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"It Was Like Abu Ghraib": Israeli Abuse of Birzeit University's Gazan Students

Charles Stratford 15 December 2004


The Israeli army issued a statement yesterday (Tuesday 14th December 2004) that a decision would be made in the next 48 hrs concerning four Birzeit University students who were illegally ‘deported’ back to Gaza last month. An international letter writing campaign involving hundreds of academics from around the world has been launched demanding they are returned to the university to complete their degrees. All were due to graduate this year. Bashar Abu Salim is one of the four. Charles Stratford tells the story about what happened on the night of his arrest. 

Pointing forward, moving backwards

Hasan Abu Nimah 15 December 2004


The leaders of the global war on terror keep promising us a future of democracy, peace, justice, respect for human rights and dignity even as they make war, and chaos seems to be erupting everywhere. In their sights is a world free of the prevailing evil — where bad people, and their misguided beliefs, ignorance, fanaticism, hatred, “anti-Semitism” and, worst of all, “terrorism” are no longer allowed to impede our peaceful existence. Such a world would, no doubt, be a wonderful place. The world has never enjoyed total peace in the past, but the new kind of conflict, in which traditional nation states fight against invisible and shadowy groups, seems to hold a new kind of horror. Hasan Abu Nimah comments. 

Leaflets of fear

Nigel Parry 15 December 2004


The above leaflet was dropped on Gaza this morning from Israeli military helicopters. The translation says: TO THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. Your life is being harmed by irresponsible elements who exploit you by firing missiles from in between your houses at the Israeli settlements. These missiles backfire on you causing only destruction and loss of your source of living without leaving you any road to hope. Be aware !!! that firing missiles from your area will compel the Israeli Defense Forces to act in your area and to hit missile-launching elements in any place they act from. Get rid of terror which leads you to the bottom. Follow the road of hope. Do not allow the terrorists to come close to your area.” EI’s Nigel Parry reports. 

Documentary film review: "Israeli Wall in Palestinian Lands"

Maureen Clare Murphy 15 December 2004


The new documentary The Israeli Wall in Palestinian Land is a prime example of how low-cost digital technology has great potential for activists - with a small camcorder, and some decent video editing software, one can make a finished film that can be cheaply burned onto DVDs or put up on a website. Like cheap 35 mm, Polaroid, and disposable cameras democratized photography, video as a medium is now highly accessible. But whether one makes the most out of the medium is another matter. EI’s Arts, Music, and Culture Editor Maureen Clare Murphy reviews the new film for EI. 

Sanctions against apartheid South Africa should inspire the Palestinian people

Adri Nieuwhof and Bangani Ngeleza 14 December 2004


The South African people fought for decades to free themselves of apartheid. The ANC departed from its non-violent policies in the early 1960s, becoming actively involved in the armed liberation struggle. The violence used by the ANC was directed at government institutions, economic targets and the forces involved in oppression. Nelson Mandela was arrested and imprisoned for almost 30 years. International solidarity movements supported the ANC by organising massive campaigns for sanctions and public boycotts against South Africa. A Dutch anti-apartheid activist and a South African ANC supporter whose father was imprisoned for ten years on Robben island for in his involvement in the resistance look back on activism during the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. 

UN help sought for Palestinian presidential elections

Khalid Amayreh 12 December 2004


Palestinian Liberation Organisation chairman Mahmud Abbas has appealed to the UN to help facilitate the Palestinian presidential election, during talks in Jordan with the UN Middle East envoy. Abbas and interim prime minister, Ahmad Quraya, asked Terje Roed-Larsen to support the Palestinian elections. They also asked that he pressure Israel to ensure voters can cast their ballots freely, Palestinian representative in Amman, Ata Allah Khairy, said. The Palestinian Authority had already notified the quartet of the arrest of several nominees in Dahiriya, as well as the harassment and brief detention of two presidential candidates. Khalid Amayreh reports. 

EU monitors for Palestinian elections begin their work

10 December 2004


The European Union Election Observation Mission for the Presidential elections in West Bank and Gaza has begun work. In total, the EU is deploying more than 260 observers. This includes the EU Election Observation Mission with a core team of 13 staff, which arrived in the West Bank and Gaza this week, some 40 long-term observers, arriving around 15 December, and more than 130 short-term observers, arriving in early January. The total also comprises an observation delegation from the European Parliament made up of 30 Members of Parliament plus 16 assistants, and contributions from the governments of Switzerland, Norway and Canada. 

Palestinian youth produce their own TV programme

10 December 2004


The 2004 International Children’s Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) marks the second anniversary of Alli Sotak (Speak Up), a two hour weekly programme, which is created by and for Palestinian young people. The inspiration for starting a new programme for youth was born when the Palestinian National TV network realized that, amidst the gloomy circumstances and grim news headlines which children are exposed to , there was a great hunger for positive content. As a result, Palestine TV began to participate in the annual ICDB event in the year 2000, by sponsoring annual special programmes. 

Israeli forces shell Palestinian school in Khan Yunis

12 December 2004


Israeli forces fired an artillery shell at a school in Khan Yunis, wounding seven Palestinian children under the age of 9. Israeli forces positioned near Israeli settlements west of Khan Yunis opened fire at Palestinian homes and schools to the east and north of the settlements. An artillery shell hit the sport yard of an elementary school, approximately 600 meters to the northeast of the settlement. As a result, 6 schoolchildren were wounded as they were in the yard and a seventh one was wounded when she was inside a classroom. The children were evacuated in civilian cars to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. It was not the first time Israeli forces opened fire on the school. 

The Writing on the Wall: Jizelle Salman

Toine van Teeffelen Bethlehem, Palestine 10 December 2004


The Writing on the Wall is a series of interviews with Palestinians who live close to the Wall. Van Teeffelen asked three questions: How is your daily life influenced by the Wall and the checkpoints? What does freedom mean to you? What are your sources of energy? Toine van Teeffelen speaks with Jizelle Salman from Beit Jala, an English language teacher and youth coordinator at the Arab Educational Institute in Bethlehem. “I need to take a detour to get to my house. I used to take a road which has now become an Israeli checkpoint and military camp. We’ve heard last year that the land on the hill above my house, which we cultivated for many years, will be expropriated in order to build the Wall and next to it a military road. This was of course most difficult news for us.”