What are the consequences of Israel’s nuclear activities? There have been reports that Demona’s nuclear waste is dumped in El Dahriye, a Palestinian village, south of Hebron. The surrounding villages were not informed about these hazardous practices. Instead they learned about it through an increase of their communities’ alarming health problems, which are solely caused by being exposed to nuclear radio-activity. The uranium level in the Hebron valley is ten times higher than the permitted concentration. From El Dahriyè village, already 452 cases have been reported having contagious and lethal bacteria. Seventy from these 452 cases have cancer. Additionally, for the past four months there has been a 300% increase of birth defects. Infertility rates, spontaneous abortions, hair loss without indication are becoming commonly prevalent. Read more about Israel's silent nuclear attack revealed
A Palestinian court ruled that the local elections in Rafah have to be repeated in a number of polling stations in the town. Since Sunday morning, 15 May 2005, Khan Yunis Preliminary Proceedings Court were considering an appeal submitted by candidates of the ‘Sincerity to al-Aqsa’ List of the Fatah movement in Rafah against results of the elections of the municipality of the town, held on 5 May 2005. The appeal was submitted following the declaration of official results of the elections by the Higher Committee for Local Elections on 9 May 2005. According to these results, the candidates of the ‘Reform and Change’ List of Hamas won 12 seats out of 15 of the local council of Rafah. Read more about Court orders repeat of local elections in Rafah
Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq is gravely concerned by recent reports that Palestinians whose land has been seized for the construction of the Annexation Wall will be offered alternative land in the West Bank. If implemented, such actions would be in gross contravention of Israel’s obligations under international law due to both the confiscation of the land affected by the Wall and the use of previously-confiscated land as an “exchange” for these recent confiscations. Moreover, such actions provide further evidence of Israel’s intention to de facto annex the territory affected by the Wall, in breach of the Palestinian right to self-determination. Read more about Al-Haq: Israel's land swap with Palestinians is illegal
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel submitted to the Supreme Court a statement of opinion: the ruling issued by the International Court of Justice in The Hague is binding to Israel; If the barrier is required it should coincide with state borders. The route of the separation barrier that has been constructed, the majority of which is located within the West Bank represents a clear violation of international law, as determined by the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ), and therefore the route must be amended – as required – to adhere to the country’s borders. This was the explicit position voiced by ACRI in its statement of opinion that was submitted today to the Supreme Court. Read more about Separation Barrier route violates international law
In early March, the Electronic Intifada published a story about Ali Zbeidat and his family, Palestinian citizens of Israel whose home in the village of Sakhnin in the Galilee is threatened with demolition by a Jewish regional council called Misgav. For a decade Misgav has been seeking to prevent Ali, his Dutch wife Terese and their two teenage daughters, Dina and Awda, from living on land that has belonged to his family for decades. EI publishes for the first time some of the long-running correspondence between Misgav and Sakhnin which uncover a campaign of misinformation by Misgav to conceal from public view the apartheid land policies they enforce inside Israel. Read more about EI EXCLUSIVE: "Not prepared to concede one metre": Apartheid in the Galilee
This week, one Palestinian died from a previous wound inflicted by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). A number of Palestinian civilians were injured by IOF. IOF have continued to construct the ‘Annexation Wall in the West Bank; IOF fired at Palestinian civilians demonstrating in protest to the construction of the Wall. IOF beat Palestinian civilians whose land had been confiscated resulting in Palestinian pregnant woman miscarrying. IOF conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas. Palestinian houses were raided resulting in the arrest of 20 Palestinian civilians. Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the West Bank; Israeli settlers seized 18 donums in al-Mawasi area in the southern Gaza Strip and IOF seized at least 800 donums of land in Bethlehem and Nablus. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations
The Palestinian body politic is alive and united on a variety of central concerns, and has not been fragmented or destroyed in spite of more than 10 years of concerted attempts to do so. At this very moment Palestinians from all walks of life have been gathering together in large and small meetings to discuss the issues that concern them, in open debate. They choose the things they wish to speak about, and raise the issues that concern them. They discuss how to advance their rights - and there are certainly a multitude of them - legal, economic, civic, political, and social. Read more about Democracy and Rights are also for Palestinian Refugees
This week, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in the West Bank, including two children. On Monday morning, Israeli forces killed killed Shafiq ‘Abdul Ghani, 34, in Saida village near Tulkarm. On 4 May 2005, Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian children from the ‘Aassi family in Beit Liqia village near Ramallah. The children were with a number of Palestinian civilians who were throwing stones at the Israeli forces. This week, Israeli forces conducted at least 16 military incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank, including the Palestinian controlled town of Tulkarm. The widest of these incursions was into Saida village near Tulkarm (resulting in the death of a Palestinian civilian) and into al-Fawar refugee camp near Hebron (resulting in the injury to seven Palestinian civilians). During other incursions, IOF injured 8 Palestinian civilians, including four children, and arrested 10 others. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations
Two cousins, 14 and 15 years old, were shot dead today by Israeli soldiers who opened fire on a demonstration against the Apartheid Wall in the village of Beit Liqya. After school ended for the day students went out to protest against the illegal Wall which is right now cutting through their homes and lands threatening the livelihood and freedom of movement of the entire region. Israeli soldiers, positioned on a hill above the demonstration, met the student’s confrontation with live fire. According to eye witnesses, the two boys were shot by the same soldier from a distance of 5 to 10 meters. Read more about Israeli military murders school children at anti-Wall protest
The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and partnering law firms today added members of four Palestinian families as plaintiffs to their federal lawsuit against Illinois-based Caterpillar, Inc., charging the company with responsibility for human rights abuses in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The new plaintiffs are joining the case brought by the parents of Rachel Corrie, the 23-year-old American peace activist and student who was crushed to death by a Caterpillar D9 bulldozer on March 16, 2003. Read more about Palestinians join human rights lawsuit against Caterpillar, Inc.
