace was possible. 

Growing Grassroots in Beirut

Stefan Christoff Beirut, Lebanon 8 August 2005


Beirut is a city that vibrates with political culture and is defined by a history of social justice struggles. Currently, Lebanon is undergoing massive political changes, sparked by street protests following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February and the subsequent withdrawal of approximately 15,000 Syrian troops and intelligence officials last April. The future for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in refugee camps throughout Lebanon is also central to current political discussions in the region, as refugees continue to demand their right to return to occupied Palestine. 

Breathing life into Nablus

Maureen Clare Murphy and Zachary Wales 8 August 2005


Nablusi architect Naseer Arafat’s current project, “a ten year dream,” as he calls it, is the restoration of an estate that was once owned by an influential sheikh and housed a residence, soap factory and reception hall. The compound, which Arafat describes as having a “unique composition,” is nestled in Nablus’ Old City, home to 20,000 Palestinians and some 2,560 historic buildings, mostly constructed during the Ottoman period, as well as some from the Mameluke, Crusader, Byzantine and Roman eras. 

Photostory: Wavel Refugee Camp

Stefan Christoff 8 August 2005


Wavel is a Palestinian refugee camp located in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, on the outskirts of Baalbek. Originally a French military base during the colonial era, Palestinian refugees inhabited 12 military barracks shortly after the Palestinian el-Nakba (the Catastrophe) in 1948, as hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees were forced from Palestine through the creation of the state of Israel. Today Wavel is home to approximately 8000 refugees, a significant segment of which continue to reside in the now dilapidated French barracks. 

How to cover disengagement?

Jonathan Cook 7 August 2005


Journalist Jonathan Cook writing the letter one reporter in Israel wishes he could send news editors who ask him to cover Israel’s Gaza disengagement. Israel is not giving foreign journalists free access to the Gaza Strip, or even the settlements, during the disengagement. Apparently, the only way to “witness” the disengagement will be by applying to the Israeli press office for a place on a number of army coaches transporting reporters to individual settlements. I am opposed in principle to the idea of being shepherded around by the army while covering this event. How is this not just another form of “embedding”? But in any case I am told seats on the coaches will be extremely limited, maybe only a few dozen, and are bound to be snapped up by the media big-hitters.