Yesterday hundreds of participants took part in peaceful demonstrations and rallies in Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Nablus that were organized by several political parties and civil society organizations to protest the Annapolis conference in the US. Since the early morning hours of the day, hundreds of security personnel armed with guns and batons were deployed in main streets and areas designated for these assemblies. As soon as people started gathering in these areas, fist fights broke out between the security forces and demonstrators. The security forces attempted to disperse the demonstrators with batons and beatings. Read more about PA forcefully disperses peaceful demonstrations, killing one
On Saturday morning, 24 November 2007, a Palestinian patient from the Gaza Strip died as Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) refused to grant her permission to enter Israel to receive medical treatment at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns measures taken by IOF violating Palestinians’ right to health, and denying them access to hospitals outside the Gaza Strip. PCHR also demands IOF to allow Rowaida ‘Omar Shakshak, who is in a serious health condition, to receive urgent medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip. Read more about Woman dies after being denied medical treatment
The following letter was sent on 26 November 2007 to key negotiating parties including the President of the Palestinian National Authority, the Israeli Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and EU and UN Officials: As Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations, we the undersigned, are deeply concerned by the lack of a clearly articulated legal framework for the upcoming diplomatic negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to be held at Annapolis on 27 November. Read more about Rights orgs: Uphold international law at Annapolis
NABLUS, WESTBANK, 25 November 2007 (IRIN) - Palestinian militants in the Nablus area of the West Bank are in the middle of what seems to be a pincer movement — chased not only by the Israeli military but also by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which, under Acting Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, has taken it upon itself to crack down on the fighters. Palestinian security forces say they are going after “illegal weapons” and the misuse of arms. All factions, they say, will be treated equally in an attempt to end “chaos.” The PA has arrested members of several groups, including the Islamic group, Hamas. Read more about Palestinian police boost presence in Nablus
Israel has cut off the Gaza Strip off from the outside world since 10 June 2007 by enforcing a complete closure on all the strip’s border crossings, especially Rafah International Crossing on the Egyptian border. As a result, Gaza students studying abroad are deprived the right to travel to pursue their education. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights’ preliminary investigation and information from the Ministry of Civil Affairs indicate that approximately 7,500 Gazans are waiting for the opportunity to travel abroad for various purposes such as work, education, and treatment. Read more about Gaza closure threatens 3,000 students' education rights
RAMALLAH, Nov 21 (IPS) - Al-Walajeh village was once a quiet but busy place. Just four kilometers from Bethlehem and 8.5 km from Jerusalem, its rolling hills filled with fruit trees, natural forests, and blooming vegetation made it a prime farming location. Easy access to large and consistent markets led its inhabitants to relative economic prosperity. Life was good. Today, however, al-Walajeh village is a different place altogether. “The demolishing of houses is a weekly event here in al-Walajeh,” Sheerin Alaraj, al-Walajeh Village Council member, told IPS. Read more about Demolition decimating Palestinian village
JERUSALEM, 21 November (IRIN) - Traffic news on the radio in the West Bank is more likely to be about checkpoints and barriers than jams and accidents, as a complex system of controls and permits can make a short journey for work, family or medical reasons into a time-consuming marathon, according to a new UN report. A joint Special Focus by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, released in November, said that only about 18 percent of the people who worked the land are now able to obtain Israeli-issued permits, required to access the zone between the Barrier and the Green Line, Israel’s pre-1967 border. Read more about West Bank maze of movement restrictions
Palestinian Center for Human Rights20 November 2007
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has received more affidavits from Palestinians who were subjected to beating, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment while in detention by the Palestinian police in the Gaza Strip. PCHR condemns such illegal practices and calls for prosecuting the perpetrators and ensuring that laws that regulate procedures of detention are applied. Read more about Palestinian police using torture in Gaza Strip
Y.A.H is a 37-year-old heart patient in need of open heart surgery. He was referred to a hospital in Nablus, the West Bank, for surgery. He previously received a permit but was asked by the Israeli General Security Services (Shabak) to provide information on friends of his brother. When he failed to he was returned to Gaza and told “go die in Gaza.” Since then he has no permit. His condition is deteriorating and he is very weak, with breathing difficulties, and is in danger of sudden death at any moment. Read more about Israel to heart patient: "Go die in Gaza"
On the morning of Saturday, 17 November 2007, Na’el Abd al-Rahman Khamis al-Kordi (21), from Sheikh Radwan Quarter in Gaza City, died when his health condition deteriorated after IOF banned him from obtaining a permit for treatment in an Israeli hospital. The victim’s brother, Rami, stated that his brother was diagnosed with cancer about a year and half ago. At the time, the family applied for a permit to treat Na’el in an Israeli hospital. However, the request was denied. Read more about Israeli closure claims cancer victim
