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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.” 

International Human Rights: One day out of 365 is not enough

Laurie King 9 December 2004


“To understand human rights, human rights violations, and human rights enforcement, one must begin at the ground level, with the social and cultural setting of the abuse situation. This is not simply a legal requirement, but even more so a moral and political imperative. Whoever endeavors to protect human rights takes on the commitment to be fully human: to think, critique, imagine, argue, envision, cooperate, and take risks in concrete social contexts fraught with political consequences. Foremost among the risks of taking human rights seriously is reaching out to communicate. EI co-founder Laurie King-Irani offers some reflections on International Human Rights Day. 

Israeli movement restrictions threaten Palestinian democratic elections

Maureen Clare Murphy 9 December 2004


The Palestinian presidential election campaigns have not yet officially begun, but already there is much worry over Israeli-imposed restrictions on Palestinian movement, and how they might thwart the democratic election process. While Israel is making assurances that it will ease restrictions on movement during the election, recent events give reason to question their sincerity. Acting Speaker of Parliament Hassan Khreisheh dropped out of the race today, citing Israel’s refusal to allow him to travel to Gaza, and at 9:00 pm last night, presidential candidate Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi and his campaign delegation were detained and beaten at the Jaba checkpoint outside of Jenin while they were attempting to travel home to Ramallah. 

"Bombshell" shakes Fateh: Barghouti's candidacy blows race wide open

Atef Saad 8 December 2004


One thing all agree on is that Marwan Barghouti’s decision to run has blown the presidential race wide open. Opinion polls have him and Mahmoud Abbas more or less neck and neck, and among the other eight candidates at least two, acting speaker of the Legislative Council Hasan Khreisheh and Mustapha Barghouti both have relatively high public profiles, making the field very competitive. However, some observers fear that the competition and the electoral system will simply lead to the loss of thousands of votes, and weaken the mandate of any elected PA president in the international arena. Atef Saad assesses Barghouti’s candidacy for the Palestine Report. 

Stop the Deportation of Palestinian Refugees from Canada

8 December 2004


For nearly a year, Khalil Ayoub, 67, Nabih Ayoub, 69 and Th�r�se Boulos Haddad, 62, have been living in the basement of Montreal’s Notre-Dame-de-Gr�ce church, facing arrest and deportation if they leave their place of sanctuary. Under imminent threat of deportation by immigration authorities, many Palestinian refugees in Canada have been forced to live underground or take sanctuary. We are asking you to give a few moments today to contact Canadian officials who have the power to stop these deportations and end this human crisis. 

On Palestine's Dead: Israel's Chilling Concept of "Good News"

Nigel Parry 8 December 2004


Today’s Israeli Ha’aretz newspaper brought good news to those disturbed by the relentless death toll resulting from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; a headline that stated “IDF: 29 Palestinian civilians killed in W. Bank in 2004”. “The Israel Defense Forces released figures Wednesday showing that since the beginning of the year,” wrote Ha’aretz correspondent Amos Harel, “148 Palestinians have been killed by IDF fire in the West Bank, at least 29 of them, by army count, innocent bystanders, Israel Radio reported Wednesday.” EI’s Nigel Parry gags and begs to differ. 

Israeli soldiers 'shoot boy for fun'

Khalid Amayreh 8 December 2004


A group of Israeli soldiers serving in the Gaza Strip have reportedly admitted killing a 15-year-old Palestinian in Khan Yunus for sport. According to the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronoth, the incident took place in March when a group of newly graduated soldiers were on a hike near the town of Khan Yunus. According to the report, an undisclosed number of Givati brigade soldiers shot and killed Khalid Sulaiman Mahdi while he was working with his father on their farm. The boy’s father, Sulaiman Mahdi, told the paper the killing was “just for the sake of it”. 

Israel censured over Palestinian elections

Khalid Amayreh 8 December 2004


Palestinian presidential candidate Mustafa al-Barghuthi has accused Israel of disrupting the upcoming Palestinian election due on 9 January. Mustafa al-Barghuthi, a prominent independent candidate, at a press conference on Wednesday in Ramallah said Israel was not allowing candidates freedom of movement within the West Bank and between the West Bank and Gaza Strip. “The Israeli occupation authorities have been barring me from travelling to the Gaza Strip. How can we conduct an effective and orderly election campaign if one is unable to meet one’s supporters?” he said. Al-Jazeera’s Khalid Amayreh reports from the occupied West Bank. 

Advance U.S. -- not Israel's -- interests

George Bisharat 8 December 2004


Democrats, searching for ways to regain ground lost to Republicans in November, should take guidance from an unusual source: a just-reported Defense Department study of attitudes toward the United States in the Arab and Muslim worlds. That study confirms that we are resented worldwide not for our freedoms but for our policies. In particular, it is our support for Israel, and more recently our occupation of Iraq, that most offend 1.2 billion Arabs and Muslims. Friendly relations with this big slice of humanity are key to our economic and strategic well-being.