In its weekly summary of Israeli attacks for the week of 26 June – 02 July 2008, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) reports that Israeli forces killed two Palestinians.  In addition, 8 Palestinians were wounded, including 2 children and a woman, 5 of whom were attacked in Ne’lin village near Ramallah.

Israeli attacks in the West Bank:

In the West Bank, Israeli forces killed 2 Palestinian children and wounded 7 civilians, also including 2 children.  Israeli forces conducted 44 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.  During those incursions, Israeli forces arrested 42 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children. 

On 26 June 2008, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian child in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. Israeli forces troops moved into the village and opened fire. The child was killed when he was near his house.

On 28 June 2008, 2 Palestinian civilians were wounded when Israeli forces fired at the participants in the funeral procession of a child who had been killed by Israeli forces on the preceding day.

On 29 June 2008, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian child in Tubas. They set an ambush for a number of Palestinian children, who usually gather in the area to throw stones and Molotov Cocktails at the Israeli force's military vehicles. Israeli forces troops fired at the children. One of the children was killed.

On 1 July 2008, 5 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, were wounded when Israeli soldiers used force to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized in protest of the construction of the Annexation Wall in Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah.

 

Israeli Annexation Wall

Israeli forces have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside West Bank territory. During the reporting period, Israeli troops used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians as well as international and Israeli human rights defenders protesting the construction of the Wall in Bil’in and Ne’lin villages, west of Ramallah; al-Ma’sara village, south of Bethlehem; and Far’oun village, south of Tulkarm.

Following the Friday Prayer on 27 June 2008, scores of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders demonstrated in Bil’in village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction of the Wall. The demonstrators moved towards the Wall, but Israeli forces closed all gates designed for crossing the Wall. The demonstrators then set fire to tires in protest to the closure of gates. Immediately, Israeli forces troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, dozens of demonstrators, including 2 international human rights defenders, suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Also following the Friday Prayer on 20 June 2008, scores of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders demonstrated in al-Ma’sara village, south of Bethlehem. The demonstrators moved towards Palestinian land which were confiscated by Israeli forces. Israeli forces placed barbwire near the land to prevent the demonstrators from moving forward. They also fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters and violently beat a number of demonstrators. A number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.

On Tuesday morning, 1 July 2008, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders gathered in the center of Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah. They moved towards the area where Israeli forces were razing land to construct a section of the Wall in the village. Immediately, Israeli forces troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, 5 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, were wounded.

On Thursday, 26 June 2008, a Palestinian journalist was harassed by Israeli forces at the Jordanian border when he was traveling back to the Gaza Strip after having received an international award.

According to Mohammed ‘Omar al-Mughayar, 24, from Rafah, a reporter from Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, he arrived at al-Karama International Crossing Point (Allenby Bridge) on the Jordanian border, coming from the United Kingdom after he had received an international award for the best press story in the world, and gone on a tour of Europe. When he arrived at the Israeli side of the crossing point, he was asked to wait at the travelers hall. Soon after, a person, who was apparently an Israeli intelligence officer, came to him. He asked al-Mughayar to accompany him through a narrow corridor, and forced him to wait for nearly an hour and a half. Israeli forces then took him into interrogation rooms, where he was interrogated about the award and the reason for him to travel back to Gaza, where the situation is so bad. While al-Mughayar was answering questions quietly, another interrogator came and ordered him to take off his clothes. They checked his bag. During the interrogation, al-Mughayar fainted, and the interrogators violently beat him thinking that he was pretending. When he did not wake up, they called for a Palestinian ambulance, which evacuated him to Jericho Hospital, where he received medical care. He was then transported towards a vehicle of the Dutch Embassy, which was waiting at the crossing point to transport him to Gaza, as the Dutch Embassy coordinated his travel.

 

Recommendations to the International Community:

Due to the number and severity of Israeli attacks this week, the PCHR made a number of recommendations to the international community.  Among these were a recommendation that the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their legal and moral obligations under Article 1 of the Convention to ensure Israel's respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  PCHR believes that the conspiracy of silence practiced by the international community has encouraged Israel to act as if it is above the law and encourages Israel continue to violate international human rights and humanitarian law.

The Ahrar Center for Detainees Studies reported on Thursday that an Israeli Military Court decided to extend solitary confinement against Sheikh Jamal Abu Al Haija, one of Hamas' leaders, who is currently in solitary confinement in the Al Ramla prison.

Abu Al Haija was sentenced to nine life-terms and additional twenty years. He is in very bad health, as one of his hands was amputated during the massive Israeli assault against the Jenin refugee camp in April 2002. Abu Al Haija is also suffering from a skin disease.

 The Israeli assault  against the camp started on April 3 and lasted through April 13. The United Nations said after the attack that the Israeli army killed 58 Palestinians, wounded hundreds of others and leveled at least 200 homes.

Abu Al Haija filed an appeal to the Israeli court to allow him to meet both of his detained sons, but his request was rejected. Abdul-Salam one of the sons of Abu Haija was sentenced to seven and a half years, and his other son, Asem, has been under administrative detention for three years.

The wife of Abu Al Haija said that she is worried since her husband’s health condition is continuously deteriorating, and voiced an appeal to the resistance fighters in Gaza, who are holding the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit captive, to make sure that Abu Al Haija and all detainees who are sentenced to lengthy terms, are released in any prisoner swap deal with Israel.

Fuad Al Khuffash, head of the Ahrar Center, stated that the detainees who are in solitary confinement cannot see the sunshine for extended period of times, leading to eye problems and skin diseases due to the humidity in the cells.

Al Khuffash added that Abu Al Haija has been in solitary confinement since he was kidnapped by the army in August 26, 2002.

He stated that the prisoner swap deal should include sections which demand improving the conditions of the Palestinian detainees, and ending solitary confinement and collective punishment policies practiced by Israel.  

Click on Link below to download or play MP3 file || Time 04m 44s || File 4.34 MB ||

Benvenuti a Palestina Oggi, un servizio dell`International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, per giovedì 3 luglio 2008.

L'esercito israeliano attacca un villaggio nella West Bank e arresta 24 civili mentre a Gerusalemme demolisce due abitazioni palestinesi. Vi racconteremo queste ed altre storie, rimanete con noi.

Notizie

Un uomo palestinese è stato ferito e altri tre arrestati durante le incursioni che la mattina di giovedì l'esercito israeliano ha compiuto nella città di Hebron nella parte sud della West Bank. Abed Al Azzez Nahro, di 17 anni, è stato ferito durante gli scontri scoppiati fra  le truppe israeliane d'invasione e la gioventù locale nel campo profughi di Al Fowar vicino a Hebron. Gli scontri sono scoppiati quando i soldati hanno attaccato il campo ed hanno perquisito le abitazioni, secondo quanto riportato da testimoni oculari.

Nel frattempo l'esercito israeliano ha arrestato Mussa Al Tawil, età 28 anni, dopo le perquisizioni avvenute nella città di Hebron la mattina di giovedì. Nel villaggio vicino di Beit Ommar, le forze israeliane hanno attaccato alcune abitazioni giovedì all'alba; i soldati hanno lasciato il villaggio dopo avere arrestato Mohamed Awwad, di 42 anni, che lavora in una ONG locale.

Inoltre giovedì all’alba l'esercito israeliano ha effettuato una incursione nel villaggio di Duma, a sud della città di Nablus nella parte settentrionale della West Bank. Le truppe hanno arrestato 24 civili durante l'attacco. Fonti locali hanno dichiarato che i soldati e le jeep hanno messo a soqquadro il villaggio giovedì all'alba, durante l'incursione che è durata parecchie ore, e che le truppe israeliane hanno perquisito diverse abitazioni. Testimoni hanno dichiarato che i soldati hanno danneggiato le abitazioni perquisite.

La mattina di giovedì l'esercito israeliano ha lasciato il villaggio di Duma portandosi via 24 uomini presumibilmente ora detenuti in un campo di prigionia. Le fonti nel villaggio hanno detto che la maggior parte delle persone arrestate dall'esercito sono sostenitori di Fatah, il movimento di cui è capo il presidente palestinese Mahmoud Abbas, che ora sta conducendo i colloqui di pace con Israele.

A mezzogiorno di giovedì l'esercito israeliano ha demolito due abitazioni di proprietà di famiglie palestinesi nella città di Gerusalemme. L'esercito israeliano inoltre ha picchiato alcuni dei residenti che cercavano di fermare i bulldozer ed ha ferito alcuni di loro. L'esercito israeliano dice che le abitazioni sono state costruite senza i permessi necessari. Avendo però Israele occupato la città nel 1967, raramente l’amministrazione israeliana concede i permessi di costruzione dei Palestinesi di Gerusalemme, che spesso si trovano nella condizione di avere una casa costruita prima di quel periodo, e quindi sprovvista di permesso.  

Inoltre una truppa dell'esercito e un'unità di polizia israeliane hanno attaccato alcune case di famiglie palestinesi nella città vecchia di Gerusalemme la mattina di giovedì. Testimoni oculari hanno detto che i soldati hanno fatto fuoco con gas lacrimogeni e bombe sonore contro le abitazioni dei residenti, e ne hanno poi perquisite un buon numero. Secondo quanto riferito da testimoni, durante la ricerca, gli ufficiali di polizia e l’esercito hanno aggredito e picchiato le le persone che si trovavano all’interno delle loro case.

Eid Qwass, il proprietario di una delle abitazioni ha dovuto essere trasferito in ospedale per le botte ricevute, secondo quanto fonti palestinesi hanno riferito. I cittadini palestinesi del luogo hanno dichiarato che l'attacco è avvenuto senza nessun motivo apparente e che i soldati stessi non hanno dato spiegazioni.

Conclusioni

Grazie per averci seguito dalla città occupata di Betlemme. Avete ascoltato Palestina Oggi, un servizio dell`International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, edito per voi da Anna Rossi.

Click on Link to download or play Palestina Oggi MP3 file

Click on Link to download or play MP3 file || 4 m 0s || 3.66 MB ||

Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Thursday July 3ed, 2008.

The Israeli army attacks a village in the West Bank and kidnaps 24 civilians while in Jerusalem demolishes two Palestinian homes, these stories and more coming up stay tuned.

The News Cast

One Palestinian man was injured and three others kidnapped during morning attacks the Israeli army did in Hebron city in the southern part of the West Bank on Thursday. Abed Al Azzez Nahro, 17, was injured during clashes that took place between invading Israeli troops and local youth in Al Fowar refugee camp near Hebron.

The clashes erupted when soldiers stormed the refugee camp and searched homes, witnesses said. Meanwhile the Israeli army kidnapped Mussa Al Tawil, age 28, after searching homes in downtown Hebron city on Thursday morning.

In the nearby Beit Omer village, Israeli forces attacked a number of homes Thursday at dawn; soldiers left the village after kidnapping Mohamed Awwad, 42, who works at a local NGO.

Also on Thursday the Israeli army invaded the village of Duma, south of Nablus city in the northern part of the West Bank, troops kidnapped 24 civilians during the attack. Local sources said that soldiers and jeeps stormed the village on Thursday at dawn, during the attack that lasted for several hours, Israeli troops searched and ransacked a number of homes, and witnesses said that soldiers did cause some damage to the homes they searched.

On Thursday morning the Israeli army left Duma village taking the 24 men to an unknown detention camp. Sources in the village said that most of those taken by the army are Fatah supporters. The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas heads the Fatah party, who are now leading the peace talks with Israel.

Later on Thursday midday the Israeli army demolished two Palestinian owned homes in the city of Jerusalem, the Israeli army also attacked the families who triedto stop the bulldozers and injured some of them. The Israeli army says the homes were built without needed permits. Since it occupied the city Israel rarely gave building permits to the Palestinians of Jerusalem.

Moreover an Israeli police force and army unit attacked on Thursday morning homes of Palestinian families that live in Jerusalem's old city. Witnesses said that soldiers fired tear gas and sound bombs at residents' homes then searched a number of them, during the search, witnesses added that police officers detained men and beat them up.

Eid Qwass, an owner of one of those homes was beaten up so badly that he had to be sent to a hospital, sources in the old city of Jerusalem reported. Local sources stated that the attack happened for no reason and that soldiers were attacking randomly the homes and gave no justifications.

Conclusion

Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem. You have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you by Taylor Bray and Ghassan Bannoura.

Palestine, the last of the Liberation movements has a special place in the hearts and minds of the countries that were liberated in the 20th century.

The newly liberated countries, India being one of them, voted against the partition of historic Palestine and in 1967, Arthur Lall the Indian representative at the UN called for Israel’s withdrawal from ALL occupied territory. Although India has normalized its relations with Israel since then, the sentiment of wanting to see Palestine liberated from the Occupation is still there.

A comparison with the Indian freedom struggle is inevitable, although each struggle has its own unique characteristics. One of the themes in the Palestinian struggle which has been explored is the prospect of a non violent struggle against the Occupation (See Mustafa Barghouti’s ‘Strategies for Non Violence’ in Palestine Chronicle).It must be pointed out that the African National Congress’s armed struggle in South Africa made it possible for the international community’s Boycott and Divestment Movement to succeed, but only in conjunction with the armed struggle.

The rotten structure of the Afrikaner government collapsed quickly. Likewise the prospect of an armed struggle of sorts exists in Palestine with the rise of Hamas, even though they came to power in a fair and free election in 2006.

Armed struggle for Liberation from the Occupier is considered legitimate in International Law. However, an additional feature of the Palestinian struggle is not only the negotiating peace process (however fraudulent) between Fatah and Israel, but as well the presence of such non violent peace groups such as Gush Shalom, whose main spokesman is Uri Avenery, member of the Israeli Knesset and strong advocate for Israeli-Palestinian détente and the Palestinian National Initiative headed by Mustafa Barghouti.

There are also many smaller peace groups and well known human rights organizations such as B’Tselem.

Given this network of peace activists and organizations, what are the chances of a non violent struggle attaining the goal of ending the Occupation without a concommittant armed struggle (however limited) in Palestine? The answer it would seem is very little, as the record to date has demonstrated. What are the likely reasons?

Although the non violent message of Jesus of Nazareth is pervasive, at least in certain sections of Palestinian society, the Israeli ethos is not in tune with non violence. The 19th century Zionist goal of establishing a Greater Israel in the region, was an agenda which in addition to other methods was accompanied by war and violence, an agenda followed by the state of Israel to this day.

Hence, the Palestinian people have known only war and violence and since 1948 the specific violence of the Israeli Occupation. The fact that they have survived is a tribute to their courage, fortitude and endurance. The question any reasonable person must ask is: how much longer can this go on? Is it fair, is it just to expect Palestinians to continue to bear the blows of the Occupation? How much longer can the people continue to offer the other cheek, while they are being massacred, their homes and farms destroyed and their lands taken over by a continuous process of Israeli expansion?

Recently, while in Tehran, political leader of Hamas, Khalid Mishal hinted that Palestinians may have to have recourse to certain methods, if the siege of Gaza does not end. The success of the peace groups, though real and admirable in its own right, has been limited. At best they have mitigated marginally some of the Occupier’s violence, which continues unabated both in the West Bank and Gaza. One can argue that they provide a minimal (if even that!) space, a buffer against a complete genocide.

The question here is: beyond that will they provide a structure for the growth of a wide and deep and ongoing non violent resistance to the Occupation? In the opinion of this writer the answer is no. What are some of the reasons? First and foremost, the absence of a non violent ethos in the Israeli mindset. Secondly, the absence of the evolution by early twentieth century of a genuine liberal democratic tradition as in Britain, which the Indian freedom fighters could hold them to.

Thirdly,the absence of a strong middle class which was never allowed to develop in Palestine. Israel’s long term goal was to make the Palestinians disappear and the Israeli economy was propped up by immense quantities of financial support coming from the United States and international Jewish donors.

Fourthly, the conditions of World War II which made it impossible for Britain to hold on to its Indian empire. Israel, on the other hand, is militarily strong and supported by the world’s super power, which has no intention of declining, even though its power has been diminished. Fifthly, the indigenous tradition in India of non violence.

A flourishing Indian economy was central to the British colonial enterprise of profiteering. Consequently, it was mainly from the co opted emerging middle class that a majority of the leaders of the Indian National Congress arose. They were British educated either in Britain or in the British educational system in India.

Their national cohesion and unity were only buttressed by their education. This is not to say that there was no national unity prior to this process. The First Indian War of Independence was in 1857, described by the British colonials as a Mutiny. And earlier still, prior to Britain and even the Muslim rulers of India there was a pervasive unifying sentiment provided by the indigenous religions, chiefly Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Islam plays a similar role in Palestine.

Since the rise of the middle class in Palestine was relatively weak the economy became subject to foreign donors and the political leadership, even from the time of Yasser Arafat’s PLO, was ripe for corruption.

This would eventually lead to the split in the National Movement between the largely corrupt secular Fatah and the incorrupt Hamas, which became the symbol of Resistance. Presently, thanks to Western opposition they are isolated and the blockade and subsequent siege of Gaza represent the West’s determination to keep Palestine subjugated.

Lastly, the non violent struggle in India was directly owing to the presence of a charismatic leader who would, by example, set a high standard of dedication and selflessness and lead mass civil disobedience movements.

The theory and practice of non violent struggle were crystallised in Gandhi’s life and work. Should such a leader(s) exist in Palestine they have not yet made their presence felt. The absence of such leaders is intimately related to the nature of the adversary. In correspondence with Martin Buber, the Jewish theologian, Gandhi asked him why the Jews did not use non violence against Hitler.

Buber answered that it would not have worked with Hitler.The nature of the adversary in this case the Israeli Occupation determines to a great extent the strategies that are available to the National struggle.Israel’s leadership is by and large militaristic and oriented to the violent resolution of problems. The civilian structure is an ethnocracy not a liberal democratic one. Israel does not have a Constitution that guarantees equal rights to all citizens regardless of race, religion, gender or ethnicity.

Hence, its legal system is a hodge podge of basic laws that have no constitutional backing. The non Jewish population is discriminated against by Law.

The partnership of Israel since its inception in 1948 with the world’s superpower, the United States is still ongoing. A change of Presidency, may open up small windows of opportunity for peaceful negotiations other than the fraudulent Oslo style talks.

That is yet to be seen.

Does this mean that Non Violent strategies are forever impossible or that they are to be eschewed permanently? Not at all. They can work in various ways when combined with low intensity armed struggle and in tandem with the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement. They strengthen and firm up the body politic. Above all, they provide the sustenance for the proper functioning of state and civil society when the Liberation struggle has reached a successful end.

Meanwhile, the Palestinians continue their struggle in a variety of ways. In Sanskrit there is a word to describe the Palestinians: Ajay, meaning the Undefeated.

Dr. Vijaya Rajiva taught Political Philosophy at University Zopinionz

Article published with permission from alarabonline.info