Monday, August 17, 2009

Gaza Reality - Gaza Kites Festival

Gaza Kites Festival:

"www.anera.org continues 'Gaza Reality' series. A close-up look at life in Gaza today. ANERA delivers donated medicine and medical supplies, shoes for children, fortified milk and biscuits for pre-schoolers and much more to help people struggling to survive in Gaza."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Palestinian orchestra plays for peace

The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Jerusalem set up the Orchestra in 2004, It has held concerts in Jordan, Syria, Germany and Jerusalem.

Palestinian orchestra plays for peace
Agence France-Presse
Aug. 17, 2009. 08:31 AM EST

"If the notes sound a little scratchy, it's because the Palestine Youth Orchestra only plays together a few times a year. The musicians come from all over the Palestinian territories and neighbouring Arab countries. Due to travel restrictions imposed by the Israeli blockade, it's difficult for them to rehearse. Duration: 02:14."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Colonists await permanent homes as they are moved from one stolen Palestinian property to the other - 17 Aug 09

Former Gaza settlers face uncertain future - 17 Aug 09:

"Four years after the Gaza disengagement, thousands of Jewish settlers are still awaiting permanent homes promised by Israel.

But as Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan reports, for the Israeli government, it is proving to be a problem in more ways than one."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Democracy Now! Human Rights Watch Calls On Israel to Investigate ‘White Flag' Shootings of Gaza Civilians

Human Rights Watch Calls On Israel to Investigate ‘White Flag' Shootings of Gaza Civilians:

"Human Rights Watch released a report last week detailing new evidence of possible Israeli war crimes committed during last winter's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza that left over 1400 Palestinians dead. The report says Israeli soldiers unlawfully shot and killed at least 11 Palestinian civilians, including 5 women and 4 children, who were in groups waving white flags to make clear that they were civilians and not combatants. We speak to HRW’s Fred Abrahams and air exclusive video from Gaza from Democracy Now!‘s Anjali Kamat and Big Noise Film’s Jacquie Soohen."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Inside Story - Islamist fighters challenge Hamas - 16 Aug 09

Inside Story - Islamist fighters challenge Hamas - 16 Aug 09:

"Hamas says it has put an end to what has been seen as the greatest challenge to its control of Gaza since it took over the Strip.

The political and military group is being blamed for a rise in extremist activity in the territory over the past two years.

On Friday, a little-known pro-al-Qaeda group called Jund Ansar Allah, or Soldiers of the Supporters of God, proclaimed 'the creation of an Islamic emirate in the Gaza Strip'.

They reportedly claimed Hamas was too liberal and demanded the territory to be governed purely by sharia, Islamic law.

Within 24 hours, Abdel-Latif Moussa, their cleric leader, and a number of followers had been killed in clashes with Hamas security forces.

Is Hamas beginning to lose popularity with the people of Gaza? What is the significance of pro-al-Qaeda groups emerging in Gaza? And are 'extremist' groups a real threat to the Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip?"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Public outrage over Egyptian gas pumping to Israel

Public outrage over Egyptian gas pumping to Israel:

Related News:
Egyptian opposition condemns gas deal with Israel
Source: Electronic Intifada
CAIRO (IPS) - Opposition figures and political activists have slammed a new deal to sell Egyptian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Israel at what they say are vastly reduced prices. "Egyptian gas is being sold to Israel at prices far below the international average," Ibrahim Yosri, former head of legal affairs and treaties at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry told IPS. "This agreement is proof that the ruling regime is unconcerned with public opinion and is insistent on depriving the Egyptian public of its rightful national assets." (Read more)

Video report by Press TV, Cairo



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Sunday, August 16, 2009

An Invitation from The Free Gaza Movement

The Free Gaza Movement:

"Join the Free Gaza Movement, come aboard, volunteer, watch out for trip announcements and inform your local media or Parliament about it, link our logo in your web site, engage in solidarity action, or donate to keep the boats afloat. www.freegaza.org
thank you

The Free Gaza Movement is a human rights group that in August 2008 successfully set sail for Gaza. They where the first boats to sail into the port of Gaza in 41years.

We want to break the siege of Gaza.

We want to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of the Gaza Strip and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation.

Palestinians inhabitants in all territories occupied by Israel since June 5, 1967 must have unimpeded access to international waters and air space, in conformity with all UN resolutions and international law.

Israel must withdraw its military presence from all territories occupied since June 5, 1967.
Israel must demolish all barriers built to restrict passage in all occupied territories.
And Israel must agree to compensation for the Palestinians that it has stolen land and resorces from, both in 1948 and in 1967."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

The Irish cycling team Pathways to Palestine at Rafah Crossing (2 parts)

The Irish cycling team in Rafah:

A warm heartfelt thank you to the great young men of Pathways to Palestine!

Pathways to Palestine / Slí Phalaistín
are a team of Irish cyclists that cycled about 6000 miles to Gaza raising funds for medical aid and public awareness of the two year seige affecting the civilian population trapped there.

Irish Cyclists receive no welcome after 6000km cycle to Gaza

6 August 2009

After cycling through 14 countries and two time zones , four Irish cyclists have now completed their journey of 6000km from Ireland to Gaza only to be turned down at the border. The students, attempted to enter Gaza this morning but even their invitation from the UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency] didn’t help them. Their 6000km cycle aimed to raise money in support of an emergency appeal to provide for neo-natal care and medical resources for burn victims in Gaza. The initiative came from Eoghan Quinn (21), a type-1 diabetic, after he learned of the restrictions on medical supplies reaching Gaza. [1]. “As a diabetic I am completely dependant on constant access to medicine. I wanted to use my fortunate circumstance to help those cut off from the outside world in Gaza.”

They set off on their journey from Ireland on June 22 and have been cycling over 150km a day, resting only once a week to make it on schedule to their destination,” We have tried our best and we have seen the prison of Gaza in operation. The fact that we didn’t get in speaks volumes“, says Gearóid Ó Cuinn,
“We have overcome hypothermia in France, several falls with some on busy highways and survived being chased by wild hounds in central Turkey, its been tough but epic, and to fall at the last hurdle is disappointing, but its also about creating awareness around this unjust situation”.

The intrepid travelers have received support from around the world, including a formal motion of commendation passed by the Scottish Parliament and a reception in the Irish Parliament hosted by Irish MPs and Senators. Pauline McNeil MSP: - ” This is a tremendous achievement for the cyclists and it will mean so much to Palestinians that they have made such incredible efforts for Palestinians who feel isolated and forgotten about by the world.”

Gaza’s medical infrastructure has been crippled by the two yearlong sieges that has led to widespread malnutrition and many preventable deaths. “When we arrived we were just shell shocked at the state of affairs at Rafah crossing we saw families excluded and isolated from their loved ones on the side of a desert road.” Says Ronan Sheehan (21).[See www.pathwaystopalestine.com/2009/08/refused-at-rafah/ for Georoid ipadio account of Rafah]

The cyclist were forced to abandon their back up vehicle after the Egyptian authorities refused to allow them to enter into Egypt with the van. They persevered and reached Gaza after traveling through the Sinai desert throughout the night. Eoghan states that “despite being exhausted and run down the people of Gaza and all of those who have supported us along the way have kept us going and thanks to them we reached the Rafah border crossing.”

“Even though we were unsuccessful gaining access to Gaza we will continue in our efforts to raise money for our charity (MAP) via our website www.pathwaystopalestine.com” said Tom Watts, member of the support team “All monies raised online go directly to their operations on the ground”, he added.

[1]: http://irishhealth.com/article.html?id=15725

The team consists of Eoghan a town planning student; John Maher (30), medical student; Ronan Sheehan (21), pharmacy student and Gearóid Ó Cuinn (29) law student, all of whom attended the same high school. The support vehicle traveling with the four cyclists will be driven by trainee physiotherapist, John Lyttle (23), from Derry and Tom Watts (21), from Sheffield, who studies psychology. Project coordinator: Grainne Quinn (19) Politics Student.


For more info please check out their Blog here

"The Irish cycling team from the 'Pathways to Palestine' in front of Rafah gate."



A few words after being refused entry into Gaza by the Egyptian Regime



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Friday demonstration in Ni'lin August 14, 2009

Friday demonstration in Nil'in:

"Weekly demonstration in Nil'in, West Bank. The residents of the village Nil'in demonstrate against the theft and occupation of their land. IDF soldiers responds to the manifestation by rubber coated steel bullets, tear gas and sound grenades. During the demonstration two young men were injured by Israeli rubber coated steel bullets. Since the demonstration started, years ago, several residents have been martyred by the IDF."


West Bank's Grassroots Campaigns Against the Wall
Source: Palestine Monitor

Israel began construction on its "security" wall in 2002. So far a little over half of it has been constructed, with the rest consisting of a "security" fence. The wall is made out of 25-foot high concrete slabs, trenches, barbed wire "buffer zones" electrified fencing, numerous watchtowers, thermal imagining cameras, sniper towers, and roads for patrol vehicles.

Israel claimed that the wall was for the security of Israel's civilian population, but it quickly became clear that it was a means to annex Palestinian land and resources.

Only 16% of the wall is built on the internationally recognized border between Israel and the West Bank—known as the Green Line. The other 84% snakes around inside the West Bank, annexing the best agricultural land as well as land that has water and other natural resources. In some cases, the wall completely surrounds Palestinian villages—leaving them with just one gate (controlled by the Israeli military) to get in or out.

The wall has become a means by the Israeli government to steal Palestinian land and resources, divide the West Bank into 'bantustans'—which has a devastating effect on the economy, and to unilaterally declare the future border between Israel and a Palestinian state.

To combat this, villages in the West Bank who have lost land because of the wall have organized a grassroots campaign to stop the wall. Villages like Azzun Atma, Ma'sara, Bilín, Ni'lin, Jayyus, and Khader have weekly, nonviolent protests against the theft of their land by the wall.

Israel's reaction to these peaceful protests is teargas, rubber coated steel bullets, sound bombs, and live ammunition. This reaction has left hundreds injured and 20 killed (many in their teens).

Azzun Atma is a village near Qalqilia—and it is completely surrounded by the wall. There is one gate, controlled by the Israeli military, that allows any people or goods in or out. The wall has divided the village into two parts, and isolates many lands and water wells. Israel also demolished any houses that were built on the land Israel wanted to annex. The village will lose 4000 dunams to illegal settlements and the wall. On Fridays, the villagers and international activists march to the fence to protest the wall.

Ma'sara is a village near Bethlehem which has already lost 30% of their land because of the wall and will lost 30% more if construction on the wall is finished. In their nonviolent protests, villagers and activists march from the center of the village towards the entrance to their land that has been annexed. The Israeli soldiers close this entrance with razor wire and the demonstrators attempt to reach their land anyway. They are met with teargas, beatings and rubber coated steel bullets. Many have been arrested for participating in these protests.

Bilín is a village near Ramallah that has lost 60% of its land to illegal settlements nearby. Protests in Bilín start from the mosque in the center of the village, and then demonstrators march to the fence—the future site of the wall. They are met by teargas, rubber coated steel bullets, live ammunition, sound bombs, and darban (a liquid made from chemicals which is sprayed on protestors and is designed to induce vomiting).

In April of this year, the first protestor from Bil'in, Bassem Abu Rahmeh, was killed when he was shot in the chest from 20 meters away with a high-velocity teargas canister. Since then, the Israeli military has been conducting nightly raids on the village—they have arrested over 20 boys from the village so far, many in their early teens. There are 150 more "wanted people" from the village for participating in the nonviolent demonstrations, many of them in their teens.

Ni'lin is another village near Ramallah which has organized weekly, nonviolent protests. The village has lost over 50,000 dunams since 1948 for illegal settlements and Israeli military bases. This is the most dangerous site of nonviolent protests against the wall. In Ni'lin, Israeli soldiers blockade the village before demonstrators are able to exit and reach the site of the wall.

Because of this, it becomes more like urban warfare than a peaceful protest. The soldiers invade the village and use excessive force on the protestors—teargas, rubber coated steel bullets, and regular use of live ammunition. So far, 5 people have been killed in Ni'lin while protesting the theft of their land—including a 10 year old boy.

Jayyus is a village near Qalqilia that has lost 75% of its land to the wall. Israel has imposed a permit system on the villagers to even reach their own farmland. However, these permits are rarely given, and when they are, they are given to people who are not able to do farm work. In their weekly, nonviolent demonstrations against the wall, villagers have noted that the soldiers have begun using live ammunition much more than in the past. The Israeli military has been raiding the village at night, and most recently arrested 3 teenage boys who were supposed to take their final exams (tawjeehi) the next morning—preventing them from continuing their education next year. No reason was given for their arrest.

Al Khader is village near Bethlehem which is unfortunately located mainly in Area C. In the West Bank, there are three types of "Areas"—Area A is under Palestinian Authority control, Area B is under civic responsibility, and Area C is under Israeli control. It just so happens that 91% of the village is in Area C and that land also just so happens to be the majority of their agricultural land—which is famous in the West Bank for vineyards and fruit trees. So far, the wall has taken 75% of their land in Area C—over 15,000 dunams. Israel has also ordered house demolitions for those homes located in Area C.

Some villages, such as Bilín, have sued the Israeli government for stealing their land. There has already been a ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court calling the path of the wall illegal, and has demanded that the path be changed and those parts deemed illegal dismantled. So far, the Israeli government is ignoring its own justice system. The International Court of Justice has also called the wall illegal and has called on Israel to dismantle it—despite this, construction continues, land continues to be stolen, and lives continue to be lost.

Since Israel will not listen to international law or Israeli law, Palestinians must try to get the attention and support of the international community. The grassroots campaigns are Palestine's best way of doing this. Nonviolent protests against the wall are something that no one can argue with—and they must continue. More villages around the West Bank that have been affected by the wall should join the campaign. With enough villages joining together and resisting the wall, the international community will notice and will have to do something to stop Israeli theft of Palestinian lands.

The Israeli government knows that these grassroots, nonviolent campaigns against the wall will get the attention of the international community and will show the real purpose behind the wall to the world. To combat this trend, the Israeli military has been using even more excessive force and live ammunition against peaceful protestors, a pattern which has been noticed by all of the villages. Protestors have been killed, hundreds injured, and dozens arrested. But to give into these "scare tactics" and to stop protesting would be playing into the hands of the Israeli government. In honor of those killed protesting the wall, the demonstrations must continue.

5 June 2009:
Yousef ‘Akil' Tsadik Srour, 36
Shot in the chest with 0.22 calibre live ammunition during a demonstration against the Wall in Ni'lin.

April 17, 2009:
Basem Abu Rahme, age 29
Shot in the chest with a high-velocity tear gas projectile during a demonstration against the Wall in Bil'in.

December 28, 2008:
Mohammad Khawaja, age 20
Shot in the head with live ammunition during a demonstration in Ni'lin against Israel's assault on Gaza. Mohammad died in the hospital on December 31, 2009.

December 28, 2008:
Arafat Khawaja, age 22
Shot in the back with live ammunition in Ni'lin during a demonstration against Israel's assault on Gaza.

July 30, 2008:
Youssef Ahmed Younes Amirah, age 17
Shot in the head with rubber coated bullets during a demonstration against the Wall in Ni'lin. Youssef died of his wounds on August 4, 2008.

July 29, 2008:
Ahmed Husan Youssef Mousa, age 10
Shot dead while he and several friends tried to remove coils of razor wire from land belonging to the village in Ni'lin.

March 2, 2008:
Mahmoud Muhammad Ahmad Masalmeh, age 15
Shot dead when trying to cut the razor wire portion of the Wall in Beit Awwa.

March 28, 2007:
Muhammad Elias Mahmoud ‘Aweideh, age 15
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Um a-Sharayet – Samiramis.

February 2, 2007:
Taha Muhammad Subhi al-Quljawi, age 16
Shot dead when he and two friends tried to cut the razor wire portion of the Wall in the Qalandiya Refugee Camp. He was wounded in the thigh and died from blood loss after remaining in the field for a long time without treatment.

May 4, 2005:
Jamal Jaber Ibrahim ‘Asi, age 15
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Beit Liqya.

May 4, 2005:
U'dai Mufid Mahmoud ‘Asi, age 14
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Beit Liqya.

February 15, 2005:
‘Alaa' Muhammad ‘Abd a-Rahman Khalil, age 14
Shot dead while throwing stones at an Israeli vehicle driven by private security guards near the Wall in Betunya. April 18, 2004:

Islam Hashem Rizik Zhahran, age 14
Shot during a demonstration against the Wall in Deir Abu Mash'al. Islam died of his wounds April 28, 2004.

April 18, 2004:
Diaa' A-Din ‘Abd al-Karim Ibrahim Abu ‘Eid, age 23
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu.

April 16, 2004:
Hussein Mahmoud ‘Awad ‘Alian, age 17
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Betunya.

February 26, 2004:
Muhammad Da'ud Saleh Badwan, age 21
Shot during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu. Muhammad died of his wounds on March 3, 2004.

February 26, 2004:
Abdal Rahman Abu ‘Eid, age 17
Died of a heart attack after teargas projectiles were shot into his home during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu.

February 26, 2004:
Muhammad Fadel Hashem Rian, age 25
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu.

February 26, 2004:
Zakaria Mahmoud ‘Eid Salem, age 28
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu.

For more information on the Wall, see Palestine Monitor "The Wall" factsheet (left column menu)

For more information about the grassroots campaign against the wall and the villages participating, follow these links:

Stop the Wall
Website that has articles and facts about the wall

Bi'lin
Bilín village website

POICA
Monitors Israeli colonialist activities in the West Bank

Apatheid Masked
Exposing the real purpose behind the wall

Anarchists against the wall- and Israeli activist group

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Homeless in East Jerusalem

Homeless in East Jerusalem:

"On Aug 2nd Israeli police evicted Palestinian families from E. Jerusalem, but could the reverse happen?"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Bil'in Friday Demo (3 videos) - August 14, 2009

West Bank's Grassroots Campaigns Against the Wall
Source: Palestine Monitor

Israel began construction on its "security" wall in 2002. So far a little over half of it has been constructed, with the rest consisting of a "security" fence. The wall is made out of 25-foot high concrete slabs, trenches, barbed wire "buffer zones" electrified fencing, numerous watchtowers, thermal imagining cameras, sniper towers, and roads for patrol vehicles.

Israel claimed that the wall was for the security of Israel's civilian population, but it quickly became clear that it was a means to annex Palestinian land and resources.

Only 16% of the wall is built on the internationally recognized border between Israel and the West Bank—known as the Green Line. The other 84% snakes around inside the West Bank, annexing the best agricultural land as well as land that has water and other natural resources. In some cases, the wall completely surrounds Palestinian villages—leaving them with just one gate (controlled by the Israeli military) to get in or out.

The wall has become a means by the Israeli government to steal Palestinian land and resources, divide the West Bank into 'bantustans'—which has a devastating effect on the economy, and to unilaterally declare the future border between Israel and a Palestinian state.

To combat this, villages in the West Bank who have lost land because of the wall have organized a grassroots campaign to stop the wall. Villages like Azzun Atma, Ma'sara, Bilín, Ni'lin, Jayyus, and Khader have weekly, nonviolent protests against the theft of their land by the wall.

Israel's reaction to these peaceful protests is teargas, rubber coated steel bullets, sound bombs, and live ammunition. This reaction has left hundreds injured and 20 killed (many in their teens).

Azzun Atma is a village near Qalqilia—and it is completely surrounded by the wall. There is one gate, controlled by the Israeli military, that allows any people or goods in or out. The wall has divided the village into two parts, and isolates many lands and water wells. Israel also demolished any houses that were built on the land Israel wanted to annex. The village will lose 4000 dunams to illegal settlements and the wall. On Fridays, the villagers and international activists march to the fence to protest the wall.

Ma'sara is a village near Bethlehem which has already lost 30% of their land because of the wall and will lost 30% more if construction on the wall is finished. In their nonviolent protests, villagers and activists march from the center of the village towards the entrance to their land that has been annexed. The Israeli soldiers close this entrance with razor wire and the demonstrators attempt to reach their land anyway. They are met with teargas, beatings and rubber coated steel bullets. Many have been arrested for participating in these protests.

Bilín is a village near Ramallah that has lost 60% of its land to illegal settlements nearby. Protests in Bilín start from the mosque in the center of the village, and then demonstrators march to the fence—the future site of the wall. They are met by teargas, rubber coated steel bullets, live ammunition, sound bombs, and darban (a liquid made from chemicals which is sprayed on protestors and is designed to induce vomiting).

In April of this year, the first protestor from Bil'in, Bassem Abu Rahmeh, was killed when he was shot in the chest from 20 meters away with a high-velocity teargas canister. Since then, the Israeli military has been conducting nightly raids on the village—they have arrested over 20 boys from the village so far, many in their early teens. There are 150 more "wanted people" from the village for participating in the nonviolent demonstrations, many of them in their teens.

Ni'lin is another village near Ramallah which has organized weekly, nonviolent protests. The village has lost over 50,000 dunams since 1948 for illegal settlements and Israeli military bases. This is the most dangerous site of nonviolent protests against the wall. In Ni'lin, Israeli soldiers blockade the village before demonstrators are able to exit and reach the site of the wall.

Because of this, it becomes more like urban warfare than a peaceful protest. The soldiers invade the village and use excessive force on the protestors—teargas, rubber coated steel bullets, and regular use of live ammunition. So far, 5 people have been killed in Ni'lin while protesting the theft of their land—including a 10 year old boy.

Jayyus is a village near Qalqilia that has lost 75% of its land to the wall. Israel has imposed a permit system on the villagers to even reach their own farmland. However, these permits are rarely given, and when they are, they are given to people who are not able to do farm work. In their weekly, nonviolent demonstrations against the wall, villagers have noted that the soldiers have begun using live ammunition much more than in the past. The Israeli military has been raiding the village at night, and most recently arrested 3 teenage boys who were supposed to take their final exams (tawjeehi) the next morning—preventing them from continuing their education next year. No reason was given for their arrest.

Al Khader is village near Bethlehem which is unfortunately located mainly in Area C. In the West Bank, there are three types of "Areas"—Area A is under Palestinian Authority control, Area B is under civic responsibility, and Area C is under Israeli control. It just so happens that 91% of the village is in Area C and that land also just so happens to be the majority of their agricultural land—which is famous in the West Bank for vineyards and fruit trees. So far, the wall has taken 75% of their land in Area C—over 15,000 dunams. Israel has also ordered house demolitions for those homes located in Area C.

Some villages, such as Bilín, have sued the Israeli government for stealing their land. There has already been a ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court calling the path of the wall illegal, and has demanded that the path be changed and those parts deemed illegal dismantled. So far, the Israeli government is ignoring its own justice system. The International Court of Justice has also called the wall illegal and has called on Israel to dismantle it—despite this, construction continues, land continues to be stolen, and lives continue to be lost.

Since Israel will not listen to international law or Israeli law, Palestinians must try to get the attention and support of the international community. The grassroots campaigns are Palestine's best way of doing this. Nonviolent protests against the wall are something that no one can argue with—and they must continue. More villages around the West Bank that have been affected by the wall should join the campaign. With enough villages joining together and resisting the wall, the international community will notice and will have to do something to stop Israeli theft of Palestinian lands.

The Israeli government knows that these grassroots, nonviolent campaigns against the wall will get the attention of the international community and will show the real purpose behind the wall to the world. To combat this trend, the Israeli military has been using even more excessive force and live ammunition against peaceful protestors, a pattern which has been noticed by all of the villages. Protestors have been killed, hundreds injured, and dozens arrested. But to give into these "scare tactics" and to stop protesting would be playing into the hands of the Israeli government. In honor of those killed protesting the wall, the demonstrations must continue.

5 June 2009:
Yousef ‘Akil' Tsadik Srour, 36
Shot in the chest with 0.22 calibre live ammunition during a demonstration against the Wall in Ni'lin.

April 17, 2009:
Basem Abu Rahme, age 29
Shot in the chest with a high-velocity tear gas projectile during a demonstration against the Wall in Bil'in.

December 28, 2008:
Mohammad Khawaja, age 20
Shot in the head with live ammunition during a demonstration in Ni'lin against Israel's assault on Gaza. Mohammad died in the hospital on December 31, 2009.

December 28, 2008:
Arafat Khawaja, age 22
Shot in the back with live ammunition in Ni'lin during a demonstration against Israel's assault on Gaza.

July 30, 2008:
Youssef Ahmed Younes Amirah, age 17
Shot in the head with rubber coated bullets during a demonstration against the Wall in Ni'lin. Youssef died of his wounds on August 4, 2008.

July 29, 2008:
Ahmed Husan Youssef Mousa, age 10
Shot dead while he and several friends tried to remove coils of razor wire from land belonging to the village in Ni'lin.

March 2, 2008:
Mahmoud Muhammad Ahmad Masalmeh, age 15
Shot dead when trying to cut the razor wire portion of the Wall in Beit Awwa.

March 28, 2007:
Muhammad Elias Mahmoud ‘Aweideh, age 15
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Um a-Sharayet – Samiramis.

February 2, 2007:
Taha Muhammad Subhi al-Quljawi, age 16
Shot dead when he and two friends tried to cut the razor wire portion of the Wall in the Qalandiya Refugee Camp. He was wounded in the thigh and died from blood loss after remaining in the field for a long time without treatment.

May 4, 2005:
Jamal Jaber Ibrahim ‘Asi, age 15
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Beit Liqya.

May 4, 2005:
U'dai Mufid Mahmoud ‘Asi, age 14
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Beit Liqya.

February 15, 2005:
‘Alaa' Muhammad ‘Abd a-Rahman Khalil, age 14
Shot dead while throwing stones at an Israeli vehicle driven by private security guards near the Wall in Betunya. April 18, 2004:

Islam Hashem Rizik Zhahran, age 14
Shot during a demonstration against the Wall in Deir Abu Mash'al. Islam died of his wounds April 28, 2004.

April 18, 2004:
Diaa' A-Din ‘Abd al-Karim Ibrahim Abu ‘Eid, age 23
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu.

April 16, 2004:
Hussein Mahmoud ‘Awad ‘Alian, age 17
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Betunya.

February 26, 2004:
Muhammad Da'ud Saleh Badwan, age 21
Shot during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu. Muhammad died of his wounds on March 3, 2004.

February 26, 2004:
Abdal Rahman Abu ‘Eid, age 17
Died of a heart attack after teargas projectiles were shot into his home during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu.

February 26, 2004:
Muhammad Fadel Hashem Rian, age 25
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu.

February 26, 2004:
Zakaria Mahmoud ‘Eid Salem, age 28
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu.

For more information on the Wall, see Palestine Monitor "The Wall" factsheet (left column menu)

For more information about the grassroots campaign against the wall and the villages participating, follow these links:

Stop the Wall
Website that has articles and facts about the wall

Bi'lin
Bilín village website

POICA
Monitors Israeli colonialist activities in the West Bank

Apatheid Masked
Exposing the real purpose behind the wall

Anarchists against the wall- and Israeli activist group


-End of Aticle-

bilin 14 08 09 by haitham al katib:

"Strong turnout at Bil'in demo 14.08.09

Between 300 and 400 activists and villagers participated in today's demonstration against Israel's military occupation and the Apartheid Wall in Bil'in. The presence of Israeli and international activists was very strong. The spirit ran high and the atmosphere was festive as the protesters walked toward the Wall. Various Palestinian and international activists addressed the soldiers denouncing the military occupation. As the barbed-wire gate was being forced open by some protesters, the soldiers came running toward the Wall with their shields as protection against potential stone throwers. The first tear gas canisters were fired into the crowd but people dodged them and remained in the front lines chanting slogans. As a last resort, the Army sprayed the foul smelling chemical, known as 'chara,' again to break up the protesters. More tear gas followed clouding the area causing the usual discomfort to the protesters, but no major injuries occurred and no arrest were made today.

After chanting freedom slogans in various languages for quite some time, the large number of protesters slowly returned back to the village."



Bil'in 14.8.2009:

"Demonstration at Bil'in, 14.8.2009, protesting frequent night raids by the Israeli military of the village and the arbitrary arrest of two leaders of the village's struggle, Adib Abu Rachme and Muhammed KHatib, and of many youths and young people. Today (Saturday, 15.8.09) another 14-year old boy has been arrested by the soldiers.
Many international and Israeli activisits participated in the demonstration."



Mass demonstration against the political repression of Bilin, Friday, August 14:

"Dozens of residents of Bilin, including prominent activists from the popular committee against the wall, were recently arrested by the occupation forces. They were arrested in the middle of the night, under cover of darkness: Our friends and partners in the struggle for over four years, are pulled out of bed by masked soldiers. Most of them have now been in jail for weeks. They are accused of outrageous accusation and their release is not in sight.

The night invasions, accompanied by shooting in the village streets, and the political arrests are yet another attempt to suppress the internationally known popular struggle in Bilin. Almost two years after the high court ruled that the wall in Bilin must be moved, the wall remains untouched. The struggle against it will persist until it falls.

On friday 14.8, Israelis Palestinians and internationals set out on a mass demonstration against the political repression of the courageous village of Bilin, demend that the army release the prisoners now."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Israeli peace activist highlights Bedouin's plight - 16 Aug 09

Israeli peace activist highlights Bedouin's plight - 16 Aug 09

"Ezra Nawi, a well-known Israeli peace activist, is expected to be sentenced to several months in jail for trying to stop the demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank.

Now he is using media interest in him and his case to highlight the plight of the Bedouin - a marginalised group in Palestinian society.

Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reports from the south Hebron hills on the plumber and peace activist."



Click Link below to see video of Ezra Nawi peacefully resisting the home demolition of the Beduins. It is the same incident in which Israel accused him of attacking the soldiers.
IOF demolishes Palestinian homes, South Hebron Hills

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Islamists killed after challenging Hamas - 15 Aug 09

Islamists killed after challenging Hamas - 15 Aug 09:

"Hamas security forces have clashed with Jund Ansar Allah, a radical Islamist group, in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

Their leader, Abdel-Latif Moussa, was killed in the fighting. Hours before, he had called for Gaza to become an 'Islamic emirate', governed purely by Islamic law.

Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin reports from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Empowering Women: Women’s Co-op in Hebron

Powerful Women:

"Women in Hebron and surrounding villages have started a business for empowerment and self-dependence.

Read more at: palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip .php?article884"

Women’s Co-op in Hebron
Source: Palestine Monitor
Date: 25 March 2009

The city of Hebron is one of the most aggressive cities in the West Bank in terms of the relationship between the Palestinians and the Israeli settlers living there. The settlers along with the Israeli military have taken over the Old City—and this has had a very big impact on the lives of the Palestinians because the market is in the Old City.

The soldiers have blocked roads and created checkpoints within the Old City to discourage commerce and tourism. Now, there are even settlers living in the apartments above Arab shops and Israeli soldiers stationed strategically around the area to “protect” the settlers. However, it is the Palestinians who need the protection in Hebron.

The violent, extremist settlers constantly antagonize the Palestinians in an attempt to scare them out of their shops by throwing garbage, stones, and sewage water from their apartments down on to the shops and people below. The shop owners have actually had to put up a chain link fence above the streets in front of their shops to catch the garbage and stones—protecting themselves, visitors, and their products.

Because of this situation, the Old City shops are slowly disappearing. One attempt to combat this distressing trend was initiated by the Palestinian Solidarity Project. They have helped to create a Women’s Co-op that produces traditional embroidered products hand-made by Palestinian women in Hebron.

Their shop in the Old City sells embroidered products made by over 100 women from villages around Hebron and is exclusively managed by women. This is a good opportunity for the women to create an income for their families and to contribute to revitalizing the market in the Old City.

Fatima, one of the women involved in the project says that “the women in this country usually marry and stay in the home…the situation is very difficult here—no money, no jobs.”

In addition to creating an income for these women and trying to revive the economy in Hebron, another goal of the project is to create a market for their products in other parts of the world while at the same time raising awareness about Palestine.

The women say they “hope people abroad will help us by buying our products. We want to support ourselves, we do not want charity.”

See the Article and Related Photos, click here / Palestine Monitor

Also see The Women’s Co-op Website for traditional Palestinian items made by these women and which you can purchase directly from the website.



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Friday, August 14, 2009

The US Campaign to END the Israeli Occupation at the Veterans for Peace Convention (3 Parts)

Part 1: The US Campaign to END the Israeli Occupation at the Veterans for Peace Convention:

Josh Ruebner presents "Armed and Dangerous"

"The US Campaign is a diverse coalition working for freedom from occupation and equal rights for all by challenging US policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Campaign is based on human rights and international law, providing a non-sectarian framework for everyone who supports its Call to Action. Its strategy is to inform, educate, and mobilize the public so as to change the US role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to support peace, justice, human rights,
Our Principles and Purpose

* We stand for freedom from occupation, and equal rights for all. International law guarantees these human rights, including the right to exist in peace and security.

* We aim to change those U.S. policies that sustain Israel's 40-year occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, and deny equal rights for all.

Our Goals

* We will inform, educate, and mobilize the public regarding the U.S. Government's current as well as potential role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

* We seek to change such policies as the billions of U.S. military and economic aid dollars provided despite Israels violations of U.S. and international law.

* We call for the U.S. to work within the U.N. to implement a just and lasting peace.

Our Campaign

* Our Campaign will build on existing opposition to settlements, land confiscation, house demolitions, and other violations of international law, by providing a common platform to challenge U.S. policies supporting the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

We include civil and human rights activists, faith-based organizations, peace activists, Arab-American organizations, Jewish groups opposing the occupation, students, and others who promote peace and justice in Israel and Palestine. We invite all who support this Call to contribute to the fulfillment of its purpose.

http://www.endtheoccupation.org/index... for more information
"

Part 1


part 2


Part 3


Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Gaza gunbattle leaves several dead - 15 Aug 09

Gaza gunbattle leaves several dead - 15 Aug 09:

"Fighting between Hamas forces and al-Jamaa al-Salafiya al-Jihadya in Palestine has left at least 16 people dead, after a Sheikh called for the Gaza Strip to be ruled by Sharia (Islamic law). Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin reports."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

GRITtv: Al Rowwad: Blame The Wolf

GRITtv: Al Rowwad: Blame The Wolf:

"Blame the Wolf, a provocative play performed by the Al Rowwad Palestinian youth theater group, revisits the story of Little Red Riding Hood. But this time there?s a twist. As the trial unfolds, is the wolf really the one to blame? Dr. Abdel Fattah Abu-Srour, founder and director of the Al Rowwad in the Aida Refugee Camp in the West Bank, says that theater is a way of exploring and challenging the world we live in, the stereotypes and prejudices that often shape the way we see others. He?s joined by Kathleen Chalfant, an Emmy award winning actor and supporter of the center. A few months ago, Chalfant read from Caryl Churchill?s new play Seven Jewish Children right here at GRITtv."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Israel questions rights groups' motives - 13 Aug 09

Israel questions rights groups' motives - 13 Aug 09:

"Human Rights Watch has accused Israeli soldiers of unlawfully killing 11 Palestinian civilians during the January Gaza offensive. Civilians Killed Holding White Flags in Gaza, is HRW's third publication in five months condemning Israel's actions towards Palestinians.

To counter the criticism, the Israeli government has apparently launched a campaign to discredit human rights groups.

Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan reports from Jerusalem."



Israel’s Campaign to Silence Human Rights Groups

First Goal: Stop Gaza War Crimes Revelations

By JONATHAN COOK

Counterpunch

August 4, 2009

In a bid to staunch the flow of damaging evidence of war crimes committed during Israel’s winter assault on Gaza, the Israeli government has launched a campaign to clamp down on human rights groups, both in Israel and abroad.

It has begun by targeting one of the world’s leading rights organisations, the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), as well as a local group of dissident army veterans, Breaking the Silence, which last month published the testimonies of 26 combat soldiers who served in Gaza.

Additionally, according to the Israeli media, the government is planning a “much more aggressive stance” towards human rights groups working to help the Palestinians.

Officials have questioned the sources of funding received by the organisations and threatened legislation to ban support from foreign governments, particularly in Europe.

Breaking the Silence and other Israeli activists have responded by accusing the government of a “witch hunt” designed to intimidate them and starve them of the funds needed to pursue their investigations.

“This is a very dangerous step,” said Mikhael Mannekin, one of the directors of Breaking the Silence. “Israel is moving in a very anti-democratic direction.”

The campaign is reported to be the brainchild of the far-right foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, currently facing corruption charges, but has the backing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Early last month, Mr Lieberman used a press conference to accuse non-government organisations, or NGOs, of replacing diplomats in setting the international community’s agenda in relation to Israel. He also threatened reforms to curb the groups’ influence.

A week later, Mr Netanyahu’s office weighed in against Human Rights Watch, heavily criticising the organisation for its recent fund-raising activities in Saudi Arabia.

HRW has pointed out that it only accepts private donations, and has not accepted Saudi government funds, but Israeli officials say all Saudi money is tainted and will compromise HRW’s impartiality as a human rights watchdog in its treatment of Israel.

“A human rights organisation raising money in Saudi Arabia is like a women’s rights group asking the Taliban for a donation,” Mark Regev, a government spokesman, told the right-wing Israeli daily newspaper the Jerusalem Post.

HRW recently published reports arguing that the Israeli army had committed war crimes in Gaza, including the use of white phosphorus and attacking civilian targets.

HRW is now facing concerted pressure from Jewish lobby groups and from leading Jewish journalists in the US to sever its ties with Saudi donors. According to the Israeli media, some Jewish donors in the US have also specified that their money be used for human rights investigations that do not include Israel.

Meanwhile, Israel’s foreign ministry is putting pressure on European governments to stop funding many of Israel’s human rights groups. As a prelude to a clampdown, it has issued instructions to all its embassies abroad to question their host governments about whether they fund such activities.

Last week the foreign ministry complained to British, Dutch and Spanish diplomats about their support for Breaking the Silence.

The testimonies collected from soldiers suggested the Israeli army had committed many war crimes in Gaza, including using Palestinians as human shields and firing white phosphorus shells over civilian areas. One soldier called the army’s use of firepower “insane”.

The Dutch government paid nearly 20,000 euros to the group to compile its Gaza report, while Britain funded its work last year to the tune of £40,000.

Israeli officials are reported to be discussing ways either to make it illegal for foreign governments to fund “political” organisations in Israel or to force such groups to declare themselves as “agents of a foreign government”.

“Just as it would be unacceptable for European governments to support anti-war NGOs in the US, it is unacceptable for the Europeans to support local NGOs opposed to the policies of Israel’s democratically elected government,” said Ron Dermer, a senior official in Mr Netanyahu’s office.

He added that many of the groups were “working to delegitimise the Jewish state”.

Jeff Halper, the head of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, said the government’s position was opposed to decades-old developments in human rights monitoring.

“Every dictator, from Hitler to Milosevic, has said that there must be no interference in their sovereign affairs, and that everyone else should butt out. But international law says human rights are universal and cannot be left to individual governments to interpret. The idea behind the Geneva Conventions is that the international community has a duty to be the watchdog on human rights abuses wherever they occur.”

Mr Halper, whose organisation last year received 80,000 euros from Spain to rebuild demolished Palestinian homes, was arrested last year for sailing to Gaza with peace activists to break the siege of Gaza.

Other groups reported to be in the foreign ministry’s sights are: B’Tselem, whose activities include providing Palestinians with cameras to record abuses by settlers and the army; Peace Now, which monitors settlement building; Machsom Watch, whose activists observe soldiers at the checkpoints; and Physicians for Human Rights, which has recently examined doctors’ complicity in torture.

The government’s new approach mirrors a long-running campaign against leftwing and Arab human rights groups inside Israel conducted by NGO Monitor, a rightwing lobby group led by Gerald Steinberg, a professor at Bar Ilan University, near Tel Aviv.

NGO Monitor has also targeted international organisations such as Oxfam and Amnesty, but has shown a particular obsession with HRW. Mr Steinberg recently boasted that HRW’s trip to Saudi Arabia in May reflected the loss of major Jewish sponsors in the US following the publication of its Gaza reports.

In an article in the Jerusalem Post on Sunday, Mr Steinberg claimed that European governments treated their funding of Israeli human rights organisations “as ‘top secret’, reflecting the realization that such activities lack legitimacy”.

Mr Mannekin said the Breaking the Silence report listed donors on the first page. “We are far more transparent than NGO Monitor. We don’t know who funds them.”

NGO Monitor, which according to its website is chiefly funded by the shadowy Wechsler Family Foundation in the US, is closely linked to Dore Gold, a hawkish former adviser to Ariel Sharon.

Mr Mannekin added: “The government cannot suppress information about what happened in Gaza by shutting us down. You can’t send 10,000 soldiers into battle and not expect that some of the details will come out. If it’s not us doing it, it’ll be someone else.”

The government’s current campaign follows a police raid on the homes of six Israeli women peace activists in April.

The women, all members of New Profile, a feminist organisation that opposes the militarisation of Israeli society, were arrested and accused of helping Israeli youngsters to evade the draft. The women are still waiting to learn whether they will be prosecuted.

A shorter version of this article originally appeared in The National (www.thenational.ae), published in Abu Dhabi.

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Israel denies White Flag' Shootings of Gaza Civilians

Interview: Avital Leibovich on human rights - 13 Aug 09:

"Human Rights Watch has accused Israeli soldiers of unlawfully killing 11 Palestinian civilians during the War on Gaza.

The civilians - which included five women and four children - were holding white flags when they were shot dead.

To counter criticism, the Israeli government has launched a campaign to discredit human rights groups.

Al Jazeera spoke to Avital Leibovich, the Israeli army's spokesperson, about its response."



Israel: Investigate ‘White Flag' Shootings of Gaza Civilians
Internal Israeli Military Investigations Inadequate
August 13, 2009
Source: Human Rights Watch

(Jerusalem) - During Israel's recent Gaza offensive, Israeli soldiers unlawfully shot and killed 11 Palestinian civilians, including five women and four children, who were in groups waving white flags to convey their civilian status, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The Israeli military should conduct thorough, credible investigations into these deaths to tackle the prevailing culture of impunity, Human Rights Watch said.

The 63-page report, "White Flag Deaths: Killings of Palestinian Civilians during Operation Cast Lead," is based on field investigations of seven incident sites in Gaza, including ballistic evidence found at the scene, medical records of victims, and lengthy interviews with multiple witnesses - at least three people separately for each incident.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declined repeated Human Rights Watch requests for a meeting to discuss the cases and did not respond to questions submitted in writing.

"The Israeli military is stonewalling in the face of evidence that its soldiers killed civilians waving white flags in areas it controlled and where there were no Palestinian fighters," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "These cases need thorough, independent investigations."

The 11 civilians killed and at least eight wounded comprise a small fraction of the more than 1,100 Palestinian civilians and combatants killed during what Israel called Operation Cast Lead in December 2008 and January 2009. However, these deaths stand out because the civilians were in groups waving a white cloth, T-shirt, or scarf, and no Palestinian fighters were in the area at the time, Human Rights Watch said.

Israel has repeatedly blamed Hamas for the deaths of Palestinian civilians during the Gaza operation because, Israel says, Hamas fought from populated areas and used civilians as "human shields" - that is, deliberately used civilians to deter attacks against Palestinian forces. Two Israeli commanders have alleged that Palestinian fighters used white flags to shield themselves from attack, but neither provided details to allow an investigation of the claims. The Israeli military turned down requests from Human Rights Watch to discuss the allegations.

In the 11 killings documented in this report, Human Rights Watch found no evidence that the civilian victims were used by Palestinian fighters as human shields or were shot in the crossfire between opposing forces. The civilian victims were in plain view and posed no apparent security threat.

In each of the incidents, the evidence strongly indicates that, at the least, Israeli soldiers failed to take all feasible precautions to distinguish between civilians and combatants before opening fire, as required by the laws of war. At worst, the soldiers deliberately shot at persons known to be civilians.

Under the laws of war, individuals who carry out or order deliberate attacks on civilians are responsible for war crimes.

In one case documented in the report, on January 7 in eastern Jabalya, two women and three children from the family of Khalid ‘Abd Rabbo were standing in front of their home after an Israeli soldier ordered them outside - at least three of them holding pieces of white cloth - when a soldier near a tank opened fire, killing two girls, ages 2 and 7, and wounding the third girl and their grandmother.

"We spent seven to nine minutes waving the flags, and our faces were looking at them [the soldiers]," said the grandmother, who was shot twice. "And suddenly they opened fire and the girls fell to the ground."

Accounts from witnesses, tank tracks, an ammunition box and bullet casings found at the scene, and an examination of the grandmother's wounds by forensic experts indicate that the Israeli soldier fired upon identifiable and unarmed women and children.

In five of the seven incidents detailed in the report, Israeli soldiers shot at civilians who were walking down the street with white flags, trying to leave the areas of fighting.

On January 13 in the village of Khuza'a, an Israeli soldier shot and killed Rawiya al-Najjar, 47, and wounded her relative, Jasmin al-Najjar, 23. The women were walking in a small group on a straight road during daylight, with Rawiya al-Najjar holding a white flag, following Israeli military orders to leave their neighborhood after it had come under Israeli control. Soldiers had occupied a house 230 meters down the street, but apparently fired no warning shots to deter the group as it approached.

The Israeli military announced on July 29 that it was investigating five incidents where Israeli soldiers allegedly killed civilians holding white flags, including at least two of the incidents in the report - the ‘Abd Rabbo and al-Najjar cases. Human Rights Watch expressed hope that Israel would carry out a full and impartial investigation into these incidents, but said that Israel's poor record on investigations made objective probes unlikely.

The military said it was conducting "field investigations" into about 100 incidents altogether involving its alleged violations of the laws of war during the Gaza operation. Field investigations typically consist of asking soldiers to question other soldiers, without seeking or considering testimony from external witnesses, and taking exculpatory claims of soldiers at face value.

As of August 10, for example, no one from the military had contacted members of the ‘Abd Rabbo or al-Najjar families to ask about the deaths of their relatives.

"The Israel Defense Forces have for years permitted a pervasive culture of impunity regarding unlawful Palestinian deaths," Stork said. "Field investigations may serve a useful military purpose, but they are inadequate to determine whether a soldier violated the laws of war, and serve as a pretext that a serious investigation is taking place."

Given the past failure of Israel, as well as Hamas, to investigate their own forces, Human Rights Watch has called for an international investigation into alleged laws-of-war violations by both sides. The United Nations Human Rights Council created a fact-finding mission, headed by Justice Richard Goldstone, which will present its report on abuses by all parties to the Human Rights Council in September.

"The UN investigation has a comprehensive mandate and a professional team," Stork said. "Israel and Hamas, and all UN member states, should seriously consider its recommendations and how to implement them."

Human Rights Watch called on UN member states to establish a dedicated UN mechanism to monitor and report on steps that Israel and Hamas take to conduct transparent and impartial investigations into allegations of serious laws-of-war violations committed during the December-January hostilities in Gaza and Israel, and prosecute those responsible. In the event that Israel and Hamas authorities are unable or unwilling to investigate and prosecute through fair trials those responsible for war crimes, Human Rights Watch said, UN member states should press for international prosecutions.

"White Flag Deaths" is the sixth report Human Rights Watch has issued on abuses by Israel and Palestinian armed groups since Operation Cast Lead began on December 27, 2008. A report released on August 6 documented the unlawful rocket attacks into populated areas in Israel by Hamas and other armed groups.


Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

FGM: On the right of Resistance

12th August 09 Video Free Gaza On the right of Resistance:

"'On the right of Resistance' , Ramzi Kysia

We live in an era defined by its brutality. Our challenge is whether to accept this - or to take the risks necessary to transform our world.

A year ago, 44 people from 17 countries sailed to Gaza in two small wooden boats. We did what the world would not do - we broke through the siege of Gaza. Over the last year, the Free Gaza Movement organized seven more voyages, successfully arriving to Gaza five times. Ours remain the only international ships to reach the Gaza Strip in over forty-two years. But it is only the beginning of attempts to resist the brutal occupation of Gaza.

It's been more than six months since the end of Israel's murderous assault on the Gaza Strip. They killed over1,400 Palestinians including 400 children.The continuing failure of the international community to enforce its own laws and protect the people of Gaza demands that we, as private citizens, nonviolently intervene. We must act because our governments refuse to do so.

So, join the Free Gaza Movement, the International Solidarity Movement, and the BDS Movement. Join us and other campaigns in the struggle for justice for Palestine.

Become part of the resistance.

Footage, Al-Jazeera
Footage FG boat arriving in Gaza, Aki Nation
Footage of the Israeli Navy boarding the Spirit, Theresa McDermott (Passenger among the Free Gaza 21)
Footage of Palestinian fishermen and farmers attacked by IDF : ISM GAZA
Images, SAMEH A. HABEEB and The FREE GAZA MOVEMENT
Soundtrack : Plastilina Luminosa"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

GRITtv: Palestine Education Project - Life, Freedom, Solidarity (Music Video)

GRITtv: Palestine Education Project:

"A music video from Palestine Education Project."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Gaza's dangerous underground lifelines - 12 Aug 09

Gaza's dangerous underground lifelines - 12 Aug 09:

"While the Gaza Strip remains under Israel's blockade, underground passageways are seen as a lifeline to the people.

But digging the tunnels under the border to Egypt is a dangerous activity. At least 14 people have died in the past month after their tunnels collapsed.

Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin followed the desperate efforts to rescue three trapped men."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Madsen: Netanyahu backs Birthers to undermine Obama

Madsen: Netanyahu Backs Birthers:

"Investigative journalist and RT contributor Wayne Madsen says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been working with conservatives in America to undermine Obama, including the claim that the U.S. President was born outside of the country."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Who profits from Israeli occupation?

Who profits from Israeli occupation?:

"Boycotted by activists, the Israeli company AHAVA is backed by one of Israel's most powerful families"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Monday, August 10, 2009

Gaza Reality - Gaza Summer Camps

Gaza Summer Camps:

"www.anera.org continues 'Gaza Reality' series. Summer camps provide a much needed break from life struggling with poverty and loss."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Israeli jets bomb Gaza tunnels

Israeli jets bomb Gaza tunnels:

"Press TV, Gaza"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

PSL Viva Palestina US convoy members share Gaza experience

Viva Palestina shares Gaza experiences:

"The Party for Socialism and Liberation recently met to discuss challenges faced by the U-S Viva Palestina Convoy. Members who were part of the humanitarian mission to Gaza shared their experiences. Jihan Hafiz has more from Washington."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Sunday, August 9, 2009

B'Tselem - East Jerusalem - Two Palestinian families evicted from Sheikh Jarah; settlers move into their homes

B'Tselem - East Jerusalem - 2 Aug. '09: Two Palestinian families evicted from Sheikh Jarah; settlers move into their homes:

"On 2 August 2009, the police evicted two Palestinian families from their houses in the Sheikh Jarah neighborhood of East Jerusalem : the extended Hanun family, 17 members who lived in three apartments, and the extended Alghawi family, 29 members who lived in six apartments. Immediately following the eviction, settler families took over the houses under heavy police guard. The evicted families refuse to be removed from the neighborhood and have stayed in the street since then.

The two families are the descendents of refugee families from 1948, the Hanun family from Haifa , and the Alghawi family from Sarfarand (Tzrifin). These families were part of a group of 28 families, which now amount to 550 persons, who were settled in the neighborhood in 1956 by the Jordanian government and UNRWA.

The eviction followed the Israeli Supreme Court's determination that the families were living in property belonging to the Jewish community that lived close to the tomb of Simon the Just until the 1930s. This property is registered to the name of the Sephardic Community Committee and the Knesset Israel Committee. These committees transferred their rights in the land to the Nahalat Shimon settlers' organization, which has been engaged over the past decade in evacuating Palestinian families in the neighborhood from their homes, and holds five other compounds in the neighborhood.

After the Palestinian residents are removed from the area around the tomb of Simon the Just, the Nahalat Shimon organization plans to build a 200-apartment Jewish neighborhood on the site. This plan complements other plans of settler organizations Elad and Ateret Cohanim, which are supported by government ministries and governmental authorities, to surround the historical basin around the Old City with compounds controlled by settler organizations. The state funds the guarding of the compounds in which the settlers live and allocates security forces that enable the taking over of Palestinian properties.

Settler organizations are also seeking to advance two other plans in Sheikh Jarah. The first is the project involving the Shepherd Hotel, a property owned by Irving Moskowitz. Recently, the Jerusalem Municipality approved a request to renovate the hotel, turning it into a 20 apartment building. There is also a plan, not yet approved, for the site that includes 90 apartments, a synagogue, a nursery school, and day-care centers. The second plan is in the Mufti's Vineyard (the al-Husseini Vineyard), which the Israel Lands Administration has leased to Ateret Cohanim.

Another part of the settlers' plan to gain control of the area, under government auspices, was the appointment of the Elad organization to operate the Ir David Archeological Garden in Silwan, and the organizations' involvement in operating the Tzurim Valley National Garden , which is situated east of Sheikh Jarah and encircles the Old City from the east. In this context, the Jerusalem Municipality has begun planning the King's Valley Archeological Garden on area on which Palestinian houses stand in the al-Bustan section of Silwan, south of the Old City , near the Elad settler compounds in Silwan.

The implementation of these plans, with government support, is especially grave given the government's discriminatory planning policy in East Jerusalem , which stifles any possibility of building and development for the Palestinian population. If they are indeed realized, the result will increase the physical isolation of East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank and will intensify the harm to the Palestinian population.

Sharihan Majd Hanun, a psychology student at Al-Quds University, described the evacuation of her family from their home:"


Filmed by Kareeem Jubran, B'Tselem, 2 Aug. '09.

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

B'Tselem - Restrictions on movement of Palestinians - Israeli-only road in Hebron area

B'Tselem - Restrictions on movement - August 2009: The army continues to harm the freedom of movement of Palestinians in the southwest Hebron Hills: "Route 3265 is a major traffic artery in the southwest Hebron hills, linking villages in the area with the city of Hebron . Over the years, it served the 45,000 Palestinians who live in the area. In recent years, settlers from the unauthorized outposts Negohot and Mitzpeh Lachish have also used the road. In 2000, Palestinians shot at a vehicle driving along the road and killed a settler from Negohot. Since 2001, the army has completely prohibited Palestinians from driving along the road and even from walking along it.

The army is obliged to ensure the safety of residents in the Occupied Territories , including settlers; however, this obligation must not be fulfilled by applying collective punishment. Prohibiting Palestinians from using the road severely infringes basic rights and the quality of life of locals, who are dependent on social and economic ties with other villages and with the city of Hebron .

Two families have been especially harmed by the closing of the road to Palestinian traffic: as the route was the sole access road to their houses, they now live in isolation and are virtually imprisoned in their houses. The only way they can reach other communities is by walking long distances through the surrounding mountains. Even then, they are frequently attacked and threatened by settlers. The video documents the reality of the Jadallah family, one of the two.

In 2006, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel filed a petition, on behalf of the families and the heads of the councils in the southwest Hebron hills, against the blocking of the road and of its intersection with Route 354, which connects the northern and southern parts of the area. The petitioners contend that the prohibition on movement constitutes collective punishment on basis of national-ethnic origin. Following the filing of the petition, the respondents opened the intersection to Palestinian movement, but stated that the road would remain closed. The court finished hearing the petition in January 2008 and has not yet given its decision.

Due to technical restrictions, subtitles could not be added. The translation follows:

Even in the weird reality of the occupation, some situations are particularly absurd. Every morning, the Jadallah children cross the road on which their house is built. A road on which they are forbidden to travel or walk along, and go by foot about 3 kilometers to school in the nearby village of Faqiqs, along a path full of sharp ascents and descents difficult for even good walkers. The prohibited road, Route 3265, used to take them directly to school, a maximum of two minutes from their home.

Hafez Muhammad Jadallah: This road is forbidden. The army forbids us to use it, I'm not sure why. They're afraid of problems. This road connects Beit ‘Awwa, Dura, Hebron , the whole area west of Hebron. We live here. We reach it via the mountain.

The house is surrounded by mountains, and for the family, the road is the sole traffic artery. To go shopping, the brother Khaled walks with his bags over the hills about three hours. Meanwhile, the road stands empty, waiting for one of the 200 Israelis who live in the area, who are allowed to use the road.

There's nothing to do. The children hardly go out. Where can they go? To wander in the hills? Nobody comes or goes. If we have an important errand, I go out, but if not, I stay at home all day.

Samaher Jadallah: We had a car, it took us where we needed. Our own car. But since we haven't used it, its fallen apart. Now it's behind the house, a wreck. When we took the car, it used to be easy to do the shopping. But now we haul our purchases by donkey.

Do you know why they closed the road?

Security reasons, they said.

Adv. Limor Yehuda, ACRI: Several security incidents took place in the area. In December 2000, there was a shooting attack that killed an Israeli. This is a major road in the area that served dozens of villages and small towns, some 45,000 people.

In comparison, the Israelis using the road are from the unauthorized outpost Negohot and from an authorized outpost that was built next to it a few years ago – Mitzpeh Lachish. Less than 200 people, based on the known figures.

The illegality and basic wrongdoing in this case are outrageous. It is a fundamental moral and legal principle that we are forbidden to prohibit people from using a road based solely on their ethnic origin. This is certainly true when we're talking about local residents in occupied territory.

The primary duty of the IDF is to enable Palestinians to travel on this road. If it also wants Israelis to use the road, who, as we recall, are not residents of the occupied territory but were brought there by us, their safety must be ensured in ways that don't harm the local residents. This is a fundamental condition that cannot be compromised."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Phyllis Bennis Addresses Veterans for Peace Convention (2 Parts)

Part 1 : Phillis Bennis Addresses Veterans for Peace Convention:

Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies Spoke at VFP (Veterans for Peace) National Convention, August 5 - 9, 2009

Saturday 7pm, Grand Ballroom, U-MD Student Union

Part 1



Part 2

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Saturday, August 8, 2009

An appeal to stop Israeli violations of Palestinian patients' rights

Israel investigating Gaza patients at border crossings:

Israel continues to intimidate and blackmail the few patients allowed through the Beit Hanoon (Erez) Crossing for medical treatment

Press TV, Gaza"



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Armed Colonists Attack Peaceful Protesters and Journalists

Scuffles between settlers and Palestinians:

Under the watchful eyes of the IOF (Israeli Occupation Army), about 100 Israeli settlers Armed with machine guns threatened Palestinians with violence and attacked the press and journalists on Friday in the West Bank village of Burin, as Palestinians demonstrated against Israel's confiscation and restricting access to their land.

Related News:
Four Palestinians faint during protest at confiscating lands in Burin village
Source: PIC

NABLUS, (PIC)-- Four Palestinian citizens fell unconscious due to suffocation when IOF troops fired tear gas at a peaceful march organized on Friday in the village of Burin, southwest Nablus, in protest at the confiscation of 300 dunums of the village’s lands by Israeli settlers.

Local sources in the village said that about 500 protesters including 32 multinational activists went on a peaceful march to condemn Israeli settlers for confiscating days ago 150 dunums of Palestinian lands in the village and a similar amount of dunums months ago.

The sources added that Israeli settlers under military protection also attacked the protesters.

In Bil’in village, dozens of protesters in the weakly anti-wall march, suffocated after inhaling tear gas heavily fired by IOF troops.

The villagers were joined by international supporters as is the case each week. The march left the village after midday prayers and headed towards the wall built on the village’s land.

The protesters also demanded the release of Muhammad Al-Khatib and Adeeb Abu Rahma, both from the popular committee against the wall and settlements, and all detainees from the village. All were kidnapped by the IOF troops this week.

As soon as the protestors reached the gate of the wall, troops began spraying them with green-colored water contaminated with animal dung and chemicals. Cases of vomiting were reported among the protesters.

In another context, the Hebrew radio reported Friday that the IOF troops kidnapped last night three Palestinian young men from Beit Furik village in Nablus.

The radio alleged that the three young men were suspected of involvement in attacks against Israeli targets.



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Bil'in demo another arrest and lots of gas 07.08.09

Bil'in demo another arrest and lots of gas 07.08.09:

"At today's weekly non-violent demonstration, the occupation forces arrested yet another Palestinian man, Rany Ayoub Yousef Najar, a local cameraman who was wearing the clearly visible green jacket of the Press at the time of his arrest.

Once the protesters arrived close to the Apartheid Wall, activists from Italy, France, Israel and Bil'in were addressing the soldiers, demanding an end to the military occupation and the Wall. Then the chanting of Palestinian freedom slogan resumed while some of the activists tried to open the gate at the wall without success. The Army threw a multiple of tear gas and sound bombs into the crowd. Then the first arrest occurred. After having blindfolded and handcuffed the cameraman, the soldiers entered through the gate a second time. But the air was still heavy with tear gas which made the soldiers retreat to their outpost without arresting anyone else.

The protesters held their ground and were soon sprayed with the foul chemical water and more tear gas. After one hour into the demonstration, the protesters returned back to the village.

An alert of a big fire near the house of Abdulfatah Bornat came soon after. The occupation forces had thrown tear gas into the field in the wake of the demonstration which resulted in burning the dry vegetation. A fire truck had to be called from a nearby village to come and extinguish the fire. It had already burnt a large field."


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Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog