While things get worse here, the world goes on as if nothing is happening, as if 100s have not been deprived of homes, as if Palestinians are never unjustly jailed (the only prisoner on everyone’s tongue is an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit), as if Israel’s laws were always just and democratic (this being ‘the only democracy in the ME’). Of course there are organizations that do shout out the news, and bds does seem to be getting on, but where are the international governments in all this?
In addition to the below, the radio news announced today (don’t recall at which time) that 10 homes had been demolished in the village of Al Luban—a village that I am familiar with due to having for some years driven a child and her father from there to a hospital in Israel. Interestingly, this news item was not in any of the English electronic editions of the local press. The radio news also reported that the structures were not lived in and were not in use—hard for me to believe, since this is an agrarian village, where most of the people work the land. Why would they build structures in which no one lived? Why would they spend their meager earnings on structures that no one needed? I will try to find out more about the demolitions in the village. Not tonight, though, as it is already well after midnight.
Apart from demolitions are the arrests and laws—particularly one nasty law that disallows families to live together in Israel if one spouse is from the other side of the supposed line (which line? the Green one? Oh, where is that???). Nasty! Of course no one stops the spouse who has Israeli citizenship to give it up and go live in his/her spouse’s community in the West Bank.
And then there are arrests. Notice, Israeli settlers live under Israeli law, and are tried in civilian courts. But Palestinians live under Occupation Law, and are tried in Military courts. Is there a difference? Yes indeed. But that’s another subject.
Maybe my next message will be more positive. This one surely is not. But, then, that’s Israel today.
Dorothy
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Israel intensifies West Bank Palestinian home demolitions
Amnesty International has today called on the Israeli authorities to stop the demolition of Palestinian homes and other buildings in the West Bank, after a further 74 were destroyed in the Jordan Valley earlier this week.
The demolitions were carried out by the Israeli military in the villages of Hmayyir and ‘Ein Ghazal in the area of al-Farisiya on Monday, displacing 107 people, including 52 children.
According to UN figures, at least 198 Palestinian structures in the West Bank have been demolished this year, resulting in the forced displacement of almost 300 Palestinians, half of them children, while 600 others have also been affected.
“These recent demolitions intensify concerns that this is part of a government strategy to remove the Palestinian population from the parts of the West Bank known as Area C, over which Israel has complete control in terms of planning and construction,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Among the property destroyed by the Israeli military on Monday were residential tents, separate kitchens and washrooms, agricultural buildings, and animal pens.
The army also damaged water tanks, wheat for human consumption and animal fodder.
The demolition came three weeks after the military handed out eviction orders in the village. Residents were told they had 24 hours to leave the area.
Unlike many other areas of the Jordan Valley, the communities of Hmayyir and ‘Ein Ghazal had not experienced demolitions in the past.
According to Palestinian and Israeli media reports the Israeli military authority said the evictions were ordered because the homes are in a “closed military zone”.
Most of the Jordan Valley area of the occupied West Bank has been declared a “closed military zone” by the Israeli army or has been taken over by some 36 Israeli settlements.
In a “closed military zone” Palestinians are forbidden from carrying out building construction and development.
On 24 June, the Israeli military also served eviction notices on two families – 15 people including five children – in the village of ‘Ein al-Hilwe in the northern Jordan Valley and on a building for housing livestock in the nearby village of ‘Ein al-Beida. Both villages are in Area C.
The buildings have not yet been demolished.
On 15 July, two buildings situated in a part of Area C southwest of Hebron in the West Bank were destroyed.
According to a report in the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz on 19 July, the Israeli military authorities in the West Bank are acting on government orders to intensify its enforcement against what they deem to be “illegal” building in Area C.
Under the Oslo Accords, the Israeli authorities retain both civil and military control over areas designated as Area C, which make up more than 60 per cent of the West Bank.
The estimated 150,000 Palestinians living there face severe restrictions on building and also on their freedom of movement.
There are no Palestinian representatives on the planning institutions for Area C and, moreover, Palestinian residents in these areas have only very limited ability to submit objections to eviction and demolition.
“The current system whereby the Israeli military has sole responsibility for what Palestinians can or cannot build in the majority of the occupied West Bank is unacceptable,” said Philip Luther. “Planning and building decisions should lie with the local Palestinian communities.”
——-
East Mediterranean Team
Amnesty International, International Secretariat
Peter Benenson House, 1 Easton Street
London WC1X 0DW
United Kingdom
E-mail: Eastmed@amnesty.org
Tel: +44 (0)20 7413 5500 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +44 (0)20 7413 5500 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax: +44 (0)20 7413 5719
Fifty-three MKs vote in favor of extending temporary order banning family reunification for Palestinian spouses of Israeli citizens or residents; 13 oppose. ‘Calling this law racist is a great compliment,’ says Balad MK Zahalka. ‘It’s retroactive and ruthless’
Seven years after the legislation of the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, which denies granting Israeli citizenship or residency permits to Palestinian spouses of Israeli citizens or residents, the law was extended on Wednesday for six month.
Fifty-three Knesset members voted in favor or extending the law, and only 13 opposed.
Minister of Religious Service Yakov Margi explained the background behind the law. “The security reality has shown increased involvement of Palestinian residents of the region who have exploited the status they gained in Israel following family reunification proceedings with Israelis, to take part in terrorist activity, including assisting in the execution of suicide attacks. The Israeli ID cards have made them the preferred population to carry out attacks.”
MK Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta’al) claimed that the law, which is defined as a temporary order, is not directed at boosting security, but aims to prevent the right of return.
“That is what Minister Gideon Ezra said at the time, and it is what Interior Minister Eli Yishai says. In response to the High Court of Justice, the State has changed its words in order to fool the court, and says there are security circumstances. A stranger coming from another planet would think that up until now the door was open and any Palestinian who wanted to would enter and receive a warm welcome.”
Tibi also spoke of his personal case. “You see here a Palestinian love story on both sides of the Green Line – like in my case, I am from Tayibe and my wife is from Tulkarem – a threat to the existence of the stable state in the Middle East.”
MK Nissim Zeev (Shas) claimed in response that there is no violation of rights: “If you love her, follow her to Jenin.”
MK Jamal Zahalka (Balad) argued that extending the temporary order each year indicates the true purpose behind it. “Calling it racist is a great compliment,” he said. “This is a retroactive, ruthless law. The law also applies to a couple that met and got married before it was legislated. Beyond anything else, this law is not humanitarian.”
MK Chaim Oron (Meretz) said in protest of the extension, “You can tell someone, ‘You are not a citizen,’ but you can’t tell someone ‘You are a citizen, but you are stripped of your basic right to bring your partner in.’ The security argument has disappeared, and the racist argument is on the table for all to see.”
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[thanks to Elana for calling attention to this]
From: Jonathan Pollak [mailto:jonathan@popularstruggle.org]
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 3:44 PM
Subject: Criminalization of Popular Struggle Continued; Abdallah Abu Rahmah Sentence.
Press Release
21 July 2010
Criminalization of Popular Struggle Continued; Abdallah Abu Rahmah Sentenced
Abdallah Abu Rahmah’s first trial from 2005 had reached conclusion yesterday, with his sentencing to two months of imprisonment and a six months suspended sentence for participating and organizing demonstrations and for walking the streets of his village during a curfew designed to prevent a demonstration. A verdict in Abu Rahmah’s main case for which he is already in jail since December is expected soon.
Bil’in Protest organizer Abdallah Abu Rahmah was sentenced to two months of imprisonment and to a six month suspended sentence, after a five year long trial on charges clearly related to freedom of speech.
Abu Rahmah was convicted of two counts of “activity against the public order”, simply for participating in demonstrations, in one count despite the fact that “No evidence of violence towards the security forces was provided”. Abu Rahmah was also convicted of “obstructing a soldier in the line of duty”, for shouting at a police officer and refusing to leave the scene of a demonstration, of “breaking curfew”, for being in the street in front of his house when the army declared curfew on Bil’in to suppress a demonstration, and of “incitement”, which under military law is defined as “The attempt, verbal or otherwise, to influence public opinion in the Area in a way that may disturb the public peace or public order”. Abu Rahmah was convicted of inciting others to “[…] continue advancing [to their lands during a demonstration in Bil’in], claiming that the land belongs to them.
Adv. Gaby Lasky, Abdallah Abu Rahmah’s lawyer said that “The military court threads a dangerous path of criminalizing legitimate protest in the West Bank. Abu Rahmah was arrested, prosecuted and sentenced with the clear intention of sending a message that the Palestinian struggle, even when of civic nature, will not be tolerated”.
Yesterday’s sentence joins a long line of recent military court decisions criminalizing Palestinian protest and effectively cracking down on the already limited Palestinian freedom of speech. The decisions are part of an Israeli campaign to suppress Palestinian grassroots resistance to the Occupation across the Occupied Territories.
One of the clearest examples of the legal persecution against protesters is that of Adeeb Abu Rahmah from Bil’in, who is still incarcerated, even after fully serving a ridiculously long 12 months sentence.
Mohammed Khatib of the Bil’in Popular Committee said that “In my village we learned that when we fight for our rights, when we expose what is being done to us, we can achieve victories, and indeed the path of the Wall is now being moved. Israeli is trying to intimidate us, to dissuade us from fighting for our rights – but what other options do we have? Both the Wall and the settlements on our lands are built in contradiction of international law and even of Israeli law, but it is us that end up in jail”.
For more details: Jonathan Pollak +972.546.327.736 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +972.546.327.736 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
==================================
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Swedish peace activist arrested and charged with assault
21 July 2010
Hebron
A Swedish peace activist was arrested in Hebron last night and stood trial today in Jerusalem.
Nursing student Marcus Rednanver, 26, was accused of assaulting a soldier at a peaceful demonstration in Hebron 10 days ago.
Witnesses say the charge is baseless and that he has been targeted by police arbitrarily.
The judge ordered that he be detained and questioned for a further two days.
At approximately 11PM last night (20 July 2010) Rednanver and another Swedish man were passing a checkpoint near Tel Rumeida when soldiers forcefully detained him, confiscated his passport and called police.
Rednanver was not told where he had been taken but believed it was a police station near Hebron.
Officials at the Court of Peace in the Russian Compound, Jerusalem, heard his case at 12.30 this afternoon. Following the judge’s ruling he was led wasy in handcuffs and shackled at the ankles. He told friends who attended the hearing that he had not been fed since he was arrested.
He will be released on Friday 23rd at 12 noon unless the police investigation can produce new evidence.
For more information contact
ISM Media Office – 0545581494 or 0546180056 palreports@gmail.com
