Posted by: Sammi Ibrahem Chair of West Midland PSC
Dear Friends,
All the 9 items below are on Israel, except for the 2nd, which is from PACBI and is thus Palestinian. I was tempted to add at least one item on Egypt, but the Israeli ones are more than enough. Hopefully, in Egypt those presently holding the reins of the government will not declare martial law, as they threaten, for that would undoubtedly be costly in human life.
As for Israel, the initial 2 items are links. In the first EAPPI reminds us that while the situation in Egypt is dramatic, it should not hide what is being done to Palestinians here. The EAPPI devote their first item in their newsletter to demolitions that Israel carries out.
Item 2 is PACBI’s letter to Macy Gray stating why she should not come. Will she listen? Probably not. She hasn’t till now changed her mind notwithstanding the numerous letters she’s received explaining to her why she should not come! Who knows if she even reads them? There are some people, however, who even if they receive the most rational of explanations of why not to perform in Israel until it changes its ways, ignore these and go about doing what they want to do. Seems as if this is the case with Macy Gray.
Items 3 and 4 are IWPS reports (both brief) on an IOF incursion in one West Bank village, and the other about tree planting.
Item 5 is an Alternative Information Center’s report on Israel’s Judaisation of the Negev and displacement of its indigenous population.
Item 6 is a Haaretz editorial insisting that Israel clean up its act with regard to the way it treats foreigners, meaning not tourists but others who come to live here.
In item 7 a woman who was active some years ago when battling for just conditions for single mothers returns to activism complaining that Israel is becoming a country of servants and lords. Yes! 100 % right, and Israel is doing this intentionally.
In item 8 a representative of the United States government complains about Israel’s construction in East Jerusalem.
Item 9 is purely pleasurable. It shows that Jews and Muslims can live together, literally.
Human Rights Summary: Settler and army attack Palestinian farmers/tree planting action
Date of incidents: 23 January, 2011
Place: Qusra, Nablus District
Witnesses: Owner of house and family
Contact details: IWPS withholds this information as a courtesy to those
involved. However, we will do our best to furnish you with the information you
may require, on request.
Description of Incidents:
On January 23, the residents of Qusra organised an action to reclaim village land, which settlers had attempted to confiscate. Four volunteers from IWPS attended, at the request of the village, who asked for an international presence due to settler attacks the previous week, which left six villagers injured.
Qusra, a village of 4,000 people, is situated near the settlement of Migalim. There have been incidents of settlement harassment in the past but the present problem comes from an evacuated outpost1, locally named Yesh Dam. The army dismantled some of the outpost structures on January 12th and according to Ma’an Agency report ‘ armed settlers entered the village burning cars, throwing stones and shooting at houses’2 on January 13th.
One of the village leaders informed IWPS volunteers that village famers were prevented from cultivating their land by settlers on January 13. Initially 8 – 10 armed settlers had been present, but their numbers swelled to more than 100. The Israeli military was present but did nothing to prevent the settlers from attack the Palestinian villagers. When the Israeli Border Police arrived, they attacked farmers resulting in the injury of six people, one quite badly. ‘’They attacked anyone’ he said, “old people, women and children”.
IWPS volunteers also met with shepherds from the village, who showed the team photos of two of their sheep which had been slaughtered by Israeli settlers two weeks earlier.
The action on January 23 was to plough the village land in front of Yesh Dam and plant 650 olive trees. It was attended by about 200 people including the media, the Mayor of Nablus and Fatah representatives. The army watched from the hill and the edge of the fields and but did not interfere with the activities.
Village leaders told IWPS volunteers that the action was successful because of the presence of internationals, the media and official representatives. Village leaders were concerned that they may not be able to access the planted trees in the coming days due to army and settlers presence and that the trees may be uprooted by settlers. However, IWPS contacted village leaders one week after the planting of the trees and were informed that access had been available and that the trees remained intact.
1 George W. Bush and Ariel Sharon agreed to evacuate illegal outposts in 2001
But this has been and ongoing issue with subsequent Israeli governments
Report written by: Gill
Report edited by: Kim
Date of report: 23 January, 2011
The International Women’s Peace Service, Deir Istiya, Salfit, Palestine.
Email: iwps@palnet.com Website: www.iwps-pal.org ;
Operating out of Deir Istiya, International Women’s Peace Service monitors and responds to Human Rights Abuses in the area. Part of our mission is to contact the relevant authorities in the case of any arrests that take place in the Salfit area.
Human Rights Summary: Israeli military invasion of village of An Nabi Saleh
Date of incidents: 05.02.11
Place: An Nabi Saleh, Ramallah District, Occupied West Bank
Witnesses: IWPS volunteers, village residents
Contact details: IWPS withholds this information as a courtesy to those involved. However, we will do our best to furnish you with the information you
may require, on request.
Description of Incidents:
On Friday, 5 February, approximately 20 Internationals and Israeli activists joined the residents of the village of An Nabi Saleh in the Ramallah district for the village’s regular non-violent demonstration against land confiscation and Israel’s occupation policies. The village had been placed under curfew since 7 am, with all roads blocked by the Israeli military.
Prior to the start of the midday demonstration, the Israeli military invade the village and attempted to prevent Israeli solidarity activists from being present in the village, forcing them to leave. Israeli and International activists, including 3 IWPS volunteers, however, we able to enter the village via the village fields joining internationals activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) already in the village.
Within minutes of the non-violent demonstration commencing, the Israeli military open fired on the demonstration with teargas. The Israeli military invasion of the village lasted for approximately 6 hours, with Israeli soldiers firing teargas and rubber bullets at unarmed demonstrators, chasing demonstrators into and through the village fields.
Two International activists were detained and assault by the Israeli military at approximately 2pm, including a volunteer from the International Women’s Peace Service. The volunteer reported that she was pushed violently to the muddy ground by a soldier, who then shouted at her. A male international with her was also assaulted and hand cuffed. Both International activists were detained for more than 3 hours in the permanent military tower located at the entrance of the village. They were released after 3 hours with no charges.
Background
Nabi Saleh is a small village of about 400 inhabitants, which lies West of Ramallah. IWPS have supported the village since the beginning of their non-violent demonstrations in December 2009. The residents of An Nabi Saleh began holding regular Friday demonstrations as a result of creeping confiscation of their lands by the adjacent Jewish-only colony of Halamis, which established in 1967 on village land. Protests began when settlers forcefully took over a natural spring belonging to the village and used by village shepherds. Since December 2009, International human rights activsts and Israeli anti-occupation activists have joined the residents of An Nabi Saleh to oppose both the illegal land confiscation of the village’s land and Israel’s occupation policies.
Since December 2009, 35 village residents have been detained/arrested, 25-30 of the village houses have had their windows broken due to the Israeli military repeatedly firing tear gas directly into the homes of residents. Tear gas has been fired into houses when families with children have been inside. In addition 7 houses are partially burnt and 150 people injured. Approximately, 6 months ago the Israeli military placed the village under curfew, placing road blocks at all village entrances on Fridays in an attempt to prevent the non-violent demonstrations from going ahead. The Israeli military regular Friday invasion of An Nabi Saleh, typically lasts from 10 am to 5pm (or dusk), with Israeli soldiers firing teargas, rubber bullets and live ammunition.
In recent weeks, the Israeli military has stepped up its harassment of the village, conducting regular night raids and arresting village leaders and other village residents, including children. Currently a 14 year old minor, who was arrested on Januray 23rd, is still in prison, no charges having been brought. Lawyers for the minor have reported that the child has been beaten. Another two children, including the 11 year old brother of the 14 year old were also kidnapped by the Israeli military and beaten. Village leaders have also been kidnapped by the military, held for several hours and beaten without any charges laid against them.
Report written by: Gill
Report edited by: Kim
Date of report: 07.02.2011
The International Women’s Peace Service, Deir Istiya, Salfit, Palestine.
Email: iwps@palnet.com Website: www.iwps-pal.org ;
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5, Alternative information center,
February 7, 2011
New Settlement Built in Negev to Judaise Area, Displace Indigenous Bedouin Communities
Monday, 07 February 2011 16:32 Tania Kepler for the Alternative Information Center (AIC) The first housing plots in the new Negev settlement of Carmit went on sale this week.
A representative of the Or Movement, which promotes settlement construction in the Negev and the Galilee, said Carmit is being advertised as a town for “affluent immigrants from English-speaking countries.”
“There are 80 families of British, Americans and South Africans who are coming,” Roni Flamer, the movement’s co-founder, stated in March 2010.
Israel’s District Planning and Building Commission of the Southern Region approved the construction of 739 housing units for Carmit’s Phase A, back in 2005.
The new settlement has a wide collection of funders and supporters, including the Jewish Agency, the Metar Local Council, the Jewish National Fund, JNF – USA, JNF – UK, the Ministry of Construction and Housing, the Israel Land Administration, the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee, the American Evangelical group John Hagee Ministries, the OR Movement and various private donors.
Jewish National Fund chairman Effie Stenzler remarked that his organization “maintains that the first priority in Israel is the development of the Negev and Galilee, and that is why we have joined forces in the establishment of Carmit. The goal for the establishment of this community is to bring hundreds of new immigrant families, along with young native Israelis from central Israel.”
The first 116 plots are now on the market, and residents are expected to move into the first neighborhood during 2013. The settlement is intended to comprise over 2,500 housing units, each on an area of 1.5 acres.
“Marketing the plots for detached houses in the new community of Carmit is the next step in increasing the supply of land for residential purposes in the sought-after area of the northern Negev,” Construction and Housing Minister Ariel Attias said in a statement.
The JNF, whose slogan is “Caretakers of the land of Israel for over a century,” has a $600 million campaign to “revitalize” the Negev Desert, acting on the words of Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, who said, “The Negev will be the test of the creative ability and pioneering valor of Israel.” The group is claiming property rights to el Araqib in order to plant a “peace forest.”
They continue on to say, “JNF’s major initiative to revitalize Israel’s southern region is called Blueprint Negev – a name that describes the far-reaching and visionary plan to increase the area’s population and improve living conditions for all of its inhabitants.”
Their plan to “improve living conditions for all” exclude the area’s indigenous Bedouin community.
Carmit, for example, is located next to the Cramim Forest in the northern Negev, near the location of the future Israeli army Intelligence center base, and is surrounded by Bedouin villages.
While the JNF acknowledges that there are currently 160,000 Bedouin residing in the Negev, half of those in villages unrecognized by Israel, the group claims on its website that Bedouin’s “nomadic existence ceased in the 1950s.”
In November 2005, the Israeli government adopted the “Negev 2015” plan, a $3.6 billion 10-year scheme aimed at increasing the Jewish population of the Negev by 200,000, by developing upscale residential neighborhoods, fast transportation networks for commuters, high tech establishments, and better educational facilities, for recognized residents only of course.
In recent months the JNF and the Israel Land Authority (ILA) have been working to “encourage” the remaining nomadic Bedouin communities to settle in cities and stay off the land they want to populate. The encouragement has come in the form of regular demolitions of Bedouin villages, like El Araqib, which has been destroyed 12 times.
Bedouin land expropriation must stop. Foreigners purchasing houses in the Negev must realize they are kicking others out of theirs. Israel must recognize that the Bedouin have a right to their traditional way of life, that they have been on the land since before the existence of the State of Israel, and that the psychological tactics of destruction and non-recognition cannot continue.
A Georgian citizen married to an Israeli woman was surprised to discover last week that a decision made by a judge overseeing his custody tribunal appeared in his file before his case was even heard. The file on Besik Kajaia also contained statements he had supposedly made in Hebrew, a language he does not know.
Yesterday’s report in Haaretz, written by Dana Weiler-Pollak, is the most recent of many disturbing reports published on this particular tribunal in the last several months.
The custody tribunal was established in 2001 by the Interior Ministry and has since come under the aegis of the Justice Ministry. It decides the fate of thousands of foreigners in Israel and – based on an extensive investigative report by Lital Levin, published in Haaretz (Hebrew edition ) several months ago – is responsible for the illegal detention of hundreds of foreigners.
Levin’s report drew a harsh picture of a tribunal whose administration is faltering, whose decisions raise eyebrows and many of whose judges are not doing their jobs. In the past few months alone, some 17 foreigners who had been detained illegally for more than a year (and some even more than two years ) were released after the District Court intervened in their cases.
The impression is that the tribunal serves as a rubber stamp for custody orders issued by the Interior Ministry, which it approves almost blindly, without any supervision or oversight, and without detainees being able to defend their freedoms.
To site a few examples: the tribunal sent a 4-year-old girl to detention because her mother’s visa had expired; a Sudanese refugee, whose release the UN High Commissioner for Refugees had demanded, was jailed by the tribunal and deported; the tribunal judge, attorney Yossi Maimon, released two labor migrants and sent them to work in his brother’s car repair shop.
This is an intolerable situation. The rule of law in Israel must encompass the state’s attitude toward foreigners and the custody tribunal. The country’s justice system and the leadership of the Justice Ministry must not hesitate to enter the fray, investigate what is going on in the custody tribunal and transform it into what it should be: a fair judicial institution and not a rubber stamp for the Interior Ministry’s shenanigans.
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7. Ynet.
February 9, 2011
Activist: Israel becoming country of servants and lords
Viki Knafo, who led single moms’ campaign eight years ago, joins fight against recent price increases on bread, fuel, water. ‘Israelis like to suffer, but we must wake up before situation becomes catastrophic,’ she says
Nearly eight years after she marched from Mitzpe Ramon to Jerusalem as part of a campaign launched by single mothers against then-Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s economic policies, social activist Viki Knafo is returning to the forefront.
“Bibi (Prime Minister Netanyahu) dreams of America – where everyone is either at the top or at the bottom – now everyone is at the bottom. We are on our way to becoming a country of servants and lords,” she told Ynet Wednesday.
On Sunday Knafo is expected to take part in a march titled, “Bibi is dividing Israel into rich and poor; Bibi is screwing the people.” The march, which is organized by the Kibbutz Movement with the participation of the Student Union, handicapped Israelis, youth groups, taxi drivers and truck drivers, will end at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem.
‘Pressure cooker about to explode.’ Knafo marches to J’lem in 2003 (Photo: Meir Azoulay)
“The situation is dire. This time the middle class is also collapsing -not only the lower classes. I hope this time around people will understand that we must take to the streets,” Knafo said.
The activist claims people belonging to the middle and lower classes tend to “forget what they are going through at election time.”
“During elections Bibi does not need the tycoons. He needs those he screws over. They raise gas prices and then lower them. Who are they kidding?” She said.
Knafo said she has resumed her social activity because “people around me are having a hard time. I can see how the pressure cooker is about to explode. Enough.
“People work for a very low minimum wage, can’t make ends meet, and the situation is deteriorating. We must wake up before there is a catastrophe,” she said.
Knafo called on Israeli citizens to join Sunday’s march. “People have to believe we have the power to make a change. We are a nation that likes to suffer, but the government must keep in mind that the lower class is not stupid,” she told Ynet.
According to Yoel Marshak, head of the Kibbutz Movement’s task force, also criticized the prime minister’s economic policies. “People cannot live in a country where the rich get richer and the poor are tormented.”
The activists are calling out against recent price increases on staples such as bread, water and fuel. “A million and a half young Israelis are telling the government ‘enough’,” said Itzik Shmuli, chairman of the National Student Union.
Aviel Magnezi and Yael Branovsky contributed to the report
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8. Haaretz,
February 09, 2011
U.S. official: Israel’s actions in East Jerusalem go against Mideast peace efforts
Comment by U.S. State Department official comes after Israel approves construction of new buildings in Sheikh Jarrah, declares foundation of a new East Jerusalem Jewish neighborhood.
Tags: Israel news Middle East peace East Jerusalem
Israel’s continued East Jerusalem construction hurts efforts to advance Middle East peace, a U.S. State Department official said on Wednesday, adding that those actions contradicted the logic of a reasonable agreement on the capital’s future status.
The comment came on Monday after the Jerusalem Municipal Committee for Planning and Building approved the construction of two buildings that will include 13 apartments for Jewish residents in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.
Backing the plan are settler organizations who currently occupy three homes in the neighborhood. Following the plan’s approval, it will be necessary to evict a number of Palestinian families living on the site in order for construction to commence.
The planning committee is also expected to approve a new access road south of Har Homa, which will enable the expansion of the neighborhood.
In addition, earlier this month workers broke ground at the site of a new East Jerusalem Jewish neighborhood in a ceremony attended by Knesset members, Jerusalem councilmen, as well as former U.S. GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.
Initial construction for the new neighborhood, called Beit Orot and located near the Beit Orot Yeshiva on Mount Scopus, called for 24 new housing units to be built near the Augusta Victoria Hospital.
Speaking to Haaretz on Wednesday, a State Department official denounced Israel’s continued construction in East Jerusalem, saying “unilateral” Israeli actions “in Sheikh Jarrah and previously in Beit Orot, work against efforts to resume direct negotiations and contradict the logic of a reasonable and necessary agreement between the parties on the status of Jerusalem.”
“No Palestinians have yet been evicted in connection with this project, but as envisioned the project would involve the eviction of two Arab families and the demolition of their homes,” the U.S. official said.
The official, however, did add that the U.S. would “continue to press ahead with the parties to resolve the core issues, including Jerusalem, in the context of a peace agreement.”
Speaking at the ceremony at the site of the future neighborhood of Beit Orot last month, Science and Technology Minister Daniel Hershkowitz said that not only is construction in Jerusalem “not an impediment to peace, it brings it closer,” adding that the more Israel builds “the more peace there will be.”
“That is why this neighborhood is only the cornerstone. It will serve as a model for the resurgence of Jerusalem’s construction swing,” Hershkowitz said.
Huckabee a presidential candidate in 2008 said that it was inconceivable to him, as an American, that there’s a discussion over where in Jerusalem a Jew can or cannot live.
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9. Haaretz,
February 09, 2011
Jewish Israeli woman gives birth at Palestinian West Bank hospital
The woman, who is married to an Arab Israeli man, refuses to be transferred to an Israeli hospital, saying she hoped her baby would have Palestinian citizenship.
A Jewish Israeli woman gave birth at a Palestinian West Bank Hospital, the Palestinian Ma’an news agency reported on Wednesday, with the new mother expressing the hope that the child be awarded Palestinian citizenship.
The woman, a former Haifa resident who moved to the Arab Israeli town of Sakhnin after marrying an Arab Israeli man, went into labor while shopping in central Ramallah, and was ushered to a nearby public hospital.
According to the Ma’an report, the new mother, pictured with a traditional Muslim head cover, or hijab, said that she was happy with the care administered by local hospital staff, adding that she had received a bouquet of roses from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The woman also added that she hoped the child would be awarded Palestinian citizenship.
Ma’an reported that the child was born a healthy 2.3 kg and was transferred for further care to an incubator.
The Palestinian Coordination and Liaison office notified its Israeli counterpart of the birth, offering the couple to transfer to an Israeli hospital. The two, however, declined the offer, saying that they would rather remain in the Ramallah hospital, despite the fact that the woman did not have medical insurance and could not find anyone to cover her medical expenses.