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Jail ordeal of hundreds of Palestinian children arrested for throwing stones The Guardian 13 Mar 2010 - Rights groups express concern at the rising number of juveniles as young as 12 who are held behind bars and 'treated like terrorists' With more than 300 Palestinian children being held in Israeli prisons, human rights... Brutalizing Palestinian children Stephen Lendman, Palestine Note 3/11/2010 As an isolated incident, it would be appalling and criminal. As a regular occurrence, it’s state-sponsored terrorism against defenseless children, subjected to barbarism by Israeli soldiers committing crimes against humanity to crush their will for wanting to live free on their own land - what Westerners take for granted; what Palestinians since 1948 haven’t had, and since 1967, under military occupation denying their very humanity. Nora Barrows-Friedman does heroic reporting for Pacifica Radio’s KPFA Flashpoints Radio and as an activist/teacher/journalist in Occupied Palestine during regular visits. On March 8 on the Electronic Intifada, she wrote about Amir al-Mohteseb, a 10-year old Hebron child, arrested, detained, and savagely beaten after his 12-year old brother Hasan endured similar treatment a week earlier. On March 7 at 2AM, "Israeli soldiers (broke) into (his) house, snatch(ed) Amir from his bed, threatened his parents with death by gunfire if they" interfered, took him down the stairwell, and brutally beat him causing internal abdomen bleeding, requiring overnight hospitalization. "In complete shock and distress, Amir would not open his mouth to speak for another day and a half." Before the incident, he told Barrows-Friedman he was playing in the street on his way with Hasan to see their aunt when: "Two....soldiers stopped us and handcuffed us, (took) us to two separate jeeps, (took) me to the settlement and put me in a corner, (put) a dog next to me," refused to let him use the bathroom, threatened to hold him forever, wouldn’t let him call his mother, blindfolded him, and held him until his father managed to get him late at night. more.. e-mail Brutalizing Palestinian Children Uruknet March 12, 2010 - Yet, in violation of international law, Israel willfully and repeatedly arrests children randomly, at checkpoints, on streets, at play, and in the middle of the night at home, then subjects them to threats, cursing, beatings, detention, and imprisonment, often without informing their parents. In facilities like Megiddo military prison, Hasharon (Telmond) prison, and others, children are... Montreal: 500 Artists Against Israeli Apartheid 3/9/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Tadamon! - February 25 - A call from Montreal artists to support the international campaign for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israeli apartheid. Today, a broad spectrum of Montreal artists are standing in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom and supporting the growing international campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against the Israeli state. Last winter, the Israeli state launched a violent military assault on the Palestinian people of the Gaza Strip, leaving over 1400 Palestinians dead, including over 300 children. Despite the official end of military operations, the blockade continues to this day, with devastating consequences for Gaza's residents. Over 60 years from the beginning of the ongoing Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe) in 1948, in which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced from historic Palestine through. . . Report: 3 children detained by Israeli forces while gathering herbs 3/8/2010 - Bethelehem - Ma'an - Three Palestinian children were detained by Israeli soldiers on Sunday as they gathered herbs in At-Tuwani village, southern Hebron, a peace organization reported. The children, two 13-year-olds and one 14-year-old, were with members of the Nonviolent Peace Corp group, Operation Dove, on privately owned land on Khelly hill, near the Ma'on settlement, when Israeli soldiers arrived in a jeep, a statement by the organization said. "Three soldiers ran toward the children, took the shears they were using away and pushed them in the direction of the jeep. The soldiers made the children kneel on the ground for about tenminutes and after a few minutes Ma'on's security chief arrived. The soldiers forced two of the children inside the jeep and the third one tried to run away. " A soldier ran after him and unlocked his M16, the statement added, and pointed it at the boy, who stopped immediately. Female detainee marks 9th year on International Women’s Day 3/8/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - As the world celebrates International Women's Day, Iman Muhammad Hassan Ghazawwi marked her ninth year in Israeli custody on Monday. Ghazawwi, 33, was sentenced to 13 years, accused of planting an explosive device near an Israeli military patrol, said Detainees' Support Committee spokesman Riyad Al-Ashqar. He added that Ghazawwi is one of the longest-serving female prisoners in Israeli detention. Her two children, Samah, 13, and Jihad, 12, live with their grandmother, as Ghazawwi's husband, Shaher Barakat Isheh, is serving a 20-year sentence, having been detained five months after his wife. Al-Ashqar said Ghazawwi has difficulty moving and suffers from breathing problems, as a result of medical neglect. The spokesman added that while the world marks International Women's Day, "it seems that women around the world have rights, save for female prisoners in Palestine. " . . . . Israeli forces detain 2 children in Hebron 3/8/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli forces detained two children near the Yashai settlement in central Hebron on Monday, after a scuffle that left an Israeli child lightly injured. The two, identified as Ibrahim Abu Ayasha, 11, and Sharif Abu Ayasha, 12, were reportedly on their way home in the Tel Ar-Ramedia area. An unidentified child of one of the Israeli settlers in the area stood in the way of the children, witnesses said, and broke a bird cage that one of them was carrying. An ensuing scuffle led to the Israeli child being injured. An Israeli military spokeswoman said soldiers offered initial medical assistance to the Israeli child, whose injuries were described as light. Israeli forces detained the two Palestinian children, the spokeswoman confirmed, adding that they were being held by Israeli police in Hebron in connection with the incident. Report: 3 children detained by Israeli forces while gathering herbs Uruknet March 8, 2010 - Three Palestinian children were detained by Israeli soldiers on Sunday as they gathered herbs in At-Tuwani village, southern Hebron, a peace organization reported. The children, two 13-year-olds and one 14-year-old, were with members of the Nonviolent Peace Corp group, Operation Dove, on privately owned land on Khelly hill, near the Ma'on settlement, when Israeli soldiers arrived... Israel releases 12-year-old boy from prison 3/7/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Hassan Al-Muhtaseb, 12, was released Sunday, when an Israeli military court in Ofer prison ordered his father to pay 2,000 shekel fine. The Palestinian Prisoners' Society appointed ten lawyers to assist in the child's defense. Many of his relatives were allowed to be present during the hearing. "The boy was detained near his family home, and there were no witnesses who testified that he threw stones at Israeli soldiers. No indictment was filed against the boy. This hearing contradicts the 1989 convention on children's rights which Israel signed in 1991 according to which a minor can't be jailed with adults. Thus, we demand immediate release of Hassan," said one of the lawyers representing the child. Heated discussions ensued during the first session of the hearing between the lawyers and the Israeli judge who insisted that the boy's father, Fadl Al-Muhtaseb, pay a 2,000 shekel fine. Three Palestinian Children Detained while Gathering Herbs WAFA 7 Mar 2010 - HEBRON, March 7, 2010 (WAFA)- Israeli soldiers detained Saturday three Palestinian children, two aged thirteen and one fourteen, who were gathering herbs in the village of At-Tuwani, in the South HRW: Iran: Free ‘Mourning Mothers’ SupportersAt Least Six Recently Detained Without Charge Uruknet March 5, 2010 - The Iranian Judiciary should immediately release six women arrested in January and early February 2010, apparently in connection with their peaceful activities on behalf of the Mourning Mothers, Human Rights Watch said today. Mourning Mothers is a civil society group established in June 2009 by mothers whose children lost their lives in state-sanctioned violence following Iran's... Israel: end crackdown on Anti-Wall activists 3/6/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Human Rights Watch, 5 March - Israel should immediately end its arbitrary detention of Palestinians protesting the separation barrier, Human Rights Watch said today. Israel is building most of the barrier inside the West Bank rather than along the Green Line, in violation of international humanitarian law. In recent months, Israeli military authorities have arbitrarily arrested and denied due process rights to several dozen Palestinian anti-wall protesters. Israel has detained Palestinians who advocate non-violent protests against the separation barrier and charged them based on questionable evidence, including allegedly coerced confessions. Israeli authorities have also denied detainees from villages that have staged protests against the barrier, including children, access to lawyers and family members. Many of the protests have been in villages that lost substantial amounts of land when the barrier was built. PalTel gets A4 paper as two Gaza crossings open 3/2/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - The Kerem Shalom and Karni crossings will be partly open for the delivery of goods to Gaza on Tuesday, Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said. Approximately 93 to 103 truckloads of aid and commercial goods, including two trucks of A4 paper for the telecommunications company PalTel, will enter at the southern crossing at Kerem Shalom. Schoolbooks, however, remain on the banned list, with scant supplies entering Gaza via Rafah and the tunnel system. UNRWA Spokesman Christopher Gunness commented in September on the issue, noting "subjects [taught in UNRWA schools] such as human rights and the Universal Declaration [of Human Rights], are underpinned by universal values which are informed by toleration and the need to resolve conflict peacefully. "He added that anyone who has an interest in seeing the conflict resolved also has an interest in seeing Gazan children educated. 12-year-old Child To Be Prosecuted As An Adult By An Israeli Military Court Uruknet March 02, 2010 - The Israeli Authorities decided to file charges against a 12-year-old Palestinian child from the southern West Bank city of Hebron after arresting him and charging him with throwing stones at the Israeli military. The child was identified as al-Hasan al-Mohtasib, 12. His 7-year-old brother was also detained but was released later on. Their father, Fadel, said... ICRC: Personal photos, clothing permitted into Israeli prison 3/1/2010 - Tulkarem - Ma'an -Israeli authorities informed the Red Cross office in Tulkarem on Sunday that parents of Palestinian detainees would be permitted to bring their children limited personal affects when they visited during the month of March. Officials in the Tulkarem office of the ICRC said the rules immediately applied to inmates at the Megiddo prison, and that parents would be permitted to give the following articles to their children: 3 pairs of underwear, 3 pairs of socks, 3 t-shirts, 1 pair of brown pants without pockets, 5 family photos. [end] Israel arrests 2 Hebron children for stone throwing 3/1/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an - Two brothers were detained by Israeli forces in Hebron and taken to the Ofer detention center on Sunday, for allegedly throwing stones at Israeli soldiers. One brother was released from Israeli custody, while the other will stand before an Israeli military tribunal, their father said. The father, Fadel Al-Muhtaseb, said "a number of Israeli forces detained my children Hassan, 12 and Amir, 7, while they were on Ash-Shalala Street in Hebron. Amir was released ten hours after his detention. " Al-Muhtaseb said he was informed of his children's detention by residents, who said they were taken to an unknown location. When he returned home, he found Amir standing outside the front door. "I received a phone call from one of the detainees in Ofer prison who told me Hassan was there and he will be put before an Israeli military court on charges for throwing stones at Israeli soldiers," the father said. Egyptian police detain Gaza child inside smuggling tunnel 3/1/2010 - Al-Arish - Ma'an - Egyptian security arrested a Palestinian child working inside a smuggling tunnel in the Salah Ad-Din area in Rafah on Monday, reportedly extracting him from the subterranean passage beneath Egyptian soil. Egyptian security forces were searching the area when they located 14-year-old Mustapha Shukry as he hooked up pallets of goods to transport machinery in the tunnel. The security unit removed the child, searched the tunnel for additional workers then began setting up explosives that would destroy the passage, they said. [end] Israel arrests 2 Hebron children (12 and 7 years old) for stone throwing Uruknet March 1, 2010 - Two brothers were detained by Israeli forces in Hebron and taken to the Ofer detention center on Sunday, for allegedly throwing stones at Israeli forces. One brother was released from Israeli custody, while the other will stand before an Israeli military tribunal, the father said. Fadel Al-Muhtaseb, father said "a number of Israeli forces detained my... Egyptian police detain Gaza child inside smuggling tunnel Uruknet March 1, 2010 - Egyptian security arrested a Palestinian child working inside a smuggling tunnel in the Salah Ad-Din area in Rafah on Monday, reportedly extracting him from the subterranean passage beneath Egyptian soil. Egyptian security forces were searching the area when they located 14-year-old Mustapha Shukry as he hooked up pallets of goods to transport machinery in the tunnel... Defense for Children International appeals for detained Palestinian minors. Uruknet February 25, 2010 - Following the detention of 17 minors, many of them children, from the Jalazone Refugee Camp on 11 February, Defense for Children International issued an emergency appeal seeking an intervention for the continued confinement and ill-treatment of the boys. At the time, Ma'an reported the detention of 21 teens and young men from the Jalazone Refugee Camp,... Defense for Children International appeals for detained minors 2/25/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Following the detention of 17 minors, many of them children, from the Jalazone Refugee Camp on 11 February, Defense for Children International issued an emergency appeal seeking an intervention for the continued confinement and ill-treatment of the boys. At the time, Ma'an reported the detention of 21 teens and young men from the Jalazone Refugee Camp, 17 of whom were under the age of 18, while all were under the age of 20. According to DCI, the boys were accused of throwing stones at Israeli soldiers. They were forced to walk to the Beit El settlement, were transferred to the local police station then brought to the Ofer prison in the West Bank. In their report, the organization called the arrest of the children and teenagers "examples of what appears to be the systematic and institutionalized ill-treatment. . . " Volleyball coach to attend course in Germany 2/25/2010 - Ramallah - Ma'an - Volleyball player Rani Asfour will leave the West Bank on Thursday to participate in a five-month training course at Leipzig University in Germany. Asfour, from the village of Sinjil near Ramallah, was chosen to participate in the course by the Palestinian ministries of education and sport. Twenty volleyball players will attend the course from throughout the Arab world. The group will be trained in coaching methods and volleyball technique for children and teens. Courses for coaches will include topics like team building, physical training, mental preparation and managing an athletics program, organizers said. Asfour received a bachelor's degree from An-Najjah University in Nablus and works as a sports instructor in Al-Bireh. He was selected as Palestine's top volleyball player in 2000 and won first place at several championships. Comment / Haredi rabbis vs. the Internet, and the Internet is winning Ha'aretz 25 Feb 2010 - There is no clearer sign that leaders have lost control than when they and their people can no longer trust each other. This breach of trust is at the root of an increasingly frantic campaign on the part of ultra-Orthodox rabbis against the Internet. The latest edict, announced at a gathering of rabbis and senior Haredi educators this week in Jerusalem, demands that all parents enrolling their children in ultra-Orthodox schools sign a written commitment that their home computers are not connected in any way to the poisonous web. ... The tax siege of Shu’fat refugee camp Ma’an News Agency 2/25/2010 Jerusalem "“ Ma’an "“ The scene greeting those entering the Shu’fat refugee camp is one of severe dilapidation, its streets overwhelmed by its closed-in residents. Children are making their way home from school, passing through the Israeli military checkpoint at the camp’s entrance. Two weeks ago, this East Jerusalem camp was the site of fierce confrontations as Israeli forces and police launched a three-day search-and-arrest operation throughout the camp and its environs, Ras Khamis, Dahiyet As-Salam, and Ras Shahada. UNWRA estimates the number of those detained between the start of the operation and clashes at 92. At the time, the Israeli police told me the events did not seem out of the ordinary. Israeli media reported that municipal workers and inspectors joined Israeli forces on the raid, to handle safety hazards, various infrastructure works, and other municipal matters. Tax evasion, it was reported, was the impetus. "This had nothing to do with taxes ... but that was the pretense," said the head of the committee against the wall and settlements in Shu’fat’s refugee camp, Al-Munasiq. "This was an operation undertaken to terrorize the younger generation of the camp – those detained were selected because of their age." He reminds me that he is speaking on the condition of anonymity, that Al-Munasiq is not his real name. His son was among what he estimates as 60 detained during the raid on the first evening, all under the age of 18, save one, he said. more.. e-mail Growing Up As A Girl In Gaza Palestine Monitor: 24 Feb 2010 - To talk to girls growing up in Gaza is to encounter a mass of contradictions. On the one hand, Gaza is a deeply conservative, patriarchal society where girls marry relatively young (the average age was 18 in 2006), usually to men identified – or at least approved – by their parents. A woman's place is generally accepted to be in the home, caring for her husband and children (an average of 6.5). On the other hand, there also is a growing and vibrant diversity of spirit and ambition among the girls of Gaza. Take 14-year-old Assala, for example. She lives in a relatively poor section of Gaza City and attends an UNRWA school from 12 to 4 p.m. Because the school buildings – many of which were decimated by the Israeli invasion last year — are overcrowded (the average class size is 45), students often must meet in shifts for... Israeli construction ban forces Yatta children to learn in tents 2/23/2010 - Hebron - Ma'an- A collection of Bedouin settlements in Area C southeast of Yatta has tried for years to obtain the necessary permissions for the construction of small school building for some 40 students who until now have been schooled in a tent. The south Hebron hills were settled by several Bedouin communities in 1948 when they were expelled from their traditional grazing lands. They largely maintain a Bedouin lifestyle, but are confined to small areas in the hills. As the population of the Bedouin communities grew, families became increasingly adamant that their children receive schooling under the Palestinian system. To help residents, in 2009 the joint service council in Yatta provided them with three tents and school desks to be used as temporary classrooms. The tents, which resemble many of the homes for Bedouin families, differ only because of the Palestinian Authority. . . Israeli construction ban forces Yatta children to learn in tents Uruknet February 23, 2010 – A collection of Bedouin settlements in Area C southeast of Yatta has tried for years to obtain the necessary permissions for the construction of small school building for some 40 students who until now have been schooled in a tent. The south Hebron hills were settled by several Bedouin communities in 1948 when they were expelled... A Second American Speaking Tour: What a Difference Three Years Makes Mohammed Omer, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs 2/1/2010 MY SECOND North American speaking tour in three years focused on the aftermath of Israel’s murderous “Operation Cast Lead” and the effects of the then-46-month siege strangling the men, women and children of the Gaza Strip. In the course of the three-and-a-half-week Israeli assault—which commenced two days after Christmas 2008 and ended two days before Barack Obama’s January 2009 presidential inauguration—more than 1,400 Palestinians were killed, thousands more injured, and tens of thousands lost their homes. Also destroyed were businesses and community buildings, including mosques, schools and public meeting places, along with Gaza’s already overburdened infrastructure. Thirteen Israelis, including three civilians, also lost their lives. This carnage catapulted the international community to action, despite U.S. objections. As I traveled the East Coast in early November 2009, however, it became clear to me that things are changing in the United States, albeit slowly. One woman, for example, so incensed by the lack of depth in U.S. media coverage, approached me in frustration. “This is a genocide!” she exclaimed. “If those children who were killed were my children, it would have been on the front page of many newspapers—but only because we are Americans,” she added, ashamed. Because it is American money, political protection and policy that sustain the occupation, and American weapons deployed in the skies above Gaza, as well as on the ground and on the sea, education is the key to a peaceful resolution, and this remained the focus of my latest tour. Harvard, Columbia and Rutgers Universities had invited me to speak, and several congressional and NGO staff members and other influential policymakers had invited me to meet with them. more.. e-mail Letter from prison: Abdallah Abu Rahmah Abdallah Abu Rahmah, International Solidarity Movement 2/21/2010 Dear Friends and Supporters, It has been two months now since I was handcuffed, blindfolded and taken from my home. Today news has reached Ofer Military Prison that the apartheid wall on Bil’in’s land will finally be moved and construction has begun on the new route. This will return half of the land that was stolen from our village. For those of us inOfer, imprisoned for our protest against the wall, this victory makes the suffering of being here easier to bear. After actively resisting the theft of our land by the Israeli apartheid wall and settlements every week for five years now, we long to be standing along side our brothers and sisters to mark this victory and the fifth anniversary of our struggle. Ofer is an Israeli military base inside the occupied territories that serves as a prison and military court. The prison is a collection of tents enclosed by razor wire and an electrical fence, each unit containing four tents, 22 prisoners per tent. Now, in winter, wind and rain comes in through cracks in the tent and we don’t have sufficient blankets, clothes, and other basic necessities. Food is a critical issue here in Ofer, there’s not enough. We survive by buying ingredients from the prison canteen that we prepare in our tent. We have one small hot plate, and this is also our only source of warmth. Those whose families can put money in an account for us to buy food, do so, but many cannot afford to. The positive aspect to this is that I have learned how to cook! Tonight I made falafel and sweets to celebrate the news about our victory. I cannot wait to get home and cook for my wife and children! more.. e-mail An Innovative Approach to Improving Education in the West Bank 1/27/2010 - This Week in Palestine - Ilona Kassissieh - In a survey conducted in May 2008, it was found that UNRWA school children in the fourth, sixth, and eighth grades had hardly reached a mean achievement of 50 in two vital subjects, namely, arithmetic and Arabic. This blatant decrease in performance was a wake-up call to take urgent steps to deal with this critical situation. It illustrated that education in general, which was severely impacted by the second Intifada, was in dire need of a facelift in order to carve out a relatively stable future within a very unstable context. The never-ending conflict, access restrictions, and declining socio-economic standards have only added to the negative impacts of daily life on all students in the West Bank, including those at UNRWA schools. Indeed, it is quite difficult to nurture and support a child’s cognitive, emotional, physical, and psychological well-being under the prevailing. . . . Aluf Benn / Israel's future relies on integrating Arabs and Haredim Ha'aretz 16 Feb 2010 - The answer to the question of where this country is headed is hidden in table 8.11 of Israel's annual Statistical Abstract, which shows "Projections of Students in Primary Education" for the coming five years. These are the figures: In the current school year, 47.5 percent of first-graders are either Arabs or Haredim (ultra-Orthodox). The growth rate of the Haredi school system is 39 times greater than that of the state secular schools, and that of the Arab school system is 13 times greater. These are not demographic forecasts, which can turn out to be false; these are children who have already been born and are awaiting their turn in the education system. This is reality. ... Defending Palestinian children: An interview with Rifat Kassis Electronic Intifada: 15 Feb 2010 - Defence for Children International-Palestine Section aims to protect the rights of children and minors living in occupied Palestine. The Electronic Intifada contributor Adri Nieuwhof recently interviewed director Rifat Kassis about DCI-PS's work and the special situation of Palestinian children growing up under occupation. OPT: Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn IRIN GAZA Friday, February 05, 2010 (IRIN) - Nearly half a million children in Gaza returned to overcrowded and dilapidated schools on 1 February, many attending in a shift system, with missing textbooks, stationery or uniforms. OPT: Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn IRIN GAZA Friday, February 05, 2010 (IRIN) - Nearly half a million children in Gaza returned to overcrowded and dilapidated schools on 1 February, many attending in a shift system, with missing textbooks, stationery or uniforms. Fatah’s Abdul Qader forms Shu’fat task force 2/13/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - A popular committee was established Wednesday to find solutions for the continued tension in Jerusalem's Shu'fat Refugee Camp, following a string of Israeli military invasions and arrest campaigns, officials said. Fatah's Jerusalem official Hatim Abdul Qader announced the committee on Thursday, saying it was charged with following the cases of the dozens of men detained from the camp between Monday and Wednesday, as well as checking up on the men, women and children injured in the ensuing riots. The committee is an effort to empower the residents and rally the community around continued rights violations, Abdul Qader said. On Monday, Israeli forces, including the Border Police, municipal workers and an undercover police unit, carried out asearch and arrest operation in Shu'fat Refugee Camp during the early morning hours. Egypt: African migrant arrested with infant child 2/12/2010 - Al-A'rish- Ma'an - Egyptian authorities detained an African migrant woman with her infant child on Friday, security sources said, alleging the two were on their way to Israel. "While the security forces were on shift south of the Karem Shalom crossing they noticed an African woman carrying an infant trying to pass through the barbed wire," a statement from the border guard office said. Officers reportedly rushed to the scene and detained the woman when they discovered she was an Eritrean, they said. [end] OPT: Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn IRIN GAZA Friday, February 05, 2010 (IRIN) - Nearly half a million children in Gaza returned to overcrowded and dilapidated schools on 1 February, many attending in a shift system, with missing textbooks, stationery or uniforms. Open Letter to Bono: Entertaining Apartheid Israel...U 2 Bono? PACBI 2/7/2010 Occupied Ramallah, 13 January 2010 - Dear Bono, The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) was deeply disturbed to learn that that you are scheduled to perform in Israel this coming summer. Two years ago, you were invited by Israeli President Shimon Peres to attend a conference in Israel marking Israel‘s contributions to medicine, science, and conservation; we urged you then, as a prominent activist on issues of global inequality and a campaigner for basic human rights, to say no to Israel, especially since the invitation coincided with celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state.[1] You did not go to Israel then; we call on you now not to grant legitimacy to a state that practices the most pernicious form of colonialism and apartheid. Performing in Israel would violate the almost unanimously endorsed Palestinian civil society Call for Boycotts, Divestments, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel.[2] This Call is directed particularly towards international activists, artists, and academics of conscience, such as yourself. Moreover, it would come a year and a half after Israel’s bloody military assault against the occupied Gaza Strip which left over 1,440 Palestinians dead, of whom 431 were children, and 5380 injured.[3] The 1.5 million Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, the overwhelming majority of whom are refugees who were expelled from their homes by Zionist forces in 1948,[4] were subjected to three weeks of relentless Israeli state terror, whereby Israeli warplanes systematically targeted civilian areas, reducing whole neighborhoods and vital civilian infrastructure to rubble and partially destroying Gaza’s leading university and scores of schools, including several run by the UN, where civilians were taking shelter. This criminal assault comes after three years of an ongoing, illegal, crippling Israeli siege of Gaza which has shattered all spheres of life, prompting the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights, Richard Falk, to describe it as “a prelude to genocide”. The UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, headed by the highly respected South African judge, Richard Goldstone, found Israel guilty of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, as did major international human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.... more.. e-mail Health conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails Uruknet February 8, 2010 - Since the beginning of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967 the number of Palestinians detained is in excess of 700,000 men, women and children, representing 20% of the Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories. The current number of prisoners and detainees is estimated at between 8,000 – 10,000 spread around... OPT: Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn IRIN GAZA Friday, February 05, 2010 (IRIN) - Nearly half a million children in Gaza returned to overcrowded and dilapidated schools on 1 February, many attending in a shift system, with missing textbooks, stationery or uniforms. Gaza in Plain Language Joe Mowrey, Dissident Voice 1/19/2010 In articles acknowledging the one year anniversary of the assault on Gaza, blunt and unsparing language about what really happened is often avoided. Despite sympathy for and support of the Palestinian people in their struggle against dispossession and oppression, the description of what took place in January 2009 is sometimes buffered by a misguided sense of political correctness. Yes, it’s terrible. Yes, it is unjust. But we don’t want to be inflammatory or risk offending the sensitivities of those who through their own willful ignorance cling to the notion that Israel is a victim state, fighting for its very survival. The argument is that we should reach out to them and attempt to educate them and win them over. I’ll be more forthright in this commentary. The sociopathic Zionist administration of Israel, as part of its continuing brutal colonization of Palestine, set out to deliberately devastate the already nearly-incapacitated infrastructure which supports the existence of one and a half million human refugees. The people of Gaza, second-, third-, and fourth-generation dispossessed Palestinians, are living in forced exile from land their families inhabited and cultivated for generations. Half of them are children under the age of fifteen. Their culture and their economy has been systematically ravaged by Israel for decades and since 2006 a criminal siege supported by the United States, as well as much of the international community, has deprived them of all but the most minimal resources for subsistence. This oppressed and brutalized population was then bombed, bulldozed and terrorized mercilessly for twenty-three days. Below is a small sampling of facts concerning what the fourth largest military in the world did to a captive and defenseless population. The source materials used to substantiate these statistics are available on request. If the reality presented here goes beyond the stretch of your imagination, you can verify the data yourself. Though you’d better hurry. Much of this information appears to be disappearing down Google’s memory hole, just as is the fate of the people of Gaza... more.. e-mail OPT: Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn IRIN GAZA Friday, February 05, 2010 (IRIN) - Nearly half a million children in Gaza returned to overcrowded and dilapidated schools on 1 February, many attending in a shift system, with missing textbooks, stationery or uniforms. Gaza school children struggling to learn 2/5/2010 - GAZA - IRIN - Nearly half a million children in Gaza returned to overcrowded and dilapidated schools on 1 February, many attending in a shift system, with missing textbooks, stationery or uniforms. "I don't have a school uniform because my Dad doesn't have a job and said he doesn't have enough money to buy me one," said Mohammed al-Khouli, nine, at the government-run al-Mu'tasem primary school in Gaza City. "I have to borrow pens and pencils from other kids in my class because I don't have any. "Israel's 23-day military offensive on Gaza which ended on 18 January 2009 had "devastating consequences for the education system", according to a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Some 440,000 students attend 640 schools in Gaza; 383 are government schools, 221 are run by the UN agency for Palestinian. . . Gaza schoolchildren struggling to learn Uruknet February 5, 2010 - Nearly half a million children in Gaza returned to overcrowded and dilapidated schools on 1 February, many attending in a shift system, with missing textbooks, stationery or uniforms. "I don’t have a school uniform because my Dad doesn’t have a job and said he doesn’t have enough money to buy me one," said Mohammed al-Khouli, a... 'More Than a Book: It's a Masterpiece': My Father Was a Freedom Fighter Palestine Chronicle: 3 Feb 2010 - By Gilad Atzmon – London Ramzy Baroud's 'My Father Was A Freedom Fighter' is more than a book, it is actually a masterpiece. In an overwhelmingly evoking personal style Baroud manages to bring to light the history of the Palestinian people and their battle with Israel and Zionism. Through the story of the Baroud’s family the book outlines every event in the history of the conflict and reflects on the way it transformed the Palestinian reality. The book is a heart breaking depressing story of the Baroud family’s journey from paradise to hell. It is a flight that starts in Beit Daras, a small pictorial village in the south of Palestine. It ends in a Gaza refugee camp. It is a tragic journey of a rural self-sufficient population that is driven into total dispossession, humiliation and absolute poverty. And yet, there is a beam of light along the book namely resistance: Ramzy’s father Mohammed, was a freedom fighter. He didn’t win a single war, not even a battle, yet, against all odds, in spite of his poverty and illness, he managed to educate his children and to plant hope in their young souls, to fuel Ramzy with fierceness, which along the years transformed the young man into a monumental inspirational writer and an icon of intellectual resistance. My Father Was A Freedom Fighter may be one of the saddest books ever written, yet, Baroud peppered it with his witty sarcastic humour. In between sobbing and laughter we come to intimately... Nabi Saleh Chaos in Pictures Palestine Monitor - 2 Feb 2010 - What began as a peaceful demonstration ended with dozens of injuries, including young children. Others were forced to flee their homes under fire from Israeli soldiers. All photos by Lazar Simeonov. Learn more about the Popular Struggle http://www.popularstruggle.org/ Nabi Saleh Chaos in Pictures Palestine Monitor: 2 Feb 2010 - What began as a peaceful demonstration ended with dozens of injuries, including young children. Others were forced to flee their homes under fire from Israeli soldiers. All photos by Lazar Simeonov. Learn more about the Popular Struggle http://www.popularstruggle.org/ Report: “7300 Detainees, Including 33 Women And 300 Children, Still Imprisoned By Israel” IMEMC 30 Jan 2010 - Sunday January 31, 2010 - 01:16, Former prisoner, Palestinian researcher and the head of the census department at the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees, Abdul-Nasser Farawna, stated in a comprehensive report that there are currently 7300 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Report: “7300 Detainees, Including 33 Women And 300 Children, Still Imprisoned By Israel” Uruknet January 30, 2010 - Former prisoner, Palestinian researcher and the head of the census department at the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees, Abdul-Nasser Farawna, stated in a comprehensive report that there are currently 7300 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. In his report, Farawna states that there Israel is currently holding captive 33 women, nearly 300 children, 296 administrative detainees, 17 legislators and... Israeli forces detain popular resistance coordinator in Bil’in 1/28/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - In what organizers are calling "the highest profile arrest of the recent wave of repression against West Bank popular struggle," Israeli forces detained Popular Committee member Mohammed Khatib from the village of Bil'in before sunrise Thursday. According to fellow members of the Popular Committee, Israeli forces entered the village at 2am, and stormed Khatib's home, waking Mohammad, his wife and four young children. The home was quickly searched and troops retreated from the area shortly after the arrest. Several witnesses and international solidarity workers reported seeing five military jeeps return to the home approximately 30 minutes after the detention. According to a statement, "six soldiers forced their way into the house again, where Khatib's children sat in terror, and conducted another, very thorough search of the premises, without showing a search warrant. " Gaza’s children speak of their desire for freedom 1/25/2010 - Gaza - Ma'an - Dozens of children living in the besieged Gaza Strip expressed their desire to live decent lives where their rights are guaranteed in a world far from war and internal conflict, during the final stages of a three week event dedicated to children's art and drawing. The children spoke during the finale ceremony for Gaza Through the Eyes of the Youth, an event organized by the Sharekna Youth Group, in coordination with the Al-Ata Organization for Mother and Child, where they painted across the wall in front of the Legislative Council in Gaza. One of the event's organizers and coordinator for Sharekna, Maysa Efteha, said that activities began during the first anniversary of Operation Cast Lead and lasted 22 days "representing the number of days of war experienced by children and young people. Children could experience a form of catharsis from their psychological traumas through drawing and color. " Prisoners society in Gaza laments death of detainees parents 1/23/2010 - Gaza -Ma'an - Mother of Palestinian detainee in Israeli prison Mahmoud Nassar died in Beit Hanoun Saturday. She had not seen her son in six years. The Wa'ed Society for Detainees and Ex-prisoners denounced the refusal of Israeli authorities for a permit for the man's mother, who was prohibited from visiting him in prison. Umm Mahmoud is third relative of a Gazan prisoners to pass away this month without being able to see their children, the society said. [end] Hamas celebrates strength in massive Khan Younis rally 1/23/2010 - Photos - Gaza - Ma'an - "One year after the Israeli war on Gaza, Hamas is stronger than ever before," member of the Hamas politburo office Khalil Al-Haya said at an event commemorating the lives of the Gaza dead on Friday. The event took place in Bani Suheila, a town east ofKhan Younis, with dozens of senior political figures, PLC members, and resistance factions members and their families, as well as family members of those killed during the Israeli war on Gaza. "We began to defeat the Israeli occupation, they have started to backtrack and we must employ all our power and patience to reach our goals," Al-Haya told the crowd. Hamas has been working to liberate all of Palestine, he said, "the conflict is based on the occupation, we learned this from our fathers and our fathers fathers, we will teach it to our children and we will not give up. " Israel withholding NGO employees’ work permits 1/21/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Amira Hass, Ha'aretz, 20 January - The Interior Ministry has stopped granting work permits to foreign nationals working in most international nongovernmental organizations operating in the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, Haaretz has learned. In an apparent overhaul of regulations that have been in place since 1967, the ministry is now granting the NGO employees tourist visas only, which bar them from working. Organizations affected by the apparent policy change include Oxfam, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, Terre des Hommes, Handicap International and the Religious Society of Friends (a Quaker organization). Until recently, the workers would register with the international relations department at the Social Affairs Ministry, which would recommend the Interior Ministry to issue them B1 work permits. Israel releases elderly prisoner early as health deteriorates 1/19/2010 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Sizty-one-year old Ali Hassan Shalalda was released from Israeli prison Tuesday morning after serving 19. 5 years in Israseli custody, including 13 in the Ar-Ramle prison hospital. Shalada suffered from chronic infections in his lungs, his brother-in-law Tal'at Shalalda said, and released four and a half years early as his health condition deteriorated. He was detained on 9 August 1990 alongside his cousins Jamil and Ibrahim, who were all charged with participation in a bomb plot that lead to the death of two. Jamil and Ibrahim were sentenced to 20 years each, but were released in 1995 under the conditions of the Oslo agreement. Tal'at said Ali arrived home to his family in Jerusalem's Wadi Al-Joz neighborhood in the afternoon, and would travel to his family home near Hebron on Wednesday. Ali returns to his two wives and 14 children. . . . . CPT: At-Tuwani Incident Report for December 2009 1/19/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Christian Peacemaker Teams - Summary: December 2009 was marked by invasions of Palestinian villages in the area by Israeli occupation forces, continued denial of the right of Palestinian children to access education, and consistent rejection of Palestinian owners' rights to cultivate or graze sheep on their land. Despite the invasions, challenges faced in accessing education, and obstacles to cultivating the land, Palestinians in the At-Tuwani area continued to organize local marches, plowing actions, and joined in nonviolent actions with other Palestinian communities committed to nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation. On team during this period: Jan Benvie, Laura Ciaghi, Steve Heinrichs, Joshua Hough, Sarah MacDonald, Sam Nichols, Melanie Southworth, and members of Operation Dove (OD). Israeli Military Incursions Tuesday 1 December 2009 In the early morning hours, the Israeli military invaded the village of Maghayir Al-Abeed. Hebron: Israeli military targets Palestinian children for searches and detention 1/15/2010 - International Solidarity Movement - Christian Peacemaker Team Hebron - In the last month, the Israeli military has been detaining children for extended lengths of time in the Old City, and at times appearing to be "practicing" soldiery by randomly selecting boys off the street and searching them. In one incident, a fifteen-year-old neighbor of the Hebron team was cutting a rope on a package of materials in his father's shop when soldiers saw him. They grabbed him, blindfolded him, and led him off to their military gate at another checkpoint close to a settlement. The father followed the soldiers, pleading for his son, trying to explain why the son needed to use a knife. The next week, another neighbor boy, age fourteen, was running an errand for his father who asked him to hurry because there was another meeting that he, the father, needed to attend. Children of Nablus Municipality member detained at Allenby 1/13/2010 - Nablus - Ma'an - Israeli troops detained the son and daughter of member of the Nablus Municipality Khulud Al-Masry late Tuesday night at the Allenby Bridge crossing, as they returned from a visit to Jordan, Al-Masry told Ma'an. Daughter Safa, 20, and son, Sahib, 23, were taken to Petakh Tikva prison and HaSharon prison respectively and were denied access to lawyers, Al-Masry said, adding that she was not allowed to see her son. Safa studies Social Work at the An-Najah University in Nablus and is engaged to be married in April while Sahib is a recent graduate from the Jordanian University, Al-Masry added. [end] Detention of young Palestinian children up 40% Uruknet January 13, 2010 - According to the latest figures compiled by DCI-Palestine from sources including the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) and temporary Israeli army detention facilities, the number of Palestinian children detained in Israeli prisons and detention centres inside Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory at the end of December 2009, was 305... DCI-Palestine remains concerned by the high number... Cast Lead Aggression 1st Anniversary, Day 13: Child Human Shields Uruknet January 8, 2010 - On 8 January 2009, 'Ala, 15, his brother, Ali, 16, and their cousin Hussein, 13, were released from the cold wet pit in the ground where they’d been detained by Israeli forces for two days and two nights, bound, blindfolded and semi-naked. These children had been used as human shields, a practice which constitutes a war... Expectant Families Awaiting Prisoners Release 4 Jan 2010 - Gaza, January 4, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Relatives of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails attend a sit-in protest at the office of the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC) in Gaza City, to demand the release of prisoners detained by Israel. Israel holds about 11,000 Palestinians in its prisons from Gaza and West Bank including, women and children. The prisoners' families... Life sentence for PFLP military leader 1/2/2010 - Jerusalem - Ma'an - An Israeli court in Jerusalem sentenced A'hed Abu Ghulmah, a leader of the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, to a life term and an additional five years of imprisonment. He was previously charged with leading the military group that that killed Israel's right-wing tourism minister, Rehavam Zeevi, in October 2001 in response to the assassination of the PFLP's secretary-general, Abu Ali Mustafa. Abu Ghulmah, from the village of Beit Furik east of the West Bank city of Nablus, is married with three children. He was arrested in March 2006 along with current PFLP secretary-general Ahmad Sa'adat and others when the Israeli army broke into, destroyed and abducted the group from the Palestinian Authority-controlled central prison in Jericho. Israel also arrested Linan and Mohammad Abu Ghulma, Ahed's sister and brother. [uruknet.info] Israeli Arab MK: Barak enjoys classical music and killing Gaza children Uruknet January 1, 2010 - Some 1,000 people, among them all of Israel's Arab MKs and community leaders, gathered Thursday at the Israeli side of the Gaza border to express solidarity with the residents of Gaza, one year after Israel's offensive there. MK Taleb A-Sana relayed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's message to the Israeli side via a mobile phone. During the... Israel kidnaps 8 Palestinians in Hebron 28 Dec 2009 - West Bank, December 28, 2009 (Pal Telegraph) - The Israeli occupation forces kidnapped on Monday morning 8 Palestinians in Hebron, West Bank. Local media sources clarified that Israeli occupation forces raided different areas in Hebron. After they had invaded the citizens' houses, they arrested number of them and transferred them to investigation centers. The detainees are children under 18 years... 1 Year after Gaza Massacre: Over 500 Academics and Cultural Workers Call for Boycott 12/28/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - United States Campaign for an Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, Dissident Voice, 27 December - December 27, 2009 marks the one-year anniversary of the beginning of "Operation Cast Lead," Israel's 22-day assault on the captive population of Gaza, which killed 1400 people, one third of them children, and injured more than 5300. During this war on an impoverished, mostly refugee population, Israel targeted civilians, using internationally-proscribed white phosphorous bombs, deprived them of power, water and other essentials, and sought to destroy the infrastructure of Palestinian civil society, including hospitals, administrative buildings and UN facilities. It targeted with peculiar consistency educational institutions of all kinds: the Islamic University of Gaza, the Ministry of Education, the American International School, at least ten UNRWA schools, one of which was sheltering internally displaced Palestinian civilians with nowhere to flee, and tens of other schools and educational facilities. Prisoners’ families say deportation better than nothing 12/23/2009 - Bethlehem/Gaza - Ma'an - Rumors of a prisoner release are notoriously hard on families of the detained. As the back-and-forth between Israel and Gaza factions continues at a heated pace, Ma'an spoke with the wives and children of some of Palestine's most prominent detainees. Abla Sa'adat is the wife of one of the nine prisoners identified by Israeli media earlier in the week as one of the nine high-profile prisoners whose release the swap deal depends on. Ahmad Sa'adat is the Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He was abducted by Israeli forces from a Palestinian Authority prison in 2006, three months prior to the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Gazan militants. Sa'adat was wanted by Israel for his alleged role in planning the killing of their minister of tourism in 2001. Charges on Salafi group involved in Gaza mosque take-over dropped 12/19/2009 - Gaza - Ma'an - The de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh instructed the Gaza Ministry of Interior and security forces throw out the charges on activists with Jund Ansar Allah, the Salafi group involved in an August take-over of the Rafah Mosque. A show-down between Hamas and Jund Ansar Allah forces killed 22 including three children, and saw leaders of the movement who sought to declare an Islamic emirate in Gaza, killed or detained. De facto government officials promised to release the remaining members from prison ahead of both the Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha holidays. On Saturday Haniyeh ordered the four-month-old file to be destroyed for the sake of Palestinian unity. The statement announcing the policy shift came following the de facto prime ministers visit to a Gaza prison where the ultra-Islamist members were being held. Settlers in Jerusalem attack Palestinian family, 3 injured 25 detained 12/18/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Three Palestinians were injured including two children and a journalist in an attack by Israeli settlers on homes in the East Jerusalem community of Sheikh Jarrah on Friday evening. From the scene, Ma'an's reporter described the incident as a "mob" of settlers who focusing their attack on the A'teiyah and Al-Ghuwar homes. The attacks came after a day of protests where Palestinians, internationals and left-wing Israelis congregated outside the home of the evicted Al-Kurd family, speaking out against the Israeli court order handing the home over to a group of settlers. During the protests Israeli forces arrested 25, including Palestinians and internationals, witnesses reported. The three injured in the evening attacks were teenagers, brothers Imad and Mohammad A'teiyah, 13 and 15-years old, and a Palestinian photojournalist identified as Nader Papers. Childhood in ruins The Guardian 16 Dec 2009 - Last December, Israel began a 23-day bombardment of Gaza, killing around 1,400 people. One year on, a generation of children is growing up amid the wreckage of that attack, traumatised and radicalised by the experience Ghiada... Childhood in ruins The Guardian 16 Dec 2009 - Last December, Israel began a 23-day bombardment of Gaza, killing around 1,400 people. One year on, a generation of children is growing up amid the wreckage of that attack, traumatised and radicalised by the experience Ghiada... [uruknet.info] Ministry of detainees: Israel kidnapped more than 57 Palestinians in two days Uruknet December 16, 2009 - The Palestinian ministry of prisoners' affairs reported Tuesday that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) kidnapped more than 57 Palestinians including eight children under age 18 during the last two days in different West Bank areas. In a statement, the ministry said that 15 citizens were kidnapped in occupied Jerusalem including director of Jerusalem file Hatem Abdelkader... Refugee children receive lessons in democracy The National 16 Dec 2009 - Pupils’ parliament is a vital part of a UN-run education project in Jordan, trying to instil in Palestinian children a sense of human rights. Ministry of detainees: Israel kidnapped more than 57 Palestinians in two days PIC 16 Dec 2009 - The Palestinian ministry of prisoners’ affairs reported that the IOA kidnapped more than 57 Palestinians including eight children under age 18 during the last two days in different West Bank areas. [uruknet.info] Detention of Palestinian young children up 64% Uruknet December 11, 2009 - According to the latest figures compiled by DCI-Palestine from sources including the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) and temporary Israeli army detention facilities, the number of Palestinian children detained in Israeli prisons and detention centres inside Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory at the end of November, was 306. In November, the number of Palestinian children held... Israeli forces detain Palestinian in possession of explosives 12/9/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli forces shut down the Qalandiya checkpoint from Jerusalem into Ramallah because a Palestinian was found with two pipe bombs, eyewitnesses said. The Palestinian was then detained by Israeli forces, and the explosives were disarmed without any injuries, the eyewitnesses added. According to an Israeli military spokesperson, the Palestinian in question was found with six pipe bombs and a knife. The Qalandiya checkpoint has been reopened. Meanwhile, a Palestinian child was detained by Israeli military and security forces for attempted assault, according to an Israeli military spokesperson. The child, 13, was detained after pulling out a knife and threatening a security guard, the spokesperson said, at the illegal West Bank settlement of Revava. The spokesperson was not forthcoming as to where the boy was being detained, or if he was able to meet with a lawyer. Israeli forces arrest four prominent grassroots activists during Nablus night raid 12/10/2009 - International Solidarity Movement - 9 December - The Israeli military kidnapped nine Palestinians from the Nablus region in the early hours of Tuesday, 9 December 2009, including four leading civil society activists. The Israeli army in the force of 200 armed soldiers invaded several districts of Nablus city, refugee camps and a nearby village in a coordinated operation last night, raiding houses of targeted grassroots activists and arrested nine. Eight of them are currently held at the Huwara military detention center, another one has been detained at the Hasharon prison. Amongst the arrested are four leading grass roots organizers from Nablus, a fifth activist from Awarta village and four children from Al-Ein Refugee Camp. Their families remain in the dark as why these activists have been taken from their homes, though the targeting of active members of civil society is immediately apparent. Ukraine academic: Israel imported 25,000 kids for their organs 12/3/2009 - Ha'aretz - Stories appearing on several Ukrainian Web sites claim Israel has brought around some 25,000 Ukrainian children into the country over the past two years in order to harvest their organs. The claim, which was made by a Ukrainian philosophy professor and author at a pseudo-academic conference in Kiev five days ago, is the latest expression of a wave of anti-Semitism in the country. It comes a few months after a Swedish tabloid ran an article alleging that Israel Defense Forces soldiers have killed Palestinian civilians for their organs. Jews, Israel and anti-Semitism have become a major motif of the presidential election campaign in Ukraine, with some figures making anti-Semitic statements and others condemning them. Some candidates, including a Jew and someone whose rivals claim is Jewish, blame a third rival - Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko - for bringing anti-Semitism into the race. Israeli forces detain five from Hebron 11/30/2009 - Hebron - Ma'an - Israeli soldiers seized five Palestinians during raids on houses on Monday in the Old City of Hebron, in the West Bank, according to witnesses. Nidal Al-Owewi said Israeli soldiers entered his house, and ordered his wife and children into the street, before detaining his son Saed Al-Owewi, 20, his nephews Farid Al-Owewi, 20, and Muhammad Al-Owewi, 15. He also said Israeli soldiers detained two brothers in the same area, Muhammad Al-Karaki 16 and Ihab Al-Karaki 15. Al-Owewi's house is near the Avraham Avino, one of several settlements set up by Israeli settlers in the heart of Hebron, the West Bank's largest city. An Israeli military spokeswoman said she was not aware of arrests taking place in Hebron. Two "wanted" Palestinians were detained the previous night in the village of Hussan, on the outskirts of Bethlehem, the previous night, she added. ’If I stop working, how can we survive?’ 12/1/2009 - Damascus - IRIN - Karrad, 16, and his family fled the sectarian violence in Iraq following the US-led invasion in 2003 and came to Syria in 2005. Although the Syrian government provides Iraqi children with free education in its public schools, Karrad and his brother Ali, 12, cannot go to school because they are the breadwinners. Karrad told his story to IRIN: "I arrived with my parents and three brothers in Syria in 2005. As we were Shiites living in a Sunni neighborhood [in Iraq], we used to receive many threats, which forced us to leave the country. My father used to work in the Iraqi security forces. In 2007, he went for a visit to Iraq and disappeared. We went back to look for him but we could not find out what happened to him. "I was in grade six when we left Iraq in 2005 and have not been back to school since then. I did a number of jobs in Syria. [Initially] at a factory, then at a restaurant and grocery store among others. My brother. . . is working too. . . . " A solemn Eid for relatives of Gaza detainees 11/29/2009 - Gaza - Ma'an - As the Eid Al-Adha festivities are underway across the world and in the Palestinian territories, relatives of Gazan detainees in Israeli jails describe their sorrow at not being able to rejoice, as the sight of empty chairs at the traditional feast tables fills the homes of Palestinians in Gaza. Among the 800 Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip in Israeli jails, prisoner Nafeth Ahmad Harz, 54, has been serving a life sentence since 1985. In cooperation with the Husam Association for Detainees' Affairs, Harz's four children, Ahmad, Muhammad, Suheir and Basma, spoke of the difficulties their family has faced in the 24-year absence of their father. "We were kids when our father was detained and now we are all married and my dear father wasn't there to share in these events with us, but his picture is always there, on the walls in our home,"ť Ahmed said. Fish farming proves successful in Nablus 11/29/2009 - Nablus - Ma'an Exclusive - Yasser Hamdan's fish farming project in the northern West Bank has been hailed as a new Palestinian economic success story, as the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture seeks to emulate his accomplishments with Brazilian funding to assist the industry's development. Hamdan, known also as Abu Ammar, 47, has successfully implemented a natural fish farming method that consists of 10 homemade water basins and constant vigilance to ensure the water's temperature does not drop below 13 degrees Celsius. This, Hamdan told Ma'an, is the key to guaranteeing that the fish live and grow naturally. It is estimated that every basin produces 900 kilograms of a variety of fish. Although Hamdan started his project three years ago with his five children, he only began to sell his farmed fish to Palestinians this year, at 20 Israeli shekels per kilogram. PA minister: No peace deal without prisoner release 11/26/2009 - Jericho - Ma'an - Issa Qaraqe, the minister of detainees and detainees affairs, said on Thursday he would not sign a peace agreement with Israel until all Palestinian prisoners had been released from its jails. Speaking at an international conference in Jericho on the plight of Palestinian prisoners, Qaraqe said children and women in Israel's jails deserved the attention of the international community, which he urged to intervene. He also alleged that Palestinians suffer widespread torture and medical neglect, that the issue was at the top of President Mahmoud Abbas' agenda, and that there would never be a peace agreement with Israel that did not address detainees. Among the participants on Thursday were Sinn FĂ©in member and former political prisoner Patrick Sheehan, former EU vice president Luisa Morgantini, UK lawyer and activist Liam Pepper, US ex-detainees activist Victoria. . . US Consulate staff donate gifts to Bethlehem orphanage 11/25/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an - US Consulate staff from Jerusalem visited the Holy Family Orphanage in Bethlehem on Wednesday to present the children with gifts and food donated by staff and family members for the Thanksgiving and Eid Al-Adha holidays. During their visit, Iskandar Ar-Ruwha, administrative manager of the orphanage, briefed US consulate staff on the wide range of facilities and programs provided for the children, in addition to describing the circumstances which bring many of the children to the Holy Family Orphanage. Kyler Kronmiller, a member of the consulate's political office visiting the orphanage for the first time, expressed that the donations were "an opportunity to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Eid Al-Adha and to share the blessings that we have with our neighbors in Bethlehem,"ť adding that, "We hope that our contribution today will be helpful to the children. [uruknet.info] IOA demolition threatens family of 207 members Uruknet November 25, 2009 - The family of Ja'abis in Jabal Al-Mukabir, southeast of occupied Jerusalem, expressed concern that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) would demolish their 53 apartments at the pretext of unlicensed construction which, if implemented, would render 207 citizens homeless including 117 children. The Makdesi (Jerusalemite) institution said in a statement on Wednesday that its employees made a... IOA demolition threatens family of 207 members PIC 25 Nov 2009 - The family of Ja'abis in Jabal Al-Mukabir expressed concern that the IOA would demolish their 53 apartments which, if implemented, would render 207 citizens homeless including 117 children. UNICEF: Refugee dropout rates staggering in Lebanon 11/21/2009 - Ramallah - Ma'an - India's representative to the Palestinian Authority delivered a check for 1 million US dollars to UNRWA director Karen Abu Zayd in Jerusalem on Friday. The ambassador said the aid package came within India's pledge to donate 10 million US dollars for building a Palestinian embassy and residence for diplomats in New Delhi. Also on Friday, UNICEF issued a report saying UNRWA-registered Palestinian students in Lebanon had staggering dropout raids, including 50 percent of 17-year-olds, and 40 percent of of 16-year-olds receiving no education whatsoever. "We are sounding the alarm that the dropout rate is too high among school-aged children from the intermediary to the high school level," said Ray Virgilio Torres, head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Beirut, according to Agence France-Presse. PA police detain 11 ’fugitives’ at Allenby Bridge 11/21/2009 - Jericho - Ma'an - Police operating at the Allenby Bridge border crossing near Jericho detained 11 Palestinians they called fugitives apparently trying to leave the country over the past week. Their names were not released in a statement sent from the department's media office. Meanwhile, a family was evacuated from its home in the Old City of Hebron Friday night after an over-used heater shorted, setting the home ablaze, rescue workers reported. Neighbors called the police, who said they rushed to the Bab Az-Zawieyah area home, where they found a mother and her two children trapped by the fire. Palestinian firefighters were called to the scene to put out the fire. They removed flammable objects from the fire's path, and doused the flaming rooms with water. Each year home fires erupt in Palestine as the result of over-used or unattended electric or domestic-gas heaters. IOF troops detain 5 citizens from Jayyus village, settler runs over child PIC 22 Nov 2009 - Israeli occupation forces rounded up five citizens from the Jayyus village at dawn Saturday while an Israeli settler ran over a Palestinian child in Nablus district on Friday, locals reported. Fox News: Hamas handed Israel 70 new names for swap deal 11/20/2009 - Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - A Fox News exclusive alleged "the pieces are falling in place" for a swap deal to be completed before 27 November that would see 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israel released for a soldier captured by Gaza fighters in 2006. Published Thursday morning US Eastern time, the American news agency said Hamas, which has been at the front of swap talks, submitted 70 new names to replace those rejected by Israeli officials. The deal aims to be completed before the Muslim Eid Al-Adha, on the 27th. The terms of the Gaza-proposed swap deal would see 450 named high-level prisoners, including detained lawmakers, former fighters, women and children, released in addition to at least 550 other prisoners. Israel's refusal to release dozens of those named in the group of 450 caused the swap-talks to stall. 'Starving mom's' 3 children leave Israel YNet News 19 Nov 2009 - Authorities say that while departure was lawful it was not announced, express concern that mother accused of starving her child may flee country IOF soldiers arrest Palestinian woman for refusing strip search, beat up child PIC 18 Nov 2009 - The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained a Palestinian women on Tuesday night in downtown Al-Khalil after she refused to strip for search. [uruknet.info] Israeli army kidnapped 6200 children since 2000 Official report Uruknet November 16, 2009 - An official report, received by Arab League from the minister of prisoners' affairs in the Palestinian Authority (Ramallah), revealed that the Israeli occupation forces have kidnapped about 6,200 Palestinian children since the beginning of Al Aqsa Intifada (2000), including approximately 337 children still detained in Israeli prisons and interrogation centers. During last Saturday's meeting of the... In Brief: Stunting not as bad as expected in Occupied Palestinian Territories IRIN DUBAI Friday, November 13, 2009 (IRIN) - An estimated 200 million children aged under five in the developing world suffer from stunted growth due to maternal and childhood undernutrition, according to a new UNICEF report. 10-year-old Palestinian boy jailed for 11 hours 11/15/2009 - YNetNews - Hussam Faisal Muhana throws stones during demonstration in his village near Tulkarem, detained in Israeli prison for 11 hours, returns home shocked and in pain. IDF spokesman: Event being investigated - Hussam Faisal Muhana, 10, heeded the calls made on Saturday over the loudspeakers throughout his village of Deir al-Ghusun near Tulkarem encouraging residents to participate in a demonstration against the separation fence. Together with other children and youth from the village, he went to the demonstration. The children threw stones at the security forces that clashed with the demonstrators. Despite his young age, Muhana was arrested. "There were two soldiers there who beat me in the legs with a club. After that, they took me to Ariel," the boy told Ynet the day after his arrest. Still in shock, he didn't know whether he was taken to a police station or to a military base. In Brief: Stunting not as bad as expected in Occupied Palestinian Territories IRIN DUBAI Friday, November 13, 2009 (IRIN) - An estimated 200 million children aged under five in the developing world suffer from stunted growth due to maternal and childhood undernutrition, according to a new UNICEF report.
Gaza kicks off 'Al-Quds Capital of Arab Culture 2009' events with recitations Ma’an News Agency 3/7/2009 Gaza – Ma’an – A two hour concert of Quran and poetry recitation was given in Gaza Saturday as the kick-off event for the Strip’s celebration of Al-Quds Capital of Arab Culture 2009. Al-Quds is Jerusalem in Arabic. The Gaza premier comes in advance of the Jerusalem and West Bank launch of events, which were postponed following the war on Gaza and are set to begin on 21 March. There has been no coordination between the de facto and caretaker governments over programming for the celebrations. The first of the celebrations in Gaza saw the wives, mothers and children of dozens of the fine artists in the area killed in the Israeli war on Gaza attend the event. Members of Hamas’ change and reform bloc along with dozens of academics, artists and prominent figures from the Gaza Strip also attended. The events are being organized by the Higher National Committee in Jerusalem as the. . . more.. e-mail
Self portraits balance Ramallah artist Lovisa Farrow for PNN, Palestine News Network 2/24/2009 Ramallah - The focus was on the personal when Ramallah’s Al Mahatta Gallery opened its doors to the "Monologue" exhibit yesterday evening. West Bank artist Bashar Alhroub worked for a year to produce the 13 piece suite of the self that hangs in the Art Station until next month. Self-portraits allow the soul to communicate, says Bashar. "We are living in a situation where the outside world is constantly present. I try to find a quiet place for myself in art," he told PNN. The abstract paintings hang in chronological order and are a study of personal development. The early paintings are reminiscent of dark fireworks while the later move more toward egg figures, concentrating the dark colors in a core and bringing to mind a child in the womb. "That’s a way of seeing it. My soul is pregnant with the siege," Alhroub commented on last night’s observation. more.. e-mail
Mahmoud Darwish’s mother, immortalized in poetry, dies at 96 Ma’an News Agency 2/14/2009 Bethlehem – Ma’an – The mother of late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish died on Friday, six months after burying her son. The funeral procesion will begin Saturday after the noon prayer from her home at Jadeidi, five kilometers north east of Acre. Darwish’s mother was a central figure in his poetry, immortalized as a symbol for the earth of his homeland in his famous poem, “For my mother” turned into a song by Syrian singer Marcel Khalifah. I long for my mother’s bread / my mother’s coffee / my mother’s touch… / and childhood grows in me / one day on another day’s chest / I must be worth my life / at the hour of my death / worth the tears of my mother/ Take me, if I return one day, / as a veil for your lashes / and cover my bones with grass / baptized by your footsteps / bind us together / with a lock of your hair. . . . . . more.. e-mail
Demolition in Jahalin community leaves 30 homeless Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, Stop The Wall 2/9/2009 Occupation forces destroyed tents belonging to five ‘Arab Jahalin families, leaving 30 people, 15 of them children, homeless. These families are part of a community that has been threatened with expulsion for some time, as their land is targeted for the expansion of the nearby Ma’ale Adummim settlement. The demolition began at three in the afternoon on 3 February, when a large contingent of soldiers, 200 according to one witness, and military equipment arrived at the community. They declared the area a closed military zone, detained the families that were in the tents, and demolished the structures as well as their contents. The tents belonged to Kayid Salem and his four married sons and were used to house their respective families. The operation finished in the evening, with the military withdrawing and leaving the families without shelter for the night. more.. e-mail
Demolition in Jahalin community leaves 30 homeless Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, Stop The Wall 2/9/2009 Occupation forces destroyed tents belonging to five ‘Arab Jahalin families, leaving 30 people, 15 of them children, homeless. These families are part of a community that has been threatened with expulsion for some time, as their land is targeted for the expansion of the nearby Ma’ale Adummim settlement. The demolition began at three in the afternoon on 3 February, when a large contingent of soldiers, 200 according to one witness, and military equipment arrived at the community. They declared the area a closed military zone, detained the families that were in the tents, and demolished the structures as well as their contents. The tents belonged to Kayid Salem and his four married sons and were used to house their respective families. The operation finished in the evening, with the military withdrawing and leaving the families without shelter for the night. While the affected families did obtain two tents from the... more.. e-mail
Report: More than 300,000 children ’at risk’ in Israel Haaretz Srevice, Ha’aretz 2/8/2009 A Welfare Ministry report released on Sunday reveals that in 2008 some 309,141 children were living in homes that place thjem at risk. The report finds some 2000 children were hospitalized due to domestic abuse during 2008. The report also indicates a continuing decline in the number of youths serving in the army. In 2007, 76 percent of male teens and 59 percent of female teens were drafted to the IDF, while in 1992 the figures stood at 83 percent and 67 percent accordingly. Meanwhile the number of youths’ suicide attempts has increased according to the report. In 2007 nearly 700 teens, 73 percent of them females, were hospitalized after attempting to commit suicide. In seven of these cases the youths were under the age of nine. more.. e-mail
Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, releases charity song for children of Gaza Reuters, Ha’aretz 1/27/2009 The musician formerly known as Cat Stevens released a charity song on Monday to help the children of Gaza. The United Nations said the London-born Yusuf Islam recorded a rendition of the George Harrison song The Day the World Gets Round, along with the German bassist and former Beatles collaborator Klaus Voorman. All proceeds from the song will be donated to the UN agency in charge of Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and to the nonprofit group Save the Children to be directed to aiding Gaza residents. Gaza officials say 280 of the 1,285 Palestinians killed in the three-weekIsraeli offensive were children. Children make up 56 percent of Gaza’s 1. 4million people. The offensive aimed at stopping rocket fire by Gaza’s Hamas rulers into southern Israel. more.. e-mail
Yusuf Islam releases charity song for Gaza Middle East Online 1/26/2009 JERUSALEM - Singer-songwriter Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, released on Sunday a charity song whose proceeds will go towards assisting Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. The new recording of the song ’The day the world gets round’, originally recorded by George Harrison, features Yusuf on vocals and Klaus Voorman, known to many as the fifth Beatle, on bass. The song can be downloaded online at different rates and its proceeds will go towards the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and Save the Children to aid children and families in the Gaza Strip, UNRWA said in a statement. Yusuf said on his website he hoped the recording will "help remind people of the immense legacy of love, peace and happiness we can share when we get round to looking at mankind’s futile wars and prejudices. " As Cat Stevens, Islam, now 59, recorded several major hits in the late 1960s and 1970s. more.. e-mail
Israeli forces arrest seven children in West Bank Report, Addameer and DCI-Palestine, Electronic Intifada 1/23/2009 Seven children from Toura al-Gharbeiah village (near the West Bank city of Jenin) were arrested on Tuesday by the Israeli authorities; they are currently detained in Salim detention and interrogation center, in the northern West Bank. Two of the children are only 12 years old; two are 13; another two are aged 15; and the seventh is 17. A Defense for Children International (DCI)-Palestine lawyer yesterday visited the children. According to information collected by the lawyer, between midnight and 4:00am on Tuesday 20 January, the Israeli intelligence, police and army entered Toura al-Gharbeiah village and arrested the seven children from their respective homes. The children were then assembled in a public building in the village, and interrogated there. They were alleged to have thrown stones at the Wall and were intimidated into confessing. The eldest, Murad (17), was accused of possessing weapons, but he denied the allegation. Murad told the DCI-Palestine lawyer what happened on Tuesday morning. more.. e-mail
PLC acting speaker urges ICC to prosecute Israeli leaders Ma’an News Agency 1/23/2009 Gaza – Ma’an – The Acting Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Ahmad Bahar, demanded that Israeli leaders be tried for war crimes on Thursday. Bahar said in a letter to the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo,“The intentional court is called upon to carry out legal procedures by apprehending and detaining Israeli leaders and those responsible for the vicious war perpetrated against civilian Palestinians in Gaza. ”He added: “The Israeli occupation used all kinds of weaponryincluding the internationally-banned weapons, among them phosphorus, against the Palestinians and shelling residential areaskilling 1,340 civilians the majority of whom were children, women, the elderly, medics, journalists, UN workers and other innocents. ”He also noted that Israel disregarded a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. more.. e-mail
Seven children seized, jailed by Israeli military near Jenin Ma’an News Agency 1/23/2009 Ramallah – Ma’an – Seven children have been seized from their homes in the village of Toura Al-Gharbiyah, near Jenin, the organization Defense for Children International (DCI) reports. The children are currently detained in Salim detention center in the north of the West Bank. Two of the children are only 12 years old; two are 13; another two are aged 15; and the seventh is 17. A DCI lawyer who visited the children said that after the children were pulled from their homes at 4am on Tuesday, Israeli intelligence, police and army held the children in a public building in the village, and interrogated them. They were alleged to have thrown stones at the Israeli separation wall and were intimidated into confessing, according to DCI. The eldest, Murad, 17, was accused of possessing weapons, but he denied the allegation. more.. e-mail
Royal Court acts fast with Gaza crisis play Mark Brown, arts correspondent, The Guardian 1/24/2009 By any theatrical standards the latest play by Caryl Churchill has been remarkably speedy, going from pen to performance on a London stage in under a month. The reason for the speed is Gaza. Churchill was so appalled by events there that she felt compelled to write, and the Royal Court theatre in London felt a duty to quickly produce her play, titled Seven Jewish Children - A Play for Gaza. Churchill, one of the titans of British theatre, said: "Israel has done lots of terrible things in the past, but what happened in Gaza seemed particularly extreme. " The play will be performed for free with a collection afterwards for the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians. After the London run Churchill will publish it online and allow anyone, anywhere to download it. "Anyone can perform it without acquiring the rights, as long as they do a collection for people in Gaza at the end of it. " more.. e-mail
Resisting from abroad Osama Awad, Palestine News Network 1/22/2009 PNN - Fadi Salfiti is a Palestinian from Gaza who watched on television bombs raining. "I was trying to see where they were exactly but everything just kept being flattened, entire neighborhoods. " Salfiti is outside in Sweden who spent days on the phone with his family and watching images, hearing the stories. "The children who remained under the rubble for three days, wounded and starving, calling for their mother to wake from the dead. "He told PNN, "It is so hard, I feel in shock. From moment to moment I have followed the news and you do not sleep until the morning. I followed the shelling on our street and our house was bombed along with a complex of ministries and the Islamic University in Gaza City. My house, my family, this is tension and insomnia, helplessness, fear. " Salfiti said that he could do nothing else for the over three weeks of major attacks. more.. e-mail
In Memory of Martin Luther King Yousef Abudayyeh, Palestine Think Tank 1/20/2009 more.. e-mail
BAN Achinoam Nini (Noa) from participating at Gaza Charity Event! Mary Rizzo, Palestine Think Tank 1/21/2009 Call to Kill the Parents and Volunteer to Sing for the Children - We, the undersigned, demand that Achinoam Nini be barred from participating in the Gaza charity event scheduled for Friday, January 23, 2009 at "Levontin 7" in Tel Aviv. In an open letter to the Palestinian people, Israeli singer Ahinoam Nini wrote: "I can only wish for you that Israel will do the job we all know needs to be done, and finally RID YOU of this cancer, this virus, this monster called fanaticism, today, called Hamas. " Today, after her wish has been fulfilled, and the Israeli army "GOT RID" of over 1300 Palestinians, over 400 of them children, over 100 of them women, and injured more than 5000, Ahinoam Nini wants to share the stage at a charity performance for the sake of Gaza’s children? -- See also: Noa writes open letter to Gazans more.. e-mail
School teacher detained by Israeli troops, curfew imposed on northern village Ma’an News Agency 1/20/2009 Jenin – Ma’an – Israeli troops detained a school teacher south of Jenin on Tuesday, then imposed a curfew on the village and blocked all roads in and out of the area. The head of the village council Tariq Qabha identified the detained man as Mu’ayad Qabha, at eacher in one of the schools in the village. He added that the troops raided the houses in the village and turned a billiards club into an investigation center. “They brought their computers and stuff and investigated some kids and young men,” said Qabha. Several children were spotted throwing stones at armed vehicles as they patrolled village streets. [end]
Gazans see little hope for change under Obama Mai Yaghi - Gaza City, Middle East Online 1/20/2009 As they clean up the rubble of Israel’s deadliest war on their coastal strip, Gazans hold out little hope that new US president Barack Obama can bring change to the cycle of violence. The tide of global hope that has surged with Obama’s arrival has not washed over Gaza, where 1,300 Palestinians died, more than 400 of them children, and 5,000 were wounded in Israel’s 22-day offensive that only ended on Sunday. "Obama won’t bring my husband back to life," said Leila Khalil. "He was martyred and left me with six children to feed on my own. And Obama won’t repair our house that was damaged in the (air) raids. " Palestinians across the battered city voice the same anguish as 42-year-old Khalil, who lost her husband on January 6 when Israeli bombs fell on a school in the north of the Gaza Strip. For Khalil, Obama, who was to be inaugurated as the 44th president of the United. . . more.. e-mail
Thousands march to celebrate victory against IOF invasion Palestinian Information Center 1/20/2009 GAZA, (PIC)-- Tens of thousands of Palestinians marched in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday to celebrate victory despite the vast destruction inflicted by the Israeli occupation forces’ war machine. Hamas called for the demo after the noon prayers in all areas of the Strip in a bid to display popular backing to resistance. The march started from the UNRWA-run Fakhoura School in Jabalia refugee camp north of Gaza in which 45 Palestinians were killed and 150 others wounded in an IOF barbaric shelling of the school that was housing civilians seeking refuge. The march headed to the home of Dr. Nizar Rayyan, the Hamas leader who was killed in an IOF savage bombardment of his home that killed him along with all his family including 9 children. A number of Hamas leaders took part in the marches that also hit the streets of Gaza city, Khan Younis, Rafah, Deir Al-Balah, Nusseirat and Breij. more.. e-mail
Thousands rally in Gaza City; leaders say resistance victorious Ma’an News Agency 1/20/2009 Gaza – Ma’an – Thousands of Palestinians rallied in cities across the Gaza Strip Tuesday, responding to a Hamas declaration that the people should “celebrate the resistance victory in the war against Israeli forces. ”Rallies began in local mosques where citizens emerged waving faction and national flags as processions poured out into streets chanting songs and slogans of resistance. Gazans cheered for the resistance that defeated the Israeli army until they retreated. Israeli forces, one slogan rang, managed to kill only women and children and destroy only homes after the resistance beat them. Massive crowds gathered in front of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Headquarters in Gaza City, shouting that they were with the resistance. Head of Popular Activities for Hamas Ashraf Abu Dayya commented on the rally, saying such mass participation reflected the popular. . . more.. e-mail
Israel arrests more children in first two weeks of 2009 than any month in 2008 Ma’an News Agency 1/18/2009 Bethlehem - Ma’an - The number of children arrested by Israeli forces and brought before military courts in the first two weeks of January is double the average for any given week in 2008, said Defense for Children International (DCI) on Sunday. They reported that the DCI legal department has received ten new cases for representation for children in military courts. This is again double the average of cases per month. Most of the arrests are of children participating in demonstrations against Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip, though DCI said it was not able to get statements from all of the children to confirm the allegations. This is in conjunction with reports of hundreds of Palestinian adults being detained by Israeli forces both in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Israel. more.. e-mail
Israel, Palestine, and a Personal Conflict Rowan Wolf, Palestine Chronicle 1/16/2009 more.. e-mail
Israeli rabbis to Olmert: It doesn’t matter even if you kill million Palestinians Palestinian Information Center 1/18/2009 GAZA, (PIC)-- A report issued by the Saudi Al-Watan news paper revealed Saturday that Jewish rabbis in the Zionist entity have issued a religious edict allowing the killing of Palestinian women and children and exonerating every Jew doing such horrible thing. According to the paper, the rabbis opined that the Israeli massacres in Gaza Strip falls in line with Jewish teachings that consider such killing as "mass punishment to the enemies". The paper also added that one of the rabbis opined that there would be no problem at all in exterminating the Palestinian people even if one million or more of them were killed at the hands of the occupation troops. Citing verses from the Book of Genesis, Jewish rabbi Mordachi Elyaho, who is the religious reference of the popular religious current in the Zionist entity sent outgoing Israeli premier Ehud Olmert a weekly leaflet containing articles. . . more.. e-mail
'Twenty years of a life erased' Eva Bartlett writing from the occupied Gaza Strip, Electronic Intifada 1/16/2009 more.. e-mail
In Gaza Our Love for God is in ’Intensive Care’ Stuart Littlewood - London, Palestine Chronicle 1/17/2009 more.. e-mail
Arab-Israelis lament war on Gaza Rachel Shabi in Israel, Al Jazeera 1/17/2009 "This is murder and a crime," says the 82-year-old Palestinian standing on a Jaffa street corner. "Killing children, destroying homes on top of the women and children still inside them - this is murder. Don’t they see what they are doing? " This man has been standing on this same street corner every evening since the Israeli assault on Gaza began in late December. He is one in a crowd of varying sizes - sometimes less than 100, sometimes 1000-strong - forming a candle-lit protest vigil in Jaffa, a mixed Arab-Jewish city just south of Tel Aviv. This daily demonstration is just one in a chain of anti-war protests staged across Israel by its Palestinian citizens. This sector of society - around 20 per cent of the population - is overwhelmingly against the war on Gaza at a time when most Jewish Israelis support the assault. The latest polls show that more than 94 per cent of Israel’s Jewish population backs the war, while 85 per cent of the Palestinian sector opposes it. more.. e-mail
Unsung Israeli hero risks his life to save Gaza children Karin Kloosterman, Israel21c, Ha’aretz 1/16/2009 With mortars, rockets and bullets flying, Moshe "Moshon" Vaknin, the deputy director for the south district at Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s emergency service, risked his life to bring a Palestinian child out of Gaza and take him to an Israeli hospital for life-saving treatment. Since then, he’s brought out two more wounded Palestinian children for treatment in Israeli hospitals, and last week, was one of a team of medics who drove in to the checkpoint, the most dangerous in Israel and possibly the Middle East, in a special bulletproof ambulance to rescue Palestinian truck drivers, hired by the United Nations, and attacked while delivering humanitarian aid. [end] -- See also: Full Story
Hill of Shame Where Gaza Bombing is Spectator Sport Yonit Farago and Martin Fletcher, MIFTAH 1/15/2009 In times of peace Parash Hill is a beauty spot where Israelis from the nearby town of Sderot come to picnic and enjoy the magnificent view across a nature reserve and bright green fields to distant Gaza City and, beyond, the deep blue Mediterranean. There are benches for sightseers, a swing, a sculpture of a man on horseback and fences to stop children tumbling down the steep northern slope. Today the hill attracts a very different sort of visitor — the ghoulish and vengeful, the curious and anguished, not to mention television crews. They come not to enjoy the flowers or birdsong, but for a spectacular panoramic view of Israel’s relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip. It is, for those that like that sort of thing, the ultimate spectator sport. Armed with binoculars and zoom lenses, they watch F16 aircraft streak across the sky, trailing flares, before unleashing their missiles on one of the distant white buildings. more.. e-mail
Voices from the frontline The Guardian 1/15/2009 I moved from my house because I didn’t have any electricity or any access to the internet and I needed to contact my international partners and the international media. I feel that I have a duty to my people to report on this aggression. That night, at 12 o’clock I said to one of my friends, "Today is quiet and we can sleep without any bombs". Fifteen minutes later we started to listen to the radio and we could hear bombs falling not far away. Later I heard they were bombing near my house. I started to call my wife. I said, "Just take care of the kids". She said, "How? ". I told her to move out of the apartment into the stair well. I continued calling every three minutes. I was listening to my kids and they were crying "Dad, Dad, Dad, come and take care of us. "I prayed and said to my wife, "For the sake of the kids, please just survive. " more.. e-mail
’Ode to Joy’ at a joyless concert Noam Ben Ze'ev, Ha’aretz 1/15/2009 RAMALLAH - The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music chose to open its youth concert at the Ramallah Cultural Palace on Sunday with the "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony - a call for brotherhood between nations, humaneness, joy and peace. Anyone who has followed the Palestine Youth Orchestra in recent years must surely be amazed by the pace of its progress. Now touting 60 young musicians, the orchestra is wholly self-reliant, no longer dependent on international support or guidance from abroad. The children play all the instruments, including the more rarely heard tuba, French horn, oboe, timpani and contrabass. The orchestra is comprised of youngsters all under the age of 18, who represent the best of the conservatory’s 600 students at its Ramallah, Bethlehem and East Jerusalem branches. After the nod to Beethoven, conductor Eiad Awadi bowed to the audience and the. . . more.. e-mail
Jerusalem ’Capital of Arab Culture’ festival postponed until March Ma’an News Agency 1/13/2009 Jerusalem – Ma’an – A festival celebrating Jerusalem as Capital of Arab Culture for 2009 has been postponed until late March on account of the Israeli war on Gaza. The National Committee planning the festival said the cultural events will begin on 21 March. The original launch date for the festival had been 22 January. In a statement, the committee said, "The Israeli forces attacks on the Gaza Strip led to killing hundreds of children, women and old people and injured thousands, and also destroyed schools and universities and cultural centers, and also targeted the infrastructure of the civil institutions and non-governmental organizations and civil society institutions using warplanes and banned weapons. ”The committee also said it is determined to honor Jerusalem through this festival despite “Israeli aggression. ” more.. e-mail
Ottoman-era Jerusalem Jews were slave owners Ofri Ilani, Ha’aretz 1/9/2009 A recently published research paper abut the life and death of one 10-year-old Ethiopian girl in 19th century Jerusalem has added an interesting detail to what scholars know about Jewish life under the Ottoman Empire. Apparently, some of them bought and kept slaves. According to research by Joseph B. Glass and Ruth Kark, which appeared in the scientific publication Jerusalem Quarterly, Sarah La Pereta ("Black Sarah"in Ladino) entered the Valero family from Jerusalem as a slave, was manumitted and lived out her life as a servant and cherished member of the family. Bought at the age of 9 from Arab slave traders in 1879 by Haim Aharon Valero from Jerusalem, she was tasked with helping to tend to Valero’s seven children, who had lost their mother, Simcha, in childbirth. Kark, a researcher at the Hebrew University, explains that the name Sarah La Preta was most probably given to the young slave by the family. more.. e-mail
Hope and activism under 15 - Photos Palestine Monitor, Palestine Monitor 1/6/2009 On Tuesday, the 6th of January 2009, the children of Ni’lin village, west of Ramallah held a protest against the Israeli military strike in Gaza. Dozens ofkids waved flags and carried pictures of the casualties of their Gazan neighbours. Those children know already what this is all about, as the town of Ni’lin has been facing a harsh repression against the weekly peaceful demontrations against the Wall for the last 6 months. There, Israeli violence killed a least 3 teenagers and dozens were injured and imprisoned. Hundreds of children protested against the Israeli military strike in Gaza in their village of Ni’lin, holding pictures of casulaties and waving flags. Many of the children protesting in Ni’lin carried pictures of children who have died at demonstrations in the village. more.. e-mail
Bethlehem: Greek Orthodox Christians Mark Christmas Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 1/6/2009 In contrary to other years, few people gathered today at the Church of the Nativity to mark the Greek Orthodox Christams on Tuesday. the Bethlehem City municipality has cancled all celebartions for Christmas this year, and only kept the relegoius events on the schedule. As the Israeli war on Gaza entered its 11th day, at least 577 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed, and more than 2,700 wounded. Early this morning, the Patriarch of the Assyrian Orthodox Church was the first religious figure to arrive in Bethlehem, followed by the Patriarch of the Coptic Church. At midday, the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church, Theofilos III, arrived at the Manger Square in Bethlehem city centre, where he was greeted by Bethlehem Governor Salah Al-Ta’mari, Mayor of Bethlehem, Dr. Victor Batarseh, and the Palestinian Minister of Tourism, Khouloud Daibes, in addition. . . more.. e-mail
’Everyone is looking for their relatives to kiss them goodbye’ The Guardian,Tuesday 6 January 2009, The Guardian 1/6/2009 Hani Abu Komail, 42, married with two children in Gaza City - I live in the centre of where they bombed at the beginning. Behind me is a police compound which they bombed and in front of me is the presidential palace which they also bombed. I was living on the seventh floor of my building but we moved downstairs to my brother’s house on the first floor in the same building. Every day we follow the same routine. We try to sleep from 6pm to 6am because there is no electricity. When we sleep we turn the radio up to cover the noise of the drones flying overhead and the bombs. Every day we go out looking for water, food and bread. I’m always buying batteries for the radio. We haven’t had electricity for five days and fuel is low so we turn the generator on for two hours a day to charge up our mobile phones and lights. more.. e-mail
Polls show Israeli public in no mood for compromise Kim Sengupta in Jerusalem, The Independent 1/3/2009 Some were troubled by pictures of children and women among the casualties, others voiced trepidation about a ground invasion, but the overwhelming view among Israelis on the streets of Jerusalem yesterday was that their government was right to attack Gaza and the offensive should go on for as long as it takes. Israel’s relentless air strikes on the Palestinian enclave may be drawing strong criticism and calls for a ceasefire in much of the rest of the world, but a common reaction of Israelis is that outsiders simply don’t understand what they have been going through. Domestic opposition has been much more muted than in some past wars, and even in those areas deemed to be Jerusalem’s most liberal, the mood was generally uncompromising. "I feel terribly sorry for the poor people of Gaza, but this had to happen," said 34-year-old Alona Keren, a chef from the German Colony. more.. e-mail
Portland protests Israeli attack on Gaza Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 12/31/2008 "Occupation is a crime, killing children is a crime" - was the chant that filled the downtown streets of Portland, Oregon - USA, Tuesday afternoon, as hundreds of local residents gathered with handmade signs and megaphones to voice their outrage at the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza that have continued for the last four days. "From Ramallah to Gaza, The people will maintain their dignity", chanted Arab-American protesters during Tuesday’s protest and march in Portland. The protestors chanted slogans calling for ending the Israeli occupation to Palestine, and ending the US government support and military aid to the Israeli occupation. As the bombs continue to fall, Israeli authorities say that the first stage of their long-planned assault is ending, and the second stage is about to begin - a ground invasion of the besieged and imprisoned Gaza Strip. more.. e-mail
Israeli assault on Gaza: the cartoonists’ view James Sturcke, The Guardian 12/31/2008 How illustrators around the world are depicting the offensive - Hemmed in by barbed wire and brick walls as the bombs rain down, today’s Guardian cartoon by Simon Farr illustrates the horror of life inside the Gaza Strip. Farr is among many professional and amateur cartoonists around the world drawn to the bombardment. Mazen Kerbaj, on Kerblog, attracted international attention with his drawings of the 2006 Israeli assault on Lebanon. This week, he has turned his attention to how the Gaza situation is affecting children. Meanwhile, Ronny Gordon, in the Jerusalem Post, is making mincemeat. Both the Independent’s cartoonist Dave Brown and the Times’s Morten Morland. . . more.. e-mail
Poll: Haredim want to go to college Matthew Wagner, Jerusalem Post 12/21/2008 Haredim want secular higher education, but are hampered by a lack of basic math and English skills, according to a new study. Fifty-seven percent of 148 haredi men surveyed in a study conducted by researchers at the Jerusalem Institute of Israel Studies said that they had looked into attaining a college degree, and another 15% said they had received advice about the possibility of pursuing studies in a college or some other institute of higher education. Three-quarters of the respondents were aged 20 to 30 and 84% married with children. Dr. Dan Kaufmann, Asaf Malchi and Bezalel Cohen, the three researchers who performed the survey, recommended that the State of Israel and philanthropists use their findings to help haredim get higher education. Their main recommendation was that haredim receive economic support for college education, as some 70% of the haredi men surveyed. . . more.. e-mail
Haredi, religious residents clash in Beit Shemesh Kobi Nahshoni, YNetNews 12/21/2008 Three religious teen girls beaten up by ultra-Orthodox mob while passing through haredi neighborhood. Religious residents report escalating violence on haredim’s behalf, latter cite promiscuity as trigger for clashes - Growing tensions between ultra-Orthodox and religious residents in the town of Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, have recently escalated into violence as three teen girls were beaten up by haredim who claimed they were "immodestly" dressed. The incident was the last in a series of reported attacks by members of the Haredi Community faction on their religious neighbors, prompted by the latter’s’ alleged "promiscuity" and negative influence on haredi children. According to reports, the three 15-year-old girls went for a walk after the Shabbat dinner last Friday, and passed through a haredi neighborhood. more.. e-mail
Israeli Military Invades Jenin, Detains Residents in Nablus IMEMC Staff&Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 12/11/2008 Early Thursday morning, Israeli Military invaded the West Bank city of Jenin. Also, the Israeli Military detained a number of Palestinian residents in Nablus, media sources and witnesses reported. Palestinian security sources said today that a contingent of Israeli troops invaded the downtown area of Jenin city in the occupied West Bank under a barrage of heavy gun fire. The sources added that scores of Israeli soldiers were deployed in main streets under a barrage of sound grenades, causing a state of panic among the local residents, especially children. In related news, Israeli soldiers ransacked several Palestinian-owned homes in Nablus city, detaining at least six Palestinian residents from the Ma’adamma village, one of the city’s suburbs. Witnesses said that a number of Israeli armored vehicles swept into the village late Wednesday night, breaking into several houses and forcing the inhabitants outside amidst low temperatures. more.. e-mail
4 kids hurt during Eid al-Adha festivities Hagai Einav, YNetNews 12/11/2008 Safed’s Ziv Medical Center reports of several children suffering eye injuries from fireworks sparks, toys used during Muslim Festival of Sacrifice - Four children aged eight to 14 suffered severe eye injuries in the past 48 hours, after sparks from fireworks used during the celebration of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim Festival of Sacrifice, and toy splinters hit their eyes, Ynet learned Thursday. The children, residents of the northern Israeli villages of Tuba-Zangariyye, Sajor and Salame, have all been admitted at the Ophthalmology Department at the Ziv Medical Center in Safed. Two of the children had to undergo surgery, due to severe risk that they may lose their eyesight. Muhammad Halil from Tuba-Zangariyye, whose 10-year-old son was one of the boys admitted to Ziv, told Ynet about the incident surrounding his son’s injuries: "He asked me for some money on Monday and used it to but a toy gun, like his friends have. more.. e-mail
Eid Al-Adha toys injure four children Ma’an News Agency 12/11/2008 Bethlehem – Ma’an – Four children were injured while celebrating Eid Al-Adha, the Muslim Festival of Sacrifice, with toy guns on Thursday. The children, residents of the Tuba-Zangariyye, Sajor and Salame villages in northern Israel, suffered eye injuries and were taken into the Ziv Medical Center in Safed. Two of them underwent surgery to prevent loss of vision. Toy guns, given as gifts to little boys for Eid Al-Adha, are very popular and in high demand. Muhammad Halil, the father of one of the boys, urged the police and Knesset "to pass a law which would forbid selling such toys, and sanction those importing dangerous toys. ”Despite these injuries, Ziv Medical Center hospital staff noted that public awareness of toy dangers has increased. While 15 children were admitted to the hospital with various extreme injuries in 2007, this year’s children only suffered eye injuries. more.. e-mail
Salfit bans fireworks during Eid Al-Adha Ma’an News Agency 12/10/2008 Nablus/Salfit – Ma’an – A ban on fireworks in Salfit during Eid Al-Adha has kept the city calm and safe, Palestinian Authority (PA) security officials are maintaining on Wednesday. The ban made by the Salfit Council intends to promote tradition and end dangerous celebratory practices which have previously caused injuries to children and their families. The council, along with residents and prominent personalities in Salfit, praised the safe atmosphere and expressed their gratitude for the action against the fireworks, which they say are dangerous. more.. e-mail
Half Gaza children suffer from anemia Palestinian Information Center 12/9/2008 GAZA, (PIC)-- A Palestinian human rights commission has warned that 46% of Gaza children were suffering from anemia due to their parents’ inability to feed them properly as a result of the siege that deprived those parents of work. The independent commission for citizens’ rights said in a report that the Israeli collective punishment against the people of Gaza had greatly affected the children’s health. It said that the lives of 23 children suffering kidney failure, 58 children with cancer and 43 children suffering heart diseases were in great danger in the event power outage affected the medical machines on which they depend to remain alive. Meanwhile, in the West Bank Israeli occupation forces detained nine Palestinian in Bethlehem, Al-Khalil and Ramallah districts on the first day of Eidul Adha on Monday. more.. e-mail
Nothing to enjoy Avi Waksman, Ha’aretz 12/9/2008 West of the Jordan by Laila Halaby, Beacon Press, 200 pages, $15 (paperback). (Hebrew version translated from English by Daphna Rosenblitt, Resling, 241 pages, NIS 84) - In a melancholy 1984 essay called "Reflections on Exile," Edward Said told of a friend whose Armenian parents fled Turkey in 1915 after their families had been slaughtered. They traveled to Aleppo, and from there to Cairo. In the 1960s, when "life in Egypt became difficult for non-Egyptians," they and their four children were sent to Beirut with the help of an international aid organization; then to a stopover in Glasgow, Scotland; from there they continued to Canada before ending up in New York. It was in New York that the aid agency decided to put them on a bus to Seattle. "Seattle? "Said asked his friend in puzzlement over the destination that was chosen for his place of residence. more.. e-mail
Racial test Orna Coussin, Ha’aretz 12/9/2008 Gizanut beyisrael (Racism in Israel), edited by Yehouda Shenhav and Yossi Yonah. Hakibbutz Hameuchad and the Jerusalem Van Leer Institute, 484 pages, NIS 96 - Read the description of the following case - taken from real life - and answer the following questions: Two Israeli women want to have a child. They apply to a sperm bank. Due to the shortage of sperm currently available at public stocks, they choose a private bank operating out of Rishon Letzion. For a fee of several hundred shekels, they are allowed to browse a catalog of donors. The first detail they learn about an anonymous donor is his parents’ ethnic origin. Subsequent details in the entry include height, weight, hair color, skin tone and eye color. The catalog the couple received by e-mail lists the details of 22 donors. more.. e-mail
Political and economic troubles mean quiet Eid for Jerusalem Ma’an News Agency 12/8/2008 Jerusalem – Ma’an – A subdued feeling prevailed on the normally bustling streets of Jerusalem, the putative Palestinian capital, as the city marked its forty-first Eid Al-Adha under Israeli occupation on Monday. The holiday is a celebration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son before God, traditionally marked by slaughtering of sheep and goats. Most Palestinians, like Muslims everywhere, exchange gifts and spend time with family during the feast. In addition to an economic crisis and a homeland bitterly divided among political factions, some Palestinian Jerusalemites voiced concern that decades on, the persistence of the occupation spoils what should be a festive mood. “Under occupation there is no Eid like in other Islamic countries. The children have no room to play. The [Israeli] army is everywhere. more.. e-mail
European children donate Eid/Christmas gifts to Gaza children Palestinian Information Center 12/8/2008 LONDON, PARIS, (PIC)-- Children in the UK and France have been donating toys and other gifts for Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip to be presented to them on the occasions of Eid and Christmas. The campaign was organised jointly by the UK based Justice for Gaza (JFG) and the French-Palestinian Friendship Society amidst calls on the Egyptian President to open the Rafah border for the donated gifts to be delivered to Gaza. JFG has already tried to deliver, in August, donated medicines to the Gaza Strip when they sent a van loaded with medicines which passed through 12 European countries on it route to the Rafah crossing, but the van was stranded for a month at the Rafah crossing and the Egyptian authorities would not allow it in. A truck carrying the donated gifts left London on Friday and arrived in Paris where it was received by a huge rally in support of Gaza children. more.. e-mail
Israeli Navy bars ship sent by Arab leaders and leftist activists from sailing to Gaza Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 12/7/2008 The Israeli navy barred on Sunday morning a ship which was supposed to sail from Jaffa port to the Gaza Strip carrying medical and humanitarian supplies. The ship was organized by Arab leaders and leftist activists in Israel, the Arabs48 news website reported. The ship, was dubbed "the Eid Ship", as the Muslims will be marking the Adha Eid (feast) on Monday. The Israeli navy took the ship to the Tel Aviv port, Arabs48 added. The Israeli police said that the ship carried medical equipment and medicine, and that three activists were detained. The ship had on board seven tons of humanitarian and medical aid, food and toys for children. The Israeli police also detained and interrogated three activists from northern Israel after they arrived in Jaffa with a truck filled with equipment to ship to Gaza. Arab members of the Knesset (MK), Jamal Zahalka and Wasel Taha, said that. . . more.. e-mail
Coming Soon: The Palestine Monitor 2009 Factbook Palestine Monitor, Palestine Monitor 12/6/2008 Hello Friends and Supporters. The Palestine Monitor is proud to announce the impending release of the 2009 Factbook: A Reference Guide for Negotiators, Researchers and Civil Society Leaders Concerned with the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. The Factbook is being released in hardcopy, and in sections online, to coincide with the one year anniversary of the Annapolis Peace Process launched in November of 2007. The topics discussed within are the economy, the plight of Palestinian children, refugees, prisoners and torture, the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, Settlements, Checkpoints and Movement Restrictions, the Wall, Water and Non Violence. Each section has been thoroughly researched and referenced to provide readers with the most up-to-date information available from only the most credible sources. Downloadable versions are available in pdf and include illustrations by our staff. more.. e-mail
Renowned Palestinian singer Rim Banna holds concert in Geneva Ma’an News Agency 12/5/2008 Geneva – Ma’an - The Arab community in Geneva enjoyed the powerful lyrics of renowned Palestinian singer Reem Bannaon Friday evening. The 700-person hall was sold out, and the 30 US dollars per ticket will be donated to women’s charities in Gaza. Banna was born in Nazareth and gained popularity after releasing a recording of traditional Palestinian folk songs for children. Many of the songs had been forgotten and Banna not only resurrected them but made the ballads popular. She is also a composer and her songs often center on Palestinian life and culture. The lyrics from Banna’s song titled “The Night Froze” have been translated as: The night froze in your eyes / and the soul has departed from your sight / and the last stone which was preceded by the bullet / lies still in your hand / You didn’t reach yet your twentieth spring / You’ll never see. . . more.. e-mail
Gaza Held Hostage Should Outrage Us All Linda S. Heard, Gulf News, Palestine Media Center 11/25/2008 more.. e-mail
Israeli military continues rampage in the Taqou’ village International Middle East Media Center News 11/19/2008 Israeli military continued on Wednesday rampage throughout the West Bank village of Taqou, detaining dozens of youth after ransacking many houses. The Israeli soldiers, backed by armored vehicles imposed a curfew on the village and began ransacking many houses and local community organizations, leading scores of youth to the local secondary school for girls, witnesses said. The soldiers also took over roof tops of a number of houses, turning them to military outposts as the military jeeps sealed off all entrances leading to the village, witnesses added. Palestinian sources confirmed that the Israeli soldiers harassed a number of children in front of the houses. Among those harassed were Hussam Abu Mefreh and Ahmad Abu Mefreh, a 12 year-old. more.. e-mail
Special undercover Israeli military unit abducts a Jenin resident International Middle East Media Center News 11/11/2008 Special undercover Israeli unit abducted on Tuesday a Palestinian resident from the West Bank city of Jenin, media sources and witnesses reported. Local media sources and witnesses confirmed that a special undercover Israeli military unit, disguised in Arab clothes, swept with civilian cars into the Jenin refugee camp, abducting Mahmoud Amarna,36, and taking him to unknown destination. This attack is a part of daily Israeli military assaults on Palestinian cities, towns, villages and refugee camps in the occupied West Bank. Israel currently detains more than 11,000 Palestinians including women and children inside jails in Israel and in the occupied West Bank. [end]
8 Ethiopians arrested at violent Beit Alfa protest Abe Selig, Jerusalem Post 11/9/2008 An entrance to the Prime Minister’s Office looked more like a refugee camp on Sunday afternoon as a protest by nearly 150 new Ethiopian immigrants over "sub-standard" conditions at the Beit Alfa immigrant absorption center turned violent. Crying children, men on crutches, and scattered personal possessions covered the blockaded entrance - behind the Bank of Israel headquarters - as the protesters, who have been there since Tuesday, have said that they refuse to leave the premises until solutions are found to their problems. On Sunday, patience wore thin as protesters attempted to break into the PMO compound, and police detained eight of them for questioning. While police said they had no choice but to prevent the protesters from entering the area, some of the immigrants alleged that police had used unnecessary force. more.. e-mail
Student detained after refusing to shake hands with Israeli President Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 11/8/2008 On November 2nd, Hebrew University student Ali Bahar was detained for three hours after refusing to shake hands with Israeli president Shimon Peres. Peres was visiting the university as part of a public relations tour. When the President approached Bahar to shake his hand, the student refused, stating QUOTE "I will not shake hands with a murderer of children. "Bahar was referring to the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian land, which has cost the lives of one thousand and fifty Palestinian children since 2000. In the same time period, one hundred twenty three Israeli children have been killed by Palestinian fighters. Immediately following his encounter with the Israeli President, Bahar was detained by university security personnel and his student ID was confiscated. more.. e-mail
IWPS: Israeli soldiers beat Palestinian farmer unconscious near Kufr Qaddum International Solidarity Movement 11/6/2008 Qalqilya Region - On Tuesday, November 4th, 2008, a family of about 15 was harvesting its land on a slope of Jebel Mohammed north of Kafr Qaddum village, close to the eastern side of a caravan outpost of the Qedumim settlement, when they were approached by Israeli soldiers. Family members report that they already had been harassed the previous day by soldiers and settlers, who tried to take horses and a tractor from them. They say that on Tuesday at about 9 a. m. the soldiers returned in a Hummer jeep, demanding that the family should stay at least 300 metres away from the settler outpost. However, as its entire olive grove is within 300 metres of the outpost, the family refused. The soldiers then proceeded to handcuff the men and youth and detained the entire family, including women and children, until about 15:30 on the pretext of its tractor being "illegal. more.. e-mail
Yiddish revival creates rift with Hebrew speakers Reuters, YNetNews 11/6/2008 Growing number of diaspora Jews reclaim Yiddish as cultural language, more and more families teach ’dead’ language to their children as first language - Hebrew is the language of the State of Israel and the Bible, but a growing number of Jews around the world are reclaiming Yiddish as the language of their culture, creating a rift with some Hebrew speakers. Before the Holocaust, Stalinist persecution and mass assimilation, Yiddish - a fusion of German, Hebrew, Slavic and other languages - was the daily language of 11 million people. While Yiddish words like nosh and schlep live on and have been absorbed into everyday English, outside ultra-orthodox Jewish communities it is considered a dead language. Not so, says a group of passionate Jewish parents, many of them in the United States, who are making Yiddish their children’s first language. more.. e-mail
Music Laboratory launched for Jericho children Alix de Mauny, Palestine News Network 10/15/2008 Jerusalem - A new music laboratory for children was officially opened in the Jericho Kids club on Monday 13 October, as part of an EU-funded project to support the Palestinian arts. The project is a joint cooperation between the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music (ESNCM) and UCODEP, an Italian non-governmental organisation. Ms. Fabienne Bessonne, the European Commissions Head of Sector for social Affairs, Mr. Kamil Hmaid, the Governor of Jericho, Mr. Hasan Saleh, the Mayor of Jericho, Mr. Francesca Gilli, the UCODEP representative, Mrs, Lena Saleh, the Director of public relations department in the ESNCM and Nadera Al-Mughraby, the director of the Kids Club in Jericho, all attended the event, along with local children and their parents. A concert was given by the children who directly benefit from the project. more.. e-mail
PLC speaker: PA ’abducted’ son of West Bank lawmaker Ma’an News Agency 10/5/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces raided the Tulkarem home of a jailed Palestinian lawmaker and “abducted” his son, the office of the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) alleged on Sunday morning. The PLC speaker’s office in Gaza said in a statement that PA forces stormed the home of PLC member Fathi Al-Qar’awi, wrecked the interior of the house, interrogated members of his family, and seized his son, Hamzah. Fathi Al-Qar’awi, who is affiliated to Hamas’ “Change and Reform” bloc is currently jailed in Israel. The statement condemned what it said was an ongoing policy of harassment against the offices and families of jailed Hamas lawmakers. The statement said the children of other lawmakers have been detained by the PA but did not mention any by name. The statement also held Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas “completely responsible”. . . more.. e-mail
Israel renews administrative detention orders against two underage female detainees Saed Bannoura & Agencies, International Middle East Media Center News 10/5/2008 The Israeli Authorities renewed on Sunday the administrative detention orders against two underage female detainees from Bethlehem. The two detainees received three more months of detention without any charges or trial. The two detainees were identified as Salwa Riziq Salah, 17, and Sara Yasser Saleh, 17. The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) reported that Salwa and Sara were kidnapped by the army on June 5 2008, and were immediately moved to administrative detention. The PPS slammed the Israeli violations and the continued detention of female detainees as more than 80 female detainees are still imprisoned by Israel. Some of them are mothers, others are children and a number of them are sentenced to high terms. The PPS called on the international community to intervene and release all detainees from Israeli prisons as more than 10000 Palestinians are still imprisoned by Israel. more.. e-mail
Families of Gazan prisoners in israeli jails protest in front of Red Cross Ma’an News Agency 9/29/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – Families of Gazans detained in Israeli prisons demonstrated outside the Red Cross office in Gaza City in Monday, and say they will continue their sit-in until the Eid Al-Fitr feast on Tuesday or Wednesday. The families called on all foundations and human rights organizations as well as politicians around the globe to put pressure on Israel to allow families to visit their children in prison. Most of the participants in the Gaza City sit-in have not seen their family members in over a year and a half. The protestors told Ma’an that this would be the second Eid Al-Fitr that they would not be able to visit brothers and children in Israeli custody. Some Palestinian factional leaders partook in the protest alongside the family members, such as Abu Al-Abid Salamah, member of the central committee of the Arab Front and coordinator of the prisoners’ committee of Palestinian factions. more.. e-mail
Crescent moon sighted, Eid comes a day early Palestine News Network 9/29/2008 Kristen Ess - Eid al-Fitr is coming a day earlier than expected this year. The crescent moon was sighted and the mosque rolled the words ’Allah ahkbar’ over and again signaling the end to Ramadan after only 29 days. The streets of Bethlehem’s central shopping district are packed this evening with people quickly buying Eid gifts: clothes for the children, nuts and fruit, dishes and plastic toys. The economy is shot but for many it is possible to find the means for this occassion. The street market is crowded this year with Israeli products, Hebrew emblazoned on the sides of fruit boxes, nuts being poured from plastic bags into the traditional wooden crates for sale. The closures and devastated economy are taking their toll on local production, as are land confiscation and Wall and settlement construction which make farming or traveling to work particularly perilous this year. more.. e-mail
End of Ramadan if crescent moon spotted PNN, Palestine News Network 9/29/2008 Jerusalem -- Some in the street are hoping for a shorter Ramadan this year because, as one woman shopping in the West Bank laughed, "I am sick of it!"Another man was a bit more frantic at the notion of losing a day for preparations. "I have to do my shopping for my kids today just in case. I need to hurry up and get going, but I’m only going to buy simple things. Kids don’t need a lot, just a pair of pants and a shirt. They get something new and feel good about it. That’s what is important. "The General Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Mohamed Ahmed Hussein, will look for the sighting of the Shawwal crescent moon tonight. It is day number 29 of Ramadan which means that if the Shawwal moon is spotted, the new month and Eid al-Fitr will begin on Wednesday. Based on astronomical calculations and historical precedent the month of Ramadan lasts 30 days, but most countries, save for Libya, rely on a sighting to make it official. more.. e-mail
Mahmoud Darwish Ramadan memorial PNN / Yousef Shayeb, Palestine News Network 9/20/2008 Ramallah -- Children walked with lamps to beginning the Ramadan evening in Ramallah. In memorial of the death of poet Mahmoud Darwish the Ramallah Cultural Palace hosted an evening of art organized by the Ramallah and Al Bireh Governorate. Darwish’s "The Dice Player" was performed as a theatre piece with dancing and music inspired by the poem. Tango, traditional Debkah and jazz were part of the Ramadan evening directed by Fuad Fino along with music composed by Basil Zayed. Young men and women "impressed" and "fascinated" the audience, as was described, while mixing music and silence with their dancing. The Governor of Ramallah and Al Bireh, Dr. Said Abu Ali, told the public that the Ramadan evening performances are "spiritual, social and cultural. "He also said of this evening, "We take the opportunity to thank this remarkable artist, Mahmoud Darwish, for his major efforts for our country Palestine. more.. e-mail
Mahmoud Darwish honored in Ramadan evening Yousef Shayeb, Palestine News Network 9/15/2008 Ramallah -- Ramadan evening in Ramallah has taken on a new light with a walk led by children carrying lanterns and candles to the resting place of the late poet Mahmoud Darwish. The tomb is laid with flowering wreathes and the Cultural Palace events continue with poetry, music, dancing, videos and a local art exhibit. The event, memorializing the loss of the great national poet, is under the organization of the Ramallah and Al Bireh governorates. Governor Dr. Said Abu Ali says that the "spiritual and social dimensions of the Ramadan tradition, within the framework of the commemorative landscape, are integral parts of the heritage of the Palestinian people and their customs. "The Ramallah -- Al Bireh Governor continued, "This event is honoring an aspect of Palestinian civilization which reflects the identity of the Palestinian people. more.. e-mail
Gazan artists commemorate death of political cartoonist Naji Al-Ali Ma’an News Agency 9/6/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – A group of Palestinian artists and cartoonists on Friday celebrated the memorial of renowned Palestinian cartoonist Naji Al-Ali in Gaza City. Al-Ali is best known for his signature character, Handalah. A young Palestinian refugee, the boy stands with his back to the viewer, looking out over all he has lost. In ragged clothes symbolizing his poverty, and hands clasped behind his back in a reflective stance, the child victim reflects on the state of his people and his country. Cartoonist Abu An-Noon,whose work is published by Ma’an, delivered a speech at the ceremony. “In my last 7 cartoons,” he said “I used the character of Handalah to pay tribute to Naji. Handalah is a symbol of which each Palestinian feels proud. It will remain deep in the hearts of all Palestinian cartoonists providing them with courage in their cartoons. more.. e-mail
VIDEO - Artsworld - Palestinian theatre Al Jazeera 9/5/2008 Palestine - Freedom theatre - Zakaria Zubeidi is the head of the al Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade in Jenin in the West Bank. But one of the icons of the Palestinian intifada has now put down his weapons and believes that children’s theatre is just an important way to fight for Palestinian statehood. He helps run the Freedom Theatre in the Jenin refugee camp - a pioneering project that is the only professional venue for theatre and the arts in the north of the Palestinian territories. The theatre provides a safe place for children and young Palestinians to express themselves. Artsworld went to find out more. [end]
Jenin’s theatrical oasis Al Jazeera 9/5/2008 Artsworld’s Mona Ibellini travelled to Jenin and finds that one of the key figures of the Palestinian intifada has swapped weapons for the stage. Zakaria Zubeidi has featured near the top of Israel’s most wanted list for many years. But the head of the Jenin branch of the al Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade now believes that children’s theatre is as important a method for achieving Palestinian statehood as armed conflict. "One of my first poignant memories in life was waking up in a hospital with a bullet wound when I was thirteen and a half," Zubeidi says. "At 14 I was imprisoned. " "With its invasions, tanks, and explosives, the occupation destroyed our childhood. "Having felt his own youth was taken from him Zubeidi is investing his efforts in the Freedom Theatre which is giving that childhood back, by allowing the current Palestinian youth to develop a different narrative. more.. e-mail
An Iftar feast for local orphanage in Tulkarem Ma’an News Agency 9/5/2008 Tulkarem – Ma’an –Palestinian journalist Mu’een Shadeed held an Iftar dinner for the orphans of his local societyDar-Al- Yateem Al-Arabion the occasion of the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadanin the West Bank city of Tulkarem. The dinner welcomed more than 50 orphans, as well as the staff and management of the society. Shadeed called on other local organizations to make sure that the society working so hard to take care of Palestine’s children is looked out for, and that services are offered to orphans from all areas of Palestine. At the close of the dinner a musical concert was performed for the children. [end]
Fuad Rizq, Palestinian communist leader, dies at 73 Ma’an News Agency 9/2/2008 Bethlehem – Ma’an – The former secretary-general of the Palestinian People’s Party (PPP), Fuad Rizq, who is also member of the PLO’s central committee and the Palestinian National Council, died on Tuesday at the age of 73 after a long period of illness. “Our great man departed after long years of national, social and international struggle within the Communist Party which he joined in 1953 and kept rising in until he became secretary-general,” said the PPP Central Committee. “With his departure, the Palestinian people and the PPP have lost a pioneer of national struggle. He will join those who dug deep in the Palestinian people’s memory and inspired us and our children,” the statement added. Rizq was born in 1935. He joined the communist party in Palestine in 1953. He received his master’s degree from a communist party school in Bulgaria. more.. e-mail
PA Police: West Bank man kept his mentally disabled kids in dungeon for 20 years The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 8/27/2008 A Palestinian couple locked their disabled son and daughter away for decades out of fear they would ruin the marriage prospects of a healthy child if discovered, police said Wednesday. The case highlights the shame felt by families who have children with disabilities in Palestinian society - made worse because of poor services and the practice of marriages between first cousins. "This is sad, shameful and awful," rights activist Imad Abumohr said. Few people in the rural town of Beit Awwa knew of Basam Musalmeh, 38, and his sister Nawal, 42. They were kept since childhood in two concrete rooms that stank of sweat and urine adjoining the family’s house. Police found them Tuesday night while searching for Hamas loyalists and criminals, said an official who asked not to be identified because the Palestinian Authority publicly denies it cracks down on the militant group. more.. e-mail
Young Palestinian girl listed in top 1000 Arab writers Ma’an News Agency 8/16/2008 Nablus – Ma’an – The newest Palestinian to join the ranks of the Arab world’s best writers is only 14-years-old. Yasmin Shamlawi from the northern west bank city of Nablus is a poet and writer. She was selected this week by an internet forum "Word and Tool" to join their list of the best one thousand Arab writers. The director of the forum, renowned Egyptian author Muhammad Mahfouz, wrote to Shamlawi informing her she was selected for the list. He applauded her abilities and writing style and called on Arab officials to take care of her unique talents. According to the Palestinian Writers Syndicate, Shamlawi is the youngest professional writer in Palestine. The young girl has written several short stories, and conducted a number of studies, the most famous of which was about the situation of Palestinian children. more.. e-mail
New clown and puppet show gives relief to Gazan children Ma’an News Agency 8/9/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – Clowns and puppets are the instruments of the "Jad and Le’b" clown troupe performing for Gazan orphans in Jabalia, a Gaza City suburb. The group uses new techniques to engage children and provide a meaningful respite from what is too often daily misery. The performers present plays with elaborate puppets which interact with the children; working to bring the kids into the world of the theatre. Zouzou Sultan the group director and the maker of the puppets said that her group is specialized in providing entertainment to kids through puppet plays which deal in a meaningful way with the events of children’s lives, but at the same time are able to introduce joy and pleasure into their hearts. Sultan added that the performers made all of the puppets and props by hand, and organized all of the elements of the show for Gaza’s orphans. more.. e-mail
Gazan doctors carry out sex change operation Ma’an News Agency 8/9/2008 Gaza – Ma’an – A team of Palestinian doctors carried out a rare sex-change operation on a 16-year-old at a private hospital in Gaza City, medics announced on Saturday. The teenager, whose name was not disclosed by doctors, had been raised as a girl, and is undergoing the transformation into a male. Doctors say the child may need further surgeries to complete the change. Dr Jihad Abu Dayah, a bladder infection specialist and his colleagues carried out the procedure at the Patients’ Friends Hospital. Abu Dayah said it was the first time the difficult operation had been performed on a child over the age of 15 in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian doctors have carried out similar operations before, but usually on children under the age of two, on intersex children, or children with atypical sexual anatomy. The numerous variations of intersexuality occur frequently in children. . . more.. e-mail
Religious community built around children’s summer camp in Nablus Amin Abu Wardeh, Palestine News Network 7/26/2008 Nablus -- An Episcopal Church in the Old City of Nablus held a charity event Friday, marking the end of a two week long children’s summer camp. A number of government representatives, civil rights activists and foreigners were in attendance. The camp entitled "Living Together" brought together over 70 Islamic, Christian and Samaritan children in order to build love and tolerance between different religious faiths. The camp also strived to spark the children’s creativity and refine their individual talents. "This summer camp was the first in Nablus to encourage dialogue between religions in an attempt to spread a spirit of tolerance and coexistence, not extremism and sectarianism," the camp’s director said in his speech at the event. The Nablus Episcopal Church pastor Ibrahim Queiroz expressed his happiness to hold a camp that fostered religious solidarity. more.. e-mail
Simon Shahin Opens East Jerusalem Music Festival Palestine Media Center 7/24/2008 Simon Shahin, accompanied by American and Israeli musicians, on Wednesday opened an international music festival in an amphitheater in east Jerusalem’s “Kings’ Graves,” Ynet reported Thursday. The festival is scheduled to last eight days. It is sponsored by the French and Spanish Consulates as well as the UN. Last year the event hosted many international artists, including the well-known violinist Nigel Kennedy and the famous jazz guitarist Claude Barthelemy. This year singer Rim Bana will perform accompanied by Spanish musicians, in addition to the Greek Lakis Chalakis, and the Palestinian children’s choir, in a joint performance with the German ensemble “Colgium Musicum. ” The festival is produced by the “Yavuz” society. Rania Elias, leader of the society and founder of the festival, said the event would be held this year under the banner of the 60 year anniversary of the Nakba (Palestinian day of mourning coincident with Israel’s Independence Day). PMC © All Rights Reserved more.. e-mail
A Kidnapping in the Valley Gideon Levy, MIFTAH 7/21/2008 more.. e-mail
IOF troops kidnap 25 Palestinians in Nablus including MP Mansour Palestinian Information Center 7/21/2008 NABLUS, (PIC)-- IOF troops kidnapped 25 Palestinians in Nablus city and Balata refugee camp including MP Mona Mansour and another woman in a pre dawn raid on Monday, local sources reported. They said that the soldiers encircled and stormed the home of the MP, and noted that the soldiers wreaked havoc in the home after detaining Mansour’s children. The lawmaker was then handcuffed and arrested. The soldiers also confiscated all mobile phones and computers in the house, the sources pointed out. Other IOF units broke into a building in downtown Nablus and rounded up nine Najah University students and confiscated six computers. The invading troops also arrested a member of the city’s chamber of commerce, a money exchanger, a woman and a number of citizens including a 67-year-old man and his two sons. The soldiers rounded up two young men in Balata refugee camp east of Nablus city,. . . more.. e-mail
Palestinian students light up the streets after passing the Tawjihi Palestine News Network 7/18/2008 PNN - Tawjihi results are in and the streets have turned into carnivals. Kids are driving up and down the same roads, honking, hanging their heads out of the windows and shouting for joy. They are teenaged girls and boys who have just succeeded in something that they have spent the entire year studying for. Out of the total of 75,838 students who took the exam, 41,651 passed in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. The end of high school exam means that it is possible to go on to universities. Without passing the Tawjihi, there is no chance. The last year of high school is dedicated solely to studying for the test. So many people were checking for the results that the PNN server stopped working and local Jawaal telephones did not function either due to the high volume of people calling with congratulations. more.. e-mail
Palestinian youth perform local folktales in Paris theatres Ma’an News Agency 7/18/2008 Paris – Ma’an – Palestinian children perform plays based on folklore in Paris this week with the Al-Rowwad theatre troup. Young Palestinian men and women have presented several performances of the play, which has a two week run in the French capital. The trope has performed at a number of Paris theatres. The Al-Rowwad Center for artistic, cultural, and theatre training based in the Aida refugee camp near the West Bank city of Bethlehem. The theatre program has aims to help the children of the camp communicate with the world; to go beyond the camp and the city and the country. The theatre workshops run by the center are structured in a way so they might contribute to the healthy psychosocial development of the children of the camp. more.. e-mail
Gazan woman gives birth to quadruplets Ma’an News Agency 7/14/2008 Gaza - Ma’an – A 23-year-old Palestinian woman, Zeinab Ahel, gave birth to quadruplets – three boys and one girl - in Ash-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Monday. Palestinian doctors, performed a cesarean section on Ahel. The children are named Mohammad, Ahmad, Mahmoud and Nour. This family lives in a humble house in the Ad-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza. The four newborn children have one older sister named Lina. The father, 37-year-old Mo’in Ahel, is, like most Gazan men, unemployed. Gaza’s economy has been destroyed by years of Israeli bombardment and blockade. “I used to work in construction years ago and I’m unemployed now and I’m afraid I can’t provide living for [the children],” Ahel said. He appealed to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, de facto Prime Minister Isma’il Haniyeh, and charities to help him support his children. more.. e-mail
Israeli policies create difficulties for the right of children to education Hiba Lama, Palestine News Network 7/9/2008 more.. e-mail
Israeli soldier punches a Palestinian child in the head Rula Shahwan, International Middle East Media Center News 7/8/2008 The Israeli military police have arrested an Israeli soldier after he punched a 12-year-old Palestinian boy in the head on Monday at a military checkpoint near the northern West Bank city of Jenin. The soldier claimed that he wasn’t sane at the time of the attack because he was encountering personal problems. The soldier, who serves as a military driver in the Jenin area, was travelling in the area several days ago when he encountered a number of Palestinian civilians. He allegedly got out of the car, grabbed one of the children and repeatedly hit him on the head. During the incident, the soldier intentionally punched the boy in the head, and detained him for a while before letting him go. The soldier’s commanders, who found out about this incident, questioned him and reported the incident to the Investigation unit of the Military Police. more.. e-mail
Hamas: 41 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces during June Ma’an News Agency 7/2/2008 Gaza – Ma’an - Hamas announced on Wednesday that during June Israeli forces killed 41 Palestinians, including 16 Al-Qassam brigades affiliates, in addition to four children. Another 28 died as a result of the embargo imposed on the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of victims to 199 since the start of the crippling siege on the coastal sector in June 2007. In a statement sent Ma’an the Hamas information office said that during June, 194 Palestinians were detained by Israeli forces, 179 of whom are from the West Bank. They also asserted that Israeli forces staged 136 incursions into the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during the month. Hamas added that despite the invitations for dialogue but still the security services in the West Bank launch the political arrests of Hamas members and other Palestinian resisters and they are still detained in the Palestinian jails. . . more.. e-mail
Israeli forces storm house in Hebron Ma’an News Agency 6/18/2008 Hebron - Ma’an - Israeli force stormed the house of Diab Shaker Al-Qudsi located in As-Salam street in Hebron on Wednesday afternoon. Al-Qudsi told Ma’an that an Israeli force entered his home and detained fifteen men in one room and twenty women and children in another room. According to the house owner, soldiers destroyed furniture in the seven apartments in the building and took photographs of all family members before leaving. [end]
Weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 05 - 11 Jun 2008 Palestinian Centre for Human Rights - PCHR, ReliefWeb 6/11/2008 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) - 11 Palestinians, including 2 children and an elderly man, were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. - 25 Palestinians, including 9 children and 5 women, were wounded by IOF in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. - IOF conducted 32 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and 4 into the Gaza Strip. - IOF razed 240 donums (1) of agricultural and destroyed a house in the southernGaza Strip. - IOF transformed 3 houses in the West Bank into military sites. - IOF arrested 39 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, in the West Bank, and detained 12 others in the Gaza Strip. - IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT. -- See also: PCHR Weekly Report more.. e-mail
First ever Arab-Muslim becomes kibbutz member Arnon Lapid, YNetNews 6/11/2008 Qalansawe’s Amal Carmiya accepted as new member of Kibbutz Nir Eliyahu. Kibbutz residents say she is ’exceptional person’ - On the eve of Shavuot, Amal Carmiya, an Arab Muslim from Qalansawe, along with four additional families, was accepted as members of Kibbutz Nir Eliyahu. This is the first time ever that the Kibbutz Movement has accepted an Arab Muslim as a member. Neta Be’eri, the movement’s demographic growth team coordinator refused to refer to this as an historical occurrence. "This is not a symbolic or demonstrative act and this is also not part of some credo of ours. This is a process that matured naturally." ť The ties between Carmiya and the Sharon-region kibbutz started 18 years ago when she sent her two children Aya and Adam to the kibbutz kindergarten, just like some other families from nearby Arab communities do. more.. e-mail
Madonna’s next project: documentary about the Israeli-Arab conflict Nathan Burstein, The Forward, Ha’aretz 6/11/2008 She’s busy promoting her first documentary and her seventh No. 1 album, but the world’s most famous kabbalah devotee already has her sights set on a new project: a documentary about the Arab-Israeli impasse. Pop diva Madonna has said that her film would focus on children and would provide a second chance for her to collaborate with director Nathan Rissman, who once served as the singer’s gardener and as her children’s nanny. At the Cannes Film Festival, the pair spoke about and promoted "I Am Because We Are," a documentary that Madonna wrote and Rissman directed. The film is about the more than 1 million children orphaned in Malawi because of AIDS. The singer adopted an infant from the country in 2006. That’s all well and good, but Israelis who are certainly accustomed to hearing foreign celebrities’ vague proposals for projects. . . more.. e-mail
Human rights weekly report on Israeli violations in West Bank and Gaza Palestine News Network 6/6/2008 Gaza / PCHR - Gaza City’s Palestinian Centre for Human Rights issued its report "Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (29 May -- 4 June 2008)." An elderly Palestinian woman was killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian civilian died from previous injuries, 12 Palestinians, including eight civilians, were wounded by Israeli in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. . . IOF conducted 33 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and 5 ones into the Gaza Strip. IOF razed 295 donums[1] of agricultural in the northern and southern Gaza Strip. IOF completely demolished one house, and partially demolished five others in the southern Gaza Strip. IOF arrested 43 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, in the West Bank, and detained 11 others in the Gaza Strip. more.. e-mail
VIDEO - ’There is no normal childhood’ Clancy Chassay, The Guardian 5/16/2008 A week in Gaza - Concluding his week of films about life in Gaza, multimedia reporter Clancy Chassay meets those counselling the area’s traumatised children. [end]
Einstein: Nothing ’chosen’ about the Jews, Bible ’childish’ legends Bradley Burston, Ha’aretz 5/14/2008 Albert Einstein, writing in 1954, dismissed Judaism and other religions as "an incarnation of the most childish superstitions," though he said he gladly belonged to the Jewish people and felt a deep affinity for the Jews’ "mentality," excerpts published on Tuesday showed. Einstein also said he saw nothing "chosen" about the Jews, and that they were no better than other peoples "although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. "The renowned physicist, who died a little more than a year after writing the letter, also had tough words for God and the Bible, according to the text published by the British The Guardian daily. "The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish," the letter was quoted as saying. more.. e-mail
Cartoon film on Nakba describes Jews as ’enemies of homeland’ Reuters, Ha’aretz 5/12/2008 Jewish fighters are shown shooting Palestinians and bombing their villages in an animated film by Gaza-based women marking 60 years since Israel was founded and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced." The Tale of a Key" describes the Jews as "enemies of the religion and enemies of the homeland" and is meant to highlight what the illustrators called the "holy" right of dispossessed Palestinians to return to land that is now part of Israel. The women behind the film, who run a production company in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, say they are not politically aligned but want to teach Palestinian children and adults about the events that drove them from their homeland." It tells of the suffering, the killing and displacement," said Moamena Abu Hamda, director of the JohaToon company in Gaza City. more.. e-mail
Israeli Occupation Forces Trash Orphanage Sewing Workshop Mary Rizzo, Palestine Think Tank 5/10/2008 This series of reports from Iqbal Tamimi tells us how the IOF decides that they"™d rather cast the future of children to the street and render them eternally dependent upon "śaid"ť from others "“ that then gets blocked. -1) Israeli occupation forces stormed at dawn today, Wednesday, 30/4/2008 the orphanage sewing workshop of the Islamic Charitable Society in Hebron and confiscated all its contents. They informed the workers that it will be closed for three years, and threatened to arrest any person who approaches the location and imprison him for five years. The witnesses said that the Israeli military force backed up with large trucks, raided the orphanage charity workshop in Alsalam Street in the city of Hebron. The soldiers smashed the main gate of the girl s"™ school, took away all the contents of the workshop including the sewing machines, furniture, even the orphan s"™ clothes. more.. e-mail
PCHR: IOF Kill Mother in front of her Children inside their House in Khan Yunis The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, International Solidarity Movement 5/9/2008 Gaza Region - - PCHR strongly condemns the killing of a mother in front of her children yesterday, during an IOF incursion into New Abasan town, east of Khan YunisPCHR investigations indicate that at approximately 16:30 on Wednesday, 7 May, IOF troops raided the house of Majdi Abd El-Raziq El-Daghma during an incursion into New Abasan. The troops opened the outside metal door, then blew up the wooden interior door. The force of the blast killed 33 year old Wafa Shaker El-Daghma instantly. The IOF troops then stormed into the house and covered her body with a rug, having ascertained that she was dead. The troops then detained her 3 children, who had all witnessed the killing of their mother, in one of the rooms of the house. A soldier remained on guard at the entrance to the room. The children, who included a two year old, were confined inside the room for the next six and a half hours. more.. e-mail
Amid continued IOF escalation, the number of victims rises in Gaza Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, ReliefWeb 5/5/2008 The number of victims killed by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has increased amid continued escalation of its attacks on, and incursions into, the Gaza Strip recently. According to Al Mezan Center’s monitoring and documentation, the IOF stepped up its human rights violations and committed breaches of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) systematically in the Gaza Strip. According to Al Mezan’s statistics, 69 Palestinians have been killed by the IOF in the Gaza Strip since the start of April 2008. Of them, twenty were children and one was a woman. This brings the toll of Gazans killed by the IOF since the beginning of 2008 to 316; including 62 children and16 women. During the same period the IOF carried out 30 incursions into the Gaza Strip. During these incursions, 127 Palestinians were detained; 17 of them are still under detention. more.. e-mail
Bishara’s wife delayed at border crossing Sharon Roffe-Ofir, YNetNews 5/5/2008 Rana Bishara delayed for several hours at Jordan River border crossing while en route to Israel, questioned by Shin Bet investigators. MK Zahalka files outraged complaint accusing security agency of taking out frustrations on ’innocent woman’ - MK Jamal Zahalka (Balad) filed a complaint against the Israeli Port Authority on Monday claiming the wife of former MK Azmi Bishara, Rana, was detained at the Jordan River Crossing for several long hours." If the Shin Bet is frustrated it has been unsuccessful in imprisoning Bishara, it has no right to exact revenge on his wife and children," said Zahalka. Rana Bishara, who currently resides with her husband in Rabat Amon, was on her way to visit relatives in Israel. She and two of her children were let through the Jordanian side of the border but upon their arrival at the Israeli side, Bishara was informed she was being delayed as a person in contact with a recognized threat against national security. more.. e-mail
Return to Haifa’ repackaged for Israeli theatres Middle East Online 5/1/2008 A Jewish couple raises an abandoned Palestinian child. Decades later the boy’s two mothers meet, and, after an agonizing and high-octane exchange, they tentatively embrace. The scene is charged with symbolism, heightened by the fact it comes from an Israeli stage production of a Palestinian novella, and is performed by a Jewish and Arab cast to mark Israel’s 60th birthday. "The Return to Haifa", a provocative new play by one of Israel’s leading theatres, explores the personal suffering behind the decades-old Middle East conflict, from both an Israeli and Palestinian perspective. "What’s so special about this production is that it gives an arena for people of both sides to listen to each other’s narratives," director Sinai Peter said ahead of the opening night in Jaffa, south of central Tel Aviv. Through the stories of two couples and one child, the play evokes sympathy. . . more.. e-mail
Six family houses searched in night time incursion to Kufr Qadum village International Womens’ Peace Service 4/28/2008 Date of incident: 27. 04. 2008 - Place: Kufr Qadum, Qalqilya District - Witness/es: family members, municipality - Description of Incident: Shortly after midnight on Sunday the 27. 04. 2008 the Israeli army entered Kufr Qadum village with at least 25 vehicles. Soldiers entered and unsuccessfully searched six family houses for weapons. A young man was detained for about two to three hours before being released. IWPS volunteers interviewed one of the effected families, who gave the following account of the event: Soldiers with painted faces came to the house of the family after midnight. Initially they ordered the family of eleven, including nine children aged between 2 ˝ and 16, to leave the house during the search. The father successfully refused, arguing the small children were afraid and cold. The army then forced the family to stay in one room instead, while proceeding to search the rest of the house. more.. e-mail
Ahrar center appeals for ending administrative detainee’s suffering Palestinian Information Center 4/28/2008 AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- The Ahrar center for prisoners’ studies appealed to all international human rights organizations to urgently intervene to end the suffering of Mahmoud Al-Musalima, 48, the second oldest serving administrative detainee in Israeli jails. The Ahrar center explained that Musalima, who is held in the Negev desert prison, is suffering from hypertension and severe stomachache. Fuad Al-Khafash, the director of the center, stated that the Israeli military courts extended Musalima’s administrative detention 14 times under many pretexts, most notably that he poses danger to security in the region. Khafash pointed out that that the detainee, who was previously detained for 10 years in Israeli jails, had been deprived from meeting his five children for 15 years, where most of them became university students. more.. e-mail
Nafha: 'Occupation forces kidnapped 250 Palestinians in April'ť Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center News 4/26/2008 Media Office of the Nafha Society for Defending Detainees Rights and Human Rights published a report on Saturday stating that Israeli occupation forces kidnapped 250 Palestinians since the beginning of April. The Society added that 90 of the kidnapped residents were from Nablus, and the rest were from Hebron, Bethlehem, Jenin, Tulkarem, Qalqilia and Salfit. The Society said that soldiers kidnapped 40 children and two women in April. The two women aged 20 and 28 are from Hebron and Balata refugee camp in Nablus. 11 of the kidnapped children are from Nablus, 10 are from Tulkarem, 6 are from Hebron, 3 from Salfit, 2 from Qalqilia, one from Bethlehem and one from Jenin. The Society added that soldiers also kidnapped a political analyst identified as Ali Jaradat after breaking into his home in Ramallah, and also kidnapped Hazim Dweik, the son of the detained head of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr. more.. e-mail
STC: Incarceration conditions of Palestinian children in Israeli jails shocking Palestinian Information Center 4/26/2008 LONDON, (PIC)-- Britain-based Save the Children organization revealed facts described as "shocking" related to incarceration conditions of Palestinian children in Israeli occupation jails, pointing out that the most disturbing phenomenon observed by international organization was that Israel arrests children and issues sentences against them harsher than others. According to the organization, the IOF troops kidnapped 6,000 Palestinian children since the beginning of the Aqsa Intifada eight years ago, and there are currently more than 320 children detained in Israeli jails, adding that the IOA detains on average about 700 children every year. Greg Ram, the deputy director of international operations of the organization, underlined that the Israeli measures represented by the arrest of Palestinian children even for simple reasons deprive hundreds of them from enjoying their natural rights. more.. e-mail
Gaza’s children use art to resist occupation Yousef Joudeh, Palestine News Network 4/23/2008 Gaza - The children of Gaza are using their drawings and paintings in another attempt to reach out to the world. Supported by the Ministry of Education, school students of all ages gathered at the Ministry’s headquarters in Gaza in the presence of high ranking officials and dignitaries to open their Art Exhibition. The children’s paintings and drawings expressed the pain and suffering felt by Gaza’s students as a result of the Israeli siege. The paintings also expressed the different effects the siege has had on people’s lives, the problems they face, their sorrow and anger, and their hopes for the future. One of the paintings showed a mother holding her slaughtered child. Others showed children demonstrating and demanding the opening of borders, an ambulance driver riding a donkey stamped with the Red Cross sign with a wounded child on its back,. . . more.. e-mail
Israeli Army invades Marda village, mass interrogates youth, arrests two International Womens’ Peace Service 4/22/2008 Date of incident: 22. 04. 2008 - Place: Marda, Salfit District - Witness/es: Family members/IWPS team members - Description of Incident: At approximately 3 am on Tuesday, 22nd April 2008, the Israeli Army and Israeli intelligence service, the Shin Bet (aka the Shabak) entered the village of Marda with at least 16 military vehicles. They broke down the door of a house located next to the village’s schools, taking over the top floor of the house and the roof, confining the Palestinian family of six (3 adults and 3 children) to the lower floor. Over the next several hours the military and the Shabak invaded numerous houses through out the village, throwing sound bombs at some of them and randomly detaining young boys and men between the ages of 14 and 25 for interrogation at the occupied house. IWSP team members arrived at the village at 9am, after receiving a call from one of the village leaders. more.. e-mail
Reconciling conscription Shahar Ilan, Ha’aretz 4/21/2008 At the end of 2000, the ultra-Orthodox Degel Hatorah daily Yated Ne’eman published a flustered apology: "Unfortunately, in the Friday edition an ad appeared that has no place in Yated Ne’eman," it read. The problem was neither immodesty nor leavening, as the paper clarified: "The ad was sent by a group that seeks reconciliation between the secular and the religious," the paper explained, shocked at itself. "We apologize to readers for the mishap. Steps have been taken so it will not recur. "And what is so dangerous about reconciliation? "We must clarify," the paper wrote, "that any Jew who believes in the 13 Articles of Faith can never acquire a friendship with those who deny faith in the Creator of the world. . . We can never forget nor can we reconcile with secularism, which moved hundreds of thousands of children from religious education to an education of forced conversion from Judaism through deception and corruption. more.. e-mail
Provocative new play evokes sympathy for Jews, Palestinians Reuters, Ha’aretz 4/15/2008 A Jewish couple raises an abandoned Palestinian child. Decades later the boy’s two mothers meet, and, after an agonising and high-octane exchange, they tentatively embrace. The scene is charged with symbolism, heightened by the fact it comes from an Israeli stage production of a Palestinian novella, and is performed by a Jewish and Arab cast to mark Israel’s 60th birthday. "The Return to Haifa", a provocative new play by one of Israel’s leading theatres, explores the personal suffering behind the decades-old Middle East conflict, from both an Israeli and Palestinian perspective. "What’s so special about this production is that it gives an arena for people of both sides to listen to each other’s narratives," director Sinai Peter told Reuters ahead of the opening night in Jaffa, south of central Tel Aviv. more.. e-mail
Israeli forces storm home of former Palestinian minister near Hebron Ma’an News Agency 4/14/2008 Hebron – Ma’an – Israeli forces stormed home of imprisoned former Palestinian minister and Hamas-affiliated lawmaker Nayif Rajoub in the southern West Bank town of Dura, west of Hebron, on Monday, witnesses said. Rajoub’s family said heavily-armed Israeli soldiers surrounded the house at 1am, throwing stones at the windows, smashing several of them. Rajoub’s wife, Umm Hudhayfa, told Ma’an that the soldiers forced the family into the street and ransacked the house. The soldiers confiscated green Hamas flags, 1,500 Jordanian Dinars, 3,000 NIS, and her children’s savings. Rajoub, the former minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs, was detained by Israel in June 2006, and has been imprisoned ever since. He was elected in the Hebron district in the January 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections. more.. e-mail
Two houses in Marda village searched by Israeli Army, 14 year old boy detained for six hours, beaten International Womens’ Peace Service 4/14/2008 Human Rights Report No. 343 - Date of incident: 14. 04. 2008 - Place: Marda, Salfit District - Witness/es: Family members/IWPS team members - Description of Incident: Around 4 O’clock in the afternoon of Monday April the 14th 2008 the Israeli Army entered the village of Marda with several jeeps. They set up a checkpoint in the centre of the village and searched two family houses, detaining a 14 year old boy from one of the houses. According to the mother of the first house, six children aging between 4 and 16 were alone at home, and to frightened to open when several soldiers were banging at the door. The mother of the house, who was visiting relatives living near by, was notified by the neighbours and came to open the door from the outside. The soldiers then immediately stormed into the house, searching the house and taking the children to the roof for about 1 ˝ hours. more.. e-mail
Right-wing? I call it Zionist Lily Galili, Ha’aretz 4/15/2008 We met in order to find out whether an immigrant photographer sees Israel differently from a veteran photographer - its landscapes, its people, the light and the color of the new country. The question is valid, as many of the hundreds of photographs that David Rabkin displays on his Internet site are devoted to this country. . . Rabkin’s goals are identical to those of Moshe Feiglin, the leader of the right-wing Jewish Leadership Movement, now a part of the Likud, with which Rabkin identifies. Feiglin’s book was Rabkin’s entry ticket into Israeliness and since then he has been there. However, Feiglin’s Jewish Leadership is just one circle of belonging. There is also the Ma’of group of Russian-speaking intellectuals from the radical right; there is a group of bloggers that numbers among its members Larissa Trimbobler, Yigal Amir’s wife and the mother of his child; there is the Jabotinsky Circle, more.. e-mail
Rabbi Metzger: Abuse stems from distortion of Kabbalah Neta Sela, YNetNews 4/14/2008 Chief rabbi addresses child abuse affair in Jerusalem, says ’this is horrifying proof of what unsupervised Kabbalah studies can lead to’ - The disastrous results of unsupervised Kabbalah studies have reportedly led to a series of child abuse cases, Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger said Saturday. Speaking during a Great Shabbat (the Shabbat which immediately precedes Passover) sermon in Jerusalem, Rabbi Metzger noted that Kabbalah studies by those who have yet to fully internalize the six books of the Mishnah and have yet to turn 40 years old have not been prohibited for nothing. Even then, he said, this must only be done under the guidance of a famous rabbi with superior knowledge in mysticism. "If, as a result of studying practical Kabbalah, this person’s mind has been disrupted, and if it is true that this ’rabbi’. . . " more.. e-mail
Falashmura dream of aliyah fades as deadline approaches Anshel Pfeffer, Ha’aretz 4/11/2008 GONDAR - Walelah Alemo last saw her granddaughter four years ago. She knows the child now has an Israeli name, but she doesn’t know what it is. Alemo also doesn’t know where in Israel her son lives with his family, or what he does for a living, but says she just wants to join him and her brother and sisters who also live in Israel. Alemo is a widow raising five more unmarried children. For the past five years, the Alemo family has lived in uncertainty in this northern Ethiopian city, where they came hoping to immigrate to Israel on a permit for Falashmura. But now, two months before Israel plans to stop the Falashmura immigration, the family’s chances seem smaller than ever, along with another 12,000 Falashmura waiting in Gondar. Many say they don’t understand why they are not being allowed to move to Israel. They seem to have made peace with their situation, although they believe they will eventually get to Israel. more.. e-mail
West Bank security crackdown masks growing bitterness Middle East Online 4/8/2008 NABLUS, West Bank - After seven years of hiding from the Israeli army in the narrow streets of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, Abu Islam has traded his rifle and mask for an oven and an apron. The 39-year-old veteran of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a group loosely tied to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah party, now runs a bakery in the centre of town thanks to an amnesty agreement. But like many in Nablus, which saw fierce fighting during the intifada, Abu Islam doubts that the latest Palestinian-led security crackdown will pave the way for peace with Israel. He asked that his full name not be used. "The day the Israelis withdraw from the West Bank Hamas will take over. . . The people are under so much pressure now that the situation could explode at any time," he says, handing bags of warm flatbread to customers. It will be the kids, the 18- to 20-year-old guys who have no work," he adds. "No one will be able to control it when it happens, not the security forces, not anyone. " more.. e-mail
Palestinian child’s day 2008 Defence for Children International/Palestine Section, ReliefWeb 4/6/2008 more.. e-mail
Rabbi linked to systematic child abuse flees to Canada Uri Blau Yair Ettinger Jonathan Lis and Ofra Edelman, Ha’aretz 4/7/2008 Rabbi Elior Chen, the spiritual authority behind a group accused of systematically abusing children in a Jerusalem family, has fled to Canada with one of his supporters, Haaretz has learned. Chen is supposed to meet the other members of the group in Canada, where the family of one of the members lives, according to a friend of Chen’s who is familiar with the group but doesn’t belong to it. The friend said Chen fled with Joseph Fisher, whose name was not mentioned in an indictment filed yesterday against the mother of the children suspected of being abused by Chen’s followers. The remand of the mother was extended yesterday until April 14. Jerusalem police and the state prosecutor’s office are considering the possibility of issuing an international warrant for Chen’s arrest. During a search of his home Thursday, police found evidence that appears to link the rabbi to the abuse, including journals that document the violence. more.. e-mail
Gazans eat endangered turtle termed ’as good as Viagra’ Reuters, Ha’aretz 4/5/2008 GAZA - A rare giant sea turtle caught on a beach near Gaza City was slaughtered and eaten by Palestinian fishermen who said its blood was an aphrodisiac, among other therapeutic qualities. As the turtle’s throat was slit on Thursday night in front of a crowd, one fisherman said a sip of its blood was "as good as Viagra", referring to the popular drug used to fight erectile dysfunction and impotence. Children were later seen using a part of the shell as a surfboard. Based on a description of the turtle’s size and shell, Yaniv Levy, an Israeli expert on sea turtles, said he believed it was the endangered Leatherback turtle. Leatherbacks normally weigh between 300-500 kilograms (661-1,102 pounds), he said. "It’s very rare. We don’t know a lot about the Leatherback’s population in the Mediterranean. more.. e-mail
State helpless in face of skeletons in haredi closet Yael Branovsky, YNetNews 4/3/2008 In spite of efforts by welfare officials, local rabbis, state authorities are unable to curb rampant child abuse in ultra-Orthodox families - One harrowing case after another, yet welfare officials stand by helpless: Faced with a string of heart wrenching cases of child abuse in the haredi community, even state officials now concede that they have only been able to reach this closed community on rare occasions, and often too late. One recent, disturbing case, for instance, in which a Netivot mother had sexually abused her son, only came to light when the son began to attend boarding school and molested a fellow pupil. The social workers who handled his case quickly realized that the child had no idea that what he was doing was wrong. Dalia Lev-Sade, director of community services at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, stated in an interview with Ynet that seeing as the haredi community is so sequestered, haredi children enjoy less exposure to societal conventions of right and wrong. more.. e-mail
Palestinians celebrate Easter despite Israeli restrictions on freedom of movement and worship Palestine News Network 3/23/2008 Bethlehem / PNN - On Sunday morning hundreds of Palestinian families gathered to hunt for Easter eggs and break the fast of Lent together. Many from Bethlehem were denied Israeli "permission" to attend services at East Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Some held the perception that, "All Latin’s received permission. "Regardless of being denied the freedom of worship, the celebrations went on for the sects of Palestinian Christians who follow the western calendar. After a month without animal products, the main menu for breakfast is cheese, milk and the hunted eggs. They are colored in heating pots of flowers, tied with string, creating remarkable patterns. Children and adults race through the gardens planted with flowers, beans, cactus and wild grass in search of the hidden eggs. The yearly tradition continues with some families not arriving home the night before. more.. e-mail
Interview with a female detainees imprisoned by Israel Ali Samoudi - Jenin - Translated by Saed Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 3/9/2008 One again, the world celebrates the International Women’s Day while dozens of Palestinian women and mothers are still imprisoned by the occupation, stripped of their fundamental rights of even hugging their children. Detainee Qahira Al Sa’dy, imprisoned in Telmond Israeli prison voiced an appeal to every Palestinian woman to act for the "support of all detained women, for the pain, sadness and anger of the imprisoned women who are suffering and dreaming of a day when they can hug their children once again." Qahira voiced an appealed to the conscious of women around the gold, to aid the Palestinian women who are still suffering, chained, surrounded and attacked under the occupation." The whole world is celebrating the International Women’s Day, where is the support to the Palestinian women, living under occupation and stripped of their basic rights by an occupying force which is encouraged by the international silence", Al Sa’dy stated. more..
Stories of the in-between Elias Farkouh, Al-Ahram Weekly 3/6/2008 Ard al-Yambous (Land of Limbo), Elias Farkouh, Amman: Al Mouassassa and Al Arabiya and Azminah, 2007. pp233 Elias Farkouh Elias Farkouh’s novel Ard al-Yambous (Land of Limbo), which is on the shortlist for the 2008 Arabic Booker Prize, is a work that "combines the structure of the autobiography of a specific man with the biography of exiled man in general," according to the citation by the jury for the award. It is a novel "that discusses the power of time and the vulnerability of the human being in a fresh and original language, using a number of different voices." Born in 1948 in Amman, Jordan, in his novel Farkouh recounts fragments of his own autobiography, giving details of his movements between Amman and Jerusalem as a child, and his relationship with his childhood sweetheart, Mariam, against a background of exile and war. more..
Leviev: Zionism is bankrupt because of ’new American religion’ Anshel Pfeffer, Ha’aretz 3/5/2008 Businessmen Lev Leviev - who, in addition to being the richest person in Israel, operates a 100-school educational network in Israel, the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe - does not accept secular Jewish culture and believes that Zionism is bankrupt. In a wide-ranging interview with Haaretz Magazine that will appear on Friday, Leviev also said that a prime minister who is prepared to negotiate over Jerusalem is betraying the Jewish people. "The moment you ask a child in Israel what Yom Kippur means to him, and he answers the Yom Kippur War, or a fun day on a bicycle - then I don’t know if that is Zionism or whatever you call it, but it has certainly become bankrupt," said Leviev. "And for that we are to blame, first and foremost, the moment we try to import the new American religion, and concentrate only on the new things..." more..
Expats’ Kids enlisting in IDF at rising rate Yuval Azoulay, Ha’aretz 3/3/2008 Private Asaf Aris left Israel at the age of 2 and moved with his parents to Michigan, in the United States. On visits to relatives in Israel he would see soldiers standing at hitchhiking posts, and made up his mind to emulate them. Now he is part of an encouraging trend presented by the Defense Ministry: The number of children of expatriate Israelis who return to Israel to serve in the Israel Defense Forces is rising constantly. Moreover, 70 percent of these young people choose to remain in Israel after their discharge, and 30 percent of their parents return in their children’s wake. Defense Ministry data also show that 90 percent of the children of expatriate Israelis volunteer for service in combat units, and that the latest pilot’s course includes a man and a woman who immigrated from the U. more..
Historian recants theory that Jews killed Christian child in ritual murder Adi Schwartz, Ha’aretz 2/25/2008 A Jewish historian over the weekend published an edited version of his book on the killing of a Christian child in the Italian city of Trento in 1475, denying that the Jews implicated in the murder were in any way involved. In the new edition, Bar-Ilan University Professor Ariel Toaff writes: "Jews were not involved in ritual murder, which was an entirely Christian stereotype." "There was no relationship whatsoever between the so-called ’ritual of blood’ and ritual infanticide," Toaff stated. Toaff caused controversy when he wrote in his 2007 book that he did not rule out the possibility that the murder was carried out by Jews who intended to use the youth’s blood in a Passover ritual. The remark sparked a huge backlash from Israeli and foreign historians who said his claims were unsubstantiated and demanded its immediate removal. more..
Rejoining the Diaspora Ofri Ilani, Ha’aretz 2/21/2008 Every Passover, about 10 Israelis who had lived in Paris for some time would gather at Eyal Spielman’s apartment in the Fourth Arrondissement. "Secular Israelis also want to feel some kind of connection to the sacred texts, or at least to their childhood," says Spielman, who had an apartment rental business in Paris and says he served as a linchpin of the Israeli community there. However, he feels these celebrations actually emphasized the Israelis’ alienation and anomie. "It really is a poor man’s feast. Several people, some of whom don’t know one another, sit around and celebrate the holiday out of some undefined longing. These are people who have tried to assimilate in France, and some of them live with a French partner, but they definitely are not French, nor are they Israeli." more..
Beit Hakerem - The last secular holdout in Jerusalem Tamar Rotem, Ha’aretz 2/21/2008 It took about a decade for the small north-Jerusalem neighborhood of Givat Hamivtar to change its skin. Now, after most of its well-to-do secular households have been replaced with ultra-Orthodox families, the metamorphosis seems almost complete. For Yael Bar-On, the decision to leave was made four years ago, when it came time to enroll her 6-year-old son for elementary school. That presented a problem, because by then, the Bar-Ons were among the few remaining secular families in the neighborhood. "The population of young couples with children had slowly disappeared," she recalled recently. "Only the older residents remained. The neighborhood’s kindergarten and its secular schools just kept losing students." Increasingly, the families replaced those who departed came from Ramot Eshkol, the Haredi neighborhood to Givat Hamivtar’s west. more..
Palestinian-produced film addresses with children’s rights Ma’an News Agency 2/10/2008 Ramallah – Ma’an – A Palestinian media corporation called Klakit has completed the production of a short animated film called "Life is Better," designed to highlight the fight for the rights of Palestinian children. The movie is 22 minutes long and deals with children’s rights according to international law as well as the Palestinian law on children of 2004. The movie consists of 13 scenes including a three-minute song. The screenplay was written by Saleem Dabbour, and was voiced by Palestinian actors. The soundtrack was composed by Basil Zayid. The movie was produced by the Palestine branch of Defense for Children International in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF. It took five months to produce the movie. UNICEF will fund the production of 5000 DVDs of the movie to be distributed in the Palestinians territories. more..
Study: Soviet immigrants outperform Israeli high-schoolers Or Kashti, Ha’aretz 2/10/2008 Children who immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union outperformed their Israeli-born counterparts in high-school matriculation and college admission requirements, according to a study carried out by Nir Fogel for the Central Bureau of Statistics. The study also found that students from the western republics of the Commonwealth of Independent States outperformed those from other republics. Between 1990 and 2004, about 1. 14 million people immigrated from the CIS to Israel. Although these immigrants are generally portrayed as a homogenous group, "there are considerable social, economic and cultural differences among groups of immigrants," said Fogel. For the purposes of this study, he divided them into four groups by geographic origin, "based on geographic, social and cultural considerations. more..
Viewpoints from Sderot and Rafah BBC Online 1/24/2008 On one side of the Gaza-Israel border lies the southern Israeli town of Sderot where 22,000 residents live within easy range of the unguided rockets fired by Palestinian militants. On the other are the 1. 5 million Palestinian inhabitants blockaded by the Israeli army, though since Wednesday able to reach Egypt thanks to militants who blew up border defences. BBC News website readers from either side describe their experiences. HAVA GAD, SDEROT, ISRAEL Hava has lived in Sderot for 11 years. She is married with three children. I moved here because I was looking for a small, quiet and wonderful place for my children to grow up in. That’s what it was like here then. It’s still wonderful, just the rockets have changed everything. It started to change seven years ago, but the rockets weren’t so dangerous as they are today. more..
Troubled high-schoolers realizing potential as policemen Vered Lee, Ha’aretz 2/3/2008 Son-of-a-bitches, stool pigeons, negative human beings. There are the words used by Malassa Ambao, 16, from Ashdod, to say what he once thought of the police. He sneaks sidelong glances: "Let’s just say that, in the neighborhood where I grew up, people don’t like cops." He arrived in Israel at age 6 from Ethiopia; in junior high, he almost dropped out of school. Now, after spending a year in the police studies program at Na’mat’s Kanot Youth Village, he is an outstanding student. "I have friends who were sent to institutions because they had police files," he explains. "I didn’t want to turn out like the other kids in the neighborhood, who, at age 15, drop out of school and start working. I wanted to make my mother happy and proud of me; so I decided I wouldn’t be like the others, that I’d get my matriculation certificate." more..
Kazakh tycoon visits West Bank city Yisrael Bardugo, YNetNews 2/3/2008 City of Betar prepares royal welcome, complete with red carpet stretching all the way from main highway to city hall, for Kazakh tycoon Alexander Mashkevitz - Residents of the predominately ultra-Orthodox town of Beitar Illit in the West Bank awoke on Sunday to a festive sight, as their entire town was primed for a lavish celebration. The main roads leading into the town were blockaded by police, a lush red carpet covered the town all the way from the main highway into Town Hall, and a children’s choir decked in bright, sparkling clothing stood ready at the town’s entrance. What triggered this festive atmosphere? "No, the Messiah has not yet arrived, he is still on his way,"ť municipal worker Yehuda Deitsch assured a local resident who marveled at the sight of the children’s choir while still dressed in his floral pajamas. more..
Palestinian Sources: Israel transferred 120 Palestinian prisoners to administrative detention Najeeb Farraj, International Middle East Media Center 2/2/2008 Palestinian humanitarian law organizations stated on Saturday that Israeli Authorities have stepped up policy of administrative detention. The detention policy is used by the Israeli army against Palestinians, the army under this policy refuses to give charges or reasons for the detention; claiming that there is critical information obtained, and revealing it to the detainee or their lawyer could risk the source of the information. In the past two weeks the Israeli army invaded the West Bank Palestinian communities at least 70 times, during those invasions Palestinian sources reported the Israeli troops kidnapped at least 130 Palestinian civilians, among them seven children. Currently there are 900 Palestinian detainees under the administrative detention, the UN deemed this policy as illegal. Translated by Ghassan Bannoura IMEMC News Room more..
For all the excitement, little has changed in Gaza Catrin Ormestad, Ha’aretz 2/2/2008 RAFAH, Gaza Strip - There it is, a feeling of change. Gasoline vendors with jerry cans are lining the streets of Gaza City, huddling in the rain, and pick-up trucks loaded with fuel canisters, Cleopatra cigarettes and sheep are returning from the border. Some of the cars roaming Gaza’s roads have Egyptian license plates. Our driver Muhammad lighted another cigarette as we headed south. Before the border breach, he would make a pack last several days, but now cigarette prices have plummeted. The once crowded area by the Rafah border terminal, where the Palestinians used to wait for days and weeks and months in order to cross, is now deserted. Two Hamas border guards briefly glanced at my Palestinian companion’s ID and let us pass, and we continued along the Philadelphi Road. Where Israel Defense Forces jeeps used to patrol before the disengagement, kids are now biking, and donkey carts are making their way back from the border. more..
Mashaal: Schlait is alive and in good condition By Jerusalem Post 2/1/2008 Captured IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Schlait is alive and in good condition, Hamas’s Syria-based leader Khaled Mashaal was quoted as saying Thursday. In an interview set to be published Friday in the Italian weekly Panorama, Mashaal said that Schlait’s captors were treating him "according to law." The Hamas leader went on to say that he was "astonished" as to why Israel so worried about one soldier when in Israel, about 12,000 Palestinians are detained, including women and children. [end]
B’Tselem: Israeli attacks on human rights workers "systematic" Ma’an News Agency 1/21/2008 Bethlehem – Ma’an – The beating and arrest of a human rights worker by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday were a part of "a policy of systematically harassing human rights defenders," the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem said on Sunday. B’Tselem fieldworker Issa Amro was assaulted, then detained by the Israeli military while filming a group of Israeli settlers while they attacked a Palestinian home. Witnesses told Ma’an’s reporter that four women and two children were also injured when settlers pelted Palestinian homes with stones in Hebron’s Wadi Abu Hussain neighborhood. "Although a large force of soldiers and police were present," B’Tselem said "they did nothing to protect the Palestinians and remove the settlers. Two B’Tselem workers were filming the incident from across the street, where they stood along with a number of Palestinians and international activists. more..
Book Review: The Scar of David William James Martin, Palestine Chronicle 1/21/2008 The Scar of David, by Susan Abulhawa, is about a scar and a man named David who bears the scar, and another scar -- the scar worn by Amal, the protagonist of the story, whom we follow from childhood and who also incurred a scar on her lower abdomen as the result of the exit wound of a rifle bullet from an Israeli soldier who shot her in the back as she walked to her home in the Jenin refugee camp. Of course, it is also about other scars -- the scar of the land:Now, that ancient village with its walls made of secrets and trees planted in blood, looked inanimate. Around Jerusalem and in the West Bank, settlements on every hilltop -- with their manicured green lawns and red roofs metastasizing into the valleys like an earth rash -- contrasted cruelty to the crumbling Arab homes where sewage from these settlements drained and where settlers often dumped their garbage. more..
Israeli settlers attack Palestinian family in Hebron, wounding 12 Ma’an News Agency 1/12/2008 Hebron – Ma’an – 12 Palestinians were injured and four detained in the West Bank city of Hebron after Israeli settlers invaded and attacked a private Palestinian home on Saturday. Witnesses said that 70 settlers from the Kiryat Arba colony broke into the Abu S’eifan family home, beating the residents with clubs and other objects. Jamal Abu S’eifan said that the family attempted to defend itself before Israeli soldiers arrived, deploying tear gas. Abu S’eifan said that this only made it easier for the settlers to attack. According to Abu S’eifan, three children were injured. He said the Israeli military blocked Palestinian ambulances from reaching the house. more..
CBS reports drop in ultra-Orthodox fertility rate Shahar Ilan, Ha’aretz 1/13/2008 The total fertility rate in the country’s ultra-Orthodox community has dropped sharply in the past several years, according to figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). The fertility rate in the Haredi community of Beitar Illit dropped from 8. 9 children per woman in 2001 to 7. 7 children in 2006, a decrease of 13. 5 percent. In Modi’in Illit, another ultra-Orthodox community, the total fertility rate fell from 9 to 8 in the same period. Even after the drop, these communities still have the highest fertility rates in Israel. The total fertility rate is the average number of children born to each woman in her lifetime. It is a predictor of future fertility and does not refer to the size of the average family, and is considered the single best measurement of fertility trends. This is the first time since the reduction of government child allowances that data on fertility rates in the Haredi community have been released. more..
Rabbi: Segregate male and female teachers Kobi Nahshoni, YNetNews 1/8/2008 Beit El’s rabbi, Shlomo Aviner, calls for segregation of sexes at work orientations, seminars; explains, ’We must behave as we teach our children to behave’ - Female and male teachers must be separated at the workplace, according to Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, the rabbi of the settlement of Beit El, north of Jerusalem. "Those who educate our children in schools where the sexes are segregated must practice what they preach," he said. Aviner made the remarks in his weekly article in a synagogue pamphlet entitled, "With Love and Faith." Some of the questions the article dealt with included: "Is it acceptable to hold orientations with both male and female teachers? Co-ed workshops? One teachers’ lounge for both sexes? Field trips or work seminars with members of both genders? " In his response, Rabbi Aviner said that "a major rule in the Torah is that men and women must keep very far from one another. more..
Ex-IDF chief Moshe Levy hospitalized in serious condition after stroke Eli Ashkenazi, Ha’aretz 1/1/2008 Former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Moshe Levy was hospitalized Tuesday in serious condition after suffering a stroke. The 72-year-old Levy, who headed the IDF from 1983-1987, was brought to Haemek Hospital in Afula, not far from his home at Kibbutz Beit Alfa. His wife and children are at his bedside. Levy suffered a similar stroke several years ago. The former IDF chief was born in Tel Aviv, and was given the nickname "Moshe and a half" due to his immense height. In 1954, he was drafted into the IDF and began his service in the Golani Infantry Brigade. He later transferred to the paratroopers, where he took part in IDF counter raids in Sinai during the 1950s, in response to Palestinian terror attacks. During the 1956 Sinai Campaign, Levy served as an operations officer in the paratroopers, and was dropped behind enemy lines. more..
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