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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." 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 "œaid" 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 ½ 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' 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 ½ 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," 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..
Israeli mallrats Yael Branovsky, YNetNews 12/30/2007 Study by National Council for the Child finds Israeli children love the mall, are electronically savvy. Study also finds rise in single-parent families, birthrates, school violence. - To find Israeli youths, just head in the direction of the nearest mall. A study conducted by the National Council for the Child found that 82% of Israeli teens consider the mall their "ultimate pastime". Half the youths surveyed would rather eat at a restaurant or curl up with a good book. 56% of Israeli youngsters participate in extra-curricular activities, mainly in sports teams of various kinds. The study, appearing in the council’s annual publication out Sunday, also found that Israeli youths are anything but techno-phobes; 93%of youths polled have at least one computer in their home, and 70% surf the net daily. Cell phones also naturally abound, with 80% of Israeli youngsters owning at least one cellular phone. more..
The Israeli army attack school boys near Hebron Ghassan Bannoura, International Middle East Media Center 12/27/2007 The Israeli army invaded the village of Sourif located near the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Thursday midday and clashed with local school boys. Local sources said that several military jeeps stormed the village and started to provoke the local school boys as they were leaving their school. Soldiers detained some of the children and beat them up. Witnesses said that in response to the soldiers’ actions the children threw stones and empty glass bottles at the invading troops, soldiers in their turn opened fire using live rounds and tear gas, medical sources reported no injures. Soldiers left the village shortly after. [end]
Gaza crowds mark Hamas’s founding BBC Online 12/15/2007 The rally came amid high tension between Hamas and Fatah Enlarge Image At least 300,000 people have turned out in Gaza City for a rally to mark 20 years since Hamas was founded. Waving green flags and banners, crowds of Palestinian men, women and children filled a large square for the event. Analysts say the turnout is seen as a vital test of support for Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip in June from its Fatah rivals. In a defiant website statement, Hamas’s leader in exile, Khaled Mashaal, vowed the group would not renounce violence. Speaking from Damascus, Syria, he said Palestinians were capable of mounting a new uprising against Israeli occupation, like the intifadas of 1987 and 2000. Defiant "Whoever thinks that Hamas has reached a dead end is wrong," he added, in his anniversary message to the militant Islamist organisation’s website. more..
Troops demolish a Palestinian home in Jerusalem Maisa Abu Ghazala – IMEMC, International Middle East Media Center 12/12/2007 Israeli bulldozes belonging to Jerusalem Municipality demolished on Tuesday a Palestinian home in the Old City of Jerusalem and attacked two brothers while attempting to evacuate their furniture from the house before the bulldozers leveled it. The house belongs to Zainab Ibrahim Kabaja; the army surrounded the area during early morning hours, and soldiers violently attacked and clubbed Omar Kabaja, 13, and his brother Ali, 20, as they tried to evacuate family belongings and furniture from their home. The two brothers were handcuffed, blindfolded and were dragged on the ground before they were transferred to an Israeli police station where they were detained for several hours. The demolished house was 40 square meters and included one bedroom, one kitchen and one restroom. It provided shelter to Zeinab, her husband and their ten children. more..
Susan Abualhawa: Of Arabs at Annapolis Palestine Chronicle 12/7/2007 more..
Lebanese family returns to South from Israel Daily Star 10/31/2007 TYRE: A Lebanese family returned from Israel, the National News Agency correspondent in the southern coastal city of Tyre reported on Sunday. Abir Boueiri, 34, and her four children returned to Lebanon through the Naqoura border crossing. The Boueiris, like hundreds of southern families, fled to Israel after its withdrawal from the South in May 2000. http://www. dailystar. com. lb Tags: Israel Printable Version Send to a friend [end]
Measles strikes Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox community Yuval Azoulay, Ha’aretz 10/9/2007 An outbreak of measles in Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox community has taken 40 victims, mostly children, the Health Ministry says. Two Londoners, who were guests at a wedding about six weeks ago, may have been the carriers of the contagious virus. Measles is spread through the air (contact with fluids from an infected person’s nose and mouth, either directly or through a sneeze), and is highly contagious. Symptoms include high fever, coughing, runny nose, inflammation and a rash all over the body. M st of the ultra-Orthodox families refrain from vaccinating their children against measles despite Health Ministry attempts to persuade them to do so. "Many families don’t inoculate their children for religious reasons and adamantly refuse to consider it," a senior Health Ministry official said. more..
Police apprehend 3 kids for spraying swastikas Avi Cohen, YNetNews 9/20/2007 Three children admit to spraying swastikas, Nazi slogans in Holon Police officers arrested three children from Holon on Thursday evening over suspicion they had sprayed swastikas in the city. One of the children, aged 12, told officer he sprayed swastikas to vent his rage at the discrimination he had felt in Israel since he emigrated with his family from the former Soviet Union, seven years ago. The other two suspects are aged 12 and 16. Police launched a hunt a week ago after swastikas and Nazi slogans, including ’hail Hitler,’ were found on a handful of buildings across the city. The 12-year-old said he had initiated the spraying spree and confessed he felt guilty for what he did and decided to stop his practice. more..
Military cadet filmed doing Nazi salute Eitan Glickman, Danny Spector, YNetNews 9/16/2007 Star pupil at military academy in Haifa posts videos of himself on Youtube, goose-stepping in IDF uniform, reaching sister Nazi salute - A star pupil at a military boarding school in Israel shocked peers and educators when he published videos on the web of himself performing and teaching Nazi salutes in an IDF uniform. The cadet was an outstanding senior at the Beit Biram High School, a branch of the renowned Reali High School in Haifa whose alumni include an impressive number of former generals, defense ministers and IDF chiefs of staff. In the first video, the cadet is filmed by himself, in full military uniform, goose-stepping to the Nazi anthem. In a second video, he is joined by a friend, also in uniform. A third video shows him teaching his eight-year-old sister to perform a Nazi salute, in response to the girl’s request to watch a children’s film. more..
Local comic makes it off the drawing board Suzan Crile, Daily Star 9/19/2007 BEIRUT: Comics have come a long way over the years. In the days of Tintin and Archie, they were regarded as a silly hobby for young children. In the past decade in particular, though, the medium received new degrees of validation as comics became more stylized, less rigidly formatted and in some cases more adult. What was once looked upon as the most nerdy of hobbies now often provides popular culture with its visions of cool. Given that comics have come so very far, it’s hardly a surprise that they’ve now "arrived" in Lebanon. Last week saw the release of "issue zero" of "Salamander," a brand-new comic magazine being published and distributed in Lebanon. Five Beirutis started the project. Recognizing that the country had yet to truly catch on to comic book culture, Omar Khouri, Tarek Nabaa, Hatem Imam, Lena... more..
Palestinian woman sent to Jordan Maisa Abu Ghazalah, International Middle East Media Center 9/10/2007 Within the space of twenty four hours Dialaia Basheer’s life was changed – instead of going to Jerusalem to visit her daughter in hospital she ended up in Amman. This happened when Israeli soldiers at the nearby military checkpoint of Al Zea’im detained her and forced her to leave for Jordan because she did not have a permit to enter Jerusalem. Dalia’s husband, Sa’eed Awad, was told by the Israeli authorities that she would be granted a permit if he agreed to become an informer for Israeli intelligence. If not Dalia would be either abducted and deprived of seeing her children or forcibly deported to Jordan thereby breaking the family apart. A’wad told the Palestine News Network that last July despite the fact that their daughter was being treated in the Al-Maqased hospital in East Jerusalem he chose to make his wife to travel to Jordan rather than see her abducted. more..
No Jews and Arabs, just Hebrew and Arabic Akiva Eldar, Ha’aretz 9/11/2007 When my oldest granddaughter, Tamar, 5, and her father, David, want to communicate without Mother understanding, they speak Arabic. With her friend Bana from Beit Safafa in southern Jerusalem, old Tamar speaks half Arabic and half Hebrew. Tamar and Bana met last year at the bilingual preschool run at the Max Rayne Hand in Hand School for Bilingual Education (Yad B’Yad). On Sunday this week, they met again at kindergarten, in a class run by Sabrine Salman and Natalie May Raphael. The class had 30 children, about half Muslim and Christian Arabs, and the rest Jews, some observant. Some of the children are from mixed couples. Some come from East Jerusalem, and some are Armenians from the Old City. The Hand in Hand school was founded 10 years ago by the Hand in Hand (Yad B’Yad) Association, which runs three bilingual schools in Israel. more..
Three generations of boys, guns and ants Jim Quilty, Daily Star 8/29/2007 BEIRUT: It’s an intriguing way to start a screening. The movie was "Wassat Beirut (Central Beirut)," a 10-minute, black-and-white film shot in 1992 by Rachad al-Jisr and Akram Zaatari. Scrambled Eggs’ frontman Charbel Haber, this evening in electronic improv mode, provided musical accompaniment. It was an appropriately discordant start to Sunday evening’s session of short films, the most intriguing line-up presented so far at Ne a Beyrouth’s Festival of Lebanese Film. The film was the first of a triptych of works that are at once disparate and oddly related. "Wassat Beirut" looks in on a group of little boys playing a game of militiaman - effectively hide-and-seek with some kids armed with toy guns. As they scatter to hide within the architecture of Downtown Beirut, the camera becomes as preoccupied by its location,... more..
Israeli vacationers take wrong turn, end up in Jericho Efrat Weiss, YNetNews 8/19/2007 Family gets lost on way to vacation resort in Tiberias, ends up in Jericho. Car pulled over by Palestinian police, handed over to Israeli police at checkpoint - Liat and Dudu Dror are unlikely to forget this summer’s holiday. On Sunday, the couple and their three young children, on their way from Jerusalem to a resort in Tiberias, took a wrong turn at the Almog junction and found themselves in the West Bank city of Jericho. The family car was pulled over by Palestinian police officers. The couple alerted the Israeli police and 20 minutes later, they were joined by an Israeli police car, which escorted them back to safety. "We were going to drive to Tiberias through the Jericho bypass road. We turned left at Almog junction and saw a checkpoint"¦ the soldiers asked us where we were from, we told them... more..
Hamas TV’s Child Star Says She’s Ready for Martyrdom Dion Nissenbaum, MIFTAH 8/16/2007 Gaza Strip — Saraa Barhoum picked at the buttons on her pink bellbottom jeans as she twisted on a chair inside the bustling new Hamas television headquarters. The afternoon light bounced off the sparkly outlines of butterflies on her frilly top, and a colorful hijab framed her 11-year-old face. Saraa wants to be a doctor. If she can’t, the young star of Hamas television’s best-known children’s show said, she’d be proud to become a martyr. Saraa says little Jewish girls should be forced from their homes in Israel so that Palestinians can return to their land. With the show’s producer helpfully offering written tips during an interview, Saraa didn’t get into how she hopes to die for her cause, be it suicide bombing, fighting the Israeli military or some other way. more..
Palestinian children call on Hamas and Fatah to settle their differences Ma’an News Agency 8/15/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – Hundreds of children held a press conference in Gaza city on Wednesday in an appeal to Palestinian officials to settle their differences and to provide Palestinian children with a stable, conflict-free future. They called on Hamas and Fatah to end the current crisis which is damaging to the Palestinian cause. Fourteen-year-old Hasan Anshasi requested that the international community support the Palestinian children. He also called for the opening of the crossings between the Gaza Strip and Egypt under the supervision of independent Palestinian sides. Thirteen-year-old Dunya Maqousi asked decision-makers and media outlets to support Palestinian children. [end]
Reform Movement publishes blessings for sex change operation Shlomo Shamir, Ha’aretz 8/15/2007 The Reform Movement recently published an expanded manual for the inclusion of homosexuals and transgender individuals, including a list of three blessings to be said on the occasion of a sex change operation." I believe that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Jews in our midst - our children, our relatives, and our friend - are in great need, as are we all of spiritual support," said Union of Reform Judaism President Rabbi Eric Yoffie in the manual’s Statement of Purpose. The 500-page Kulanu: A Program for Implementing Gay and Lesbian Inclusion contains among other things services for same-sex commitment and marriage ceremonies as well as advice for the inclusion of GLBT individuals in the community. The original edition of Kulanu was published 10 years ago, and was considered at the time to... more..
PRC spokesperson derides Israeli inability to release Corporal Shalit Ma’an News Agency 8/12/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – The spokesperson of the Popular Resistance Committees, which were involved in the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Abu Mujahid, said the group has struck a devastating blow to the Israeli intelligence and security bodies by managing to detain the soldier for over a year. Abu Mujahid scorned the Israeli inability to obtain any information on Shalit from any one of the Palestinian factions. At the same time, Abu Mujahid accused Shalit’s family of failing to exert enough pressure on Israel to enable his release. In an exclusive interview with Ma’an, Abu Mujahid expressed his sentiments to Shalit’s family. He said, "You are failing your son, you are failing your duties to him, you value human feelings, but your government ignores them and deserts your children in the middle of a battle without making any attempt to free them. more..
Israelis buy rescue insurance for their globetrotting young Conal Urquhart in Jerusalem, The Guardian 8/12/2007 It should be the trip of a lifetime, but for many young Israelis their travels in the Far East and South America end up in drug-induced or spiritual collapse. Now an Israeli insurance company is offering a unique policy to parents to cover a professional search team, repatriation and psychiatric rehabilitation for their missing children. About 50,000 Israelis a year go trekking after their military service and before university or work. The Israeli charity War on Drugs estimates that 90 per cent take drugs at least once on their travels. Some two-thirds go to the Far East and about a third to South America. The charity estimates that each year 2,000 travellers suffer mental illness brought on by drug abuse or spiritual confusion and between 600 and 800 are admitted to psychiatric wards. more..
Co-existence summer camp Tova Dadon, YNetNews 8/8/2007 Peres Center for Peace holds fifth annual summer camp for Israeli, Palestinian children. Hopes to create environment for children to interact in on regular basis - Israeli and Palestinian children recently took part in a special summer camp at kibbutz Gat. The summer camp, sponsored by the Peres Center for Peace, was a week long and hosted 180 children. This is the project’s fifth year and, so far, more than 1,800 children, ages six to fourteen, have participated in it. Creating an environment in which Palestinian and Israeli children can interact is part of the center’s ongoing mission to educate the country’s youth about the Israeli-Arab co-existence. This week’s activities brought together young girls from Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malachi and Be’er Tuvia with girls from the West Bank city of Nablus and the town of Beit Safafa. more..
Report: Thirty-four Palestinians, including two children, killed by Israeli army fire in July Ameen Abu Wardeh, International Middle East Media Center 8/1/2007 The Palestinian Liberation Organization Department of International Affairs on Wednesday issued its monthly report of Israeli attacks on Palestinians for the month of July 2007. The report stated that 34 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli army during the month, among them two children. Five of the thirty-four were victims of extra-judicial assassination, while another two died when the ambulances transporting them to the hospital were detained at military checkpoints. In addition to the 34 killed, 85 civilians were injured in different Israeli military attacks. The PLO also reported that six homes were destroyed by the Israeli army. Three of the homes were in east Jerusalem, which the army claimed were built without the necessary permits. more..
Audio: Crossing the Line interviews Nahr al-Bared nurse Podcast, Crossing the Line, Electronic Intifada 7/31/2007 AUDIO - This week on Crossing The Line: host Christopher Brown talks with Melad Salameh, a resident of Nahr al-Bared, who worked as a nurse while the fighting between militants of Fatah al-Islam and the Lebanese army raged on around him. Now living in the Baddawi refugee camp, Salameh talks about the lingering hope that they might be able to return to their homes in Nahr al-Bared. In the second segment Brown speaks with Sousan Hammad, a Palestinian-American who is an English teacher and independent journalist living in Ramallah. Hammad discusses accompanying 20 Palestinian children from Jenin refugee camp, on their first visits to their families’ land in places like Jerusalem and Haifa. Hammad touches on the feelings of the children whose eyes were opened up to an entirely different world from that of the camp. more..
Settlers attack Palestinian children near Nablus city in the West Bank Ameen Abu Wardeh, International Middle East Media Center 7/26/2007 A group of Israeli settlers attacked and beat up three Palestinian children while they were playing on their family land in the village of Al Qassira located near the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday midday. The setters, using mountain motorbikes, chased the three children and then beat them up. Two of the three kids managed to escape while the third was detained by the setters, who tied him to one of their bikes and pulled him to a place near the village and dumped him there. The three kids sustained light wounds, according to medical personnel in the area. The families of the three kids said that the Israeli army told them that an investigation will be held. The Israeli army most of the time witnesses the attacks committed by Israeli illegal settlers and do not intervene, or they may join the setters in their attacks against Palestinian civilians. more..
In pictures: The work of Naji al-Ali BBC Online 7/24/2007 It is 20 years since the fatal shooting of the Arab world’s foremost political cartoonist, Naji Ali, creator of the character Handhala, child of the Palestinian refugee camps. Born in Palestine in 1938, he became a refugee at the age of 10 when Israel came into being. Images of Palestinian struggle and suffering dominated his work. Ali said his character would always stay a shoeless urchin. "Only when Handhala returns to Palestine will he grow up and exceed the age of 10," he said. But his creator predicted Handhala would live on after his death. Here 20 years later he is irreverently portrayed on part of Israel’s West Bank barrier. Ali died on 29 August 1987, more than a month after being gunned down on a London street by an unknown assassin. more..
’In France I was worried, in Israel I feel safe’ Yael Branovsky, YNetNews 7/25/2007 Two planes carrying 600 new immigrants from France land at Ben-Gurion Airport, marking biggest aliyah event since beginning of year. More than 3,000 olim expected to arrive from France by end of 2007 - "When I got on the plane on the way to Israel, I immediately felt calm and secure. In France I was always worried when my children went on the underground on their own, or even just wandered the streets. I always dreamt of immigrating to Israel; I feel safe here," Jacklyn Benishu said Wednesday morning after landing in Israel as a new immigrant. Benishu arrived with 600 other new immigrants from France on two planes which landed at Ben-Gurion Airport in the morning. The two planes, one from Paris and one from Marseilles, marked the biggest aliyah event since the beginning of the year. more..
Refugee children address life under occupation in tee shirt contest Ma’an News Agency 7/24/2007 Hebron – Ma’an – "Peace and freedom, or the lack thereof," was the theme of a tee shirt painting competition for 7-8 year olds at the children’s club in the women’s centre at Arroub refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Hebron, Monday. "Lack" an event organizer explained, was the operative word. One child painted a weeping eye, explaining, "The eye watches and weeps for the children of Palestine." Organizer Heather Stroud, a writer and activist from the United Kingdom said the contest gave the children the opportunity to express their feelings about "the wider issues of life under occupation." Many of the children, she said, face "daily harassment" from Israeli soldiers when they take the bus to school in Hebron, and also experience the shock of "frequent" Israeli raids on the camp. more..
First Violin / Ninety Tali Fahimas Noam Ben-Zeev, Ha’aretz 7/24/2007 A visit to the Edward Said Conservatory camp in Bir Zeit makes one think how much both Israeliand Palestinian children would benefit if they could spend their summers together, making music. During the summer, hundreds of Israeli children and teenagers take their musical instruments, say goodbye to their parents and leave home for a variety of music camps scattered around the country. In places like Zikhron Yaakov, Kibbutz Eilon and Givat Haviva, they study in master classes, practice in ensembles that range from chamber music groups to symphonic orchestras, sing in choirs and write music, classical, rock or jazz. For years now, institutions like the Jerusalem Music Center, Matan and Keshet Eilon, Musical Youth in Israel and the Tel Hai Piano Workshops have used the summer break from school to bring together students and teachers for both professional and social encounters. more..
Palestinian TV show creates buzz Nour Odeh, in Gaza, Al Jazeera 7/21/2007 Farfour was killed off, on the show, by an Israeli character - A Palestinian TV channel has introduced a new and controversial character to one of its children’s programmes. Nour Odeh, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza, gained access to al-Aqsa TV’s guarded television studios. The latest character on Hamas run al-Aqsa TV is Nahoul, a playful bee who takes the message about the Israeli occupation to young viewers. Hazem al-Sharawi, the programme’s editor, told Al Jazeera: "We want to connect the children with their surroundings and reality – to teach them about the occupation that stripped them of their land." "We want to connect them to the Palestinian cause through facts and numbers." Nahoul replaced Farfour, a mouse who drew condemnation from some quarters for condoning armed resistance to Israeli occupation. more..
58% of Israeli children use internet Maayan Cohen, Globes Online 7/17/2007 TNS/Teleseker: Israel has almost 4. 5 million internet users over the age of 5, 62% of the country’s total population. 58% of Israeli children aged 5-12 use the internet, according to the TNS/Teleseker survey for June 2007. The information was provided by parents. The main internet use by children 4-8 is for games, surfing children websites, and picture coloring pages. Children aged 7-8 are already using the internet for study purposes, to listen to music, and to download songs. The main internet uses by children aged 9-12 are games, instant messaging (the use of which increases with age), to listen to music and download songs, searching for information for class, and surfing children sites (which declines with age). The survey also found that there are almost 4. more..
Feature: Gazans enjoy security, serenity but worry about bleak future Xinhua News Agency, ReliefWeb 7/9/2007 GAZA, Jul 9, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Sitting under a beach-umbrella on the beach of Gaza City, Hassan Hamouda and his wife, are looking at their three children skylarking and chasing after each other happily on Monday. As calm and serenity have dominated the Gaza Strip over the past two weeks, Hamouda and his family finally decided to spend the summer vacation on the beach. "My children got their three-month holiday when summer began, but I deliberately ignored their request to go to the beach for fear that they might be hurt in infighting between Fatah and Hamas, " said Hamouda, father to two boys and an eight-year-old girl. "But Gaza is quiet now. There is no chaos and there is no infighting with Fatah," added his wife Samira, wearing a long- sleeve dress and covering her head with a white scarf. more..
Photos bridge Arab-Israeli divide Saeed Taji Farouky, BBC Online 7/9/2007 Recent events in Gaza and the West Bank have once again focused the attention of the world’s media on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But one group of Palestinian and Israeli students are determined to represent their own lives to the world with a project called Side By Side. The ambitious project began in January 2006 when seven Palestinian and seven Israeli children - all of whom lost someone close in the conflict - met in a monastery in the hills above Jerusalem to begin a six-month photographic dialogue. Side By Side is run jointly by PhotoVoice - a UK charity that aims to give a voice to marginalised communities around the world through participatory photography - and the Palestinian-Israeli Families Forum/Parents Circle, a forum of bereaved families dedicated to non-violence and dialogue. more..
Feature: Palestinian refugees in Syria worried over Gaza escalation Xinhua News Agency, ReliefWeb 6/28/2007 DAMASCUS, Jun 28, 2007. -- "Anxiety and fear control us,... we look forward to the day when we can return to Palestine, but how can we go back as fighting among the sons of one country continues? " somberly asked Umm Ibrahim, a Palestinian refugee living in the Yamouk refugees camp south of Damascus. Ibrahim, 68, a citizen from the Gaza Strip, told Xinhua on Thursday that she was deeply concerned over the infighting between Hamas and Fatah, rebuking their ongoing fight for power as " shameful. "." My relatives in Gaza and the West Bank are suffering from a stifling economic blockade and they run short of food, water and medicine because of the security chaos," said Ibrahim, a mother of five children. Palestinian refugees here like Ibrahim, profoundly worried by the deteriorating situation in their homeland,. more..
Oldest Palestinian woman dies aged 118, leaving 164 grandchildren Ma’an News Agency 6/26/2007 Bethlehem - Ma’an - Hamda Atieh, the oldest Palestinian woman, died yesterday, Monday. She was 118 years old. Atieh had 8 children, the oldest of whom is now 95 and the youngest is 75. She also has 164 grandchildren. Atieh died in good health; she always ensured she ate healthy food including many vegetables, fruits, milk and honey. [end]
Rabbi: Don’t name your kids ‘Herzl’ Neta Sela, YNetNews 6/22/2007 Rabbi Avraham Yosef, son of Shas’ spiritual leader, rules that children may not be named after the founder of Zionism, whom he defines as ’evil’. A person’s name may not be changed under any circumstances, unless it is either "Herzl" or "Nimrod," in which case it must be changed, Rabbi Avraham Yosef ruled this week. During a radio show on which he replies to halachic questions, the rabbi, son of Shas’ spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef, was asked by a listener whether names should be changed if, for instance, the bride and her mother-in-law share the same name. The rabbi answered that a name must never be changed, though another name can be added to the first name, unless one carries the name of "an evil, indecent figure" like Herzl, the founder of Zionism, or the biblical Nimrod. more..
Some 3,500 march in Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem Jonathan Lis, Ha’aretz 6/22/2007 Roughly 3,500 people marched Thursday evening in the much-contested Jerusalem Gay Pride parade, as some 1,500 ultra-Orthodox men, settlers and right-wing activists demonstrated against the event. 500 ultra-Orthodox protesters marched along Jaffa Street in the city, in an attempt to intersect the march and confront the participants. Police blocked the demonstrators, however, arresting 12 of them. "I am demanding my civil rights, including the right to get married and have children," said marcher Guy Frishman, 27. "I want to have rights like every other person." One man evaded police to approach marchers yelling: "Filth! Get out of Jerusalem!" He was escorted away by police. The march took place under heavy guard, as Jerusalem Police deployed over 7,000 officers to protect the participants. more..
Neighborliness across the green line Ruth Sinai, Ha’aretz 6/18/2007 Yaffa Rubin, a member of Tel Aviv’s Hatikva neighborhood committee, strove to compliment her Palestinian guests. "You are real balabustas," she said. It’s not clear if she knew the Arabic origins of that term, or, like most Israelis, believed it to be a Yiddish term to describe those who know their way around a kitchen. But her intent was clear." We had a wonderful time and delicious food when you hosted us," she told 20 residents of East Jerusalem who visited last week. This was a reciprocal visit for residents of the A-Tur neighborhood of East Jerusalem who hosted residents from Hatikva four months ago in conjunction with the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) "Better Together" project. The program adopts a new approach to helping children who live in deprived neighborhoods. more..
Gazan citizens head to Erez crossing hoping to flee to the West Bank Ma’an News Agency 6/16/2007 Gaza – Ma’an – In the aftermath of the latest infighting in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian security sources have stated that dozens of Palestinian citizens have arrived at Erez crossing at the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, awaiting Israeli approval to flee to the West Bank. Eyewitnesses mentioned that the groups of people at the crossing included women and children. [end]
Sidon art exhibit shows off work of disabled children Mohammed Zaatari, Daily Star 6/16/2007 SIDON: An exhibit of paintings by 35 mentally disabled and dyslexic children were unveiled this week at the Khan al-Franj in Sidon’s Old City. The exhibit, called "I Draw Well, Too... ," was organized by the Sidon Orphans Welfare Association and represents the first exhibit of disabled children’s work in the Southern port city. The sometimes-vivid, sometimes-stark colors used by the children clearly mirror their pain as well as their aspirations. Each painting also recounts a certain story or conveys a certain message. Saeed Makkawi, head of the association, emphasized the creative abilities of the children, adding that producing art serves as therapy for disabled children and allows them "to express their minds freely." "The disabled cannot be locked inside of houses and marginalized," Makkawi said. more..
Calling the shots Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 6/16/2007 "Panic is ruling our lives," said S. of the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood two days ago, when Hamas had almost completed its takeover of the Gaza Strip. "We’re sitting here on the floor, the entire family. We can’t approach the windows or stand up. So we’re sitting. Every moment a missile explodes, but the greatest fear is for the future. Nobody knows how things will look a few hours from now, when Hamas captures Gaza." The fears of S. , like many Gaza residents, are not unfounded. A look at Hamas’ behavior in the Strip in recent days has revealed zero tolerance toward the "other." Anything identified with Fatah was attacked, even women and children related to activists. "I’m not sure what they’ll do with the secular, and what they’ll to with me, since my brother is in the security services," S. more..
Protests against Gaza violence in Hebron and Bethlehem Ma’an News Agency 6/14/2007 Hebron - Ma’an - Palestinians in the city of Hebron have condemned the bloody clashes in the Gaza Strip, and urged President Abbas and Prime Minister Haniyeh to put an end to the bloodshed. In a march arranged by the national factions, in which high ranking officials and hundreds of citizens participated, they called on all fighters to cease their fighting and end the tragic situation. At the same time, the Ibda’a centre in Dheisheh refugee camp, near Bethlehem, organized a march for the children of the summer camp to protest the fighting in the Gaza Strip. The children carried signs condemning the fighting, and urging the factions to end the cycle of violence. [end]
Hala Hamdan The Guardian 6/5/2007 Hala Hamdan lives 30 miles due east of the Mediterranean coast, but her five children have never seen the sea. If she wants to visit her sister-in-law, less than three miles away, she must pass through an Israeli military checkpoint. If she wants to travel from her village, Salem, which is close to Nablus, down to the major cities of the West Bank such as Ramallah or Bethlehem, she must walk across a different, larger checkpoint out of Nablus and then through several more checkpoints. She has a car, but cannot drive it out of the Nablus area. She is a Palestinian, but her primary identity document is a Jordanian passport. She also holds a West Bank identity card. Neither allows her to travel into Jerusalem. She has lived her entire life under the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank. more..
’Violent youth - product of Israel’ Yael Branovsky, YNetNews 6/4/2007 Hundreds of angry Ethiopian immigrants mourning the death of youth stabbed by rival teen on street corner say State, media neglecting plight of their community. Association for Ethiopian Jews: ’Children aren’t born with knives in their hands, their situation is a reflection of the collapse of the education system’ -- The government and the media were highly unpopular amongst hundreds of Ethiopian Israelis who came to pay their respects to the family of 17-year-old Adameh Tarikan who was murdered early Saturday morning in the neighborhood of Kiryat Moshe by a 16-year-old from a rival group of Ethiopian youths with a switchblade. Police have not yet determined the motive behind the killing, but early reports said Tarikan’s stabbing was apparently related to the settling of scores between rival groups. more..
First center for youth sexual offenders to open in Israeli Arab town Ruth Sinai, Ha’aretz 5/30/2007 A children’s rights group will open Wednesday the first day care center for youth sexual offenders in an Israeli Arab town, an issue considered taboo in the conservative Israeli Arab sector. The Elem, Youth in Distress in Israel organization will inaugurate a branch in the northern Israeli Arab town of Tamra, adding to its other existing branches in Tel Aviv, Afula and Ma’alot. Since it started operating over five years ago, the center has assisted over 2,000 children, aged five to 17, who have been involved in abuse cases. "When I talk to people, everyone tells me they know of an instance in which a child abused another... enthusiasm exists for the center," center manager and social worker Aamar Jariasi said. Jariasi also expects many Israel Arab families to be reluctant to send their children to the center. more..
Sad holiday in Sderot Amnon Meranda, YNetNews 5/22/2007 Residents of city find it hard to celebrate Shavuot in shadow of Qassam threat A happy holiday? Not for everyone. In Sderot, residents are out of town or, at the very least, staying indoors. Even the colorful holiday sign in the center of town cannot alleviate the dark mood that has fallen on residents after the death of Shirel Feldman from a Qassam on Monday. "The sign was a lovely gesture by Sderot youth, but after the trauma of (Monday) night, after we were reminded once more that these Qassams can be fatal, who can be happy or celebrate?" said one resident. As the holiday began Tuesday evening, four Qassams hit the area, one landing directly in town. Thankfully there were no casualties, but this was largely due to the fact that many residents chose to celebrate their holiday out of town. more..
Chaos in Gaza: A family’s story Al Jazeera 5/20/2007 Life in Gaza has become intolerable for many families, as factional fighting worsens and Israel follows Palestinian rocket fire with a series of deadly air raids. Al Jazeera spoke to a Palestinian-American family about what they have faced in recent weeks, including a kidnapping and an air raid metres from their home. Shelly Smith lives in Zeytoun, a suburb of Gaza City, and works as an English teacher and in support of Palestinian refugee rights. She has seven children, of whom several remain with her in Gaza, including her son Aladean, 16, and her 13-year-old daughter, who are both pupils in local schools. Aladean, 16, studentI was outside with my friends [during the recent clashes] and we were going to see another friend in Gaza City. more..
Gaza businessman describes ’my own private Nakba’ Avi Issacharoff, Ha’aretz 5/15/2007 "I’ve had it. I told my wife and kids that we are leaving the Gaza Strip," A. , a businessman in his 40s who lives in Gaza City, said Monday. In the six and a half years since the intifada began he has never spoken about leaving and has remained optimistic, but now he has decided to get out. "Why? Because I can," he said. With these three words, he summed up the reason why most Gazans stay put - because they, unlike him, cannot leave. "The situation is crap, I don’t know what will happen to the kids. You can’t send them to school for fear they’ll be hurt in the crossfire. It’s true that I have a successful business and own a few houses, but I’d rather know that the kids and I will remain alive." A. says he recently realized that even though he does not belong to any of the organizations and is not in conflict with anyone, his life and those of his family are in danger. more..
Parental abuse at the hand of children a growing Israeli trend Ruth Sinai, Ha’aretz 5/10/2007 Violence in Israel has manifested itself into a disturbing and growing new trend, children who strike their parents. When Y. G. was 10 years old, his father was jailed for beating his wife. When Y. G. was 11 he hit his mother so hard she had to be hospitalized. He was removed from his home in the north and taken to an emergency center run by the Social Welfare Ministry, from which he was transferred to another institution for treatment. Until a few years ago, social workers were unfamiliar with children like Y. G. , but the phenomenon of children being violent toward their parents is now growing. In 2005, 26 such children were removed from their homes, according to said Social Welfare Ministry official Hanna Slotzky. In 2006, the number jumped to 47, with some of the children as young as nine or ten. more..
3 falcons freed in solidarity with kidnapped troops Yoav Kapshuk, YNetNews 5/4/2007 Ehud Goldwasser’s childhood friends release birds of prey which were injured and treated at Ramat Gan’s safari. ’The falcons’ release symbolizes the yearning for the quick release of our three sons,’ Goldwasser’s father says"Udi, Eldad and Gilad, return to us quickly!" the families of the kidnapped IDF soldiers called out Friday at Ramat Gan’s safari while freeing three birds of prey. "The falcons’ release symbolizes the yearning for our three sons to also be released soon," said Ehud Goldwasser’s father Shlomo. more..
Sesame Street returns to Israel, PA, after more than decade off the air The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 4/30/2007 Producers tailored the Middle Eastern casts and story lines to the fit the audiences. "Rehov Sumsum," the Israeli version of the show, for the first time includes a Muppet of Arab origin. Its Palestinian counterpart, "Shara’a Simsim," seeks to offer positive role models to boys in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. "It’s really about respect and tolerance," said Gary Knell, president of Sesame Workshop, the New York-based nonprofit group behind Sesame Street programming worldwide. "[The show] opens up a new way to deal with issues of conflict," Education Minister Yuli Tamir said at a ceremony in a Jerusalem kindergarten on Sunday, "just teaching children how to live together, how to work together with each other despite their differences." The ceremony followed more than a week of meetings Knell had with top political... more..
President of Sesame Street comes to Palestine for launch of third season Palestine News Network, Palestine News Network 4/27/2007 For the first time ever the President of the highly lauded children’s television program, Sesame Street, Dr. Gary Knell, will be in Ramallah. Along with Knell, Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister, Azzam Al Ahmed, and Palestinian children, will be the guests of the launch of the third season of Shara’a Simsim, the Palestinian version of Sesame Street. The launch of Shara’a Simsimwill take place at 1:00 pm on Saturday at Al Quds University’sInstitute of Modern Media in Al Bireh, just next to Ramallah in the central West Bank.. At 30 minutes each, the 15 episode series of highly entertaining and educational segments will focus on Palestinian boy empowerment. This is the first time ever that the president of the world’s longest running children’s television program has come to Palestine. more..
Charity dance performances in UAE in aid of Palestine Children’s Relief Fund Ma’an News Agency 3/26/2007 Bethlehem - The El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe is going to be performing ’Raqsit Shamis’ (“Dance of the Sun”) in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in early April to raise funds for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). According to the chair of PCRF-Abu Dhabi, Said Tanya Zabaneh Hourany, "This event aims at introducing the PCRF to the UAE audience. We are looking forward to raising public awareness of the PCRF’s noble cause and its humanitarian programs. ” “Proceeds of PCRF events go to support the charitable programs being implemented by the Foundation in various countries in the Middle East," Mrs. Hourany continued in the press release. "This charity event will be dedicated to covering the transportation, living, and rehabilitation expenses of children who are sent abroad to get free specialized medical care." more..
Maria doesn’t know she’ll never walk International Middle East Media Center 3/5/2007 Maria Aman was seriously wounded in a targeted killing in Gaza some ten months ago. Since then she has been hospitalized in Israel, paralyzed from the neck down. Her father can’t bear to tell her that her condition will never change. -- The London Times reported on Sunday that it had collected almost $10,000 in readers’ donations for Maria Aman, a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was seriously wounded in a targeted killing in Gaza some ten months ago. Aman’s mother, grandmother, brother and uncle were all killed in the attack while she was left paralyzed from the neck down and will have to be ventilated for the rest of her life. After her injury Maria was transferred to the Tel Hashomer hospital in central Israel and from there to the Alin children’s rehabilitation facilty in Jerusalem. Initially her father, Hamdi, was barred from visiting her as he did not have an entrance visa... more..
Photojournalist: this is my resistance Palestine News Network 3/4/2007 Jamal Alaruri risks his life every time he goes to work. He is a Palestinian journalist, a man with a camera, and for that is subject to injury, arrest and death. Despite the reality, Alaruri made his career choice early in life. “Since childhood I saw the world as if through a lens, the landscape was a painting unfolding before my eyes. ”He took his passion to the professional at the beginning of the first Intifada. “I photographed for the Agence France Presse and I couldn’t put down the camera. ”“Photography gives me the ability to transfer the Palestinian tragedy to the world, a picture of the movement of suffering. Transparently documented moments of killing and destruction are embodied in this medium. ”Alaruri told PNN, “This is my resistance, my contribution to the Palestinian cause. ” more..
Israeli film Sweet Mud awarded top youth prize at Berlin Film Festival Ha’aretz 2/17/2007 The Israeli film Sweet Mud was awarded the Crystal Bear on Friday, the first prize at the Berlin International Film Festivals’ Generation section for children and youth films. The young panel of judges, comprised of seven youths, announced their decision at a festive ceremony in western Berlin. The film, directed by Dror Shaul, competed against 10 other feature films. Two additional Crystal Bear prizes will be awarded to the best children’s films. Two weeks ago, Sweet Mud was named the best foreign feature film at the Sundance Film Festival." This is a wonderful feeling," Shaul told Haaretz shortly after being awarded the prize. "From a personal standpoint, I am very happy to receive international recognition. From a national standpoint, this is undoubtedly the continuation of the success of Israeli films throughout the world." more..
Picture Balata coming to the U.S. in April 2007 Electronic Intifada 2/6/2007 Picture Balata, a photography workshop based in the West Bank Balata refugee camp, is currently in the process or organizing a touring exhibition of the work of its young photographers in April 2007. During the exhibition, four of the photographers will travel to the US to speak about their work and about their experience growing up in a West Bank refugee camp. The exhibition will be important for a number of reasons. Not only will it give people in the US a chance to see these kids’ amazing work and hear from them in person, but it’s also important for the photographers to see that there are people in the US who do want to hear what these young people who have always lived under occupation have to say about their experiences. Another goal of the exhibition is to raise enough funds to make this project self-sustainable. -- See also: PICTURE BALATA more..
Palestinian children in Khan Younis organize a photo exhibition to protest against clashes on the streets Ma’an News Agency 2/5/2007 Gaza - With the supervision of the Canaan Educational and Development Institution in Gaza and the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF, a group of children in Khan Younis on Monday organized a photo exhibition in the municipality hall to express their fears and worries about the current inter-Palestinian violence. The children also showed their drawings. A participant, 10 year old Muhammad An-Na’em, said he chose to draw something that expresses his fear when he hears the sounds of armed crossfire in the streets. He said that several children were killed as a result of the spontaneous fighting, which led to mothers and families preventing their children from playing in the streets. He also called on president Abbas and Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh, to agree on a coalition government; because children want to live in peace without murder and shooting. more..
Children of Hebron sign a document calling for unity and an end to violence Ma’an News Agency 1/27/2007 Hebron - As part of the activities of the center for Palestinian children’s art works in Hebron, in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, female participants in the program performed a sit-in strike in front of the center’s offices, calling for immediately halting inter-Palestinian fighting in Gaza and protecting children from the dangerous impact of such confrontations. The demonstration was part of a workshop organized by the center in Hebron, called ’the dangers of inter-Palestinian fighting. ’The participants signed a document calling for national unity, halting violence and promoting national dialogue. [end]
Opera in Nablus: Greek and US artists perform to bring a smile to an oppressed people Ma’an News Agency 1/25/2007 Nablus - Opera came to the West Bank city of Nablus in January. The cultural committee in Nablus organized an opera in the city’s An-Najah University. Two American opera singers, Mona Zabok and Cook Morgan, sang selected pieces from world opera by a number of artists to an accompaniment by the Greek pianist, Ionas Potamosis. A large number of university students and interested members of the public, including many children, crowded into the university’s Thafer Al-Masri auditorium to enjoy the concert. At the end of the concert, the artists expressed their strong solidarity with the Palestinian people. They said that they came from their own countries in an attempt to put a smile on the faces of a people who are being exposed to daily oppression. more..
Opera in the northern West Bank Palestine News Network 1/23/2007 The opera came to the northern West Bank’s Nablus last night. The Cultural Committee organized a performance of a medley of opera standards. The group of accomplished singers came from the world over and said they came to show their support. The pieces were performed in the An Najah University main hall with a large number of university students, Nablus residents, and even children. That was who the singers were performing for in the end Monday evening. They gave a “symbolic gift to the children of Palestine” by singing a special aria and dedicating the concert to “friends in the city of Nablus. ”The artists expressed their "deep solidarity with the Palestinian people," coming from their countries to sing and to say, “We feel for you and you are not forgotten." [end]
Action Alert: Support Palestinian Crafts Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund 1/16/2007 (posting) Dear Friends, Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund is pleased to announce that it contracted with several women’s groups in Palestine to produce items to remember Palestine, Palestinian cities and to promote the arts and crafts of Palestine. The women’s groups this year decided to produce thousands of embroidery items with the names of Palestinian cities embroidered on the side of the purse to remind the people of the world about the plight of the Palestinian refugees. Each purse has the name of a different city with a different design and some are embroidered with the logo Free Palestine. The purse which is only 25 dollars is sold with a free Palestine flag pin and an olive wood peace dove handcrafted in Palestine. PCWF will be working with the Hebron Women’s Embroidery Project to buy their products at a fair wage and distribute them... -- See also: Embroidered Purses and Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund more..
Sesame Street begins filming in Ramallah Palestine News Network 12/18/2006 Al Quds Educational Television in Ramallah began filming the 2007 season of Shaareh Simsin, Seasame Street in Arabic. Fifteen episodes are scheduled to broadcast on local Palestinian channels beginning in spring. In 1997 and 2004 other episodes were made and all focus on creativity, communication, education, and finding nonviolent solutions to problems. The CEO of the American Sesame Workshop said that his institution is committed to contributing to the future of education for every child. “The media has the power to make change, and through the vision of Jerusalem Educational TV, the personalities have developed curiosity and humor by which children learn that they can play an influential role in their communities. ” more..
Latin - Beit Jala hosts book fair to encourage kids to read at home Palestine News Network 11/29/2006 The Latin Patriarchate School in Beit Jala, just up the hill to the west of Bethlehem, is hosting a book exhibition. The elementary through secondary school sits behind a gate in ancient stone amid the churches of the town. Cultural, scientific, anecdotal, recreational and fiction line the shells of the exhibit co-sponsored by the Society for the Culture of Children based in Jerusalem. The exhibit and book-fair offered low prices for parents and children to add to, or begin, at-home libraries in order to encourage reading as an “anytime, anywhere activity,” the school administration said. “The acquisition of books of ones own encourages students to read, become more curious about libraries and have more tools to better undertake their current homework and future development. [end]
An-Najah University participates in a conference about Arabic children at the Jordanian university Ma’an News Agency 11/27/2006 Nablus - The An-Najah National University has taken part in a conference about Arabic children entitled, "Literature and language of the Arab children", which has been held at the Jordanian University. A Number of Arab, Asian and Islamic academics have been involved in the conference. The An-Najah university was represented by the dean of arts professor, Khalil ’Udah, who presented a paper entitled "The Palestinian child in the writings of Fadwa Toqan." Fadwa Toqan was widely considered to be an outstanding Palestinian poet of the 20th century, and passed away about a year ago. The professor described how she was able to portray her early childhood in such a distinctive body of literary work. [end]
Two-thirds of calls to rape crisis centers are from minors Ha’aretz 11/28/2006 Some 65 percent, or almost two-thirds, of calls to rape crisis centers involve sexual assaults or molestation of children and teenagers under 18 years of age, according to a report by the Knesset Research and Information Center on sexual offenses in 1996-2006. The report was prepared at the request of Knesset Constitution Committee Chairman MK Menachem Ben-Sasson (Kadima), as background for a debate on the statute of limitations for sex crimes. The report found that some 32 percent of complaints to rape crisis centers involve sexual offenses against children under 12 years old. Most of the victims who call the centers were assaulted when they were minors. The report noted that sexual assault victims frequently suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. more..
Indian immigrants: Israel is our home YNetNews 11/21/2006 Fifty members of Bnei Menashe tribe arrive in Israel Tuesday -- Sara Menashe, 78, arrived in Israel from India on Tuesday with 49 other members of the Bnei Menashe tribe. "I am happy to be finally in the Land of Israel. Since I was a child they told me about the family’s dream to immigrate to Israel," said the new immigrant. Sara was welcomed at the Ben Gurion International Airport by her daughter who lives in Kiryat Arba. Five of Sara’s children live in India. Arbi Kanta, 18, immigrated alone. She told Ynet: "The first thing I want to do is to visit the Temple Mount to place notes given by friends and family. After that I want to study. I want to become a nurse." "I feel rather lonely," she admits, "but this is my home. That’s my land and my country. In Mizoram, everyone loves Israel. We learnt Judaism and Hebrew there and converting was not difficult." -- See also: Exodus threatens Israel-India ties more..
On International Day of the Child 2006, over half the Palestinian population are under 18 Ma’an News Agency 11/20/2006 Palestinian children in Gaza (Maans)Bethlehem - On the occasion of the International Day of the Child Day on 20 November 2006, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics issued a number of statistics detailing the current circumstances of children in the occupied Palestinian territory. The report shows that, in 2006, more than half of the Palestinian population (52. 3%) is under the age of 18. There are 1. 1 million males under the age of 18, compared to 1. 0 million females under the age of 18. Children aged 0-4 years constitute 17. 1% of the total Palestinian population living in the occupied Palestinian territory in 2006. Children aged 5-9 years constitute 15. 4% of the total population and children aged 10-14 years constitute 13. 0% of the total population. more..
Palestinian children tell the world about their suffering through their photos Ma’an News Agency 11/13/2006 Photographs taken by children from a refugee camp in the West Bank city of Bethlehem are being shown in a prestigious US university, Ma’an has learnt. A Palestinian photography exhibition entitled lest opened at Brown University in Providence Rhode Island in the United States to great acclaim, a press release sent to Ma’an said. The exhibition features photographs taken by children from Lajee Center in Aida refugee camp in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. The children worked over two years with British photographic artist and long-term Lajee volunteer, Rich Wiles, in order to master the skills of photography and to learn how to use it as a means of telling the world the reality of their lives as Palestinian refugees living under occupation. The press release states that the exhibition opened to a packed gallery. -- See also: A Window to Our World more..
Hard times for Palestinian widows of violence Ma’an News Agency 11/9/2006 GAZA CITY, 9 November (IRIN) - Palestinian mother-of-11 Aneesa Afana was married to a fighter from the militant Islamic Jihad group until two years ago - when an Israeli missile blew him to bits. The violence deprived their children of a father and left 40-year-old Aneesa from Tal Zaatar in the northern Gaza Strip facing the task of bringing them all up on her own. Like many women widowed by the ongoing violence in the Palestinian territories, she faces not just grave financial difficulties but also a battle to stop her children going astray." We have problems in my family because I am fighting to control my nine sons. In society here, men control the families much more than women," she said." After I lost my husband I had to take on his responsibility and behave as a man as well as behave as a woman. But my sons are growing up fast..." more..
Keeping the West Bank’s only giraffe happy is a tall order Daily Star 11/6/2006 QALQILYA, West Bank: To the annals of Palestinian suffering of Israeli occupation add this: West Bank children are down to their last giraffe, who desperately needs a mate to perpetuate the ruminant line." Ruti is all alone," says Qalqilya zookeeper and veterinarian Sami Khader. "If something should happen to her, if we lose this giraffe," he adds, "we will have no more giraffes in the zoo." To ensure that the giraffe line is extended at the West Bank’s only zoo - a leafy, well-kept refuge - Ruti the giraffe is in need of a mate. Her previous partner - like so many other quadrupeds and bipeds in the zoo and elsewhere in the West Bank - fell victim to the bloody conflict with Israel that rages on here. -- See also: West Bank veterinarian: Zoo animals not safe from occupation and Qaqilia Zoo protecting animals against Israeli attacks more..
Palestinians flock to Jericho during Eid al-Fitr Ma’an News 10/25/2006 Jericho - The markets and gardens of Jericho were crowded with visitors from across the occupied Palestinian territories on Wednesday, for the third consecutive day of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr. Palestinians of all ages used to flock to the West Bank city of Jericho, located 250m below sea level and close to the Dead Sea, during the cooler months due to its perennial pleasant climate and the high number of restaurants and places for children to play. Over the three-day holiday, the streets were crowded with cars and pedestrians, reminding the locals of the Jericho of yesteryear when the streets were always full. [end]
Palestinians celebrate Islamic holiday of Eid Palestine News Network 10/23/2006 Palestinian PM Ismail Haniya led the Eid prayer service early this morning at Al Yarmuk stadium in Gaza City. Thousands of Palestinians filled the stadium and the surrounding fields to worship on this holiday which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. When the service finished, worshipped exchanged greetings and wished each other “Eid Mubarak”. Several residents set up children’s rides in the streets of Gaza City to celebrate the holiday. Father of three, Ibrahim Bedwan, told PNN, “We are celebrating Eid in spite of all the hardships we are facing. We want are children to be happy. ” Bedwan’s children seemed happy indeed, wearing new clothes and showing off new toys. A Palestinian youth named Younis told PNN, “It is nice to receive calls and text messages from friends sending their greetings on Eid. ” more..
Abdullah offers US-style prep school Jerusalem Post 9/25/2006 The Arab world's best and brightest young people will soon have a new option for top-notch Western schooling, and they won't have to trek all the way to London or New England to get it. At the behest of Jordan's King Abdullah II, the King's Academy private boarding school was founded in recent weeks just outside Amman and expects to open its doors to students for the first time in the fall of 2007. The school has a completely non-discriminatory admission policy, school chairman Dr. Safwan Masri told The Jerusalem Post. Asked if this meant that the school would accept not just Arab children but also Israeli Jews, Masri affirmed that no application would be rejected based on geography, ethnicity or religion." The King's Academy is committed to diversity" and to a "merit-based acceptance policy"... -- See also: Jordan signs deal to open film school with American university more..
Bodies of Herzl's children being moved Yahoo! News Middle East 9/17/2006 JERUSALEM - The bodies of two children of Theodore Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, will be transported from France to Israel to be buried near their father, in keeping with his century-old will, the government said Sunday. Herzl, who died in 1904 at age 44, was buried in Vienna, Austria, but specified in his will that he wanted his body, and those of his close relatives, moved to the Jewish state he hoped would one day be created. In 1949, a year after Israel's founding, Herzl's body was brought to Jerusalem and buried in the national cemetery that bears his name. But his children remained buried in Europe. The bodies of his daughter Pauline and his son, Hans, will be disinterred from their graves in Bordeaux, France, on Tuesday and flown to Israel, according to the Jewish Agency... more..
Family names their new-born Nasrallah in honor of Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah leader Palestine News Network 8/16/2006 A northern West Bank Qalqilia family named their first born Nasrallah this morning. The baby is named in honor of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah. He has taken on legendary status as of late for refusing to back down from fighting back, both physically and in speech, against the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon and the major attacks that began on 12 July. The baby’s father told PNN Wednesday, “My wife saw the birth of our son in a dream and in that dream his name was Nasrallah. ”His parents are aware that baby Nasrallah may face additional problems in the future with Israeli soldiers for carrying the name of targeted man. However the father said, “This will not stop us. There are so many children with names in honor of Yasser Arafat, Saddam Hussein, Ahmed Yassin, Abdel Azziz Rantisi... " more..
Selwa's story The Guardian 8/15/2006 A week ago the body of a woman clutching a baby was found in this bombed apartment block in Beirut; the image was printed across the world. But who was she? By tracking down surviving members of her family, Clancy Chassay has managed to piece together her life - and how she died with her three children and husband by her side -- Last Thursday the Guardian ran a front-page photograph of a dead woman and baby buried in the rubble of Beirut. I have seen many dead people in Lebanon these past weeks, but there was something particularly painful about this picture, amid the endless stream of upsetting images: the baby was very new, very small, and he or she - it was not obvious which - lay dead in the arms of what must surely have been its mother. more..
Sami Walks Barefoot from Tyre to Shouf to Join his Family An Nahar 8/11/2006 By the Mediterranean coast, through the winding mountain roads, Sami Meslemane walked for dozens of kilometers barefoot to reach his children and grandchildren left destitute after they fled southern Lebanon. The tall, thin fisherman and grandfather with a tired face and sharp eyes left the port city of Tyre on Sunday for the village of Bekaata in the Shouf region in the centre of the country. His family went to the relative safety of northern Lebanon three weeks ago to escape the deadly Israeli attacks which have killed more than 1,000 civilians, including hundreds of children. Sami stayed behind, but the bombs on the south increased and he decided finally to join them. "I walked on foot most of the way between Tyre and Bekaata where my four children and eight grandchildren were stuck... " more..
Children Begin to Unlearn Some Lessons Inter Press Service 8/5/2006 BEIRUT, Aug 5 (IPS) - "Rockets landed on our house and destroyed it totally, so many people were injured," says nine-year-old Issara. Her two brothers, four-year-old Hussein and five-year-old Mahmoud, listen carefully. So does Ola Attaya, 31, a psychologist heading a pilot project to help traumatised children. In a bit Ola gets up and gives Issara a hug. "It is okay, it is okay, you don't have to be afraid now. You're safe. "The two little boys have been mostly quiet since their family fled Ramieh, close to the border between Israel and Lebanon. "As you can see, some of these children are not able to speak or communicate," Ola told IPS at the centre for refugees at the Beirut American University. "We feel that we can help them by giving them a chance to play, and speak to us whenever they want. " more..
Psychosocial programmes help Palestinian children cope with crisis ReliefWeb/UNICEF 8/2/2006 NEW YORK, USA, 2 August 2006 – Since there are no places to play in Al Zaytoun, children wander the streets, improvising their own games in the heavily populated area east of Gaza City. Poverty is rife and ongoing hostilities have made matters worse. To help with the humanitarian crisis, UNICEF and its partners have been conducting special psychosocial counselling sessions in addition to their regular support programmes. "UNICEF is reaching out to children and parents in order to help them deal with their distress," says UNICEF Special Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory Dan Rohrmann. "At the moment, we have very day something going on to help children in all the districts in Gaza," notes Mr. Rohrmann... more..
Palestinian refugees look forward to engaging invaders The Daily Star 8/3/2006 RASHIDIYEH CAMP: During Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, Abu Shawqi was a 20-year-old "RPG kid," repeatedly firing the shoulder-launched rockets at Israeli tanks during the stiff Palestinian defense of the Rashidiyeh refugee camp. Now he sits in the shade of a fig tree on the edge of Rashidiyeh, preparing for the possibility of another Israeli assault on the camp if the Jewish state fulfills its stated intention to punch northward all the way to the Litani River. "It was a very tough battle in 1982. We were kids but we fought them hard," he said, looking relaxed in his olive green military uniform and wearing wrap-around sunglasses. "God willing, they will come," he said. "They're killing our children in the West Bank and Gaza and we are ablaze with eagerness to fight them. " more..
Lebanese open up homes for refugees BBC 7/24/2006 Lebanese widow Nadya Azar was used to the quiet life. Until two weeks ago, the 70-year-old woman spent her days sitting in her living room decorated with paintings of Swiss landscapes, or on her first-floor balcony overlooking a busy street. Now her small four-room house in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district is hosting four mothers and their nine children who have fled the south of the country. Even as a young boy tears around the house with a plastic orange tennis racket in one hand and a sticky slice of watermelon in other, Mrs Azar says she would not have it any other way. "They can stay as long as they like," says Mrs Azar. "They are like children to me. " more..
War Unites Lebanon's Muslims, Christians Palestine Chronicle 7/25/2006 The sight is a stark difference from events of last year, which saw Muslim-Christian tensions in the wake of the killing of ex-premier Hariri -- BEIRUT — Fleeing the apocalyptic scene in the south, thousands of Lebanese Shiites have found solace in Beirut's Christian neighborhoods whose residents raced to accommodate and cater for the shell-shocked evacuees. "At first, we felt very unwelcome. People frowned at us or made comments on our veils," Labibeh Khorshid told Agence France-Presse (AFP). "But now, we feel overwhelmed. They are giving us clothes, food, medicine and all," said the grateful woman. Her 10-year-old son Tamer is very happy. His eyes sparkle when he recalls the heartfelt stories told to the displaced children by two volunteer women — both Christian. more..
Double amputee falls victim to Israelis for second time The Daily Star 7/25/2006 BEIRUT: When he was a young man, they impaired his arm, and now, as a father of five, they took both his legs. "Israel has been my personal curse throughout my life," said Ahmad Khaleel Ali, as he lay in the Rafik Hariri Public Hospital in Beirut with both of his legs amputated at the knees. Ali, his wife Karam and their five children - Mira, 16; Fatima, 12; Ali, 9; Aya, 3; and Oula, 1 - were all wounded when an Israeli rocket hit their shelter in the Southern town of Blida. "We heard about five bombs with each one like an earth quake, and then the sixth one struck us," said Ali, who immediately realized he had lost both his legs, and had asked one of his family members to tie up his legs to stop the bleeding. more..
No to the siege: Hamas summer camps teach children to face their fears The Daily Star 7/12/2006 Agence France Presse -- RAFAH, Gaza Strip: A hundred boys march military style to the orders of "Forward, One, Two, Three" in the southern Gaza Strip. Under the full glare of an Israeli offensive,Hamas summer camps are teaching children to battle their fears. "We are strong, Allah, Allah, Allah!" shout back the children in unison, marching around a mosque in the Gaza town of Rafah, sporting green baseball caps and white T-shirts emblazed with the words "No to the siege. " For a week, scores of boys aged between seven and 12 learn how to pray, exercise, go on excursion and apply the basics of civil education to their young lives. "It's not just coaching. We're not molding suicide bombers. It's simply a way to make them forget the violence and help them feel better," says Mohammad, a religious cleric and one of the instructors overseeing the camp. more..
Film contest about Palestinian children Ma'an News 7/11/2006 Gaza --Palestinian Ministry of Information launched a competition for the best documentary film depicting Israeli crimes against Palestinian children. In a statement that reached Ma'an, the ministry confirmed that the competition aims to reveal the truth of the daily suffering of Palestinian children and create a reaction against the Israeli actions that cause the suffering. There will be a prize of $2,000 for the winner of the contest. [end] more..
Unlikely Clippings: "Israel Comes Clean" Electronic Intifada 7/10/2006 Clipping, BNN Library, 10 July 2006 -- At times such as the current crisis in Gaza, BNN's hard working editorial team dips into our file cabinet of unlikely clippings, a magical place where things you never thought you would see are seen, and things you thought you would never hear are heard. In this clipping, from the mysterious and glittering office metal storage box in which the jinn dance and frolic, and from which the sound of childrens' laughter echos through the worm hole of possible futures, Israel comes clean. Delightfully plucked from the tiny fingers of the filing cabinet jinn by BNN's Sarrah Al-Kiyaas. more..
Gaza: 'The children wake up screaming. I am worried it will damage them' The Independent 7/3/2006 Mahmoud Mughari speaks bluntly. "I normally wash and shower twice a day. Now I can only do it every four or five days. The children smell. We all smell. We are worried that this will cause diseases. "Outside the home in central Gaza he and his own family share with his elderly parents, five married brothers and their children - 48 in all - Mr Mughari was describing the impact made by Israel's air strikes in Gaza last week, one of which severed the water pipe serving this refugee camp of 57,000 people. The first problem, Mr Mughari, says, is that power - which would normally be running, among much else, refrigeration and fans in the current 91F (33C) temperatures - has been cut from 24 hours a day to eight hours a day. more..
Bethlehem kids engage in small arms awareness workshop Palestine News Network 6/30/2006 The Remember the Innocents (RTI) Youth Club will meet on 4 July to discuss the effect of small arms in occupied Palestine. Aware of regional and international calls for increased arms controls, the youth will use the workshop to learn about, and debate, small arms control in the Palestinian context. The goal is to decide whether small arms control will be the focus of the annual RTI local action campaign. The Holy Land Trust workshop, the organization that the RTI Club sprung from, is planned for 9:00 am through 5:00 am on the USA’s major military holiday. Among the guests at the Bethlehem Hotel conference will be youth trainer Nasser Atallah from Defense for Children International. Also expected to attend is local small arms expert, Bassem Eid from the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group. more..
Children hold sit-in in Gaza City, calling for an end of Israeli killing operations against them Ma'an News 6/22/2006 Gaza --Dozens of the Palestinian children, during a sit-in that they arranged in front of the UN headquarters in the Gaza City Thursday, called for an end to the killing operations that Israeli forces carry out against them. They directed a letter to the Secretary-General of the UN, Kofi Anan and the President of the Security Council, Ellen Margrethe Løj, under the title "the sovereignty of law and the keeping of international security and peace;" the Security Council meeting takes place on Thursday. The children accused the world, which calls for peace, with the charge of silence towards the crimes that the Israeli forces carry out against the Palestinian children, especially the killing of the child Ghalia's family and the killing of more than 20 children within this week. [end] more..
My Name is Rachel Corrie' in NY Palestine Chronicle 6/22/2006 The play was edited from Corrie's own words and is a highly personal story from childhood through her time in Gaza. -- NEW YORK (Reuters) - A play about an American human rights activist who died in the Gaza Strip will open in New York in October, six months after it was pulled from the schedule at another theater amid charges of censorship. "My Name is Rachel Corrie" is a one-woman show based on diaries and e-mails written by the 23-year-old U.S. rights campaigner killed by an Israeli bulldozer on March 16, 2003, trying to prevent demolition of a Palestinian building. Producers Dena Hammerstein and Pam Pariseau said in a statement on Thursday the play would open at the off-Broadway Minetta Lane Theatre on Oct. 15, for a limited run to Nov. 19. more..
Fertility rate among Israeli Arab women steadily declining Ha'aretz 6/16/2006 The fertility rate among Arab women in Israel has declined steadily in the past five years, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. Fertility rate signifies the number of children a woman is expected to deliver during the course of her life. The fertility rate among Israel's Muslims was more than nine children in the 1960s. By 1985, it had dropped to 4. 7 children, and then remained at this level for the next 15 years. Over the past five years, the decline resumed, with the fertility rate dropping 8 percent - from 4. 74 children per Muslim woman in 2000 to 4. 36 in 2004. During the same period, the fertility rate for Jewish women rose slightly, from 2. 66 to 2. 71. more..
Palestinian blacksmith dreams of returning to job in Israel By Yasser Abu Moailek, Electronic Intifada 6/5/2006 On a sunny Friday afternoon, Tawfiq Saad sits in front of his house, drinking tea and watching his four children play in a small patch of land right across the house, near the northern border of the Gaza Strip, in the small town of Beit Lahiya. Suddenly, a thunderous sound echoes throughout the area, and clouds of smoke rise less than a hundred metres from his house. The terrified children dash to the house screaming. The youngest of them, five-year-old Najat, jumps into her father's arms and starts crying. "This has been the way since two months now," says 42-year-old Saad. "Israeli army artillery keeps pounding the place whenever Palestinians fire locally-made rockets at them. " more..
An Orphan Child Celebrates His First Birthday After Release International Press Center 2003-07-21 Five days after his release from the "Beit Eil" Israeli occupation detention camp, 15-year old Tareq Abbad, from Al Bireh City, has celebrated his fifteenth birthday, despite the physical and psychological trauma.... The child has been held in a cell with 15 other children. The holding cells were only 16 square meters each, with four mattresses. more..
Israel Continues to Imprison A Palestinian Minor, Detains Activists' Wives as Hostages International Press Center 10/28/2003 ELBIREH, Palestine, October 28, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- The Palestinian Prisoners Affair ministry condemned yesterday the continued imprisonment of a Palestinian child in the Israeli jails, as the Israeli occupying forces started detaining Palestinian resistance activists' wives to use them as hostages. In a written press statement, the Ministry expressed deep concerns over the life of 12-year old Rakan Nusseirat, from Jericho governorate, who has been imprisoned in "Ofer" detention camp under harsh detention conditions. "Under extreme psychological pressure and threats by the Israeli jail administration, Nusseirat attempted suicide for the third time, by drinking several medicines and chlorine.... "... Meanwhile, the Israeli occupying forces (IOF) started adopting a new pursuit to apprehend Palestinian resistance activists; arresting their wives and using them as hostages.... IOF soldiers broke into the family house, arrested Tamam and took her to the military jeeps waiting outside, not caring about her four children, including a seven-month old infant. Israeli military commanders hope that, by using such an immoral pursuit, to extort Palestinian resistance activists into turning themselves to the Israeli forces in exchange for the release of their wives. more..
U.N.: Israel denies Palestinians' right to food and water ReliefWeb 11/12/2003 New York (dpa) - Israel was condemned by a United Nations official Wednesday for denying access to food and water to 4 million Palestinians. "Behind the headlines of escalating violence, there is the hidden danger of escalating physical, social and psychological destruction of an ancient society," said Jean Ziegler, whose title is U. N. special rapporteur on the right to food. "This tragedy is being largely ignored by world public opinion, the mass media and the international community of nations," he said in making public a study by the Centre for Economic and Social Rights. Fact sheets provided by the Swiss-based centre showed 22 per cent of Palestinian children under 5 are suffering from malnutrition and 9. 3 per cent from acute malnutrition, a three- and eight-fold increase, respectively, over 2000 figures. more..
A national strategy for the child Jerusalem Times 12/25/2003 Officials from the Palestinian National Authority and others concerned with children called for taking immediate action to meet the psychological and social needs of children and demanded a national strategy to tend to Palestinian children. The calls were made at a press conference held by the National Secretariat for Children and the Save the Children Foundation at the Palestinian Media Center in Al-Bireh to announce the results of a study about the psychological and social conditions of children. The study was conducted last year by the two organizations and funded by USAID. [If unable to access this page, go to: http://www. jerusalem-times. net- then enter or paste this address: http://www. jerusalem-times. net/article/news/details/detail. asp? id=4547 - Ed. ] more..
Women Behind Bars Jerusalem Times 12/25/2003 At the moment Um Adel Abu Khousa, 65, from Jebalia Camp, heard the news about a deal between the Lebanese Hizbullah and Israel to exchange prisoners, under German mediation, she became glad that her daughter, Iman, is soon to be released from jail.... The prisoners Maha Ukk from Bethlehem and Sona Raii from Kalkilya suffer psychological disorders due to the torture and maltreatment they were subjected to during interrogation. Abeer Omar from Hebron and Amal Mahmoud from the Golan suffer backaches. The prisoners Amneh Muna suffers from an ulcer and backache and Ilham Mughrabi from Askar camp suffers from cancer. Manal Ghannam gave birth to her child two months ago with chains in her hands. [If unable to access this page, go to: http://www. jerusalem-times. net- then enter or paste this address: http://www. jerusalem-times. net/article/news/details/detail. asp? id=4540 - Ed. ] more..
Rights groups: Israel imprisons, abuses Palestinian youths Ha'aretz 5/10/2004 More than 300 Palestinian teens are routinely subjected to physical and psychological abuse in Israeli prisons now, two human rights groups charged Monday. The Israel Defense Forces denied the allegations. The Geneva-based Defense for Children International and Save the Children, headquartered in Sweden, said that as of May 2004, 373 Palestinians under 18 were being held in Israeli detention centers and prisons. At least three of the detainees are under 14, they said. The groups charged that the treatment of Palestinian child prisoners by Israeli authorities amounts to a pattern of violence that has gone unchecked for years. more..
373 Palestinian Teens Abused in Israeli Jails Palestine Media Center 5/11/2004 Two prominent international rights groups affirmed in reports released on Monday that at least 300 Palestinian teens are now routinely subjected to physical and psychological abuse in the jails of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). The Geneva-based Defense for Children International and Save the Children, headquartered in Sweden, said that as of May 2004, 373 Palestinians under 18 were being held in IOF detention centers and prisons. At least three of the detainees are under 14, they said. more..
Fear returns to Sderot YNetNews 5/2/2005 Double Qassam attack Sunday revives fear to resident's lives; mayor unimpressed with government 'protest' -- Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal told Ynet Monday his constituents are losing patience with repeated Qassam attacks on their city from the nearby Gaza Strip , and that fear is once again part of daily life in town. "Once again we are being asked to administer psychological help to Sderot residents, including children, and once again there is an atmosphere of fear," he said. Moyal's remarks were in response to Monday's Qassam rocket attack in which two rockets fell in open territory near Sderot. more..
Specialists Warn of Psychological Dangers of False Raids on Palestinians International Press Center 9/27/2005 GAZA, September 27, 2005 (IPC + WAFA) - - Dr. Sami Abu Eshak, Head of the Administration Board in the Al Sharq Center for Mental Health, said that the thunderous explosive sounds, which are produced by the Israeli jetfighters when they break the sound barrier, falls under the rubric of the psychological warfare which is being launched against the Palestinian citizens. "These horrible explosive sounds are intended to harm psychologically the Palestinians, not least the children and women," he said. Dr. Abu Eshak explained, during a special interview with the Palestine News Agency (WAFA), the dangerous effects of the false raids on the human psyche. more..
Israeli sonic booms terrify Palestinian children Daily Star 9/29/2005 GAZA CITY: Wracked by nightmares and fear, Palestinian children are suffering the brunt of Israeli psychological warfare over the skies of Gaza as fighter jets unleash sonic booms, parents and medics say. A sustained Israeli bombing campaign against militant infrastructure has been accompanied by routine booms from jets breaking the sound barrier. "We haven't been able to sleep for four days. The raids, whether they are real or not, have a devastating effect on the mental health of my children," says 32-year-old mother Ibtissam Abu Hashem. more..
Palestinian Children Plead Annan to Stop Israel's Aggression against Them 10/31/2005 GAZA, October 31, 2005 (WAFA) - A group of Palestinian children called Monday on the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to immediately intervene to end the criminal Israeli aggression against them. In a letter to Mr. Annan, the children said they suffer from extreme financial, social and psychological pressures at the hands of the Israelis whose aim is to destroy their innocent young spirits. A group of children submitted the letter to UN officials at the UNDP headquarters in Gaza City. more..
Scores of Children Go into Shock Because of Israeli Sonic Booms in Gaza 10/28/2005 GAZA, October 28, 2005, (WAFA)- Ministry of Health (MOH) revealed Friday that 59 citizen, including 37 children, went into psychological disturbances or complications of chronic diseases as a result of the ongoing Israeli sonic booms in the airspace of Gaza. Moawyah Hassanein, Director of Emergency Service at MOH, stated that the scores of citizens and children went into shocks and carried to hospitals. more..
Perceptions about guns and community security in the Middle East : Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon, Sudan ReliefWeb/Al Mezan Center for Human Rights 2/28/2006 Too many guns in our society, say young people across the Middle East region according to a new report published today by the Middle East North Africa Network on Small Arms (MENAANSA). - In Gaza, from January 2003 to October 2005, at least 1,258 people, including children have been injured or killed as a result of gun misuse in their communities. 51. 7% of the young people surveyed identified the proliferation and misuse of small arms to be their major source for insecurity. - In Ramallah, 60% of young people surveyed believe there are too many guns in their communities. Further, 56. 7% of the study sample believes that small arms proliferation and misuse considerably decreases human development and living standards in Ramallah,. more..
Photostory: Freedom Theatre in Jenin aims to plant seeds of dignity By Maureen Clare Murphy, Electronic Intifada 2/24/2006 The spirit of resistance has not been beaten out of Jenin, was the message at the opening of the Freedom Theatre in Jenin refugee camp last weekend. Calls by speakers for the Palestinians to stand firm despite Israeli and American pressure resonated with the crowd, men on one side of the hall and women and children on the other. On one of the walls of the theatre hangs a series of photographs of the original theatre created by the late Arna Mer Khamis. Witnessing the devastating affects of the first intifada on children, Arna created a series of creative programmes to give beleaguered Palestinian children a means of expressing themselves. Born to a Zionist family but married to a Palestinian husband, her picture framed in the middle of the montage. more..
Expensive treatment means life for Palestinian children ReliefWeb/American Near East Refugee Aid 2/22/2006 When Dr. Yousef Hasan and I arrived in the West Bank village of Ya'bad, we were greeted by the relieved faces of Mohammed and Tohsi. We were delivering vials of Cerezyme, the only effective medication for treating Gaucher's (pronounced "go-shays"), a rare disease affecting their two young children. ANERA's In-kind Medical Relief program distributes Cerezyme to clinics and hospitals in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, treating twelve children with the disease. Cerezyme is donated to ANERA through the Genzyme Foundation. Mohammed and Tohsi's children, Tamer, age 5, and Lana, age 3, must take intravenous infusions of Cerezyme every two weeks. more..
Freedom Theatre to open in Jenin refugee camp Electronic Intifada 2/18/2006 Final preparations are under way for the opening of the Jenin refugee camp Freedom Theatre. The Freedom Theatre, inspired by activities initiated by Arna Mer-Khamis during the first Intifada, was established by residents of the Jenin refugee camp in cooperation with Palestinian activists and artists from Haifa and the Galilee, as well as activists from Sweden and Britain. The Freedom Theatre, a registered non-governmental organization, is planning on establishing within the near future a community-based cultural center that will house a large theatre, rehearsal rooms, a music studio, and a library. The Freedom Theatre will be the home of a local theatre group and it will host Palestinian and international theatres and theatre group productions for children, youth, and adults. more..
Shoshana Damari, diva of Israeli popular song, 1923-2006 Ha'aretz 2/14/2006 Born in 1923 in the city of Damar in Yemen, Shoshana Damari, diva of Israeli popular song and an Israel Prize laureate, came to Israel at the age of two. She began her long musical career as a young child, accompanying her mother, who sang at functions. Damari left her parents' home at age 13 and moved to Tel Aviv, where she met her manager Shlomo Bushmi. The two married three years later. That same year, 1949, Damari launched a solo musical act at the Li-La-Lo Theater and became a permanent cast member at the theater. more..
UNESCO Proclaims Palestinian Hekaye in its Third Proclamation of Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Ceremony WAFA 2/13/2006 RAMALAH, February 13, 2006 (WAFA) - Deputy Minister of Culture, Radwan Abu Ayyash, said Monday that UNESCO has proclaimed, in its Third Proclamation, the Palestinian Kehaye as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Ayyash told a press conference in Ramallah that The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, proclaimed on November 25, 2005, 43 new Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritages of Humanity, including the Palestinian Hekaye. The Palestinian Hikaye is a form of narration told by women for other women and children that has evolved over the centuries. The tales are fictitious but deal with real concerns of Middle Eastern Arab society and family issues. more..
Paltel hosts children's art competition Ma'an News 2/14/2006 Nablus (Ma'an) – Palestinian Paltel Communications Company is holding a children's art competition. The competition, organized in coordination with the Ministry of Education and the Palestinian Arts League, gives children a chance to create drawings that represent Paltel. Winners will receive prizes, have their work displayed in the companies headquarters, and may have their representation used in company advertisements. Assistant Director of Commercial Affairs, Ghassan Anebtawi, described the competition as another example of the company supporting the development of Palestinian society. more..
Palestinian Voters See Little Hope Under Occupation Palestine Chronicle 1/22/2006 Throughout the camp's steep, narrow streets, it is hard to get away from the sense of utter disillusionment with Fatah. -- BALATA CAMP, West Bank - This month Palestinian legislative elections, the first in a decade, are kindling little hopes in the Balata refugee camp, where Palestinians are skeptical anyone can change the daily misery of their lives as long as the Israeli occupation endures. "These elections are not going to give us a decent future for our children, nor are they going to allow us to move around freely," Alaa Sanakra told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday, January 21. "The Al-Aqsa Brigades has observed a truce with Israel for months and months but still, nothing has changed," he fumed, in reference to mainstream Fatah's armed wing. more..
Wedding cards expressing the Palestinian suffering International Middle East Media Center 1/13/2006 Palestinian residents living under Israeli occupation express their suffering in different means and styles. Recently, a resident of Qalqilia city, in the West Bank, came up with a new design for his weeding card that has photos of 11 year old boy who was killed in Gaza and a clip art showing the historical map of Palestine. Inside the clipart, you find the child with a red rose in his hand. Also, several wedding cards were issued recently in several villages trapped behind the Separation Wall in Qalqilia area; the cards included the times of opening and closing the Wall gates. more..
WaSPR Delegation Diary 5: Living In Isolation and Under Siege in Hebron and Bethlehem 12/29/2005 March 8, 2005 Hebron and Bethlehem (Al-Khalil wa Bayt-lehem in Arabic) -- Our bus uneventfully passes through Kiryat Arba'a, clears the northern checkpoint and curves around terraced Palestinian hillsides with fruit trees in spring bloom. In a roundabout way, we are back in the city of Hebron, but this time in a section of the city which is not under curfew; people are going about their daily business. Terre Des Hommes: We tour a glass factory, and then disembark at the Hebron Community Mental Health Program sponsored by Terre des Hommes. We are met by Imad J. Tomazy, the program coordinator and his staff. Mr. Tomazy is a clinical psychologist who received his master's degree at Al Quds University in Jerusalem. His office serves multiple purposes: it is a mental health counseling center, a social center, and an educational and advising center. According to Mr. Tomazy, 40.5 percent of the children in the Hebron area have been exposed to severe violent trauma such as shootings and explosions, and 11.2 percent of the population have directly experienced war trauma themselves. With children, this results in psychosomatic symptoms such as somatization into chronic physical complaints that have no medical explanation, hyperactivity, nightmares, and bedwetting, amongst others. Symptoms can differ in boys and girls. Boys have an outlet by being out on the streets in demonstrations against the Israeli soldiers and throwing stones. The girls are often stuck at home with no outlet, and their psychological symptoms can be much worse than the boys. more..
Children of Al Faraa Refugee Camp Plant Olive Trees for Peace 12/27/2005 TUBAS, December 27, 2005 (WAFA) - More than 50 children from Alfaraa refugee camp in Tubas planted more than 150 olive trees on Tuesday. Palestine Children's Welfare Fund (PCWF) announced that the trees were planted to thank and honor our friends in the United States, Europe, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Bahrain, Dubai and Canada. Boys from the local Boys' Scouts along with girls from the refugee camp joined together and celebrated the friendship of more than 100 friends and volunteers. more..
The ultra-Orthodox / Quiet revolution under way in Haredi sector Ha'aretz 12/28/2005 Yisrael Reinhold describes himself as a modern Lithuanian (non-hassidic Orthodox). He works in student registration and public relations at the Or Hadash school in the Krayot suburbs of Haifa, helps raise his three small children, tries to study Gemara or Torah for an hour or two in the evening, volunteers with Magen David Adom once every week or two and does reserve duty following an abridged military service.... In 2003, more than 35 percent of ultra-Orthodox men said they worked, according to Central Bureau of Statistics data. more..
Report: Child abuse cases up 130 percent over last decade Ha'aretz 12/26/2005 The number of reported cases of child abuse and neglect has risen by 130 percent in the last decade and the number of children taken to the emergency room for abuse has risen by 166 percent, according to the annual National Council for the Child report, which was released on Sunday. Nearly 39,000 children were abused in 2004, compared to 16,815 in 1995, the report said. Close to 19 percent were aged 5 and younger, and 36 percent were aged 6 to 11. more..
Photostory: Christmas in Palestine 12/24/2005 Palestinian children light candles in the Nativity Church one day before Christmas, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem December 23, 2005. / Palestinian children play with Christmas decorations in a Christian shop two days before Christmas celebrations, in the West Bank town of Ramallah December 22, 2005... more..
Bethlehem's Christians cling to hope 12/22/2005 As part of the BBC News website's series on Christians in the Middle East, Heather Sharp talks to Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem about the economic hardships they endure and the political uncertainty they face in the future. There will be no Christmas presents in Nasim Bannoura's house this year. The Palestinian Christian lives minutes from a site where, according to tradition, angels told shepherds of the birth of Jesus. But he can barely afford to feed his two teenage children, let alone buy them gifts. In recent years they have gone to bed hungry "many times", he says. more..
Photostory: Bethlehem prepares for Christmas 12/21/2005 A Palestinian man decorates the Christmas tree in front of the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem December 14, 2005.... Palestinian children from the Open Window School in Bethlehem staging a theater play about opening the wall, under the watchful eyes of Israeli border police, near the main checkpoint in Bethlehem December 2, 2005. After more than five years of violent conflict, the barrier separating Bethlehem from Jerusalem has been completed more..
OPT: 2,000 join Gaza protest against security mess 12/20/2005 GAZA CITY, Dec 20 (AFP) - Around 2,000 Palestinians staged a protest on Tuesday in downtown Gaza City to voice their frustration at the government's continued failure to tackle the rampant security chaos. The protestors, who included hundreds of children, gathered outside the Gaza branch of the Palestinian parliament, chanting slogans such as "No to Chaos, Yes to Law. " more..
'We're trapped ... books free our minds' 12/11/2005 In the third week of our appeal, Conal Urquhart reports on the Palestinian institute making sure children don't grow up illiterate -- Nadeen cradles her folder. She carefully lays it on the table and takes out four books, a notebook, a pencil and what looks like a passport. The 'passport', she says, contains a list of the books she has read recently. She enjoys holding the books and turning them around in her hands and pointing out characters. Nadeen Hawareen, aged seven, from Ramallah is one of thousands of Palestinian children who are offered lessons, books and activities by the Tamer Institute. She has been taught to use the books to trigger her imagination. more..
Spielberg hopes to use film to connect Israelis and Palestinians 12/6/2005 The Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg has broken his silence over his controversial new film about Israel's response to the massacre of its athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics and at the same time revealed a personal project to promote understanding between Israeli and Palestinian children. A wall of secrecy has surrounded the production of Munich, Spielberg's first foray into the issue of the highly charged Arab Israeli conflict.... "What I'm doing is buying 250 video cameras and players and dividing them up, giving 125 of them to Palestinian children, 125 to Israeli kids, so they can make movies about their own lives," he said. more..
12th European Film Festival focuses on Arab diaspora 11/24/2005 BEIRUT: As Hollywood sets up to release its Christmas blockbusters featuring magic and fantasy and lots of cute kids - see Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia - those with a more European taste in celluloid entertainment might consider the hugely palatable 12th European Film Festival over the next 10 days as a healthy alternative. Opening tonight at Beirut's UNESCO Palace with the award-winning British film "Yasmin" by Kenny Glenaan, this festival of the silver screen featuring cheap entry prices - LL3,500 - at probably the most atmospheric of the capital's cinemas - Empire Sofil in Achrafieh - is worth every penny. more..
Magic Feather is a dream come true 11/21/2005 Nablus -- For eleven-year-old Masa, the Magic Feather theatrical play is a dream come true. The play was an opportunity for Masa and kids her age to spend less time indoors. The Magic Feather play is about helping each other in times of distress. As part of the children’s psychosocial outreach project, the play equips kids with needed skills to better cope with their own distress and that of their siblings and friends.... More than 100 caregivers, teachers and children participated in the theatrical play - part of a Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) project supported by UNICEF and sponsored by European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) and the Austrian Development Agency. more..
Palestinian Film explores Suicide Bomb Motives 11/15/2005 "Paradise Now has already been screened in the Palestinian territories and, according to the film maker, was well received.. " --Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad knew he was stepping into a political minefield when he went to the West Bank town of Nablus in the summer of 2004 to shoot a feature film about two suicide bombers. He ran the risk either of being accused of glorifying extreme acts of terrorism or of betraying the Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation. Paradise Now, a film about two childhood friends who volunteer for a suicide mission in Tel Aviv, has recently opened in the main cinema in that city. more..
Palestinian kids undergo heart surgery in Israel 11/17/2005 Lives of 100 Palestinian children saved under EU- funded project at Wolfson Medical Centre in Holon; project 'Heart of the Matter' provides Palestinian children with open heart surgery, other life-saving treatment -- The lives of 100 Palestinian children have been saved under an EU- funded project carried out by the Save a Child’s Heart organization at the Wolfson Medical Centre in Holon, the Delegation of the European Commission to Israel reported. more..
After school activities supported by UNICEF 11/14/2005 At the children’s national music club in Sameer sa’ed Al-Deen School in the West Bank town of Nablus, two children were playing the piano together, showing a keen sense in what they are playing. Ten-year-old Hamza of the Fifth Grade says he likes music so much that he wishes to study it in university. "Sports and music is the world language and all people could meet each other while participating in sport competition or musical forum, regardless any other issues," he says. more..
Ibdaa: Dancing the Spirit of Palestine (with photos) 11/10/2005 The Ibdaa dance troupe's tour of the United States has begun. The troupe is made up of ten boys and ten girls from the Dheisheh refugee camp in the West Bank, who perform Palestinian folkloric (debke) dance and theatre. The young performers are the third generation of dancers that Ibdaa has produced. The first stop of the tour, which raises money for Dheisheh refugees, was the University of Massachusetts-Amherst campus, where the audience of nearly two hundred Palestinians, other Arabs, community activists, and curious students eagerly awaited the new generation's first performance in America. During the show, a boy in red garb stood at the head of the stage with his arms raised, proudly waving a Palestinian flag. Behind him stood boys dressed in green and gold, next to girls in purple and gold. The children, serious-faced, stared intothe audience. . . and then flashed the sign of peace. The troupe's performance "depicts the history and aspirations of Palestinian refugees. " Participation in the Ibdaa dance troupe provides the children with much-needed exposure to the wider world and an opportunity to express theircourage and humanity through dance and theatre. These young performers not only dance, but involve themselves in production, choreography, sound design, and public speaking. [for Adobe Acrobat version of this beautiful article, click here. ] more..
Militia Boasts of Role in Sabra Massacre 11/2/2005 BEIRUT - It was one of the most shocking massacres to scar the Middle East, the slaying of more than 2,000 Palestinians by Christian militiamen in the wretched Lebanese refugee camps. Now a film has returned to the story of Sabra and Shatila. But for the first time it has told the story of the slaughter through the voices of the killers. In Massaker, six former Christian Phalange militiamen tell of their training by Israeli allies and recount the events of 16-18 September, 1982, when hundreds of Palestinian men, women and children were killed in the Beirut camps. more..
Israeli rabbis issue name black list 11/2/2005 A group of Israeli rabbis has put together a list of names they say should be off-limits to Jewish children - including Ariel and Omri, the given names of Israel's prime minister and his eldest son. Uttering the name Ariel is problematic because it could beckon an angel namesake instead, drawing down his wrath, they caution. Omri - the name of an evil biblical king - should be taboo because of the highly negative connotation. more..
Muslims end Ramadan, celebrate Eid 11/3/2005 Muslims in the Middle East and across the Islamic world have finished their final sunrise-to-sunset fast and did last-minute shopping for sweets, clothes and toys ahead of a three-day holiday celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan. From the Philippines to Morocco, Muslims prepared for the Eid al-Fitr holiday on Thursday. In the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, children paraded through the streets with long candles or rode through the streets waving flags and honking car horns. Children in the West Bank town of Ramallah set off fireworks. more..
Goha - a wise fool with many names 10/29/2005 New book of collected tales brings ancient folk hero to life in words and cloth pictures -- BEIRUT: "You should know, my son, that in life, it is impossible to please everyone. So do not spend time worrying about what people think. " So ancient Middle Eastern folk hero Goha the Wise Fool tells his boy in one of 15 tales printed in a new children's book published by Philomel Books last month - not bad advice at all coming from a character who is for the most part a sort of inspired simpleton. more..
Are separate schools the answer? Ha'aretz 10/6/2005 A newly religious journalist stirred up a fierce storm among the ultra-Orthodox public when she asked what was the point ofattracting more people to Torah observance if their children would not be accepted to Haredi schools anyway. In recent years, a new type of discrimination has emerged in Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox educational institutions. In addition to their discrimination against girls from Sephardi backgrounds, children whose parents found religion in adulthood are also being sidelined. more..
Aiwa! Artists head for higher ground Daily Star 9/30/2005 Young talents from around region take over a rugged plot of land in Aley -- ALEY: Ghassan Maasri wasn't sure the place where he grew up would hold much interest for a group of artists who would be coming to Lebanon from all over the world for an intense two-week workshop. The small corner of Aley where he spent his childhood is a half-hour's drive from Beirut. With a smattering of low stone buildings surrounded by unruly gardens and all carved into a rocky hillside overlooking the Mediterranean, the place looks much like the quaint mountain village it must have been some 50 years ago - except for the fact that it was seriously pummeled during Lebanon's Civil War. more..
One Gaza Palestinian’s Perspective on the Withdrawal Palestine Monitor 8/15/2005 On this historic day, the beginning of the Gaza withdrawal, the Palestine Monitor spoke with one man from Gaza about how his life will change in the coming weeks. Ala Salim Al-Qadi, 31 years old, lives only a kilometer away from the Morag settlement north of Rafah. He lives with about 25 other members of his extended family in a multi-story building. He works in agriculture, renting and working on land about 500 meters from the settlement. He is married and has two children and a third on the way. Ala said that now is a moment of great victory, but also a moment of fear and uncertainty about what the future might hold. He recounted how the settlement of Morag started out as a small outpost and then expanded into a more permanent city with a massive “security buffer” around it, especially during the so-called Oslo years when the world believed peace was on the horizon. more..
Video: Al-Rowwad theatre group visits Louisville, KY Electronic Intifada 8/11/2005 Al-Rowwad Center is an Independent Center for artistic, cultural, and theatre training for children in Aida Camp trying to provide a "safe" and healthy environment to help children creativity and discharge of stress in the war conditions they are forced to live in. In July 2005, Al-Rowwad's theatre group performed in Louisville, Kentucky. Multimedia producers Patrick Yen and Andrew Sturgill produced the profile on Al-Rowwad for EI. # WATCH THE BROADBAND VIDEO PRESENTATION (Cable & DSL) # VISIT AL-ROWWAD'S WEBSITE more..
Save the Children USA brings fun and laughter to Palestinian children's summer vacation ReliefWeb/Save the Children Alliance 7/7/2005 Jerusalem, 7 July 2005 - Summer vacation is supposed to be a time of fun and games, relaxation and travel. But for Palestinian children there are few opportunities to escape from the stresses of life. Save the Children USA hopes to change that. Beginning 10 July 2005, Palestinian children from all over the West Bank and Gaza will participate in Save the Children USA-sponsored summer camps. Through funding from USAID, Save the Children USA will directly fund 354 summer camps in the West Bank and Gaza. In partnership with the National Committee for Summer Camps, Save the Children USA will provide an additional 313 summer camps with the kits and materials to support the implementation of its hallmark psychosocial support group of activities (called CBI or Camp-based Intervention) in 667 summer camps. more..
Performances by Palestinian Refugee Children in US Successful WAFA 6/30/2005 HARTFORED, June 30, 2005, (WAFA)- Al-Rowwad Palestinian Children's Theatre (from Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem) has continued its performances and show at Falls Village and in Hartfored in USA. Al-Rowwad said that the visit and theater performances by the Palestinian Refugee Children in the US were great, inspiring, and highly successful. "In CT, nearly one hundred attended the performance, over a thousand at Grove Festival, and over 250 at the Sunday performance in Hartfored", it said. Al-Rowwad Children's Theater is a unique project that supports and emphasizes the creativity of Palestinian refugee youth. It is a home for the cultural, artistic and theatrical training of children and youth. more..
Balata Camp Projects in UK and Ireland WAFA 6/28/2005 LONDON, June 28, 2005, (WAFA)- Plenty of cultural and art activities from Balata Refugee Camp will take place in the UK and Ireland this summer: - "Aedoon" (returnees) Youth Drama & Dance Tour (London event still needed) From July 29 until August 28, the "A'edoon" youth production will be touring Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. The 80 minutes performance consists of a play based on the refugee experience and struggle for self-worth, interspersed with lively 'debka", a traditional Palestinian dance. All of the children participating in this troupe are from Balata Refugee Camp and will be leaving Palestine for the first time for this tour. The busy tour consists of over 20 performances, including events at the Edinburgh Fringe and Feile festivals.... more..
Taa'been Kalil Marshood Electronic Intifada 6/24/2005 On Friday 17th June Balata Refugee Camp commemorated the first anniversary of the assassination of Kalil Marshood. Perhaps 5,000 people sat in the hot afternoon sun to watch as bands played, youths performed plays, small girls sang, masked wanted-men saluted, fighters fired in the air and women old enough to be grandmothers danced with guns waived aloft, to a backdrop of rousing music and giant banners. The people had gathered in tribute to the life of a twenty four year old newly-wed known and loved as much for his work for his community, particularly with the children of the camp, as for his membership of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a Palestinian resistance group. more..
Negative thinking By Sarah Ozacky-Lazar, Ha'aretz 6/24/2005 "Stereotypes and Prejudice in Conflict: Representations of Arabs in Israeli Jewish Society" by Yona Teichman and Daniel Bar-Tal, Cambridge University Press, 483 pages, $68 -- Elementary school children were asked to draw an Arab. One boy drew a man with a mustache in a galabiya and kaffiyeh, holding a big stick and leading a herd of sheep. Another boy drew the same Bedouin-type character, but with the addition of a dialogue bubble containing the word "war." Which of these stereotypes is more disturbing? In a decade-long research project conducted throughout the 1990s, the authors studied the perception of Arabs among Jewish Israeli kindergarten children, and how that perception changed over the years, until the subjects reached adolescence. None of the children drew an Arab woman, whereas mustaches, guns, dark skin and a menacing look featured highly in many drawings. Prof. Yona Teichman, a clinical psychologist from Tel Aviv University (TAU), has devised a method for tracing the development of stereotypes on the basis of children's drawings. Her findings are surprisingly similar to studies in the United States on prejudice toward blacks. Among preschool children, the stereotypes are the most vivid. Even before they know what an Arab (or a black) is, they have absorbed the negative cultural vibes, regardless of family background or socioeconomic status. So much so that even the sound of the word "Arab," compared to "Frenchman," for example, evokes a powerful negative reaction. more..
THAW to Host Al-Rowwad Palestinian Children's Theater WAFA 6/7/2005 NEW YORK, June 7, 2005, (WAFA)- Theaters Against War (THAW) will host on Monday June 13 a performance event and silent auction to benefit Al-Rowwad Palestinian Children's Theater in US Tour. In a statement on Tuesday, THAW said that this performance will be in courtesy of THAW Member Theater Nevada Shakespeare Company during a dark night of their run of A Single Woman, the benefit features an array of acclaimed playwrights, poets, theater performers and musicians, all in support of this extraordinary troupe of young people. THAW added that in late June 2005, the Al-Rowwad theater company, based at the Aida Refugee Camp outside Bethlehem, will be coming to the U.S. for a 4-city tour. more..
Deaf students show their creative talent to the world Daily Star 6/7/2005 The Al-Hadi Institute for the Deaf and Blind showcases the amazing paintings of its children -- BEIRUT: It is not often in Lebanon that people who have no relations or contact with people with disabilities hear about young disabled children, their lives and their passions. It is less often we hear about their art. And it is even less often, especially in the English language press, that we hear about the social work the Islamic Shiite political movement Hizbullah and its affiliate associations do to help children with disabilities to help themselves - academically, creatively and culturally. more..
Chana Laslau wins best actress award at Cannes Film Festival Ha'aretz 5/21/2005 Cannes - Israeli actress Chana Laslau won the prize for best actress at the 58th Cannes Film Festival on Saturday for her role in Amos Gitai's film "Free Zone. " This is the first time an Israeli actor has one a top prize at the festival since 1967, when Oded Kotler won the best actor award for his role in Ori Zohar's "Three Days and a Child. " "This is so exciting and thrilling. I dedicated this prize to my mother and all living Holocaust survivors, and to the casualties on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Laslau said after being awarded the prize. more..
Program seeks to enhance role of Arab youths and women in their societies Daily Star 5/21/2005 BEIRUT: After three years of hard work and extensive research, a program specially designed to enhance the role of young Arabs in their society was officially launched Friday at the UN House in Beirut. The result of a joint collaboration among the UN, the Lebanese Social Affairs Ministry, Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs and the Save the Children Federation, the Emerging Leadership Project was described by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia's executive secretary Mervat Tallawy as a "regional initiative to identify and encourage new forms of individual, team, and institutional leadership at the local level. " more..
Emergency meeting seeks solution to traffic deaths in Arab sector Ha'aretz 5/18/2005 Traffic experts and heads of Arab local councils will meet today in Nazareth to discuss how to cut down accidents in the Arab sector. The conference, planned weeks ago, comes on the heels of an accident that typifies one of the more serious problems in the sector - a truck driver from the Galilee village of Kisra reversed outside his home Tuesday and ran over his baby daughter, killing her. In the years 2001-2004, 16 people, mainly children, were killed in similar accidents outside homes in Arab villages. more..
Palestinian Child Invites Ronaldo to Visit him in Rafah WAFA 5/16/2005 RAFAH, May 16, 2005, (WAFA)- Palestinian Child, Hamad al-Nairab 12, sent a letter invited him to vist the children of Rafah Refuge Camp. Hamad, who lost his leg during an Israeli attack, expressed his sorrow that he will be unable to see Ronaldo because of the Israeli checkpoints. Hamad, who had a dream to be the Ronaldo of Palestine, "begged" Ronaldo to visit Rafah and to see how much the people love him there. The full text of the letter... more..
Political literature meets Mr. Tickle at Tehran book fair Daily Star 5/10/2005 Publishers from around the world pack annual literary festival -- TEHRAN: Scooby Doo, where are you? If you're at Tehran's book fair and looking for something for the kids, you'll find the stand right next to Islamic Jihad's and around the corner from the stands of Hizbullah and Hamas. Iran's massive annual literary fest has something for everyone: Thomas the Tank Engine, interior decorating, Microsoft Windows programming, "How to Kill an Israeli" and Jean-Paul Sartre. more..
1.2 million children immunized in West Bank and Gaza strip ReliefWeb/UNICEF 5/5/2005 RAMALLAH/GAZA CITY, 5 May 2005 – An immunization campaign against measles, mumps and rubella was launched today for 1. 2 million children and young people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. There have been several reported cases of mumps and rubella among school aged children and university students respectively in various locations in the West Bank and there is a high risk that mumps could easily spread among school children.... Dozens of school immunization teams will, over the next few weeks, conduct operations in 15 districts in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In addition, health facilities and mobile health teams will assist in ensuring vaccinations from main cities to isolated villages. more..
Film review: "Rainbow" By Jenny Gheith, Electronic Intifada 4/30/2005 "Hearing is not like seeing and seeing is different from living the experience," reflects Shehada's mother about life in Rafah. And for a week in May 2004, that experience worsened as Israeli forces pushed forward with "Operation Rainbow," killing 45 Palestinians, 38 of them civilians including nine children. "The only thing we can do is pray to God. " This overwhelmingly distraught sentiment runs throughout Shehada's newest documentary Rainbow (2004), which examines first hand the devastating effects of the events of May 13-May 20th. However, this film is not a documentary in the traditional sense -- from the perspective of an outsider looking in. more..
Film review: "Another Road Home" By Jenny Gheith, Electronic Intifada 5/3/2005 At some point in our lives, we grapple with understanding our childhood relationships and seek to find answers to unresolved familial ambiguities. This is exactly what Israeli-born Danae Elon chooses to document in her honest film Another Road Home (2004). While Elon's search focuses on finding one man, Mahmoud "Musa" Obeidallah, the Palestinian caretaker who helped raise her for twenty years of her life in East Jerusalem, her subsequent film openly exposes a unique side of Palestinian-Israeli relations. more..
Ceremony of World Children Prize on April 15: Boy From Palestine Chairman of the Jury WAFA 4/13/2005 MAGNUS BERGMAR, April, 13, 2005, (WAFA)- The World´s Children´s Prize for the Rights of the Child (WCPRC) will hold the prize ceremony for 2005 on 15 April at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred. In a press release on Wednesday, World Children Org Site reported that the laureate of this prize is decided by an international jury of children from 15 countries. They have chosen a Palestinian boy from Bethlehem as a chairman of it. Bahjat aL-Adili, 17, was elected as Chairman of the Jury for the 2005 jury meeting. He is Palestinian, from Bethlehem. As a member of the jury, he represents children whose countries are occupied and at war. more..
Struggling to be self-reliant in Jenin Electronic Intifada 4/10/2005 Salam Max writing from Jenin, occupied Palestine -- Why are so many children born with mental and physical disabilities in Jenin? It is this question the staff of the Local Committee for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (LCORD) set out to answer after more than a decade of working with such children and their families. I had the privilege of meeting the staff at their clinic recently, to deliver some money donated to them by a London based collective. They do an incredible amount of work with children suffering from mental or physical disabilities; the most difficult of cases are children born with cerebral palsy (CP), a debilitating condition that affects the sight, hearing and movement of limbs of the sufferer. more..
Arab Israeli beats Jewish boys in quiz on Zionism The Independent 4/7/2005 In a fortnight when two Arab footballers have kept Israel in World Cup contention, an Arab schoolboy has beaten hundreds of Jewish children to win a quiz focused on the history of Zionism. Rami Wated, 12, an Arab Israeli from Jaffa, was a winning finalist in a competition to answer questions mainly based on Tel Aviv street names and their relevance to the history of Jewish nationalism. Rami, the only Arab among the final 60 sixth-graders from Tel Aviv and its neighbouring port of Jaffa, spent 10 weeks preparing for the contest after a teacher at Hassan Arafi, his Arab school, suggested he entered. more..
Is this the Promised Land? The Independent 4/7/2005 Jewish settlers face eviction from Gaza in July. The move has provoked outrage - and only a minority will leave voluntarily. Donald Macintyre hears the plans of two very different families -- On a grey, blustery day, when the Mediterranean breakers come crashing on to its pristine beach, Shirat Hayam, where Rabbi Pinchas Etzion set up home with his wife Anat and three small children last week, is a desolate place. The bleak ruins of the little holiday villas once used, before the Six Day War in 1967, by the Egyptian army officers then occupying Gaza, make it seem all the more abandoned. more..
Palestinian Children: Facts and Figures International Press Center 4/5/2005 The Palestinian society is characterize as a young one, as the number of Palestinians under 18 years of age reached 1. 9 million in 2004 and represent 52. 8 percent of the entire Palestinian population in the occupied territories. From this ratio, the children under five years old represented 17. 7 percent of the whole population, while teenagers between 10 and 17 years old represented almost 20 percent. On the annual day of the Palestinian child, which is celebrated on April 5th of every year, Palestinian children continue to be deprived of their simplest rights, due to the cruelty of the Israeli occupation. more..
Film review: Paradise Now By Arjan El Fassed, Electronic Intifada 2/23/2005 Hani Abu Assad's Paradise Now won the AGICOA’s Blue Angel Award for the best European film at the Berlinale last week. The film has been acquired by Warner Independent Pictures in a North American and U. K. rights deal. Paradise Now is the story of two Palestinian childhood friends who have been recruited for a major operation in Tel Aviv. It centers on what is presumably their final day on earth. They cannot utter a word of their plans to their families. more..
Jewish fifth-graders to learn conversational Arabic Ha'aretz 2/23/2005 A pilot project launched in February in 14 elementary schools in northern Israel is meant to bridge the deep divide between Jews and Arabs. Over the next two years, hundreds of Jewish fifth-graders will be taught conversational Arabic, and learn about Arab culture and traditions. The project, financed in part by the Abraham Fund, a U.S. -Israeli non-governmental group, focuses on Jewish children. Hebrew is mandatory in Israeli Arab schools and most Arab youngsters can speak the language to some degree by middle school. more..
Gaza settlers refuse to contemplate life beyond their rooms with a view ReliefWeb 2/17/2005 SHIRAT HAYAM, Gaza Strip Feb 16 (AFP) - "Evacuating the settlers of the Gaza Strip? It's like trying to empty the sea with a straw," says Hanna Picard as she peers out at the dark blue expanse of the Mediterranean from her window. "Sharon's soldiers will have to carry me out in a truck. What's more, my eight children know that their mother would rather go to jail than leave here," she adds, without batting an eyelid. Here is the settlement of Shirat Hayam, Hebrew for "the song of the sea", which has been home since the end of 2001 for 13 families of implacable Jews. more..
Gazan youths open to disengagement Jerusalem Post 2/15/2005 A third of secular high-school students from Gush Katif believe that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza Strip disengagement plan is a "legitimate possibility," a study presented at an academic conference on children's welfare at Ben-Gurion University on Tuesday revealed. The study, conducted by Prof. Shifra Sagy from the southern university's Education Department, also showed that a quarter of the youths from Gaza's six secular settlements - Elei Sinai, Dugit, Nisanit, Rafiah Yam, Peat Sadeh and Slav - see the pullout plan as the first stage in achieving peace with the Palestinians in the future.... The [1982] Sinai youth, as opposed to the Gaza youth, Sagy said, "were much angrier and scared of their planned evacuation. " more..
Religious anti-refusal supporters go public Ha'aretz 1/27/2005 Moshe Weinstock, a reservist who showed up at yesterday's meeting of "Not refusing, staying together," knows that when the day comes, he might find himself sent to Gush Katif to take part in an evacuation where he will meet his parents, wife and children. "They'll demonstrate and do their civic duty, and I will evacuate them with tears, sorrow and maximum gentleness," he said. "I won't refuse. I won't break the rules. " more..
Treasury's take on low Arab birthrate riles the experts Ha'aretz 1/25/2005 Demographers and other scientists were angry yesterday over how the Finance Ministry exploited Central Bureau of Statistics data on childbirths to argue that the decline in Arab birthrates in Israel is the result of cutbacks in child welfare allowances. Alongside figures showing there was no decline in birthrates in 2004, the scientists explained that it is impossible to determine that there are trends in fertility and birthrates on the basis of a single year's statistics, which are very partial. more..
Pictures paint a thousand words of hatred By Akiva Eldar, Ha'aretz 1/13/2005 In the winter of 2003, when between suicide attacks in Jerusalem people were updating their gas masks and equipping themselves with plastic sheeting in preparation for the war in Iraq, Assi Sharabi was making a tour of schools in the country. "Imagine for a few minutes that you are Palestinian children," the young student asked sixth-graders, "and write what you think about the Israelis and about the conflict and what, in your opinion, the solution should be. "The children were asked to draw pictures to go with the essays that would depict the image of Palestinian children and their thoughts. Recently Sharabi completed the analysis of the essays and drawings for his Ph. D. thesis in social psychology for the London School of Economics. Some 123 students from three schools - in a large city, in a veteran Jewish settlement in the territories and in a secular kibbutz - presented him with a unique picture of the Arab as seen by a Jewish schoolchild. "Children, like a great many adults, find it difficult to look at the reality from the other's point of view," says Sharabi. The essays and the drawings served as a means for the children to express their feelings and their opinions about the other. A few weeks ago Sharabi read in these pages an article about Israeli textbooks that dealt, among other things, with the stereotypes of the Arabs and the meager attention paid to the Palestinian narrative and Palestinians' problems. This week, during a short home visit, he said his study proves that the textbooks, no doubt with the help of parents, teachers, the media and other environmental factors, do a good job of reinforcing these images. more..
Living into Hope: Christmas in Zababdeh, Palestine Electronic Intifada 12/24/2004 Marthame and Elizabeth Sanders writing from Zababdeh, Palestine -- December 21 — Grace and Peace from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As we write this to you, we are still in Advent, a period of waiting and hoping and preparing, a time of expectation. Our years living in the West Bank have made Advent a season that resonates deeply with us. People there know waiting: waiting at the checkpoint, waiting for military closures to lift, waiting for peace. They know preparing: stocking up for curfew, anticipating loss, fearing for the worst. They also know hoping: hoping to arrive at their destination, hoping to survive, hoping for the future of their children. more..
Review: The Shouting Fence Electronic Intifada 11/29/2004 The Culture Park Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam provided a natural setting for an unique performance of The Shouting Fence. This musical expression of emotions about the Separation Wall built in the occupied Palestinian territories was performed by at least 1,500 voices. They include The Shout, a professional choir directed by Orlando Gough and Richard Chew, and the Exile choir, Trajecti Voces, Utrechtse Studenten Cantorij, Childrens' choir De Kickers and four hundred singers from various choirs and individuals performed The Shouting Fence. more..
Palestinian Orphans Grieve “Father” Arafat Islam Online 11/11/2004 GAZA CITY, November 11 (IslamOnline. net & News Agencies) – For tens of Palestinian orphans Yasser Arafat was not only the president of the Palestinian people, but more importantly their "father". Without ever signing official adoption papers, the veteran leader adopted, brought up and indulged at least 66 children, most of them left parentless after the massacres of the Palestinian camps of Tall Zaatar, and Sabra and Chatilla, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP). The 75-year-old Palestinian leader was officially declared dead on Thursday, November 11. more..
Palestinian Church Bells Ring as Rhymed Koran Verses Echo from Minarets An Nahar 11/11/2004 Thousands upon thousands of tearful and gun-firing Palestinians poured onto the streets of Palestinians cities and towns in the West Bank and Gaza strip Thursday, mourning the death of their first elected President Yasser Arafat. Church bells rang out from Jerusalem and Bethlehem as rhymed verses of the Koran echoed from flag-bedecked mosque minarets in Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin and Gaza. Emotion-charged militants fired incessant volleys of machine gun fire into the air while kids burned tires that shrouded Gaza city in palls of black smoke. more..
Major Dates in Arafat's Life An Nahar 11/11/2004 The life of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat mirrored the progress of the Palestinian struggle for a state. Here are the main dates in his life. -- 1929 - Aug 4: Yasser Arafat is born Mohammed Abdel-Rawf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Hussaini. He always claimed he was born in Jerusalem, but biographers say his birthplace was actually Cairo. His father, from Gaza, owned a business, and he spent his childhood shuttling between Cairo and Palestine. / 1959: Founds Palestinian nationalist movement Fatah in Kuwait.... more..
Commemorating the dead, Neolithic style Daily Star 11/3/2004 A re-examination of decorated skulls contradicts traditional assumptions about ancestor worship --A reinterpretation of Neolithic plastered skulls from Jordan, Syria, Israel and Turkey is changing the way scholars think about cult, death and the afterlife in the Neolithic and the ancient Middle East. Current findings, based on scientific studies as well as bioarchaeological evidence, support an interpretation of a funerary practice that focused on the special treatment of the skulls of adult females, males and children. more..
Arafat's wife arrives at Ramallah bedside Ha'aretz 10/29/2004 Yasser Arafat's wife, Suha, arrived in Ramallah yesterday for her first visit with her husband in more than four years. For the first 10 days after Arafat fell ill, officials in his bureau, who have frequently had bitter disputes with Suha, prevented her from coming. Suha has spent the last eight years in Paris with her daughter Zahawa, who is Arafat's only child. According to Palestinian officials, she has an expensive apartment there and spends much of her time shopping in the high-priced boutiques along the Champs Elysees. more..
Kidnaping rumors shake Bedouin towns Ha'aretz 10/22/2004 Bedouin towns in the Negev are distraught over rumored attempts to abduct their children. A month ago, 6-year-old Ramzi al-Krinawi went with his older brother to the grocery store near his home in Rahat. "They met a woman who asked them where the store was. They told her and she asked them to get into her car. They refused and she began chasing them. The older one fled, but Ramzi ran slowly and she caught him and put him in the car," recounts Ibrahim al-Krinawi, Ramzi's father. more..
New English-language children's book hopes to stimulate young minds Daily Star 10/22/2004 Range of activities offers learning potential - Different sections help youngsters learn and have fun at the same time -- BEIRUT: The Lebanese market lacks children's activity books about Lebanon, books in which children can play and learn at the same time about their country, said Charlotte Hamaoui,author of the newly released children's book, "Play and Learn about Lebanon. " Released three weeks ago, "Play and Learn about Lebanon" is composed of 32 colorful pages in which children's imagination, creativity and intuition can meet, so the little ones can learn about their country's history, culture and geography in a funny, interactive and smart way. more..
Here's hoping: Primal Scream for Palestine Electronic Intifada 10/15/2004 Tomorrow our band Primal Scream, together with Spiritualized and some other special guests, are playing in London for the children of Palestine. As far as I know, it's the first time that a benefit gig has been staged on this scale in Britain for the Palestinian people. It is often said that the Palestinian issue is so difficult and sensitive that it's better not to get involved. But the truth is, it's not. It's easy. There is no shortage of musicians ready to show their support for the Palestinians at this time in their struggle. more..
More than 1 million Palestinian children return to school Electronic Intifada/UNICEF 9/6/2004 JERUSALEM -- Some 1. 2 million children returned to school last week in the West Bank and Gaza Strip after a summer break. Students and teachers have begun the new school year with enthusiasm, but it will not be without challenges - classroom size, quality of teaching, and, amid school closures, checkpoints and day-long curfews. Almost 200,000 children lost school days last year due to curfews and closures. more..
Egyptian students devote summer to put some color in Palestinian lives Daily Star 8/28/2004 Workshops focus on literature, theater - Activities in both Beddawi and Shatila camps boosted the children's creativity --SHATILA/BEDDAWI: Although political, economic and social pressures are suffocating the entirety of the Palestinian camps in Lebanon, the children of the camps are, as always, the hardest hit, often deprived of the simplest joys of their age. For the third year in a row though, an energetic band of Egyptian students is trying to do something about the situation by devoting a summer to putting some color and art in the lives of Palestinian children. more..
Gaza Strip Sees Growing Orphan Sponsorship International Press Center 8/25/2004 GAZA, August 25 (IslamOnline. net) – An orphan you see, is you or me, placed more unfortunately. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip do well realize this, with a remarkable increase of orphan sponsorship pushed by continued Israeli policy of aggressions. In the Strip, many local inhabitants have offered support to orphaned children, estimated at the sizeable 22,000, be it through individual sponsorship or contributing to coffers of orphanages. "I decided to offer a monthly pay to support a humanitarian relief organization caring for orphans, as I imagined that my child could be in the same position," Soad, an orphan sponsor, recalled her decision to sponsor one orphan. more..
Palestinian youths speak out with art Al-Jazeera 8/5/2004 An America Jew has made sure at least some Palestinian children will remember their land the way it was before its destruction by Israeli bulldozers. Dr Susan Greene has repeatedly left the safety of San Francisco and travelled to the occupied territories - armed only with a paintbox. She has become a leading member of the Break the Silence Mural Project - an arts group that promotes a greater awareness of the complexities of the conflict in Palestine. more..
50,000 Israeli Arabs expected at Al-Aqsa mosque rally Ha'aretz 8/6/2004 Muslim preachers across Israel called for worshippers to go to the Temple Mount on Saturday to pray and participate in the Islamic Movement Northern Branch's annual "Festival of the Children of Al-Aqsa. " Sheik Raed Sala's movement is expecting some 50,000-60,000 children and their parents to participate in the festival, now in its third year. more..
Mural breaks silence of oppression Al-Jazeera 8/5/2004 An America Jew has made sure at least some Palestinian children will remember their land the way it was before its destruction by Israeli bulldozers. Dr Susan Greene has repeatedly left the safety of San Francisco and travelled to the occupied territories - armed only with a paintbox. She has become a leading member of the Break the Silence Mural Project – an arts group which promotes a greater awareness of the complexities of the conflict in Palestine. more..
First Hebrew Israelite drafted into IDF Ha'aretz 7/30/2004 The first member of the Hebrew Israelite community to enlist in the IDF, Uriahu Butler, 18, was inducted into the army yesterday morning. "This is an historic day of great joy," Ben Ami Ben Israel, president and founder of the congregation, said last night at a party for Butler organized by the community and Dimona Municipality. "From now on we will be an inseparable part of Israeli society. Until now, other people sent their kids to protect us, now it's time for us to pay our debt. " more..
Summer Camps in Nablus: Venting Children's Angst International Press Center 7/26/2004 Palestinian children have suffered from a continuous nightmare that has robbed them their childhood and their right to play and have fun like the rest of the children around the world. This nightmare was the Israeli occupying troops and their arbitrary measures against the children and adults alike, as they witness their friends and family being shot and their houses destroyed everyday by the Israeli war machine. more..
Review: "Death in Gaza" By Victor Kattan, Electronic Intifada 7/1/2004 The 77-minute HBO/Channel 4 production Death in Gaza is a story about the last moments of the life of award-winning British cameraman James Miller, 1968-2003. Miller travelled to the occupied Palestinian territories to make a film on children and was fatally shot by an Israeli soldier when filming in Rafah. The film's commentator, Saira Shah, is an award-winning journalist of Afghan-Scottish descent. more..
Determined to Live! International Press Center 7/1/2004 “Let's live our childhood”, a motto printed in Arabic on T-shirts worn by children of the Deir Elbalah refugee camp, Central Gaza Strip, expressed the children’s determination to enjoy their summer time despite the ongoing Israeli violence including the daily shootings, invasions and houses demolitions. more..
Poll: Israelis want PM to accelerate Gaza pullout Ha'aretz 7/1/2004 An opinion poll taken following the deadly Qassam rocket fire this week on Sderot showed that most Israelis favor an accelerated withdrawal from the Gaza Strip under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan. A three-year-old boy and a 49-year-old man were killed Monday morning when Hamas men fired a Qassam rocket that landed beside the child's nursery school in the western Negev town. The deaths were the first in more than 200 Qassam salvos fired at Sderot. more..
A Palestinian Children’s Creative Think Tank Miftah/Hakawati 6/28/2004 ‘Palestinian children, like any other, have the need to express their creative aspirations; this becomes even more important when freedom is restricted under the effect of a long term occupation’ -- The purpose of this summer camp is to give Palestinian children an opportunity to engage with their oral history as told by selected local Palestinian elders and with a focus on the positive side of Palestinian culture and history. The children will then work in an open lab environment to create artworks inspired by the storytelling sessions and mentored by Palestinian artists from diverse fields of artistic practice. more..
Palestinians Draw Rosy Picture Of Israelis-Free Gaza Palestine Chronicle 6/23/2004 "Raed Miaraj, who lives next to the settlement of Rafah Yam in southern Gaza, says Gaza will be God’s paradise on the earth after the pullout.. " -- GAZA CITY - Life will be a bed of roses, economy will pick up, grass will be green and children will play again when the Israeli occupation forces withdraw from Gaza Strip and evacuate Jewish settlements, several Gazans said, keeping their fingers crossed. With a potential Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip making the news day in and day out, Gazans are, no doubt, over the moon. more..
"Army & Arabs"…New Palestinian Game Islam Online 5/5/2004 NABLUS, May 5 (IslamOnline. net) – Thirteen-year-old Fatihbellah threw a grain of sand at a group of children who blacked out immediately to be later handcuffed and taken to custody at gunpoint. This was only the Palestinian version of hide-and-seek. Calling their trademark game "Army and Arabs", the Palestinian children do not have to be innovative to play the game. They do not even have to watch American action movies with their spectacular stunts. The have an Israeli occupation already. more..
Israeli Art Paints Picture of Palestinian Suffering ReliefWeb/USAID 1/27/2004 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Jewish settler fires at the feet of Palestinian farmers. Soldiers at a roadblock, wary of suicide bombers, order Palestinians to bare their bellies. Palestinian children face checkpoint scrutiny on the way to school. These are some of the scenes Israeli artists are depicting in work that illustrates what they see as the daily humiliation and suffering of Palestinians. The artists hope to jar an Israeli public numbed by daily bloodshed for the past three years. more..
Stolen Youth: The Politics of Israel's Detention of Palestinian Children Jerusalemites 1/28/2004 Stolen Youth is the first book to explore Israel's incarceration of Palestinian children. Based on first-hand information from international human rights groups and NGO workers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it also features interviews with children who have been imprisoned. The result is a disturbing and often shocking account of the abuses that are being carried out by Israel, and that have been widely documented by human rights groups such as Amnesty, but yet have never been addressed by the international community. more..
Happy snaps of a suicide bomber The Star (South Africa) 1/27/2004 Jerusalem - These pictures are of Reem Raiyshi and her two children, taken just four days before she left them to blow up herself along with four Israelis. [No pictures accompany this publication of the story - Ed. ] Hamas, which ordered the January 14 attack, has posted the pictures on its Internet site, in seeming defiance of Palestinian critics who say the Islamic militant group was wrong to send 22-year-old Reem Raiyshi on a mission that left her toddlers without a mother. The pictures, which appeared on the Hamas site over the weekend, show Raiyshi in camouflage dress holding an assault rifle in one hand while cradling her 3-year-old son, Obedia, in the other arm. more..
Khair el-din Haseeb: The key to Arab unity lies in democracy Daily Star 1/23/2004 Secretary-general of Center for Arab Unity Studies speaks up on challenges facing region’s development -- BEIRUT: It’s been a long day for Khair el-din Haseeb, who leans back in his brown leather armchair with a tired smile. Aides are scurrying in and out of his spacious Hamra office,which is replete with large paintings, plush sofas and walls lined with books. Next to Haseeb’s desk are portraits of each of his three children a black and white picture of a serious young boy, two fading pictures of his smiling daughters. more..
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