ISM » Reaction in Gaza as the boats stolen by the Israeli navy are returned damaged

International Solidarity Movement » Reaction in Gaza as the boats stolen by the Israeli navy are returned damaged:
Source: ISM
November 30th, 2008

"ISM Gaza Strip made this video as the boats were finally returned.

Almost immediately following the announcement that three Human Rights Groups had filed an appeal against Ehud Barak and the commander of the Israeli navy the boats were returned to Palestinian waters. The vessels were stolen from Gazan waters on 18th November while fishing in Palestinian territorial water.

Filed by Al-Mazan, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), the appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court was on behalf of the vessels’ owners. The appeal, sent to the Israeli Supreme Court, asked why the boats have not been released and why the fishermen have not been compensated for their loss of income and their loss of use of the boats for the past week.

Rather than answer these questions in court, raising serious contradictions to the Israeli claim that Gaza is no longer occupied, Israel’s navy informed the lawyers that the boats would probably be returned immediately. Less than 24 hours later the boats were returned, though initial reports suggest that they had sustained serious damage and that expensive equipment has been stolen.

Video by ISM Gaza Strip"

Earlier Related News:
Human rights groups file appeal against Ehud Barak over the confiscation of Palestinian fishing boats
Source: ISM
November 27th, 2008

"Ramallah, Occupied West Bank: On November 25, 2008, Al-Mazan, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) have filed a legal appeal against Ehud Barak and the commander of the Israeli Navy. The appeal was launched over Israel’s illegal confiscation of three large fishing boats from Palestinian territorial waters on the 18th November.

This appeal has been sent to the supreme court asking why the boats have not been released and why the fishermen have not been compensated for their loss of income and their loss of use of the boats for the past week.

The boats were abducted 7 1/2 miles from the port of Deir al-Balah, so they were well within Zone L, which, under the Oslo agreement, gives them the right to be fishing within their own 20 nautical mile limit. Israel’s actions raises serious doubts about their claim that Gaza is no longer occupied.

The action against Barak and the Israeli Navy is based, in part, on the The Hague convention, “Family honor and rights, the lives of persons, and private property, as well as religious convictions and practice, must be respected. Private property can not be confiscated."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

ISM Gaza Strip: IOF bulldozers and tank on Gazan land east of Khan Younis

International Solidarity Movement » ISM Gaza Strip: IOF bulldozers and tank on Gazan land east of Khan Younis:

"On Thursday the 27th of November a group of ISM volunteers who were accompanying farmers and monitoring the situation in Khouza’a east of Khan Younis, observed a concentration of IOF (Israeli Occupation Forces) behind the Green Line. At about 10.15 a.m. two D-9 armoured bulldozers and a tank crossed the fence and entered the Gaza Strip. Farmers in Khouza’a stopped working in their fields and started to return home. ISM volunteers accompanied them and in the same time were taking footage proving the incident.

The IOF forces entered for about 100 to 150 metres and started to move northbound along the Green Line towards Al Faraheen, whilst approaching Palestinian houses and the school in Khouza’a. The Israeli bulldozers were destroying whatever lay in their path along this stretch of Palestinian land, although most of it is not worked by Palestinian farmers as they are prevented from reaching it by IOF shooting.

By the time the two bulldozers and the tank reached Al Faraheen, they were supported by at least two more tanks behind the fence. Together they continued their operation towards Al Qerrara. According to Palestinian residents, this type of military activity inside the Gaza Strip is not unusual, even in the time of ceasefire; however this was the third consecutive day that it was repeated in the area east of Khan Younis."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Bil'in 28.11.2008

Bil;in 28.11.2008:

Demonstration against the Apartheid wall in the village of Bil'in, November 28 2008



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Ni'lin Friday 28-11-08

Ni'lin Friday 28-11-08:

"The villagers of Ni'lin struggle against the wall continue"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Gaza: Beyond the blockade

Gaza: Beyond the blockade:

"Sameh Habeeb reports on the humanitarian crisis taking place inside Gaza's sealed borders"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

The Listening Post - Gaza media blackout - 28 Nov 08

The Listening Post - Gaza media blackout - 28 Nov 08:

"The Israeli blockade on Gaza has now been extended to the media, creating a news blackout that has severely restricted the reporting of the suffering in Gaza to the outside world."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Zionist settlers refuse to evacuate Palestinian Home

ZIONISTS TAKE PALESTINIAN HOME WITHOUT RIGHT!!!:


Related News Item:
The Situation in Hebron Following the Evacuation Order from the Israeli High Court
Source: The Alternative Information Center (AIC)
Thursday, 27 November 2008

Tensions in Hebron have grown significantly since elapse of the 16 November Israeli High Court deadline for evacuation of Jewish settlers from the al-Rajabi family home in the city.

Last week, clashes between settlers and Israeli police and soldiers occurred after the date for the evacuation expired. According to Israeli military, however, a decision was made to delay the evacuation due to fear of an increase in violent clashes with the settlers.

On 18 November, the day following the clashes, Defense Minister Ehud Barak instructed the Israeli police and military to submit a plan for evacuation in the coming days. Earlier Barak stress, that if the settlers would not vacate voluntary, then the state would have to use force.

In response to this, over this weekend, more than a thousand Jews arrived to Hebron to celebrate a Jewish festival commemorating the death of the biblical matriarch, Sarah. After this celebration, a few hundred right-wing extremists remained in Hebron to prepare for what they foresee as a coming “nasty struggle with Israeli security forces.” Their purpose is to prevent the Israeli military from evacuating the families now living illegally in the al-Rajabi family house.

In solidarity with the Hebron settlers, forty-nine Israeli parliamentarians demanded on Monday, 24 November, that the Israeli military refrain from evacuation, until after the upcoming national elections in Israel, scheduled for February of next year.

On Tuesday, 25 November, right-wing activists planned a march from Jerusalem to Hebron in order to demonstrate solidarity and help those fighting the evacuation. The plan was to arrive in Hebron Wednesday and on the way to attract more supports to join the march. In Hebron they will remain until the security forces arrive to evacuate them.

On the evening of 25 November, approximately forty teenage settlers rampaged through Palestinian neighborhoods of Hebron, slashing car tires, smashing windows and painting the star of David on walls. None of the settlers were arrested.

Moreover, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced on 25 November that his government will not evacuate the settlers with force. Instead they will try to prevent that the settlers from attacking their Palestinian neighbors.

While Israeli politicians are trying to find a solution for this situation and the Israeli police and military are attempting to avoid violent clashes with extremist settlers, the situation in Hebron is getting increasingly out of control. The price of Palestinians property being damaged and vandalized is ever increasing, and the settlers’ presence in the house is becoming larger and stronger. And all the while, the Israeli High Court’s decision to evacuate the Israeli settlers from the al-Rajabi family home is becoming more and more irrelvant.




Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Gaza patients march to protest Israeli siege

Gaza patients march to protest Israeli siege:

"PressTv Report"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Gazans hold photo exhibit to illustrate sufferings

Gazans hold photo exhibit to illustrate sufferings:

"PressTv Report"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

PAUL LARUDEE - THE FREE GAZA EXPERIENCE

BREAKING THE BLOCKADE: AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE FREE GAZA EXPERIENCE:

Meet one of the human rights workers who broke the blockade of the Gaza Strip on August 23, 2008. Paul Larudee, is a piano tuner from El Cerrito. He says what he saw from his trip is something he'll never forget.



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

UK humanitarian worker deported from Gaza by Israel

UK humanitarian worker deported from Gaza by Israel
Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:48:21
Roshan Muhammed Salih, Press TV, London

(Windows Media or Real Player)

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Mosaic News - Gazans Turn to Wood Fire, Settlers Attack Mosques in Hebron - 11/26/08

Mosaic News - 11/26/08: World News from the Middle East:

"Headlines:
-Night of Horror in Mumbai, India 0:00
-Kuwait Ruler Wants MPs, Cabinet to Resolve Crisis 8:10
-Iraq Struggles to Cope With Landmine Victims 10:35
-Gazans Turn to Wood Fire 13:45
-Settlers Attack Mosques in Hebron 17:10
-Jordanian Families Visit Loved Ones in Israeli Jails 20:50
-Bush Talking Turkey Again 24:35
Produced for Link TV by Jamal Dajani."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Jerusalem municipality demolishes houses

Jerusalem municipality demolishes houses:

"http://www.btselem.org/english/Video/

Israel's discriminatory policy in East Jerusalem extends to many aspects of life, including planning and building. On 28 July '08, the municipality demolished a residential building in the Beit-Hanina neighborhood, claiming part of it was built without a permit."

Policy of discrimination in planning, building and land expropriation
Source: B'Tselem

The planning policy in East Jerusalem since its annexation in 1967 is affected by political considerations and infected by systematic discrimination against the Palestinians living there. While extensive building and enormous budget allocations have been the rule in Jewish neighborhoods, the Israeli government has choked development and building for the Palestinian population.

In June 1967, Israel annexed 70,500 dunams [4 dunams = 1 acre] of East Jerusalem and the West Bank and incorporated them within Jerusalem’s borders. From this annexed territory, Israel has expropriated about one-third of the annexed territory – 24,000 dunams – most of it privately-owned Arab property. Israel used this expropriated land for residential construction. By the end of 2001, 46,978 housing units had been built for Jews on this land, but not one unit for Palestinians who constitute one-third of the city’s population.

At the same time, Israel choked construction in Palestinian neighborhoods and restricted new construction. Immediately upon annexation of East Jerusalem, and contrary to its actions in the rest of the West Bank, the Jordanian outline plans were nullified, thus creating a planning void that took a long time to fill. In the first decade following annexation, construction was only allowed ad hoc in a few areas in East Jerusalem.
Much land surrounding Palestinian villages and neighborhoods was expropriated to build Jewish neighborhoods, leaving no room for Palestinian construction. The Jerusalem Municipality did not establish outline plans for the Palestinian areas. The few plans that were approved were primarily intended to prevent new construction by declaring broad expanses of land as “green areas,” restricting the building percentages on the lots, and setting narrow borders.

In the early 1980s, the Jerusalem Municipality began to prepare outline plans for all the Palestinian neighborhoods. Most of the plans are complete, and others are in the process of planning and approval. The most conspicuous feature of these outline plans is the vast amount (some 40 percent) of area that is designated as “open landscape areas,” on which building is forbidden. In the plans that were approved prior to the end of 1999, only some 5,100 dunams (constituting 11 percent of the land in East Jerusalem, after the expropriation of 24,000 dunams mentioned above) were available for construction for the Palestinian population. As is the case with the demarcation plans existing in the West Bank, construction is allowed primarily in built-up areas.

The consequences of this policy are evident in Palestinian neighborhoods. For example, at the end of 2002, housing density in Arab neighborhoods was almost twice that of Jewish neighborhoods, 11.9 square meters per person compared to 23.8 square meters per person. The existing situation has forced many Palestinians to build homes without first obtaining a building permit. The Jerusalem Municipality enforces the building laws on Palestinians much more stringently than on the Jewish population, even though the number of violations is much higher in the Jewish neighborhoods.

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Protesters demand end to Gaza siege as Bush pardons Turkey

Protesters demand end to Gaza siege as Bush pardons Turkey
Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:51:34
Jihan Hafiz, Press TV, Washington

(Windows Media or Real Player)

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Gaza bakers demand full re-opening of crossings

Gaza bakers demand full re-opening of crossings
Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:59:03
Yousef Al-Helou, Press TV, Gaza

(Windows Media or Real Player)

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Israelis kill Palestinian woman as they stormed her home

Israelis kill Palestinian woman on Annapolis anniversary - English:

"PressTv Report"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Qalandia Checkpoint, last Friday of Ramadan, (2 parts)

Qalandia Checkpoint, last Friday of the Ramadan, part 1:

"Palestinians from the West Bank wishing to get to El Aksa to pray need to go through the Qalandia Checkpoint. Before being checked at the checkpoint itself, they had to go though several other checking procedures. This was filmed on the last Friday of Ramadan."

Part 1


Part 2


Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Israeli Police Officer Headbutting Palestinian Woman.

Policeman Head-butts Palestinians in Jerusalem:

http://www.btselem.org/English/Video/...


On Wednesday, 5 November 2008, in the Bustan section of the Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Municipality demolished one house and an addition that had been built onto another house. In the course of removing the occupants of the structures, a helmeted policeman head-butted two Palestinians, a man and a woman. A researcher from B'Tselem filmed the incident on video, and the organization handed over the ta[e to the Department for the Investigation of Police in the Ministry of Justice, which opened an investigation. The Bustan section contains some 90 houses, which are home to about 1,000 persons. In recent years, the Municipality has issued demolition orders for most of these houses.

More on the Topic:

12 Nov. '08: House demolitions in Silwan, East Jerusalem
Source: B'Tselem

Last Wednesday [5 November], the Jerusalem Municipality demolished one house and an addition to another house, both in the Bustan section in the center of Silwan, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Dozens of local residents protested the action, some of them throwing stones at police and Border Police forces, who responded by firing tear gas and in one case, fired a shot of live ammunition at a balcony on which stone-throwers were standing. During the course of removing the occupants of the houses intended for destruction, one policeman assaulted two residents of the neighborhood. That same day, the Municipality demolished an events hall in Beit Hanina and a residential dwelling Shua’fat.

The Bustan section of Silwan contains some ninety houses, which are home to about one thousand persons. Most of the houses were built in the 1980s and 1990s. A few were built prior to Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, in 1967. In the 1990s, the Municipality demolished four homes in the neighborhood. In November 2004, the city engineer at the time, Uri Shitreet, directed the head of the Municipality’s building supervision department to demolish all houses in the neighborhood to enable expansion of the King’s Valley archeological park, which surrounds the Old City. In early 2005, the Municipality began to carry out the directive, and residents of the neighborhood began to receive demolition orders and charges were filed against them for building without a permit. At the time, the Municipality demolished two houses in al-Bustan.

Local residents requested the attorney general to prevent the destruction of the neighborhood. Also, international pressure was brought to cancel the plan. Subsequently, Mayor Uri Lupoliansky stated, in 2005, that he retracted the plan and that the residents would be allowed to propose a plan that meets their development needs. In August 2008, the residents presented their plan. The city engineer, Shlomo Eshkol, informed them that the plan would not be considered in the immediate future, and that the Municipality was proceeding with the plan to build a national park on the site.

If the Municipality carries out its plan to demolish the houses in al-Bustan, it would be the most massive demolition action carried out by the Municipality since the demolition of the Mugrabi section of the Old City, in 1967, to build the expanse in front of the Western Wall.
The Municipality’s outline plan for the Old City, drafted in 1977, marked the existing structures in al-Bustan, while classifying the neighborhood open, public space. Although more than thirty years have passed since then, the Municipality has refused to issue building permits or approve existing construction, except in isolated cases. Indeed, choking development of the neighborhood is characteristic of the Municipality’s planning and building policy in East Jerusalem since 1967.

This policy is especially problematic in that, in Silwan, plans are being advanced to develop the compound run by the settler non-profit societies Elad and Ateret Cohanim, and build the City of David National Park, operated by Elad, which is being constructed between Palestinian houses surrounding al-Bustan. In addition, these societies are building institutions and parking lots, and archeological excavations are being conducted, close to Palestinian houses in Silwan. The Municipality also refrains from demolishing a large structure that Ateret Cohanim built without a permit in Silwan.

Destruction of the neighborhood denies its residents the right to housing, which is derived from the right to an adequate standard of living as it is defined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. In addition, the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the occupying state to destroy the property of residents of occupied territory, who benefit from the status of protected persons, “except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military actions.” The Convention further states that “extensive destruction . . . of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly” constitutes a grave breach of the Convention.

B'Tselem calls on the Jerusalem Municipality to cancel its plan to demolish houses in al-Bustan, to change its discriminatory and illegal policy, and to cooperate with residents of the neighborhood to develop an outline plan that will meet their needs.



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

From Gaza: John Ging, UN Relief & Works Agency

Interview with John Ging, UN Relief & Works Agency:

"Optimism over ten trucks as the Israelis continue their collective punishment of Gaza"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

President of UN GA: "what is being done against the Palestinian people seems to me like a version of the hideous policy of Apartheid"

UNiFEED Story: GA / PALESTINIAN SOLIDARITY



The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People held a special meeting today to observe the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which takes place on 29 November.

The President of the General Assembly, Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, said that 61 years ago, the Assembly had adopted resolution 181, which called for the creation of a Jewish State and an Arab State. He noted that while the State of Israel, founded a year later, now celebrated 60 years of its existence, "shamefully, there is still no Palestinian State to celebrate."

D'Escoto Brockmann compared the situations in Gaza and the West Bank with "the hideous policy of Apartheid" and said that it "can not, should not, be allowed to continue."

He urged the international community to raise its voice against collective punishment and he called on Israel to allow humanitarian and other supplies to enter the Gaza Strip.

Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon called strongly on Israel to adhere to its commitments under the Road Map peace structure, to cease settlement activity, remove outposts and open Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem. He also called for immediate measures to ease the "near-blanket closure of Gaza which leads to worrying deprivations of basic supplies and human dignity", while unreservedly condemning rocket fire by Palestinians.

He said that "the way forward is for all the parties to respect the calm brokered by Egypt and to reach out to the civilian population of the Gaza Strip instead of only punishing them."

Speaking on behalf of the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki expressed his appreciation to all attendees of the observation, saying that their support strengthened his deep conviction of the justness of the Palestinian cause.

He said that Israel "continues with its expansionist policies", continuing construction of the West Bank barrier "which separates brother from brother, father from son, patient from doctor, student from teacher and farmer form land."

The General Assembly, in its afternoon session, held a plenary meeting on the question of Palestine, including consideration of report of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, report of the Secretary-General and four draft resolutions.

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior UN building

24 NOVEMBER 2008, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, dais
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, President of the General Assembly:
"61 years ago this month, the General Assembly adopted the historic resolution 181, calling for the creation of a Jewish State and an Arab State. The State of Israel, founded a year later in 1948, now celebrates 60 years of its existence. Shamefully, there is still no Palestinian State to celebrate."
4. Med shot, delegates
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, President of the General Assembly:
"Although different, what is being done against the Palestinian people seems to me like a version of the hideous policy of Apartheid. That can not, should not, be allowed to continue."
6. Wide shot, conference room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon Secretary-General of the United Nations:
"I call for immediate measures to ease the near-blanket closure of Gaza which leads to worrying deprivations of basic supplies and human dignity, and I unreservedly condemn the rocket fire. The way forward is for all the parties to respect the calm brokered by Egypt and to reach out to the civilian population of the Gaza Strip instead of only punishing them."
8. Med shot, delegates
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Riyad Malki, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Palestinian Authority:
"The occupying power, that is Israel, continues with its expansionist policies and persists on the settlement and colonization of our land at an accelerated pace. In addition to its continuing construction of the annexation and expansion wall which separates brother from brother, father from son, patient from doctor, student from teacher and farmer form land."

ARCHIVE - UNRWA - 1950, PALESTINE REFUGEE CAMP, GAZA

9. Wide shot, tents at Palestine refugee camp in Gaza
10. Med shot, refugees
11. Med shot, Egyptian Army trucks arriving with supplies
12. Various shots, distribution of supplies
13. Various shots, Palestine refugees by cooking fire in camp in Gaza
14. Wide shot, refugee family



ALSO SEE:



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US Muslim charity guilty of supporting Palestinian charities - 25 Nov 2008:

US Muslim charity guilty of supporting Hamas 25 Nov 2008:

"Five officials of the now defunct Holy Land Foundation, once the biggest Muslim charity in the US, have been convicted of sending financial aid to Palestinian charities allegedly controlled by Hamas, listed by the US government as a terror group.

Al Jazeera's Tom Ackerman reports from Dallas, Texas, where the trial featured secret Israeli witnesses and drew accusations from the foundation's defenders that the government selectively prosecuted the charity."



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Blockade plunges Gaza into darkness 24 Nov 2008

Blockade plunges Gaza into darkness 24 Nov 2008:

"Palestinians living in Gaza have been feeling the pinch of the Israeli blockade as Israel's defence minister said the border crossing will stay closed.

Al Jazeeras Sherine Tadros reports from the impoverished strip where shortages are threatening those who are already most vulnerable."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Mosaic News - 11/21/08: World News from the Middle East

Mosaic News - 11/21/08: World News from the Middle East:

"'Saudi Arabia Won't Pay Ransom to Pirates,' Al Arabiya TV, UAE
'Struggle for Oil Rich Kirkuk,' Abu Dhabi TV, UAE
'British Expo Examines US Military Damage to Babylon,' Baghdad TV, Iraq
'Tent of expelled Jerusalem Palestinian family [Al-Kurd family] torn down,' Al Jazeera English, Qatar
'Oxford University Students Call Peres War Criminal,' New TV, Lebanon
'Dubai Defies Slump With a $20 Million Party,' Dubai TV, UAE
'The Ramallah Banana Republic,' Link TV, USA

Produced for Link TV by Jamal Dajani."



Abu Kamel of the al-Kurd family has died two weeks after Israel forcibly evicted him from his home of 52 years

Source: ISM
November 23rd, 2008

Abu Kamel of the Al-Kurd family, evicted by Israel from their home in Occupied East Jerusalem on the 9th November, has died after suffering from a severe heart-attack.

This comes two weeks after he was taken immediately to hospital following the night-time invasion and forcible eviction from his home of 52 years by Israeli forces.

The funeral will be held at 11am, 23rd November in Sheikh Jarrah, Occupied East Jerusalem.

Suffering from dangerously high blood pressure, in the aftermath of his family’s eviction from the emblematic house in Sheikh Jarrah and consequently being left homeless, 61 year-old Abu Kamel suffered from a deterioration with his long-term health problems and was re-admitted to hospital at around 10pm, Saturday 22nd November. It was soon announced that he had suffered from a heart-attack and died.

Fawzia al-Kurd has now lost her husband and her family home within two weeks due to the Israeli state’s campaign expand Jewish settlements in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood. Despite high-profile formal complaints from the US State department, numerous foreign consulates, and European politicians, who openly questioned the legality of the settlers claims, Israel violently pursued its plans to evict the refugees from 1948.

The price of Israel’s political campaign against the refugees now includes the life of a 61 year-old man. As aide to Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, Haten Abdelkader stated on the 9th November, ” They want to expel Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah. It is an escalation before the municipal elections,”. He also noted that as the expulsion went ahead even though the decision is being appealed that this “demonstrates the problem is no longer legal, but political.” (AFP)

It should also be noted that after having been made refugees from West Jerusalem in 1948, the al-Kurd family were subsequently made refugees a second and third time as Israel evicted them from their home on the 9th November before proceeding to destroy the tent that was established on the 19th November.

The health of Abu Kamel was central to the Israeli campaign to occupy the al-Kurd house. In 2001, as the family was abroad in Jordan visiting Abu Kamel while he was receiving treatment, settlers broke into part of the family home that they have continued to occupy ever since.

The Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem was built by the UN and Jordanian government in 1956 to house Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war. The al-Kurd family began living in the neighbourhood after having been made refugees from Jaffa and West Jerusalem. However, with the the start of the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem, following the 1967 war, settlers began claiming ownership of the land the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood was build on.

Stating that they had purchased the land from a previous Ottoman owner in the 1800s, settlers claimed ownership of the land. In 1972 settlers successfully registered this claim with the Israeli Land Registrar. While the al-Kurds family continued legal proceedings challenging the settlers claim, the settlers started filing suits against the Palestinian family.

In 2006, the court ruled the settlers claim void, recognizing it was based on fraudulent documents. Subsequently, the Al-Kurd family lawyer petitioned the Israeli Land Registrar to revoke the settlers registration of the land and state the correct owner of the land. Although it did revoke the settlers claim, the Israeli land Registrar refused to indicate the rightful owner of the land.

In 2001 settlers began occupying an extension of the al-Kurd home. Despite the fact that their claim to the land was revoked, settlers were given the keys of the al-Kurds family home extension by the local Israeli municipality. This was possible after the municipality had confiscated the keys of the extension that the al-Kurd family built on their property to house the natural expansion of the family.

When this extension was declared illegal by Israeli authorities, the Israeli municipality handed the keys over to Israeli settlers. The al-Kurd family went to court and an eviction order was issued against the settlers. When the al-Kurd family were evicted on the 9th November 2008, the settlers were allowed to remain in the property, despite their own eviction order.

In July 2008 the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the eviction of the al-Kurd family, for their refusal to pay rent to the settlers for use of the land. Although the settlers claim to the land had been revoked two years earlier, the court instead based their decision on an agreement made between a previous lawyer and the settlers. It should be noted that the al-Kurd family -and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood as a whole- rejected this agreement and fired their legal representative at the time.


Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Fr. Roy Bourgeois - Shut Down the School of the Americas

Fr. Roy Bourgeois - Shut Down the School of the Americas!:

1:27:32 - Sep 15, 2008
pdxjustice Media Productions - www.pdxjustice.org

"Founder of School of the Americas Watch, Father Roy Bourgeois, talks about the struggle to shut down the School of the Assassins, the military training base at Ft. Benning, Georgia."



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Gaza running out of bread as Israeli siege continues

Gaza running out of bread as Israeli siege continues:

"PressTv report on worsening situation in gaza due to Israeli siege"



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Free Gaza Movement. Hesham Tillawi interviews Derek Graham

Free Gaza Movement. Hesham Tillawi interviews Derek Graham:

"holocaust in process. Gaza slowly diying. Come see what some freedom loving people are trying to do."



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Free Gaza Movement. Greta Berlin interview with Hesham Tillawi

Free Gaza Movement. Greta Berlin interview with Hesham Tillawi:

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Gazans driven to despair as Israel refuses to open borders

Gazans driven to despair as Israel refuses to open borders:

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:17:21
Yousef Al-Helou, PressTV, Gaza



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Rev. Eddie Makue - Separate Is Never Equal: Stories of Apartheid from South Africa to Palestine (2 parts)

Rev. Eddie Makue part 1 of 2:

"Separate Is Never Equal: Stories of Apartheid from South Africa to Palestine

A national speaking tour featuring a South African reverend and Palestinian lawyer started off at the Palestine Center on Monday, 10 November 2008.

The tour, sponsored by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (www.endtheoccupation.org), draws on the parallels between the South African and Israeli systems of apartheid. Apartheid, according to the International Criminal Court, refers to “an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime.�

Rev. Eddie Makue has worked for the South African Council of Churches as a field worker counseling victims of unjust prosecution and also served as Commissioner of International Affairs for the All Africa Conference of Churches. Rev. Makue is currently the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches.
www.thejerusalemfund.org"

Also see:
Diana Buttu - Separate Is Never Equal: Stories of Apartheid from South Africa to Palestine - Nov.10.2008-

Part 1


Part 2



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Mosque and Muslim cemeteries Vandalised in Hebron

Mosque and Muslim cemeteries Vandalised in Hebron: "http://www.euronews.net Mosque and Muslim cemeteries Vandalised by Jewish settlers in Hebron"

Related News Item:
Settlers in Hebron write graffiti on mosque walls insulting Islam, calling for killing Arabs
Source: IMEMC
Saturday November 22, 2008 20:52

A group of extremist Israeli settlers wrote graffiti on the walls on the Al Ras Mosque, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, calling for killing all Arabs and insulting Islam and Prophet Mohammad. The settlers also dumped trash into the mosque and uprooted dozens of olive trees.

The recent attack was carried out as the settlers “were expressing” their rejection to evacuation a Palestinian house adjacent to the mosque. The settlers illegally occupied the property on March 19 and the Israeli Supreme Court recently decided that they should evacuate it. The house in question belongs to Al Rajabi family.

Local sources in Hebron reported that the settlers also desecrated graves in the Islamic Graveyard and hurled stones at dozens of Palestinian vehicles and homes in the city.

Most of the attacks were concentrated in Al Ja’bary neighborhood, Wadi Al Nasarah, Wadi Al Hasseen, and Jabal Jalis.

Several residents in Hebron complained that they became imprisoned in their homes, cannot leave them as they will be subjected to assaults and abuse by the settlers.

Hebron governor Dr. Hussein Al A’raj demanded the Israeli occupation forces to implement the Israeli court’s ruling and evacuate the settlers from the house of Al Rajabi.

“This is unimaginable; the settlers are desecrating the graves, writing graffiti insulting the prophet and insulting Islam”, the governor stated, “the high court issued several rulings to evacuate the house, to reopen roads the army and the settlers closed, but the army does not care and continues to protect the settlers who are attacking us, our graves, our homes, holy sites and lands”.

The settlers yet continue to ignore the decision of the Supreme Court as it stated in its last week’s ruling that they should voluntarily evacuate the four-story house within days.

A statement issued by the office of the Israeli Deputy Defense Minister, Matan Vilnai, said that the court ordered the evacuation of the settlers from the Palestinian house but the settlers ignored the ruling.

Consecutive Israeli governments traditionally avoid taking action against the radical and armed Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. This issue enabled the settlers to keep and even expand dozens of illegal settlement outposts.




Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Gaza children ask UN to help end Israeli blockade

Gaza children ask UN to help end Israeli blockade:

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:32:55
Yousef Al-Helou, Press TV, Gaza



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Israeli inspectors spoil UNRWA aid to Gazans

Israeli inspectors spoil UNRWA aid to Gazans:

PressTv Report, Gaza
Thursday Nov 20, 2008
Ashraf Shannon



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

INTERPAL PALESTINIAN CHARITY IN CRISIS!!!

INTERPAL PALESTINIAN CHARITY IN CRISIS!!!:

"On the November 12, Interpal received notification from their bank, the Islamic Bank of Britain (IBB), that Lloyds TSB (their clearing bank) has served notice on IBB to cease all dealings with Interpal. Clearing banks are responsible for the processing of all financial transactions and Lloyds TSB is one of the 4 clearing banks in the UK which all high street banks must work through. The notice comes into effect on 8 December 2008 and has the potential to force Interpal to cease operations early next month.

This is not only an attack on Interpal, a leading British charity, but on all other Muslim charities, all charities working in politically-sensitive regions, all customers of IBB and the Palestinian people, 80% of whom are completely dependent on international aid for survival.

THIS IS THE WEBSITE FOR INTERPAL!!! CHECK IT OUT AND HELP SUPPORT THIS CHARITY FROM CLOSING DOWN, AS IT'S NOTHING BUT ANOTHER FOOLISH ZIONIST ATTACK TO PREVENT PALESTINIANS RECEIVING AID FROM INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS!!!

http://www.interpal.info/"

Note: It's a known fact that Israel and the U.S. work on reducing the Palestinian economy to one dependant on charity, then squeeze those charities and the flow of aid as a means of pressuring the Palestinians into submission to the political will of Israel and its allies.



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Democracy Now! | Desmond Tutu on Obama, Gaza, and Bush

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the Election of Barack Obama, the Israeli Blockade of Gaza, US Foreign Policy under President Bush and More:

"South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu is one of the leading voices for peace, justice and human rights around the world. He was a central figure in the South African struggle against apartheid and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. Today he will receive the J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding for his work for peace in South Africa and elsewhere."


Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Democracy Now! | US Activist Detained in Israeli Jail Condemns Blockade of Gaza

US Activist Detained in Israeli Jail Condemns Blockade of Gaza:

"Israel’s tightened blockade of a million and a half Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is now entering its third week. On Monday, the Israeli navy seized fifteen Palestinian fishermen and three international activists off the coast of Gaza. The fishermen were released, but the activists remain in an Israeli jail. We speak to Darlene Wallach from inside the Masiyahu Prison near Tel Aviv."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

MIR: The Ramallah Banana Republic

MIR: The Ramallah Banana Republic:

"Palestinian Authority President appeals to Israelis in peace ads. He also blocks a Palestinian website accusing his cabinet of corruption. Is this true? And will the peace negotiations continue once the Bush Administration 'terms' out?

Answers to these questions and more on Link TV's Mosaic Intelligence Report.Presented by Jamal Dajani."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

A Dark Reality and a Grimmer Future for Gaza

Gaza situation - ct'd:

A Dark Reality and a Grimmer Future for Gaza
"Dubai TV 081120 [LinkTV/Mosaic]"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

An American on Hunger Strike over Gaza in an Israeli Jail

An American on Hunger Strike over Gaza in an Israeli Jail:

"Afshin Rattansi talks Donna Wallach, sister of Darlene Wallach, captured by Israeli soldiers in Gaza as news comes in of a Scottish solidarity activist transferred to solitary confinement in an Israeli detention center on Friday after he and two others declared a hunger strike.

British citizen Andrew Muncie relayed a message via his jailed colleagues that he has been isolated and his mobile phone confiscated.

Muncie was arrested along with an American, Darlene Wallach, and an Italian Vittorio Arrigoni, along with 15 Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Gaza. The three activists were accompanying the fishermen, who face daily harassment by the Israeli navy."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

The Current Crisis in the Middle East | MIT World

The Current Crisis in the Middle East | MIT World:

September 21, 2006
Running Time: 1:50:26

"True to form, Noam Chomsky makes a sweeping and copiously detailed indictment of U.S. Middle East policy, brooking no contrary or alternate views. His history-filled lecture (interrupted by occasional applause) focuses on four crises, involving the Palestinians, the Lebanon invasion, the Iraq war and the “impending catastrophe in Iran.”

While to many the conflict between the Palestinians and Israel seems hopeless, “degenerating to tribal warfare, an endless cycle of revenge and fanaticism,” says Chomsky, a “very clear solution” has long existed: For years, UN resolutions have proposed recognizing the rights of all states in the region to live in peace and security, and called for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Chomsky says that while Arab states have supported these ideas, the U.S. and Israel have deliberately undermined and opposed them. The “threat of peace has arisen constantly,” says Chomsky, but U.S.-Israeli “rejectionism” has blocked all efforts and led to “continued theft of lands” and a “weakening of the Palestinian collective.”

Chomsky calls the Israeli rationale for attacking Lebanon “pure cynical farce.” The claim that Hizbollah’s capture of an Israeli soldier necessitated a savage assault flies in the face of Israel’s decades-long practice of kidnapping Lebanese civilians, says Chomsky. Israel, with U.S. collusion, he continues, did as much damage against the Lebanese infrastructure as possible before a ceasefire was accepted. Israeli rockets destroyed a fuel storage tank, creating a giant oil spill that has poisoned the coast line up to Syria.

With respect to Iraq, Chomsky believes the invading armies are obligated “to pay massive reparations for crimes of aggression,” and that the people responsible for the extreme crimes” should be put on trial. The prospect of “a sovereign Iraq would be a complete nightmare,” given the nation’s increasing solidarity with Shiite allies in oil-rich Saudi Arabia and Iran. Since “controlling the world’s energy resources has been a prime objective” of U.S. foreign policy for much of the last century, serious withdrawal plans seem pretty remote to Chomsky.

Finally, Chomsky scoffs at the Bush Administration’s “willingness” to negotiate with Iran about its nuclear ambitions, since a U.S. precondition for talks requires no uranium enrichment, and the U.S. “refuses to withdraw threats of attack.” Chomsky claims that U.S. threats are real, with recent deployment of U.S. air power in the area. The impact of such threats harms Iranian democracy reformers, “who are complaining bitterly,” and further blackens the U.S. reputation in the world, where we are perceived as a peace-threatening “lawless and dangerous rogue state.”

Chomsky concludes by reminding everyone that this “awful news is actually good news,” since the “means and power to end these crimes and further ones lies in our hands.”



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Diana Buttu - Separate Is Never Equal: Stories of Apartheid from South Africa to Palestine - Nov.10.2008-

Diana Buttu Nov.10.2008 part 1 of 3:

"Separate Is Never Equal: Stories of Apartheid from South Africa to Palestine

A national speaking tour featuring a South African reverend and Palestinian lawyer started off at the Palestine Center on Monday, 10 November 2008. The tour, sponsored by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (www.endtheoccupation.org), draws on the parallels between the South African and Israeli systems of apartheid.

Apartheid, according to the International Criminal Court, refers to “an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime.�

Ms. Diana Buttu formerly worked with the Negotiations Support Unit of the PLO. She currently does media outreach with the Institute for Middle East Understanding and teaches at Birzeit University in Ramallah."

Also see:
Rev. Eddie Makue - Separate Is Never Equal: Stories of Apartheid from South Africa to Palestine (2 parts)

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Mosaic News - Israeli Mines Continue to Kill Lebanese, Egypt court freezes Israel gas deal, Israel reseals Gaza Borders, Quintuplets in Gaza, 11/18/08

Mosaic News - 11/18/08: World News from the Middle East:

"'Pirates seize Saudi tanker off Kenya,' Al Arabiya TV, UAE
'Iraq: Sunni roadblock to US security agreement,' Abu Dhabi TV, UAE
'British FM says Syria 'essential' to Mideast stability,' Al Jazeera TV, Qatar
'Israeli Mines Continue to Kill Lebanese,' Syria TV, Syria
'Egypt court freezes Israel gas deal,' Al Jazeera English, Qatar
'Israel reseals Gaza Borders,' Al Jazeera English Qatar
'Quintuplets in Gaza,' Al Aqsa, Gaza
'Netanyahu loads Likud list with generals for elections,' IBA TV, Israel
'Fuel shortage triggers confusion in Jordan,' Dubai TV, UAE
Produced for Link TV by Jamal Dajani."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Gaza border crossings closed

Gaza border crossings closed:

"Al-Jazeera 081118 [LinkTV/Mosaic]"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

FROM GAZA: Interview with Canadian Activist Eva Barplett.

FROM GAZA:Afshin Rattansi talks to Eva Barplett.:

"More from the Gaza Siege as the UN Slams Israel."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Palestinian refugees in Iceland

Palestinian refugees in Iceland:

"Many Palestinians living in Iraq were forced to flee to refugee camps after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. They still live in desperate conditions on the Iraq-Syrian border, unable to return to Baghdad or flee to neighbouring countries. Some, however, have found asylum elsewhere in countries far from home indeed, as far as Iceland."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Afshin Rattansi talks to Atef Adwan, Gazan Hamas MP

Afshin Rattansi talks to Atef Adwan, Gazan Hamas MP:

"The siege continues..
18 November 2008 The top United Nations human rights official called today for an immediate end to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, which she said contravened international law and had deprived those living there of their most basic human rights for months.
By function of this blockade, 1.5 million Palestinian men, women and children have been forcibly deprived of their most basic human rights for months, said Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. This is in direct contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law. It must end now, she said."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Alhiwar Channel video of Israeli Navy attacks on Palestinian Fishermen in Gaza

Israeli Navy attacks Palestinian Fishermen in Gaza: "Israeli Army attack a group of Palestinian fishermen along with peace activists from the Free Gaza Movement and arrests three of them.

Activists arrested:
Darlene Wallach - USA
Andrew Muncie - Scotland, UK
Victor Arrigoni - Ita"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Human Rights Activists on Hunger Strike in Gaza (Brit, Italian, US)

Activists on Hunger Strike in Gaza (Brit, Italian, US):

"Afshin Rattansi talks to Jenny Linnell in Gaza.. Fifteen Palestinian fishermen and three internationals abducted from Palestinian waters off the coast of Gaza November 18t"

Related News:
Fifteen Palestinian fishermen and three internationals abducted from Palestinian waters off the coast of Gaza
Source: ISM
Date: November 18th, 2008

Gaza City, 10 a.m.- Fifteen Palestinian fishermen and 3 international Human Rights Observers (HRO’s) were surrounded by the Israeli Navy and taken from their boats 7 miles off the coast of Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip.

The fishermen and the HRO’s were transferred from 3 separate boats to the Israeli warships. Other Palestinian fishermen reported that the 3 boats were seen being taken north by the Israeli Navy.

The Human Rights Observers are Andrew Muncie, a Scottish British citizen, Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian citizen, and Darlene Wallach, an American citizen. They have been volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) since they entered Gaza on ships with the first Free Gaza Movement voyage on the 23rd August 2008. All internationals have previous experience working with the ISM in the West Bank.

Fellow activists have been unable to establish contact with the HRO’s or with the fishermen since they were abducted.

Since their arrival, the ISM volunteers have been regularly accompanying Palestinian fishermen who are regularly attacked by Israeli navy vessels from as little as 3km from shore. They have regularly filmed Israeli forces using live ammunition, shells and water cannons against unarmed fishermen.

When confronted by the Israeli Navy, the boats were 7 nautical miles from the shore of Deir al Balah, well within the fishing limit detailed in the Oslo Accords of 1994.

With regular claims that from the Israeli government that it has ‘disengaged’ from Gaza, these patrols and attacks from the Israeli navy, regularly occuring from as little as 3 miles from shore, represent a clear signal of the continuation of occupation of Gazan territory as well as regular breaches of the current cease-fire.

Over 40,000 people in Gaza make a living from the fishing industry, yet this community has been decimated by Israeli restrictions on fishing rights and the prevention of fuel from reaching the Gaza Strip.

According to the Fishing Syndicate in Gaza, fishermen need 40,000 litres of fuel and 40,000 litres of natural gas each day to operate throughout the high fishing season.

Starting in April each year, there is a migration of fish from the Nile Delta to Turkish waters which Palestinian fishermen have traditionally relied upon. Yet Israel limits fishing 6 miles from the Gaza shore and regularly attacks those who venture further than 3 miles - over 70 fishermen were arrested last year by the Israeli forces. The large schools that form the migration are usually found 10 miles from shore. The average catch of fish was over 3000 tons a year in the 1990’s, now it is around 500 tons directly due to the Israeli siege of Gaza.

Also, the water in which the fishermen of Gaza sail in is now receiving 50 million litres of sewage per day because the people of Gaza have no alternative due to the lack of power supplies to sewage treatment facilities.



UPDATE: Fifteen Palestinian fishermen still being held by Israeli authorities, three internationals fighting deportation with at least one engaging in a hunger-strike
November 18th, 2008
Source: ISM

18th November - British politicians, MP Clare Short and Baronness Jenny Tonge, both issue statements regarding the arrests made by Israeli forces today

Update: The fifteen Palestinian fishermen abducted from Palestinian waters this morning (10am 18th November) are still being held by Israeli authorities in Ashdod, while their boats have been confiscated. Legal proceedings were initiated today that petition for their immediate release.

The three international Human Rights Observers who were arrested while accompanying the fishermen have been taken to Ben Gurion detention facility as Israeli authorities starting deportation proceedings. Andrew Muncie, a British citizen who was one of the three internationals arrested has made it clear that he will non-violently resist any attempt to deport him and that he is engaging a hunger-strike until all fifteen of the Palestinian fishermen are released.

The status and plans of the other two international Human Rights Observers arrested, American citizen Darlene Wallach and Italian citizen Vittorio Arrigoni, are not yet known.

This action comes after international journalists have been denied access into Gaza due to the current siege.

British MP Clare Short has made this statement in regards to today:

” If there is to be any hope of peace in the Middle East, international law must be upheld. This means that the siege of Gaza must be lifted and the constant attacks by the Israeli navy on Gazan fishermen halted. Those who have been arrested must be released and the UK must insist that these illegal attacks on Gazans, fishing peacefully within their own water must cease”

Baroness Jenny Tonge said:

“The time has come for the international community, and especially the European Union to take action against Israel’s consistent breaking of international law. The EU-Israel Association Agreement should be suspended until Israel complies with this law.

It was only last week that I personally met with the fishermen whose boats are illegally water-cannoned and fired upon by Israeli gunboats as they peacefully fish in Gaza waters. The fishermen and human rights observers who were today taken unlawfully by Israel should be released immediately.”

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Full border closure deteriorates the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

Full border closure deteriorates humanitarian crisis in Gaza:

"PressTv Report"

Related News:
Statements of UN High Commissioner regarding the siege “anger” Israel
Source: IMEMC
Date: November 18, 2008

Israeli was “angered” by the statements of Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; as she called on Israel to immediately lift its blockade over the Gaza Strip as this siege violates the international and humanitarian law.

Pillay issued a statement from her office in Geneva urging Israel to allow the entry of food, medicine and fuel into the Gaza Strip and called on Israel to restore electricity and water supplies.

In her statement, Pillay said that Israel is depriving 1.5 million Palestinians from the basic human rights and called on Israel to halt its air strikes and invasions to the impoverished Gaza Strip.

She also called on Palestinian fighters to stop the firing of homemade shells into adjacent Israel areas.

The Israeli ambassador to Geneva, Aharon Leshno-Yaar, was angered by the statement of Pillay and accused her of being “shortsighted and repeating blatant information”.

He said that Palestinian groups fired more than 170 homemade shells in the past ten days.

The Israeli ambassador also denied that Israel is cutting essential supplies to Gaza.

On Monday, Israel allowed only two trucks loaded with foods and medicine into the Gaza Strip.

International human rights organizations said that the two trucks are not enough and will not alleviate the food shortages in the Gaza Strip.

Israel is still barring fuel shipments from reaching the main power plant in Gaza forcing the residents to go through repeated and extended blackouts.

Since November 4, the UNRWA has been unable to provide essential services to more than 750.000 refugees in the Gaza Strip due to Israeli restrictions and the illegal siege.

Nearly 270 patients, including women, children and elderly, died in the Gaza Strip due to the siege as Gaza hospitals ran out of basic medical supplies and equipment while Israel is barring the patients from leaving the Gaza Strip for medical treatment elsewhere.



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

ISRAEL'S APARTHEID WALL

ISRAEL'S APARTHEID WALL:

"Australians for Palestine and Women for Palestine present images of Israel's apartheid Wall which graphically show the devastating effects it has on Palestinian society as it snakes its way through the Israeli-occupied West Bank to ultimately entrap the entire Palestinian population."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

How Israels Blockade Is Killing One Gaza Boy

How Israels Blockade Is Killing One Gaza Boy:

From Russia Today. Israels latest blockade against Gaza, imposed more than a week ago is causing great suffering among ordinary people. For some it has become a struggle for life itself.

Related Press Release:
Source: Amnesty International

Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories: Israeli blockade causes worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza

14 November 2008

Amnesty International urges the Israeli authorities to allow the immediate passage of humanitarian aid, medical supplies and fuel to the Gaza Strip, where the situation is nothing short of a disaster.

“Israel’s latest tightening of its blockade has made an already dire humanitarian situation markedly worse. This is nothing short of collective punishment on Gaza’s civilian population and it must stop immediately,” said Philip Luther, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

Even the trickle of humanitarian aid previously allowed into Gaza, on which 80 per cent of the population depends, has now been stopped for nine days by the Israeli army. The delivery of medical supplies and the industrial fuel donated by the European Union and needed to power Gaza’s power plant has also been blocked. This has led to a blackout in large parts of Gaza.

Abu Khalil, a resident of Gaza City, told Amnesty International this week: “Today I went to look for bread in several bakeries but couldn’t find any. There is no electricity, it’s pitch dark. A few months ago we bought an electric cooker because cooking gas is difficult to find and very expensive, but now without electricity we can’t even cook. We are sitting at home in the dark; the children don’t know what to do with themselves. We can’t do anything. Until when can we live like this?”

Other residents of Gaza told Amnesty International that they could not even find candles in the market any more and that the few people who have back generators in their homes and who still have fuel do not dare to use them because nobody knows until how long the blackout will last.

On Thursday the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA), the main UN aid agency, which provides humanitarian assistance to close to one million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, announced that its supplies had run out. It had been warning for several days that this would happen.

At the same time the Israeli authorities have been denying international journalists access to Gaza for a week. On Thursday a convoy of European diplomats were likewise refused entry.

“Gaza is cut off from the outside world. Israel is seemingly not keen for the world to see the suffering that its blockade is causing to the one and a half million Palestinians who are virtually trapped there,” Philip Luther said.

The breakdown last week of a five-and-a-half-month ceasefire between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in Gaza has generated a renewed wave of violence. The killing of six Palestinian militants in Israeli air strikes and ground attacks on 4 November prompted a barrage of Palestinian rockets on nearby Israeli towns and villages. Five other Palestinian militants have been killed by Israeli forces and others injured in recent days. Palestinian rocket attacks have continued. No Israeli casualties had been reported until earlier today, when one Israeli was lightly wounded by shrapnel in an attack on the Israeli city of Sderot.

“This dangerous spate of attacks and counter-attacks must be swiftly halted. Both sides know from past experience that their actions are putting the lives of civilian populations of Gaza and southern Israel at risk,” said Philip Luther.

Prior to the ceasefire of 19 June 2008, some 420 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces, half of them unarmed civilians, including some 80 children, since the beginning of the year. In the same period, Palestinian armed groups killed 24 Israelis, 15 of them civilians, including four children.

The five-and-a-half-month ceasefire brought a welcome respite for the civilian population in Gaza and southern Israel from the daily attacks which had blighted their lives for the past eight years, during which some 4,750 Palestinians and 1,100 Israelis were killed. Most of the victims on both sides have been unarmed civilians, including some 900 Palestinian children and 120 Israeli children.




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Jerusalem Diaries: Home Demolitions in the Palestinian Village of Umm Tuba

Jerusalem Diaries: Home Demolitions in the Palestinian Villag:

"On Wednesday, 6 November 2008, the Alternative Information Center went to the Palestinian village of Umm Tuba in East Jerusalem to interview the Palestinian engineer, Aziz Abu Teir, about his problems obtaining building permits from the Israeli government and the subsequent demolition of his family home."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Dignity for Gaza - The Second Voyage (3 parts)

Dignity for Gaza - The Second Voyage part 1 of 3:

Related news:
The Free Gaza Movement issued the following press release on November 6, 2008:

Free Gaza the Third ... Press Release
Date : 11-06-2008

Larnaca: Tomorrow at 5:00 pm, the DIGNITY leaves for the third time for the shores of Gaza. This time, eleven past and current members of parliaments of Europe are on board, with Al Jazeera International and The Independent journalists.

These dignitaries were among the 53 Parliamentarians denied entrance by Egypt at the Rafah checkpoint. "Egypt did not allow us to enter Gaza via the Rafah terminal, but this will not stop us from visiting the area," Lord Nazir Ahmad, head of the European delegates stated, "We will sail to Gaza, we are determined to break the siege".

Ms Clare Short MP emphasized, "The Egyptian refusal to grant us access through Rafah Crossing is insulting to all of us, and Egypt should open the crossing now."

They will be on a three-day fact finding tour organized by the Free Gaza Movement and the European Campaign to End the Siege as well as several of the organizations in Gaza who have worked with the Free Gaza Movement on the past two voyages.

On the past trips, Israel has threatened to stop the DIGNITY, arrest its passengers and tow the boat to Israel. The government has been silent on its plans this time, perhaps out of respect for the dignitaries on the voyage. Members of the two organizations stress that the DIGNITY has no intention of going anywhere near Israeli waters but will enter Gaza through its own coastal waters.

The port authorities have asked media to come between 3:30 pm and 5:00 pm Friday at Larnaca Port to see the boat leave and to conduct interviews.

The passenger list (see below) and biographies are posted at Free Gaza's website, www.freegaza.org. Photos are freely downloadable at: www.flickr.com/photos/29205195@N02/

Ahmed, Nazir (Lord) (Pakistan/UK), Andrews, Christopher (Ireland), Bartlett, Eva (Canada), Bolos, Nikolas (Ireland), Healey, Denis (UK), Elhag, Sami Moheildin Mohamed (Sudan), Graham, Derek (Ireland), McNeill, Pauline (Scotland), Morena, Fernando (Spain), Nacer, Mohamed (UK), O'Donnell, Hugh (Scotland, UK), ÓSnodaigh, Aengus (Ireland), Rossi, Fernando (Italy), Arraf, Huwaida (US), Sharp, Rob (UK), Schermerhorn, David (USA), Shoukri, Dr. Arafat (Palestine, UK), Short, Clare (UK), Thomas, Rhodri Glyn (Wales, UK), Tonge, Dr. Jenny (Baroness) (UK), White, Sandra (Scotland, UK), Zisyadis, Josef (Switzerland)

"Part 1 is the Departure from Cyprus"



Part 2
The Voyage



Part 3
The Arrival




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Demo against the Apartheid Wall in Jayyous 16-11-08

Demo against the fence in Jaayous 16-11-08:

Israeli forces invade the village of Jayyous to block demonstrators from protesting the re-routing of the Apartheid Wall
Source: ISM
Date: November 16th, 2008

On Sunday 16th November, approximately 100 Palestinians, Israeli and international activists in the village of Jayyous were stopped in their attempt to demonstrate against the new plans to re-route the Apartheid Wall by Israeli army forces who invaded the village and blocked the streets. Israeli military Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) were patrolling the streets of the village throughout the morning, with soldiers harassing pedestrians, claiming the village was a closed military zone.

Approximately 40 Israeli soldiers then formed roadblocks to prevent demonstrators from marching to their farmlands - the majority of which are already divided from the village by the existing apartheid wall. Many of the demonstrators were able to push through the lines of soldiers, but were blocked again further down the road, with Israeli soldiers then declaring the area near the Wall to be a closed military zone. “You can protest here in the village”, advised the commander of the units, “but you are not coming anywhere near the Wall”, despite the fact that the protest was clearly non-violent.

The roadblocks effectively created a curfew in the area, as residents were unable to return to their homes in the area. School children returning home from school were reduced to tears as they attempted to make their way through the rows of soldiers.

The villagers’ demonstration continued for over two hours, with protesters continually attempting to push through the soldiers to get to their lands. Women from the village took up the position as the front line, eventually staging a sit-in in their refusal to give up their fight to get to their lands.

The recent Israeli High Court decision to re-route the wall has been met with a revival of the struggle fought by the villagers of Jayyous when building of the Apartheid Wall first started in the village in 2002. While initially the re-routing, which moves the Wall 2km back towards the green line, may seem like a positive result for the village, the move will in fact destroy a further 200 olive trees, and permanently isolate Jayyous villagers from approximately 6000 dounums of their land, with a further 2000 dounums to be destroyed to make the path of the Wall. Currently, villagers are able to access their lands through a permit system that, theoretically, allows farmers to access their lands through the gates in the Wall. The new Wall has no planned gates. The Jayyous village land that remains on the West of the Wall, as such, will be annexed to Israel forever.

Villagers, with the support of the Jayyous municipality and other organisations, have vowed to fight this construction, declaring Sunday’s protests the first in a series of weekly demonstrations against the re-routing of the Wall.




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