The inhabitants of Nazareth, Israel’s only Arab city, often talk of the ‘invisible occupation’: although they rarely see police — let alone soldiers — on their streets, they are held in a vise-like grip of Israeli control just as much as their ethnic kin in neighbouring Palestinian cities like Jenin and Nablus are. Last week, more than 500 heavily armed police officers stormed Nazareth’s city centre at dawn, arresting a handful of Muslim clerics and demolishing the foundations of a mosque that has been making headlines since a “holy tent” was first erected in 1998 at the site of the grave of Shihab ad-Deen, the nephew of Salah ad-Deen.” Jonathan Cook files an exclusive analysis for EI from Nazareth. Read more about The holy war Israel wants
After several false starts, let’s hope that Israel makes a real concession towards paving the ‘road map to peace’ in this week’s prisoner releases by freeing the 350 Palestinian child detainees who are currently confined in Israeli military detention centres and prisons. Catherine Hunter comments. Read more about A desperately-needed Road Map goodwill measure
Today, the press reported another case of abuse by Israeli security forces – this time, it was the maltreatment of Palestinians by border police officers and IDF soldiers at the Qalandiya checkpoint. This comes only one day after the Commander of the Border Police adopted the recommendations of a committee that investigated the unit in Hebron that was responsible for a series of incidents of violence, including the death of ‘Imran Abu Hamdiya. Read more about A whole tree of "rotten apples"
This week Israeli forces killed 5 Palestinians. Israeli forces invaded a number of towns and villages and demolished 15 Palestinian homes in al-Mughraqa and Beit Hanoun. Israeli forces razed agricultural lands in the northern Gaza Strip and continued indiscriminate shelling of Palestinian residential areas. Israeli forces continued their arbitrary arrest campaigns and continued its tight siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations
The conclusion of an Israeli army investigation states that the death of Rachel Corrie was “an accident”. PCHR is concerned that this investigation was not properly conducted in accordance with minimum international standards. Affidavits taken from eyewitnesses contrast sharply with the Israeli army investigation’s conclusions. Read more about Impunity for Israeli killing of US peace activists
Ellen Siegel is a registered nurse. She volunteered her services at the Gaza Hospital in Sabra Camp in Beirut in 1982, and was there during the massacre. She testified, as a witness, before the Kahan Commission of Inquiry in Jerusalem. This is a letter she wrote to her friends and fellow massacre survivors and witnesses in Beirut in the wake of Belgium’s decision to weaken its universal jurisdiction (anti-atrocity) legislation in response to pressure from the US Government. Read more about An open letter to the survivors of the Sabra and Shatila massacre
Public Committee Against Torture in Israel25 June 2003
On the occasion of the UN International Day in Support of the Victims of Torture tomorrow, June 26, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) published some of its finding on torture in Israel. These findings are part of a report that will be published by PCATI in the coming weeks. Read more about A sharp increase in torture, ill treatment and violence in GSS interrogations
