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Letter: European inaction and complicity as Gaza burns

Ali Abunimah 6 November 2006



EI Co-founder Ali Abunimah responds to a statement issued by Finland, in its capacity as EU President, about the mounting atrocities in Gaza. “I wholeheartedly agree with that part of your statement which says, ‘Violence will only aggravate an already grave situation in the region,’” Abunimah writes, “But violence will not be ended by empty condemnation of the victims and craven appeasement of the occupier. It will end when governments like yours take action to make Israel, as the occupying colonial power, accountable.” Abunimah points to six steps the EU could take if it was really interested in ending violence and bringing about peace. 

Israeli forces kill medical volunteers and block access to hospitals in Gaza

5 November 2006



The Israeli occupying forces have deliberately attacked and targeted unarmed civilians as well as PRCS ambulances and medical teams. On November 3, 2006, Israeli forces targeted and killed two members of PRCS medical teams, while they were attempting to evacuate a victim killed by Israeli fire in Beit Lahia area. At the same time, Beit Hanoun Hospital is continued to be under siege by Israeli tanks and armored vehicles, which prevent medical teams and victims from reaching the hospital. 

Weekly Report of Human Rights Violations

2 November 2006



IOF have escalated attacks on Palestinian civilians and their property in the OPT. Israeli political and military officials have threatened to launch a wide scale military campaign on the Gaza Strip, unconcerned about the lives and property of Palestinian civilians. During the reported period, IOF killed 27 Palestinians, 11 of whom are civilians including two children and a woman, are civilians. Twenty three of the victims were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip. In addition, 104 Palestinians, including 29 children and 4 women, were wounded. This increase in the number of casualties in the Gaza Strip has followed orders by the Israeli Defense Minister Amir Perets to his army to expand military operations in the Gaza Strip allegedly to stop the armament of Palestinian organizations. 

Unexploded Hezbollah rockets pose risk

5 November 2006



Israeli bomb disposal units are combing the north of the country for unexploded Hezbollah rockets left over from the recent conflict in an operation that will continue for months, Israeli police say. Hezbollah fired nearly 4,000 rockets - including more than 100 containing cluster bombs - into the densely populated Galilee region in Israel’s far north as well as cities further south such as Haifa, killing 43 civilians. While the risks to residents of southern Lebanon from an estimated one million unexploded cluster bombs fired by Israel are well-documented, Israeli officials say the world has largely ignored the problems caused by unexploded Hezbollah rockets in their country. However, no one has been killed or injured by unexploded rockets, Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld told IRIN. 

Five Killed and Seven Injured in Armed Clan Clashes in Khan Yunis

5 November 2006



On Saturday, 4 November 2006, five Palestinians were killed, including one woman, and seven others were injured, including a woman and a child, in renewed clashes between El-Masri and Abu Taha clans in Khan Yunis. PCHR’s preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 9:40 on Saturday, armed clashes erupted between El-Masri and Abu Taha clans in Jamal Abdel Naser Street at the intersections with Jala’ and Bahar Streets in the city of Khan Yunis. The clashes erupted after Adnan Yousef Hosni Abu Taha (49) was beaten with a sharp object on the head by members of El-Masri clan. The clashes between both clans resulted in the death of 5 people. 

The Demographic and Economic War against Palestinians

Samar Assad 5 November 2006



When Israel launched its demographic war against Palestinians in 1947, it was carried out through military tactics that were difficult to conceal from the international community. The unresolved result of that war can be seen in refugee camps all over the Arab world. According to U.N. figures, between 1947 and 1949 Zionist military forces forcibly expelled or caused to flee approximately 800,000 Palestinians (amounting to 75 percent of the Arab population of what became Israel). In 1967, more than 200,000 Palestinians fled their homes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Since 1967, Israel has continued its demographic war but the tactics have become obscured through the use of so-called legal and political criteria. 

Call for Work: PERIF�RICO - Sounds from Beyond the Bubble

5 November 2006



Sonic Arts Network invites submissions for its critically acclaimed CD series. Curated by Angolan/Portuguese composer Victor Gama, “PERIF�RICO - sounds from beyond the bubble”, will be a selection of works by experimental composers that work outside of western culture. Musicians/composers/artists that work within cultures and traditions outside of the western world are invited to submit one or two samples of their work for a CD publication to be released by Sonic Arts Network, UK, in Spring 2007. We are looking for works by contemporary composers from Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Iran and other countries in the region. 

"My Name is Rachel Corrie" playing now in New York City

5 November 2006



I am pleased to announce the Off-Broadway premier of My Name is Rachel Corrie at the Minetta Lane Theater in Greenwich Village. As witnessed earlier this year through the swell of controversy surrounding the production, My Name is Rachel Corrie is a truly unprecedented theatrical event and a rare opportunity to experience Rachel’s personal courage through her own words. And for those of us who are committed to a just and peaceful resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, this play is a must see. Supporting truthful representations of the Palestinian reality in the US will open the door to more of these emerging projects which will broaden the discussion and strengthen the “conventional wisdom” push for a lasting resolution. 

Calamari

Eyad al-Sarraj Gaza Strip 5 November 2006



I noticed that every one of us looked so full and every one had a sizeable belly, especially our host. I said mildly, “Our food is good for the taste but sea food is best for health.” One of my friends looked disgusted at the thought and exclaimed, “Sea food, do you call that food? Food is only meat my adorable friend.” I laughed and said, “Only because you are a cannibal. Scientific evidence is telling us that sea food is best for healthy life and this is a fact.” Our friend Suhail said, “Fish may be good, but how can you eat snails? How can you eat this thing called calamari which is apparently a leg of a crawling animal?” I laughed instantly and said, “Do you know what calamari reminds me of? Fatah, your Fatah.” 

Israel's Large-Scale Killing of Palestinians Passes Unreported

Patrick O'Connor 4 November 2006

The year 2006 has seen by far the most skewed ratio of Palestinians to Israelis killed. While no deaths should be accepted, the figures show that the Israeli war machine has shifted into an unprecedented frenzy. Through the entire second Palestinian intifada or uprising which began September 29, 2000, approximately 3.9 Palestinians have been killed for every Israeli killed.[4] The highest previous multi-month ratio of Palestinians to Israelis killed during this intifada occurred from March to December 2004 when around 9.5 Palestinians were killed for every Israeli. In the first Palestinian intifada from 1987-92, 5.2 Palestinians were killed for every Israeli.