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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Anders Behring Breivik may avoid jail after psychiatrists declare him insane

Norwegian killer of 77 people 'lives in his own delusional universe', say prosecutors

Staff and agencies
guardian.co.uk,

Anders Behring Breivik has been declared insane by Norwegian psychiatrists. Link to this video
 
Self-confessed mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik is unlikely to be sent to jail after psychiatrists declared him to have been insane and suffering from paranoid schizophrenia when he killed 77 people in Norway this summer.

Prosecutors said Breivik, a self-declared anti-immigration militant, believed he had staged what he called "the executions" out of his love for his people. "The conclusion ... is that he is insane," prosecutor Svein Holden told a news conference on Breivik's psychiatric evaluation. "He lives in his own delusional universe and his thoughts and acts are governed by this universe."

If the court accepts the psychiatrists' conclusions, Breivik would be held in a psychiatric institution rather than in a prison. Norwegian courts can challenge psychiatric evaluations or order new tests but rarely reject them. Breivik could be held as long as he poses a threat to society, but may be released if found to be healthy.

It is a controversial prospect in a country still struggling to come to terms with the events of 22 July, when Breivik killed 77 people by bombing central Oslo and then gunning down dozens of people, mostly teenagers, at a summer camp of the ruling Labour party's youth wing. "The most important thing for me is not to punish Breivik," 20-year-old Bjørn Ihler, a survivor of the shootings on Utøya island, told Reuters. "What matters to me is that he no longer poses a threat to society."

Others were less understanding. "I'm so angry I could weep," wrote one woman on the Facebook site of daily newspaper Aftenposten. "A man who can plan his misdeed in such detail and carry it out in cold blood is answerable for what he has done. If this is allowed to stand it will disgrace the name of Norwegian justice and be an insult to the names of his victims."

Breivik had developed paranoid schizophrenia and was psychotic at the time of the attacks, Holden said, adding that his condition was persisting. In their report the psychiatrists described many different forms of "bizarre delusions".

"They especially describe what they call Breivik's delusions where he sees himself as chosen to decide who shall live and who shall die, and that he is chosen to save what he calls his people," said Holden.

"Breivik has stated that he committed the murders, or executions as he calls them, because of his love for his people."

In a manifesto posted on the internet shortly before his killing spree, Breivik declared he wanted to protect Norway from what he said was the threat of Muslim immigration.

Breivik could legally be freed if declared healthy. "If he is not psychotic and does not pose a danger to society, then his sentence cannot be upheld," prosecutor Inga Bejer Engh told the news conference.

If the court accepts the psychiatric evaluation, Breivik would still be put on trial but could not be jailed. He could face court hearings every three years to determine if he needs to remain committed to a psychiatric institution, and could be held for life if he remained a threat.

Norway's penal system is based, perhaps more than in other countries, on the principal of rehabilitation rather than punishment. It does not have the death penalty and the maximum criminal sentence is 21 years.

During his 13 conversations with two mental health experts, which lasted about 36 hours, Breivik called himself the "most perfect knight" to live after the second world war.

Breivik also claimed that his organisation, which he calls the Knights Templar after the medieval religious order, will take over power in Europe and put himself forward as the future regent of Norway and the continent. "The experts also describe Breivik's intentions to conduct breeding projects with Norwegians and organise them in reserves," said Holden.

Breivik, who is currently being held in isolation in prison, was not aware of the conclusion of his psychiatric evaluation, prosecutors said.

Already the evaluation is being questioned in some quarters. Quoted on Norwegian state broadcaster NRK, Erling Johannes Husabo, a professor in criminal law, said the evaluation was highly unusual. "Their conclusion that he is insane is commonly reserved for persons with a more disturbed grasp of reality resulting in, for example, hallucinations," he said. "It must be a very peculiar type of psychosis he is suffering from, when he can execute his plans so diligently."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/29/anders-behring-breivik-avoid-jail-insane


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/29/anders-behring-breivik-avoid-jail-insane

Arabs, Jews brawl on train

Dozens of Arab, Jewish girls involved in Jerusalem Light Rail incident; tear gas used


 A huge brawl on Jerusalem's Light Rail Monday prompted the evacuation of passengers after one of the participants used tear gas on the train, Yedioth Ahronoth reported. 

The brawl erupted after dozens of Arab and Jewish girls clashed on one of the train cars. At one point, a Jewish girl at the site pulled out a personal canister of tear gas and sprayed it at the Arab girls. 


The gas spread throughout the train and hurt other passengers uninvolved in the incident. Following the subsequent commotion, the driver was forced to stop the train and let passengers out, as the gas was bothering those onboard. 




CityPass, which operates the Light Rail line in the capital, issued the following response after the incident: "We will not be accepting any act of violence. We call on all residents to show tolerance." 

The latest incident was not the first sign of trouble involving Jerusalem's new city-wide train, which was inaugurated earlier this year. Last month, stones were hurled at a train traveling through the capital's Shufat neighborhood, near the Israel Police National Headquarters. A windowpane was smashed but no injuries were reported in that incident.



http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4154894,00.html

Iceland becomes first Western European country to recognize Palestinian state

Published 21:36 29.11.11 Latest update 21:36 29.11.11

 Icelandic parliament approves measure on United Nations' annual day of solidarity with the Palestinian people; Palestinians reaffirm bid for UN membership.

By Reuters and The Associated Press


Iceland's parliament voted on Tuesday in favor of recognizing the Palestinian Territories as an independent state, the first Western European country to do so according Iceland's foreign minister. The measure passed symbolically on the United Nation's annual day of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

The vote paves the way for formal recognition by the small north Atlantic island, which led the way in recognizing the independence of the three Baltic states after the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991.

Ramallah, rally for palestinian statehood - Daniel Bar-On - September 21 2011

"Iceland is the first Western European country to take this step," Foreign Minister Ossur Skarphedinsson told Icelandic state broadcaster RUV. "I now have the formal authority to declare our recognition of Palestine."

Palestinian UN observer Riyad Mansour read a message from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at UN headquarters on the occasion of the day of solidarity with the Palestinian people. He reaffirmed the Palestinian's bid for UN membership, saying it should complement peace negotiations, provided that Israel is prepared to negotiate on the basis of the 1967 borders.

Abbas said the Palestinians are not seeking "to delegitimize Israel" by applying to join the UN "but to delegitimize its settlement activities and the seizure of our occupied lands." He added that sanctions imposed on them by Israel because the Palestinians won membership in UNESCO are "unjust" and that Israel has no right to withhold their customs and tax revenues.

The Icelandic parliament resolution allowing for the recognition of a Palestinian state within the pre-Six Day War borders of 1967 was decided by 38 votes in the 63-seat.

"At the same time, parliament urges Israelis and Palestinians to seek a peace agreement on the basis of international law and UN resolutions, which include the mutual recognition of the state of Israel and the state of Palestine," said the resolution, proposed by the Icelandic foreign minister.

It also called on all sides to cease any violence and recalled the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes.

Iceland's recognition, however, is expected to amount to a little more than symbolic step as the Palestinian Authority strives to get United Nations recognition. Its quest for a seat at the international body has so far failed.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/iceland-becomes-first-western-european-country-to-recognize-palestinian-state-1.398533

UN urges Israel, Palestinian Authority to agree to two-state solution

  • Published 18:42 29.11.11 Latest update 18:42 29.11.11
 UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon makes appeal at International Day of Solidarity for the Palestinian People at UN headquarters in New York.

By DPA

The United Nations Tuesday urged Israelis and the Palestinians to agree to a two-state solution which would pave the way to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967 and meet legitimate security concerns on both sides.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon made the appeal at the International Day of Solidarity for the Palestinian People at the UN headquarters in New York.

Ban Ki-moon - AP - 20.10.11 United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, center, addressing a meeting at UN headquarters, Oct. 20, 2011.
Photo by: AP


Tuesday also marked the 64th anniversary of a UN resolution in 1948 partitioning the British mandate in Palestine into two states - Israel and Palestine. Israel accepted the UN resolution while Arab states at that time rejected it.

Ban called for Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to show "courage and determination" to agree to the two-state solution, so Israel and Palestine can live in peace side-by-side.

"Jerusalem must emerge from negotiations as the capital of two states, with arrangements of the holy sites acceptable to all," Ban said. "And a just and agreed solution must be found for millions of Palestinian refugee scattered around the region."

The PA applied for UN membership and statehood recognition in September. But the request was not accepted by the UN Security Council.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/un-urges-israel-palestinian-authority-to-agree-to-two-state-solution-1.398521

Israeli Approves Construction In Shilo Settlement

Monday November 28, 2011 10:06author by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The Israeli Housing Ministry and the Ministry of Defence has approved two plans to build 119 units in the illegal settlement of Shilo, north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah.

Israeli Settlement - Image Pal-Info
Israeli Settlement - Image Pal-Info
Israeli Ynet reported that the plans were exposed after the Israeli Peace Now Movement filed an appeal to the Israeli High court, eight months ago, when forty units were built in the settlement.

But the Ministry of Defence claimed that the constructions in Shilo are not part of new plans, and that any new plans will require a separate permit.

Meanwhile, Peace Now stated that the constructions are illegal, and not part of the original plans as approved by the Central Planning Office at the so-called Civil Defence Administration, run by the army in the occupied West Bank.

Following an appeal by Peace Now, the Israeli Authorities stated that they decided to retroactively grant permits to existing permanent constructions, in addition to approving the two recent plans.

Should the construction plans be implemented, the Shilo illegal settlement will witness expansion of over 60%; it currently contains 195 units, and a number of mobile homes.

http://www.imemc.org/article/62571

Israel Declared an Apartheid State in “People’s Court”

Monday November 28, 2011 12:36author by Doris Norrito - IMEMC & Agencies

 ...a panel of eminent jurists serving on the Russell Tribunal on Palestine heard testimony from expert witnesses regarding the apartheid practices of Israel against the Palestinian people.

Jeff Halper and granddaughter
Jeff Halper and granddaughter
Palestinians were frustrated and angry; and in spite of the growing number of non-violent demonstrations, Internet information, and continuous appeals to the United Nations, many in the world, including the U.S., turn a blind eye to the discriminatory practices targeting an entire ethnic group.

For decades Israel has targeted Palestinians and few in the world beyond the tumultuous region have raised an eyebrow. The suffering and discrimination of the Palestinian people continues today under Israel’s brutal occupation. The threat of a United States veto of the Palestinian appeal for recognition is yet another blow.

The day after my arrival in Jerusalem, my friend and I walked in drizzle and rain to meet Jeff Halper at his new ICAHD office in West Jerusalem. Jeff Halper, founder and director of ICAHD (Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions), had taken the apartheid case against Israel to the “people’s court.”

Held in early November 2011 in Cape Town, South Africa, for two days a panel of eminent jurists serving on the Russell Tribunal on Palestine heard testimony from expert witnesses regarding the apartheid practices of Israel against the Palestinian people.

He had just returned from So. Africa, where he had testified as an expert witness at the Tribunal. Over tea at a local restaurant, he said he presented facts about Israel’s policy of house demolitions, walls that separate peoples and laws that discriminate against Palestinians. Jeff is an American-Jew who immigrated to Israel in 1975 filled with hope and dreams. Now he ponders, “Where is Israel going?” and “What does it [Israel’s policy] mean?”

Jeff said he made a case that occupation and separation is apartheid. Phrased in terms of race and ethnicity, he talked about Hafrada, a Hebrew word that means separation; and, ironically, is also the Hebrew name for the wall, which confirms the policy of separation. He said he presented facts to make a case that Israeli policy is apartheid. He said if a real case can be made, then a “Rapporteur” case can be made to formulate action, but first a “complaint” is needed in order to further investigation.

“The UN could invoke sanctions, but the U.S. would likely veto it.” I asked Jeff why the U.S. uses its veto to defend Israel. He gave three reasons: strong Jewish blocks, Christian fundamentalist support, and the arms industry. To me, it remains baffling; and I question how can my country stand for justice for all and yet deny justice to over seven million Palestinians.

There was a ray of hope. The Russell Tribunal on Palestine determined that Israel’s practices against the Palestinian people are in breach of the prohibition of apartheid under international law. Based on testimony and facts presented by expert witnesses, the Tribunal unanimously concluded, “Israel subjects the Palestinian people to an institutionalized regime of domination amounting to apartheid as defined under international law.”

The jury based its conclusion on the legal definition of apartheid as defined and decided that the defining criteria was met. The decision was based on the following facts: (i) that two distinct racial groups can be identified; (ii) that ‘inhuman acts’ are committed against the subordinate group; and (iii) that such acts are committed systematically in the context of an institutionalized regime of domination by one group over the other.”

The judgment was based on the widespread evidence of “ targeted killings,” the “use of lethal force” against peaceful demonstrators, and the torture and ill treatment of Palestinians.

The Tribunal also concluded that apartheid policies toward Palestinians extends beyond colonial military rule within the Occupied Palestinian Territory to Israeli treatment of Palestinian citizens within Israel, and that “Israel’s rule over the Palestinian people, wherever they reside, collectively amounts to a single integrated regime of apartheid.”

Sufficient grounds were also found for the crime of persecution,” Crime Against Humanity,” by “the intentional and severe deprivation of fundamental rights of the members of an identifiable group in the context of a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population.”

The conclusion was based on evidence which included “the siege and blockade of the Gaza Strip as a form of collective punishment of the civilian population; the targeting of civilians during large-scale military operations; the destruction of civilian homes not justified by military necessity; the adverse impact on the civilian population effected by the wall and its associated regime in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem; [and] the concerted campaign of forcible evacuation and demolition of unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev region of southern Israel.”

Although the Tribunal has no legal status, it publicly exposes crimes being committed by Israel. Experienced individuals armed with evidence made facts available to jurors and individuals who may not have been entirely aware of some of the most pertinent issues.

The judgment of the Tribunal serves also to exert pressure on global institutions and decision-makers who have thus far failed to take a strong enough stance in the face of Israel’s crimes against humanity.

The citizen-based Tribunal serves as “a court of the people,” a committee of conscience.” The Tribunal has called upon Israel to “cease its apartheid acts and its policies of persecution and called for Israel to make amends and make compensate Palestinians for the damage it has caused.

They call upon the international community to fulfill its individual and collective duty “to cooperate to bring Israel’s apartheid acts and policies of persecution to an end,” including the ending any aid or assistance in support of Israel.

Tribunal members called for the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to initiate an investigation into the international crimes being committed by Israel, to pursue legal action in the International Criminal Court.

It advised the UN General Assembly to convene a special session “to consider the question of apartheid against the Palestinian people,” that includes the roles of individuals, organizations, corporations and all public and private bodies, which assist Israel in apartheid policies. The Israeli Government was invited to present its case before the Tribunal but chose not to exercise this right. No reason was given.

An in-depth MEMO report on the Tribunal as well as interviews with several key members of the jury will be available on the MEMO website in the coming days.

http://www.imemc.org/article/62575

Europeans hold 60 ‘Boycott Israel’ actions in 10 countries

Sunday November 27, 2011 23:30author by Saed Bannoura & BDS Movement press release - IMEMC News

In a European Day of Action under the banner ‘Take Apartheid off the Menu’, human rights activists in ten countries held actions on Saturday calling on consumers to boycott food products made in Israeli settlements, and urging supermarkets to stop carrying Israeli settlement-made products.

'Take apartheid off the menu' in England - image from bdsmovement.net
'Take apartheid off the menu' in England - image from bdsmovement.net
Organizers of the campaign claim that fruit and vegetable imports from Israeli settlements facilitate violations of Palestinian rights and international law. The campaign is focused on leading Israeli fruit and vegetable exporters Mehadrin and Agrexco, among others.

Demonstrations were held outside the British and French headquarters of leading Israeli fruit and vegetable exporter Mehadrin, which exports produce from illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, and which activists say works with state owned company Mekerot to deprive Palestinian communities of water. Campaigners in Rome organized a Palestine contingent on a national demonstration for affordable access to water.

Jamal Juma’, coordinator with Stop the Wall, the Palestinian anti-apartheid wall campaign that is currently working to support Al Hadidiye, a Bedouin community in occupied Palestinian territory recently served with demolition orders by the Israeli authorities, said, “The residents of Al Hadidye are denied access to water and can only rear livestock as a result. In the nearby illegal settlements of Ro’I and Beqa’ot, agricultural produce is grown with an abundance of stolen water for export to Europe by Mehadrin and other companies, and it is these companies that stand to benefit from the threatened demolitions at Al Hadidye.”

“Companies like Mehadrin profit from and are often directly involved in the ongoing colonisation of Palestinian land and theft of our resources. Trade with such companies constitutes a major form of support for Israel’s apartheid regime over the Palestinian people and must be brought to an end,” Juma’ added.

Campaigners in Belgium, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Norway and Sweden picketed supermarkets, calling on consumers to boycott products from Israeli agricultural export companies and on supermarkets to stop selling them. Many focused on Co-Operative supermarkets, which are traditionally thought to have higher ethical standards than other high street supermarkets.

“Popular BDS campaigns and the public pressure that results from them have already forced supermarkets in a number of European countries to implement policies they claim prevent the sale of produce from Israel’s illegal colonies,” said Hind Awwad, coordinator with the Palestinian BDS National Committee.

“But it’s Israel’s agricultural export companies that bear responsibility for complicity with Israel’s violations of international law, not the individual pieces of produce. These companies have been proven to mislead consumers about the origin of the produce they sell. That’s why campaigners are calling for a complete end to trade with these companies,” she added.

In Belgium, campaigners held lobby actions at the offices of the Ministry of the Economy, to protest the sale in Belgian supermarkets of produce grown in Israel’s illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.

The actions took place as part of the rapidly emerging Palestinian-led movement for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law.

http://www.imemc.org/article/62567

Monday, November 28, 2011

The Story of Palestine

When the United Nations, in 1977, proclaimed 29 November of each year as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, it was a clear admission of guilt towards this people. It was recognition that the Palestinian people deserve international solidarity and support, in the name of justice and rights. This was merely one small event in a long story.

The story of Palestine and its people is one that will go down in history. In fact it has already started to do just that. One might say that the victor is the one that writes history. The victor in this case will inevitably be justice, and justice is at the core of the Palestinian struggle against apartheid, colonialism and oppression. And as in every episode in history, everyone will be mentioned according to their positions, and more importantly their deeds with respect to each story.

In the day of solidarity, let us remember that.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE1A3WrMHdI&feature=player_embedded

Sunday, November 27, 2011

UN official: Israel kidnapped Palestinian engineer from Ukraine

  • Published 19:50 10.03.11
  • Latest update 19:50 10.03.11
 Wife of Dirar Abu Sisi, deputy director of Gaza's power plant, alleges Mossad abducted her husband in the Ukraine in order to sabotage the Strip's electrical grid.

By The Associated Press


Israel security forces may have abducted a Palestinian engineer and suspected Hamas official in the Ukraine, a UN official told the Associated Press on Thursday, adding he suspected Ukrainian security aided the operation.

Dirar Abu Sisi, 42, went missing "under unknown circumstances" in the early hours of Feb. 19 after boarding a train in the eastern city of Kharkiv bound for the capital Kiev, according to Viktoria Kushnir, a spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry. He was in Ukraine applying for citizenship.

Dirar Abu Sisi - AP - 8.3.2011 In this photo taken on Tuesday, March 8, 2011, Palestinian Maria, 3, holds a photo of her father Dirar Abu Sisi at the family house in Beit Lahiya, northern of Gaza Strip
Photo by: AP


Speaking with AP on Thursday, Maksim Butkevych, spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine, said Abu Sisi has been in custody in Israel since shortly after his disappearance.

The UN agency said it believed Abu Sisi was abducted and illegally transported by Israeli security forces, perhaps with the aid of Ukrainian counterparts.

"We don't know details of his trip from Ukraine to Israel — let's put it this way," said Butkevych. "But unfortunately, what happened looks like a violent abduction and not a legal extradition or any other legal action on the part of authorities."

Abu Sisi's Ukrainian wife, Veronika, 32, alleges the Israeli secret service Mossad carried out the abduction in order to sabotage a key electric power plant in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip where he worked as a senior manager.

"I don't suspect it, I am sure of it," Abu Sisi told the AP in a telephone interview. "My husband was the heart of the only electric station in Gaza, or rather its brain. It's a strategic object and they wanted to disable it."

She denied speculation that her husband may be wanted by Israel as a known Hamas sympathizer, saying he had never engaged in politics or any violent groups.

In Gaza, fellow engineers and neighbors described Abu Sisi as a Hamas supporter, pointing to his senior position. He served as the deputy head of the electric power station and posts are traditionally staffed by Hamas loyalists.

Abu Sisi, a Jordan native and father of six, was in Ukraine trying to apply for citizenship after spending 12 years in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli group HaMoked, which defends the rights of Palestinians, says Abu Sisi has been held in an Israeli prison since Feb 19. He is being kept in the Shikma detention center outside the coastal city of Ashkelon, the group said.

Israel's prison service said it had no information on the case. The internal security service, the Shin Bet, declined comment, citing a gag order.

Veronika Abu Sisi said her husband told her over the phone about a week after his alleged kidnapping that he was in Israel. His lawyer later told her that he was in custody in an Israeli prison and that he had been kidnapped from Ukraine. Reached by the Associated Press, the lawyer declined comment, citing the gag order.

Veronika Abu Sisi said the family decided to return to Ukraine after life in the Gaza Strip became unsafe for their three daughters and three sons and her husband flew to Ukraine to apply for citizenship in January.

In mid-February, after submitting all the paperwork, he was told by Ukrainian authorities to report to a government agency in Kharkiv, which was processing his case. After he turned up, government workers briefly seized his passport, then gave it back to him, saying it was a routine check, Abu Sisi said.

Relieved, the engineer on Feb. 18 boarded a 10:55 p.m. overnight train to Kiev to meet his brother who was flying in from Amsterdam, but the reunion never took place.

Veronika Abu Sisi said she was told by Ukrainian police officials that two unknown men boarded her husband's train car near the central Ukrainian city of Poltava several hours after departure and escorted him out.

"I am in shock," said Abu Sisi, a violin teacher, who converted to Islam to marry her husband, who had come to Ukraine to study as part of an exchange program. "I don't know what to tell my kids about where their father is — he wasn't killed by a bomb, he disappeared from a train in a democratic country!"

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/un-official-israel-kidnapped-palestinian-engineer-from-ukraine-1.348413

Israel admits to arrest and detention of Gaza engineer

  • Published 19:21 20.03.11
  • Latest update 19:21 20.03.11
 Dirar Abu Sisi, an engineer at Gaza's power plant went missing from the Ukraine nearly two weeks ago; his wife alleged that he was kidnapped by the Mossad.

By Yossi Melman


Israel admitted that they indeed arrested the Gazan engineer, Dirar Abu Sisi, who was reported to have gone missing from the Ukraine almost two weeks ago, the partial lifting of a gag order revealed.

Dirar Abu Sisi, 42, went missing in the early hours of February 19 after boarding a train in Kharkiv bound for Kiev. His wife alleged that Dirar had been kidnapped by the Mossad.

A gag order on the case was partially lifted on Thursday by Petah Tikva court judge Leah Lev-On and was only allowed to be published on Sunday. Abu Sisi was arrested as part of investigation and is currently being held by Israel, the lifting of the gag order revealed. Much of the rest of the details remain under gag order.

Lev-On wrote that publication of "details of the investigation and the circumstances surrounding the arrest" will remain under a gag order for the next 30 days.

Abu Sisi's wife Veronika hired lawyer Smadar Ben Natan to represent Dirar. Ben Natan told Haaretz that she met with his client in prison and reported that Ben Sisi is doing fine physically although he suffers from previous medical conditions.

Ben Sisi was in the Ukraine applying for citizenship when he went missing. His wife, Veronika, is Ukrainian. Veronika alleged that Israel's Mossad had abducted her husband in order to sabotage a key electric power plant in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip where he worked as a senior manager.

In Gaza, fellow engineers and neighbors described Abu Sisi as a Hamas supporter, pointing to his senior position. He served as the deputy head of the electric power station and posts are traditionally staffed by Hamas loyalists.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov recently visited Israel, where he said about the rumor that Sisi was arrested on Ukrainian soil "I don't want to imagine that such things are carried out on the soil of a friendly state."

Dirar Abu Sisi - AP - 8.3.2011 In this photo taken on Tuesday, March 8, 2011, Palestinian Maria, 3, holds a photo of her father Dirar Abu Sisi at the family house in Beit Lahiya, northern of Gaza Strip
Photo by: AP  

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-admits-to-arrest-and-detention-of-gaza-engineer-1.350631

'Price tag' suspect emailed death threats from house arrest, police says

Published 20:45 27.11.11 Latest update 20:45 27.11.11

 Man indicted for incitement for racism, vandalism wrote to leading Peace Now activists: 'Today you die,' and 'I'll kill you. The end is near.'

By Oz Rosenberg

 A man believe to be linked to a series of "price tag" attacks against Israeli peace activists has been continuously emailing death threats to leading Peace Now activists, just a week after being released to house arrest.

The man, 21, was indicted less than two weeks ago for incitement for racism and vandalism of property, after had admitted to spraying graffiti in several locations in and around Jerusalem, reading "price tag" and "death to the Arabs."

Price tag graffiti outside hagit ofran's home - Tomer Appelbaum The 'price tag' graffiti outside Peace Now official Hagit Ofran’s door reads 'Ofran, Rabin is waiting for you.'
Photo by: Tomer Appelbaum  


"Price Tag," is the name given by extremists to activities against Palestinians, peace activists or security forces in response to what are considered to be actions against the settlements or illegal outposts in the West Bank.

He was subsequently released to house arrest and forced to wear an electronic bracelet.

However, police officials have indicated that the man had continued his "price tag" activities from within his Jerusalem home, sending death threats to Peace Now management, without even bothering to conceal his name.

Peace Now chief Yaniv Oppenheimer said that "at about 3:30 I suddenly received a threatening email." That message, the Peace Now activist said, was "'Today you die.' Then I spoke with the others and found out that I was only the last to receive such an email. Hagit [Ofran] got one and others too."
The suspect sent death threats to all of the Peace Now activists, only differently phrased. To Ofran, the group's head of settlement tracking, he wrote "Hagit Ofran, R.I.P.," while to the head of Jerusalem activities Danielle Blumenstyk he wrote "I'll kill you. The end is near."

The man, the name of whom is still under gag order, is linked to an attack on Ofran's home earlier this month, in which swastikas graffiti slogans were prayed on her Jerusalem home.

The graffiti warned: "Hagit Ogran, Rabin is waiting for you", referring to the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, by a right wing-activist.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/price-tag-suspect-emailed-death-threats-from-house-arrest-police-says-1.398087

Palestina Amore

 Some Italians have made it their mission to mobilise support on behalf of the Palestinian cause.
 
Last Modified: 27 Nov 2011 06:54
 
 On May 31, 2010, an Israeli military raid on an aid flotilla sailing to the blockaded Gaza Strip resulted in the deaths of nine unarmed peace activists, prompting international condemnation over what was perceived as a brutal and unjustified use of force.

Five of those on board of one of the ships were Italian nationals who were part of the humanitarian mission attempting to break the blockade by delivering goods and construction materials to the occupied Palestinian territory. Israeli sanctions on Gaza since 2001 have led to widespread poverty and rampant unemployment there.

But the deadly attack on the flotilla has only served to further motivate Italian supporters of the Palestinian cause. The Palestine Forum, a network of Italian committees and associations, is pushing for greater political support for the Palestinians, while the Rome Palestinian Solidarity Network is continuing to organise a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israeli products.

"If I speak of Zionism as a colonialist ideology supported by imperialist countries, then the struggle against Zionism is not only a Palestinian struggle. It is mine, yours and ours."
Mila Pernice, a journalist and member of the Palestine Forum
Mila Pernice, a journalist and presenter with Citta Apera, a radio channel in Rome, and a member of the Palestine Forum, says the network is gaining public support.

"We offer political support more than just humanitarian or cultural support. In the past few years we've succeeded in getting more people to be part of our activities. The Forum has helped raise awareness and mobilise people," she explains.

"Why do we support the Palestinian cause? Because it's an obvious injustice happening before the entire world. And because we are against imperialists and colonialists. If I speak of Zionism as a colonialist ideology supported by imperialist countries, then the struggle against Zionism is not only a Palestinian struggle. It is mine, yours and ours."

Rossana Platone, a retired teacher, witnessed the events that led to the birth of Israel and, along with her left-leaning family, initially supported the Israeli government. But her stance changed during the 1967 war.

"The occupation of Palestinian land and the successive colonisation of this land were the reasons why I changed my point of view," she explains.

She is now part of a group called Stop Agrexco in Rome which encourages a boycott of Israeli agricultural products, particularly those from the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Agrexco is the company that exports most of Israel's food products to Italy.

She says the pro-Palestinian movement has received a "positive response from many people," but that she is also aware of the limits of their actions: "We don't think we can change the world by distributing leaflets. But small things can make a difference. We are not in the government. We don't have the power to change things. Each helps in their own way. But we are realistic about what we can achieve."

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeraworld/2011/10/2011102014202207205.html

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Israel is becoming a bullying and violent place

Published 02:35 24.11.11 Latest update 02:35 24.11.11

Without universality, rules of the game and understanding of liberal democracy, Israel is becoming a bullying and violent place.

By Ari Shavit
It's depressing. About two years ago MK Marina Solodkin (Kadima ) proposed banning any national newspaper whose owner was not an Israeli citizen. Although there were certain similarities between Solodkin's bill and the one by MK Ofir Akunis (Likud ) on foreign funding for political NGOs, hers was much harsher. If Solodkin's bill had passed, it would have shut down a newspaper with a large circulation (Israel Hayom ), dealt a fatal blow to the freedom of expression and caused the dismissal of dozens of journalists. 

The law would also have left Israel's center-right majority without a strong medium to voice its opinions. Yet, although Solodkin's proposal was clearly antidemocratic, dozens of Knesset members from the center and left supported it. So did many journalists. No protest rallies were held in the Cinemateque. Silencing us is grievous, but silencing them is just fine. Because there is no universality in Israel, no rules of the game and no deep understanding of liberal democracy. 

It's depressing. This week the Knesset passed on first reading a bill sponsored by MKs Yariv Levin (Likud ) and Meir Sheetrit (Kadima ) designed to make it harder for journalists to publish in-depth investigative reports. Although the legislation emasculates the media and prevents the free flow of information, the prime minister and defense minister supported it. They raised their hands to gag mouths, silence the truth and build a criticism-proof government fortress. 

True, Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak are scarred. They have both been victims of media attacks, some of which were tainted with distortions and ulterior motives. But this cannot justify the fact that an MIT graduate and a Stanford graduate lent a hand to an expressly anti-Jeffersonian bill. Both they and their parties proved this week that there is no universality in Israel, no rules of the game and no deep understanding of liberal democracy. 

It's depressing. For many months Jerusalem District Court Judge Noam Sohlberg has been fair game. His opponents claim that anyone who lives over the Green Line cannot be a Supreme Court justice. Thus they are trying to turn a political position (which I share ) into a binding legal practice. After all, more than half a million Israelis live beyond the Green Line. The Knesset, cabinet and Supreme Court have ruled that living beyond the Green Line is legal. So anyone who disqualifies Sohlberg is forcibly excluding more than half a million Israeli citizens. 

We are liberals, obviously. Liberals who will not have a conservative on the Supreme Court; who will not have a skullcap wearer on the Supreme Court. Liberals who will not have a person whose ideology isn't ours on the Supreme Court. Because there is no universality in Israel, no rules of the game and no deep understanding of liberal democracy. 

It's depressing. Right before our eyes they are blocking Justice Miriam Naor's way to the Supreme Court presidency. According to the law and custom, Naor was supposed to replace Beinisch this coming February. But Naor is an enlightened, wise, courageous and hard-working justice. She does not belong to any clique. So because she is worthy, she must be stopped. 

The dark forces that are resolved to undermine the rule of law are determined to replace her. So they are pushing a problematic law aimed at affecting one person with scandalous timing. They are pressing, stirring and twisting; contaminating justice with politics. They are trying to degrade an enlightened court by deposing Justice Naor. Because there is no universality in Israel, no rules of the game and no deep understanding of liberal democracy. 

It's the bacterium of the end that justifies the means; the disease of an agenda that bends the rules. The right gags the left in one way, the left gags the right in another. The right tramples on the minority, the left tramples on the majority. Without universality, rules of the game and understanding of liberal democracy, Israel is becoming a bullying and violent place.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israel-is-becoming-a-bullying-and-violent-place-1.397383

Old Palestinian man in front of his house demolished by Israel today – picture



An old Palestinian man infront of his house demolished by Israely Army today beit Hanina Tahta – Nov 24, 2011
Source.


Watch: Ethnic cleansing in Palestine…



IOF On Thursday Demolished Four Houses For Palestinians Bedouins Lives Between Bir-Nabala And Biet Hanena Al-Tahta Towns near Ramallah in the Occupied West Bank Video By Fadi Arouri

http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/11/24/old-palestinian-man-in-front-of-his-house-demolished-by-israel-today-picture/

Israel 'demolishes wells, structures near Hebron'

Published yesterday (updated) 24/11/2011 18:39
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Israeli forces uproot olive trees near Hebron.
(MaanImages/Mamoun Wazwaz, File)
HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Thursday demolished three wells and part of a home west of Hebron, witnesses said.

Haitham Awwad, a resident of al-Bass near Idhna, told Ma'an that an Israeli force arrived with a bulldozer and demolished a well and three rooms of a home belonging to farmer Abdul Hafith Awwad.

The forces also destroyed two wells belonging to Abdul Rahman Faraj Allah and Ahmad Faraj Allah, he said.

Awwad said the wells were located near Israel's separation wall inside the southern West Bank, in an area with many natural springs. Israel confiscated water from the springs for use by Israeli citizens, he added.

South of Hebron, Israeli authorities on Wednesday ordered the demolition of solar panels and water pipes in a desert area near Hebron, residents said.

Nasr al-Nawaja told Ma'an the projects supplied water and electricity to his village al-Mafqara.

He said five kilometers of water pipes connected to a well provided the only source of water to shepherds and residents. Meanwhile, the solar panels were the sole source of power and provided sufficient electricity for 50 families to use lights and small fridges.

"By canceling the project, the Israeli occupation is confiscating people’s basic human rights," al-Nawaja added.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=439099&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Israel army 'plans demolition of Hebron schools'

Published yesterday (updated) 24/11/2011 17:57
 
 
HEBRON (Ma’an) -- Israeli authorities on Wednesday presented demolition orders for the Khirbet Susa primary school south of Yatta village and threatened to close the Zeif primary school south of Hebron, locals said.

Rateb Jabbour, a popular committee official in Yatta, told Ma’an that soldiers and the army's civil administration entered Susa school and handed the principal a demolition notice.

It includes demolishing the school, an under-construction well, the health unit of the school, and three greenhouses near the structure, Jabbour says.

He added that there are 36 students, seven teachers, and the principal at the school. Israeli forces easily demolished the school last year, as it was only made of tents.

The principal of the Zeif primary school told Ma’an that soldiers warned him they would close the school.

The director of the ministry of education’s office south of Hebron, Fawzi Abu Hleil, considered the demolition warnings to be an arbitrary action that would leave children uneducated.

Abu Hleil said the Susa faculty had managed to encourage people to send their children to school for education, allowing them to remain in the area despite difficult living conditions.
 
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=438986

Israeli Troops Storm al-Nabi Saleh, Arrest Three, Demolish 60-year-old Hebron Wells

24.11.11 - 19:41
PNN

A large number of Israeli forces stormed the central West Bank village of al-Nabi Saleh on Wednesday night and arrested Rami Hussein Tamimi, 33, Oday Abdulhafiz al-Tamimi, 20 and Mo’tasem Khalil al-Tamimi, 16.

Image
An Israeli jeep raids a West Bank village (Lo Yuk Fai, PNN).
Eyewitnesses reported to the Palestinian government news wire Wafa that Israeli soldiers also assaulted women and old men in the village. The operation consisted of more than a hundred soldiers and around ten military vehicles. It began around midnight and ended at 3 a.m.

Israeli soldiers have closed the entrances of the village for the last two days.

A spokesman for the Palestinian Popular Resistance Movement in al-Nabi Saleh village said that the operation was proof that the Israelis were worried about the village’s resistance to colonization and said that similar crackdowns would only make the villagers stronger.

In the South Hebron Hills, Israeli forces demolished several water wells dug more than 60 years ago in the village of Idhna. The wells belonged to villagers Na’em al-Jayawi, Mahmoud al-Jayawi, Mohammed Farajallah, Ahmed Farajallah, Abed Mohammed Farajallah and Haytham Awwad.

Israeli military vehicles also blockaded two homes in western Idhna belonging to freed prisoner Shahadeh al-Jayawi and local citizen Hossam al-Jayawi. Until press time they were still forbidding the inhabitants from leaving.

Claiming the homes were unlicensed, the Israeli government delivered demolishing warnings one year ago. Although the al-Jayawi family said it showed valid property documentation to the Israeli court, its plea was refused.

Two days ago the Hebron-based Land Research Center reported that the Israeli army destroyed a water cistern in the village of Sa’eer, north of Hebron, which was serving five dunums of land and a family of twelve people.

The cistern was the product of a partnership between the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC) and the Government of the Netherlands.

english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10903&Itemid=56

UN committee approves draft resolution on Palestine

 Published Wednesday 23/11/2011 (updated) 23/11/2011 22:34
 
 A girl holds a Palestinian flag as she takes part in a protest against a Jewish
settlement in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem Oct. 28, 2011.
(Reuters/Nir Elia)
 
NEW YORK (Ma’an) -- A United Nations committee on Tuesday approved a draft resolution on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

The draft resolution, presented by Egypt, was approved by 166 states in a vote at the UN General Assembly's Social, Humanitarian Cultural Affairs Committee.

Canada, Israel, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and the United States voted against the resolution.

The resolution states that the Palestinian people have the right to self-determination and the right to an independent state. It urges all states, agencies and organizations to support and assist the Palestinian people to realize that right.

It also stressed the urgent need for the resumption of the peace process to achieve a two-state solution which preserved "the territorial unity, contiguity and integrity of all of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem."

Palestinian representative Nadia Rashid spoke after the vote and thanked member states for their support.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=438818

Israel Seeks to Shutter UNRWA as Agency Opens New Clinics in Gaza

23.11.11 - 22:29
PNN

Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported on Wednesday that Israel was seeking to petition the United Nations to close UNRWA in a bid to end debate over Palestinian refugees. Meanwhile, the agency announced it had opened two new clinics in the Gaza Strip to provide medical care to more than 175,000 people.

Image
UNRWA has registered 4.9 million Palestinian refugees in camps like Aida Camp in Bethlehem (Brendan Work, PNN).
 
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has provided aid, jobs, advocacy and healthcare to the more than 5 million Palestinian refugees worldwide since its establishment in 1949. The initiative to close UNRWA is headed by Israeli Minister of Knesset Einat Wilf, the party currently headed by Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

"This agency is unnecessary," Wilf told Israel Hayom. "Other refugees around the world are not afforded refugee status for generations. I support UN assistance to Palestinians in terms of education and health care, but not through this agency that disrupts the peace process."

The UN rules consider any Palestinian forced from his or her home in 1948 is a refugee, in addition to his or her offspring. Israel is the only nation in the world that disputes the definition, saying there are only 250,000 Palestinian refugees. 

Meanwhile, UNRWA announced on Wednesday that it had opened two new health centers in the Gaza Strip, in the refugee camps of Jabaliya and Nuseirat. According to the UNRWA press release, both centers were funded to the tune of $2 million by the government of Japan, serving over 175,000 people.

UNRWA Health Director Dr. Akihiro Scita said, “I am delighted that amid all the difficulties we are facing in Gaza, UNRWA can announce the opening of these two centers that provided vital services to some of the most disadvantaged people in the Middle East. I give great thank to the people and government of Japan for their generosity.”

Japan is the ninth largest donor to UNRWA, with annual donations of over $20 million. There are about 1.1 million refugees in Gaza's eight camps, or three-quarters of the population.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10900&Itemid=67

Summer Camps? When will the UN bring Human Rights to Palestine?

 June 18, 2011 by occupiedpalestine


” Annual UN-backed Summer Games to give Gaza’s children ‘a chance to be kids’  “

This is the headline of an article posted on the News section of the United Nations on 16 June 2011:  The United Nations-backed Summer Games for children have begun in the Gaza Strip in an annual attempt by its organizers to Give the kids of Gaza a chance to be kids

The Nations have United sunk below any level of humanity and display an utterly magnum opus of ignorance for the real suffering. Creating this anual event while stating children will be “allowed” for a while to be a kid.  That is when they are not kidnapped, arrested or bombed at night.

UN, which was founded to achieve it’s missions to ensure peacekeeping, intermediate in conflicts, achieve human rights and possibilities to effectiate them as well,  fight against drugs, crimes, environmental disasters, hence the list seems to be endless but for whom is interested in the exhausting “efforts” of UN a complete list of missions can be found here.

Let’s see what the UN/UNRWA has done for Palestine and lets begin where it started 63 years ago.


The Nakba



To accomplish the “State of Israel” over 800.000 Palestinians have been exiled during the Nakba after 77  massacres. For those who still think this is about Arab, Muslim or Islam, 100.000 Crhistians who were peacefully co-existing with their Muslim countrymen were also expelled. The crimes of zionism do not know any religion. So better forget it is about a Jewish state for even Jews who do not agree with the concept of Zionism are a target themselves.

But no panic! UNRWA is there to supply the homeless and displaced with tents:


Refugees



After the Palestinians were casted out of their homes and the “State of Israel” ethnically cleansed the villages go here for an Interactive map of Palestine villages destroyed during Nakba   But UN takes care of the homeless.  And they forsee in this need and tents are being supplied. 63 years ago as well as now.

Of course not only tents. People also need food.


The “Feeding”



A soup-line in a Refugee camp, 63 years ago and now. For 800.000 of 1,7 million inhabitants of world’s largest open air prison called Gaza is dependant on relief and food supplied by organisations like UNRWA. For it is almost impossible for Palestinians (as well in Gaza as in West Bank) to do some agriculture themselves, hence, when it is not bulldozered or burned when they do so. Let’s take the shortest turn, forget all details for it is still the same story as 63 years ago and only about Ethnic Cleansing.

This ethnic cleansing forsees not only in massacres, exile, evictions, home demolitions or in immediate targeting of Palestinians  but while the world is wide asleep in ignorance a slow and silent genocide is going on to starve them. Israel does not want you to know this but let’s talk about this “aid” of UN in supplying “basic needs”


The Sacks



For over 63 years now, the “United Nations” support not only the Palestinians with the sacks of food, also the strong Palestinian men keep dragging them to what is left of their homes but mainly, UN forfills the shahawaat (desire) of the “State of Israel” to sustain this situation.

For the status of refugee as well as relief are supposed to be temporary. Not 63 years. In stead of endorsing the law, regulations, higher International Law and Human Rights, they keep avoiding this issue and not bring in the rights and liberties, but more sacks. Nicer sacks. 63 years of sacks.

But don’t let them fool you!  The “State of Israel”  even tried  to file an appeals to Supreme Court to prevent exposure of document containing minimal calorie requirements for residents of the Gaza Strip.  So we can conclude there is no discussion about the fact some sick people even calculate what is necessary to make one succomb of hunger. So let’s get into the sacks:

To take care the Palestinians in Gaza don’t get proteins out of the sea, Israel even violated the Gaza-Jericho Agreement of 1994, the Bertini Agreement of 2002 but solely is responsible for rewriting every law by reducing the whole Maritime Laws about territorial waters into a severe brutal seablockade to a 3 mile zone at Gaza shore.  Don’t start thinking fisherman get their sardine out there for IOA takes care numerous naval vessels are present all the time to shoot, attack, sink fishingboats and abduct the seamen as well.

Agriculture in the Gaza strip is a very dangerous occupation. Many have been shot down by snipers while working on their lands or especially near the no-go zone the lands are bulldozered out of “security reasons”.

In the West Bank, lands are confiscated and even crops, olive trees and exploit these. When not able to exploit then demolishing it, or savage settlers throw their waste water over the lands so it is unable to use or harvest.

Of course the “State of Israel” has more cards in Pandora’s Box, for when they are not able to achieve this goal other zionist tactics are numerous in zion’s tactic-box: Starve Them; then Shoot Them; then Give Them Cancer

Denial of basic needs apparently is not enough.


The Ongoing Massacres, Public,  silenced or ignored by the world



As stated before it is about ethnic cleansing, for the main and real goal of the “State of Israel” is never to achieve peace but to create a “Lebensraum” for Zion: The Greater Israel. Here is a  Map of “Greater Israel” Published by Radical Settler Movement which shows without any mercy what the real plan behind these ongoing atrocities are.

It is not like the Nakba ever ended. It goes on even today. No need to get deeply into this issue for the list of Israeli Massacres on Palestinians is self-explaining.

The remaining Palestinians, which not die of massacres or hunger are exposed to daily humiliation, atrocities, violence and apartheid in a way Zionism exceeds even the limits of horrendous behaviour of Nazis. They became exactly and even worse as those they feared once themselves.

But there are some agreements and when ever the “State of Israel” is obeying one, it will make you believe it is taking care of the Palestinians very well, as stated in the obligations of the Occupier in International Law, the Geneva Convention or in the Hague Regulations for armed conflicts etc etc etc. which state the occupier has to take care of the inhabitants of the occupied territories and this means in every basic need. This is not happening in reality though.

When (!) the border is open or not on Jewish holidays, not when the wind comes from the west or the spoiled kid “Israel” does not get what it wants for it is always the Palestinians who need to suffer. No particular reason needed to deny basic rights or liberties. Not even when Palestinians have done nothing at all, illegal colonists cure their frustration our on Palestine mainly called “Price Tag attacks” or any other method is applied to achieve the higher goal of exhausting, expelling and finally extreminating Palestinians. First from their home, than their lands untill they have only a matrass to carry around…that is if they are lucky that is what is left to them.


The Matrass



For 63 years now, Palestinians are dragging around their belongings like these children on the picture. When their homes do not get bombed , they are demolished or not able to be evicted by illegal verdicts of self proclaimed “State of Israel”‘ s racist laws, some settlers come over and take over houses just like that. To achieve a free home in Palestine, to accomodate an art gallery in an ethnically cleansed East Jerusalem home or just to build and expand illegal settlements.

Settlements are a severe violation of International Law which prohibits the occupier to transfer its own people into occupied territories. But the “State of Israel” does not recognize no laws, only violates them, and has a huge record of UN resolutions against it.

But again the world is in silence. And no United Nations nor UN tax supporting  mankind is troubled about this. They pay tax, remain funding these atrocities as well and in the night they  turn relaxed on their matrass while the Palestinians keep dragging theirs around.


Denial to Human Rights

Medical Treatment

Besides the above, the “State of Israel”  denies Palestinians who endure all of this and get tired, homeless or sick at last, even the most basic Human Right : Medical treatment and the right to intergrity of the body and soul. In a report of B’Tselem, an Israeli Human Rights organisation is describes how many Palestinian deaths have followed after infringement of right to medical treatment  2000 -2011| Btselem

Electricity, gas, all is limited.  Those shortage not only are relevant for turning on a lamp, but also to sustain the treatment of patients who for example are dependant of dialysis, breathing appartuses, incubators for babies and so on. A slow motion genocide which only in Gaza cost over 600 people’s lives in just 5 years since it is under Siege.


Violations, Abuse and Torture

Palestine, one big prison itself  seems not enough for the “State of Israel” violating another law: Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which states that an occupying power must detain residents of occupied territory in prisons inside the territory.

Gaza an open air prison, the whole of  Palestine under occupation and restrictions but even in prison rights are violated :  8500 Palestinian Political Prisoners abused, denied medical care, tortured in Israeli prisons of which almost 300 children.


Besides this the racist permit policies of IOA prohibit often visits to detainees. Most of them by the way administrative detainees which is a violation of law as well. IOA knows many prisons filled with people who’s story are all the same: arbitrary arrests, no accusations, the protection of Political immunity for parliamentarians is a no go area for IOA, hence, it just needs no reason at all top arrest, detain and violate. Beyond every imagination for example the arrest of a Mentally handicapped 4 year old child  by IOF  on Mar 29, 2011

More about the violations towards children of Palestine you can read in the special topic and Action Alert for Children of Palestine.  As well as in the topic for Silwan, which is a “hot spot” for targeting minors.


So Image for a Moment… this is YOUR child:

Watch with your own eyes, of these kinds of “Aid”, “Relief” and “United Efforts” of Nations  supposed to be  human at all. In hope you really have the courage and the humanity to read the photostory untill the end and rethink the “United Efforts” and the sustaining policies of UN over again….


A Story in Pictures about the Children of Palestine


Back to the Summer Camps

Palestine is not waiting for summercamps to give Gaza’s children ‘a chance to be kids’

Palestine is not waiting for sacks of food or so called relief which only is sustaining the occupation.
Palestine is not waiting for comdemnations of zionist behaviour and acts, with only slamming but never acting.

Palestine is waiting for the United Nations and Humanity to bring what is deserves justice, integrity and security and a home which remains a home, for Palestinians and the children….


This is what Palestine is waiting for:

UDHR Art 3: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.”

UDHR Art 5:”No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

UDHR Art 9: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile”

UDHR Art 13:1:”Everyone has the right 2 freedom of movement & residence within the borders of each state”

UDHR Art 13:2: “Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country”

UDHR 15:1: Everyone has the right to a nationality.

UDHR 16(3): “The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.”

UDHR 17:(2): “No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.”

UDHR 20(1): Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association

UDHR 20(2): “No one may be compelled to belong to an association.”


How many more dead corpses of Palestinians does the international community need to see in order to act? How many more cruelties and violations of Human Rights, Regulations and International Law will be needed to intervene so this ongoing warcrime is being stopped once and for all. What do you think after reading this, what is needed, to give the child a chance to be a child. 

I can tell you. It is NOT a summercamp.

Spread the word, for the real sake of the children of Palestine

http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/06/18/summer-camps-when-will-the-un-bring-human-rights-to-palestine/

Universal declaration against besieging nations issued in Gaza

[ 23/11/2011 - 11:31 AM ]


GAZA, (PIC)– A galaxy of lawmakers from Islamic, Arab and European countries issued on Tuesday evening “the universal declaration against besieging nations” during a ceremony held in the Gaza Strip.

A large multinational delegation of lawmakers, political figures and representatives of the Arab uprisings arrived yesterday in Gaza to declare their support for the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid.

The lawmakers emphasized in their declaration their rejection of besieging any nation in general and Israel’s siege on the Gaza Strip in particular, and demanded the world’s governments and human rights organizations to necessarily utilize all peaceful means to force Israel to end its unjust blockade on Gaza.

For his part, first deputy speaker of the Palestinian legislative council Ahmed Bahr stated in the ceremony that the international quartet on the middle east led by the USA imposed an unjust siege on the Palestinian people to punish them for their democratic choices.

Bahr highlighted that the USA still supports the Israeli occupation state’s inhuman and immoral blockade that led to the death of more than 600 patients who either failed to find medicines or were denied travel for medical treatment outside Gaza.

He also appealed to the international community to bring Israel’s war criminals to justice in order to prevent further Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people.

Source and more at the Palestinian Information Center

Haneyya: The Israeli occupation lives in isolation

[ 23/11/2011 - 02:33 PM ] 
 


GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya said that the Israeli occupation started to live in international isolation and the frequent visits made by dignitaries to the besieged Gaza Strip confirmed that.

Haneyya made his remarks on Monday evening during a ceremony held in honor of the visiting international delegation that came to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and issue the universal declaration against besieging nations.

The premier stated that the Palestinian people appreciate such visits that have political meanings.

"We do not have to explain the Palestinian cause and the dimensions of the Zionist siege because what these supporters have done reflected their deep awareness of the Palestinian reality," the premier said.
He highlighted that the Israeli occupation of Palestine is the root of the problem and that the Palestinian cause is a political issue par excellence and not humanitarian, despite the importance of the humanitarian aspect in the internal Palestinian situation.

He called for reactivating Goldstone report in international conferences and meetings and bringing Israel's war criminals to international justice.

The premier also urged the representatives of the Arab uprisings who came along with the international delegation to help the Palestinian people liberate their land from the occupation.

  Source and more at the Palestinian Information Center

Bank Signs Deals to Improve Gaza Health and Economic Conditions

24.11.11 - 06:03
PNN
 
On Wednesday, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) signed eight agreements worth a sum of US $20 million to improve health, water and agricultural projects in the Gaza Strip. The bank was founded in 1975 by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to promote development in member countries. Palestine is one of its registered members.

Image
A $1 million donation from the al-Rahma Society for Development went to the improvement of olive groves and other Gazan agriculture (Lo Yuk Fai, PNN).
 
 
The IDB’s efforts can go a long way in Gaza, which suffers from dismal health and economic conditions worsened by the Israeli blockade. According to Amnesty International, 95 percent of Gaza water is polluted and unfit for human consumption.
 
The bank’s biggest agreement was signed with the Charity Committee, amounting to US $5.5 million. The deal aims at rebuilding damaged hospital infrastructure and adding new structures, such as a roof to the al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical complex.
 
IDB also signed two deals with Islamic Relief. The first amounts to US $4.2 million and includes the construction of two roofs and an electricity line for the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. The hospital will also be given a host of medical supplies.
 
The second deal, worth US $1 million, focuses on agriculture. Its goal is to improve farming conditions and help farmers acquire necessary resources such as seeds and water systems.
 
Qatar’s Red Crescent was the third organization to sign an agreement with the bank. The US $1.6 million deal also focuses on hospital conditions. The Red Crescent will supply the European Gaza Hospital with neurosurgery devices and equipment for the hospital’s primary care centers. The resources were chosen based on a list of needs compiled by Gaza’s health ministry.
 
The non-governmental Qatar Charity Society sealed a fifth deal with IDB, worth $1 million. Its project will develop sea fishing on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast through the improvement of basic facilities, building of 24 rooms in the Khan Younis port, and providing around 20 fishermen with motors for their boats.
 
The fifth agreement was signed with the al-Rahma Society for Development for the amount of $1.04 million, designated for the improvement of 1,800 dunums of land cultivated with vegetables, 250 dunums cultivated with grapes, 1,400 dunums of fruit and olive trees, and 500 dunums growing onions. 
 
The bank signed two final deals with the Turkish Red Crescent and the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) for $2.1million each. The Turkish Red Crescent will target agricultural development and the CMWU the sterilization of water systems.

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10902&Itemid=72

Israeli Air Force Bombards Southern Gaza

Wednesday November 23, 2011 06:47author by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies Report post

Palestinian sources reported on Tuesday night that Israeli war-jets carried out a number of air-strikes in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. They also opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats in Rafah and Khan Younis.

Bombarding Gaza - File Palestine-Info
Bombarding Gaza - File Palestine-Info

The sources added that the army fired at least one missile at a former settlement, while Israeli Navy vessels opened up automatic fire at fishing boats in Palestinian territorial waters, also in Khan Younis and Rafah.

No physical injuries were reported; yet some fishermen suffered anxiety attacks while trying to rush back to the shore.

Israeli troops also invaded An-Nahda neighbourhood, east of Rafah, with numerous shots being reported; army choppers also fired flares and no injuries were sustained.

The invasion was carried out by three Israeli tanks and two military bulldozers; the soldiers then bulldozed some lands in the area, and withdrew later on.

Earlier on Tuesday evening, Israeli war-jets bombarded a training centre that belongs to the Salah Ed-Deen Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees in Rafah; damage was reported, no injuries.

http://www.imemc.org/article/62545

France Denounces Israeli Freeze Of Palestinian Tax Money

Thursday November 24, 2011 22:11author by Saed Bannoura

The French government slammed Israel for withholding Palestinian tax and customs money it collects on border terminals on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (P.A.), and stated that, by law, the money must be transferred regularly to the P.A.
Flag Of France
Flag Of France
The official Palestine News and Info Agency, WAFA, reported that French Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Bernard Valero, stated that his government condemns the continued withholding of Palestinian tax revenue, adding that this money is rightfully for the Palestinians, and by withholding them, Israel is violating its own obligations under the 1994 Paris protocol.

Valero said that the Israeli violation is suffocating the Palestinian Authority and making it unable to perform its duties, adding that the Palestinian tax revenue is around $100 Million a month.

The French official further stated that several countries, and United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, are calling on Israel to void its decision as it is considered a punishment to the Palestinians for legal initiatives seeking recognition at the United Nations.

Valero also stated that withholding the money is jeopardizing all achievements and efforts made in the last few years to build strong Palestinian institutions and infrastructure, in addition to security, in preparation for the future Palestinian state.

“We are asking Israel to respect its commitments, France is urging Israel to transfer the funds to the P.A. as soon as possible”, the French spokesperson said, “France wants to ensure that these payments are made regularly”.

Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that Palestinian Prime Minister, Dr. Salaam Fayyad, stated Thursday that the P.A will very soon be completely incapacitated due to Israel refusal to transfer Palestinian tax revenue.

Fayyad said that the Israeli violations are causing hardships to the P.A in paying salaries and pensions, and in maintaining the infrastructure in the Palestinian territories.

“The money we are referring to is ours, our right”, The Prime Minister said, “This has nothing to do with the transfer of money from donor countries and international support to the P.A”.

Fayyad made his statements during a conference with Norwegian Foreign Minister, Jonas Gahr Stoere, who also stated that Israel must freeze the Palestinian tax revenue.

Norway is the current head of a committee of donors to the Palestinian Authority. The committee includes The European Union, the United States and Israel.

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, stated that Israel will not transfer any Palestinian tax revenue to a Fateh-Hamas Unity Government, Haaretz reported.

His statements came during a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Montenegro; Lieberman stated that "Israel will not recognize the unity government (that has not been formed yet), will not negotiate with it, and will not transfer it even one dime" if this government doesn't accept the principles outlined by the Quartet Committee.

http://www.imemc.org/article/62558

MK Aharonovitch Warns Of New Political Assassination In Israel

Thursday November 24, 2011 12:31author by Saed Bannoura

Israeli Internal Security Minister, Yitzhak Aharonovitch of Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is Our Home), warned of the possibility of a political assassination in Israel, and stated that the Police and the Security Services must seriously deal with all information on such threats.


Peace Protest By Peace Now Movement Israel
Peace Protest By Peace Now Movement Israel
The official Israeli TV and Radio Agency – Arabic version, reported on its website "Arabil" that Aharonovitch stated that the Police and the Security Services in Israel must remain alert and examine all related information.

He claimed that intelligence information “obtained from the left and the right wings" in Israel must be taken seriously.

His statements came during a Knesset hearing session called for by Labor Member of Knesset, Yitzhak Herzog, following Israeli settler attacks known as “Price Tag”, targeting not only Palestinians, including Muslim graves in Jerusalem, but also target Israeli peace groups and leftist groups, such as Peace Now.

A few days ago, an Israeli man whose father is a senior officer in the Shin Bet (secret service) was charged with issuing a death threat against members of Peace Now in Israel.

When the accused was brought before a judge, he requested a ‘gag order’ be issued in the case, preventing the peace group from engaging in further contact with the media about the incident.

Earlier this month, the Peace Now movement reported that the home of the director of the movement’s Settlement Watch Project, Hagit Ofran, was targeted for the second time in recent months.

The act was perpetuated by extremist right-wing settlers who blame the group for Israel’s dismantlement of several illegal settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank.

Following the attack, Peace Now issued a statement blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition partners for the escalating Price Tag attacks, and stated that “incitement and the harsh words of the coalition members in favor of illegal outposts and against the justice system and left-wing organizations, are seeping into the ground, and giving support to the price tag vandals.”

Peace Now stated that the Israeli Police have not even made one arrest, adding that the authorities in Israel are “indifferent about these threats.”

On November 4, 1995, former Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, was assassinated by an extremist Israeli right-winger, identified as Yigal Amir, who shot him dead at the end of rally in Tel Aviv in support of the Oslo peace agreement with the Palestinians.

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Related Link On Americans for Peace Now; “Peace Now responds to attacks”

http://www.imemc.org/article/62554