The 5 items below begin with one that infuriates me—not because it is lying, but because it is so one-sided, as is most of the news (national and international in the commercial media) regarding the nature of the Palestinians to be released.
Two things annoy me—the first being the emphasis on what these Palestinians did. I oppose all violence, as I’ve said more than once—but one person’s ‘terrorist’ is another person’s ‘freedom fighter’—and this latter surely deserves mention. It is not as if Israel is entirely free from oppressing the Palestinians, and, of course, also killing them—many of the killed being innocent children.
The second annoyance is that it is one sided, as if Israel has not had terrorists. One could begin with Yitzhak Rabin’s order to break Palestinian bones. Worse, much worse, are some of Israel’s Prime Ministers—Minachem Begin who took part in the murder at Deir Yassin and the bombing of the King David Hotel, Yitzhak Shamir who was operations commander of the infamous Lehi (Stern gang), responsible for a number of political assassinations, and Ariel Sharon, who, among other things, in retribution for the killing of a Jewish mother and her two children, took his troops into the small village of Qibiya in the dead of the night when its residents were sleeping and blew up 45 or so homes on their heads. No one ever claimed that Qibiya had anything to do with the murder of the Jewish mother and her children, surely a nasty act, but to blow up a good part of a village to revenge???? Each of these men is responsible for terrible crimes. Each has tons of blood on their hands. They are or were among Israel’s chief terrorists, and became its Prime Ministers.
Items 2 and 3 deal with the Palestinian prisoners’ hunger strike, which receives almost no attention in the commercial media. Item 2 reports that one of the strikers has been hospitalized in poor condition. Item 3 is the AIC report on Israeli brutality towards its prisoners.
Item 4 turns to a different subject: Israel’s non-compassion for African refugees. Well what does one expect of a country that cares only for its own—that is, its Jewish citizens. When demography comes first, there is no place for compassion for the ‘other.’
Item 5 is ‘Today in Palestine’—a compilation of events in Palestine and the Middle East. In addition to what is happening in Palestine, quite a few worthwhile items on US doings via Iran. Do Americans really need another war???
That’s it for today, and possibly also for tomorrow. My current 7 year old computer has been indicating lately that it is on its last legs. The new one will perhaps be ready tomorrow, perhaps the day after. That will give you a breather from me for a day or two. Remember, you can always know what is happening in our area by checking out ‘Today in Palestine’ at http://www.theheadlines.org
All the best,
Dorothy
1. Haaretz,
Monday, October 17, 2011
Who are the Palestinian prisoners set for release in Shalit deal?
New details reveal prisoners include terrorists involved in planning and carrying out attacks at checkpoints, restaurants and army bases.
By Chaim Levinson, Yaniv Kubovich, Revital Hovel and Revital Hovel
Tags: Gilad Shalit Shalit swap Palestinians
The list released by Israel Prison Service on Sunday night comprising the names of the Palestinian prisoners set to be released in exchange for abducted soldier Gilad Shalit shed new light on the identities of those included in the swap.
The list includes a number of prisoners involved in masterminding and carrying out terrorist attacks against Israeli, including more than 280 Palestinians serving life-sentences.
More than 100 are hardcore militants, serving multiple life-sentences for high-casualty suicide bombings – one life-sentence for each fatality in the attacks they were convicted of helping to plan and implement.
Click here to see the full list of Palestinian prisoners set for release.
Among the prisoners included for release are Nasser Yataima, who was sentenced t0 29 life sentences for the 2002 bombing of a Netanya hotel on Passover; Yussuf Dhib Hamed Abu Aadi, who was convicted of stabbing IDF soldier Nir Kahana at the Qalandiya checkpoint in 2005 and was sentenced to life in prison; and Nahid Abd al-Rauf al-Fakhuri, who recruited suicide bombers and Hebron and was sentenced to 22 years in jail.
Other prisoners set for release include:
Ayad Musa Salem Abayat – Convicted of being part of a group that killed IDF soldiers Lt. David-Hen Cohen and Sgt. Shlomo Adshina, and assisting the group that murdered Dvora Friedman in March 2003. He was sentenced to three life sentences.
Kamal Abd al-Rahrnan Arif Awd – Convicted of placing a bomb in Netanya in 2001. The bomb was discovered by security forces before it exploded. He also took part in several unsuccessful shootings.Sentenced to 19 years in prison.
Ashraf Khalid Husain Hanani – Arrested in 2006 in Jerusalem’s Old City carrying an explosive. The military court sentenced him to 28 years in prison. The judges wrote in their verdict against Hanani that “this is not a passive person who was being played by whoever sent him, but a person who demonstrated great will to carry out the attack, who took part in the preparations, who offered the location of the attack and the route, and who was caught carrying the explosive belt on his way… to murder as many as possible.”
Lui Muhammad Ahmed Awda – A Tanzim member who tried to organize a suicide attack in Jerusalem in 2003. The suicide bomber was shot and killed by Border Patrol officers. Awda was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
Ibrahim Muhammad Yunus Dar Musa – Took part in the attacks in Zrifin army base and the Hillel coffee shop in Jerusalem in 2003 by distributing to the media tapes of the suicide bombers. Sentenced to 17 years for having prior knowledge of the attack.
Amjad Ahmad Muhammad Abu Arqub – Recruited the man who carried out the attack in Carmei Tzur, in which two civilians and a female soldiers were killed. Sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Samir Faisal Sawafita – Active in Hamas operations in the northern West Bank. Hid an explosive belt, and drove two suicide bombers who failed their mission. Was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Ramzi Ibrahim Muhammad al-Ak – Convicted over links to firing toward the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, placing explosive devices, as well as bringing together a suicide bomber and a terror squad in a bombing which resulted in the death of two people. Was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Kabel Sami Mustafa Sha’abl – Aided a suicide bombing in the entrance to the West Bank city of Ariel in October 2002, which resulted in the death of 3 people. Was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The list of names was published on the website of the Israel Prison Service to allow for opponents of the deal to present petitions to Israel’s High Court against its implementation, scheduled for Tuesday.
“Unless the Supreme Court intervenes, or someone in Gaza goes nuts, it appears the deal will go through in two days,” Yaakov Amidror, national security adviser for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Army Radio.
Israel Prison Service began transporting the prisoners on Sunday morning. 477 prisoners were transferred from 16 different detention facilities to Ketziot prison, near the border with Egypt. The female prisoners set to be released were transferred from Damon prison in the north to Sharon prison. In order to avoid unnecessary attention, the prisoners were transported in several vehicles.
The windows of the vehicles were covered so that the prisoners could not show signs of rejoice, and only once did a prisoner – who was transported from Nafha prison – succeed in signaling the “V” sign to photographers.
The prisoners will undergo a number of identity checks to verify their names, and then an examination by representatives of the Red Cross. After that, they will be handed over to the Palestinian side.
On Saturday evening, the files of the prisoners were delivered to President Shimon Peres’ residence so they can be approved for pardons.
Over the next two days, the files will be prepared for consideration by Peres. However, the signing of the pardons won’t occur until the outcomes of the appeals against the swap deal are decided.
Ron Kehrmann, whose 17-year-old daughter Tal was killed in a 2003 bombing, said he opposes the swap which would free three militants involved in the attack, as their release could result in more Israeli deaths.
“Is the blood of the next captured soldier or citizen less red than the blood of Gilad Shalit?” he asked.
But other bereaved relatives believe the price is worth paying to free the captive soldier.
“To know your son is alive and not be able to hold him, this is the worst possible thing,” said Yosefa Goldstein, whose daughter Sari, 21, died in a 2002 bus bombing.
=============================
2. Palestinian prisoner hospitalised during hunger strike
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories — A top Palestinian militant serving a 30-year sentence in an Israeli jail, was on Monday rushed to hospital after collapsing following 21 days without food, his deputy said.
Ahmed Saadat, secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) began an open-ended hunger strike on September 27 to protest being held in solitary confinement for the last four years.
The PFLP chief was soon joined by hundreds more prisoners, with all of them refusing food and drinking only water.
But Saadat’s health has deteriorated significantly, his deputy told AFP on Monday, saying he was being transferred to a military hospital.
“Ahmed Saadat is now on his way to hospital because after 20 days of hunger strike, his health has really deteriorated,” Abdulrahim Maaluf said.
But a spokeswoman for Israel Prisons Service (IPS) refused to comment whether or not Saadat had been taken to hospital, telling AFP: “His condition is satisfactory.”
She said there were currently 170 prisoners observing a hunger strike, down from the 234 inmates who were refusing food last week.
News of Saadat’s deterioration came a day before Israel was to free a first tranche of 477 security prisoners in exchange for the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was snatched by Gaza-based militants in June 2006.
Israel will in total release 1,027 prisoners, with a second group of 550 to be freed within the next two months.
But officials were quick to rule out the release of high-profile prisoners such as Saadat and the influential Fatah leader Marwan Barghuti.
The landmark prisoner swap deal which was signed by Israel and Hamas last Tuesday, also reportedly included an Israeli commitment to improve conditions for the remaining prisoners, and to end the practice of solitary confinement.
But Weizman refused to comment on the report.
More than 5,000 prisoners are held in jails across Israel, the vast majority of whom are serving time for security offences.
Israel has accused Saadat of masterminding the killing of Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi exactly 10 years ago, on October 17, 2001.
==================================
3. Alternative information center
Monday, October 17th, 2011
Israel’s Brutal Repression of Palestinian Prisoner Hunger Strike Spurs, Not Deters Resistance
Saturday, 15 October 2011 16:53 Ben Lorber for the Alternative Information Center (AIC) On the thirteenth day (11 October) of hunger strikes held by some 3,000 Palestinian political prisoners imprisoned behind Israeli bars, Israeli authorities have agreed to meet some demands for better treatment, an attempt at partial concession that, according to most spokespeople for Palestinian prisoners’ rights, does not go far enough.
On Sunday, Ma’an News Agency reported that the Israeli prison administration “has agreed to allow the transmission of satellite television, has allowed prisoners to go on family visits without handcuffs, has permitted visits between different sections of prisons to take place…[and has met] a demand by prisoners to be given whole chicken, instead of chopped chicken”[1]. These minor allowances, however, fail to address central demands of the prisoners, chief among which is an end to solitary confinement. In fact, solitary confinement has thus far been used by the Israeli prison administration to punish prisoners who declare a hunger strike! To quote the words of Ma’an, these peripheral concessions by Israeli authorities fail to recognize that the hunger strike is ‘about isolation, not chicken’.
The initiative of the Palestinian political prisoners began on Sunday 25 September, when prisoners belonging to the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) issued a statement announcing their intention, beginning on the 27th, to reject all prison orders and to refuse to wear uniforms, stand up for daily counts,or accept food, in order to “declare to the steadfast, struggling brave masses of the Palestinian people and to all free people in the world…[that] we demand our rights and our dignity, as we struggle for the victory of our values and ideals.”[2]
Their principal demand is to free Ahmad Sa’adat, a Palestinian national leader and the General Secretary of the PFLP, who has been imprisoned since March 2006 and, since winter 2009, has been held in solitary confinement following his call to resist the Israeli military attacks on Gaza in December 2008-January 2009 (Operation Cast Lead).The additional demands of the political prisoners include the right to family visits (which are frequently denied), the right to academic study (which is mostly denied), an end to the use of solitary confinement as punishment, an end to humiliation and harassment of visitors, an end to the abuse of prisoners while they are transferred from one prison to another, an end to the excessive use of fines as punishment and profiteering, an end to the shackling to and from meetings with lawyers and family members, an end to the denial of books and newspapers, an end to all forms of collective punishment such as night searches of cells and denial of basic health treatment, and more.
By 2 October,all political prisoners from PFLP were participating in the open-ended hunger strike on a full time basis. Currently, political prisoners from other Palestinian factions- Hamas, Fatah, Islamic Jihad, and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP)- have joined the strike in a partial or complete manner in eight Israeli prisons.
The strike inside the prisons has been met with an outpouring of support in Palestine and abroad. Within Palestine, solidarity tents have been pitched for over a week in the center of all main cities in the West Bank and Gaza, complementing demonstrations that have erupted over the last two weeks in Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah and other communities.
On the ninth day of the hunger strikes, volleys of tear gas and showers of rubber-coated steel bullets greeted Palestinian and international activists who were protesting and standing in solidarity with the prisoners outside of Ofer prison, near the Betunya checkpoint adjacent to Ramallah.
The over 200 protesters, many of whom were students at Birzeit University, marched and gathered in the early afternoon outside of Ofer Transmit Terminal, a temporary holding cell and transfer point for prisoners, before their voices were quickly silenced by the brute force of the Israeli army which, in response to isolated incidents of stone throwing, shot tear gas from behind the barred metal gates of the prison before charging the crowd. This marked the first confrontation between protesters and Israeli forces in the nine days since the hunger strikes began, a time in which protests have been frequent, but frequented only by Palestinians and Palestinian Authority policemen.
As the hunger strike grows, so is the international solidarity as groups as diverse as the Irish Republican Socialist Committee, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network and others have publicly announced their support. The latter insisted in a public statement that “we stand with these political prisoners and prisoners of conscience all around the world who are imprisoned unjustly, and unjustly treated”[3], while the former echoed this rallying cry of solidarity- “Our strength is your strength as you commence your hunger strike, and your victory will also be our victory.”[4]
The Israeli government has been quick to punish prisoners in an attempt to deter them from striking. In addition to heightened intensity of everyday oppression and mistreatment, prisoners have been denied access to lawyers and have been warned that for every day of their hunger strike, they will be denied family visits for 1 month. In addition, over 40 prisoners have been placed in solitary confinement, or have been abruptly and abusively transferred to other prisons, for participating in the strike.
One woman at the protest outside of Ofer prison, where 9 prisoners have so far been placed in solitary confinement and robbed of all their personal belongings, revealed in an interview that she is the mother of a prisoner who is participating in the hunger strike, and who has now been in solitary confinement for 9 days. Her son was a student at Birzeit University when he was arrested for becoming politically active at the university. Asked if she was scared for her son, she replied, “how can I be scared? I’ve lived like this for more than 40 years. Maybe they will eventually kill my son, they may eventually kill me. We’re all gonna die someday, so why should I be scared?”
At a sit-in in Ramallah on Tuesday, Nariman Al Tamimi, a former political prisoner from the village of Nabi Saleh whose husband, Bassem Al Tamimi, is a current political prisoner, related that “all we want is to be able to see our sons, daughters, husbands, fathers and mothers. We want them to be treated according to international law. We want to have our rights like anyone else around the world. I am sure that most of you heard about the Israeli captured militant Gilad Shalit, but I wonder if you heard about the [thousands of] Gilad Shalits in Israeli jails? Most of them are civilians, including women and children. I call all human rights organizations and activists to take the side of justice and save our prisoners.”[5]
At a time in which an entire nation is filled with pride over the rescue of one individual, Gilad Shalit, it should also demonstrate empathy for those from beyond our midst.
The plight of 28-year-old Somali Abbas Said Omar that was reported yesterday in Haaretz by Dana Weiler-Polak casts an embarrassing light on the Interior Ministry’s policy vis-a-vis the granting of refugee status.
Omar – whose father was killed and whose other family members were dispersed in the wake of murderous acts committed by armed tribal militias in the area around the Somali capital, Mogadishu – was forced to flee his homeland in 2005, and, after a period of wandering, he arrived in Israel in March 2009.
In February 2010, he was recognized as a refugee by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, but his application for recognition as a refugee by the State of Israel was turned down by the Interior Ministry. Currently, Omar and three other Somali nationals are petitioning the Jerusalem District Court to overturn the verdict of Interior Minister Eli Yishai and the ministry’s advisory committee on refugees.
The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees ruled in May of last year that Mogadishu and the south and west of Somalia are deemed a disaster area, that one’s presence in the area is life-threatening, and that repatriating individuals to the area is a violation of international law. As a result, the U.S. administration has extended to 2012 existing protections provided to Somali civilians in 1991.
In Israel, however, this ruling has not made much of an impression on the Interior Ministry. In January, the ministry’s advisory committee on refugees stated: “Despite what was stated in the opinion submitted by the UN refugee agency, the committee members are in complete agreement that temporary collective protection not be granted to citizens of Somalia, and that decisions related to Somali asylum seekers should be based on individual consideration of each and every applicant.”
Although there is no question as to the right of the State of Israel to decide who enters the country, in this case, the decision, which was based on three controversial sources, reflects a hard-heartedness and lack of compassion that currently characterizes the Interior Ministry and Yishai at its helm. In fact, even according to the stricter criteria that have been set, Omar should be entitled to refugee status.
All told, there are some 20 Somali citizens living in Israel. At a time in which an entire nation is filled with pride over the rescue of one individual, Gilad Shalit, it should also demonstrate empathy for those from beyond our midst.
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